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POST: California judge strikes down tenure for teachers. Will this carry over to university professors? Is tenure on its way out everywhere? Here is a link to the news article: http://sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Judge-throws-out-California-teacher-tenure-laws-5542577.php
RESPONSE A: Isn't public school teacher tenure more like a "you've done well here for five years, here's a promise that we won't cut you" kind of ordeal?
RESPONSE B: Tenure has a purpose. The idea behind it is to protect professors who spend their time researching politically unpopular or difficult areas. It is there to attempt to ensure academic freedom. It is not for teaching purposes. I can see no reason why teachers would be offered tenure. Of course, the whole thing is actually a result of the US having employment laws which are mindbogglingly in favour to the employer (to us Europeans).
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Academics, what are you dreading the most about going back to school?
RESPONSE A: Uhm, I never left.
RESPONSE B: The more people there are in the corridor, the more likely it is that I'll spill some (or, *God-forbid*, all) of my coffee.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Academics, what are you dreading the most about going back to school?
RESPONSE A: Endless events :(
RESPONSE B: Seasonal depression September-May.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Academics, what are you dreading the most about going back to school?
RESPONSE A: are you implying we get to leave over the summer?
RESPONSE B: Endless events :(
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Academics, what are you dreading the most about going back to school?
RESPONSE A: Going back to school.
RESPONSE B: are you implying we get to leave over the summer?
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Academics, what are you dreading the most about going back to school?
RESPONSE A: Balancing my schedule as I go back for another grad degree while teaching at a different institution on the other side of town.
RESPONSE B: are you implying we get to leave over the summer?
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: How do I pick which journal to submit a paper to? I work for a local public health department, and we have access to some cool new data that other jurisdictions don't have. How do I compare journals that are in different categories and don't have comparable impact factors? I'm considering Clinical Infectious Diseases, Annals of Internal Medicine, and PLOS One, since those journals have previously published papers similar to the one I'm writing.
RESPONSE A: If you havent written the paper yet, look for the readers. The audience is very important. Which readers best suits your hypothesis and idea. Select one and write your manuscript accordingly. If you have your manuscript ready see which journal suits your manuscript. This way there chance of publishing the paper increases. Unfortunately in many institutes impact factor of the journal plays a big role in future promotions and such so take a look at the IF as well. Start with the highest and if they don't feel that your paper suits the journal you will submit to the next one in line.
RESPONSE B: One way of finding out the journal is looking at references used in the paper. See from which journal you have cited most papers. It gives you an idea about your probable journal.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: How do I pick which journal to submit a paper to? I work for a local public health department, and we have access to some cool new data that other jurisdictions don't have. How do I compare journals that are in different categories and don't have comparable impact factors? I'm considering Clinical Infectious Diseases, Annals of Internal Medicine, and PLOS One, since those journals have previously published papers similar to the one I'm writing.
RESPONSE A: If you havent written the paper yet, look for the readers. The audience is very important. Which readers best suits your hypothesis and idea. Select one and write your manuscript accordingly. If you have your manuscript ready see which journal suits your manuscript. This way there chance of publishing the paper increases. Unfortunately in many institutes impact factor of the journal plays a big role in future promotions and such so take a look at the IF as well. Start with the highest and if they don't feel that your paper suits the journal you will submit to the next one in line.
RESPONSE B: I really like JANE (Journal Author Name Estimator)! Plug in your title/abstract and it will provide a list of journals it thinks are a good fit.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Any point in submitting an applied math paper to a journal if it uses "simple" math? I'm a high school student and I wrote a paper about a working method for modeling one-dimensional heat transfer into an egg. It is an applied math paper, and the most complex thing I have done is deploy parametric equations and some simple multivariate calculus. Despite using relatively simple math, I feel that my work answered a question that has been largely ignored by the literature on this topic, which is accurately modeling the surface area of an egg. I worked on this as a passion project, but I feel that maybe it's worth publishing. At the same time, I feel like anyone who is experienced in mathematics would scoff at its lack of complexity and immediately dismiss it as amateurish. Should I still submit my paper to my regional journal?
RESPONSE A: If your paper is of potential interest for people who raise chickens, then you can approach them to see if they are interested in making it into a commercial product. I am serious here. Google, for example started with a good method to rank things. Before submitting to a journal or so on, try to put on an online repository such as arXiv, to keep your copyright. Of course you can try to submit to journals as well. However, journals are not everything. There are many ways to do and use research, nowadays.
RESPONSE B: >I feel that my work answered a question that has been largely ignored by the literature on this topic, which is accurately modeling the surface area of an egg. Does it? How are you sure? Have you compared your model to simulations or experiments? Not trying to be a jerk, those are just the first questions any reviewer will ask. Who did your write it with?
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Any point in submitting an applied math paper to a journal if it uses "simple" math? I'm a high school student and I wrote a paper about a working method for modeling one-dimensional heat transfer into an egg. It is an applied math paper, and the most complex thing I have done is deploy parametric equations and some simple multivariate calculus. Despite using relatively simple math, I feel that my work answered a question that has been largely ignored by the literature on this topic, which is accurately modeling the surface area of an egg. I worked on this as a passion project, but I feel that maybe it's worth publishing. At the same time, I feel like anyone who is experienced in mathematics would scoff at its lack of complexity and immediately dismiss it as amateurish. Should I still submit my paper to my regional journal?
RESPONSE A: If your paper is of potential interest for people who raise chickens, then you can approach them to see if they are interested in making it into a commercial product. I am serious here. Google, for example started with a good method to rank things. Before submitting to a journal or so on, try to put on an online repository such as arXiv, to keep your copyright. Of course you can try to submit to journals as well. However, journals are not everything. There are many ways to do and use research, nowadays.
RESPONSE B: I think this is a useful endeavor. A journal for high school or even undergrad students would probably accept it. If this is relevant to your future college major you might want to think about where you might want to go to school, look into who does related work, and reach out to a professor and ask for feedback. You could start to build a working relationship and it might help you get your foot in the door. Also most journals charge a publishing fees so having a more senior mentor comes in handy for that as well.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Any point in submitting an applied math paper to a journal if it uses "simple" math? I'm a high school student and I wrote a paper about a working method for modeling one-dimensional heat transfer into an egg. It is an applied math paper, and the most complex thing I have done is deploy parametric equations and some simple multivariate calculus. Despite using relatively simple math, I feel that my work answered a question that has been largely ignored by the literature on this topic, which is accurately modeling the surface area of an egg. I worked on this as a passion project, but I feel that maybe it's worth publishing. At the same time, I feel like anyone who is experienced in mathematics would scoff at its lack of complexity and immediately dismiss it as amateurish. Should I still submit my paper to my regional journal?
RESPONSE A: It is great that a young student is already working on trying to publish. However, the attitude of the reviewers will be reflected in questions like: Who is interested in heat transfer to the surface of an egg? Why would someone be interested in this topic. Just because you are passionate about this, does not mean that it is a worthwhile topic. Are there other problems that can be solved using the same technique? Has this technique been already been applied to other topics?
RESPONSE B: If your paper is of potential interest for people who raise chickens, then you can approach them to see if they are interested in making it into a commercial product. I am serious here. Google, for example started with a good method to rank things. Before submitting to a journal or so on, try to put on an online repository such as arXiv, to keep your copyright. Of course you can try to submit to journals as well. However, journals are not everything. There are many ways to do and use research, nowadays.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: s worth publishing. At the same time, I feel like anyone who is experienced in mathematics would scoff at its lack of complexity and immediately dismiss it as amateurish. Should I still submit my paper to my regional journal?
RESPONSE A: I think you should submit it to an undergrad journal because 1) you never know and 2) even the process of getting rejected is a very educational experience. A good reviewer will provide you with a lot of papers/research to learn and think about. You shouldn't worry about them responding with anything mean: I've had plenty of rejected papers, and the reviewers have always been respectful. It's just part of the process of peer review. However, for a paper to be accepted, it needs to have a novel contribution. From what you've described, it sounds like you applied an existing method to a specific problem. So unfortunately, I think you should go into it knowing that it's likely it'll be rejected. Some tips for getting this paper accepted: 1. Can your approach be generalized to more than just an egg? If so, that's worth discussing. If not, how can it be made more general? 2. Are you absolutely, totally, 100% sure that nobody has explored this space before? Make sure you're looking in academic journals/conferences, not google. Your local university will have access to a lot of these papers for free (you just need to be on the wifi). They'll also have library staff that will probably be willing to help you in your literature search. 3. With those first two points in mind, how can you frame this as a novel contribution? Is it a novel contribution? If not, what do you need to do to make it novel? Best of luck!
