The Karasian grad model: An authoritative and definitive guide to graduate-level success in a materials science and engineering program

For the study of materials science and engineering (MS&E), the quantification of success levels in graduate programs has, in recent years, become a highlight for analysts and advertisers employed by alumni association trackers, pharmacologists who manufacture psychotropic medications, and support group networks. Introduction A plurality of sources, from human resources workshops to books with the title formula of “How to [positive adverb] [positive verb] [preposition] graduate school” with some subtitle that usually includes an ironic twist (not to mention an author suffix with MD or PhD in large letters), have attempted to motivate idyllic undergraduates and weary industry veterans to pursue graduate school, converging upon the following abridged hard truth: “for a less-than-minimum-wage paycheck and years of emotional abuse through a ludicrous work routine, you can justify your many addictions and join a type of fraternity of experts who’ll hire you for a lot of money based on the credentials you’ll undoubtedly earn, because you’ve earned the right to command authority.” Success rates genuinely seem to correlate with those candidates who embrace work autonomy, possible sci-fi interest, STEM-based intelligence and competence, and especially technical proficiency.1 MS&E, while requiring good aptitude in memorizing a collection of common inorganics (M.C. Escher-style tessellations written in microtype) and mineral groups, generally does not differ too much from other disciplines where advisor compatibility, commitment to a research project, and proficiency for reading and writing are essential qualitative factors that undoubtedly characterize success rates.2 However, a rediscovered work by Blackburne et al.3 provided a means to establish a quantifiable metric to capture graduate success more effectively based on the tabulation of observational data trends. To no consternation of the author, the dissemination of a success model that is not characterized with dependence on inherent classifications (race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran/ disability status) or user willingness to engage in illegal practices (gambling in the hopes to satisfy tuition payments, pirating textbooks) is considered a superlative feature in order to avoid angry letters from random readers, likely undergraduates attending one of the schools in the University of California system with too much time on their hands.