label
stringclasses 2
values | request
stringlengths 110
2.68k
|
|---|---|
B | POST: Unusual PhD Examination Results After 3 years of hard work, I received my final 3 PhD examiners reports and it is a little perplexing to say the least. 2 examiners suggested minor revisions and spoke extremely highly of the work (humanities). One said it was the best PhD he had examined in 25 years. The other said he would personally endorse its publication. However, the third tore it to shreds, arguing that it did not even rise to the level on a PhD, despite me publishing a lot of it in established journals throughout my candidature. Has anyone else experienced this type of discrepancy?
RESPONSE A: Who chose the examiners? How were they found? Are they from the same country as you? Do they work at similarly 'good' universities?
RESPONSE B: Don't worry, it happens. The uni will probably be able to proceed on the basis of your positive reports or else seek an additional examiner. It should be spelled out in the PhD policy somewhere. Unfortunately not all examiners deliver a professional, objective evaluation - there's a lot of contingency in the whole process, even for the best work. Try not to let it get to you. Hopefully your supervisors can provide some context too
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: Unusual PhD Examination Results After 3 years of hard work, I received my final 3 PhD examiners reports and it is a little perplexing to say the least. 2 examiners suggested minor revisions and spoke extremely highly of the work (humanities). One said it was the best PhD he had examined in 25 years. The other said he would personally endorse its publication. However, the third tore it to shreds, arguing that it did not even rise to the level on a PhD, despite me publishing a lot of it in established journals throughout my candidature. Has anyone else experienced this type of discrepancy?
RESPONSE A: If it’s published in reputable journals then they can pound sand
RESPONSE B: Who chose the examiners? How were they found? Are they from the same country as you? Do they work at similarly 'good' universities?
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: Unusual PhD Examination Results After 3 years of hard work, I received my final 3 PhD examiners reports and it is a little perplexing to say the least. 2 examiners suggested minor revisions and spoke extremely highly of the work (humanities). One said it was the best PhD he had examined in 25 years. The other said he would personally endorse its publication. However, the third tore it to shreds, arguing that it did not even rise to the level on a PhD, despite me publishing a lot of it in established journals throughout my candidature. Has anyone else experienced this type of discrepancy?
RESPONSE A: In my experience it is extremely uncommon. When you are invited for PhD examiner you are somewhat expected to give a positive feedback. If you have a negative opinion about the work, specially such a bad opinion, you usually explain it to the supervisor or to the president of the jury before making it oficial. Writing out a report that is extremely negative when the work has already been published and accepted by the international community is a “brave” move. Basically you are antagonizing the supervisor, the student, all the members of the jury, etc. If he is right, there are other ways of handling it. If he is wrong, he looks like an idiot. My guess is this, he is inexperienced, he doesn’t have the reputation, he has some sort of inferiority complex/need to prove himself, he thinks that by showing that he is super though people will infer that he and his research are exceptional. He is not a smart man. Nevertheless, you should analyze rigorously his criticism maybe you can extract something useful out of it.
RESPONSE B: If 2 examiners say the research is really good and you've published it in good journals, it probably has some substantial 'new' findings. New findings can be threatening to some, if it undermines their own beliefs or research areas. In my experience, good research has a much better chance of positive responses, but also a higher chance of a small number of very negative responses from people feeling threatened.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: Unusual PhD Examination Results After 3 years of hard work, I received my final 3 PhD examiners reports and it is a little perplexing to say the least. 2 examiners suggested minor revisions and spoke extremely highly of the work (humanities). One said it was the best PhD he had examined in 25 years. The other said he would personally endorse its publication. However, the third tore it to shreds, arguing that it did not even rise to the level on a PhD, despite me publishing a lot of it in established journals throughout my candidature. Has anyone else experienced this type of discrepancy?
RESPONSE A: I had three examiners - two assigned to me, and one faculty member who came out of retirement at my request. He was the only one would came to the examination with any questions or critiques. He wasn't quite as harsh as your third examiner seems to have been, but he was tough. So, yes, it happens.
RESPONSE B: Why is it always Reviewer 3? 2/3 positive reports sounds like a winner. Congratulations in advance on earning your PhD.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: Unusual PhD Examination Results After 3 years of hard work, I received my final 3 PhD examiners reports and it is a little perplexing to say the least. 2 examiners suggested minor revisions and spoke extremely highly of the work (humanities). One said it was the best PhD he had examined in 25 years. The other said he would personally endorse its publication. However, the third tore it to shreds, arguing that it did not even rise to the level on a PhD, despite me publishing a lot of it in established journals throughout my candidature. Has anyone else experienced this type of discrepancy?
RESPONSE A: I had three examiners - two assigned to me, and one faculty member who came out of retirement at my request. He was the only one would came to the examination with any questions or critiques. He wasn't quite as harsh as your third examiner seems to have been, but he was tough. So, yes, it happens.
RESPONSE B: Some academics have the notion that tearing to shreds anything that comes in their view is their main job, independently of the quality. Some are just a**holes. In any case I don’t think you should worry too much, it’s the job of your main supervisor to help with these situations. And remember that an attack on your work reflects poorly on them, so they are quite motivated to defend you. And if you are in Australia your uni receives a chunk of money for every PhD, so they are very motivated to graduate you!
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: What's your opinion on journals that charge article processing fees? I recently saw one journal charging $3000. I was curious about people's opinions on article processing fees. Thanks!
RESPONSE A: The model is fucked. join the boycott
RESPONSE B: Over a decade ago, APCs started with the good intention of making the academic literature easily accessible to the public and eliminating pay walls. But capitalism means we can't have nice things. So as soon as this kind of open-access started to get any real support from academics, for-profit publishers saw it as an opportunity for yet another profit stream. So now APCs tend to be even more restrictive than the old ways because they inhibit communication between scientists. You should never fall for APCs for open-access since there are plenty of better ways like arXiv, bioRxiv (or your field's or university's repository) to make your work open access. And from the perspective of making your work accessible to the public, simply making the pdf free-to-get is just not enough. Usually you have to do more to contextualize your work for non-academic consumption and this can be done through blogs and social media.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: What's your opinion on journals that charge article processing fees? I recently saw one journal charging $3000. I was curious about people's opinions on article processing fees. Thanks!
RESPONSE A: My society journals are moving to APCs to fund open access. I’m fine with that. But if the article is going behind a paywall, an APC is not appropriate. And I won’t pay APC to a for-profit publisher (*cough* Elsevier *cough*) under any circumstances. I do find the magnitude of some APCs kind of staggering. But if you’re publishing 30 articles a year I guess there’s not much economy of scale.
RESPONSE B: Over a decade ago, APCs started with the good intention of making the academic literature easily accessible to the public and eliminating pay walls. But capitalism means we can't have nice things. So as soon as this kind of open-access started to get any real support from academics, for-profit publishers saw it as an opportunity for yet another profit stream. So now APCs tend to be even more restrictive than the old ways because they inhibit communication between scientists. You should never fall for APCs for open-access since there are plenty of better ways like arXiv, bioRxiv (or your field's or university's repository) to make your work open access. And from the perspective of making your work accessible to the public, simply making the pdf free-to-get is just not enough. Usually you have to do more to contextualize your work for non-academic consumption and this can be done through blogs and social media.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: What's your opinion on journals that charge article processing fees? I recently saw one journal charging $3000. I was curious about people's opinions on article processing fees. Thanks!
RESPONSE A: These comments reflect the same as what I see when this conversation is had in the university. This varies so much from discipline to discipline. People should not make absolute statements. In some fields, nobody charges, and in others, it is only pay to play or lower tier journals that charge. But there are many fields where the flagship journals are jumping on this bandwagon. Articles that are open access on average get cited more than articles that are behind a paywall. For people trying to get jobs or get tenure/promoted, citation counts are very important. Please do not be dismissive if this does not impact your field. You have colleagues in the university that this does impact and it is possible this will come to your field some day. For profit publishers are siphoning away much needed resources from academics.
RESPONSE B: It depends on how much. I publish in open access journals that charge a couple hundred max. That genuinely covers their costs for running the journal. Nature Communications charges $5k (you are essentially paying for prestige), and in an environment where there aren't enough jobs to go around, and where we are funded by taxpayers, that kind of fee cannot be justified. Unfortunately enough people are willing to put their own selfish interests ahead of the common good for Springer Nature to make a huge profit anyway.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: What's your opinion on journals that charge article processing fees? I recently saw one journal charging $3000. I was curious about people's opinions on article processing fees. Thanks!
RESPONSE A: These comments reflect the same as what I see when this conversation is had in the university. This varies so much from discipline to discipline. People should not make absolute statements. In some fields, nobody charges, and in others, it is only pay to play or lower tier journals that charge. But there are many fields where the flagship journals are jumping on this bandwagon. Articles that are open access on average get cited more than articles that are behind a paywall. For people trying to get jobs or get tenure/promoted, citation counts are very important. Please do not be dismissive if this does not impact your field. You have colleagues in the university that this does impact and it is possible this will come to your field some day. For profit publishers are siphoning away much needed resources from academics.
RESPONSE B: This seems to vary greatly by discipline. I do research in math. I've publishing in quality open-access journals for years, and neither I nor my institution has ever paid a cent. It's never even come up. OTOH, in some other disciplines, paying to publish seems to be considered normal. I've even had people get angry with me for suggesting that it's very reasonable to run a high-quality journal with no fees for readers and no fees for authors. But I don't see why people put up with it.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: Tips, Tricks, and Advice for dating as an Academic Hi everyone, I had a fiance who committed suicide when I was younger, and after that I ended up a bit "loose" on a "dating spree" so to speak. Although I am fortunate to not have any lasting repercussions of this, I am single and rapidly approaching the point of teaching. I was wondering if anyone would have any recommendations about dating in academic or even using dating apps? I've heard some professors claim to have blackmail attempts by students or former student and I am not sure how to navigate dating in a more "reserved" context.
RESPONSE A: I’m a young professor and teach adult students and grad students, so the age range thing on apps is not foolproof. If you use the apps, create a profile assuming that multiple students and/or colleagues will see it, because they probably will. You’re human and allowed to have a personal life, but represent yourself in this context realizing it can reflect on you professionally. I’ve seen a number of other academics on apps, some have their job info and some don’t. FT faculty are also easy to look up since we tend to have webpages so keep that in mind when you decide whether to have your title and institution on there, anyone on the apps can find out plenty about you cert quickly. You have to gauge your comfort level about this. I personally do not focus my profile on my job bc I don’t want to be so easy to find online until I at least interact a little with someone and feel okay sharing that info. Be professional and respectful and you’ll be fine!
RESPONSE B: I have an idea: dating app for people in academia? You confirm your identity with university email 😌
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: Tips, Tricks, and Advice for dating as an Academic Hi everyone, I had a fiance who committed suicide when I was younger, and after that I ended up a bit "loose" on a "dating spree" so to speak. Although I am fortunate to not have any lasting repercussions of this, I am single and rapidly approaching the point of teaching. I was wondering if anyone would have any recommendations about dating in academic or even using dating apps? I've heard some professors claim to have blackmail attempts by students or former student and I am not sure how to navigate dating in a more "reserved" context.
RESPONSE A: Where the hell do you teach? You can’t date outside your job site??? Interesting to see how many of you do this and have quirky advice on how to basically shit where you eat. My university has a strict policy about dating ANY student affiliated with the campus. There aren’t enough people around in your city that you can date? Or are you busy chasing the 18-22 set?
RESPONSE B: I would ignore the warnings about blackmail attempts. Using a dating app is not a blackmail-worthy activity, unless you use that dating app to distribute your dick picks. The biggest concern is a possible two-body problem. As long as you don't have tenure, you need to be pretty flexible with moving around. Someone that you only recently met will probably not follow you around willingly, or even cannot follow you at all. So, you either need to be comfortable with the idea of a long-term long distance relationship, or more short-term forms of dating.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: Professors, do you get annoyed when students stay after class for a quick question? Would you prefer them to come to your office hours instead?
RESPONSE A: Nope. I've had a lot of interesting conversations with students who linger to ask questions. Now if it's a student who comes to me regularly with really transparent discussions of how to boost their grades without putting in any effort, it can get annoying (e.g. Having lots of unverifiable excuses for tons of absences, arguing about their scores when the work is beyond negligent, etc). Usually about 1/10 who linger do so for what is essentially grade-grubbing. (note: Those looking for ways to improve their grades and understanding through questions and effort are almost always a pleasure to talk to).
RESPONSE B: I actually love this. Usually it's my really engaged, curious students- it's why I do what I do.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: Professors, do you get annoyed when students stay after class for a quick question? Would you prefer them to come to your office hours instead?
RESPONSE A: Definitely not. If you have a longer discussion or a bunch of questions then it is better to go to office hours, but I'm actually happy if a student or two comes up after class and asks something (especially if it is about the content we just learned, but anything else is fine too).
RESPONSE B: I actually love this. Usually it's my really engaged, curious students- it's why I do what I do.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: Professors, do you get annoyed when students stay after class for a quick question? Would you prefer them to come to your office hours instead?
RESPONSE A: I actually love this. Usually it's my really engaged, curious students- it's why I do what I do.
RESPONSE B: I do only when it is because the student is solely brown-nosing. Ain't nobody got time for that! Otherwise, I'm more than happy to help them or to explain something.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: Professors, do you get annoyed when students stay after class for a quick question? Would you prefer them to come to your office hours instead?
RESPONSE A: Nope. I've had a lot of interesting conversations with students who linger to ask questions. Now if it's a student who comes to me regularly with really transparent discussions of how to boost their grades without putting in any effort, it can get annoying (e.g. Having lots of unverifiable excuses for tons of absences, arguing about their scores when the work is beyond negligent, etc). Usually about 1/10 who linger do so for what is essentially grade-grubbing. (note: Those looking for ways to improve their grades and understanding through questions and effort are almost always a pleasure to talk to).