RESPONSE B: If your paper is of potential interest for people who raise chickens, then you can approach them to see if they are interested in making it into a commercial product. I am serious here. Google, for example started with a good method to rank things. Before submitting to a journal or so on, try to put on an online repository such as arXiv, to keep your copyright. Of course you can try to submit to journals as well. However, journals are not everything. There are many ways to do and use research, nowadays.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Any point in submitting an applied math paper to a journal if it uses "simple" math? I'm a high school student and I wrote a paper about a working method for modeling one-dimensional heat transfer into an egg. It is an applied math paper, and the most complex thing I have done is deploy parametric equations and some simple multivariate calculus. Despite using relatively simple math, I feel that my work answered a question that has been largely ignored by the literature on this topic, which is accurately modeling the surface area of an egg. I worked on this as a passion project, but I feel that maybe it's worth publishing. At the same time, I feel like anyone who is experienced in mathematics would scoff at its lack of complexity and immediately dismiss it as amateurish. Should I still submit my paper to my regional journal?
RESPONSE A: You should get in touch with a relevant prof (or postdoc or even senior grad student) at your local research university. Ask them to take a look and to help you post your work to ArXiv (you need someone who has posted before in the relevant category to approve your first post). After you've posted it to ArXiv, you can think about journals but that is less important. ArXiv is the standard way that most physicists and mathematicians share their work with each other before submitting it to journals.
RESPONSE B: If your paper is of potential interest for people who raise chickens, then you can approach them to see if they are interested in making it into a commercial product. I am serious here. Google, for example started with a good method to rank things. Before submitting to a journal or so on, try to put on an online repository such as arXiv, to keep your copyright. Of course you can try to submit to journals as well. However, journals are not everything. There are many ways to do and use research, nowadays.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Question about emailing the author of a paper Field: epidemiology, medical research Me: Masters level research staff I recently read an article which provided a review over a specific subject area. I'm doing a literature review on the same topic because I'm writing a manuscript describing directly related research we've nearly finished. In the review article, they make a claim which is very relevant to our work (x has been shown to be associated with y), which I haven't been able to find any papers on. However, they don't directly cite this claim and l read through all the references in their I thought this claim might be based on, and none of the papers back this up. I want to email the author because if they do have the reference, it's very useful to me. However, I'm hesitant to write an email that comes off as "you made this claim for which you didn't present evidence" What would be the most tactful way to reach out, or should I just ignore this and move on with my work?
RESPONSE A: Is the journal credible? I would contact the author either way, no matter what he/she comes back with it could be of importance to accept or disclaim their information in your manuscript.
RESPONSE B: Just phrase it in a curious tone and not a belittling tone.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: over a specific subject area. I'm doing a literature review on the same topic because I'm writing a manuscript describing directly related research we've nearly finished. In the review article, they make a claim which is very relevant to our work (x has been shown to be associated with y), which I haven't been able to find any papers on. However, they don't directly cite this claim and l read through all the references in their I thought this claim might be based on, and none of the papers back this up. I want to email the author because if they do have the reference, it's very useful to me. However, I'm hesitant to write an email that comes off as "you made this claim for which you didn't present evidence" What would be the most tactful way to reach out, or should I just ignore this and move on with my work?
RESPONSE A: I don't have any better advice than what's already been given, but I wanted to thank you for being so diligent. It would be very easy to just cite that review article and move on assuming that the claim is true. I'm working on a project in a field that's somewhat new to me, and kept running across a particular citation that makes a big claim. Just about every paper from the past 6-7 years includes this claim and citation. I finally traced it back... to a set of powerpoint slides the authors used for a conference presentation but never published. (At least they posted the slides? but it doesn't even have a DOI. And they've had almost a decade to publish as a journal article but haven't.) I think people just see the claim now in multiple papers, figure it's a standard, and copy-paste it into their own paper without noticing that "Proceedings of XXXX Association" means conference proceedings, not a journal like PNAS. So, hooray for following up. =)
RESPONSE B: Is the journal credible? I would contact the author either way, no matter what he/she comes back with it could be of importance to accept or disclaim their information in your manuscript.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: What surprised you the most about academia?...and would you have done things differently if you had known?
RESPONSE A: Honestly, how so many people end up being clueless about the research they do, by the nature of the system - * Most grad students haven't gotten to the stage where they are able to independently produce reliable results, but thats ok - they're learning, and thats the point. * Most PIs are working in an area different from what they studied as grad students/postdocs, and have never really done the due diligence to learn their current field. * Postdocs are pushed to switch fields to diversify their skillset, so they don't really know much about what they're doing either! That leaves basically a few senior grad students and a few senior postdocs as the only people who actually know whats up, and these people are rushing to go somewhere else for career purposes, and that inevitably pushes them to work in a field where they are once again clueless. I have no idea how to solve this problem, but its depressing that even in academia its incredibly difficult to find someone to have a conversation with about the science we're all doing that goes beyond the basic headline.
RESPONSE B: Personally I think that it's a lazy way to assess people's work. In my opinion, the only true assessment comes from reading what the author wrote
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: What surprised you the most about academia?...and would you have done things differently if you had known?
RESPONSE A: Personally I think that it's a lazy way to assess people's work. In my opinion, the only true assessment comes from reading what the author wrote
RESPONSE B: Never have the stakes been so high over stakes so low.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: an academic? I’m a first year PhD student, and I’m worried that my name (specifically my surname) will limit my potential career opportunities. Has anyone else considered changing their name in order to appeal to prospective employers/publishers? My research looks at how a certain mythological figure (deliberately left vague) is re-interpreted in the later literature of a certain culture and used as a way of commenting upon contemporary gender discourses. However, this character is often associated with rape, and my own surname is that of a famous serial rapist (needless to say, there is no relation between myself and the aforementioned individual!). I’ve found that when presenting at conferences people are a little ‘surprised,’ for want of a better word, by my name and I’m wondering if this could impact my career prospects in the long run? TL;DR - my research centres around a mythical rape victim, and I have the surname of a very well-known serial rapist. Will this potentially damage my career prospects?
RESPONSE A: Well, two things. The first is not at all helpful to you, but important. Many women and POC, and especially WOC, have to worry about this even when their name is not related to a horrible person. Terrifying. I get it. Second, your situation is a huge bummer. If you're a first year PhD student you have time to change your name either informally or formally. I can't imagine you've published a lot already so there is time to make changes. I would not use different names on your publications through the years. That's a recipe for disaster. Good luck!
RESPONSE B: I wanted to offer a different perspective. My last name is very strange, and not necessarily in a good way. People ALWAYS remembering my name has been benefit far outweighing any negative connotation associated with the name itself. I’ve gotten fellowships and valuable resources because people were amused by my name (and I work my ass off). Your work will stand on its own. Have a few key jokes in your back pocket and use the name recognition to your advantage.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: forementioned individual!). I’ve found that when presenting at conferences people are a little ‘surprised,’ for want of a better word, by my name and I’m wondering if this could impact my career prospects in the long run? TL;DR - my research centres around a mythical rape victim, and I have the surname of a very well-known serial rapist. Will this potentially damage my career prospects?
RESPONSE A: Will you be spending your entire career on this research topic? In academia (especially when you’re early in your PhD), it is likely that you will be working on an entirely different topic in a few years, meaning the negative association you perceive will no longer be there, but you’ll be stuck with a name change. I also agree with the other comment that you really want a memorable name in academia - the last thing you want is anonymity. If folks are talking about your name that is a good thing, as long as you have positive work that they will associate with it. If you’ve been itching to change your name (or use a pseudonym) for a long time, go for it - but if your sole reason is an association with a first-year PhD project, it seems a hasty decision and you should think about the long term implications for your career and identity.
RESPONSE B: Honestly, I can't imagine this is going to be a real problem. We all understand that names are effectively arbitrary. As others have said, you can publish under whatever name you choose, but it's going to be a certain amount of pain to maintain separate names (your university will use your real name, and when you register for conferences or give visiting lectures, there will always be opportunities for confusion around printing badges and the like). If someone is transgender or has some other strong reason for preferring to make a change, that's an acceptable amount of crap to deal with. If your only issue is that your name is shared by a rapist, I personally would not want to sign up for the hassle. I'd just use your real name, and maybe have a couple of disarming remarks handy that you can throw in if anyone raises an eyebrow.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Is there such a thing as an ‘inappropriate’ name for an academic? I’m a first year PhD student, and I’m worried that my name (specifically my surname) will limit my potential career opportunities. Has anyone else considered changing their name in order to appeal to prospective employers/publishers? My research looks at how a certain mythological figure (deliberately left vague) is re-interpreted in the later literature of a certain culture and used as a way of commenting upon contemporary gender discourses. However, this character is often associated with rape, and my own surname is that of a famous serial rapist (needless to say, there is no relation between myself and the aforementioned individual!). I’ve found that when presenting at conferences people are a little ‘surprised,’ for want of a better word, by my name and I’m wondering if this could impact my career prospects in the long run? TL;DR - my research centres around a mythical rape victim, and I have the surname of a very well-known serial rapist. Will this potentially damage my career prospects?
