Hi everyone,
As the title suggests, this is my first conference. I’m very nervous considering I’m presenting in a panel alongside two professors in my field!
I’m a socially anxious woman, early-mid twenties, traveling on my own and know nobody at this conference mostly attended by academics and gradstudents. I’m very fortunate to be in this position and want to make sure I enjoy myself while also making connections with other people!
How should I approach networking and “socializing” considering the difference of experience and age? Should I be open about being an undergrad? How much information should I share about myself? How casual/formal should I be?
I’m working on a small pitch about my research interests, possible paths for gradschool, and of course the research I’m presenting. But outside of this I’m sort of lost. I’m particularly terrified of mealtimes because of small-talk (lmao). I feel more comfortable speaking to other gradstudents, as we’d probably be closer in age and I can ask them about their particular program/university/dissertation. With profs, however, I’m not sure what to ask. Any suggestions?