RESPONSE B: I do only when it is because the student is solely brown-nosing. Ain't nobody got time for that! Otherwise, I'm more than happy to help them or to explain something.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: advice needed for tenure letter of support Please help. My former professor asked me to write a letter of support for tenure. I agreed to help her out but am stuck getting started (I need to get it back to her by Thursday). I have no idea where to start or what these letters should look like. I'm hoping someone might dm me an example of a letter they've written? Or at least give me some advice/sentence starters. Thank you.
RESPONSE A: First, letters solicited by the candidate for tenure don't usually get a lot of weight, but still, it is worth doing. I have written many letters evaluating candidates for tenure and the key is to find the criteria that will be used to judge the person. Then write honestly about what they did for you, but, where possible, use language from the criteria. You should be able to find the faculty handbook on line, but may need to ask the professor for the department guidelines. For example, perhaps mentoring of graduate students is valued; well, then you should talk about how she mentored you. For example, maybe coauthoring papers with students is valued; then write about the papers she wrote with you. I hope this advice helps.
RESPONSE B: I need this too.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: How to find PhD Programs (USA, STEM) I am curious how folks find their PhD programs in the USA in STEM fields. In particular, I am looking into applying for chemistry programs and often hear people say that some programs are “good” for certain types of chemistry (eg polymer chemistry). How do people learn this? Where can I go to learn more about many programs at once?
RESPONSE A: Find papers on topics you're interested in and look at who wrote them and where they are. Keep an eye out in case they are the only one doing research in that area at the school -- it's generally better to be in a department with a cluster of folks in the area.
RESPONSE B: It's a research degree....so do some research.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: How to find PhD Programs (USA, STEM) I am curious how folks find their PhD programs in the USA in STEM fields. In particular, I am looking into applying for chemistry programs and often hear people say that some programs are “good” for certain types of chemistry (eg polymer chemistry). How do people learn this? Where can I go to learn more about many programs at once?
RESPONSE A: First off, thanks for asking this question. A lot of us are very clueless when applying to programs, especially when you're from a small country yourself and want to apply to prestigious programs. This is how I'm browsing for Phd programs: 1. I would go to a university website and then look at their labs' websites. The lab websites are designed to showcase the sort of research that Phd students are doing in the labs. e.g., I thought MIT's Mechanical Engineering was going to be mostly robotics and stuff, but they are most focused on thermal energy. 2. During your literature reviews, you can look up the authors you really like. They might be faculty, students or ex-students. In any case, where they were working when they put out their research work would definitely be a place offering Phd positions. 3. Look up Call for applications. These are mostly for paid opportunities but universities that are actively looking for candidates sign up with scholarship programs that bring in international students. That gives you long catalogues of many different positions and research areas available and you can narrow down by using keywords. Look up Daad, Erasmus, Fulbright etc. 4. Just google people in your field and read through their Google Scholar and Linkedin profiles. For older people, their Linkedin would be very poorly maintained and won't give you much info, but their google scholar profiles are always up to date.
RESPONSE B: It's a research degree....so do some research.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: How to find PhD Programs (USA, STEM) I am curious how folks find their PhD programs in the USA in STEM fields. In particular, I am looking into applying for chemistry programs and often hear people say that some programs are “good” for certain types of chemistry (eg polymer chemistry). How do people learn this? Where can I go to learn more about many programs at once?
RESPONSE A: For me, the national org for my discipline (american sociological society) puts out a book every year of all the grad programs in sociology in the U.S. You may find something similar from whatever the national Chem society is?
RESPONSE B: First off, thanks for asking this question. A lot of us are very clueless when applying to programs, especially when you're from a small country yourself and want to apply to prestigious programs. This is how I'm browsing for Phd programs: 1. I would go to a university website and then look at their labs' websites. The lab websites are designed to showcase the sort of research that Phd students are doing in the labs. e.g., I thought MIT's Mechanical Engineering was going to be mostly robotics and stuff, but they are most focused on thermal energy. 2. During your literature reviews, you can look up the authors you really like. They might be faculty, students or ex-students. In any case, where they were working when they put out their research work would definitely be a place offering Phd positions. 3. Look up Call for applications. These are mostly for paid opportunities but universities that are actively looking for candidates sign up with scholarship programs that bring in international students. That gives you long catalogues of many different positions and research areas available and you can narrow down by using keywords. Look up Daad, Erasmus, Fulbright etc. 4. Just google people in your field and read through their Google Scholar and Linkedin profiles. For older people, their Linkedin would be very poorly maintained and won't give you much info, but their google scholar profiles are always up to date.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: How to find PhD Programs (USA, STEM) I am curious how folks find their PhD programs in the USA in STEM fields. In particular, I am looking into applying for chemistry programs and often hear people say that some programs are “good” for certain types of chemistry (eg polymer chemistry). How do people learn this? Where can I go to learn more about many programs at once?
RESPONSE A: Read journals. Find an author you like a lot and who is talking about the same things you are interested in. Find out where they teach, email them about applying and having them as an advisor. Sure there are 'good' programs that are attached to the top fifty, or so, schools in the US, but I guarantee you will be happier in the long term going to a school where you can be advised by a scholar that is specialized in what you are interested in.
RESPONSE B: Sometimes you can look at what organizations are setup at the University. For example the University of Maryland has a renewable energy research center which coincides with the fact they have some top research in that area, especially in the battery field.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: fake it' for the rest of my life, but I've got nothing outside of science to fall back on and I suck at networking. Advice? What can I do? Sorry for the throwaway. Suffice it to say I'm a fairly successful postdoc working in biomedical research with a PhD from a top-20 research school, where I was quite successful as a grad student. The last few years have been really bad for my mental health, and I've recently come to the conclusion that I just can't do this for the rest of my life. I've got some time left in my current position and plenty left to finish to keep myself occupied in the short-term, but in the long-term I've got to acknowledge that I don't enjoy it anymore, I'm just not cut out for the lifestyle, I want more security and predictability so that I can start a family, and I just don't have the qualities that rising PIs seem to have. So I need, at minimum, a sabbatical of sorts. More likely I'd want to close the lab notebook for the last time and move on to something else. I've got a lot of ideas, an aptitude for computer programming, hopes to live overseas, and a lot of other fanciful goals and interests, but nothing really in the way of formal training or real-world experience outside of science. Has anyone else gone through a career crisis like this? Do you have any advice for me? What thought process did you go for and did you ultimately land somewhere rewarding?
RESPONSE A: Whenever I hear stories about scientists being put through the wringer, they always contain the words "postdoc" and "biomedical research". You should consider the very real possibility that climbing out of the postdoc phase of your career will be very rewarding, both financially and emotionally/physically/mentally. However, if you are serious about moving into another line of work, you may want to look into technical writing.
RESPONSE B: Do you want to teach? There are plenty of smaller regional universities who do not believe in publish or perish. The pay is most likely under what you would really want but I think it would be relatively easy to get a position.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: lot of other fanciful goals and interests, but nothing really in the way of formal training or real-world experience outside of science. Has anyone else gone through a career crisis like this? Do you have any advice for me? What thought process did you go for and did you ultimately land somewhere rewarding?
RESPONSE A: Have a look at this career planning tool: http://myidp.sciencecareers.org/ Most of what you can find at this self-help site is kind of... predictable for lack of a better word (superficial? boring?). But still do try it, fill you "values", your "skills", and think a bit about those job descriptions that they try to match to your choices. It may trigger some nice thoughts, or inspire you to look for something else. Because one possibility, as _bellcrank_ noted earlier, is that you have just outgrown the postdoc phase, and need to go further. But where "further" is for you to decide. Alternatively, you can indeed try to get a sabbatical. Take a year off. Spend it on something strange; go overseas, find a strange temporary occupation. Try to take a break, in a hope that in a year or so you'll know what you want to do. Yet alternatively you may find a really strange postdoc in Europe or Asia. It is a middle-ground solution, but for some people, I think, it can work. I know people who would go teach English to China in their 30s. Who would go to business: and either be happy there, or realize that they miss science. To go into K12 teaching. To go into medical school (also in their 30s). To start their own companies (scientific equipment and such). To switch to programming for the WallStreet. To go into politics. tldr: Don't make decisions right now; take a year off in one form or another, and try to be open to non-standard opportunities.
RESPONSE B: Do you want to teach? There are plenty of smaller regional universities who do not believe in publish or perish. The pay is most likely under what you would really want but I think it would be relatively easy to get a position.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: him taking advantage of the department, assuming he is allowed free reign in our office, and being disrespectful to me. I can't count the number of times just in the last few weeks since starting the position that I've had to ask him not to do something or leave something in the office only to have him completely ignore me. The issue is obviously that he doesn't see me as someone with power (even though I'm in charge of his registration, funding, etc. and have a ton of power) since he knew me as a student before. However, I am now in charge of this office and he needs to listen when I tell him he can't leave things in here. What should I do about this? Should I mention it to the department chair (my boss)? Should I talk directly to the grad student? Or should I just try to ignore it and not let it get to me?
RESPONSE A: When training students, children and dogs there has to be a tight, observable connection between actions and consequences. He has already learned that there are no consequences to what he does. You must establish boundaries with statements like: * You may not store that in the refrigerator and if you do it will be thrown out at 5 p.m. today. * If you take that item without authorization it will be considered stealing and will be reported to public safety along with your supervisor. Ignore the petty slights and make sure you follow up with the consequences you promised. Either he will come around or he will escalate it to the department chair who should support you. Consistency is key.
RESPONSE B: Are you the office manager, or do you work for the office manager? If the former, I would talk to the dept. chair, or just take the high road and ignore him. If the latter, talk to whoever is the office manager. The chain of command is pretty strict with grad students (grad -> his advisor -> dept. chair), so I wouldn't talk to him directly (you already have, it seems, and that seems to be going nowhere). Also, as a heads up, you are going to be dealing with a LOT of weird personalities in academia, so you should get used to it.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: He went into our fridge (supposed to be just for office staff) and began taking the drinks I had put in there for myself. I asked him not to take those since I had planned to drink them and he said "I'm going to take whatever I want. They're mine." He then left us with all the extra food and drinks that I had asked him to remove from the office/not give us in the first place. This is just one example of him taking advantage of the department, assuming he is allowed free reign in our office, and being disrespectful to me. I can't count the number of times just in the last few weeks since starting the position that I've had to ask him not to do something or leave something in the office only to have him completely ignore me. The issue is obviously that he doesn't see me as someone with power (even though I'm in charge of his registration, funding, etc. and have a ton of power) since he knew me as a student before. However, I am now in charge of this office and he needs to listen when I tell him he can't leave things in here. What should I do about this? Should I mention it to the department chair (my boss)? Should I talk directly to the grad student? Or should I just try to ignore it and not let it get to me?
RESPONSE A: Are you the office manager, or do you work for the office manager? If the former, I would talk to the dept. chair, or just take the high road and ignore him. If the latter, talk to whoever is the office manager. The chain of command is pretty strict with grad students (grad -> his advisor -> dept. chair), so I wouldn't talk to him directly (you already have, it seems, and that seems to be going nowhere). Also, as a heads up, you are going to be dealing with a LOT of weird personalities in academia, so you should get used to it.
RESPONSE B: The guy is dumb. Rule number one is to always make nice with the office staff since they are the ones that actually do things. Just wait until he needs a favor and he learns how it can pay off to be nice to people.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: need any further docs, etc and also asked by when will they make final decisions. But if someone knows the nuances, pls tell!
RESPONSE A: Some programs have a finite number of students that they can accept on "internal funds" (e.g. TAs, departmental scholarships) and they rotate priority use of those funds among faculty members. Being on the wait list doesn't necessarily mean that you are "less wanted" than other students, but could reflect that other faculty have priority access to those funds, and your advisor can only accept you on "internal funds" if someone else (whose advisor has priority) backs out. This is why it's often encouraged that students apply for outside funding. That's not necessarily your case, but it's one possible scenario that can happen at my institution, and it's a little less personal and more nuanced than "we compared the students and you're our fallback option".
RESPONSE B: It means they have made offers to their top grad student candidates. If one or more of those do not accept the offer then start moving down the waitlist. Depending on how far down you are, and how many offers are not accepted, you may or may not be offered a slot. On the positive side is that you weren't rejected; you are within shouting range of being the student they want. On the negative side is that you will likely be on the bottom of the group of students who matriculate if you are offered and you accept a slot. Also, I'd bet you're less likely to get the same level of support than students who were at the top of the list. When my daughter applied to law school, she was waitlisted at the #3 school in the country (and did get in off the waitlist) and admitted to a number of schools from #8-14. As she was considering what to do I asked her whether she would rather be at the bottom of the students at the #3 school or at the top of the students at the #10 school. One thing that moved her to the #10 school is that she was offered a tuition scholarship there and was not offered one at the #3 school. Of course, if #3 waitlist had been her only choice she would have taken it.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: What does it mean to be "waitlisted" for a PhD program? US Have written back asking if they need any further docs, etc and also asked by when will they make final decisions. But if someone knows the nuances, pls tell!
RESPONSE A: Some programs have a finite number of students that they can accept on "internal funds" (e.g. TAs, departmental scholarships) and they rotate priority use of those funds among faculty members. Being on the wait list doesn't necessarily mean that you are "less wanted" than other students, but could reflect that other faculty have priority access to those funds, and your advisor can only accept you on "internal funds" if someone else (whose advisor has priority) backs out. This is why it's often encouraged that students apply for outside funding. That's not necessarily your case, but it's one possible scenario that can happen at my institution, and it's a little less personal and more nuanced than "we compared the students and you're our fallback option".
RESPONSE B: It's not the final decision and you should ask the department. One possibility is that they have already communicated their available slots to their first choice and awaiting their confirmation. If any cannot make the program you will be offered the slot. However it's best you contact the dep. Good luck!
