Quote:
Originally Posted by Munchkin03
Eccentricity has always been tolerated, if not accepted, in academia. Think of the "mad scientist" or the "absent-minded professor." Extreme success in one part of your life seems to excuse other, less savory aspects of your life. There are plenty of crazy-ass people who have PhDs or other advanced degrees. The ivory tower, and especially once tenure is granted, is far more accepting of certain nonsense than the private sector.
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I can't speak for everyone who has an advanced degree, but in my area, life sciences / biomedical sciences, very often people are quite normal when they enter grad school. The 'craziness' usually comes during grad work because of all the pressure and expectations associated with obtaining an advanced degree. Not just that, working in a life science / biomedical lab can be very stressful. And, dealing with your grad committee is no picnic either.
When working on an advanced degree, you don't have a normal life. You have to give up a lot - hobbies, activities, relationships, for the degree. Some people can handle the pressure, some can not.
As for the crazy prof, obtaining tenure can be just as stressful as grad school. Some universities have dealt with tenure by eliminating it, or not making such a big deal out of it. And, for those schools that still have a tenure system, maintaining tenure can be stressful also.