Share
Share this podcast with your friends. As the Dali Lama says, if this helps you great, if not then no problem. We want fellow nontraditional students to know you are not alone.
Episodes
List of our current podcast Episodes, they are also available on Spotify, iHeart Radio, and iTunes
Multidisciplinary
The Unlikely Academic Podcast Cohosts have intersections into a variety of academic disciplines. Each cohost has collaborated on a variety of research projects across different academic domains. Further, their educational background varies as from professional doctoral work to humanities to traditional programs. This has resulted in a holistic view of higher education particularly in terms of graduate work and the culture of higher education. Much of the experiences shared in the podcast speak to these various experiences. We share stories and research on the graduate school experience to share with those who may not be aware of the challenges of pursuing graduate education.
My video
Meet The Team
Meet the Cohosts of the Unlikely Academicss
Profile Bios
Who are your CohostDr. Christopher F. Silver (Ph.D. student)
Chris Silver grew up in a rural farm and former coal mining town in Southern Appalachia and was expected to work in a farming or factory position upon graduation from High School. He was discouraged by others in his community not to attend college (as was the tradition for many from his hometown). His journey included not only achieving good grades but addressing and coping with the shame of not coming from socio-economic privilege. Those from Appalachian culture experience ridicule and stigma due to the way they speak, their socio-economic status (generally poor), the social norms they follow, their dress and clothing (e.g., overalls, John Deer Ball cap). Particularly, Dr. Silver has been identified using a variety of colloquial names such as red-neck, conservative, ignorant, farmboy, hillbilly, and some other choice terms. While his southern accent is still present, his Appalachian accent has diminished over time but his roots will always be in his hometown. As a result of these experiences, Dr. Silver is interested in empowering and educating first-generation and nontraditional undergraduate and graduate students to find their voices in higher education. Further, his interests are in the domains of diversity, stigma, and implicit bias as well as the subfield of psychology of religion. Check out his website at http://www.christophersilver.com/
Dr. Jenny M. Holcombe
Jenny Holcombe grew up in a working class, blue-collar family. While she was a high performer in school, as a first-generation college student, she worked hard to navigate academic culture, find her place in graduate school, and seek supportive advisors. She endured a number of personal challenges during her educational journey but managed to overcome her life tragedies to earn her Ph.D. and secure a position in academia successfully. Check out her website at https://www.utc.edu/nursing/profiles/faculty/nqk172.php
Thomas J. Coleman III (Ph.D. student)
Tommy Coleman is a former drug addict and all-around social degenerate who received his Graduate Equivalence Degree (GED) after dropping out of high school. After more mistakes than we can list here, he turned his life around and completed his bachelor and Masters degree. He is currently completing his psychology doctoral degree in the United Kingdom. Check out his professional website: https://www.thomascoleman.guru/
Our Educational Institutions
Where did We Go To School?
Our Audience is You
Our Podcast is for the Nontraditional Students
While we believe there are particular topics everyone will find useful, our intended audience are those who do not fit the prototypical graduate student (straight A's, wealthy family, parents who are already in academia or have advanced degrees, attendance in a prestigious private school at any level of their education, judgmental of others for their inability to meet your expectations). This Podcast is for those of us who want multiple viewpoints and cultural inclusivity in our academic disciplines and believe with patience, hard work, mutual respect, and emotional intelligence; academia will enter a new age of diversity and constructive dialog. Seeking knowledge alone is not enough to produce future academics. Rather those who are willing to empower different voices, including those who may deviate from our own in terms of academic or political interests, will hopefully shape the new generation of academic scholars. So, would you be our audience? Here are some questions to consider
For Undergraduates
Are you thinking about going to graduate school? Do you wonder what the steps are to get into graduate school even if you are not a straight-A student? Are you a student who did not come from a wealthy or high-class family? Are you a first-generation student? Have you received letters of rejection? Do you feel you have no way forward in your career aspirations? Are you scared and/or unclear about the process or how to apply? Concerned you can never live up to expectations of a graduate program? Do not identify with the culture of privilege and success?
For Graduate Students
Are you currently in graduate school but find yourself alienated, struggling with anxiety, coping with a hostile advisor or advisors, dealing with apathetic faculty, lacking inclusion in graduate social and study events, still trying to understand a culture which excludes people like you, struggling to pay bills while performing, coping with all this through drugs (including alcohol), find yourself working hard only to be belittled by others, or just live in fear and confusion on a daily bases? Is grant funding perplexing, or do you find yourself lost in generating novel ideas for research?
Postgraduate Masters and Doctoral Career Seekers
Are you graduating with your Ph.D. and finding yourself burned out? Struggling to find a direction? Struggling to find gainful employment? Struggling to find a post-doctoral fellowship? Should you consider a post-doc? Should you consider one-year appointments? Should you go into industry? Should you just throw in the towel? We will discuss these themes at length and share ours and others experiences in navigating the next level of the game.
Podcast Theme Song
Podcast Theme Song: The Outsiders ft Aj Aka Zhou - I Know We Gon Make It
Get in touch!
We Want your feedback on the Podcast
Contact info
We want to hear from you. What themes would you like us to discuss? Are there corrections to our podcast?
This is a difficult journey but there is no reason it should be alone. You can do this!!!!!
- C/O University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 615 McCallie Ave Chattanooga TN 37403 USA
- info@theunlikelyacademic.com
Useful Seo Icons
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolorei
You can view the project here