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Something I think we don't talk about enough is the tendency POC students sometimes have to downplay their achievements and what that means for them. I've been thinking about this a lot recently. A short thread. (1/7)
My mentor drew my attention to this last fall when I was drafting my statement for grad school. In my statement, I downplayed a lot of my my role in previous research experiences. Plus lots of phrases like, "I had the fortune to do...," "I hope to...," that sort of thing. (2/7)
My mentor said, you gotta change that. Be firm, precise and don't downplay what you did! Cut out those phrases and use "I did," "I will," "I plan," etc. Say what you mean. I felt uncomfortable with this at first, because I wasn't used to it, but it improved my writing. (3/7)
My mentor noted that in reviewing a lot of POC students' statements, there is a strong tendency to do these sorts of things I mentioned above. I've noticed that in my experience in reviewing other students' essays, too. (4/7)
Now consider, alongside this, that POC students are made to feel like their accomplishments are moreso luck & fortune than the fruits of their discipline & effort (I've certainly felt this). It's unfortunate, because how many people have done less and are bragging about it? (5/7)
The moral is this: be your own advocate and don't ever sell yourself short! You deserve to be proud of your accomplishments. If you did something, own it! It can be uncomfortable. It was for me. And it's not immediate or easy. (6/7)
But I hope that, in time, you can grow confident in your own expertise, your knowledge, and your accomplishments because every student and every scientist should be. (7/7)
