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POST: out answers to those questions, and printing out and having in front of you: - Profiles of anyone you know is on the hiring committee - The mission statement of the university - Questions for the committee - Safe questions for the committee give them a chance to brag and don’t embarrass them - Ask about the department environment - Ask what distinguishes their students - Ask what they think you should know that you haven’t asked - Ask about the promotion and tenure processes - What should I expect from an in person interview - At least a day of rapid fire 30-minute interviews with everyone in the department - At least one dinner with the entire committee, or chair - A talk which may be research, a teaching demonstration, or a combination of these - A formal meeting and interview with the hiring committee. - A possible meeting with the dean - Keep in mind that you are being interviewed from the second you get off of the airplane. You need to be “on” the entire time, and don’t let your guard down to drink too much at dinner. - How many graduate programs should I apply to - Usually 9-12 is a good number, depending on your field, background, and what you can afford. - How do I choose an adviser? - One important thing that’s often overlooked is talking to other students. Ask what they’re like to work with. Ask if they’re a creep. Ask how long other students have taken to graduate. Make sure they don’t have anger issues. Ask if you can see what some of their previous advisees have gone on to do.
RESPONSE A: Under the name change one, you should discuss orcIDs since these can be used to track publications of an author before and after a name change.
RESPONSE B: > Options are different still, if you use LaTeX. I don't think this is really true. The big 3 citation managers all have bibtex support, and at the very least zotero supports biblatex as well (zotero is what I personally use so I'm less familiar with the others). It's probably worth having Jabref installed in case you need it, but you probably won't.
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POST: abstract details. When I started my postdoc, my workload dropped dramatically. Some weeks I might do something like 5-10 hours, and some weeks it's closer to 30 or more. On very slow weeks, when I've tried to go and find work to supplement my main tasks, I've often found myself stymied. Much of my work with my research involves the human side, and because we're in a major development phase, my boss isn't comfortable doing more user studies yet. Currently outside of my research a lot of my attention is aimed at finding more funding, which has been difficult because my lab director is largely unreachable, and so this has been very very slow. I feel like there's something I "should" be doing, but I haven't identified it yet. Should I be learning new skills or something?
RESPONSE A: No one is in charge of your life but yourself. If you have too much time on your hand, start changing your life. Make the best of it. Enjoy your breaks, and challenge yourself when you feel it is appropriate. When you want a better use for your time, try setting yourself challenges, and start working towards them. If you lack motivation, because you feel that someone should be breathing down your neck, then use it as a growing opportunity. You are free now. No one tells you what to do. Start you life. Good luck!
RESPONSE B: What's your 1 month plan? What's your 3 month plan? What's your 1 year plan? What's your 3 year plan? What's your 5 year plan? What's your 10 year plan? Answer all those questions with your free time, and you will know what you "should be" doing. ;) Alternatively: Enjoy your free time! Be intentional in picking a hobby and exploring it. You have time to work on your health and things outside of just your job right now, so practice self care and improve all the things you aren't usually focused on because of work. It makes no difference if your situation is "normal" because there is no such thing as the "normal" postdoc. Just take inventory of what in your life is working for \*you\* and what's not and go find your happy.
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POST: I was involved in a lot of stuff from very granular details to very abstract details. When I started my postdoc, my workload dropped dramatically. Some weeks I might do something like 5-10 hours, and some weeks it's closer to 30 or more. On very slow weeks, when I've tried to go and find work to supplement my main tasks, I've often found myself stymied. Much of my work with my research involves the human side, and because we're in a major development phase, my boss isn't comfortable doing more user studies yet. Currently outside of my research a lot of my attention is aimed at finding more funding, which has been difficult because my lab director is largely unreachable, and so this has been very very slow. I feel like there's something I "should" be doing, but I haven't identified it yet. Should I be learning new skills or something?
RESPONSE A: This is the point in your career where you need to start figuring out what success looks like to you, and not simply try and copy what everyone else does or do what you think you should be doing because other people are doing it. It's a difficult one to figure out and I've been where you are and even now I'm fairly successful (I think) and question myself. If you're getting results, if you're achieving the things you want to, then you're winning. I've realised over the years I'm someone who can work more quickly than some of my colleagues (partly because experience means I can cut through the noise and just focus on the important things) but I've also learnt I need more downtime than a lot of people. So my sitting in the garden not doing anything or vegging with a film is actually helping me reset and refresh. You do you. You can't be successful trying to be someone else. You can absolutely learn from other people about how to handle different situations but ultimately you need to figure out what works for you.
RESPONSE B: I started my postdoc 2 months ago and I literally feel the same. It is driving me nuts. I want to do more but the system is so slow that I simply can't. Have no idea what to do...
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: t space - Russia's relations with its neighbors, political movements etc. So therefore political tensions and manifestations in Eastern Europe or the Post-Soviet space would be definitely a topic I would be interested in. * I'm also interested in far-right movements across Europe - the socio-psychological underpinnings, the actual security risk they pose, and ways towards deradicalisation. Admittedly I have no academic credentials in this area so maybe it is out of the question. **Sooooo?** Basically I feel I'm not exactly the ideal PHD candidate due to screwing up my M.A. dissertation (but still have a first class honours B.A. and 2:1 M.A. so not completely out of reach) and need to spend some of my spare time in the next couple of years building up more experience and a portfolio. I would greatly appreciate any advice or guidance you can give me, to help me increase my chances of landing a PHD in either of the aforementioned fields. Thanks in advance.
RESPONSE A: To be honest, I think it will be easy for you to get into a PhD program. The thing you need to think about is what happens after. The job prospects are bleak af.
RESPONSE B: I’m only a grad student, just so you know where my advice is coming from. What my experiences so far have taught me is that getting accepted into a PhD is largely about who you know and who will write letters of recommendation for you. It’s good that you have a few years before you’re hoping to start a program. In the meantime, do everything you can to volunteer or get connected with some established/published faculty. On top of this, read a lot of current research in your area. You should be able to name off the top of your head at least a few people whose research interests are close to your own and be familiar with their recent work. I’m in a different field than you, so I don’t think I can give advice beyond that. More than all of this, try to find somebody to mentor you through the application process. Somebody actually in the field is going to give you better advice than anything you’ll find on an Internet forum. Good luck!
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POST: 2:2 grade for it specifically and the last section of it was really useless and incoherent (spent far too much on earlier sections and then had to rush the end - a lesson for the future). **What would I like to do a PHD in?** * My dissertation (which was pretty useless) and my main focus of area for my M.A. was on the post-Soviet space - Russia's relations with its neighbors, political movements etc. So therefore political tensions and manifestations in Eastern Europe or the Post-Soviet space would be definitely a topic I would be interested in. * I'm also interested in far-right movements across Europe - the socio-psychological underpinnings, the actual security risk they pose, and ways towards deradicalisation. Admittedly I have no academic credentials in this area so maybe it is out of the question. **Sooooo?** Basically I feel I'm not exactly the ideal PHD candidate due to screwing up my M.A. dissertation (but still have a first class honours B.A. and 2:1 M.A. so not completely out of reach) and need to spend some of my spare time in the next couple of years building up more experience and a portfolio. I would greatly appreciate any advice or guidance you can give me, to help me increase my chances of landing a PHD in either of the aforementioned fields. Thanks in advance.
RESPONSE A: There are tons of posts on this sub about how most people who get PhDs in the social sciences and the humanities in the West are forced to give up on becoming professors because of the lack of positions. And it seems that the trend will continue into the foreseeable future. Often people spend a few years accepting low-paying part-time positions and moving from city to city until finally giving up. Just search the Internet for terms like "academic job market," "alt-ac," and "left academia." There are thousands of stories, advice pieces, and researched explanations for you to read.
RESPONSE B: To be honest, I think it will be easy for you to get into a PhD program. The thing you need to think about is what happens after. The job prospects are bleak af.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: I think I need to quit my PhD. How can I do this respectfully and professionally? I am currently a first year PhD student and I think I need to quit my program. When I got to my senior year of undergrad I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. In a panic I applied to grad schools and somehow got accepted. I have no real research experience and had no idea what I was getting into. In my first year my grades have been good and my PI is happy with my performance. However, I’m extremely unhappy. I dread going into the lab, I generally dislike the people I work with, and I just can’t see myself doing this 10 years from now. I have no motivation to do work and that is something I’ve never experienced before. I sleep for a minimum of 10 hours at a time and I don’t feel rested. I think I’m becoming depressed, I feel myself beginning to slip and I need to leave. How can I do this without burning bridges? I respect the hell out of my PI, but this isn’t for me. Any advice would help. Thanks for reading.
RESPONSE A: I want to add to everyone else's comments that people drop out of PhDs pretty frequently. It's practically impossible to really know what you're getting into and the first year shock is real. If you're polite and respectful I don't think you have to worry. I'm sure people will be disappointed, but they probably won't be upset and perhaps not even surprised.
RESPONSE B: If you really need or want to do it, best luck first and foremost. How? Be honest and open. Do not make anyone feel guilty (and I mean even though they may even slightly be). Explain your feelings and your situation. That's pretty much it. A reasonable boss/advisor/whatever will totally understand. If not, it's their business, you have been honest and respectful.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: I think I need to quit my PhD. How can I do this respectfully and professionally? I am currently a first year PhD student and I think I need to quit my program. When I got to my senior year of undergrad I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. In a panic I applied to grad schools and somehow got accepted. I have no real research experience and had no idea what I was getting into. In my first year my grades have been good and my PI is happy with my performance. However, I’m extremely unhappy. I dread going into the lab, I generally dislike the people I work with, and I just can’t see myself doing this 10 years from now. I have no motivation to do work and that is something I’ve never experienced before. I sleep for a minimum of 10 hours at a time and I don’t feel rested. I think I’m becoming depressed, I feel myself beginning to slip and I need to leave. How can I do this without burning bridges? I respect the hell out of my PI, but this isn’t for me. Any advice would help. Thanks for reading.
RESPONSE A: What PhD is ten years?? But OP you just talk to them. They’ll understand. Also don’t be afraid to see help! Grad school is stressful and we’re a population frought with depression.
RESPONSE B: I want to add to everyone else's comments that people drop out of PhDs pretty frequently. It's practically impossible to really know what you're getting into and the first year shock is real. If you're polite and respectful I don't think you have to worry. I'm sure people will be disappointed, but they probably won't be upset and perhaps not even surprised.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: I think I need to quit my PhD. How can I do this respectfully and professionally? I am currently a first year PhD student and I think I need to quit my program. When I got to my senior year of undergrad I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. In a panic I applied to grad schools and somehow got accepted. I have no real research experience and had no idea what I was getting into. In my first year my grades have been good and my PI is happy with my performance. However, I’m extremely unhappy. I dread going into the lab, I generally dislike the people I work with, and I just can’t see myself doing this 10 years from now. I have no motivation to do work and that is something I’ve never experienced before. I sleep for a minimum of 10 hours at a time and I don’t feel rested. I think I’m becoming depressed, I feel myself beginning to slip and I need to leave. How can I do this without burning bridges? I respect the hell out of my PI, but this isn’t for me. Any advice would help. Thanks for reading.
RESPONSE A: Have you ever taken a few months break? That's what I did. I left my thesis untouched for a few months and I went and did everything I wanted to do. In the end, I came back feeling like a completely different person and a renewed sense responsibility for my thesis. Not trying to paint a really beautiful picture of what a break can do but if you haven't taken a break, I would highly suggest that. ​ ​ ​
RESPONSE B: If you really need or want to do it, best luck first and foremost. How? Be honest and open. Do not make anyone feel guilty (and I mean even though they may even slightly be). Explain your feelings and your situation. That's pretty much it. A reasonable boss/advisor/whatever will totally understand. If not, it's their business, you have been honest and respectful.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: I think I need to quit my PhD. How can I do this respectfully and professionally? I am currently a first year PhD student and I think I need to quit my program. When I got to my senior year of undergrad I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. In a panic I applied to grad schools and somehow got accepted. I have no real research experience and had no idea what I was getting into. In my first year my grades have been good and my PI is happy with my performance. However, I’m extremely unhappy. I dread going into the lab, I generally dislike the people I work with, and I just can’t see myself doing this 10 years from now. I have no motivation to do work and that is something I’ve never experienced before. I sleep for a minimum of 10 hours at a time and I don’t feel rested. I think I’m becoming depressed, I feel myself beginning to slip and I need to leave. How can I do this without burning bridges? I respect the hell out of my PI, but this isn’t for me. Any advice would help. Thanks for reading.
RESPONSE A: What PhD is ten years?? But OP you just talk to them. They’ll understand. Also don’t be afraid to see help! Grad school is stressful and we’re a population frought with depression.
RESPONSE B: Have you ever taken a few months break? That's what I did. I left my thesis untouched for a few months and I went and did everything I wanted to do. In the end, I came back feeling like a completely different person and a renewed sense responsibility for my thesis. Not trying to paint a really beautiful picture of what a break can do but if you haven't taken a break, I would highly suggest that. ​ ​ ​
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: year of undergrad I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. In a panic I applied to grad schools and somehow got accepted. I have no real research experience and had no idea what I was getting into. In my first year my grades have been good and my PI is happy with my performance. However, I’m extremely unhappy. I dread going into the lab, I generally dislike the people I work with, and I just can’t see myself doing this 10 years from now. I have no motivation to do work and that is something I’ve never experienced before. I sleep for a minimum of 10 hours at a time and I don’t feel rested. I think I’m becoming depressed, I feel myself beginning to slip and I need to leave. How can I do this without burning bridges? I respect the hell out of my PI, but this isn’t for me. Any advice would help. Thanks for reading.
