Pros
- World-class research in earth and space exploration - Hands on experience with Class I/II NASA missions - Loved ASU campus and the brand new building I was in - Strong focus on mental health of both students and staff - Outstanding fitness center - Met my future wife there - People know how to have fun (great parties for everyone from students to professors)
Cons
Its academia and I was a grad student. No matter how wonderful my advisors and administrators were (and they were objectively wonderful), the experience of working 100-110 hours a week while living in abject poverty will DRAIN your soul. The price of rent doubled during my 7.5 years of doctoral work and in that time, my guaranteed salary went from $19,000/yr to $24,000/yr, and that was only after threatening to unionize and strike. This is not the fault of the professors, staff, or administration at ASU, although they can contribute to the culture that perpetuates this absurd use of slave labor. Its the people at the top of the whole organization who are making millions off of the sweat of my brow and the revolution will not treat them kindle, comrade.