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: What does "good enough" (in terms of writing a manuscript, paper, proposal, etc.) mean to you? Hi everyone, I am a four year PhD student in the USA in geosciences. I'm at the point where I've written a handful of lot of abstracts, white papers, proposals, and contributed as co-author to some peer-reviewed papers, but always a minor role in writing, more-so data analysis or just a small piece of writing. I'm at the point where I am preparing my own manuscripts as first or second author to be submitted for the peer-review process. This feels like a whole new realm of "serious" where I am now in the driver's seat and laboring over my work. My advisor advocated for me to just get manuscripts to the point of "good enough", meaning you didn't plagiarize, it's factually correct, editorially sound. Now that I'm submitting work for peer-review, I feel even more pressure to not make novice mistakes, but I'm getting to the point where I think I'm laboring too much. How do you define "good enough?"
RESPONSE A: Lame answer but you’ll get a feel for “good enough” the more you publish. It takes developing an understanding of what pisses off peer reviewers in your field. “Good enough” then becomes “good enough not to piss off peer reviewers”.
RESPONSE B: If you reasonably think it'll be accepted for publication. Any more work is a waste
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: What does "good enough" (in terms of writing a manuscript, paper, proposal, etc.) mean to you? Hi everyone, I am a four year PhD student in the USA in geosciences. I'm at the point where I've written a handful of lot of abstracts, white papers, proposals, and contributed as co-author to some peer-reviewed papers, but always a minor role in writing, more-so data analysis or just a small piece of writing. I'm at the point where I am preparing my own manuscripts as first or second author to be submitted for the peer-review process. This feels like a whole new realm of "serious" where I am now in the driver's seat and laboring over my work. My advisor advocated for me to just get manuscripts to the point of "good enough", meaning you didn't plagiarize, it's factually correct, editorially sound. Now that I'm submitting work for peer-review, I feel even more pressure to not make novice mistakes, but I'm getting to the point where I think I'm laboring too much. How do you define "good enough?"
RESPONSE A: I think the goal should be to avoid getting caught up in perfectionism, like spending 30% of your time on improving the last 1% of your paper. Something that makes the whole process less intimidating is reminding yourself that the whole peer review process is there to make your paper better, so criticism or rejection you might face (that's worth your time) isn't an assessment of you as a person or even as a scientist. Good luck! Writing and submitting is scary at first, but it can also be exciting and extremely rewarding! Especially seeing "<last name> et al., 2021" for the first time when it's done and published :)
RESPONSE B: If you reasonably think it'll be accepted for publication. Any more work is a waste
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: What does "good enough" (in terms of writing a manuscript, paper, proposal, etc.) mean to you? Hi everyone, I am a four year PhD student in the USA in geosciences. I'm at the point where I've written a handful of lot of abstracts, white papers, proposals, and contributed as co-author to some peer-reviewed papers, but always a minor role in writing, more-so data analysis or just a small piece of writing. I'm at the point where I am preparing my own manuscripts as first or second author to be submitted for the peer-review process. This feels like a whole new realm of "serious" where I am now in the driver's seat and laboring over my work. My advisor advocated for me to just get manuscripts to the point of "good enough", meaning you didn't plagiarize, it's factually correct, editorially sound. Now that I'm submitting work for peer-review, I feel even more pressure to not make novice mistakes, but I'm getting to the point where I think I'm laboring too much. How do you define "good enough?"
RESPONSE A: If you reasonably think it'll be accepted for publication. Any more work is a waste
RESPONSE B: Don't wait until you're proud of the paper. Once you're no longer ashamed of it, it's ready for submission.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: like a whole new realm of "serious" where I am now in the driver's seat and laboring over my work. My advisor advocated for me to just get manuscripts to the point of "good enough", meaning you didn't plagiarize, it's factually correct, editorially sound. Now that I'm submitting work for peer-review, I feel even more pressure to not make novice mistakes, but I'm getting to the point where I think I'm laboring too much. How do you define "good enough?"
RESPONSE A: From a writing standpoint (so not speaking to how the research was conducted), good enough means to me that when I re-read the paper, I find few things I wish to change before submitting. That does not mean it's perfect -- far from it. But it does mean that I feel like I've made a good argument with the data I have, nothing important is missing, the paper is clear, etc. I try to anticipate possible reviewer comments and proactively address them (for example, if there is a particular limitation of the study). Ultimately, that's a skill that takes experience (both from having manuscripts go through the submission process, and my own experience as a reviewer, too). It always is nerve-wracking to submit something for peer-review as the first author for the first time. Know that if your research is good, peer-reviewers will provide feedback about small to moderate concerns in the writing, but it is unlikely to be a dealbreaker at all but the most prestigious journals. You will receive feedback on your manuscript and that feedback will help you to have a better ideas for things to be aware of when you write manuscripts in the future. Your advisor should also read through your manuscript and provide feedback prior to you submitting it, so you don't need to go this alone. Trust their expertise. You don't want to submit something that's poorly written, of course, but you don't want to wait until everything feels perfect or you might never submit anything. Good luck with your submission!
RESPONSE B: Don't wait until you're proud of the paper. Once you're no longer ashamed of it, it's ready for submission.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: What does "being a scientist" mean to you? What is at the core of being a scientist? On the verge of finishing my Master's in Cognitive Neuropsychology and soon to start my PhD I was wondering what you all think about what's at the core of "being a scientist." Being a scientist is/means... "Being a scientist means having passion for your work" What do you think?
RESPONSE A: Finding an unexplored or underexplored question. Exploring the shit out of it. Finding a new question to explore.
RESPONSE B: The other comments about the scientific method and figuring out things you don't know are totally correct, but there's a little something I wanted to throw in. It's a job. You will be in the lab (or not, if you're tenured) and have to drudge through little things that are boring or menial, and it will not inspire a NDT monologue in your head about the value of discovery and passion for travelling through the great unknown. It's the ideas that drive you, but the reality of how to explore those ideas still exists and sometimes it's not glamorous. I simply say this because you shouldn't let media or your peers convince you (maybe inadvertently) that if you don't have an orgasm every time you touch a piece of scientific equipment that you don't have what it takes. Hopefully you love your work, but it's only reasonable to not love every minute detail that goes along with it.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: What does "being a scientist" mean to you? What is at the core of being a scientist? On the verge of finishing my Master's in Cognitive Neuropsychology and soon to start my PhD I was wondering what you all think about what's at the core of "being a scientist." Being a scientist is/means... "Being a scientist means having passion for your work" What do you think?
RESPONSE A: Somewhat sadly, being a scientist in academia often means continuously chasing funding and working to answer questions in the area that will be funded, which is not always the area that you think is most deserving of exploration.
RESPONSE B: Finding an unexplored or underexplored question. Exploring the shit out of it. Finding a new question to explore.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: Is it worth it for me at my age to earn a doctorate in psychology? I am 29 and just about to finish completing an AA degree in psychology. I've been reading a lot about how psychology is a useless degree, but it is my favorite subject. I would love to pursue a doctorate in psychology, but by the time I'm done with that, I'll be near 40. Would career opportunities be "worth it" around 40? I would appreciate a transparent response, I have no issue changing my degree to business because that is my second-degree choice. I don't want to spend all that money on a doctorate in psychology if it's too late for that. I mean obviously, it's never "too late ", but I still want to make a living at the youngest age I possibly can. If I could go back in time to when I was 18, I would've chosen this path no problem, but at 29, time is more limited than it was then. ​ Thank you in advance.
RESPONSE A: What would your goal be? What do you think you'd need the PhD to do?
RESPONSE B: (1) Don't pay for a PhD, only go to a funded program. (2) If you do get a funded offer: \- what will this PhD do for your professional career opportunities? Meaning, what doors will it open and what doors will it close? \- what does your financial/personal situation look like? Is it one that will accommodate 6-10 years of study? (3) Don't do a PhD because you love it. At the end of the day, it's a job. Nothing more, nothing less. Context: I started my PhD at 29 (in the USA). I'm in the humanities and in a 6 year program.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: Is it worth it for me at my age to earn a doctorate in psychology? I am 29 and just about to finish completing an AA degree in psychology. I've been reading a lot about how psychology is a useless degree, but it is my favorite subject. I would love to pursue a doctorate in psychology, but by the time I'm done with that, I'll be near 40. Would career opportunities be "worth it" around 40? I would appreciate a transparent response, I have no issue changing my degree to business because that is my second-degree choice. I don't want to spend all that money on a doctorate in psychology if it's too late for that. I mean obviously, it's never "too late ", but I still want to make a living at the youngest age I possibly can. If I could go back in time to when I was 18, I would've chosen this path no problem, but at 29, time is more limited than it was then. ​ Thank you in advance.
RESPONSE A: (1) Don't pay for a PhD, only go to a funded program. (2) If you do get a funded offer: \- what will this PhD do for your professional career opportunities? Meaning, what doors will it open and what doors will it close? \- what does your financial/personal situation look like? Is it one that will accommodate 6-10 years of study? (3) Don't do a PhD because you love it. At the end of the day, it's a job. Nothing more, nothing less. Context: I started my PhD at 29 (in the USA). I'm in the humanities and in a 6 year program.
RESPONSE B: Do you want to work in research as a career? Are you prepared for the work environment (awful) of academia? What would your specialty be and do you love it enough to put up with academia?
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: I'm interested in the social sciences (political science, sociology, social psychology, etc.) but get the impression that all the social science fields are very competitive without great career prospects for many PhD graduates. Is this true, or are certain fields/specialties exceptions? I have an undergraduate degree in Anthropology and a MA in International Political Affairs with several research methods courses. I'm potentially interested in applying for further study but I'm now in my mid-30s and don't want to stop earning money for further studies that I'd regret in the end. For awhile I was thinking I was most interested in studying dialogue around gender and politics online, the way different online communities form and how that influences politics, but the more research I do it seems there are already lots of people studying these issues and I'm not sure how much demand there is for more of this work, realistically. I'm wondering what the job prospects are like for all of the fields I named above, along with other social sciences (since in my experience I've been interested in fields across the social science category)?
RESPONSE A: > but I'm now in my mid-30s and don't want to stop earning money for further studies that I'd regret in the end. A PhD is not for you then, the job market wasn't great before COVID, now its hell
RESPONSE B: Currently in sociology and studying a very similar topic. Don't. Unless you get into a top 5 (not even top 10 anymore really) department dont bet on getting a job. And if youre not doing quant work its even worse.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: Job and salary outlook for PhD in Social Psychology Hey all, I’m currently an undergraduate getting ready to apply to PhD programs. Although I’m very passionate about social psychology and pursuing a career in research I have to worry about my financial future. I’ve googled and seen a lot of different salaries for professors and researchers but it all seems all over the place and not very accurate. So I am wondering what would the pay look like if I were to be a professor directly out of my PhD? What if I didn’t want to pursue a career in academia, what other careers would I be looking at that would pay well with a social psych PhD? Any advice or tips are appreciated thank you!
RESPONSE A: > professor directly out of my PhD This is very rare in psychology. You'll likely work as a post doc researcher at 50k-60k for several years first.
RESPONSE B: Many states have public salaries that you can look up. Example from my home state: https://transparent.utah.gov/ You just have to find a professor at one of the many state schools and figure out the rather clunky search. The state has everything, R1, r2, and virtually unranked.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: I'm afraid my lack of research experience will block my dreams of transitioning to the academia. Hi everyone. I'm slated to finish my first MA in Developmental Psychology ( a research degree) in 2024, in a prestigious school in my country (South East Asia, Philippines). I wish to further my studies abroad, but research opportunities are quite hard to come by, and I work full-time as a teacher (Special Education). I feel my zero to no research experience will hinder me in finding a program/securing the bag. My country has very little priority when it comes to research, and if something might open, assistants are chosen by merit, which frustrates me. My graduate school has forged good partnerships with good research labs. I do apply, but usually, I get rejected (aka, a template email about they have found an applicant, which they usually send almost a month after.) I never experienced an interview, it's usually just rejected outright. I'm not a smart student, but I do know I work my butt off. I know a friend who presented her paper at the recent ISPP Annual Meeting in Athens, and it made me scared that I'm not gonna be able to have the same opportunities. Unfortunately, I can't let go of my elementary teaching job. It pays my bills, and being unemployed is not what I want right now. I just feel scared that I'm not going to be able to move into academia, as teaching in an elementary school is something I don't wanna do for the rest of my life. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!
RESPONSE A: What about doing secondary data analysis of publicly accessible data sets?
RESPONSE B: What topics are you interested in?
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: or just continue with my not-so-decent academic performance?
RESPONSE A: I'm not at all sure that if you've failed 10 CS classes that you are on target to get a master's in CS. I think you should start over again in place--so retake the first class in CS that you failed. If you are able to earn an A or a B in that class when you retake it then perhaps you've developed the motivation to succeed. If so, then retake the classes that you did poorly in and march forward. If you're not able to earn that A or a B, I think you should look at either a different major altogether or else take a break from higher education for a while, get a job and learn what it's like to work full time for a while. You might discover that a year or 2 of that will help you develop the motivation to come back and knock the top off of your education. By the way, if you're thinking of just changing universities and abandoning your current education and grades, every university that I know of (undergraduate and graduate) asks for transcripts from all of your college/university experiences. If you just leave these off and tell places that you're a new college student and they later find out that you previously attended a place and had low grades (I don't think that most places would actually go looking for that information, however), there could be negative consequences for your enrollment at a new place.