RESPONSE A: Honestly I'm half way through my PhD and feel incredibly stressed, depressed and drained all the time. I respect the hell out of someone who can, very early on, identify when a path isn't right for them. I'd agree that taking a break is good - often just stepping back and giving yourself time to not think about it either gives you renewed interest, or clarifies that your purpose is elsewhere. Any academic knows what it is like to feel as you feel, especially someone who has worked their way up the ladder to be a PI. I'd let them know you respect them and your work, but that issues in your personal life and/or mental health (however much you feel like sharing) mean you need to take a step back. It's important to remember that your *life* and *health* come before any 'career path.'
RESPONSE B: If you really need or want to do it, best luck first and foremost. How? Be honest and open. Do not make anyone feel guilty (and I mean even though they may even slightly be). Explain your feelings and your situation. That's pretty much it. A reasonable boss/advisor/whatever will totally understand. If not, it's their business, you have been honest and respectful.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: How much damage to my professional reputation will be incurred if I reneg on a verbal acceptance for an offer? I am a PhD candidate and have a decent, not great, offer on the table for a one-year VAP position at Institution A. I think the institution itself is great and they want me to teach what I research, which is amazing. My issue, however, is that the location is in a very rural area (though less than an hour from a major city). I'm in my mid-30s and don't feel I have the luxury of time to spend in a place I have no desire to live or settle down (I should have mentioned the position has potential to turn into a TT line). I also currently have 4 open interviews, my first choice of which is Institution B and in my dream location. Institution B emailed me today inviting me for a second interview next week. (This is also a one-year VAP post with potential for this post to turn into a TT line.) The search committee for Institution A, however, has given me an extremely short timeline to make a decision. I have tried to extend the deadline as much as possible, but had to give a verbal response by today. Given how hard it is to land an academic job and the value of a bird in the hand, I told them I would like to proceed and we are currently in salary negotiations. I don't know how long they will give me to return a signed contract. I have no intention of reneging on a signed contract. If, however, my second interview with Institution B goes well and they offer me the job (and I have not yet signed a contract elsewhere), how much damage to my professional reputation will I incur if I reneg on my verbal acceptance at Institution A? Will it be difficult for me to find another post moving forward?
RESPONSE A: No pbs. No one knows.
RESPONSE B: They know you are talking to multiple places, just like they are talking to multiple applicants. Say your thanks, say that you hope to collaborate in the future, and move on
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: How to stop yourself getting overwhelmed during the literature review I'm doing a lit review on a subject through Google scholar but coming across thousands of results. How do you guys cope with such a large amount? Do you rely on Google to just display the most relevant papers on the first few pages and look at those only? I feel like I might miss an important paper if I cut out the rest but don't have the time to get through more papers obviously
RESPONSE A: Start off by finding a lit review of the subject, or as close as, from within the last 5 years and with the highest impact factor give or take. Edit: read a couple of them to get a quick glimpse of what the field is like and the names of the most important papers. Use that info to pop a couple of papers into researchrabbit and voilà. If you're lucky then you should be able to visualise a couple of distinct research groups and collaborators who are the driving force behind that topic before you get stuck in with the less well-integrated research.
RESPONSE B: I recommend checking out Research Rabbit! Put in the most important papers from your initial lit review, and it can help you find other papers that may be relevant.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: How to study for 12 hrs a day for 2 months straight without losing motivation? People who have done this before, Please help. I have this big exam in 2 months, already attempted this exam and failed 3 times. Next attempt will be my last attempt as I have to start a job and move out from my parents house. My exams are similar to CPA but of a different country.
RESPONSE A: When I studied/worked for 12 hours a day for a few months, I developed a chronic illness that screwed up my nervous system that I’m still dealing with today. So I do not recommend. People who say they do this are lying.
RESPONSE B: Never have motivation in the first place. That's a fleeting feeling. Have discipline and make it part of the daily routine.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: How to study for 12 hrs a day for 2 months straight without losing motivation? People who have done this before, Please help. I have this big exam in 2 months, already attempted this exam and failed 3 times. Next attempt will be my last attempt as I have to start a job and move out from my parents house. My exams are similar to CPA but of a different country.
RESPONSE A: my advice would be whatever you do, do not distort your sleep cycle. get up early and sleep at night. i really messed up when i worked at nights for a couple of months
RESPONSE B: Uninstall all forms of social media
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POST: motivation? People who have done this before, Please help. I have this big exam in 2 months, already attempted this exam and failed 3 times. Next attempt will be my last attempt as I have to start a job and move out from my parents house. My exams are similar to CPA but of a different country.
RESPONSE A: Study in 45-90 minute intervals, with an exercise break for 20-30 min. Not vigorous exercise but a walk around the block listening to music or reciting the items you struggle with. Only drink water and make sure your electrolytes are balanced. Copious amounts of coffee, tea or soda will cause dehydration due to your body getting rid of the caffeine. You must be well hydrated for the brain to do it’s best work. Make flash cards of those “rules, methods,” or anything else you struggle with. Look at those cards when you are taking a exercise break. The exercise break allows the body to cycle the blood through every part of the body and the oxygen from walking will help keep the body awake and able to focus. Any type of medicine to “jack” you up into hyper study mode will be a detriment to your ability to study longer. I tell my students to go into a test without a rush of caffeine, sugar or anything else so they can think methodically and not all jumpy and shaky. When the caffeine and sugar/Med rush ends about midway through your test the brain will be exhausted. Water and at least 8 hours of rest will be best for those 3+hour tests. I recommend taking a snack with protein and something sweet for the break in a longer test. Plus a bottle of water. If you are someone who has test anxiety, one or two Tylenol’s will help reduce that. My daughter had to take a mild blood pressure tablet so she could stay calm and focus on her nursing tests. There are methods to looking at the questions and seeing the wrong two answers, the almost correct two answers and seeing the one correct answer. I teach ACT prep courses for science.
RESPONSE B: my advice would be whatever you do, do not distort your sleep cycle. get up early and sleep at night. i really messed up when i worked at nights for a couple of months
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POST: How to study for 12 hrs a day for 2 months straight without losing motivation? People who have done this before, Please help. I have this big exam in 2 months, already attempted this exam and failed 3 times. Next attempt will be my last attempt as I have to start a job and move out from my parents house. My exams are similar to CPA but of a different country.
RESPONSE A: What are you doing differently in your approach to this exam in comparison to the last two times you took it? Do you need to do more practice questions? Is there a particular subset of the material that's tripping you up? Now is your opportunity to take a big step back and figure out what wasn't working the last time. As others have said, trying to force yourself to study 12 hours a day isn't feasible and is likely not going to make the difference you hope.
RESPONSE B: Just take breaks of like at least 15 minutes every hour, it will be like a reward for your hard work and it will feel good. Also if you don’t take breaks often enough you will just lose concentration and motivation and forget a lot of stuff. Lastly don’t study for 12 hours per day, go do stuff you enjoy and forget about that exam for a bit, it will be good for your mental health.
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POST: How to study for 12 hrs a day for 2 months straight without losing motivation? People who have done this before, Please help. I have this big exam in 2 months, already attempted this exam and failed 3 times. Next attempt will be my last attempt as I have to start a job and move out from my parents house. My exams are similar to CPA but of a different country.
RESPONSE A: Go to high school in Korea
RESPONSE B: What are you doing differently in your approach to this exam in comparison to the last two times you took it? Do you need to do more practice questions? Is there a particular subset of the material that's tripping you up? Now is your opportunity to take a big step back and figure out what wasn't working the last time. As others have said, trying to force yourself to study 12 hours a day isn't feasible and is likely not going to make the difference you hope.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: How do you respond to a department’s apology? To make a long story short, I was gas lit by a very awful advisor. It ended with said advisor calling me “autistic” and refusing to let me use ADA approved assistive technology like my computer and voice recorder. I wrote about it here I have since “left” the university. I put left in quotations because I left with a masters degree at the end of fall term but can technically still use the library and fulfill the the conference obligations that had already been booked. Anyway, I received an emailed apology. There is also one in my box. (Apparently, my mailing room box is still up.) Am I expected to respond? Would an email be sufficient? Is there a time frame? I am really not in a good place to deal with this right now? The apology itself is pretty standard. They mention their “failure” to uphold ada and that the department agrees that the correspondence was not representative of the university’s or department’s values. It is signed by a few professors but nothing from the advisor. I am going to stop blabbering but what do you do with something like this? More info: I literally drove 16 hours away after everything went down. I’ve been crashing at my cousin’s house and was lucky enough to adjunct. I’m literally a homeless squatter and if it wern’t for family, I’d be living in my car. I shouldn’t blame my university since it was my decision to leave so abruptly. But its hard to keep those feelings at bay when I open up this apology.
RESPONSE A: I’d be closer to talking to a lawyer than validating what’s likely nothing more than damage control.
RESPONSE B: Well, they gave you something you can use. Make sure you save that email in a location and format you will not lose; it is an admission of guilt, so if you want to sue, you have that. It also might be worth considering using it as a negotiation point if you want to return to that school to finish your PhD. All the advisors who signed it are telling you they have your back, which is a fairly massive vote of confidence.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: .) Am I expected to respond? Would an email be sufficient? Is there a time frame? I am really not in a good place to deal with this right now? The apology itself is pretty standard. They mention their “failure” to uphold ada and that the department agrees that the correspondence was not representative of the university’s or department’s values. It is signed by a few professors but nothing from the advisor. I am going to stop blabbering but what do you do with something like this? More info: I literally drove 16 hours away after everything went down. I’ve been crashing at my cousin’s house and was lucky enough to adjunct. I’m literally a homeless squatter and if it wern’t for family, I’d be living in my car. I shouldn’t blame my university since it was my decision to leave so abruptly. But its hard to keep those feelings at bay when I open up this apology.
RESPONSE A: Well, they gave you something you can use. Make sure you save that email in a location and format you will not lose; it is an admission of guilt, so if you want to sue, you have that. It also might be worth considering using it as a negotiation point if you want to return to that school to finish your PhD. All the advisors who signed it are telling you they have your back, which is a fairly massive vote of confidence.
RESPONSE B: I'm sorry something awful like that happened to you. As someone who had a (to me, a rather traumatic) advisor conflict in my PhD, I hope you can use the department apology letter to find forgiveness and peace, e.g. not necessarily condoning any of the actions or words of your ex-advisor, but finding a way to heal and "let be". I hope you're seeing a therapist to help you recover from the experience. Edit: I find that I don't respond well when I'm in an emotional state, so I'd rather sit on the email and wait until I'm ready. There's no time table to healing and no requirement that you have to respond by any particular time, if ever. Take care of yourself!
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: said advisor calling me “autistic” and refusing to let me use ADA approved assistive technology like my computer and voice recorder. I wrote about it here I have since “left” the university. I put left in quotations because I left with a masters degree at the end of fall term but can technically still use the library and fulfill the the conference obligations that had already been booked. Anyway, I received an emailed apology. There is also one in my box. (Apparently, my mailing room box is still up.) Am I expected to respond? Would an email be sufficient? Is there a time frame? I am really not in a good place to deal with this right now? The apology itself is pretty standard. They mention their “failure” to uphold ada and that the department agrees that the correspondence was not representative of the university’s or department’s values. It is signed by a few professors but nothing from the advisor. I am going to stop blabbering but what do you do with something like this? More info: I literally drove 16 hours away after everything went down. I’ve been crashing at my cousin’s house and was lucky enough to adjunct. I’m literally a homeless squatter and if it wern’t for family, I’d be living in my car. I shouldn’t blame my university since it was my decision to leave so abruptly. But its hard to keep those feelings at bay when I open up this apology.
RESPONSE A: u/cookestudio is on the money. You should definitely consult a labor lawyer. And along the same lines, don’t respond to the letter until you speak with a lawyer. With that letter in hand, you may have a very good case.
RESPONSE B: Leverage it for something you want. Take your time and think seriously about anything they have that you want. Then say that a real apology means atoning for the damage to your education/career and that XYZ would go further in remuneration than just an apology - also, consider suing and see if you can get damages. A ‘sorry’ really does nothing for you and it sounds like you need real tangible help now
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: I am exaggerating but they don't fucking know him or how he acts when he is mad. So I am staying off campus now, and am going to try to not give him that chance. I'm really sad that I am the one that has to run. I'm really upset that this man is allowed to go to all his classes and continue to teach a class full of young women for his assistantship. I'm really sad that there are still people in the department that after seeing the comic think he's an OK guy and that I am making everything up. I'm really sad that no one seems to care if he kills me or not and it makes me wonder what the point is even of fighting for an education if my life is so expendable. And I don't have an answer to that. But I ask for prayers from all of you. I don't want to die. I have so much fucking life in me still. I won't let him take that away from me too.
RESPONSE A: You may not feel comfortable doing this, and it's totally up to you, but if you want to PM me, I can put you in touch with friends of mine who are Title IX advocates. They have fought multiple campus administrations over things like this. I am outraged for you that your administration/department isn't doing enough. Do you have a copy of that comic saved (or does a trusted classmate)? That sounds like irrefutable evidence that his place on campus is a threat to you and possibly to others. You have a right to your education. Someone who violates and threatens you does not.
RESPONSE B: I can't believe that even after that comic there are still people who would defend him. Will the Title IX stuff continue on in your absence? And have you been able to make arrangements to continue with your work from a distance? I am so incredibly sorry that you are going through this, I wish there was more we could do for you. Please take care of yourself, I commend you for taking such a proactive stance at protecting your life, and I hope that in the meantime you are still able to get on with living it.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: the next thing he will do will be to act on his fantasies. This has been escalating and he has always been reactive with his anger and after taking him to court I know that he is going to try to hurt me when he has the chance. People in the department think I am exaggerating but they don't fucking know him or how he acts when he is mad. So I am staying off campus now, and am going to try to not give him that chance. I'm really sad that I am the one that has to run. I'm really upset that this man is allowed to go to all his classes and continue to teach a class full of young women for his assistantship. I'm really sad that there are still people in the department that after seeing the comic think he's an OK guy and that I am making everything up. I'm really sad that no one seems to care if he kills me or not and it makes me wonder what the point is even of fighting for an education if my life is so expendable. And I don't have an answer to that. But I ask for prayers from all of you. I don't want to die. I have so much fucking life in me still. I won't let him take that away from me too.