RESPONSE A: Honestly, I can't imagine this is going to be a real problem. We all understand that names are effectively arbitrary. As others have said, you can publish under whatever name you choose, but it's going to be a certain amount of pain to maintain separate names (your university will use your real name, and when you register for conferences or give visiting lectures, there will always be opportunities for confusion around printing badges and the like). If someone is transgender or has some other strong reason for preferring to make a change, that's an acceptable amount of crap to deal with. If your only issue is that your name is shared by a rapist, I personally would not want to sign up for the hassle. I'd just use your real name, and maybe have a couple of disarming remarks handy that you can throw in if anyone raises an eyebrow.
RESPONSE B: You can publish under any name you'd like if that's your main concern. Lots of academics publish under pseudonyms or their maiden names.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: as an ‘inappropriate’ name for an academic? I’m a first year PhD student, and I’m worried that my name (specifically my surname) will limit my potential career opportunities. Has anyone else considered changing their name in order to appeal to prospective employers/publishers? My research looks at how a certain mythological figure (deliberately left vague) is re-interpreted in the later literature of a certain culture and used as a way of commenting upon contemporary gender discourses. However, this character is often associated with rape, and my own surname is that of a famous serial rapist (needless to say, there is no relation between myself and the aforementioned individual!). I’ve found that when presenting at conferences people are a little ‘surprised,’ for want of a better word, by my name and I’m wondering if this could impact my career prospects in the long run? TL;DR - my research centres around a mythical rape victim, and I have the surname of a very well-known serial rapist. Will this potentially damage my career prospects?
RESPONSE A: You can publish under any name you'd like if that's your main concern. Lots of academics publish under pseudonyms or their maiden names.
RESPONSE B: Will you be spending your entire career on this research topic? In academia (especially when you’re early in your PhD), it is likely that you will be working on an entirely different topic in a few years, meaning the negative association you perceive will no longer be there, but you’ll be stuck with a name change. I also agree with the other comment that you really want a memorable name in academia - the last thing you want is anonymity. If folks are talking about your name that is a good thing, as long as you have positive work that they will associate with it. If you’ve been itching to change your name (or use a pseudonym) for a long time, go for it - but if your sole reason is an association with a first-year PhD project, it seems a hasty decision and you should think about the long term implications for your career and identity.
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B
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POST: What is a professor'supposed' to be doing during their sabbatical? I know sabbaticals are different between early/late-stage career profs (and of course between fields) but in your experience, what is the goal/product of a successful sabbatical?
RESPONSE A: At my institution faculty sign a sabbatical contract that outlines what is to be accomplished during the sabbatical. The contents of the contract come from the faculty member's sabbatical application. So the product of a successful sabbatical can vary from one individual to the next. A faculty member cannot get another sabbatical until they have fulfilled the contract of their previous sabbatical.
RESPONSE B: From what I've witnessed in my field, they are for: (1) travel and collaboration with international collaborators, and (2) writing books.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: New postdoc seeking advice on how to keep on top of the literature Hello everyone, I'm new to reddit. I have recently started a new postdoc (this week) and have been adjusting to my new lab, and a new research area (pathology and molecular biology). I completed my PhD with not too much trouble; however, I see that as I move forward with my postdoc career that there are some deficiencies in my scientific paper reading and retention. Mainly, I am wondering what other people do to keep on top of the current literature... and actually remember it later? I realize this is a weird question coming from a postdoc but I ask because I want to prepare myself the best way possible while venturing forth from the beginning. Specifically, I'm curious how often other postdocs and professors are reading papers, and what is your method for recalling study details? I realize everyone is different but I have tried in the past to read a paper a day, or every week, but found that I forgot everything I read a week later. Does anyone have any tips? Thanks, appreciate it.
RESPONSE A: I have been using feedly to keep track on new papers in my field and save them. Paperpile helps to organize and tag those papers too.
RESPONSE B: I have a terrible memory, and can rarely recall exactly what paper did what. FOr that reason, I purposefully chose a reference manager that had excellent PDF annotation and tagging tools. That way I download the pdf, import it straight into the reference managaer, then read, annotate and tag as necessary. I can then search for those tags and annotations to quickly find what I'm looking for.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: I realize this is a weird question coming from a postdoc but I ask because I want to prepare myself the best way possible while venturing forth from the beginning. Specifically, I'm curious how often other postdocs and professors are reading papers, and what is your method for recalling study details? I realize everyone is different but I have tried in the past to read a paper a day, or every week, but found that I forgot everything I read a week later. Does anyone have any tips? Thanks, appreciate it.
RESPONSE A: The only papers I feel that I truly knows and understand are the one we study for the journal club of the lab. Study is the important word here. Most people are skimming through articles everyday and don't really know what's in it, they just want to know what kind of things are done in other labs and discuss about it during coffee time. It doesn't help. Sometimes, it's even a bad thing: you will tend to repeat others labs methods/experiment because "that's what everyone's doing this day". Buzz word, trendy research, science and nature papers, you know the drill. You may be better off STUDYING fewer papers, sometimes oldies which are inspiring and really relevant to your research area. If you think about it, few papers are worth reading thoroughly...
RESPONSE B: Hi, I am a PhD student (medical sociology) and the best tip I can give you about reading and retaining is similar to what has already been said, but think about condensing an article on to a standard post-it note. So read the whole article make notes in the margins etc, but when you are finished (and before you do anything else!) write a summary of the article either on the top sheet or tag it if reading electronically. Try and summarise the article in to a couple of sentences, it can include questions about the methodology used or their sampling strategy etc. This will enable you to quickly glance back a couple of weeks later, remind you why you kept the article and why it was important/useful. The post-it note size stops you basically re-writing the abstract or the whole paper and is rather quick to get through. Good luck with the post-doc!
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: New postdoc seeking advice on how to keep on top of the literature Hello everyone, I'm new to reddit. I have recently started a new postdoc (this week) and have been adjusting to my new lab, and a new research area (pathology and molecular biology). I completed my PhD with not too much trouble; however, I see that as I move forward with my postdoc career that there are some deficiencies in my scientific paper reading and retention. Mainly, I am wondering what other people do to keep on top of the current literature... and actually remember it later? I realize this is a weird question coming from a postdoc but I ask because I want to prepare myself the best way possible while venturing forth from the beginning. Specifically, I'm curious how often other postdocs and professors are reading papers, and what is your method for recalling study details? I realize everyone is different but I have tried in the past to read a paper a day, or every week, but found that I forgot everything I read a week later. Does anyone have any tips? Thanks, appreciate it.
RESPONSE A: Hi, I am a PhD student (medical sociology) and the best tip I can give you about reading and retaining is similar to what has already been said, but think about condensing an article on to a standard post-it note. So read the whole article make notes in the margins etc, but when you are finished (and before you do anything else!) write a summary of the article either on the top sheet or tag it if reading electronically. Try and summarise the article in to a couple of sentences, it can include questions about the methodology used or their sampling strategy etc. This will enable you to quickly glance back a couple of weeks later, remind you why you kept the article and why it was important/useful. The post-it note size stops you basically re-writing the abstract or the whole paper and is rather quick to get through. Good luck with the post-doc!
RESPONSE B: I have been using feedly to keep track on new papers in my field and save them. Paperpile helps to organize and tag those papers too.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: New postdoc seeking advice on how to keep on top of the literature Hello everyone, I'm new to reddit. I have recently started a new postdoc (this week) and have been adjusting to my new lab, and a new research area (pathology and molecular biology). I completed my PhD with not too much trouble; however, I see that as I move forward with my postdoc career that there are some deficiencies in my scientific paper reading and retention. Mainly, I am wondering what other people do to keep on top of the current literature... and actually remember it later? I realize this is a weird question coming from a postdoc but I ask because I want to prepare myself the best way possible while venturing forth from the beginning. Specifically, I'm curious how often other postdocs and professors are reading papers, and what is your method for recalling study details? I realize everyone is different but I have tried in the past to read a paper a day, or every week, but found that I forgot everything I read a week later. Does anyone have any tips? Thanks, appreciate it.