RESPONSE B: Not the exact situation, but when I was doing my undergrad I ended up to have to either change my course of study or repeat a year of university. I chose to resit a year and I think it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Even though I felt like it was a wasted year at the time, I had time to relearn things better during that year, managed to get an intership as part of my studies, got a master's project I loved, which did not exist a year before and now I am doing a PhD. I don't think I would have been in a position I am now if I would not have repeated a year.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: Does having a 1-2 year 'gap' in your resume, during which you're pursing something else, significantly hurt you in the academic job market? Advice would be appreciated. I'm currently a graduate student in philosophy, in the process of getting a PhD. At some point in my career, I'd like to attend attend seminary and be ordained as a minister. If I do double-duty coursework, it could take as few as two years. The difficulty is that religion isn't even remotely related to my research; it's more like a completely different interest. I could try to keep publishing during that time. I was thinking of doing a couple temporary/adjunct jobs, then attending seminary. then going back into academia [with no intention of going into ministry]. However, if it's going significantly hurt my academic career, I just won't do it. It's just a learning experience I'd like to have, and it isn't really worth sacrificing an academic career Alternatively, I could try to shift my academic focus over to philosophy of religion, and claim that going to seminary was an important part of my research [my current work is in logic and epistemology]. Again, if this is going to be a career-ender, I'd just rather not do it.
RESPONSE A: I spoke with some people on an astrophysics hiring committee, and they said that their first metric was number of papers per year since graduation. So, yeah, publish or perish. ... and they wonder why they have a hard time with diversity in academia, honestly, right?
RESPONSE B: As long as you have a good reason for the gap, you will be fine. I know people who pursued travel, or other personal goals, or started their family, and then came back to academia. The path doesn't have to be identical for everyone. If becoming ordained is very important to you, then do it. You might need to justify it, but even just "it was personally important to me to pursue it" could be sufficient.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: I've heard it reflects badly if you do your PhD at the same place as your undergrad. Is the same true if you have a different undergrad but a Masters and PhD from the same institution? I'm currently in a terminal Masters program which results in not only the degree but a industry credential, thus why I am in this program instead of going directly to PhD. However, my long-term goal is to teach at the university level. My main interest is teaching but I would be pleased to be involved in research as well. I am happy with this geographic location and with the faculty in my department, and would be interested in staying here for a PhD. Is this something that would come back to bite me if I were to finish a PhD here then go out to find a job as a professor and/or researcher?
RESPONSE A: As people have said, it varies depending on the particular circumstance. But I'd say that no it isn't a bad thing. I did my PhD in the same place as my undergrad because the place that was the best fit for what I wanted to do just so happened to be the place I already was. I then moved to a new place for my postdoc.
RESPONSE B: A couple reasons PhD + BA is seen negatively, but they’re all minor: 1) it can limit your ability to broaden your viewpoint and make connections—obvious how to overcome this. 2)speaks to lack of ambition—a committed student from a good undergrad institution should be able to move up to a *great* graduate program. 3)it raises a concern about whether you can succeed in other places: did you just succeed because of a professor that was helping you too much? However, ALL of these things are pretty minor compared to your ability to make great science. The only reason you probably have heard this is because *its easy to measure*. Judging someone’s work is much harder, but is what people that want to hire you ultimately have to do. So don’t worry about it to much- stay at the same institute if it means you can make better science. MS to PhD? No one will care.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: I've heard it reflects badly if you do your PhD at the same place as your undergrad. Is the same true if you have a different undergrad but a Masters and PhD from the same institution? I'm currently in a terminal Masters program which results in not only the degree but a industry credential, thus why I am in this program instead of going directly to PhD. However, my long-term goal is to teach at the university level. My main interest is teaching but I would be pleased to be involved in research as well. I am happy with this geographic location and with the faculty in my department, and would be interested in staying here for a PhD. Is this something that would come back to bite me if I were to finish a PhD here then go out to find a job as a professor and/or researcher?
RESPONSE A: A couple reasons PhD + BA is seen negatively, but they’re all minor: 1) it can limit your ability to broaden your viewpoint and make connections—obvious how to overcome this. 2)speaks to lack of ambition—a committed student from a good undergrad institution should be able to move up to a *great* graduate program. 3)it raises a concern about whether you can succeed in other places: did you just succeed because of a professor that was helping you too much? However, ALL of these things are pretty minor compared to your ability to make great science. The only reason you probably have heard this is because *its easy to measure*. Judging someone’s work is much harder, but is what people that want to hire you ultimately have to do. So don’t worry about it to much- stay at the same institute if it means you can make better science. MS to PhD? No one will care.
RESPONSE B: Usually you get your Masters and PhD in one swoop, at the same institution (e.g. we got informally handed our masters after passing the general exam in the second year at my institution)
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: I've heard it reflects badly if you do your PhD at the same place as your undergrad. Is the same true if you have a different undergrad but a Masters and PhD from the same institution? I'm currently in a terminal Masters program which results in not only the degree but a industry credential, thus why I am in this program instead of going directly to PhD. However, my long-term goal is to teach at the university level. My main interest is teaching but I would be pleased to be involved in research as well. I am happy with this geographic location and with the faculty in my department, and would be interested in staying here for a PhD. Is this something that would come back to bite me if I were to finish a PhD here then go out to find a job as a professor and/or researcher?
RESPONSE A: I've not found it to be a problem - I did my masters and PhD at the same institution, on the same research project. Obvioulsy added more in for the PhD. R2 school, biology
RESPONSE B: A couple reasons PhD + BA is seen negatively, but they’re all minor: 1) it can limit your ability to broaden your viewpoint and make connections—obvious how to overcome this. 2)speaks to lack of ambition—a committed student from a good undergrad institution should be able to move up to a *great* graduate program. 3)it raises a concern about whether you can succeed in other places: did you just succeed because of a professor that was helping you too much? However, ALL of these things are pretty minor compared to your ability to make great science. The only reason you probably have heard this is because *its easy to measure*. Judging someone’s work is much harder, but is what people that want to hire you ultimately have to do. So don’t worry about it to much- stay at the same institute if it means you can make better science. MS to PhD? No one will care.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: I've heard it reflects badly if you do your PhD at the same place as your undergrad. Is the same true if you have a different undergrad but a Masters and PhD from the same institution? I'm currently in a terminal Masters program which results in not only the degree but a industry credential, thus why I am in this program instead of going directly to PhD. However, my long-term goal is to teach at the university level. My main interest is teaching but I would be pleased to be involved in research as well. I am happy with this geographic location and with the faculty in my department, and would be interested in staying here for a PhD. Is this something that would come back to bite me if I were to finish a PhD here then go out to find a job as a professor and/or researcher?
RESPONSE A: I did all three (undergrad, masters, phd) same University. Hasn’t been a problem. Assistant professor now
RESPONSE B: As people have said, it varies depending on the particular circumstance. But I'd say that no it isn't a bad thing. I did my PhD in the same place as my undergrad because the place that was the best fit for what I wanted to do just so happened to be the place I already was. I then moved to a new place for my postdoc.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: I've heard it reflects badly if you do your PhD at the same place as your undergrad. Is the same true if you have a different undergrad but a Masters and PhD from the same institution? I'm currently in a terminal Masters program which results in not only the degree but a industry credential, thus why I am in this program instead of going directly to PhD. However, my long-term goal is to teach at the university level. My main interest is teaching but I would be pleased to be involved in research as well. I am happy with this geographic location and with the faculty in my department, and would be interested in staying here for a PhD. Is this something that would come back to bite me if I were to finish a PhD here then go out to find a job as a professor and/or researcher?
RESPONSE A: I've not found it to be a problem - I did my masters and PhD at the same institution, on the same research project. Obvioulsy added more in for the PhD. R2 school, biology
RESPONSE B: I did all three (undergrad, masters, phd) same University. Hasn’t been a problem. Assistant professor now
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: can't find a scientific explanation for your results? (Almost) 3rd year meteorology PhD student in the UK. I've had some interesting results from one of my model sensitivity tests but I'm really struggling to explain the result scientifically. I've come up with multiple hypotheses on the basis of the model change, but none of them have borne any fruit. The dataset does seem to have a correlation between the variables I expect when I look at the mean values but upon closer inspection, some of it has no correlation whatsoever. I'm running out of ideas and this is the last puzzle piece I need to tie up this paper/thesis chapter. Where do I go from here?
RESPONSE A: Can you find another expert if your supervisor is also out of ideas? Collaboration helps.
RESPONSE B: I'm a postdoc in meteorology who specializes in modeling. Here are some things you could try. (I am operating under the assumption that this is a numerical modeling project.) - Run additional sensitivity tests for each case with slightly different initial conditions, in order to see whether your trends can be explained by chaos (truncation error/butterfly effect/etc.). - Examine process rates. For example, let's say you have an increase in temperature. How much of that increase is due to radiative heating vs. advection vs. latent heating vs. other stuff? Process rate variables, if saved and output by the model, can provide helpful answers. If your model is not configured to save process rates, then see if you can configure it to do so. If nothing else, maybe add some print statements that can spew out certain diagnostics during runtime. - Trace everything back to make sure your model settings are what you think they are. Did you accidentally save a simulation under the wrong name, yielding confusing results? Did you accidentally forget to set a certain namelist parameter to the intended value? These things can happen to the best of us... - Make sure your model actually includes the processes you think it does. For instance, you'll never form a rain storm, regardless of the instability, if your model doesn't include a microphysics or convective parameterization scheme.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: I misunderstood my PI's instructions for finding data. I presented it, now I understand, and realize I wasted two months of my time doing it wrong. How can I tell him? I'm afraid he'll think I am useless. I feel really dumb. I had already planned to leave my program because I am not cut out for this, but I really wanted to do this project right so I could leave something behind to let somebody else elaborate on it. I have figured out what I did wrong, but it basically completely erases all the work I had done up to now. My PI was very excited, and complimented me on the data I found and now I feel like a fool that he'll think I tricked. I just want to find a way to tell him, let him know I am leaving, and hopefully never hear about this again. How do I best approach him? I'm seriously on the verge of a meltdown and want to shut down.
RESPONSE A: I would encourage against leaving due to embarrassment (if that's your reason). Even though what happened is embarrassing, now that you know what went wrong, you are still likely in a better position to re-do the data collection correctly than a new hire would be so telling him you screwed up and then quitting seems better than ghosting, but not as good as offering to fix your mistakes, if he's interested.
RESPONSE B: Yikes. How did you go 2 months without giving him updates? Surely he should already know something is wrong? Also, are you SURE you did it wrong?
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: this common in other branches in academia?
RESPONSE A: thats very normal in a lot of places. Worst offender at my uni was a research group that had weekly group meetings on saturday morning and the PI often scheduled 1 on 1 meetings on sundays. Imho the emails arent a problem as long as people dont expect answers right away. If I notice a work email on a sunday: Im already at my work computer and checking my emails so I dont mind replying. I also work in a international environment (collaborators in china and the US and Im in europe) so its alwayd morning/late evening for someone... I highly recommend not installing your work email on your private phone. When I check my emails on the weekend it should be a concious act of starting up the work laptop and not because I saw a push notification out of habit. If something is urgent enough to need an immediate reply on saturday: my coworkers have my personal number and can call. Anything else can wait until monday.
RESPONSE B: I’m in STEM in the US - contrary to what others have said, this is not how it is in my program. When I’m a TA, I explicitly tell my students that I don’t respond outside of normal work hours. I have never been admonished by my advisors for not responding on a weekend. I’ll get to it on Monday. However, when I was taking classes my first few years, work was a lot more consuming. Group projects would happen on weekends because that’s when everyone had overlapping time in our schedules. Students would message the class Slack channel at all hours because that’s when they were doing homework. But also keep in mind that you’re comparing your (single person) schedule against the collective of everyone else’s schedules. Of course it’s going to seem like people are working at all hours because they are. Some of them might be working 6am-4pm while others work 4pm-11pm. That doesn’t mean you have to be “on” and working to cover all the time that others are working. You require time off. Your brain needs rest. Your degree cannot be your entire world.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: off during the weekend to recharge, or maybe work on my projects without having to reply to messages. I am not going to race to check my university WhatsApp and emails first thing in the morning on a Sunday. That is messed up, and I have never had to do it, apart from when I had a low paid catering job where I needed to check for last minute updates to schedules... and even that was less stressful because people actually just used it to say nice things to each other, rather than talk about work constantly. Is this common in other branches in academia?
RESPONSE A: Essentially non-existant. Pretty much everyone's emails include something along the lines of "I might email outside of hours - this does not constitute an expectation of response". Some people work ~7-3, others clearly work about 3 - midnight or so. Some are just sporadic. No one gets judgy or funny about anyones preferences. No way anything would be officially scheduled outside of normal work hours (that starts getting into hot water with EDI objectives, particularly for those with caring responsibilities).
RESPONSE B: I’m in STEM in the US - contrary to what others have said, this is not how it is in my program. When I’m a TA, I explicitly tell my students that I don’t respond outside of normal work hours. I have never been admonished by my advisors for not responding on a weekend. I’ll get to it on Monday. However, when I was taking classes my first few years, work was a lot more consuming. Group projects would happen on weekends because that’s when everyone had overlapping time in our schedules. Students would message the class Slack channel at all hours because that’s when they were doing homework. But also keep in mind that you’re comparing your (single person) schedule against the collective of everyone else’s schedules. Of course it’s going to seem like people are working at all hours because they are. Some of them might be working 6am-4pm while others work 4pm-11pm. That doesn’t mean you have to be “on” and working to cover all the time that others are working. You require time off. Your brain needs rest. Your degree cannot be your entire world.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: " (yes, it is a thing) is Saturday 10pm. I don't remember this happening during my undergrad course, or in any previous job. People did work late, myself included, but it was a matter of individual scheduling, and I never received a university email at an odd hour on the weekend. It bothers me, because it cannot be healthy, and I like to switch off during the weekend to recharge, or maybe work on my projects without having to reply to messages. I am not going to race to check my university WhatsApp and emails first thing in the morning on a Sunday. That is messed up, and I have never had to do it, apart from when I had a low paid catering job where I needed to check for last minute updates to schedules... and even that was less stressful because people actually just used it to say nice things to each other, rather than talk about work constantly. Is this common in other branches in academia?