RESPONSE A: I am so sorry this has happened to you. I'm sorry you have to run. I'm glad you're putting your safety first. Try posting this in r/legaladvice, they might be able to help.
RESPONSE B: You may not feel comfortable doing this, and it's totally up to you, but if you want to PM me, I can put you in touch with friends of mine who are Title IX advocates. They have fought multiple campus administrations over things like this. I am outraged for you that your administration/department isn't doing enough. Do you have a copy of that comic saved (or does a trusted classmate)? That sounds like irrefutable evidence that his place on campus is a threat to you and possibly to others. You have a right to your education. Someone who violates and threatens you does not.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: he kills me or not and it makes me wonder what the point is even of fighting for an education if my life is so expendable. And I don't have an answer to that. But I ask for prayers from all of you. I don't want to die. I have so much fucking life in me still. I won't let him take that away from me too.
RESPONSE A: I agree Title IX is the only agency/department who will be able to do anything about this, but, yeah, it will take a while. At my university, once Title IX completes their investigation it gets sent to student conduct and the head of student conduct, an attorney, decides if he/she wants to pursue disciplinary action. I'm on my universities conduct board and when I get sent the file for cases like the one you are describing they are usually hundreds of pages long. From what you described, I'd say our student conduct board would suspend him for a year or possibly until you graduate, forbid contact with you during and after the suspension is over, and put him on probation for the rest of his time with the university. As long as we found him accountable/guilty. The good, or bad, thing about the student conduct process is that they can frequently take action when the criminal justice system can't, because the burden of proof for the student conduct process is typically only a preponderance of the evidence. This is especially helpful in "he said, she said" cases where the criminal justice system is powerless, but student conduct can take action.
RESPONSE B: You may not feel comfortable doing this, and it's totally up to you, but if you want to PM me, I can put you in touch with friends of mine who are Title IX advocates. They have fought multiple campus administrations over things like this. I am outraged for you that your administration/department isn't doing enough. Do you have a copy of that comic saved (or does a trusted classmate)? That sounds like irrefutable evidence that his place on campus is a threat to you and possibly to others. You have a right to your education. Someone who violates and threatens you does not.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: now, and am going to try to not give him that chance. I'm really sad that I am the one that has to run. I'm really upset that this man is allowed to go to all his classes and continue to teach a class full of young women for his assistantship. I'm really sad that there are still people in the department that after seeing the comic think he's an OK guy and that I am making everything up. I'm really sad that no one seems to care if he kills me or not and it makes me wonder what the point is even of fighting for an education if my life is so expendable. And I don't have an answer to that. But I ask for prayers from all of you. I don't want to die. I have so much fucking life in me still. I won't let him take that away from me too.
RESPONSE A: You may not feel comfortable doing this, and it's totally up to you, but if you want to PM me, I can put you in touch with friends of mine who are Title IX advocates. They have fought multiple campus administrations over things like this. I am outraged for you that your administration/department isn't doing enough. Do you have a copy of that comic saved (or does a trusted classmate)? That sounds like irrefutable evidence that his place on campus is a threat to you and possibly to others. You have a right to your education. Someone who violates and threatens you does not.
RESPONSE B: I feel this. I was in a very violent situation and people just don't get that the other person can kill me, has threatened to do so, has tried to do so… they're still so blind, they live in a world where they don't have to face the reality that seeming normal members of society can be fucking crazy and kill you. I've also had people accuse me of exaggerating, which is really ridiculous because like you say they have no idea what they're talking about. People will assume nothing is going on because it's easier to have a nice worldview that way, and will refuse to change their opinion even with video evidence or whatever.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: Why does complaining about a professor to the college stay in your record? I asked an advisor what I can do about a professor that isn't really teaching and just telling people to repeat assignments until they get 100%, but I was told that while I can complain with the school (I forgot who lol) it will stay in my record that I complained about a professor and other universities can see it. Is that true? If so, why is it like that? And what can I do about the professor?
RESPONSE A: In my university we used to have anonymous valuation sheets every semester. I don't think an university sees the fault on the students side if they are complaining and would not want to prevent students to call out suboptimal conditions. Maybe ask another staff person the same question?
RESPONSE B: This is ridiculous. What record? Your transcript? They’re going to what make a little note *They complained. 🙄
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Why does complaining about a professor to the college stay in your record? I asked an advisor what I can do about a professor that isn't really teaching and just telling people to repeat assignments until they get 100%, but I was told that while I can complain with the school (I forgot who lol) it will stay in my record that I complained about a professor and other universities can see it. Is that true? If so, why is it like that? And what can I do about the professor?
RESPONSE A: Like other universities would care. Students routinely file complaints. Some are justified, some are not. Departments don't have the bandwidth to chase down petty crap like this. I will say though that academia can be a surprisingly small place. And people gossip a LOT. So if a grad student made a huge stinker sometimes that sort of thing follows a person around.
RESPONSE B: This frankly sounds like bullshit; I cannot imagine what "record" this advisor could be talking about. There's no room on a transcript for anything like that. If you have a specific complaint and proof, complain to the department chair and don't worry about it.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Why does complaining about a professor to the college stay in your record? I asked an advisor what I can do about a professor that isn't really teaching and just telling people to repeat assignments until they get 100%, but I was told that while I can complain with the school (I forgot who lol) it will stay in my record that I complained about a professor and other universities can see it. Is that true? If so, why is it like that? And what can I do about the professor?
RESPONSE A: I've never heard of that. More often, there is no record or consequences from such reports at all - for the student or the faculty member.
RESPONSE B: In my previous position, I both reviewed student records on a regular basis, and I adjudicated student complaints, grade appeals, and grievances against professors. The university keeps meticulous records on appeals and grievances, and NONE of those records went into the student file. Your university might use a comprehensive student-tracking system, where advisors, tutors, professors, etc., all log their contacts with the student and reports on student progress, etc. It isn't any kind of official record, though, and no one outside the university can see it. But maybe that's what your advisor is thinking of. At any rate, there's nothing wrong with raising a legitimate concern about a professor. If your university sees that as a mark against the student, then the university has a problem.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Why does complaining about a professor to the college stay in your record? I asked an advisor what I can do about a professor that isn't really teaching and just telling people to repeat assignments until they get 100%, but I was told that while I can complain with the school (I forgot who lol) it will stay in my record that I complained about a professor and other universities can see it. Is that true? If so, why is it like that? And what can I do about the professor?
RESPONSE A: In my previous position, I both reviewed student records on a regular basis, and I adjudicated student complaints, grade appeals, and grievances against professors. The university keeps meticulous records on appeals and grievances, and NONE of those records went into the student file. Your university might use a comprehensive student-tracking system, where advisors, tutors, professors, etc., all log their contacts with the student and reports on student progress, etc. It isn't any kind of official record, though, and no one outside the university can see it. But maybe that's what your advisor is thinking of. At any rate, there's nothing wrong with raising a legitimate concern about a professor. If your university sees that as a mark against the student, then the university has a problem.
RESPONSE B: On top of it not being credible, FERPA, which is federal law regarding universities, particularly with regards to privacy, does not allow any of these “records” to be shared without the students permission. So perhaps the school does have a record of a report you filed. It’s irrelevant to your life. I seriously doubt it’s true anyway.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Why does complaining about a professor to the college stay in your record? I asked an advisor what I can do about a professor that isn't really teaching and just telling people to repeat assignments until they get 100%, but I was told that while I can complain with the school (I forgot who lol) it will stay in my record that I complained about a professor and other universities can see it. Is that true? If so, why is it like that? And what can I do about the professor?
RESPONSE A: This frankly sounds like bullshit; I cannot imagine what "record" this advisor could be talking about. There's no room on a transcript for anything like that. If you have a specific complaint and proof, complain to the department chair and don't worry about it.
RESPONSE B: In my previous position, I both reviewed student records on a regular basis, and I adjudicated student complaints, grade appeals, and grievances against professors. The university keeps meticulous records on appeals and grievances, and NONE of those records went into the student file. Your university might use a comprehensive student-tracking system, where advisors, tutors, professors, etc., all log their contacts with the student and reports on student progress, etc. It isn't any kind of official record, though, and no one outside the university can see it. But maybe that's what your advisor is thinking of. At any rate, there's nothing wrong with raising a legitimate concern about a professor. If your university sees that as a mark against the student, then the university has a problem.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: is also a result with possible public health consequences, and the thought of public funds being wasted following this fraudulent lead is repulsive. They've put me in a very bad place. I feel cornered. What recourse do I have? Is there such a thing as a whistleblower for a journal article?
RESPONSE A: Are they discussing the limitations you are mentioning in the paper? If yes, then I don't really see a problem - few of the things we publish are perfect/without any issues, and as long as we are honest about the limitations of the work, we or someone else can build on it. The situation would be different if they don't mention this at all, as that could mean they are overselling their results. But, since we are only hearing one side of the story here, there could also be another possible explanation: what if you have misunderstood their technique, and what you see as a limitation actually isn't one? I personally see this sometimes when I work with students: I would start working on something, then a student would continue working on it, and later on would report to me a problem that actually isn't a problem, but is something that I've done for a reason. Anyway, assuming that you are right, I think the only way to demonstrate that the technique is wrong would be that you run independent experiments and show the conditions under which it fails. If you just report to the journal that the results in the paper are wrong without any evidence, how are they supposed to verify that you are right, i.e. why should they take your word for it?
RESPONSE B: Of course, I have no idea whether you are correct or not in your conclusions about publishing faulty data as well as your perception that everybody got nervous when you started asking questions. You seem to be very disenchanted ("...fancy paper..." and your Reddit id, among other things) and you should probably look for another position at a different place. But, you ask if there is a whistleblower for a journal article. Sure there is. Contact the editor of the journal with your concern. But, be prepared to demonstrate it to scientists who know what you're talking about.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: of official explanation I got is that the values are not wrong per se, but that the method can be improved upon, which will be one of the things I'll work on. As my name was not on the paper, I felt I had few recourses at that point. Since then, things have gotten chilly at work. I think my PI is deeply upset with me, and I don't see much hope for an extension of contract. The new work I've started to "improve" the method has not been met with enthusiasm; they don't want it to contradict their fancy paper, and they are happy with the method as is, seeing my work as sort of nit-picky and not impactful enough. There's a general attitude that I'm wasting time, but I can't let this go. But perhaps more importantly, I have become really disgusted by this. The results are wrong. The conclusions might still hold, as they claim. But then that's a different paper, and should be submitted as such. It makes me upset to hear everyone praising this work that I know is false. It is also a result with possible public health consequences, and the thought of public funds being wasted following this fraudulent lead is repulsive. They've put me in a very bad place. I feel cornered. What recourse do I have? Is there such a thing as a whistleblower for a journal article?
RESPONSE A: Write a LTE to the same journal pointing out the flaws in the paper.
RESPONSE B: A good piece of advice I was given from an honest lecture by my office of research integrity is that you should report your concerns to the University and if they do nothing then to to Journal. You will sleep better for it. However, before you do this, you need to solidify your plan for ending your graduate education as you imagined it. You will not be welcome in the lab and likely the department / grad group afterwards. Many students who go this route will be aided in transferring to a new department and identifying a neutral PI to start over. Changing Universities is also possible if you can identify someone in the department that can connect you with the head of another graduate program.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Postdocs who were depressed/anxious in grad school: does it get better?
RESPONSE A: Slightly different circumstances, but I think the question you're really asking is "Will this get better?" which applies to many situations. I was depressed/anxious after undergrad, mostly fine during grad school, then hit a big wall after grad school. It was the structure and "promise" of school that kept me happy. I knew how to "student" and how to win those As. It was structuring my own life and winning according to my own standards that seemed impossible. Maybe with another degree would fix everything? I know better than that now. Therapy has made the biggest difference, but I've also accepted that I may always struggle with these issues to an extent. My grandma lived (and died) with severe anxiety, and it controls my mom's life. I'm determined that it's not going to control mine. Yeah, on some days it makes a grab for the wheel, but most days I can coax it to sit quietly in the back seat.
RESPONSE B: Climbing higher up the pyramid and reaching milestones makes you slightly more secure in understanding the value of your productivity and intelligence to the machine. But otherwise, no. Obviously this is highly individual. Good luck.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Postdocs who were depressed/anxious in grad school: does it get better?
RESPONSE A: Sorry, but no.
RESPONSE B: Slightly different circumstances, but I think the question you're really asking is "Will this get better?" which applies to many situations. I was depressed/anxious after undergrad, mostly fine during grad school, then hit a big wall after grad school. It was the structure and "promise" of school that kept me happy. I knew how to "student" and how to win those As. It was structuring my own life and winning according to my own standards that seemed impossible. Maybe with another degree would fix everything? I know better than that now. Therapy has made the biggest difference, but I've also accepted that I may always struggle with these issues to an extent. My grandma lived (and died) with severe anxiety, and it controls my mom's life. I'm determined that it's not going to control mine. Yeah, on some days it makes a grab for the wheel, but most days I can coax it to sit quietly in the back seat.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Postdocs who were depressed/anxious in grad school: does it get better?
RESPONSE A: even if you were perfectly healthy otherwise both grad school and postdoc provide perfect recipes to make any normal human being depressed.
RESPONSE B: Sorry, but no.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Have you heard of ideas being scooped/stolen from grants or papers submitted? The people that review grants submitted to funding agencies or that review manuscripts submitted for publication in journals are typically from the same scientific/academic community as the submitting authors. Also, the content of the grant or manuscript is typically novel. It sees like an obvious potential abuse of power by a reviewer would be to delay a grant review or delay a paper acceptance so that they could share the submitted data with someone who is a competitor. Are there any safeguards against this? Has anyone heard of this happening? For science, in an ideal world, "competing" labs would really be sharing data with each other all the time, for the sake of collaborating on science. But, regardless of that, it seems like it'd be unethical for that data sharing to occur via a reviewer and without the consent or knowledge of the originator.