RESPONSE A: I have been using feedly to keep track on new papers in my field and save them. Paperpile helps to organize and tag those papers too.
RESPONSE B: Google scholar alerts. Go to your google account and put in some key words; it'll send you [x] every week or so from each key word. I use that + follow loads of folk on Twitter who are into my stuff. Our lab used to have a thing where a post-doc was in charge of sending around a list of interesting papers every week, and that was quite good.
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POST: Does this constitute plagiarism? A labmate and co-author (first year PhD student) submitted part of my (second year PhD student) unpublished thesis to a journal behind my back and without my consent. I was able to rewrite the section in my edits so it did not make it to publication. Does this constitute plagiarism or am I worried about nothing?
RESPONSE A: It's not plagiarism if they have listed your as an author. It definitely is unethical and deserves a good scolding.
RESPONSE B: If they submitted your thesis behind your back, you should contact the senior editor/s of the journal and they will guide you on how to get the paper withdrawn. This is very concerning and you should also talk to your academic advisor and your labmate's academic advisor. This person might need to rethink their career and learn what is ethics in academia or they should be kick out from the PhD program!
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POST: Is there a non-academia career in which you write academic essays? Is there a career in industry or non-academia that requires one to read large amounts of information, synthesize it, and write thought-out, argumentative type essays? Research papers are fun :-)
RESPONSE A: Fine art/studio art requires a lot of writing if you want to be at all informed about contemporary happenings/Why Art Looks Like That. Also is applicable to pretty much anything since there’s a lot of overlap w general world history/politics/philosophy
RESPONSE B: Some lawyers do basically exactly this. Think complex litigation and regulation work, rather than trial or contract attorneys. Source: am academic, married to a lawyer.
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POST: courses, and I've heard of some programs accepting candidates on the condition they can complete the necessary courses. That would be the best case scenario because my company will only cover credits towards a degree. I have already asked and they will not cover prerequisites that I take as a non-matriculated student, and that's a problem because I really don't have the money to spend on the 4 or 5 prereqs that I need. Does anyone know if being accepted conditionally is a possibility? What things can I do to make myself a good candidate to be accepted into a program (hopefully for Fall 2016)? I graduated undergrad with a 3.5 GPA, but haven't taken the GRE or anything. I'm in the NYC metro area and have looked into the usual schools: Rutgers, NJIT, NYU, some online schools, etc., but I don't want to waste my time and money shooting for some of these programs when they might not even be close to attainable. I also obviously want to go to the best possible school to position myself for career advancement. Any help would truly be appreciated. Thank you!
RESPONSE A: Have you looked at any CS post-bacc programs? I'm currently enrolled in one at UMD (I graduated a couple of years ago with a BA in history and political science). I think that going straight into a CS master's program from your current situation would probably a bit difficult/unlikely.
RESPONSE B: You need to check the MS admissions rules in the universities you are targeting - nothing beats a bit of legwork and homework. A quick note though is that if your degree is outside of CS and you want an MS in CS, *any* program that is not going to require that you take preliminary coursework is *not* a good deal. Background is background - one needs it before advanced material is learned. You *could* go for an MS in Statistics or data science instead - there are some places around (NYU I think, for sure) that run these programs. At NYU, a lot of machine learning and data mining took place in the school of business anyway, so this may be a good choice for you.
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POST: How badly is doing one's PhD at the same school one received their Masters and Bachelor's degree at looked down upon? I've heard all about academic incest and I was wondering just how bad it is. My girlfriend and I are trying to coordinate so that she can get into a medical school where I pursue a PhD but the easiest choice would be to stay at my current school which also has a medical school that she's a shoe-in for. I'm currently pursuing a Masters in Electrical Engineering and would be interested in doing research for a national lab or something like that for a career or entering academia if it seems viable after (if I do) getting a PhD.
RESPONSE A: I'm not sure its really bad at all, where you're undergraduate was tends to matter a little less than other things, namely your lab and publication record. It can be an issue when you stay on after your PhD and do a postdoc in the same lab, but otherwise you it shouldn't be too big of a deal.
RESPONSE B: UK perspective - it seems to make very little difference at all. Rather, when you're applying for jobs there is much more emphasis on your publications record, references, research and teaching experience, etc. On the other hand, there are advantages to working at different institutions in terms of your own sense of personal development and understanding of how academia operates. If you ever get the opportunity to spend some time at another institution then that is certainly worth baring in mind.
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POST: , you're working contract to contract for a wage slightly higher than a call centre supervisor except you have to work every weekend/evening. Your faculty eventually runs out of funding and you're forced to move interstate/abroad. Meanwhile, your colleagues are plotting against you, trying to secure their own grants and implicitly sabotage your work.... Tell me not all of academia is like this?
RESPONSE A: Not everywhere and (or at least) not for everyone. For example, there are even professors in not-yet-permanent positions at great academic institutions (in Europe and surroundings) who are able to take a month of totally-off summer vacation, and also at least a couple of shorter (about a week or less) vacations in other parts of the year, and who seem to overall deeply enjoy their work and life. But they seem really good at designing well-fundable research and at networking - hiring and collaborating with the right people.
RESPONSE B: I don’t know of anyone trying to sabotage anyone’s work. I do think it is difficult. I think that we are in many ways competing for limited resources. I know the pay isn’t amazing (with a few exceptions). And yeah, the work is sometimes endless. But if you want a job where you don’t take your work home, there are plenty of jobs where you can make ok money and not have to take home stress. I worked retail to pay for my masters and at a call center to supplement my pay as a TA during my PhD. Working retail and at a call center was less stressful (and the benefits were nicer), but it was also boring. I’d rather take less money and do what I’m passionate about than doing work I don’t value that pays me more. It’s not all about money for me. The rest of it is challenging, but I like working on presentations and I like writing grants. That said, I also value colleagues, tell them I like them, invite them to lunch, and encourage them to enjoy life. Maybe that makes me weird, but I don’t have issues with others or the job. The only negative thing I’ll say is fuck whoever reviewer 2 is lol.
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POST: Had Campus Visit Then Job Was Reposted on HigherEdJobs I had a (virtual) campus visit at an Elite SLAC in early December for a TT humanities position that went really well. I'm assuming I was one of three candidates since I was given three dates to choose from for the visit. From those dates, I was the first to be interviewed while the last date was the second week of December. The chair told me that they hoped to have a decision and inform their top candidate before Christmas. I received a follow up email the week before the school's holiday break thanking me for my patience, which I took as a good sign. I haven't heard anything since then. This was basically my dream job (school context, class sizes, teaching/research balance, etc.) out of all the positions I've applied for. I've moved past my anxiety and accepted that I probably wasn't their top candidate. However, a couple of days before Christmas the job came up again in my daily HigherEdJobs email. The listing on HEJ website said "Posted 12/22" even though the October application deadline (but "open until filled") remained the same. Does HigherEdJobs regularly repost job listings that have remained open, or is the most likely scenario that the committee didn't agree on anyone from the visits and the position was reposted to seek more applicants?
RESPONSE A: So, it’s now well after Christmas. Reach back with a “hi hope the holidays were great” email and ask for any updates on the search. Don’t guess, just ask. A good search chair will tell you what they can, even if it is nothing to update. Also, while it may be your dream job, don’t fixate on it. Keep your search active as possible.
RESPONSE B: The person responsible for maintaining the listing isn't likely involved in the search so they'll probably keep posting it until weeks after a contract is signed.
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POST: What questions to ask dean during campus visit? I have a TT campus visit in a week, and I'm wondering if anyone has any advice in what sorts of discussions I should have with the dean. I have an hour between the dean and associate dean. Thank you!
RESPONSE A: I always like to ask what their vision for the college in five years looks like. It strokes their ego a little (since it makes it about THEIR vision) and gives you insight into their thought process for the future. If they don’t have one, they’re likely to bail sooner rather than later. I also ask where they see the department I’m interviewing for fits in to this vision. You’d like to know if they view the department adversarially or in a collaborative manner. This question has given me great insight in the past.
RESPONSE B: What's their plan for: \- ensuring quality research/teaching \- promoting research collaboration (internal and external) \- building on current research strengths (and in what areas do they want to expand into?) \- growing student numbers (if wanted) or improving courses
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POST: What questions to ask dean during campus visit? I have a TT campus visit in a week, and I'm wondering if anyone has any advice in what sorts of discussions I should have with the dean. I have an hour between the dean and associate dean. Thank you!
