Thoughts, writing & snippets

Marguerite Koole, PhD

Rabbit eats fox: The pursuit of a post-graduate degree

mkoole, · Categories: Uncategorized

Rabbit Eats Fox

Shrub in the Lois Hole garden, Alberta Legislature

Shrub in the Lois Hole Garden, Alberta Legislature

This is a joke about the pursuit of a post-graduate degree. I cannot take credit for it, I received an old copy of it from a former boss who had originally received it by email back in 1998!

Scene: It’s a fine, beautiful day in the forest. A rabbit is sitting outside his burrow, typing away on his lap top. Along comes a fox out for a walk.

Fox: What are you working on?

Rabbit: My thesis paper to graduate from University.

Fox: Hmmm. What is it about?

Rabbit: Oh, I’m writing about how rabbits eat foxes.

Fox: [After an incredulous pause.] That’s ridiculous! Any fool knows that rabbits don’t eat foxes.

Rabbit: Come with me, and I’ll show you!

They both disappear into the rabbit’s burrow. After a few minutes, gnawing on a fox bone, the rabbit returns to his lap top and resumes typing. Soon, a wolf comes along and stops to watch the hard-working rabbit. [Tippy-tap, tippy-tap, tippy-tippy-tap.]

Wolf: What’s that you’re writing?

Rabbit: I’m doing a thesis on how rabbits eat wolves.

Wolf: You don’t expect to get such garbage published, do you?

Rabbit: No problem. Do you want to see why?

The rabbit and the wolf go into the burrow. Again, the rabbit returns by himself. This time he is patting his stomach. He goes back to his typing. [Tippy-tap, tippy-tap, tippy-tippy-tap.] Finally, a bear comes along.

Bear: What are you doing?

Rabbit: I’m doing a thesis on how rabbits eat bears.

Bear: Well, that’s absurd.

Rabbit: Come into my home, and I’ll show you.

Scene: Inside the rabbit’s burrow. In one corner, there is a pile of fox bones. In another corner is a pile of wolf bones. On the other side of the room, a huge lion is belching and picking his teeth.

The moral of the story

It doesn’t matter what you choose for a thesis topic.

It doesn’t matter what you use for your data.

It doesn’t even matter if your topic makes sense.

What matters is who you have for a thesis advisor!

 

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