RESPONSE A: It's hard to be certain, obviously, but it certainly can not be ruled out. But it is also true that the genesis of ideas are sometimes hard to pin down, in that one may occur to several people well in advance of any one of those people getting the work to the review stage. That is for "big" (or general) ideas; it seems more likely that a specific technique or detail would be more suitable to skim.
RESPONSE B: My pal presented something at the dept. journal club - a novel way of using an established cognitive test. It was devised as part of his PhD. Anyway, couple of months go by and a very high up prof. suddenly has a paper out using this exact method. My pal's supervisor and this guy had collaborated on loads, so it was pretty damned underhanded. He claimed it was old data they had lying around, having had the same idea years previously, and that the presentation had reminded him. Fortunate, eh? Pal's supervisor: 'if this teaches you anything, [student], let it be not to trust anyone'.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Have you heard of ideas being scooped/stolen from grants or papers submitted? The people that review grants submitted to funding agencies or that review manuscripts submitted for publication in journals are typically from the same scientific/academic community as the submitting authors. Also, the content of the grant or manuscript is typically novel. It sees like an obvious potential abuse of power by a reviewer would be to delay a grant review or delay a paper acceptance so that they could share the submitted data with someone who is a competitor. Are there any safeguards against this? Has anyone heard of this happening? For science, in an ideal world, "competing" labs would really be sharing data with each other all the time, for the sake of collaborating on science. But, regardless of that, it seems like it'd be unethical for that data sharing to occur via a reviewer and without the consent or knowledge of the originator.
RESPONSE A: I know of a reviewer lifting a method and using it uncredited to submit a new paper while the other one was still in review, but I don't think they held it up, just tried to look like they hit on the same idea independently
RESPONSE B: My pal presented something at the dept. journal club - a novel way of using an established cognitive test. It was devised as part of his PhD. Anyway, couple of months go by and a very high up prof. suddenly has a paper out using this exact method. My pal's supervisor and this guy had collaborated on loads, so it was pretty damned underhanded. He claimed it was old data they had lying around, having had the same idea years previously, and that the presentation had reminded him. Fortunate, eh? Pal's supervisor: 'if this teaches you anything, [student], let it be not to trust anyone'.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Tell me your Grad School success stories! I'm going to be honest and say this sub is making me scared to even apply to graduate school. But I know I love research and I think a PhD will get me further in my career. But everything online is just horror stories. So please, tell me the things you enjoyed out of graduate school in STEM and why it was/is worth it for you!
RESPONSE A: I finished my PhD with an advisor that didn't know my name, didn't touch my thesis, and forgot to show up to my defense. That said, I still landed an awesome job at a national lab and absolutely love what I've been doing for almost the last decade.
RESPONSE B: Although I have a difficult supervisor who I likely have vented about on this subreddit, everything else has been great. I made amazing friends with students in my lab, I love my research, Ive developed a lot of transferrable skills, and I was surprised to find a lot of job opportunities outside of academia. I wouldnt change anything b/c even the difficult things (like my supervisor) brought me and my labmates closer together.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Tell me your Grad School success stories! I'm going to be honest and say this sub is making me scared to even apply to graduate school. But I know I love research and I think a PhD will get me further in my career. But everything online is just horror stories. So please, tell me the things you enjoyed out of graduate school in STEM and why it was/is worth it for you!
RESPONSE A: I am a relatively new PhD student, in my 1st year, in STEM, and I started during the pandemic. I dont exactly have a success story yet, but I definitely have observed something so far: A PhD will push you to be a better version of yourself!
RESPONSE B: I finished my PhD with an advisor that didn't know my name, didn't touch my thesis, and forgot to show up to my defense. That said, I still landed an awesome job at a national lab and absolutely love what I've been doing for almost the last decade.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: to even apply to graduate school. But I know I love research and I think a PhD will get me further in my career. But everything online is just horror stories. So please, tell me the things you enjoyed out of graduate school in STEM and why it was/is worth it for you!
RESPONSE A: Although I have a difficult supervisor who I likely have vented about on this subreddit, everything else has been great. I made amazing friends with students in my lab, I love my research, Ive developed a lot of transferrable skills, and I was surprised to find a lot of job opportunities outside of academia. I wouldnt change anything b/c even the difficult things (like my supervisor) brought me and my labmates closer together.
RESPONSE B: The start of my grad school experience was a horror story but after that I ended up in a really good place. My new PhD mentor also came from a low income background, as did my 2 other coworkers in her new lab, and it was a breath of fresh air when so much of academia is people from wealthier backgrounds. My PhD mentor was a newly minted asst prof, kind of close in age to me, and her lab had only been operating for about 6 months. She was incredibly unpretentious and often worked alongside us. We formed a really tight knit group that ate lunch together almost every day and were really happy and productive together. I had to basically start over my research and I was also TAing for the first 6 months of my time in her lab. But it was just such a great environment that I thrived and was more productive during that period of part-time work than the entire two years I spent working full time in my previous lab. By the end of the first year of being in my new lab I had a spot on a training grant, a first author publication, and I had attended two conferences. My time in her lab was *great* and although the work got stressful at times and we all have problems, it was overall an incredibly positive and happy experience. I also had really great friends in grad school. Most notably, my best friend lived literally next door to me, so we had some great times together and with our other friends who would come and hang out.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Tell me your Grad School success stories! I'm going to be honest and say this sub is making me scared to even apply to graduate school. But I know I love research and I think a PhD will get me further in my career. But everything online is just horror stories. So please, tell me the things you enjoyed out of graduate school in STEM and why it was/is worth it for you!
RESPONSE A: The start of my grad school experience was a horror story but after that I ended up in a really good place. My new PhD mentor also came from a low income background, as did my 2 other coworkers in her new lab, and it was a breath of fresh air when so much of academia is people from wealthier backgrounds. My PhD mentor was a newly minted asst prof, kind of close in age to me, and her lab had only been operating for about 6 months. She was incredibly unpretentious and often worked alongside us. We formed a really tight knit group that ate lunch together almost every day and were really happy and productive together. I had to basically start over my research and I was also TAing for the first 6 months of my time in her lab. But it was just such a great environment that I thrived and was more productive during that period of part-time work than the entire two years I spent working full time in my previous lab. By the end of the first year of being in my new lab I had a spot on a training grant, a first author publication, and I had attended two conferences. My time in her lab was *great* and although the work got stressful at times and we all have problems, it was overall an incredibly positive and happy experience. I also had really great friends in grad school. Most notably, my best friend lived literally next door to me, so we had some great times together and with our other friends who would come and hang out.
RESPONSE B: I am a relatively new PhD student, in my 1st year, in STEM, and I started during the pandemic. I dont exactly have a success story yet, but I definitely have observed something so far: A PhD will push you to be a better version of yourself!
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Tell me your Grad School success stories! I'm going to be honest and say this sub is making me scared to even apply to graduate school. But I know I love research and I think a PhD will get me further in my career. But everything online is just horror stories. So please, tell me the things you enjoyed out of graduate school in STEM and why it was/is worth it for you!
RESPONSE A: Although I have a difficult supervisor who I likely have vented about on this subreddit, everything else has been great. I made amazing friends with students in my lab, I love my research, Ive developed a lot of transferrable skills, and I was surprised to find a lot of job opportunities outside of academia. I wouldnt change anything b/c even the difficult things (like my supervisor) brought me and my labmates closer together.
RESPONSE B: My advisor and I are around the same age and she was/is the best! I went back to school for my MSc late and the wait actually worked out very well for me. My advisor was very supportive and pushed me to figure things out, especially in regards to data collection and sample prep/processing. I graduated cum laude, but have had only one temp lab opportunity since graduating before the pandemic hit. Still worth it in terms of challenging myself and meeting new people.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: he/she said that they are visiting a therapist because they felt so unmotivated after the incident with X. i felt the same thing. I felt so dissapointed about myself (X made sure of that). And I was a grown young man crying at home sometimes. It was mentally so hard. Although I really hate to play this mental issues card (Which seems to be pretty common these days) I was really depressed and it was really a hard time. My new boss has been great (at work). And after working with him I have regained the confidence I lost. He even introduced me to a couple of professors in some universities. So I am planning to reapply as a PhD student to continue. (I really believe that I can complete this and i do believe I am capable of doing this). But I am worried that as soon as the admissions committee sees that I left with a master's that I am going to be in a disadvantage. Of course, I understand that nobody is going to take my side on this. Obviously I also had a lot of issues according to X. So you'd have to listen to X's story to get a full picture. So my question, is how can I approach a new program. I have applied to a few programs and I am not confident that I will get in. I am really stressed out about this. Any advise? P.S- I am not here to get sympathy from anybody or just get validation. I just want to hear any stories if same happened to you and if so how did you overcome oall this. Thank you so much!!
RESPONSE A: First they came for the socialists,
RESPONSE B: I'm sorry you had such a terrible experience. Nobody should go through that. It's not uncommon for someone to get a Master's degree at one school and a PhD at another. I did that. It's not a disadvantage. You don't even have to go tell them that you were originally pursuing a PhD. Or tell them that you left for personal reasons. It's really not that big of a deal. Good luck moving forward. If you got in once, you can get in again.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: I'm 27, am I too old to start a new education that will likely last at least 5+ years? Hello! I've been trying to finish various engineering programmes in university because I've been told it's the best thing to do for money, but I've never really been interested nor motivated, so I've stagnated for years and gotten into debt. I've been working off and on in sales and I absolutely hate it. I want an education, and I want something I'm genuinly interested in (primarily biology), so something like a bachelor in biomedicine (or maybe even biotech if I have to choose engineering) and then specialize with a masters. The problem is I feel like I'm getting old, already 27 with nothing to show for it, and if my education lasts 5 years, I'd be 32 by the time I'm finished; a licentiate or a PhD would make me even older. I'm getting kinda depressed, and I'm not sure what to do. Am I getting too old to start working on a research oriented education? In case it matters I'm Swedish. Thanks.
RESPONSE A: Being 32 is going to come no matter what. What you can decide is if you’ll be 32 with the education you truly wanted or without it. Good luck!
RESPONSE B: My PhD program has graduated 40-50 year olds. If you’re passionate, do what makes you happy and is meaningful to you. Don’t get caught up worrying about age.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: I'm 27, am I too old to start a new education that will likely last at least 5+ years? Hello! I've been trying to finish various engineering programmes in university because I've been told it's the best thing to do for money, but I've never really been interested nor motivated, so I've stagnated for years and gotten into debt. I've been working off and on in sales and I absolutely hate it. I want an education, and I want something I'm genuinly interested in (primarily biology), so something like a bachelor in biomedicine (or maybe even biotech if I have to choose engineering) and then specialize with a masters. The problem is I feel like I'm getting old, already 27 with nothing to show for it, and if my education lasts 5 years, I'd be 32 by the time I'm finished; a licentiate or a PhD would make me even older. I'm getting kinda depressed, and I'm not sure what to do. Am I getting too old to start working on a research oriented education? In case it matters I'm Swedish. Thanks.
RESPONSE A: I am an academic in Sweden, and if you are going to start a Ph. d after your 20s, Sweden is the best country to do it, OP! You get decent salary, subsidized student housing after the first year etc. and more importantly you will be doing something that is meaningful to you. I don’t think 27 is too old to start a new education. Good luck !
RESPONSE B: Being 32 is going to come no matter what. What you can decide is if you’ll be 32 with the education you truly wanted or without it. Good luck!
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: I'm 27, am I too old to start a new education that will likely last at least 5+ years? Hello! I've been trying to finish various engineering programmes in university because I've been told it's the best thing to do for money, but I've never really been interested nor motivated, so I've stagnated for years and gotten into debt. I've been working off and on in sales and I absolutely hate it. I want an education, and I want something I'm genuinly interested in (primarily biology), so something like a bachelor in biomedicine (or maybe even biotech if I have to choose engineering) and then specialize with a masters. The problem is I feel like I'm getting old, already 27 with nothing to show for it, and if my education lasts 5 years, I'd be 32 by the time I'm finished; a licentiate or a PhD would make me even older. I'm getting kinda depressed, and I'm not sure what to do. Am I getting too old to start working on a research oriented education? In case it matters I'm Swedish. Thanks.
RESPONSE A: Being 32 is going to come no matter what. What you can decide is if you’ll be 32 with the education you truly wanted or without it. Good luck!
RESPONSE B: I started my Ph.D. When I was 30. You are never too old. Older students have a lot of advantages, especially maturity and a clear sense of why you are there. If it is what you want, go for it.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: I'm 27, am I too old to start a new education that will likely last at least 5+ years? Hello! I've been trying to finish various engineering programmes in university because I've been told it's the best thing to do for money, but I've never really been interested nor motivated, so I've stagnated for years and gotten into debt. I've been working off and on in sales and I absolutely hate it. I want an education, and I want something I'm genuinly interested in (primarily biology), so something like a bachelor in biomedicine (or maybe even biotech if I have to choose engineering) and then specialize with a masters. The problem is I feel like I'm getting old, already 27 with nothing to show for it, and if my education lasts 5 years, I'd be 32 by the time I'm finished; a licentiate or a PhD would make me even older. I'm getting kinda depressed, and I'm not sure what to do. Am I getting too old to start working on a research oriented education? In case it matters I'm Swedish. Thanks.
RESPONSE A: It's never too late to learn! I think it's awesome that you're wanting to.
RESPONSE B: Being 32 is going to come no matter what. What you can decide is if you’ll be 32 with the education you truly wanted or without it. Good luck!