RESPONSE A: I’m in STEM in the US - contrary to what others have said, this is not how it is in my program. When I’m a TA, I explicitly tell my students that I don’t respond outside of normal work hours. I have never been admonished by my advisors for not responding on a weekend. I’ll get to it on Monday. However, when I was taking classes my first few years, work was a lot more consuming. Group projects would happen on weekends because that’s when everyone had overlapping time in our schedules. Students would message the class Slack channel at all hours because that’s when they were doing homework. But also keep in mind that you’re comparing your (single person) schedule against the collective of everyone else’s schedules. Of course it’s going to seem like people are working at all hours because they are. Some of them might be working 6am-4pm while others work 4pm-11pm. That doesn’t mean you have to be “on” and working to cover all the time that others are working. You require time off. Your brain needs rest. Your degree cannot be your entire world.
RESPONSE B: I haven't had a real day off work in 3 or 4 years and am slowly but surely losing my mind.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: Academics of reddit, what are the dirty secrets of your disciplines? I 'll start: Computational Biologist here. Everyone talks how -omics technologies is the biggest thing to happen in science. You know what, this data is so damn noisy especially in e.g. whole blood of patients, that are not applicable everywhere, like people like to claim. The studies published is probably a very small subset of what people have tried before reaching positive results.
RESPONSE A: While part-time faculty are working for a low wage without benefits, academic librarians are purchasing multiple e-journal subscriptions for journals they already own (tens of thousands of dollars each) because the different packages are too complicated to analyze.
RESPONSE B: We purposely "fudge" the numbers when doing C14 dating with an AMS system. It's perfectly normal, just confused me when I learned it.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: Academics of reddit, what are the dirty secrets of your disciplines? I 'll start: Computational Biologist here. Everyone talks how -omics technologies is the biggest thing to happen in science. You know what, this data is so damn noisy especially in e.g. whole blood of patients, that are not applicable everywhere, like people like to claim. The studies published is probably a very small subset of what people have tried before reaching positive results.
RESPONSE A: Developmental Biologist. Off-target effects.
RESPONSE B: While part-time faculty are working for a low wage without benefits, academic librarians are purchasing multiple e-journal subscriptions for journals they already own (tens of thousands of dollars each) because the different packages are too complicated to analyze.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: ? I 'll start: Computational Biologist here. Everyone talks how -omics technologies is the biggest thing to happen in science. You know what, this data is so damn noisy especially in e.g. whole blood of patients, that are not applicable everywhere, like people like to claim. The studies published is probably a very small subset of what people have tried before reaching positive results.
RESPONSE A: Programming languages (and more broadly computer science) Despite what we typically teach undergrads, complexity results don't translate all that easily into conclusions of intractability. In quite a few domains, "hand it off to a SAT/ILP/SMT/whatever solver" is considered an acceptable strategy and actually produces (commercially) deployable results. Type inference for ML programs is EXPTIME-complete (and actually printing the inferred type is even worse), but we have still managed to compile large programs without having the sun engulf the planet. Even fancy, new static analysis techniques tend to collapse when applied to programming languages people actually use. Nobody knows what to do with `eval`, but JavaScript has it whether we like it or not. Some promote dependent types as the way forward as they allow much more thorough (machine-checked) specification of how some code should behave. However, implementing an underclassman-level data structures homework assignment in this "correct by construction" manner is considered a significant research result. There's a lot of concern about "programming in the large," but nobody really has the wherewithal to properly study how a range of different language features affect the productivity of professional programmers working on large-scale projects. There have been a fair number of empirical studies, but practical concerns generally limit this to observing students attempting small, artificial tasks. I suspect this is the hardest problem in PL research. Haskell programs have effects (ok, not that much of a secret, but still something many people are loath to admit).
RESPONSE B: While part-time faculty are working for a low wage without benefits, academic librarians are purchasing multiple e-journal subscriptions for journals they already own (tens of thousands of dollars each) because the different packages are too complicated to analyze.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: Academics of reddit, what are the dirty secrets of your disciplines? I 'll start: Computational Biologist here. Everyone talks how -omics technologies is the biggest thing to happen in science. You know what, this data is so damn noisy especially in e.g. whole blood of patients, that are not applicable everywhere, like people like to claim. The studies published is probably a very small subset of what people have tried before reaching positive results.
RESPONSE A: Sensory science, putting up "latest" statistical or multivariate approaches especially for time series data that's currently trending in the field. This is done to make bad data look good. Sadly this approach works everytime >_>
RESPONSE B: While part-time faculty are working for a low wage without benefits, academic librarians are purchasing multiple e-journal subscriptions for journals they already own (tens of thousands of dollars each) because the different packages are too complicated to analyze.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: Academics of reddit, what are the dirty secrets of your disciplines? I 'll start: Computational Biologist here. Everyone talks how -omics technologies is the biggest thing to happen in science. You know what, this data is so damn noisy especially in e.g. whole blood of patients, that are not applicable everywhere, like people like to claim. The studies published is probably a very small subset of what people have tried before reaching positive results.
RESPONSE A: We purposely "fudge" the numbers when doing C14 dating with an AMS system. It's perfectly normal, just confused me when I learned it.
RESPONSE B: English literature. Literally, I just make everything up.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: What type of skills does a PhD help you to acquire?
RESPONSE A: Is disenchantment a skill?
RESPONSE B: Biggest one for me is independently managing a large project. Specifics probably depend on your field and topic. Again for me qualitative and quantitative research skills, to the extent that I'd feel confident taking on a commercial research contract now and there's not a chance I would have before.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: What type of skills does a PhD help you to acquire?
RESPONSE A: Biggest one for me is independently managing a large project. Specifics probably depend on your field and topic. Again for me qualitative and quantitative research skills, to the extent that I'd feel confident taking on a commercial research contract now and there's not a chance I would have before.
RESPONSE B: "I can figure this shit out."
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: What type of skills does a PhD help you to acquire?
RESPONSE A: How to think creatively at a PhD level for any given topic.
RESPONSE B: "I can figure this shit out."
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: What type of skills does a PhD help you to acquire?
RESPONSE A: Getting used to rejection and moving on.
RESPONSE B: Biggest one for me is independently managing a large project. Specifics probably depend on your field and topic. Again for me qualitative and quantitative research skills, to the extent that I'd feel confident taking on a commercial research contract now and there's not a chance I would have before.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: What type of skills does a PhD help you to acquire?
RESPONSE A: How to think creatively at a PhD level for any given topic.
RESPONSE B: Getting used to rejection and moving on.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: Mail here is cancelled for several days due to weather, so I may not receive my poster in time for a poster presentation... What can I do in a pinch if I don't get it?
RESPONSE A: Some conferences have a poster printer on site for those who don’t like to travel with one.
RESPONSE B: 1) Tell them "the Storm ate my presentation" 2) My university has a print shop that can do banners and posters as well as the library. Hopefully yours does as well.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: I'm an aerospace engineer. I had no place to refuse because of the coronavirus. The agreed working days were 20 and I spent more than 40 days on it. I made a very detailed report on it on Overleaf by using LaTeX. I explained every single detail. I sent the link but got no replies. I was getting impatient but I didn't want to disturb him. About a week later I decided to fill out an internship form that our university requires and send the form to him so that I can secretly check back on the report that I sent previously. In this form, you have to explain what you did that day and get the signature of a supervisor. It started so long ago that I couldn't remember what I did exactly and I did a sloppy job of filling out the form. That's my bad, I understand that. The reason why I did this is that I thought the form just as a formality and the true work I did was proven in my research report. Moreover, there is quite a lot of time until the form's deadline---two months as of now. My professor sent an angry email. He said that he would expect more from a university student and would not sign the form under any condition. He said to me that he was busy and I should never contact him again. I find this extreme and I'm not exaggerating his responses too. That's what he said verbatim. It turns out he never opened my research report according to Overleaf. I feel terrible and almost cried because I spent day and night on this project that had nothing to with my major for more than a month that was supposed to take 20 days. I practically wasted my summer. Should I contact the university or do you think that this is my mistake and I should learn something from it?
RESPONSE A: This doesn't sound right. What you described isn't an internship.
RESPONSE B: This is incredible unprofessional. I would go to the head of the internships, or the department, or something. Yes, you did some things maybe stupid or unprofessional, but you’re an undergraduate. Unfortunately, some professors are unprofessional assholes. Do you know if he is tenured?
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: I didn't want to disturb him. About a week later I decided to fill out an internship form that our university requires and send the form to him so that I can secretly check back on the report that I sent previously. In this form, you have to explain what you did that day and get the signature of a supervisor. It started so long ago that I couldn't remember what I did exactly and I did a sloppy job of filling out the form. That's my bad, I understand that. The reason why I did this is that I thought the form just as a formality and the true work I did was proven in my research report. Moreover, there is quite a lot of time until the form's deadline---two months as of now. My professor sent an angry email. He said that he would expect more from a university student and would not sign the form under any condition. He said to me that he was busy and I should never contact him again. I find this extreme and I'm not exaggerating his responses too. That's what he said verbatim. It turns out he never opened my research report according to Overleaf. I feel terrible and almost cried because I spent day and night on this project that had nothing to with my major for more than a month that was supposed to take 20 days. I practically wasted my summer. Should I contact the university or do you think that this is my mistake and I should learn something from it?
RESPONSE A: What do you think is the specific reason why he’s angry with you? What specifically is he expecting more of out of you? It seems odd to have you work for them and then send a harsh email. Of course, I don’t know your situation, but for that amount of work I’d try to discuss with them and see if you can listen to his critiques and offer to correct some mistakes. This is a good way to gain respect. Otherwise, there doesn’t seem to be too many other options. I would try to resolve what sounds like an interpersonal issue with someone else one-on-one style before maybe getting other people involved. Does any of that help?
RESPONSE B: This doesn't sound right. What you described isn't an internship.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: a sloppy job of filling out the form. That's my bad, I understand that. The reason why I did this is that I thought the form just as a formality and the true work I did was proven in my research report. Moreover, there is quite a lot of time until the form's deadline---two months as of now. My professor sent an angry email. He said that he would expect more from a university student and would not sign the form under any condition. He said to me that he was busy and I should never contact him again. I find this extreme and I'm not exaggerating his responses too. That's what he said verbatim. It turns out he never opened my research report according to Overleaf. I feel terrible and almost cried because I spent day and night on this project that had nothing to with my major for more than a month that was supposed to take 20 days. I practically wasted my summer. Should I contact the university or do you think that this is my mistake and I should learn something from it?
RESPONSE A: This is incredible unprofessional. I would go to the head of the internships, or the department, or something. Yes, you did some things maybe stupid or unprofessional, but you’re an undergraduate. Unfortunately, some professors are unprofessional assholes. Do you know if he is tenured?
RESPONSE B: Unfortunately, it sounds like you've described something very normal in Academia. Let me see if I clearly understand you. You were looking for any internship, and you agreed to take one in molecular biology, despite the fact that you are an aerospace engineer? You worked on it for 40 days, despite the fact that they wanted it completed in 20 days? You sent a very detailed report, and you don't know if the prof saw it? You then "secretly" (not sure how things can be secretly sent, when it's an application with your name on it,) sent an application using a program that would let you know if the application had been seen, and it has not been seen? The prof finally got back to you saying that he would not sign your internship form, no matter what? Is this what happened?
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: sent an angry email. He said that he would expect more from a university student and would not sign the form under any condition. He said to me that he was busy and I should never contact him again. I find this extreme and I'm not exaggerating his responses too. That's what he said verbatim. It turns out he never opened my research report according to Overleaf. I feel terrible and almost cried because I spent day and night on this project that had nothing to with my major for more than a month that was supposed to take 20 days. I practically wasted my summer. Should I contact the university or do you think that this is my mistake and I should learn something from it?
RESPONSE A: Unfortunately, it sounds like you've described something very normal in Academia. Let me see if I clearly understand you. You were looking for any internship, and you agreed to take one in molecular biology, despite the fact that you are an aerospace engineer? You worked on it for 40 days, despite the fact that they wanted it completed in 20 days? You sent a very detailed report, and you don't know if the prof saw it? You then "secretly" (not sure how things can be secretly sent, when it's an application with your name on it,) sent an application using a program that would let you know if the application had been seen, and it has not been seen? The prof finally got back to you saying that he would not sign your internship form, no matter what? Is this what happened?
RESPONSE B: What do you think is the specific reason why he’s angry with you? What specifically is he expecting more of out of you? It seems odd to have you work for them and then send a harsh email. Of course, I don’t know your situation, but for that amount of work I’d try to discuss with them and see if you can listen to his critiques and offer to correct some mistakes. This is a good way to gain respect. Otherwise, there doesn’t seem to be too many other options. I would try to resolve what sounds like an interpersonal issue with someone else one-on-one style before maybe getting other people involved. Does any of that help?
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: some reason and I'm an aerospace engineer. I had no place to refuse because of the coronavirus. The agreed working days were 20 and I spent more than 40 days on it. I made a very detailed report on it on Overleaf by using LaTeX. I explained every single detail. I sent the link but got no replies. I was getting impatient but I didn't want to disturb him. About a week later I decided to fill out an internship form that our university requires and send the form to him so that I can secretly check back on the report that I sent previously. In this form, you have to explain what you did that day and get the signature of a supervisor. It started so long ago that I couldn't remember what I did exactly and I did a sloppy job of filling out the form. That's my bad, I understand that. The reason why I did this is that I thought the form just as a formality and the true work I did was proven in my research report. Moreover, there is quite a lot of time until the form's deadline---two months as of now. My professor sent an angry email. He said that he would expect more from a university student and would not sign the form under any condition. He said to me that he was busy and I should never contact him again. I find this extreme and I'm not exaggerating his responses too. That's what he said verbatim. It turns out he never opened my research report according to Overleaf. I feel terrible and almost cried because I spent day and night on this project that had nothing to with my major for more than a month that was supposed to take 20 days. I practically wasted my summer. Should I contact the university or do you think that this is my mistake and I should learn something from it?
RESPONSE A: Doesn’t sound like a whole story to be honest...
