{"id":6340,"date":"2018-03-13T11:33:44","date_gmt":"2018-03-12T22:33:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesislink.aut.ac.nz\/?p=6340"},"modified":"2018-03-15T16:17:22","modified_gmt":"2018-03-15T03:17:22","slug":"should-you-call-yourself-a-student","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesislink.aut.ac.nz\/?p=6340","title":{"rendered":"Should You Call Yourself a ‘Student’?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Who do you picture when you hear the word ‘student’? Someone with their head down at the library? Someone diligently working away in a lab or classroom? Someone smiling in a brochure, wearing a backpack and giving a thumbs-up?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

(I have never seen any student do this, ever.)<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, there are all sorts of less flattering stereotypes about students. Stories of drunkenness<\/a>, extreme debt<\/a>, and poor living conditions<\/a> tend to make the news more often than stories of hard work<\/a> and success<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But the negative stereotypes are far from the postgraduate reality. Postgraduate students tend to be older (and perhaps more mature) than your average undergraduate student; we have often been out in the workplace, and may have even achieved a prominent position in our careers and communities. Many postgraduate students are very hard-working professionals; after all, in order to gain acceptance to a postgraduate programme, we have to be reasonably high achievers.<\/p>\n

All of this means that we can have an uncomfortable relationship with the label ‘student’ and its less favourable connotations.<\/p>\n

On the one hand, it can be a point of pride to call ourselves ‘students’ in recognition of the learning we are doing, and the possibilities that come with improving our minds and our career prospects.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, it can feel strange to call ourselves ‘students’ knowing that we are much more experienced and independent than that label could imply.<\/p>\n

If you hate the term ‘student,’ there are alternatives:<\/p>\n