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: I'm 27, am I too old to start a new education that will likely last at least 5+ years? Hello! I've been trying to finish various engineering programmes in university because I've been told it's the best thing to do for money, but I've never really been interested nor motivated, so I've stagnated for years and gotten into debt. I've been working off and on in sales and I absolutely hate it. I want an education, and I want something I'm genuinly interested in (primarily biology), so something like a bachelor in biomedicine (or maybe even biotech if I have to choose engineering) and then specialize with a masters. The problem is I feel like I'm getting old, already 27 with nothing to show for it, and if my education lasts 5 years, I'd be 32 by the time I'm finished; a licentiate or a PhD would make me even older. I'm getting kinda depressed, and I'm not sure what to do. Am I getting too old to start working on a research oriented education? In case it matters I'm Swedish. Thanks.
RESPONSE A: My PhD program has graduated 40-50 year olds. If you’re passionate, do what makes you happy and is meaningful to you. Don’t get caught up worrying about age.
RESPONSE B: I started my Ph.D. When I was 30. You are never too old. Older students have a lot of advantages, especially maturity and a clear sense of why you are there. If it is what you want, go for it.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: How to tell your supervisor that you are giving up on PhD? I am getting close to the deadline of my PhD studies but I have barely done half of what is required from me. I have no motivation, time and honestly the degree won't help me in my career. The best thing is to give up. How would you suggest I tell this to my supervisor?
RESPONSE A: In person with sincerity and gratitude. But be honest, you’re a person, your supervisor is a person too, they will understand if you tell them what you told us. They may try and change your mind but you know what’s best for you.
RESPONSE B: Be honest? Straight up? "Personal decision to pursue a career outside of academia".
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: How to tell your supervisor that you are giving up on PhD? I am getting close to the deadline of my PhD studies but I have barely done half of what is required from me. I have no motivation, time and honestly the degree won't help me in my career. The best thing is to give up. How would you suggest I tell this to my supervisor?
RESPONSE A: Simple, straight forward, and clear. What are you doing. Why are you doing it. What are the next steps you need to take. Be professional. (At least in your written communication. If you are close to your advisor, you may want to call them or meet them face to face).
RESPONSE B: In person with sincerity and gratitude. But be honest, you’re a person, your supervisor is a person too, they will understand if you tell them what you told us. They may try and change your mind but you know what’s best for you.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: How to tell your supervisor that you are giving up on PhD? I am getting close to the deadline of my PhD studies but I have barely done half of what is required from me. I have no motivation, time and honestly the degree won't help me in my career. The best thing is to give up. How would you suggest I tell this to my supervisor?
RESPONSE A: I’m out. Then drop the mic.
RESPONSE B: Is it a good idea to have a discussion with them about the situation and what the best way forward is? For example it might be possible to submit a smaller thesis which might pass, it might be possible for them to give you some more help, it might be possible to have an extension etc. It sounds like you have surveyed the situation and decided on a course of action without consulting them. Maybe at least see what your options are before throwing away the work you have done?
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: How to tell your supervisor that you are giving up on PhD? I am getting close to the deadline of my PhD studies but I have barely done half of what is required from me. I have no motivation, time and honestly the degree won't help me in my career. The best thing is to give up. How would you suggest I tell this to my supervisor?
RESPONSE A: Simple, straight forward, and clear. What are you doing. Why are you doing it. What are the next steps you need to take. Be professional. (At least in your written communication. If you are close to your advisor, you may want to call them or meet them face to face).
RESPONSE B: Is it a good idea to have a discussion with them about the situation and what the best way forward is? For example it might be possible to submit a smaller thesis which might pass, it might be possible for them to give you some more help, it might be possible to have an extension etc. It sounds like you have surveyed the situation and decided on a course of action without consulting them. Maybe at least see what your options are before throwing away the work you have done?
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: How to tell your supervisor that you are giving up on PhD? I am getting close to the deadline of my PhD studies but I have barely done half of what is required from me. I have no motivation, time and honestly the degree won't help me in my career. The best thing is to give up. How would you suggest I tell this to my supervisor?
RESPONSE A: Don't be afraid to just leave if you are unhappy, stressed, or depressed. The toxicity that PhD life has does go away, once you have left it, over time. Consider an mphil or other result if possible, but if it's time to go, go. I dragged mine out in the same situation and would not wish that on anyone. If you need someone to talk to, PM me.
RESPONSE B: If you’re in the UK you may be able to get a MPhil out of it still. (I don’t know the US system) Most supervisors have seen this before, and I expect it won’t come as a surprise to your supervisor when you tell them - they’ve likely seen that you’re struggling. Don’t beat yourself up - you’ll likely feel immense emotion but also relief once you’ve explained it to them. They won’t feel let down; they will most likely understand (unless they are dicks) though they may try to convince you of other options. Listen to what they have to say and consider the options they offer you. Tell them you’ll take some time to consider and get back to them. If after a couple of days the options still don’t work for you, email politely to decline. Good luck!
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POST: What does it mean to be a public intellectual? What are the necessary qualities? Who does or doesn't count as a public intellectual?
RESPONSE A: I'm a biochem/microbiol prof. However, I do a huge amount of public interest stuff. This includes BBC radio shows and dealing with public phone-ins. I also participate in "pint of science" which is a UK version of the fancy pants TED talks, but at a local pub and with locals, which is nice. I'd consider myself a public intellectual. That's about it.
RESPONSE B: I'm not sure that's even a thing anymore. I think that, as a concept, it harkens back to a simpler time when disciplines were more amorphous and the lines between careers and credentials nonexistent or blurred. Like, back when we had political economists.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: Is it ok to cold email professors (USA) about post doctoral opportunities in their labs? Is it ok to enquire about post doctoral opening by emailing usa professors? I have been applying through job listing sites with no luck.
RESPONSE A: Absolutely, but only if relevant.
RESPONSE B: Yes, cold emailed my future postdoc mentor
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: Is it ok to cold email professors (USA) about post doctoral opportunities in their labs? Is it ok to enquire about post doctoral opening by emailing usa professors? I have been applying through job listing sites with no luck.
RESPONSE A: Absolutely, but only if relevant.
RESPONSE B: Yes. This is the main way of finding people who are willing to work with (and pay) you. Just be polite and knowledgeable. State that you have some ideas for projects (show that you don't need them to do all the heavy lifting).
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: Is it ok to cold email professors (USA) about post doctoral opportunities in their labs? Is it ok to enquire about post doctoral opening by emailing usa professors? I have been applying through job listing sites with no luck.
RESPONSE A: Absolutely, but only if relevant.
RESPONSE B: It is socially and professionally acceptable; however, the response rate might be low.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: Is it ok to cold email professors (USA) about post doctoral opportunities in their labs? Is it ok to enquire about post doctoral opening by emailing usa professors? I have been applying through job listing sites with no luck.
RESPONSE A: Absolutely, but only if relevant.
RESPONSE B: I'm going to go against the grain here and say sure but it's unlikely to bear fruit. Most top PI's who you'd want to do a postdoc with get inundated with emails for all kinds of research opportunities. My advisor warned me that typically they only hire through closed circles, aka from PI's they know and can personally vouch for the student. It's certainly possible to work the system on your own reputation, and while a cold email won't hurt it will certainly help if your adviser or committee member reaches out on your behalf.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: Is it ok to cold email professors (USA) about post doctoral opportunities in their labs? Is it ok to enquire about post doctoral opening by emailing usa professors? I have been applying through job listing sites with no luck.
RESPONSE A: Yes. That’s how I got my job
RESPONSE B: I got into an HHMI funded lab through a cold email so it is definitely possible. In the end it's just luck about who has a position available and reads your email and that also chooses you over others. I made a list of my top 15 postdoc labs, emailed all of them. Only 1 was actively advertising for a position so the other 14 were cold as ice - never met them and my advisers didn't know them. I got an interview with the advertising lab and one more interview, so 1 out of 14 cold emails "worked". Of the 14 that said no, I got 2 replies saying they didn't have space, the other 12 were radio silence. As long as you tailor your emails to their lab and what you could bring to their lab there's no harm in trying. They'll either feel flattered or not read it. Best of luck!
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POST: What can an advisor do to help grad student with mental illness? (e.g. depression) I have a very talented student who has admitted to bring mentally unwell. The person is also getting medical help already. The lab itself has very helpful and supportive members in my belief. As a very recent PhD student, I am well aware of the reasons that can exacerbate or cause a graduate student to become unwell. But encountering this issue as from a advisor's stand point is completely new to me. I am unsure how I can help the student. 1> Has any one's advisor done anything that they though was very useful? 2> Is any of the academic activity such as doing mundane tasks, reviewing literature, attending seminars etc that any one thinks is useful. 3> The student is suspecting that the current topic is not interesting and is the one of the causes of the problem. Can anyone share a positive or negative experience of switching labs midway through the program. Did it help you with getting more motivated to work on research and with mental illness? I am curious and would like to learn to help my students better. -- Lune3141
RESPONSE A: Years ago when I told my advisor I was struggling with depression, they told me that I didn't have sufficient reason to feel depressed and asked if I was taking a vitamin supplement. Depression was common in that lab. Another time, I actually stopped a fellow grad student who was preparing to commit suicide in front of our advisor.
RESPONSE B: Precious little. Advisors are not qualified to deal with that issue, and aside from that there are liability concerns. Student counseling is available, and should be the go-to. Advisors have conflicting interests (department, their own research, etc).
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: Why would some profs encourage students to apply to other schools' PhD programs At my school (both my program and another), I know some people that did their Undergrad, Masters and PhD all within their respective programs. However, I also know some people that got rejected for PhD, but accepted eslewhere. Also more recently, when I expressed my interest to two profs (not related) wanting to continue with PhD, they encouraged me to apply eslewhere too. Is it all about good fit or that there would be more opportunities?
RESPONSE A: Depends on the field. At least for the sciences (bio/chem/physics/geo/compsci), once you've completed your PhD no one cares where you obtained your undergraduate degree. It's just not relevant. At all. I hear some of the humanities still look down on this a little bit, consider it academic inbreeding. By and large this will not impact your future prospects. But unless there is a specific reason to stay in one place, I wouldn't. You certainly won't be, moving beyond the PhD.
RESPONSE B: In STEM fields I personally do not think you would benefit by doing all of your degrees in the same lab group. By going to a different lab/school you're learning to work with different people and really expanding your network and connections.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: Why would some profs encourage students to apply to other schools' PhD programs At my school (both my program and another), I know some people that did their Undergrad, Masters and PhD all within their respective programs. However, I also know some people that got rejected for PhD, but accepted eslewhere. Also more recently, when I expressed my interest to two profs (not related) wanting to continue with PhD, they encouraged me to apply eslewhere too. Is it all about good fit or that there would be more opportunities?
RESPONSE A: You want a PhD. Their advice is about maximizing your shot at getting into a program that best fits your needs. You may or may not get in at your current school. They may or may not offer you the best funding package. And their faculty may or may not best line up with your research interests. If you're trying to read the tea leaves here, I don't think there's any underlying message, just sound advice.
RESPONSE B: There’s also a lot of uncertainty in the process and the professors may not be able to guarantee you a spot with funding. A PhD is a big commitment so it’s best for you to apply to a number of school and visit them before making a (hopefully informed) decision.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: Why would some profs encourage students to apply to other schools' PhD programs At my school (both my program and another), I know some people that did their Undergrad, Masters and PhD all within their respective programs. However, I also know some people that got rejected for PhD, but accepted eslewhere. Also more recently, when I expressed my interest to two profs (not related) wanting to continue with PhD, they encouraged me to apply eslewhere too. Is it all about good fit or that there would be more opportunities?
RESPONSE A: I'll add to this with another point. (Though NB that I'm a final year PhD not faculty, but I've seen these conversations and had them with interested undergrads myself). In the social sciences, where I am, I would say the most important thing is fit. In other words, what do you want to do at graduate school. I'm at a mega quantitative program, so if you want to do ethnographic fieldwork, there's just no point in being here, we're just not going to give you the experiences and training you want If the student's interests would be better served at another program then that's where I'd send them.
RESPONSE B: You want a PhD. Their advice is about maximizing your shot at getting into a program that best fits your needs. You may or may not get in at your current school. They may or may not offer you the best funding package. And their faculty may or may not best line up with your research interests. If you're trying to read the tea leaves here, I don't think there's any underlying message, just sound advice.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: Why would some profs encourage students to apply to other schools' PhD programs At my school (both my program and another), I know some people that did their Undergrad, Masters and PhD all within their respective programs. However, I also know some people that got rejected for PhD, but accepted eslewhere. Also more recently, when I expressed my interest to two profs (not related) wanting to continue with PhD, they encouraged me to apply eslewhere too. Is it all about good fit or that there would be more opportunities?
RESPONSE A: You want a PhD. Their advice is about maximizing your shot at getting into a program that best fits your needs. You may or may not get in at your current school. They may or may not offer you the best funding package. And their faculty may or may not best line up with your research interests. If you're trying to read the tea leaves here, I don't think there's any underlying message, just sound advice.
RESPONSE B: People used to talk about academic "incest" but I haven't heard it mentioned in a long time. I went to different schools for all my degrees to avoid the "same mindedness" that comes with staying in the same department.
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POST: Why isn't there any movements in Academia especially by PhD students for improving the pay and working conditions for PhD students and academics? Non-native English speaker here. Throughout the world, especially in developed countries like Canada, USA, Australia, Western Europe etc you see that there is an oversupply of PhD students and academics and the pay is poor during (and often after the PhD) and so is the work conditions. PhD students often complain of 60-80 hr work weeks, with no grievance systems, horrible supervisor stories, minimum wage pay. The conditions are not much better after you finish your PhD. You often need to do postdocs, and then even if you get an academic career the pay is less than in non-academic settings with the same years of education. You know what I am talking about. So given this, why isn't there any movements to improve the pay and work conditions and worklife for PhD students and academics?
RESPONSE A: There are movements, they are called unions, and they exist in many universities.