RESPONSE A: A go to question is the tenure process. Also, what is the overhead on grants and what percentage of that is returned to the school/college and to the department/division. If any of your summer/%salary you need to account for (usually you only receive a % of your actual salary and need grants for the rest, in STEM) is returned into a slush fund for you, if any. What is the structure of the schools admin and chairs. If you like them or they have been a strong dean, how long they plan to stick around.
RESPONSE B: I always like to ask what their vision for the college in five years looks like. It strokes their ego a little (since it makes it about THEIR vision) and gives you insight into their thought process for the future. If they don’t have one, they’re likely to bail sooner rather than later. I also ask where they see the department I’m interviewing for fits in to this vision. You’d like to know if they view the department adversarially or in a collaborative manner. This question has given me great insight in the past.
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POST: What questions to ask dean during campus visit? I have a TT campus visit in a week, and I'm wondering if anyone has any advice in what sorts of discussions I should have with the dean. I have an hour between the dean and associate dean. Thank you!
RESPONSE A: Have a look at The Professor is in - she's written loads. Maybe start here: https://theprofessorisin.com/2014/02/07/dr-karens-rules-of-the-campus-visit/
RESPONSE B: I always like to ask what their vision for the college in five years looks like. It strokes their ego a little (since it makes it about THEIR vision) and gives you insight into their thought process for the future. If they don’t have one, they’re likely to bail sooner rather than later. I also ask where they see the department I’m interviewing for fits in to this vision. You’d like to know if they view the department adversarially or in a collaborative manner. This question has given me great insight in the past.
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POST: I'd prefer not to let anyone know until we have the job in hand but I also don't want to look suspicious to places I'm applying. The preference to conceal this information is more for fear that they will know I'm not happy and try to hire someone to replace me that with someone will stay. What is the protocol here? Is it a necessity to have a letter from my current institution or not? STEM if it matters. Also, I am at a teaching-centered institution and I'd like to jump to more research. Not an R1 but a place where I maybe teach 2 or 3 classes each semester and do more research. I'm trying to work on research to present, add publications, and even track down a grant. What else can I do to add to my packet to get an R2 or R3 school interested in me? Thanks in advance!
RESPONSE A: The letter will help. I would say in order of importance: letter from dept. colleague, letter from advisor, letter from someone in the field. I think you need to find someone you trust to be confidential and ask for a letter. Be upfront as to why you want to find another position (e.g. be closer to family). I think most people will honor that confidentiality (especially if you ask them to respect your confidentiality). If it gets out, its awkward, but certainly not cause for dismissal or non-renewal.
RESPONSE B: I've been on both sides of this equation. First, you should know lots of people apply for jobs -- this goes for research universities and undergraduate institutions. There is nothing anomalous about this. You don't know this, of course, because people keep quiet about it, and generally only let the word out when they have an offer and/or are leaving. The usual thing is to find someone at your institution whom you trust will not tell anyone to write a letter for you. This is the best scenario. That said, sometimes that doesn't seem feasible. Another approach I've seen is to address this in your cover letter: indicate that you have letters coming from colleagues at other institutions, and that for confidentiality, you have held off on asking for a letter from your current institution, but should your application be of interest to them, you would be happy to provide such.
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POST: starting TT position at end of year. what should I be doing now? This is at a primarily undergrad place. I have a fair amount of free time before I start and am wondering how I can prepare myself and put my best foot forward when I do start. Should I contact faculty in my department and try to get to know them or would that be annoying?
RESPONSE A: If you know what you're going to be teaching, start prepping classes. Lectures, assignments, syllabi, etc. Doing it now will help you to have more time in your first semester or two to spend getting used to campus, teaching, etc. You don't want to be racing to catch up every week. Trust me. **Note:** In response to your comment elsewhere, if they've hired you as a t-t prof, they know what they're going to have you teaching most likely. Or they have a pretty good idea. Seriously, course prepping is something you should do as much as you can ahead of time. Your future self will thank your past self.
RESPONSE B: If it were at a research university I'd say writing grants. Will you be teaching the first term? Do you know what courses you will be teaching? If so then you've got a lot of course development ahead of you.
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POST: Cover Letter for a TT Position at a Community College What was the general format of your cover letter for a teaching position at a community college? What do you look for? What are the dos and don'ts? At this point, I think I have read every article in the Chronicle about this, but I would love some real perspective from someone who recently applied or sat on a hiring committee. I am a current graduate student applying for a position in the social sciences.
RESPONSE A: I’ve been on a number of hiring committees at my CC. Honestly, your experience will vary depending on how competitive the field is, the interests of the college, and the temperament of the people on the committee. Unfortunately, it’s hard to know about these things without some inside knowledge (which is virtually impossible....even if you were applying for a position AT my CC, I wouldn’t be confident in my answer). Bottom line: Be true to yourself. Highlight your strengths. Talk about why you are looking for THIS position (as opposed to A position). Given your teaching experience (I’m guessing here) is a little light, maybe talk about how you would compensate for that. If it’s a competitive position, don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t work out. If my experience is any indication, landing a position will require some adjunct teaching, some network building, and some luck. You can’t control the luck, but you can control the other two. Good luck!
RESPONSE B: Definitely don't mention their "world class research". They will laugh and then throw your application away.
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POST: Cover Letter for a TT Position at a Community College What was the general format of your cover letter for a teaching position at a community college? What do you look for? What are the dos and don'ts? At this point, I think I have read every article in the Chronicle about this, but I would love some real perspective from someone who recently applied or sat on a hiring committee. I am a current graduate student applying for a position in the social sciences.
RESPONSE A: Definitely don't mention their "world class research". They will laugh and then throw your application away.
RESPONSE B: I agree the the above post. Having served on many searches- it is important to explain why this job specifically meets your interests and experience. If your letter is too general we will dismiss you right away as not serious.
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POST: don'ts? At this point, I think I have read every article in the Chronicle about this, but I would love some real perspective from someone who recently applied or sat on a hiring committee. I am a current graduate student applying for a position in the social sciences.
RESPONSE A: I’ve been on a number of hiring committees at my CC. Honestly, your experience will vary depending on how competitive the field is, the interests of the college, and the temperament of the people on the committee. Unfortunately, it’s hard to know about these things without some inside knowledge (which is virtually impossible....even if you were applying for a position AT my CC, I wouldn’t be confident in my answer). Bottom line: Be true to yourself. Highlight your strengths. Talk about why you are looking for THIS position (as opposed to A position). Given your teaching experience (I’m guessing here) is a little light, maybe talk about how you would compensate for that. If it’s a competitive position, don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t work out. If my experience is any indication, landing a position will require some adjunct teaching, some network building, and some luck. You can’t control the luck, but you can control the other two. Good luck!
RESPONSE B: I'd suggest you look at the CC website and see what they are highlighting. If they are making a big deal about articulation transfer agreements you could mention in your letter how your class would prepare students to transfer to X senior college. If they focus on community connections you could mention in your letter how your area of social sciences would help in connecting to the community. If they make a big deal about continuing education you could put in a sentence about being willing to work with continuing ed on programs. And so on. But, the primary focus should be on the quality of your teaching. If you have good student evaluations and/or positive evaluations of your teaching you could mention that in your letter and expand on it in the rest of your application. Also, look at the specific classes that they teach in your social sciences area and you could toss in a sentence that you are prepared to teach X, Y and Z as you walk in the door.
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POST: Cover Letter for a TT Position at a Community College What was the general format of your cover letter for a teaching position at a community college? What do you look for? What are the dos and don'ts? At this point, I think I have read every article in the Chronicle about this, but I would love some real perspective from someone who recently applied or sat on a hiring committee. I am a current graduate student applying for a position in the social sciences.
RESPONSE A: I'd suggest you look at the CC website and see what they are highlighting. If they are making a big deal about articulation transfer agreements you could mention in your letter how your class would prepare students to transfer to X senior college. If they focus on community connections you could mention in your letter how your area of social sciences would help in connecting to the community. If they make a big deal about continuing education you could put in a sentence about being willing to work with continuing ed on programs. And so on. But, the primary focus should be on the quality of your teaching. If you have good student evaluations and/or positive evaluations of your teaching you could mention that in your letter and expand on it in the rest of your application. Also, look at the specific classes that they teach in your social sciences area and you could toss in a sentence that you are prepared to teach X, Y and Z as you walk in the door.
RESPONSE B: I agree the the above post. Having served on many searches- it is important to explain why this job specifically meets your interests and experience. If your letter is too general we will dismiss you right away as not serious.
