Author: Haya Elamir

A lot of my previous posts are mostly concentrated on research and science, and that’s because those are the things I love. However, taking a psychology class this semester that had a more social sciences approach made me think about my story in STEM. In particular, a part of the lecture that stuck with me was the “stereotype threat”. The stereotype threat is the fear of proving a stereotype right. I’m not good at math, and I’ve always thought that would just be the way life goes, but last year, I took MAT103, and I did quite well (it’s one of the easier math classes of course, but the bar is low for me). In fact, it was my easiest class. This really changed my perspective on my math skills. When I reflected on my experience with math, I realized that this mindset I have about it was cultivated by my gender.

Nassau Hall on Princeton’s campus. Photo Credit: Adriana De Cervantes.

I think that November is a critical month for the fall semester. Many students feel more pressure to do better for the rest of the semester as midterm grades come in. Students in labs start to have their lab work amp up at this point in the semester, especially newbie researchers who just joined a lab in September. That ‘just getting to know the lab’ phase is over; the sun is setting at an outrageous time; the weather is getting colder; and the professors seem to make less sense. Holidays feel like they’re right around the corner, so the end of the semester feels so close yet so far. In short, November and the first half of December is a weird limbo phase that, at its best, is a transition/preparation period and, at its worst, purgatory. With this pressure in mind, it becomes important to recognize how to balance research work and studies and mental health and social life and…and…and the list goes on.