RESPONSE B: Because universities have actively worked to suppress it, for one. When Harvard was voting to unionize, the university put out a lot of misinformation to discourage people from voting and to get them to vote against the union. This is just one example. Nowadays, universities are money-making schemes. If you pay everyone a living wage while also guaranteeing that they have good working conditions, the school would not make as much money. ETA: these movements do exist, but given that state laws vary on graduate student status, it’s hard to have one unifying message.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: Why isn't there any movements in Academia especially by PhD students for improving the pay and working conditions for PhD students and academics? Non-native English speaker here. Throughout the world, especially in developed countries like Canada, USA, Australia, Western Europe etc you see that there is an oversupply of PhD students and academics and the pay is poor during (and often after the PhD) and so is the work conditions. PhD students often complain of 60-80 hr work weeks, with no grievance systems, horrible supervisor stories, minimum wage pay. The conditions are not much better after you finish your PhD. You often need to do postdocs, and then even if you get an academic career the pay is less than in non-academic settings with the same years of education. You know what I am talking about. So given this, why isn't there any movements to improve the pay and work conditions and worklife for PhD students and academics?
RESPONSE A: There are movements, they are called unions, and they exist in many universities.
RESPONSE B: Despite all that, it is still one of the most enjoyable and rewarding jobs you can ever do. It offers unprecedented job freedom as well as ownership and direction of your work. Equally, a PhD is a training position, the salary (at least in Europe) is not subject to tax and your technically not an employee. I think its telling that despite the relatively low pay, and hard work required, it is still massively competitive. That's not to say there aren't any bad experiences, and personally I think working 60 hours is a huge red flag for any job but many PhDs are not like that.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: Why do universities fund international Masters and PhD students? Whats the catch? I have read on the internet that universities all over the world provide funding to international students for their Masters and especially PhD. Of course your CGPA has to be above 3.6/4 which means they are looking for the best of the best. It seems, universities in USA and Canada provide the highest funding. * Anyways, whats the catch? * What do universities get by paying a stack of money for a Masters or PhD student? Why are they spending the money in fully funding them?
RESPONSE A: Firstly, it's not just international students. US students are funded by US universities, too. The funding is from a variety of sources. Most doctoral students are teaching assistants during their first year, sometimes during second year. Research funding pays for them. I believe grants are written to include grad students. Professors are training grad students to do research, but the grad students also are skilled labor that helps them produce research. From what I've heard, hiring a TA is cheaper than hiring someone else to do the job. Research also helps the university maintain or elevate its status. Depending on how you look at it, the pay is not amazing. You do get insurance, training, tuition waivers, and are working to improve your career, but you also have to work very hard. It's stressful. And most, if not all, grad student pay is around $30k per year. It's okay pay for a single person, but if you're supporting a family, that is not much money. With that said, I am grateful for funding. Grad school wouldn't be possible for me without it.
RESPONSE B: Universities get cheap labor and the possibility you'll bring in a grant.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: everyone is busy and we're at reduced capacity. I don't feel lke I can go to my supervisor about any of this. Nothing is outright hostile and I haven't been in an unsafe situaton - yet. And I don't honestly know what she could do. Havng your boss tell you to make friends with someone is hardly going to encourage you to reach out. And I don't want to come off as "whiny" or acting lke a child - I already feel like I have to ask for too much hand holding with experiments. Maybe it's the infamous imposter syndrome, maybe it's not - *I* can't tell. So what do I do? I don't need to be BFFs with these people, but I feel like I'm walking on eggshells every day. How do you make friends with new people during a pandemic? Or how do I at least get them to be friendly? Am I breaking some unwritten rules of academia some way? Any kind advice welcome.
RESPONSE A: I'm not an expert, but maybe you could try to get closer to one person at your lab instead of the whole group at once. Just ask someone you think is the most friendly to you if they want to go for a walk during lunch or have a cup of coffee. If that person starts to like you, he or she might include you in the group automatically and invite you to events as well. If that doesn't work, you could try to talk about how you feel to the person you trust the most. Maybe it was just a mistake, maybe they thought you weren't interested in them or something.
RESPONSE B: I felt the same way when I joined my lab. Students in my lab were in their 5th and 6th year while I had just joined the lab. They obviously knew what they were doing while I needed help to locate things around the lab. There were times when I would write emails and they wouldn't get back to me at all or 1-2 weeks late. I felt the same way as you do, like I was walking on eggshells. There were always passive aggressive emails directed at everyone about people forgetting to put something on the order list, or things being misplaced.
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POST: around 8 PM (I normally would not have still been in the lab; I work early hours, rather than late into the night). Luckily I was still in the lab due to a long experiment (that was frustratingly botched by an equipment failure), and took care of it. I e-mailed him and told him I took care of it, but not to come in over the weekend. I am/will take care of things he has in progress; I just don't have the patience for dealing with more right now. Then, this morning, I sent him what I consider to be a warning e-mail. As politely as I could, I brought up the issues and told him he needed to improve. I'm expecting the PI to come in soon, and plan to tell him a little about it just so that - if problems continue - it doesn't come out of nowhere to him. At this point, I honestly think I give him another month to shape up, or I talk to the PI and tell him I'll do the project myself. What do you, fellow academics, think? Ever had to deal with a flaky and irresponsible undergrad?
RESPONSE A: I mentored a couple like that in while I was in graduate school, it's always pre-med students who have "do undergraduate research" on a checklist some academic adviser handed them. I think you've handled it properly so far. What I did in the past is simply stop giving them anything important. Give them some low-priority constructs to clone, or those side experiments that "aren't critical for the story, but it would be nice if we had them." My thesis adviser was a big fan of handing them his crazy "probably won't work, but it would be AWESOME if did!" projects none of the grad students wanted to waste time on.
RESPONSE B: "during the middle of the semester, he simply stopped showing up (with several things in progress that I then had to take care of)." Fired. "Understandable, " No. Fired. You are not doing this person any favors by giving 3rd, 4th, 5th chances.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: over the weekend. I am/will take care of things he has in progress; I just don't have the patience for dealing with more right now. Then, this morning, I sent him what I consider to be a warning e-mail. As politely as I could, I brought up the issues and told him he needed to improve. I'm expecting the PI to come in soon, and plan to tell him a little about it just so that - if problems continue - it doesn't come out of nowhere to him. At this point, I honestly think I give him another month to shape up, or I talk to the PI and tell him I'll do the project myself. What do you, fellow academics, think? Ever had to deal with a flaky and irresponsible undergrad?
RESPONSE A: "during the middle of the semester, he simply stopped showing up (with several things in progress that I then had to take care of)." Fired. "Understandable, " No. Fired. You are not doing this person any favors by giving 3rd, 4th, 5th chances.
RESPONSE B: This sounds frustrating. Some students think that because they're giving their time for free (or they're part of a prestigious program like the one you mentioned) that any work they do for you should be appreciated. They don't realize how much work it is to set up their learning experience and properly delegate work to them that is useful and not just "busy work." I would definitely recommend telling the PI and perhaps putting together a very specific plan with the student that he needs to follow or he will get cut. Whether you want to tell the program director now or later they also need to get looped in. If they're giving him money they need to know he's not really pulling his weight. It may sound harsh but students need to learn that there are consequences to a job NOT well done. I have let research assistants go that were not doing their job and refused to write letters for those that caused me more headaches than they were worth. They can learn from that experience if they choose to but you can't compromise your own work just to spare their feelings.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: ; I wanted to repeat it more carefully this week. Instead, he spent the week practically avoiding me, and re-expressing every protein we've ever used (even though we do not need more of anything at this point). Reagents are still left out; messes are still being made and not cleaned up; common lab responsibilities are ignored. Perhaps the last straw was last night. He'd left for the day, apparently, and asked me to take care of something that was in progress - via e-mail, around 8 PM (I normally would not have still been in the lab; I work early hours, rather than late into the night). Luckily I was still in the lab due to a long experiment (that was frustratingly botched by an equipment failure), and took care of it. I e-mailed him and told him I took care of it, but not to come in over the weekend. I am/will take care of things he has in progress; I just don't have the patience for dealing with more right now. Then, this morning, I sent him what I consider to be a warning e-mail. As politely as I could, I brought up the issues and told him he needed to improve. I'm expecting the PI to come in soon, and plan to tell him a little about it just so that - if problems continue - it doesn't come out of nowhere to him. At this point, I honestly think I give him another month to shape up, or I talk to the PI and tell him I'll do the project myself. What do you, fellow academics, think? Ever had to deal with a flaky and irresponsible undergrad?
RESPONSE A: "during the middle of the semester, he simply stopped showing up (with several things in progress that I then had to take care of)." Fired. "Understandable, " No. Fired. You are not doing this person any favors by giving 3rd, 4th, 5th chances.
RESPONSE B: Sounds like he has poor time management skills. Or it may be he is going through some stuff in his life. Could be worth a try in having a conversation with him about that.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Ever have non-academics attempt to critique your research? I had someone tell me today that, despite vast empirical evidence, there is no basis for my research project. Was not even sure how to respond. The worst part is that this person claims to be so open to research and new ways of looking at issues (my field is political science), yet he is very narrow-minded when it comes to many of the topics I pursue.
RESPONSE A: Yeah, just last month I had a paper I published get picked up by a relatively popular news outlet. In a matter of a few hours, there were 100+ comments on the news article, a number of which were trying to poke holes in the research (even though it was clear they never read the article - just the rather mediocre and clickbait-y news summary). I ended up responding to most of them over the course of a few days, and most of the people were reasonable once I explained things a bit more, but there were a couple individuals who just seemed like they wanted to prove me wrong no matter what. If you want, explain your justification to the person. But if they're not open to a mature and open discussion with you, just drop it. It's not worth losing energy (or a friendship) over.
RESPONSE B: Tell him to put up or shut up. Before he tries to tear down your work, he needs to show he understands your research area by, for example, naming the leading authors and theories. If he can't, don't entertain his criticism any longer.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: . Was not even sure how to respond. The worst part is that this person claims to be so open to research and new ways of looking at issues (my field is political science), yet he is very narrow-minded when it comes to many of the topics I pursue.
RESPONSE A: Alas, you are entering into an arena where almost nothing that you do or argue will have a happy result. I say this from unhappy personal experience. I do research that does reach large audiences. I have appeared, for example, on The Daily Show. I also took seriously the role of public scholar and have written more than 400 newspaper Opeds. Many times I've been in the situation of getting a response from a member of the public. Sometimes it is a polite inquiry. Sometimes it's a vicious attack. Sometimes it's an email to me. Sometimes it's just a posting on a public website or blog. Sometimes somebody writes to the president of the university denouncing me! It seems almost random whether I should try to interact. Some people are reasonable; some people are angry and scary. Remember that your expertise on any subject carries no weight whatsoever with anybody except your peers. And let's face it any interaction that's not a publication is a time suck and technically not something that helps you at all in your career. I know some academics who simply never respond whatsoever to any non-academic communications. But that seems to be a rather extreme response especially if we are on the state payroll and have obligations to the public. All I can give you is a warning not to have any high hopes that suddenly somebody will be convinced by your arguments and that you will feel vindicated. I was so amazed at the predilection of people to get incensed over the most innocuous statements or points that I actually did a test on the subject. I wrote an oped where my grand thesis was "Education is good." I still got hate mail!
RESPONSE B: Tell him to put up or shut up. Before he tries to tear down your work, he needs to show he understands your research area by, for example, naming the leading authors and theories. If he can't, don't entertain his criticism any longer.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Ever have non-academics attempt to critique your research? I had someone tell me today that, despite vast empirical evidence, there is no basis for my research project. Was not even sure how to respond. The worst part is that this person claims to be so open to research and new ways of looking at issues (my field is political science), yet he is very narrow-minded when it comes to many of the topics I pursue.
RESPONSE A: All the time, sadly.
RESPONSE B: Alas, you are entering into an arena where almost nothing that you do or argue will have a happy result. I say this from unhappy personal experience. I do research that does reach large audiences. I have appeared, for example, on The Daily Show. I also took seriously the role of public scholar and have written more than 400 newspaper Opeds. Many times I've been in the situation of getting a response from a member of the public. Sometimes it is a polite inquiry. Sometimes it's a vicious attack. Sometimes it's an email to me. Sometimes it's just a posting on a public website or blog. Sometimes somebody writes to the president of the university denouncing me! It seems almost random whether I should try to interact. Some people are reasonable; some people are angry and scary. Remember that your expertise on any subject carries no weight whatsoever with anybody except your peers. And let's face it any interaction that's not a publication is a time suck and technically not something that helps you at all in your career. I know some academics who simply never respond whatsoever to any non-academic communications. But that seems to be a rather extreme response especially if we are on the state payroll and have obligations to the public. All I can give you is a warning not to have any high hopes that suddenly somebody will be convinced by your arguments and that you will feel vindicated. I was so amazed at the predilection of people to get incensed over the most innocuous statements or points that I actually did a test on the subject. I wrote an oped where my grand thesis was "Education is good." I still got hate mail!
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Ever have non-academics attempt to critique your research? I had someone tell me today that, despite vast empirical evidence, there is no basis for my research project. Was not even sure how to respond. The worst part is that this person claims to be so open to research and new ways of looking at issues (my field is political science), yet he is very narrow-minded when it comes to many of the topics I pursue.
RESPONSE A: My field is theology, so being mercilessly attacked by people who have no idea what they're talking about is just part of the job. Both fundamentalist and "new atheist" types alike are incredibly resistant to the very *idea* of theology as a discipline, so even getting them to engage the research itself, rather than some irrelevant tangent, is a small victory in itself. But when they do engage, it's depressing how many people--Christian and non-Christian alike--think that quoting a Bible verse or something is enough to discredit an entire book-length project.
