One thing I've noticed about school is that it tends to shield people from the "real world." This was especially apparent during my freshman year of college, and gradually got better when I left the dorms. However, the shield is still there; sometimes it's a good thing, but other times it means an somewhat isolated existence.
A lot of people have said that the past couple years has been a good time to be in school. The number of people pursuing post-college education has increased as the economy tanked, and in many ways, grad school is a shield from having to search for a "real" job or worrying about the consequences of not having such a job.
However, grad school comes with its own bubbles; depending on the day, labwork can be stimulating, tedious, meditative, or just plain robotic. While the schedule is relatively flexible (I go to lab when I want, but I leave when the work is done), the flip side of having such fluidity is that everyone else is on a different schedule, and sometimes I'm there by myself with just my iPod and the frogs for company. It's gotten much better, since there are more people in the lab now and the chances that I'll have human company during work hours has increased. But since people have different projects, sometimes it can still feel a little isolating, especially when the people you interact with the most aren't present.
I don't mind the lab bubble as much as I do the bubble that extends outside of work into "normal life." I've noticed lately that people are less willing to go out and do semi-organized activities. My friend, who's in a different program at another school, has noticed it too and pointed it out to me. She had tried to get people together for a wine-and-games night at her house, but out of the 30-some people she invited, only half replied. And out of the half that replied, 8-10 actually showed up, which is a pretty good sized group, but considering the number of people she asked, it's quite a low turnout. I've started to notice that as well; people are increasingly wrapped up in their own lives and not extremely willing to go out and do something social (myself included).
One of my other friends (in med school) thought that we're all in a particularly antisocial period, since we're trying to get enough done to graduate, but also trying to figure out what we want to do in the long run...a "quarter-life crisis" of sorts. As a result, many other things, including attempts to have some semblance of a social life, is seen as a distraction. An alternative is that we're all reaching the end of our third year, and "what have I (not) accomplished these couple years" syndrome is starting to sink in. That being said, I wonder if this is going to get worse as fourth year approaches in a few months...