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POST: should I be aware of (if any exist). I would be interested in working within the tech and media industries themselves: I've read consulting is a thing, but whatever that is seems very vague. ​ I'm taking a gap year in between MA and PhD to take a break, search for programs, and study Japanese. Are there any skills I should try and pick up? Should I try one of these free coding courses online? ​ Does anyone have a similar experience? If anyone here has a PhD in Media Studies or a related field, what was your experience post-grad? What is your cohort up to?
RESPONSE A: I feel you could find an interesting fit in Market Research, Branding, or "Cultural Insights". You would need to: 1) Get some internships or similar work during the summers of your PhD program and/or experience during your time off. 2) See if you could take some courses in other departments (marketing, business school, maybe even get some survey/stats experience) Keep in mind, this will probably feel like a HUGE set of compromises from what you did in academia and it isn't a sure thing. Main thing is to get as much experience as you can before you graduate.
RESPONSE B: Hi, media and communications professor here. Our field has distinguished itself as being one where people always considered the possibility of the non-academic track. Media companies, or companies that need to Understand their markets or audiences,nonprofits, public policy, lots of places where they need expert researchers. I would say about a third of our doctoral students go into the private sector, nonprofits or government. This is not a fallback choice. This is something that they specifically intended to do with their degree. Second, our field has been going through a decades long boom. We have extremely low unemployment for doctoral students. It’s a combination of relatively few doctoral programs and lots of growing schools. That does not predict the future, but so far at least, we have a very high rate of employment. In our doctoral program in our college we have about 99% placement over the last decade or more...Majority in academia but also in the other sector jobs mentioned above
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POST: (Classics) How hard of a time will I have finding a position at a university (anywhere) if my PhD is not from a high ranking University? I saw a previous post on here asking a kinda similar question, however I wanted to know how hard it would be to land a position at a university if my masters and PhD is not from a particularly high ranking university? I know Latin, Greek, and French. I realize that learning Italian, German, and possibly Mandarin or Spanish will help my chances. But will having several useful languages under my belt make up from the lack of rank? What can I do to help my chances if that is the case? My undergraduate degree is from a university that is currently unranked (due to it being an international school and very small), even then all the professors were from very prestigious universities. So this got me questioning if academia is worth pursuing if I'm not going to have a chance because of where I got my degrees.
RESPONSE A: Publication and grants. A prestigious university and a shitty CV won't get you very far. But a mid-range university and a good publication / grants record will get you far.
RESPONSE B: I'm not in your field, but it will be tough. I'm not at a terribly prestigious school but we are in a desirable area. We get applications from Harvard, Columbia, Berkeley, Stanford, and UCLA PhDs. Like, many, many applications from these places. Add to that the number of people looking to move from other colleges or universities to ours and you have an amazing number of applications for every single job.
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POST: (Classics) How hard of a time will I have finding a position at a university (anywhere) if my PhD is not from a high ranking University? I saw a previous post on here asking a kinda similar question, however I wanted to know how hard it would be to land a position at a university if my masters and PhD is not from a particularly high ranking university? I know Latin, Greek, and French. I realize that learning Italian, German, and possibly Mandarin or Spanish will help my chances. But will having several useful languages under my belt make up from the lack of rank? What can I do to help my chances if that is the case? My undergraduate degree is from a university that is currently unranked (due to it being an international school and very small), even then all the professors were from very prestigious universities. So this got me questioning if academia is worth pursuing if I'm not going to have a chance because of where I got my degrees.
RESPONSE A: Publication and grants. A prestigious university and a shitty CV won't get you very far. But a mid-range university and a good publication / grants record will get you far.
RESPONSE B: If you have really excellent research then you have a shot. Schools like professors that attract grants and boost their ratings. Or if you have connections with the faculty and they want to do you a favour.
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POST: (Classics) How hard of a time will I have finding a position at a university (anywhere) if my PhD is not from a high ranking University? I saw a previous post on here asking a kinda similar question, however I wanted to know how hard it would be to land a position at a university if my masters and PhD is not from a particularly high ranking university? I know Latin, Greek, and French. I realize that learning Italian, German, and possibly Mandarin or Spanish will help my chances. But will having several useful languages under my belt make up from the lack of rank? What can I do to help my chances if that is the case? My undergraduate degree is from a university that is currently unranked (due to it being an international school and very small), even then all the professors were from very prestigious universities. So this got me questioning if academia is worth pursuing if I'm not going to have a chance because of where I got my degrees.
RESPONSE A: My master's and PhD are from a well-regarded but not top-ranking university. First job after my PhD is an Oxbridge postdoc. It can be done.
RESPONSE B: Undergrad looking at grad schools- who decides what’s a “prestigious” university? Is there a list somewhere organized by program?
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POST: (Classics) How hard of a time will I have finding a position at a university (anywhere) if my PhD is not from a high ranking University? I saw a previous post on here asking a kinda similar question, however I wanted to know how hard it would be to land a position at a university if my masters and PhD is not from a particularly high ranking university? I know Latin, Greek, and French. I realize that learning Italian, German, and possibly Mandarin or Spanish will help my chances. But will having several useful languages under my belt make up from the lack of rank? What can I do to help my chances if that is the case? My undergraduate degree is from a university that is currently unranked (due to it being an international school and very small), even then all the professors were from very prestigious universities. So this got me questioning if academia is worth pursuing if I'm not going to have a chance because of where I got my degrees.
RESPONSE A: Undergrad looking at grad schools- who decides what’s a “prestigious” university? Is there a list somewhere organized by program?
RESPONSE B: Very difficult, especially in a small and contracting field like classics. I went to a fairly well-known R2, and most of our classics professors were from Hopkins/Yale/Chicago. Nobody cares about your BA. If you have the ability to go to a good program for your MA and a superior one for your PhD, you ought to take the opportunity. Whether or not it's fair, a mediocre student from Harvard will, for multiple reasons, have better chances than a good student from Univ. of South Carolina.
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POST: e to it being an international school and very small), even then all the professors were from very prestigious universities. So this got me questioning if academia is worth pursuing if I'm not going to have a chance because of where I got my degrees.
RESPONSE A: Very difficult, especially in a small and contracting field like classics. I went to a fairly well-known R2, and most of our classics professors were from Hopkins/Yale/Chicago. Nobody cares about your BA. If you have the ability to go to a good program for your MA and a superior one for your PhD, you ought to take the opportunity. Whether or not it's fair, a mediocre student from Harvard will, for multiple reasons, have better chances than a good student from Univ. of South Carolina.
RESPONSE B: >So this got me questioning if academia is worth pursuing You could always think of your path differently. The university job isn't always sunshine and rainbows even if you do land a tenure track position. In fact, I know people who are really stressed and overworked as they work towards tenure. It seems worse than a PhD program for sure. Get your PhD if you love the subject, are young, have funding, and few external responsibilities (supporting a spouse and kids kinda stuff). Get certified to teach K12. The prestige is obviously way lower, but you can still be an expert in your field. You'll still be able to contribute to conferences and study the scholarship. You may not get the nice, cushy sabbatical with external funds to write a book, but how many PhDs are doing that post graduation? How many are adjuncting trying to find a way into the tenure track world of academia? First year teacher at my local school district makes $52k/year with a PhD. Making $75k/year by year 15. That includes great benefits and a nice 2 month break every year to work on research if you want. This is just a suggestion. But I do think academia needs to be more forthcoming with the reality of the tenure-track (and even non-tenure-track) market and educate people on what else they can pursue with their degree.
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POST: Profs that teach programming languages: Do you use memes in slides? I'm supposed to teach a *single* intro programming class and I was wondering if using memes is *cringy* for students. Note that this isn't a "regular" class but a recap of what's done. I'm thinking of having one-two memes in places where I think it'll help students remember a key point.
RESPONSE A: Just make it a good meme and nobody will argue :)
RESPONSE B: I thought the point was to be cringey
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POST: Profs that teach programming languages: Do you use memes in slides? I'm supposed to teach a *single* intro programming class and I was wondering if using memes is *cringy* for students. Note that this isn't a "regular" class but a recap of what's done. I'm thinking of having one-two memes in places where I think it'll help students remember a key point.
RESPONSE A: Just make it a good meme and nobody will argue :)
RESPONSE B: It has to be relevant and making a real point. If you're saying it just to be the fun professor, they'll know and it will be awkward. If it's making a point, it will generally work well, no matter how cliché or out of date, unless it's offensive. If you have to work to make it work, it's not the right place.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Profs that teach programming languages: Do you use memes in slides? I'm supposed to teach a *single* intro programming class and I was wondering if using memes is *cringy* for students. Note that this isn't a "regular" class but a recap of what's done. I'm thinking of having one-two memes in places where I think it'll help students remember a key point.