RESPONSE B: Tell him to put up or shut up. Before he tries to tear down your work, he needs to show he understands your research area by, for example, naming the leading authors and theories. If he can't, don't entertain his criticism any longer.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Ever have non-academics attempt to critique your research? I had someone tell me today that, despite vast empirical evidence, there is no basis for my research project. Was not even sure how to respond. The worst part is that this person claims to be so open to research and new ways of looking at issues (my field is political science), yet he is very narrow-minded when it comes to many of the topics I pursue.
RESPONSE A: My field is theology, so being mercilessly attacked by people who have no idea what they're talking about is just part of the job. Both fundamentalist and "new atheist" types alike are incredibly resistant to the very *idea* of theology as a discipline, so even getting them to engage the research itself, rather than some irrelevant tangent, is a small victory in itself. But when they do engage, it's depressing how many people--Christian and non-Christian alike--think that quoting a Bible verse or something is enough to discredit an entire book-length project.
RESPONSE B: All the time, sadly.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: What has been the most useful information that you have memorized in your academic career?
RESPONSE A: When I was in 4th grade, I memorized all the presidents in chronological order. There are several songs which can get you started; it took one weekend. Of all the things I've ever memorized, that's the one I use most often. It helps me put historical information in context and in order. So if I hear something has been going on since the Wilson administration, I have a sense of when that was. Or if I learn a new historical event, I can mentally pin it to whoever was president during that time. I'm not even a historian; it's just useful in all sorts of everyday settings.
RESPONSE B: For my PhD work? The most useful information to remember was the strongest hot button areas of disagreement between members of my PhD oral exam committee. If I could get them fighting between themselves for 5-10 minutes, they'd forget I was in the room and I'd get a breather from answering questions.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: What has been the most useful information that you have memorized in your academic career?
RESPONSE A: My student ID number. Sadly there's a new one at every school.
RESPONSE B: For my PhD work? The most useful information to remember was the strongest hot button areas of disagreement between members of my PhD oral exam committee. If I could get them fighting between themselves for 5-10 minutes, they'd forget I was in the room and I'd get a breather from answering questions.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: What has been the most useful information that you have memorized in your academic career?
RESPONSE A: For my PhD work? The most useful information to remember was the strongest hot button areas of disagreement between members of my PhD oral exam committee. If I could get them fighting between themselves for 5-10 minutes, they'd forget I was in the room and I'd get a breather from answering questions.
RESPONSE B: That there's always someone better than me.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: What has been the most useful information that you have memorized in your academic career?
RESPONSE A: For my PhD work? The most useful information to remember was the strongest hot button areas of disagreement between members of my PhD oral exam committee. If I could get them fighting between themselves for 5-10 minutes, they'd forget I was in the room and I'd get a breather from answering questions.
RESPONSE B: The periodic table through arsenic \(33\).
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: What has been the most useful information that you have memorized in your academic career?
RESPONSE A: That there's always someone better than me.
RESPONSE B: When I was in 4th grade, I memorized all the presidents in chronological order. There are several songs which can get you started; it took one weekend. Of all the things I've ever memorized, that's the one I use most often. It helps me put historical information in context and in order. So if I hear something has been going on since the Wilson administration, I have a sense of when that was. Or if I learn a new historical event, I can mentally pin it to whoever was president during that time. I'm not even a historian; it's just useful in all sorts of everyday settings.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: What are the Pro’s and Con’s of being a professor? What do you like? What is it you don’t like? I am considering going on for my PhD and becoming a professor, but I am creating a pro and con list to weigh things further. I appreciate your responses!
RESPONSE A: Start by reading Louis Menand's "The Marketplace of Ideas" and checking out the state of the field on The Chronicle of Higher Education. The short answer is that what may be a plus for one person may be a negative for another. It's all relative. But "having job security and financial security" should be in the "con" column with the recent environment for sure.
RESPONSE B: Take what you read here with a grain of salt. You see a lot of people on this sub talking about their 70 hour workweeks and how much they hate teaching but still have to do it, etc. Meanwhile, though I'm not tenure track, I have a full time job that pays a little less than my tenured colleagues and I work maybe 30 hour weeks. If you want a research heavy job, they tend to pay better but have a much higher workload. If you want a teaching heavy job, and you are good at teaching, the workload isn't too high. This differs person to person. I have colleagues that spend a few hours prepping a single lecture, even for classes that they've taught before. Meanwhile, it takes me maybe an hour to prep a new lecture and less than 20 minutes to prep for something I've taught before. As a counter-balance, I'm not a strong researcher and so if I had a job where I had to do research, I imagine that my time spent working on research would be really inefficient.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: What are the Pro’s and Con’s of being a professor? What do you like? What is it you don’t like? I am considering going on for my PhD and becoming a professor, but I am creating a pro and con list to weigh things further. I appreciate your responses!
RESPONSE A: You need to be prepared to work 60-80 hour weeks while you are an assistant professor. Once you are promoted and are given tenure, things get easier.
RESPONSE B: Take what you read here with a grain of salt. You see a lot of people on this sub talking about their 70 hour workweeks and how much they hate teaching but still have to do it, etc. Meanwhile, though I'm not tenure track, I have a full time job that pays a little less than my tenured colleagues and I work maybe 30 hour weeks. If you want a research heavy job, they tend to pay better but have a much higher workload. If you want a teaching heavy job, and you are good at teaching, the workload isn't too high. This differs person to person. I have colleagues that spend a few hours prepping a single lecture, even for classes that they've taught before. Meanwhile, it takes me maybe an hour to prep a new lecture and less than 20 minutes to prep for something I've taught before. As a counter-balance, I'm not a strong researcher and so if I had a job where I had to do research, I imagine that my time spent working on research would be really inefficient.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: What are the Pro’s and Con’s of being a professor? What do you like? What is it you don’t like? I am considering going on for my PhD and becoming a professor, but I am creating a pro and con list to weigh things further. I appreciate your responses!
RESPONSE A: Good question. I just finished my PhD and decided against going into academics for now.
RESPONSE B: Take what you read here with a grain of salt. You see a lot of people on this sub talking about their 70 hour workweeks and how much they hate teaching but still have to do it, etc. Meanwhile, though I'm not tenure track, I have a full time job that pays a little less than my tenured colleagues and I work maybe 30 hour weeks. If you want a research heavy job, they tend to pay better but have a much higher workload. If you want a teaching heavy job, and you are good at teaching, the workload isn't too high. This differs person to person. I have colleagues that spend a few hours prepping a single lecture, even for classes that they've taught before. Meanwhile, it takes me maybe an hour to prep a new lecture and less than 20 minutes to prep for something I've taught before. As a counter-balance, I'm not a strong researcher and so if I had a job where I had to do research, I imagine that my time spent working on research would be really inefficient.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: What are the Pro’s and Con’s of being a professor? What do you like? What is it you don’t like? I am considering going on for my PhD and becoming a professor, but I am creating a pro and con list to weigh things further. I appreciate your responses!
RESPONSE A: There is a lot of negativity in this thread. Pros: * Flexible schedule * Summer extremely flexible (sometimes off completely) * If I'm unhappy with something I'm working on, I can change it * Travel opportunities Cons: * I'm at a state institution so the university's financial stability is political
RESPONSE B: Start by reading Louis Menand's "The Marketplace of Ideas" and checking out the state of the field on The Chronicle of Higher Education. The short answer is that what may be a plus for one person may be a negative for another. It's all relative. But "having job security and financial security" should be in the "con" column with the recent environment for sure.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: What are the Pro’s and Con’s of being a professor? What do you like? What is it you don’t like? I am considering going on for my PhD and becoming a professor, but I am creating a pro and con list to weigh things further. I appreciate your responses!
RESPONSE A: There is a lot of negativity in this thread. Pros: * Flexible schedule * Summer extremely flexible (sometimes off completely) * If I'm unhappy with something I'm working on, I can change it * Travel opportunities Cons: * I'm at a state institution so the university's financial stability is political
RESPONSE B: You need to be prepared to work 60-80 hour weeks while you are an assistant professor. Once you are promoted and are given tenure, things get easier.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: exploring was the main focus. I have a very good relation to my professor, however, he did not really encourage me to write a paper. At our university/in my group it is not really necessary to write a paper to get a doctorate, most people have 1-2 papers after the usual four years. I am now trying to write something out of those loose semi-sucessfull projects and am really struggling with motivation. I am also very scared of the defending of my thesis already and do not really know, if I have earned to get a doctorate degree. I am wondering, if someone else in i a similar situation or can maybe help me overcome the doubt I have. I at least want to finish writing, if my professor or the thesis comitee then says it is not worth getting a PhD, so be it, but that would have to require a finished thesis. I would really appreciate some help.
RESPONSE A: >am really struggling with motivation Have you tried spite? I did all my writing out of pure spite.
RESPONSE B: Hey OP, I felt the same, mostly had some rough connection between projects, but most projects aren't finished or didn't yield too great results. I've written my thesis by figuring out what the common thread was, trying to highlight any missing pieces in literature and then justify how my projects try to address those. At the end I have a chapter that discusses the limitations with my approaches and what could be next for each project. This has helped me feel a bit better and less of a fraud, as it indicates a good enough understanding that you can point the flaws even if it's your own work. I personally start with figures cause it helps me see the story, and I then add the text to comment on those figures and try to add context from literature (i.e we looked at this thing and found out x, and works 1,2,3 of others found this other dependency which can explain x). I'm still waiting for my defense, and I'll be honest, I'm not very confident about my thesis. But hey, having the thesis turned in is a necessary (but not sufficient) step to getting the degree. Good luck, OP, you got this!
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: ? If so, what were your ways of dealing with this sort of post-thesis depression?
RESPONSE A: After I finished my MSc dissertation last year I had to deliberately NOT read it until I got my mark back because I knew I'd be kicking myself for silly mistakes otherwise. It did, in fact, have some very silly mistakes, like the one where I forgot to finish writing a sentence in the introduction; I still got a distinction, and a distinction overall for the degree, so no big. I know I'd have been freaking out if I saw that BEFORE getting my results though. I couldn't really relax afterwards, either - you've been in high intensity mode for so long, to suddenly go to nothing is...a weird feeling. I tried to just not think about it until enough time had passed to let the feeling pass naturally - took it easy, read lots of fun books (nothing maths related), went biking, experimented with cooking and creative projects, caught up on videogames, and tried to channel the stress into different pursuits (strictly no subject related stuff though - I needed to put it out of my mind to avoid anxiety in the lead up to results. Sometimes anxiety is fine, but post-submission, there was nothing else to be done so it was serving no purpose). Edit: also, congrats for finishing the diss :) it's a huge undertaking, and you finished the beast! Nice one!
RESPONSE B: Sorry to hear this is happening for you. I had something similar in my undergrad - project was changed 1 week from submission huge pressure to submit by alternative date couple weeks after Christmas. As silly as it sounds it’s probably just time (if you have it) and making effort for alternate distractions watching mindless tv, catching up with friends, exercise, eat well and asleep etc. until your body and mind has been given enough space to revisit it and switch off all the cortisol and adrenaline that you’ve been pumping out! If there’s error you can go fix them if you’ve time - give yourself permission to switch of and not be perfect! Sometimes it’s the journey where the best learning outcomes come from not the destination. I wish you the best of luck!
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: MS Word. I've heard that Latex and Markdown is much better for thesis writing but I never understood why, maybe you guys can explain me And also what is the software that you use for it
RESPONSE A: What field are you in? In astrophysics, LaTeX is the standard and you won't get far in Word alone. Journals strongly recommend that you submit .tex files and even provide templates so you can see what the final product would look like. We also tend to use the LaTeX typesetting when writing equations in emails or messenger too, and most people have plugins that automatically render the equations. Even if they don't, it's a "language" we can all read. It does have a slightly steeper learning curve in the beginning, but I don't know anyone who properly moved beyond that curve and then decided to go back to Word afterwards. Once you're proficient in it and have a few different templates/examples floating around, it's really easy and fast to get a neat-looking document. Plus, your institution likely has a thesis template already available for LaTeX, so literally all of the layout (title page, acknowledgements, sections, table of contents, bibliography, margins, etc) are already done. All you have to do is write the content.
RESPONSE B: I had heard the same, so I did a test run using LaTeX for one of my required milestones (unrelated to my thesis topic). What I found can be summed up by two observations: 1) Formatting isn't just for how it looks at the end, but can impact the writing process itself. I felt like I was trying to compose an entire document in Notepad. Editing was... challenging. 2) MS Word is not great either, but by this time I had figured out all of the hoops I needed to jump through in order to make things look how I wanted, including equations and citations, so I wasn't saving any time there, either. To be fair, this was several years ago, and there may be better solutions to #1 than what I was shown. But my sense is that LaTeX is something I should have jumped on early in my PhD instead of late.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Why should I write my thesis on Latex? Hi there I guess the title says it all. Really soon I'll start my PhD thesis writing (I hope at least) and until now I've been using MS Word. I've heard that Latex and Markdown is much better for thesis writing but I never understood why, maybe you guys can explain me And also what is the software that you use for it
RESPONSE A: What field are you in? In astrophysics, LaTeX is the standard and you won't get far in Word alone. Journals strongly recommend that you submit .tex files and even provide templates so you can see what the final product would look like. We also tend to use the LaTeX typesetting when writing equations in emails or messenger too, and most people have plugins that automatically render the equations. Even if they don't, it's a "language" we can all read. It does have a slightly steeper learning curve in the beginning, but I don't know anyone who properly moved beyond that curve and then decided to go back to Word afterwards. Once you're proficient in it and have a few different templates/examples floating around, it's really easy and fast to get a neat-looking document. Plus, your institution likely has a thesis template already available for LaTeX, so literally all of the layout (title page, acknowledgements, sections, table of contents, bibliography, margins, etc) are already done. All you have to do is write the content.
