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Ask HN: Is Getting into Academia a Lottery?
Is it worth it? For those who have made it? I am curious to know, as i am trying to get into one!
- hacky_engineer 5y agoYou mean like getting into a university? It might be a lottery at some level, but you definitely increase your odds by cheating the system (good grades, good SAT/ACT scores, etc...)
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- the_only_law 5y agoNot sure, but my experience (with the US system, undergraduate level) has been that if you’re a non traditional student it will be significantly more difficult. It seems it’s not a hackable system, the bureaucracy is too strong.
- mikewarot 5y agoNo, winning a lottery is a random event. Everyone has the same chance at winning. Academia is a highly political environment, where actual competence is a secondary consideration. If you want a position, and eventual tenure, you're going to have to learn to play the game, publish or perish.