RESPONSE A: I'm in CS adjacent but did a undergrad in CS, send me the meme and I will determine its cringyness. I've seen jokes and other stuff in slides before so I dont think it would be that out of place, especially with cs students.
RESPONSE B: When I teach child development I use an XKCD of piagets stages as hurricane levels. It goes down like a lead balloon every time but I don’t care because I hope one person decides to check out XKCD.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Profs that teach programming languages: Do you use memes in slides? I'm supposed to teach a *single* intro programming class and I was wondering if using memes is *cringy* for students. Note that this isn't a "regular" class but a recap of what's done. I'm thinking of having one-two memes in places where I think it'll help students remember a key point.
RESPONSE A: I'm in CS adjacent but did a undergrad in CS, send me the meme and I will determine its cringyness. I've seen jokes and other stuff in slides before so I dont think it would be that out of place, especially with cs students.
RESPONSE B: Don't just use memes yourself...have the students make them as an extra credit assignment. I teach an electronics course and I had an extra credit meme worth a few points on homework assignments. It gets them engaged and honestly some of the stuff they came up with made me laugh out loud sitting at my desk. I know multiple other people who do this- you can also have the students post them on a class discussion forum, some reward for the most updated one, etc.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Profs that teach programming languages: Do you use memes in slides? I'm supposed to teach a *single* intro programming class and I was wondering if using memes is *cringy* for students. Note that this isn't a "regular" class but a recap of what's done. I'm thinking of having one-two memes in places where I think it'll help students remember a key point.
RESPONSE A: Absolutely. The cringier the better haha.
RESPONSE B: I'm in CS adjacent but did a undergrad in CS, send me the meme and I will determine its cringyness. I've seen jokes and other stuff in slides before so I dont think it would be that out of place, especially with cs students.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Has anyone pivoted from one field of study to a completely different one? Just wondering how common that is. I’m in an MSc in Genetic and Genome Biology currently. I’ve taken a few ecological climatology and meteorology courses during my undergrad, and I’m wondering how difficult it would be to, in theory, pivot to that field some day. Thanks!
RESPONSE A: I don't want to give away too many details, but very similar situation here: molecular background (BS/MS), and currently in a PhD program in an ecology division/lab of a larger department. While I am not here for the ecology aspect (it's interesting, and applicable, sure, but not my focus), it's apparent that I lack foundational theory compared to the rest of my cohort, in the sense that when things are mentioned I'll maybe have heard about it in discussion, but the others could run circles around me in practice. It's to be expected, really - my background was an entirely different training, and they shudder when I talk giddily about it. If your situation is like mine where you are considering switching fields for PhD, etc., I think it comes down to your PI/advisor/whatever. Mine knows my background, knows what I am in the lab to learn (not necessarily ecology stuff), and is perfectly fine with that. But at the same time, it is expected that I take what I have learned in courses here and apply it, and do the necessary background research on my own when necessary. It does compound with imposter syndrome, because I am literally in a field I have very little background knowledge on, but it comes with the territory, I suppose. From your post, it seems like you have more than just an introductory course in the area, so your experience might be a little better than mine. I have my comprehensives this semester, so we'll see!
RESPONSE B: I did my PhD in Physics, specialising in advanced microscopy for biomedical applications. I have since pivoted to climate science (project management rather than research) and will soon be moving to a more policy-based role within the same organisation.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Has anyone pivoted from one field of study to a completely different one? Just wondering how common that is. I’m in an MSc in Genetic and Genome Biology currently. I’ve taken a few ecological climatology and meteorology courses during my undergrad, and I’m wondering how difficult it would be to, in theory, pivot to that field some day. Thanks!
RESPONSE A: I did my PhD in Physics, specialising in advanced microscopy for biomedical applications. I have since pivoted to climate science (project management rather than research) and will soon be moving to a more policy-based role within the same organisation.
RESPONSE B: Well my MA is in English and my PhD and teaching pursuits are all in comp sci. So there's that.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Has anyone pivoted from one field of study to a completely different one? Just wondering how common that is. I’m in an MSc in Genetic and Genome Biology currently. I’ve taken a few ecological climatology and meteorology courses during my undergrad, and I’m wondering how difficult it would be to, in theory, pivot to that field some day. Thanks!
RESPONSE A: From Media Studies/Comm for undergrad/Master's to Computer Science for my PhD. I had a background in math/intro programming from high school and was a self-taught backend web developer in undergrad, so programming skills were there just not the theory. The way I did it was finding a PhD program with flexible coursework requirements that also gave me some time to catch myself up on concepts core to my research area. I did a lot of self-teaching to get myself to where I'm at now. The best advice I have is to leverage what you know and find a field that respects your prior knowledge as important. In my degree program, I was able to bring in my background in theory from Communications, as it relates to my research area (social media) + also let me skip some classes too. It was also nice to be in an interdisciplinary environment that valued what I used to do and how it could contribute now.
RESPONSE B: I did my PhD in Physics, specialising in advanced microscopy for biomedical applications. I have since pivoted to climate science (project management rather than research) and will soon be moving to a more policy-based role within the same organisation.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Has anyone pivoted from one field of study to a completely different one? Just wondering how common that is. I’m in an MSc in Genetic and Genome Biology currently. I’ve taken a few ecological climatology and meteorology courses during my undergrad, and I’m wondering how difficult it would be to, in theory, pivot to that field some day. Thanks!
RESPONSE A: I went from astrophysics/astronomy to meteorology (and now back again after 5 years) and didn't find it particularly difficult. That's likely due to me working for a big meteorological body which could train me easily though. Also, I worked in a very statistical analysis-related field of meteorology, which used many of the skills I already had.
RESPONSE B: MA in Art History to several years later an.MS in Applied Computer Scince. I now teach Computer Information Systems as a tenure-track instructor.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Improving technical writing of non-native English speaking students I’m a TT prof at an R1 and have a PhD student who is interested in pursuing academia. They have all the right motivation and technical ability but they are just, forgive my frankness, a God awful writer. I feel I’m letting this student down because I really don’t know how to teach writing to non-native speakers. Every year in my lab I give a couple presentations on scientific writing. And I work with this student week after week on their writing during our weekly meetings but nothing seems to move the needle. So I’m looking for any tips or advice that could be helpful. I have plenty of funds to send the student to workshops or seminars or whatever will work. Anyone have success stories to share with similar experiences?
RESPONSE A: You may want to look at Swales and Feak's _Academic Writing for Graduate Students_, which is geared in part to non-native speakers.
RESPONSE B: Send them to the writing center at your university for a start. They usually have people dedicated to working with technical writers whose first language is not English. My office bought a subscription to Grammarly to help our GRAs, and it seems to be helping them over time.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: I'm looking for programs or apps that can help me organize, reference and look up knowledge and information. Description inside. Hello! I'll be brief. I am a sociology student. I have a substantial need for organizing and notetaking. I was wondering if a program of the following description or similar exists: I want to be able to create various brief "nodes" of knowledge. Say I have a node that claims "Men are more likely than women to be sexual initiators" or something like that. Then I would link this node to any number various studies that I know of that back up this claim. Another node could be "Men associate social status with frequency of sexual activity", to which I would also link various sources that back up this claim. Some of these could be the same as the sources from the above or other nodes. This "vault" of knowledge could contain any number of nodes in various categories. Nodes could also be hierarchical with children and parent nodes. I view it as a way to structure and organize what I know and from where I know it. Also, the reverse could be done. I could look up any study/source and then find all nodes/claims that I have linked to that source, given an overview of what "knowledge" this source contain (that are relevant to me). Does it make sense? Does anything of the sort exist? I am a bit nervous that there some obvious answer, but I needed to share my thoughts. **TL;DR: Looking for a tool to structure and organize my "knowledge" and where that knowledge is from (and the reverse).**
RESPONSE A: Take a look at Obsidian. It changed my life
RESPONSE B: The closest I can think of is Notion.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: information. Description inside. Hello! I'll be brief. I am a sociology student. I have a substantial need for organizing and notetaking. I was wondering if a program of the following description or similar exists: I want to be able to create various brief "nodes" of knowledge. Say I have a node that claims "Men are more likely than women to be sexual initiators" or something like that. Then I would link this node to any number various studies that I know of that back up this claim. Another node could be "Men associate social status with frequency of sexual activity", to which I would also link various sources that back up this claim. Some of these could be the same as the sources from the above or other nodes. This "vault" of knowledge could contain any number of nodes in various categories. Nodes could also be hierarchical with children and parent nodes. I view it as a way to structure and organize what I know and from where I know it. Also, the reverse could be done. I could look up any study/source and then find all nodes/claims that I have linked to that source, given an overview of what "knowledge" this source contain (that are relevant to me). Does it make sense? Does anything of the sort exist? I am a bit nervous that there some obvious answer, but I needed to share my thoughts. **TL;DR: Looking for a tool to structure and organize my "knowledge" and where that knowledge is from (and the reverse).**
RESPONSE A: A very simple and uncomplicated solution might be Zotero. You could just use collections and their subcollections as a "node" or even a standalone note. Zotero has the ability to add related items in the database and all your literature and notes on your literature could sit inside it.