RESPONSE B: This is incredible unprofessional. I would go to the head of the internships, or the department, or something. Yes, you did some things maybe stupid or unprofessional, but you’re an undergraduate. Unfortunately, some professors are unprofessional assholes. Do you know if he is tenured?
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: What should I do about a letter of recommendation FOR a professor? I recently contacted a professor after two years out of contact to request a recommendation for graduate programs. He readily agreed but he later asked me if I was willing to "write a letter in support of his application to full professor". Of course I'm willing to help and fully support him, but I don't know how to go about writing such a letter. I don't know what a promotion committee would be looking for in that kind of letter and I don't know why my voice would have any weight in the decision (after all, I only have a bachelor's degree and have been away from academia for 2 years.) Any advice?
RESPONSE A: I'd say ask the professor is he can tell you what kinds of things you should talk about. The reason the tenure committee wants to see letters like that is that they usually consider teaching ability along with other factors.
RESPONSE B: Write about the professor's teaching style, his contribution to your learning, anything interesting that he did in class, and how he went beyond the standard lecture (if applicable). Was he engaging? Did he teach you the material well? Is he an asset to the University? What were other students' feelings towards him? Are you in support of his promotion?
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: What should I do about a letter of recommendation FOR a professor? I recently contacted a professor after two years out of contact to request a recommendation for graduate programs. He readily agreed but he later asked me if I was willing to "write a letter in support of his application to full professor". Of course I'm willing to help and fully support him, but I don't know how to go about writing such a letter. I don't know what a promotion committee would be looking for in that kind of letter and I don't know why my voice would have any weight in the decision (after all, I only have a bachelor's degree and have been away from academia for 2 years.) Any advice?
RESPONSE A: I'd say ask the professor is he can tell you what kinds of things you should talk about. The reason the tenure committee wants to see letters like that is that they usually consider teaching ability along with other factors.
RESPONSE B: I just had to write one for my thesis adviser who was applying for a promotion and tenure. She told me that the committee was looking for not only how they are in the classroom but their contributions to the school's community. Were they the faculty adviser for your club? Did they help you outside of class? How well do you know the professor?
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: My new Biological Anthropology professor is crazy. What should I do? I’m taking a lab class for Biological Anthropology this semester, and my new Professor for it has been a trip from day one. He introduced the class with a very jarring video stating “he will teach things different from how other teachers have taught and we need to get over the fact that we have different opinions”. Since then, here is a fun list of things he has done: • has spent the first two weeks on a tirade about how Darwinism is factually incorrect and unproven • blamed everything from politics to the job market and his bad standing in various institutions to “Neo-Darwinism”, and “politicization of science”. • claimed climate change is fake, and that it’s use is a political tool to science real academics like him • says cells choose how to evolve • went on a tirade about how evil religion is, blatantly smearing various religious figures and deities • claimed that magic mushrooms has been proven to be the origin of all major religions • actively talked down of other academics in anthropology to turn around and promote his books, all of which “contain the actual facts of the matter”. This all seems wild and unacceptable for a professional class, especially one that I am paying for, and I worry can actually be harmful for future bio-Anthro classes for me and my fellow students. What should I do? He is only one of two professors offering the lab course.
RESPONSE A: Wait if he thinks religion is fake he’s presumably not a creationist, so what’s his theory in place of evolution?
RESPONSE B: This sucks for you. If you can't transfer to the other section like yesterday, and need the course, I would hang on for a wild ride. Complaint us real, but it puts you at risk. Talking to an advisor about what's happening might help, and they might have a better idea of the political landscape (ie, why this dude was hired).
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: Joint PHD/JD and PHD/MD students--What are your motivations and career prospects? I am currently considering the path of a dual degree in one of the two mention above. I have done some basic research into joint Neuroscience/ MD/ JD programs and am curious to see what others who are and have gone through the process think of it, their motivations, and their career prospects.
RESPONSE A: Not exactly a joint PhD/JD: I finished my PhD first, decided that I wasn't cut out for research, and am now an LLB candidate. My goal is to work in intellectual property.
RESPONSE B: MD here. Strongly suggest against PhD/MD. While all your classmates are making money you're stuck finishing your degree for 8 years, then you have another 4-5 years ahead of you for residency and fellowship if you want an academic position. You can always finish your MD, work as a doctor, and start your PhD if so inclined.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: is there any point to going to grad school if you have bad social anxiety? From what I've read, if you go to a phd program, your success depends on networking,'selling' your research, having people who like you to do things for you, etc. Basically you have to be good at social things to do well, and it doesnt matter that much how good your research actually is. For me, I know for a fact that I would fail at all of those things. I've never had any friends before, and I get very anxious when I'm around other people and don't know how to make people like me. I can't'sell' anything to anyone, I can't get people to network with me or like me. How important are these things, actually? Could I do well in a phd even if no one likes to talk to me or be around me?
RESPONSE A: Awkward, shy, book-worm, etc. -- that kind of socially anxious, no problem. If you already have an actual anxiety disorder, I'd be more concerned. Talk to therapist/psychiatrist. Grad school is a wonderful experience, and the most fun you can have with your clothes on. But I've seen it be quite damaging to grad students with psych disorders, because along with the fun there's a bit of stress.
RESPONSE B: Just try it if you are really interested, don't worry too much. If you think you cannot 'sell' anything, your degree would help you to 'sell' yourself. Win-win solution.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: How are universities planning to adjust grad student stipends if Trump's tax cut passes? My understanding is that under the tax cut, PhD students will be taxed for tuition as well. This would make grad school mostly unaffordable. Do any universities have plans for how they'd adjust, or is it too early?
RESPONSE A: I had a FWS position for 20 hours a week that was cut to 5 hours a month. I’m waiting for them to cut my loans now. Fuck Trump.
RESPONSE B: It's too early to tell, really. But you better believe university administrators and department chairs are looking at the tax plan and freaking out right now. I don't know how anyone can confidently say they won't change their financial structure without knowing the consequences of the tax reform plan. If you are a current PhD student, or have absolutely any interest in ever pursuing one, you should be opposed to this plan (unless you are independently wealthy). As far as I can see, this plan would basically sink my department's graduate program.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: How are universities planning to adjust grad student stipends if Trump's tax cut passes? My understanding is that under the tax cut, PhD students will be taxed for tuition as well. This would make grad school mostly unaffordable. Do any universities have plans for how they'd adjust, or is it too early?
RESPONSE A: This plan has several bad features, calling and writing to your respective representatives will reduce its chances of becoming law. This is the first draft, areas with the strongest opposition may get cut or modified.
RESPONSE B: I had a FWS position for 20 hours a week that was cut to 5 hours a month. I’m waiting for them to cut my loans now. Fuck Trump.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: How are universities planning to adjust grad student stipends if Trump's tax cut passes? My understanding is that under the tax cut, PhD students will be taxed for tuition as well. This would make grad school mostly unaffordable. Do any universities have plans for how they'd adjust, or is it too early?
RESPONSE A: I’d imagine they will just expect grad students to simply take out even more loans. If they really cared about student costs they wouldn’t screw them with a grand in fees per semester.
RESPONSE B: I had a FWS position for 20 hours a week that was cut to 5 hours a month. I’m waiting for them to cut my loans now. Fuck Trump.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: Ugh, I just want some perspective/advice from anyone who has been through the hell of being a career minded person in a romantic relationship with an academia person.
RESPONSE A: Will he move for you? Or are you up for always uprooting your life for him? This gets very old, very fast.
RESPONSE B: I’m at the time frame you’re scared of, but the academic ambitions one in the relationship. My SO and I both got our PhDs and graduated within 6months of each other, but they went for the industry route and I postdoc. We took a US road map (one of those old school, several square feet ones) and some stickers, stars and smiley faces. We each chose a color sticker and put the stars where we knew we had job prospects and smiley faces in locations we thought we could be happy in (like cities we knew we liked or states near family or no regular -20F winters). It helped as it meant we didn’t even try targeting areas the other would be unhappy/unemployable in. We also stared evaluating the job market several months (~9-6) prior to expected defense of dissertations. Even with all that prep, my SO graduated first, found a very good job in the capital of a state we both liked and moved there for 5 months until I graduated, completed lab work, and joined them. Until I realized that while I had a lot of postdoc prospects with 1.5hrs of the city, they weren’t any I’d consider for my career ambitions (or they didn’t get back to me). I then started expanding my search to along the entire coast, hoping for something within a few hours. And I found it. A wonderful amazing program that is going to expand my career beyond my hopes. But I’ll be 3hrs away for at least 3 yrs. SO has the $100k industry job they love, I have mine, and we’re going to do lots of weekend visits and keep a dates circled for when my fellowship ends and they are in a position to take a promotion that comes with telework abilities. We have hope. We’re scared. I move out of the house we’ve only been living together in since August.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: and then hopefully getting a job as a professor. We've talked about what this means for us. It means potentially doing more long distance, if he gets post docs in places where the job market isn't really there for me. Then he'll roll the dice with professor positions -- and if he doesn't get a good offer in a location that works for both of us it seems he'll just go into finance. Luckily a lot of the schools he'd be interested in usually have some jobs for me. Even though its a competitive process, I have faith he'll get a position and things will work out for us. He's a very hard worker and already at a top tier school. But I have no idea how to plan my own job shit. Does it look bad to move from job to job so I can come with him for different post docs? If he moves to somewhere like San Jose for a post doc then I would have no problem getting a job but I feel like it would reflect badly on me to have two or three gigs where I'm only there for 3 years or so. Ugh, I just want some perspective/advice from anyone who has been through the hell of being a career minded person in a romantic relationship with an academia person.
RESPONSE A: 3 years at a job is considered pretty normal and respectable. A red flag would be if someone had more than one job that lasted for a year or less.
RESPONSE B: I think you can kind of choose 2 out of: The follow their career, you follow your career and you live close together. That's just kind of physics rather than anything more complicated than that. Where all the relationship challenges begin is trying to work out which parts are going to get compromised and who has what priorities in life. However I wouldn't worry too much for the next 2-3 years. That's a long time to be in one place and things could change a lot in that time. It's easy to want to be an academic early on in a PhD. The last 6 months is like fighting a boxing match every day, it puts a lot of people off :)
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: engineer in the city where he is getting his PhD in physics. Things are going pretty smoothly -- I'm super excited about the job I got and the place I work is only a ten minute walk from his school! However, this is only a temporary situation. He's planning on doing the academic route, which means that after he graduates (in 2-3 years) he'll be spending up to 6 years doing post docs and then hopefully getting a job as a professor. We've talked about what this means for us. It means potentially doing more long distance, if he gets post docs in places where the job market isn't really there for me. Then he'll roll the dice with professor positions -- and if he doesn't get a good offer in a location that works for both of us it seems he'll just go into finance. Luckily a lot of the schools he'd be interested in usually have some jobs for me. Even though its a competitive process, I have faith he'll get a position and things will work out for us. He's a very hard worker and already at a top tier school. But I have no idea how to plan my own job shit. Does it look bad to move from job to job so I can come with him for different post docs? If he moves to somewhere like San Jose for a post doc then I would have no problem getting a job but I feel like it would reflect badly on me to have two or three gigs where I'm only there for 3 years or so. Ugh, I just want some perspective/advice from anyone who has been through the hell of being a career minded person in a romantic relationship with an academia person.
RESPONSE A: I hold a PhD in computer science and i switch jobs more frequently than i switch socks. It'll be fine.
RESPONSE B: Honestly, I don’t know any young professionals today who stay more than two years in the same non-academic job/firm. Maybe your profession is different but it seems to be pretty common to switch around. Also simply saying that you’re following your partner is reasonable enough for most people.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: : I’m 21, work 2 part time jobs and work in a research lab 7-10 hours/week. I am double majoring with a minor. For me, I’ve had a lot of trouble making time for dating and ha going out with friends on weekdays. I love my research and I want to go directly into a PhD program to continue it. My two offers both require about 50-60 hours of work a week. I love my field and am willing to put in that amount of work every week, but I’m concerned about what habits I might build. I realize that I already have some unhealthy habits that probably will be even worse in grad school. For example, I tend to cut my friends off from my life and quit my workout routine when I’m overwhelmed with work. However, I want to date and have a family one day, and I don’t want to spend 5 years in grad school continuing unhealthy habits and ignoring my non-work life only to postpone the same goals trying to get tenure. What would you recommend to build a happy balance between work and life? What about dating in grad school? What sort of boundaries should I set with my advisors?
RESPONSE A: What works for me is scheduling. I have one evening out a week with friends, and stop working at around 8pm to spend time with my family. Sometimes I do wonder why the heck I decided I wanted a career where I work 12 hours a day 7 days a week, but I think when you have the drive, you just have the drive and there's nothing you can do but harness it. Outside of academia I was like a high-energy dog stuck in an apartment, and I just tore things up. Academia gives me somewhere to direct all that energy. Just make sure you schedule time for a personal life, and you'll be fine.
RESPONSE B: Step 1: pick an advisor who won't work you to the bone ​ Step 2: Schedule social time. You seem like you might feel like you don't deserve it if it isn't planned. ​ Step 3: spend your first semester making friends more than doing research so you have a social life for the rest of the time.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: and life? What about dating in grad school? What sort of boundaries should I set with my advisors?
RESPONSE A: One nice thing about grad school is that your work and social lives often combine nicely, at least is science which is quite collaborative and everyone is on campus for the duration of their degree. You make friends in your cohort, in your lab, and in your area of study pretty easily. Socializing quickly becomes little more than pushing away from your computer or putting down your pipette for a few minutes to chat with your buddy sitting/standing near you, or seeing a friend from the next floor who stopped by your office to chat (or you will take a 30 minute break and tour the offices of the building until you find a friend taking a break). I think every program has at least one type of grad student happy hour every week and lots of people go, when nobody is working either, you don't feel so much like you should. You'll have your posse you eat lunch with, the folks you pick up to walk home with, your go-to people to find out who is in lab on the weekends so you know you're never alone. And then there are the parties. Grad students love to have parties, and it's just like the happy hour. Everyone talks about it and plans for it, you all take the time off and go for it. In grad school, you all automatically have so much in common, it's one of the easiest times of your life to meet people and bond. Everyone in grad school works too much, but everyone also socializes a ton, it will likely be one of the most productive times intellectually and socially for you. It's only after that you will need to learn how to really make time for work, or for things outside of work, but you have plenty of time to figure that out.
