#hei hei the chicken from Moana and also the MA student

[postcardsfromthevoid]

That’s the secret about academia that you only learn when you are too deep in it, like when they learn about aliens in Scientology

a new concept: idiot academia

where u have book smarts but have absolutely no common sense

[postcardsfromthevoid]

So ive been an MA supervisor for a couple of years now (I’ve released 2 seminars of students and now I’m in the middle of a third, each on a VASTLY different research topic, why thank you I was diagnosed with adhd recently how did u know) and every seminar has this one type of student that is a dude and also the chicken from Moana.

Why, you might ask? Well, working with them on their MA dissertation is like Moana trying to keep chicken Hei Hei alive.

Hei Hei is usually a conventionally looking European white dude with the unearned confidence of a, well, conventionally looking European white dude in academia.

Hei Hei is the dude who attended his final MA consultation on his (overdue) thesis with me, his MA supervisor, wearing a comfy sweatshirt with a “I just don’t give a fuck” embroidered on the chest and not of any ill intent but just because he did not realize what it said and how it could be interpreted as him, in fact, not giving a fuck (I asked) (did I mention this all happens in English studies).

Hei hei is also the dude who, when asked about the final chapter of his thesis, which on closer inspection (by me, his supervisor) seemed to contradict the previous two chapters of his thesis said: “So I thought the results section is just where I put all my tables with the numbers and that will show a result”, on which he then commented with a sad head shake - “I think I was wrong.” (he was, indeed, wrong on that and also the tables were wrong and the data in the tables did not make sense because you put all of the variables in the same column even though you measured them in different units hei hei)

(Hei hei the chicken from Moana regurgitating a stone, much like Hei Hei the student throwing up unprocessed data into the results section of his thesis).

Hei hei also forgot about his thesis defense. And then forgot to confirm that he is going to attend the additional date that the MA committee kindly agreed to schedule for him, keeping us all in suspense. Was he going to show up or did I ask two university professors to clear out their calendars to hang out in my office for no reason?

(He did show up 2 (two) minutes before his scheduled defense, completely unconcerned).

I got lovely flowers from this year’s Hei Hei, who got a Master’s degree even though he forgot the definition of gesture defending a thesis that was about gesture. The previous Hei Hei is happily employed in the theater industry. I am very proud of them both and hope to never have to interact professionally with either.

So all I’m saying I relate to OPs comic on a personal level.