The Goldilocks Zone: On Balance in Grad School

People are always telling you to find work-life balance. It’s easy to say, but why is it so hard to do? 

In this episode, we explore the struggle that every grad student experiences: trying to find the right balance between spending time on academics and living the rest of their life. 

Several grad students, past and present, share their stories. They talk about the guilt of saying no, the anxiety of proving they belong and the mistakes they made along the way. They point to a sobering, but perhaps reassuring, conclusion: finding the perfect balance – and staying there, in the Goldilocks Zone – may be an impossible dream.

Music credits: 

Licensed from soundstripe.com: "Shaken and Stirred" by Dreamland (theme song); “Hypnotized” by Cast of Characters; “Ticking” by Alternate Endings; “Exploring the Unknown” by Adam Saban; “Caffeinated Marimba” by JCar; “Old Moon” by Lincoln Davis; “Which Witch” by Dresden the Flamingo; “Glasgow” by Falls; “Pensive” by Shimmer; “As Fate Would Have It” by Wicked Cinema; “Particles” by Chelsea McGough.