RESPONSE B: If you don't need tables and fancy references, you could use Markdown with Mathjax. It's easier than pure LaTeX. But as PhD theses usually come with fancy references, maybe LaTeX is actually easier. Try Overleaf; one of their default templates, and build from there. It's like 3-4 days worth of googling, to learn how to use it, but it is worth it.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: all. Really soon I'll start my PhD thesis writing (I hope at least) and until now I've been using MS Word. I've heard that Latex and Markdown is much better for thesis writing but I never understood why, maybe you guys can explain me And also what is the software that you use for it
RESPONSE A: software: LaTeX beginners in my group use Overleaf. More advanced (Windows) users use TeXstudio. I (Ubuntu) use a custom mix of Atom and add-on packages. why: Math. It's a pain to do it in Word. LibreOffice is a good fix, but it loads forever in my laptop. Also, GitHub sync works well with tex files, because they're literally just text files. I use a reference manager called Zotero, and it tends to fuck up in Word with track changes enabled. It's basically fancy HTML. You don't have to get into the programming aspect if you don't want to. should you?: only if your supervisor knows LaTeX.
RESPONSE B: What field are you in? In astrophysics, LaTeX is the standard and you won't get far in Word alone. Journals strongly recommend that you submit .tex files and even provide templates so you can see what the final product would look like. We also tend to use the LaTeX typesetting when writing equations in emails or messenger too, and most people have plugins that automatically render the equations. Even if they don't, it's a "language" we can all read. It does have a slightly steeper learning curve in the beginning, but I don't know anyone who properly moved beyond that curve and then decided to go back to Word afterwards. Once you're proficient in it and have a few different templates/examples floating around, it's really easy and fast to get a neat-looking document. Plus, your institution likely has a thesis template already available for LaTeX, so literally all of the layout (title page, acknowledgements, sections, table of contents, bibliography, margins, etc) are already done. All you have to do is write the content.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Why should I write my thesis on Latex? Hi there I guess the title says it all. Really soon I'll start my PhD thesis writing (I hope at least) and until now I've been using MS Word. I've heard that Latex and Markdown is much better for thesis writing but I never understood why, maybe you guys can explain me And also what is the software that you use for it
RESPONSE A: If you get used to it, it is quite easy to write in. And you can control every little aspect of, well... Everything! I love Latex, and prefer using it over other programs. What you make comes out looking hella professional and it pretty much always does what you ask it to do. The only struggle is knowing how to do the different commands, but that comes with experience and googling
RESPONSE B: software: LaTeX beginners in my group use Overleaf. More advanced (Windows) users use TeXstudio. I (Ubuntu) use a custom mix of Atom and add-on packages. why: Math. It's a pain to do it in Word. LibreOffice is a good fix, but it loads forever in my laptop. Also, GitHub sync works well with tex files, because they're literally just text files. I use a reference manager called Zotero, and it tends to fuck up in Word with track changes enabled. It's basically fancy HTML. You don't have to get into the programming aspect if you don't want to. should you?: only if your supervisor knows LaTeX.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Why should I write my thesis on Latex? Hi there I guess the title says it all. Really soon I'll start my PhD thesis writing (I hope at least) and until now I've been using MS Word. I've heard that Latex and Markdown is much better for thesis writing but I never understood why, maybe you guys can explain me And also what is the software that you use for it
RESPONSE A: software: LaTeX beginners in my group use Overleaf. More advanced (Windows) users use TeXstudio. I (Ubuntu) use a custom mix of Atom and add-on packages. why: Math. It's a pain to do it in Word. LibreOffice is a good fix, but it loads forever in my laptop. Also, GitHub sync works well with tex files, because they're literally just text files. I use a reference manager called Zotero, and it tends to fuck up in Word with track changes enabled. It's basically fancy HTML. You don't have to get into the programming aspect if you don't want to. should you?: only if your supervisor knows LaTeX.
RESPONSE B: I liked that I could write my chapters in text files and leave comments to myself etc in them. It was also much quicker to load large documents than word at the time (we’re talking more than 10 years ago now). You have a lot more control over the formatting, especially things like heading numbering which always gets messed up in word when you’re combining multiple documents. Downsides: if you’re not comfortable with programming it’s probably not for you - a lot of the messing about requires knowledge of how to organise Makefiles, fiddle with markup, if things don’t go well with your editor (tbh I’d do it from scratch still today, though the editors have gotten a lot better!).
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: How to deal with low motivation when writing a thesis. Hi all. I was wondering how people deal with low motivation whilst writing a thesis. Mine is made of three manuscripts and a lit review and methodology. I have started but the progress is much slower than I would like. It doesn't help that my supervisor is a protectionist and I have to get drafts proofread before I send them too him. I am sure many of you have experienced this before. I was wondering how you guys have coped and any tips or tricks would be much appreciated!
RESPONSE A: Neil Gaiman’s advice for fiction authors works for academic writing too: 1. Write. 2. Put one word after another. Find the right word, put it down. 3. Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it. 4. Put it aside. Read it pretending you've never read it before. Show it to friends whose opinion you respect and who like the kind of thing that this is. 5. Remember: when people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong. 6. Fix it. Remember that, sooner or later, before it ever reaches perfection, you will have to let it go and move on and start to write the next thing. Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep moving. 7. Laugh at your own jokes. 8. The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you're allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But it's definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. I'm not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter.
RESPONSE B: I needed to get away from it. It started to not even make sense. Went to Australia for a month. Then came back rejuvenated and finished.
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A
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POST: back saying they need to be more specific, or that she can't see the relationship between the variables. I'm writing the question based on the format that I was taught in previous classes, and I've looked online for examples and advice as well but just can't seem to guess what it is that she's looking for. I'm debating just asking her to give me an example of what she wants because obviously this program I'm in just hasn't prepared me to do this simple task properly. For background, my advisor is from the Netherlands, and she has indicated a few times that she disagrees with the importance of some of the aspects of the research project requirements (requirements set up by the professor that taught us how to write research questions, incidentally). I wonder if there's some Dutch way of writing research questions that I'm just not privy to!
RESPONSE A: Hi Dutch female scientist here. I don’t think this a cultural thing though. It sounds like your advisor is trying to encourage you to make you think deeper about the variables. Which is something that in my experience needs a lot of practice and guidance. So yeah, as said before, see this as part of your training. Don’t feel bad about looking for help. That’s what advisors do. But before you do, probably best to first answer the questions below and then discuss them. What is the response variable and what the outcome variable? How can each be measured in a valid and reliable way? ( (how) did others do it?) Will those variables be categorical or continuous? What kind of statistics will you need? Useful link: https://guides.nyu.edu/quant/choose_test_1DV What are the appropriate statistical hypotheses (null and alternative)? I’m guessing this will lead to a fruitful discussion and collaboration with your advisor.
RESPONSE B: Have you had courses on the methods used in your field? My programmes lacked it both on BA and MA level, and I have to take it on my own outside of the programme. Without the methods course, you’re left to reinvent the wheel. The methods course should include writing a research proposal, so it will be done before you begin writing the thesis.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Should I admit to my advisor that the program I'm in hasn't prepared me for what she's asking of me? I'm in a master's program for clinical research, and I'm working on my final research project. I just need to write a research question, but my advisor keeps sending my drafts back saying they need to be more specific, or that she can't see the relationship between the variables. I'm writing the question based on the format that I was taught in previous classes, and I've looked online for examples and advice as well but just can't seem to guess what it is that she's looking for. I'm debating just asking her to give me an example of what she wants because obviously this program I'm in just hasn't prepared me to do this simple task properly. For background, my advisor is from the Netherlands, and she has indicated a few times that she disagrees with the importance of some of the aspects of the research project requirements (requirements set up by the professor that taught us how to write research questions, incidentally). I wonder if there's some Dutch way of writing research questions that I'm just not privy to!
RESPONSE A: What do you mean the program hasn't taught you how to do this? You're still in the program and it's teaching you how to do this right now!
RESPONSE B: Have you had courses on the methods used in your field? My programmes lacked it both on BA and MA level, and I have to take it on my own outside of the programme. Without the methods course, you’re left to reinvent the wheel. The methods course should include writing a research proposal, so it will be done before you begin writing the thesis.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: How familiar with a topic should I be before asking for undergraduate research? I am a rising sophomore in computer science and I was looking into getting some research experience this semester. I have narrowed down a list of professors I want to talk to but I feel really intimidated by doing so since I don't have much knowledge on the topics they are researching. I have tried to read some papers but everything goes way over my head. I feel like I have to google every other word and I am doubting whether I should even ask. My question is do professors expect a certain amount of familiarity about a topic before they consider someone for undergraduate research? And if so what can I do to prepare? Thank you.
RESPONSE A: I didn't know anything when I sent an email! I'm not sure I could pronounce the topic haha.
RESPONSE B: I prefer students with good grades and can demonstrate mastery of relevant course material. But I've also had very successful students in the lab who had modest academic records. Motivation and commitment are the most important factors. At big universities, undergraduate research positions can be pretty competitive - put your best foot forward!
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: How familiar with a topic should I be before asking for undergraduate research? I am a rising sophomore in computer science and I was looking into getting some research experience this semester. I have narrowed down a list of professors I want to talk to but I feel really intimidated by doing so since I don't have much knowledge on the topics they are researching. I have tried to read some papers but everything goes way over my head. I feel like I have to google every other word and I am doubting whether I should even ask. My question is do professors expect a certain amount of familiarity about a topic before they consider someone for undergraduate research? And if so what can I do to prepare? Thank you.
RESPONSE A: I prefer students with good grades and can demonstrate mastery of relevant course material. But I've also had very successful students in the lab who had modest academic records. Motivation and commitment are the most important factors. At big universities, undergraduate research positions can be pretty competitive - put your best foot forward!
RESPONSE B: You don't need to know much about their exact research. Just ask questions. And if a Prof doesn't respond, send a follow up a week later. My old Prof would only respond to follow ups from undergrads looking to do research with him. To him, it showed drive since they kept on it. But when the profs do talk about their research, don't be afraid to ask questions. Even simple questions like defining a term they keep using. It shows you are listening and are curious.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: How familiar with a topic should I be before asking for undergraduate research? I am a rising sophomore in computer science and I was looking into getting some research experience this semester. I have narrowed down a list of professors I want to talk to but I feel really intimidated by doing so since I don't have much knowledge on the topics they are researching. I have tried to read some papers but everything goes way over my head. I feel like I have to google every other word and I am doubting whether I should even ask. My question is do professors expect a certain amount of familiarity about a topic before they consider someone for undergraduate research? And if so what can I do to prepare? Thank you.
RESPONSE A: I prefer students with good grades and can demonstrate mastery of relevant course material. But I've also had very successful students in the lab who had modest academic records. Motivation and commitment are the most important factors. At big universities, undergraduate research positions can be pretty competitive - put your best foot forward!
RESPONSE B: Depends on what you mean by research. As a student in the lab? No experience necessary, this is where you get it. To design and work on your own project? You should know enough about it to complete it, but we'll be there for support when you need it
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: mention any issue with me. In fact, the two professors who have warned other students about me are part of my graduate thesis committee! They've never said a word to me! And we have never argued or even disagreed on anything. I have no idea where this is coming from. What I do know is that at least 2 professors in my department have cautioned at least 2 students in our class of 10 to avoid being around me to protect their reputations. Why? What can I do? Will confronting one of them make it worse? I wouldn't care if they didn't like me and just gossiped about me amongst themselves, but they are speaking to students about me! Obviously, I can't go to the chair. Help!
RESPONSE A: What did you do that was so nasty? Details!
RESPONSE B: >Obviously, I can't go to the chair. I disagree completely. Yes, it's the nuclear option, but I wouldn't rule it out if this continues. Start by confronting the profs who are talking about you. Say "it's come to my attention that..." these things are being said. Ask why, if they thought you were a problem they never brought it up to you. Part of their job is to help professionalize you. What they are doing has the opposite effect--they see behavior they perceive as detrimental to a professional career and allow it to go unchallenged and on top of that warn other students about associating with you. I would seriously question their capacity as mentors and advisors. Before talking to the chair, consider the DGS. Maybe they can act as a buffer? But seriously, this is "hostile working conditions" territory. If you were a colleague it would be unacceptable. That you are a grad student makes it morally reprehensible. To be fair, if they had talked to you on several occasions and you clearly had no intention of changing (and the behavior was truly detrimental to your potential career), it would not be ridiculous to warn others to be careful about who they befriend. But naming you would still be shady. TL;DR: this isn't okay. Confront the profs or get your DGS to mediate.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: a word to me! And we have never argued or even disagreed on anything. I have no idea where this is coming from. What I do know is that at least 2 professors in my department have cautioned at least 2 students in our class of 10 to avoid being around me to protect their reputations. Why? What can I do? Will confronting one of them make it worse? I wouldn't care if they didn't like me and just gossiped about me amongst themselves, but they are speaking to students about me! Obviously, I can't go to the chair. Help!
RESPONSE A: You have to go talk to the professors. Just plan in advance how to open the discussion so it isn't too accusatory, which might shut down open discussions. right now, this reads as triangulation: \- Sally tries to grow closer to Maria \- Sally explains to Maria that Annie is talking shit about her (Maria) \- Maria then feels insecure, defensive about Annie's perception of her \- Maria leans on Sally's shoulder \- Maria and Sally bond by complaining about Annie, but Maria never shakes the discomfort. It is common for "Maria" to stew and obsess, then grow to hate Annie. the only productive way to deal is for Maria to talk to Annie, to confront the problem. It could be that Sally misunderstood or misrepresented the problem, or there was some disconnect in the conversation. or it's entirely possible that Annie really did talk shit and Maria and Annie can work things out. But Maria and Sally will never fix the relationship with Annie unless Annie is in the room. You're Maria. Your friends are Sallys. Though in this case I assume they mean well, that doesn't change the outcome. Your professors are Annies. Go talk to them.
RESPONSE B: I'm surprised no one has mentioned this but - have you thought to double-check with the professors? That it's 2 people makes it less likely that a classmate is sabotaging you, but it's still feasible that they misunderstood what was said or are otherwise making it up.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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