Class ends. Students pack up and head back to their dorms. The professor, meanwhile, goes to her car... to catch a little sleep, and then eat a cheeseburger in her lap before driving across the city to a different university to teach another, wholly...

Navigating academia can seem like a voyage through a foreign land: strange cultural rules dictate everyday interactions, new vocabulary awaits at every turn, and the feeling of being an outsider is unshakable. For students considering doctoral progra...