RESPONSE B: Step 1: pick an advisor who won't work you to the bone ​ Step 2: Schedule social time. You seem like you might feel like you don't deserve it if it isn't planned. ​ Step 3: spend your first semester making friends more than doing research so you have a social life for the rest of the time.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: How do you build a happy work and life in grad school and academia? Hi everyone! I am wrapping up my undergrad and super excited for graduate schools. I ha e offers from two competitive PhD programs in my field and I’m trying to imagine how I want to build my work-life for the next five years. For context: I’m 21, work 2 part time jobs and work in a research lab 7-10 hours/week. I am double majoring with a minor. For me, I’ve had a lot of trouble making time for dating and ha going out with friends on weekdays. I love my research and I want to go directly into a PhD program to continue it. My two offers both require about 50-60 hours of work a week. I love my field and am willing to put in that amount of work every week, but I’m concerned about what habits I might build. I realize that I already have some unhealthy habits that probably will be even worse in grad school. For example, I tend to cut my friends off from my life and quit my workout routine when I’m overwhelmed with work. However, I want to date and have a family one day, and I don’t want to spend 5 years in grad school continuing unhealthy habits and ignoring my non-work life only to postpone the same goals trying to get tenure. What would you recommend to build a happy balance between work and life? What about dating in grad school? What sort of boundaries should I set with my advisors?
RESPONSE A: Step 1: pick an advisor who won't work you to the bone ​ Step 2: Schedule social time. You seem like you might feel like you don't deserve it if it isn't planned. ​ Step 3: spend your first semester making friends more than doing research so you have a social life for the rest of the time.
RESPONSE B: You’re taking yourself too seriously. Have a sense of humor about yourself.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: build a happy work and life in grad school and academia? Hi everyone! I am wrapping up my undergrad and super excited for graduate schools. I ha e offers from two competitive PhD programs in my field and I’m trying to imagine how I want to build my work-life for the next five years. For context: I’m 21, work 2 part time jobs and work in a research lab 7-10 hours/week. I am double majoring with a minor. For me, I’ve had a lot of trouble making time for dating and ha going out with friends on weekdays. I love my research and I want to go directly into a PhD program to continue it. My two offers both require about 50-60 hours of work a week. I love my field and am willing to put in that amount of work every week, but I’m concerned about what habits I might build. I realize that I already have some unhealthy habits that probably will be even worse in grad school. For example, I tend to cut my friends off from my life and quit my workout routine when I’m overwhelmed with work. However, I want to date and have a family one day, and I don’t want to spend 5 years in grad school continuing unhealthy habits and ignoring my non-work life only to postpone the same goals trying to get tenure. What would you recommend to build a happy balance between work and life? What about dating in grad school? What sort of boundaries should I set with my advisors?
RESPONSE A: What works for me is scheduling. I have one evening out a week with friends, and stop working at around 8pm to spend time with my family. Sometimes I do wonder why the heck I decided I wanted a career where I work 12 hours a day 7 days a week, but I think when you have the drive, you just have the drive and there's nothing you can do but harness it. Outside of academia I was like a high-energy dog stuck in an apartment, and I just tore things up. Academia gives me somewhere to direct all that energy. Just make sure you schedule time for a personal life, and you'll be fine.
RESPONSE B: You’re taking yourself too seriously. Have a sense of humor about yourself.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: Should I tell my PI that I'm allergic to mice? Hi! I'm a Ph.D. student who uses mice models. Recently I found that I had an adaptive allergy towards mice. Should I tell this to my PI? I'm worried in that case she might want to kick me out of the lab since I will probably not able to do in-vivo experiments anymore. Has anyone run into this situation before? Any suggestion will help. Thanks!
RESPONSE A: Adaptive mouse allergies are relatively common in biosciences, and there are a range of strategies for mitigating the effects of that allergy. Get in touch with your university's disabilities/accommodations office first because that's your protection in the event that your PI responds negatively. There are also a range of possible ways for you to work with your PI to mitigate this, including wearing a respirator when working with live mice or focusing on benchwork and relegating live animal work to a tech.
RESPONSE B: Uh, yes you should tell your PI cause it’s a total health risk for yourself and a liability for the department if anything happened. Your institution should be making you get allergy tested or asking you separately from your PI before you’re even allowed in the mouse rooms. If they can determine how serious your allergies are there’s a lot of accommodations. People even develop mouse allergies if they work with them long enough which is why it’s in place.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: Should I tell my PI that I'm allergic to mice? Hi! I'm a Ph.D. student who uses mice models. Recently I found that I had an adaptive allergy towards mice. Should I tell this to my PI? I'm worried in that case she might want to kick me out of the lab since I will probably not able to do in-vivo experiments anymore. Has anyone run into this situation before? Any suggestion will help. Thanks!
RESPONSE A: Adaptive mouse allergies are relatively common in biosciences, and there are a range of strategies for mitigating the effects of that allergy. Get in touch with your university's disabilities/accommodations office first because that's your protection in the event that your PI responds negatively. There are also a range of possible ways for you to work with your PI to mitigate this, including wearing a respirator when working with live mice or focusing on benchwork and relegating live animal work to a tech.
RESPONSE B: Yes, you should tell her. It will only get worse and jeopardize your health and safety. It’s very possible that you will need to pivot your career trajectory but it happens all the time and there are lots of other ways that you can do research.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: Should I tell my PI that I'm allergic to mice? Hi! I'm a Ph.D. student who uses mice models. Recently I found that I had an adaptive allergy towards mice. Should I tell this to my PI? I'm worried in that case she might want to kick me out of the lab since I will probably not able to do in-vivo experiments anymore. Has anyone run into this situation before? Any suggestion will help. Thanks!
RESPONSE A: Adaptive mouse allergies are relatively common in biosciences, and there are a range of strategies for mitigating the effects of that allergy. Get in touch with your university's disabilities/accommodations office first because that's your protection in the event that your PI responds negatively. There are also a range of possible ways for you to work with your PI to mitigate this, including wearing a respirator when working with live mice or focusing on benchwork and relegating live animal work to a tech.
RESPONSE B: How serious is it? Can you continue working with them? Have you tried antihistamines? Allergy shots? My father was allergic to mice and worked with them for his Ph.D. I wouldn’t mention anything unless and until you know whether or not it is a show-stopper.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: Should I tell my PI that I'm allergic to mice? Hi! I'm a Ph.D. student who uses mice models. Recently I found that I had an adaptive allergy towards mice. Should I tell this to my PI? I'm worried in that case she might want to kick me out of the lab since I will probably not able to do in-vivo experiments anymore. Has anyone run into this situation before? Any suggestion will help. Thanks!
RESPONSE A: How serious is it? Can you continue working with them? Have you tried antihistamines? Allergy shots? My father was allergic to mice and worked with them for his Ph.D. I wouldn’t mention anything unless and until you know whether or not it is a show-stopper.
RESPONSE B: Uh, yes you should tell your PI cause it’s a total health risk for yourself and a liability for the department if anything happened. Your institution should be making you get allergy tested or asking you separately from your PI before you’re even allowed in the mouse rooms. If they can determine how serious your allergies are there’s a lot of accommodations. People even develop mouse allergies if they work with them long enough which is why it’s in place.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: Should I tell my PI that I'm allergic to mice? Hi! I'm a Ph.D. student who uses mice models. Recently I found that I had an adaptive allergy towards mice. Should I tell this to my PI? I'm worried in that case she might want to kick me out of the lab since I will probably not able to do in-vivo experiments anymore. Has anyone run into this situation before? Any suggestion will help. Thanks!
RESPONSE A: How serious is it? Can you continue working with them? Have you tried antihistamines? Allergy shots? My father was allergic to mice and worked with them for his Ph.D. I wouldn’t mention anything unless and until you know whether or not it is a show-stopper.
RESPONSE B: I was hired as a summer research assistant, in part, to take over blood draws from the mice we had in the vivarium. Unclear whether I was allergic to the mice or some other animal in the vivarium, but my eyes swelled 80% shut during training. My boss took it in stride and just assigned me to benchwork the rest of the summer and apologized to the permanent lab tech that they would have to keep doing the blood draws, which she was fine with because she was more scared than I was when I started having an allergic reaction during training.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: Collaborators that is not your PI, should I inform my PI? I am a first year PhD. Student going into second year in strategy and management at a top school. I had this cool idea I want to potentially pursue for my thesis when I asked my PI, he just assigned me work that he has funding for. Last week I shared my idea with another professor from a different school and he is very interested. This professor would like to work on it together, should I inform my PI and try to include him in the project? What is the proper etiquette here.
RESPONSE A: You have to declare everything to your PI, assuming he is paying you. Would you work for another company without informing your current one who is employing and paying you?
RESPONSE B: Absolutely let your PI know. This may not mean your PI needs to be involved, or even sign off on the project, but learning how and when to develop collaborations is part of the doctoral training process.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: Collaborators that is not your PI, should I inform my PI? I am a first year PhD. Student going into second year in strategy and management at a top school. I had this cool idea I want to potentially pursue for my thesis when I asked my PI, he just assigned me work that he has funding for. Last week I shared my idea with another professor from a different school and he is very interested. This professor would like to work on it together, should I inform my PI and try to include him in the project? What is the proper etiquette here.
RESPONSE A: Definitely tell your supervisor. Regardless of whether or not going behind their back is allowed/ethical, they will be writing your letters of recommendation. They will appreciate the transparency. However, they may discourage it because you are in your first year. THey may want you to work on the project assigned to you to get you trained first. The other thing is that your thesis should have a unifying theme to it. You wouldn't want random chapters with little relation to each other (what i've heard peolpe call a "hodgepodge thesis"). If your other chapters are more related to your current supervisor's work, then you would want to tie in this chapter in some way. Otherwise, it needs to just be a side project, in which case you probably shouldn't be doing at this stage of your PhD. If this work with the prof from another school is something you want to do for 3+ chapters of your thesis (in my field you need 3 research chapters or papers to defend), then you probably need to set up some sort of co-supervising relationship or leave your current program and go to this other school.
RESPONSE B: >Last week I shared my idea with another professor from a different school and he is very interested. I think this was a mistake. You need to be careful about what and to whom you share. Also, taking on external collaborators without the knowledge of your PI is crazy.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: Collaborators that is not your PI, should I inform my PI? I am a first year PhD. Student going into second year in strategy and management at a top school. I had this cool idea I want to potentially pursue for my thesis when I asked my PI, he just assigned me work that he has funding for. Last week I shared my idea with another professor from a different school and he is very interested. This professor would like to work on it together, should I inform my PI and try to include him in the project? What is the proper etiquette here.
RESPONSE A: >Last week I shared my idea with another professor from a different school and he is very interested. I think this was a mistake. You need to be careful about what and to whom you share. Also, taking on external collaborators without the knowledge of your PI is crazy.
RESPONSE B: Side hustle 👍
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: Collaborators that is not your PI, should I inform my PI? I am a first year PhD. Student going into second year in strategy and management at a top school. I had this cool idea I want to potentially pursue for my thesis when I asked my PI, he just assigned me work that he has funding for. Last week I shared my idea with another professor from a different school and he is very interested. This professor would like to work on it together, should I inform my PI and try to include him in the project? What is the proper etiquette here.
RESPONSE A: Going behind your PI's back is a great way to piss off your PI. A PhD is like a marriage: for the next 6 years, your PI will be one of the most important people in your life with the ability to make or break you and a mutual trust is critical for that relationship. I'd tread carefully here.
RESPONSE B: Side hustle 👍
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: Should I tell a potential PhD advisor about my ADHD? I am applying for interdisciplinary research PhDs mostly in Europe. I would like to mention my ADHD but I am not sure how a prof would take it. Also if the answer is yes when would be the correct phase to tell them about it.
RESPONSE A: I didnt disclose my adhd until after my initial interview. I wanted them to see what I can do without the judgement that I have adhd and dyslexia. I had an informal interview with my supervisor after my initial interview (which was in front of 3 academics) and he asked me some more questions about myself. I said that I had both disorders and he was more curious then anything and also reassured me that if I need help I can get it as someone in his group previously had dyslexia as well and it wasn't a problem. I would say that you can disclose it but as some have mentioned it may harm your chances. My mentor at the time told me that he would not put it on his cover letter if it was him but that was my choice to make. If you do disclose it focus heavily on the positive of your disorder and how it gives you an edge over others. If you choose not to disclose it in your cover letter maybe think about mentioning it at a later date if you have the opportunity to as they will most likely find out anyway.
RESPONSE B: As a non European who did an MSc in western Europe.. they are surprisingly ignorant of ADHD. The attitude here is "you're a high performer or you aren't". There are a lot of social systems to support those who "aren't", so in school and workplace people don't feel obligated to cater to the individual. I WOULD NOT recommend mentioning it in your cover letter. Focus on why you want to study X and how your past has prepared you to do great in that PhD project. However, I would mention it elsewhere in the application. Either as an intro, appendix, or note around where you present your grades. If you have excellent grades, I wouldn't bring it up at all until you get to know your advisor better.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: My supervisor (PhD student) gives a lot of incorrect feedback. Wondering if I should just go along with it? I’m writing my masters thesis and it has become clear that my supervisor does not really know much about how to analyze data and statistics. He has given a lot of incorrect feedback especially in the results part. I’ve had that part checked by multiple staticians so I know it’s correct. Additionally I’ve had more schooling in statistics and data analysis than my supervisor. There will be a second grader, who is a professor so I think she will have more knowledge and understand my results better. So right now, I have the choice to either go along with the incorrect advice of my supervisor, which will lead to him giving me a better grade and likely a lower grade by the professor. Or the other way around. What should I do? I’ve thought about setting up a meeting and simply explaining why what I wrote was correct, but I’m afraid it will come across as if I can’t take criticism and need to defend myself.
RESPONSE A: If you are right, you are right. But, are you open to the possibility that your supervisor is wrong 70 % and correct 30 %, or whatever? Maybe some of their points are valuable still?
RESPONSE B: I'm mostly just impressed that your university has a professor who is a second grader. Imagine, 8 years old and a full professor! Kid must be a prodigy. Seriously though, listen to u/bigrottentuna. That's good advice.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: My supervisor (PhD student) gives a lot of incorrect feedback. Wondering if I should just go along with it? I’m writing my masters thesis and it has become clear that my supervisor does not really know much about how to analyze data and statistics. He has given a lot of incorrect feedback especially in the results part. I’ve had that part checked by multiple staticians so I know it’s correct. Additionally I’ve had more schooling in statistics and data analysis than my supervisor. There will be a second grader, who is a professor so I think she will have more knowledge and understand my results better. So right now, I have the choice to either go along with the incorrect advice of my supervisor, which will lead to him giving me a better grade and likely a lower grade by the professor. Or the other way around. What should I do? I’ve thought about setting up a meeting and simply explaining why what I wrote was correct, but I’m afraid it will come across as if I can’t take criticism and need to defend myself.
RESPONSE A: I'm mostly just impressed that your university has a professor who is a second grader. Imagine, 8 years old and a full professor! Kid must be a prodigy. Seriously though, listen to u/bigrottentuna. That's good advice.
RESPONSE B: You might be using a methodology they don'tunderstand. Or they are not familliar with. Don't tell them they are wrong, show them another peer-reviewed paper that you can reference (more points if it is fro your discipline) that shows the way they are calculating is correct. Let them know that your concern is being pinged for this when it gets marked or reviewed by a journal. That usually does the trick - if you can find a peer reviewed source in your discipline. Also - try exlpaining it to them differently. Like more in tue with the discipline and not statistics.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: proceeded to send me several angry emails, one of which threatened to file a disability and race(!) discrimination complaint at the university level. His accommodation letter was revised, he took the forgotten lab midterm, and failed miserably. To date, no one has followed through with filing a complaint, but he has essentially told me that he thinks I am failing him because I don't know how to teach autistic students (he volunteered his diagnosis, I did not ask about it). I wanted to say "Of course I don't know how to teach autistic students. I study STEM, not special education". I have gone so far out of my way to try to help this student, and unless he gets the As and Bs he told me he deserves, he seems to think I am a bad TA despite essentially holding his had through the material one-on-one, outside of lab hours, for multiple weeks. TLDR: I guess I'm hoping to hear about similar experiences that you all have had working with demanding students, and how you determined the extent to which you were responsible for figuring out how to facilitate difficult students' learning. I feel in over my head, despite support from the professor of record who teaches the lecture section of the course. Thanks!
RESPONSE A: The student needs to attend office hours for additional help. Any questions they student has on exams or accommodation needs to be directed to the course director. That is not your responsibility.
RESPONSE B: It is also a FERPA violation for you to discuss the student with his mother. It protects the students usually, but in this case it lets you off the hook. Do not engage. Send them up the chain and simply tell her that student privacy laws prohibit you from discussing the matter. As for his accommodations, do what it says you have to do. Do not feel guilty about the failures. Refer him for tutoring wherever it's offered, whether it be a general tutoring center or the Office of Disabled Students - especially if he believes that you aren't helping ("I'm going to refer to you a different person/group/office that might be able to serve you better"). After that, it's not your responsibility.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: DR: I guess I'm hoping to hear about similar experiences that you all have had working with demanding students, and how you determined the extent to which you were responsible for figuring out how to facilitate difficult students' learning. I feel in over my head, despite support from the professor of record who teaches the lecture section of the course. Thanks!
RESPONSE A: It is also a FERPA violation for you to discuss the student with his mother. It protects the students usually, but in this case it lets you off the hook. Do not engage. Send them up the chain and simply tell her that student privacy laws prohibit you from discussing the matter. As for his accommodations, do what it says you have to do. Do not feel guilty about the failures. Refer him for tutoring wherever it's offered, whether it be a general tutoring center or the Office of Disabled Students - especially if he believes that you aren't helping ("I'm going to refer to you a different person/group/office that might be able to serve you better"). After that, it's not your responsibility.
RESPONSE B: Who is your mentor/supervisor for this course? Is there an office or program that supports TAs in general at your university? I'm thinking something like a program that provides some general training and/or offers to give feedback or help (i.e. video recording lectures and offering constructive criticism). There should be someone in the department (the chair?) that you can speak to regarding sensitive administrative issues and university policy, perhaps even the disability office to figure out what is reasonable accommodation and what is not, as well as what their policies allow. They should be able to help you interpret the accommodations, as well as what is allowable at the university (somehow I don't think "forgetting to attend" falls under things that can be accommodated? And it sounds like you have documentation that he truly *forgot*?) It sounds like you've got a real handful and you should be in touch with higher ups in the department and/or disability office at the university to figure out reasonable accommodation, possibly even work at documenting things (i.e. interactions, things said, etc.) proactively in case there is a complaint lodged against you.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: I have gone so far out of my way to try to help this student, and unless he gets the As and Bs he told me he deserves, he seems to think I am a bad TA despite essentially holding his had through the material one-on-one, outside of lab hours, for multiple weeks. TLDR: I guess I'm hoping to hear about similar experiences that you all have had working with demanding students, and how you determined the extent to which you were responsible for figuring out how to facilitate difficult students' learning. I feel in over my head, despite support from the professor of record who teaches the lecture section of the course. Thanks!
RESPONSE A: I can imagine what a nightmare this student is, however, my advice for you would be to remain very calm (i know it's very hard) with a smile on your face and do as your superiors suggest, some students can be extremely lazy, entitled, nasty, and disrespectful, there is nothing that you can do for them that would please them, so just do as your superiors say and let the semester pass and hopefully you will never have to see him again. Trust me such students seldom get their degree, their poor performance and horrible attitude either makes them switch to easy majors or plain drop out. As a teaching faculty I deal with such cases every other semester.
RESPONSE B: One of the biggest issues I've had with disability accommodations for students is that they assume the actual criteria to earn a grade is adjusted for them. This is often what happens in high school with the IEP system. In high school, they can actually "move the goalposts". In college we absolutely cannot do that. Everyone is supposed to do the same level and amount of work to earn grades. We can allow note takers, interpreters, extra time on tests, different environments for testing, etc. We can never say that one student can do less or worse work than another and earn the same grade. Your disability services office is meant to support both students and instructors. On my campus, my disability services representative often has to explain that college is different than high school to both students and parents. I have requested these meetings myself to help clarify expectations and obligations of everyone involved. Just teach. Keep your documentation in order. Stay professional and keep cool.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: accommodation letter was revised, he took the forgotten lab midterm, and failed miserably. To date, no one has followed through with filing a complaint, but he has essentially told me that he thinks I am failing him because I don't know how to teach autistic students (he volunteered his diagnosis, I did not ask about it). I wanted to say "Of course I don't know how to teach autistic students. I study STEM, not special education". I have gone so far out of my way to try to help this student, and unless he gets the As and Bs he told me he deserves, he seems to think I am a bad TA despite essentially holding his had through the material one-on-one, outside of lab hours, for multiple weeks. TLDR: I guess I'm hoping to hear about similar experiences that you all have had working with demanding students, and how you determined the extent to which you were responsible for figuring out how to facilitate difficult students' learning. I feel in over my head, despite support from the professor of record who teaches the lecture section of the course. Thanks!
RESPONSE A: The student needs to attend office hours for additional help. Any questions they student has on exams or accommodation needs to be directed to the course director. That is not your responsibility.
RESPONSE B: One of the biggest issues I've had with disability accommodations for students is that they assume the actual criteria to earn a grade is adjusted for them. This is often what happens in high school with the IEP system. In high school, they can actually "move the goalposts". In college we absolutely cannot do that. Everyone is supposed to do the same level and amount of work to earn grades. We can allow note takers, interpreters, extra time on tests, different environments for testing, etc. We can never say that one student can do less or worse work than another and earn the same grade. Your disability services office is meant to support both students and instructors. On my campus, my disability services representative often has to explain that college is different than high school to both students and parents. I have requested these meetings myself to help clarify expectations and obligations of everyone involved. Just teach. Keep your documentation in order. Stay professional and keep cool.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: were responsible for figuring out how to facilitate difficult students' learning. I feel in over my head, despite support from the professor of record who teaches the lecture section of the course. Thanks!
RESPONSE A: Who is your mentor/supervisor for this course? Is there an office or program that supports TAs in general at your university? I'm thinking something like a program that provides some general training and/or offers to give feedback or help (i.e. video recording lectures and offering constructive criticism). There should be someone in the department (the chair?) that you can speak to regarding sensitive administrative issues and university policy, perhaps even the disability office to figure out what is reasonable accommodation and what is not, as well as what their policies allow. They should be able to help you interpret the accommodations, as well as what is allowable at the university (somehow I don't think "forgetting to attend" falls under things that can be accommodated? And it sounds like you have documentation that he truly *forgot*?) It sounds like you've got a real handful and you should be in touch with higher ups in the department and/or disability office at the university to figure out reasonable accommodation, possibly even work at documenting things (i.e. interactions, things said, etc.) proactively in case there is a complaint lodged against you.
RESPONSE B: One of the biggest issues I've had with disability accommodations for students is that they assume the actual criteria to earn a grade is adjusted for them. This is often what happens in high school with the IEP system. In high school, they can actually "move the goalposts". In college we absolutely cannot do that. Everyone is supposed to do the same level and amount of work to earn grades. We can allow note takers, interpreters, extra time on tests, different environments for testing, etc. We can never say that one student can do less or worse work than another and earn the same grade. Your disability services office is meant to support both students and instructors. On my campus, my disability services representative often has to explain that college is different than high school to both students and parents. I have requested these meetings myself to help clarify expectations and obligations of everyone involved. Just teach. Keep your documentation in order. Stay professional and keep cool.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: Can reviewers refer to their own unpublished data as a reason to reject a paper? I recently submitted a paper which is currently under review. Everything written in the paper is solid with regard to published literature, but I just heard about some unpublished data from a colleague at a conference (not even presented, just in discussion) which adds a major complication to my story. The colleague works in a closely related field, and we suggested them to the editor as a potential reviewer. If indeed they are a reviewer, can then refer to these unpublished findings as a reason to reject my paper?
RESPONSE A: No, they shouldn't. But yes, they can. One of the reasons that a book of mine was rejected was because I didn't engage with scholarship on the subject that was not published yet. The reviewer literally wrote "what about so and so's project? narwhal\_ does not anywhere engage with it." Until now, so and so hasn't published their research and my book is out with a different publisher.
RESPONSE B: No
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
B | POST: my thesis was cited in a journal article but it literally used my ideas as its central argument I wrote a Master's thesis few years ago, today I was bored and googled it and found out it was cited by couple journal articles. But one of the article was written by a PhD student, and I was reading it and 95% of its argument and ideas are what I have in my thesis. Umm is that allowed? I feel like my ideas and arguments were kinda copied/stolen....have you ever had this happen to you?
RESPONSE A: If it's truly 95% then it's plagiarism for sure. There are some cases where it's acceptable to reproduce an argument directly from another paper, in fact it's often useful for the reader, space permitting. But a) it should be clearly indicated and b) it should not be the bulk of the new publication. Anyway, ask a professor in your field, but ultimately if I were convinced someone had plagiarised my work, I might contact the editor of the journal; they would probably have a policy in place. Maybe you could get your name included as an author for instance, or maybe they would retract, I'm not sure.
RESPONSE B: This is not stealing. In another comment you clarify this is from your old lab. Labs **build** on the ideas of previous work, especially within their own lab but also in the broader field. This is how science works. You were cited, it's not stolen, even if it was 100% your idea. To that point, are you certain these ideas are 100% yours and you did not come about them through discussions and collaborations with your PI? At best, you could be asked to be cited more often in more places in future work, but for already published articles there is litter chance they will edit it. If they copy+pasted exact sentences from your thesis, this may be plagiarism depending on the sentences. Often for things like analyses and methods, labs will more or less copy+paste their previous work as the analyses and methods have not changed. Still, with you being cited, I don't see much coming from raising the issue with anyone.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
A | POST: my thesis was cited in a journal article but it literally used my ideas as its central argument I wrote a Master's thesis few years ago, today I was bored and googled it and found out it was cited by couple journal articles. But one of the article was written by a PhD student, and I was reading it and 95% of its argument and ideas are what I have in my thesis. Umm is that allowed? I feel like my ideas and arguments were kinda copied/stolen....have you ever had this happen to you?
RESPONSE A: This is not stealing. In another comment you clarify this is from your old lab. Labs **build** on the ideas of previous work, especially within their own lab but also in the broader field. This is how science works. You were cited, it's not stolen, even if it was 100% your idea. To that point, are you certain these ideas are 100% yours and you did not come about them through discussions and collaborations with your PI? At best, you could be asked to be cited more often in more places in future work, but for already published articles there is litter chance they will edit it. If they copy+pasted exact sentences from your thesis, this may be plagiarism depending on the sentences. Often for things like analyses and methods, labs will more or less copy+paste their previous work as the analyses and methods have not changed. Still, with you being cited, I don't see much coming from raising the issue with anyone.
RESPONSE B: Well, ideas are shared in science. I read through the whole thread. It sounds like you were heavily cited and paraphrased. If exact wording was chosen, you can call it plagiarism. She probably was asked to read your thesis and do a project on it. People forget PIs are business owners of a lab not their friends, even if they act like it.
Which response is better? RESPONSE |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.