RESPONSE B: NVivo leaps to mind just because you're talking about 'nodes', and that's the terminology NVivo uses. I think NVivo could do everything you're suggesting, but I also think it's too unstable and bloated to be a good place to store very large amounts of papers etc. I just don't find it very reliable.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: I'm looking for programs or apps that can help me organize, reference and look up knowledge and information. Description inside. Hello! I'll be brief. I am a sociology student. I have a substantial need for organizing and notetaking. I was wondering if a program of the following description or similar exists: I want to be able to create various brief "nodes" of knowledge. Say I have a node that claims "Men are more likely than women to be sexual initiators" or something like that. Then I would link this node to any number various studies that I know of that back up this claim. Another node could be "Men associate social status with frequency of sexual activity", to which I would also link various sources that back up this claim. Some of these could be the same as the sources from the above or other nodes. This "vault" of knowledge could contain any number of nodes in various categories. Nodes could also be hierarchical with children and parent nodes. I view it as a way to structure and organize what I know and from where I know it. Also, the reverse could be done. I could look up any study/source and then find all nodes/claims that I have linked to that source, given an overview of what "knowledge" this source contain (that are relevant to me). Does it make sense? Does anything of the sort exist? I am a bit nervous that there some obvious answer, but I needed to share my thoughts. **TL;DR: Looking for a tool to structure and organize my "knowledge" and where that knowledge is from (and the reverse).**
RESPONSE A: Notion or Roam
RESPONSE B: A very simple and uncomplicated solution might be Zotero. You could just use collections and their subcollections as a "node" or even a standalone note. Zotero has the ability to add related items in the database and all your literature and notes on your literature could sit inside it.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: I'm looking for programs or apps that can help me organize, reference and look up knowledge and information. Description inside. Hello! I'll be brief. I am a sociology student. I have a substantial need for organizing and notetaking. I was wondering if a program of the following description or similar exists: I want to be able to create various brief "nodes" of knowledge. Say I have a node that claims "Men are more likely than women to be sexual initiators" or something like that. Then I would link this node to any number various studies that I know of that back up this claim. Another node could be "Men associate social status with frequency of sexual activity", to which I would also link various sources that back up this claim. Some of these could be the same as the sources from the above or other nodes. This "vault" of knowledge could contain any number of nodes in various categories. Nodes could also be hierarchical with children and parent nodes. I view it as a way to structure and organize what I know and from where I know it. Also, the reverse could be done. I could look up any study/source and then find all nodes/claims that I have linked to that source, given an overview of what "knowledge" this source contain (that are relevant to me). Does it make sense? Does anything of the sort exist? I am a bit nervous that there some obvious answer, but I needed to share my thoughts. **TL;DR: Looking for a tool to structure and organize my "knowledge" and where that knowledge is from (and the reverse).**
RESPONSE A: Check out Roam Research; I used it right when it was released and it might meet your described need.
RESPONSE B: A very simple and uncomplicated solution might be Zotero. You could just use collections and their subcollections as a "node" or even a standalone note. Zotero has the ability to add related items in the database and all your literature and notes on your literature could sit inside it.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: can help me organize, reference and look up knowledge and information. Description inside. Hello! I'll be brief. I am a sociology student. I have a substantial need for organizing and notetaking. I was wondering if a program of the following description or similar exists: I want to be able to create various brief "nodes" of knowledge. Say I have a node that claims "Men are more likely than women to be sexual initiators" or something like that. Then I would link this node to any number various studies that I know of that back up this claim. Another node could be "Men associate social status with frequency of sexual activity", to which I would also link various sources that back up this claim. Some of these could be the same as the sources from the above or other nodes. This "vault" of knowledge could contain any number of nodes in various categories. Nodes could also be hierarchical with children and parent nodes. I view it as a way to structure and organize what I know and from where I know it. Also, the reverse could be done. I could look up any study/source and then find all nodes/claims that I have linked to that source, given an overview of what "knowledge" this source contain (that are relevant to me). Does it make sense? Does anything of the sort exist? I am a bit nervous that there some obvious answer, but I needed to share my thoughts. **TL;DR: Looking for a tool to structure and organize my "knowledge" and where that knowledge is from (and the reverse).**
RESPONSE A: A very simple and uncomplicated solution might be Zotero. You could just use collections and their subcollections as a "node" or even a standalone note. Zotero has the ability to add related items in the database and all your literature and notes on your literature could sit inside it.
RESPONSE B: So, like a relational database. But you probably want it to be pretty and not have to rely on figuring out how to create the structure behind it and then use SQL to pull queries. You may want to post this to a data scientist/library science/info science group. I bet Code4Lib would have an answer.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: productive (15+ pubs). But I kind of burnt myself out and had to start my postdoc right after my dissertation defense. I regret not taking much time off during my PhD, so I've been having a fun time during my postdoc-- I got a girlfriend, have been traveling, camping, developing new hobbies, etc. My postdoc isn't closely supervised and my duties are analyzing data and writing it up for publication, so I mostly work from home. I typically end up working about 35 hours a week, and rarely work weekends. So far, my PI hasn't complained because I've certainly been working, just not nearly as hard as I used to. Still, it's probably obvious I'm not as productive as the other postdocs in my lab. I'm wondering A) how common is it to take it easy during your postdoc? and B) will this come back to haunt me? Thanks!
RESPONSE A: I echo some of the other responses here - we are so used to such a crazy workload and expectation that we don’t realize that 35 hours a week and rare weekends is...normal? Ha! I’ve recently started a postdoc and am feeling the same way - I worked SO much during my PhD and now I feel that I’m rolling down the hills, so to speak. This weekend my PI emailed me edits on a bunch of stuff I sent last week and I just...didn’t look at them. Not until this morning. And it was glorious. I feel that after a PhD it’s okay to work like a normal human, but maybe that’s just me haha. I also have no intention on staying in academia forever, so I don’t feel that fire to never stop, either.
RESPONSE B: I will take the contrary position I am afraid. At each step of the academic career path, only a fraction make it to the next step. If you are thinking of an academic position for your next step - you will be competing against a pool of post-docs who have NOT been on cruise control. Remember those other post-docs in your lab who you are not as productive as? Who do you think will be considered if a position opens up where you are?
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: during your postdoc? and B) will this come back to haunt me? Thanks!
RESPONSE A: That's one of the pitfalls of academia, I think. It "trains" us into thinking that only those who rise with their science on their mind and fall asleep, exhausted and still thinking about their research 18 hours later, are "real" scientists. Publish or perish. Impact Points über Alles. Feynman spent weeks doing things that had nothing to do with his work. Or, closer to your world maybe, Watzlawick was an avid cook and rebuilt motorcycles, often telling his doctoral students to come back in a week when he was willing to think about his research again. C. Wright Mills suffered from a cardiac condition that would kill him at 45 and, knowing he didn't have as much time as others, he spent only 40 hours a week working on the Sociological Imagination, "living life at the fullest" as he called it, on his motorcycle. Others, like Rudy Rucker, wrote fiction on the side. My advisor and later PI Rose MacAllen made a deal with her then girlfriend, now wife, that she would never work more than 50 hours a week and would quit academia if she ever had to. Yeah, I sometimes had to wait until the next morning to talk to her about things (there was a "no science at BBQs" rule that pissed me off something fierce back then), but when 80% of the department struggled with infighting and burnout she went on to publish on neuropsychology at a slower but steadier pace, becoming one of the greats. That we feel like apologizing for only working 40 hours a week... that's academia's greatest scam.
RESPONSE B: I will take the contrary position I am afraid. At each step of the academic career path, only a fraction make it to the next step. If you are thinking of an academic position for your next step - you will be competing against a pool of post-docs who have NOT been on cruise control. Remember those other post-docs in your lab who you are not as productive as? Who do you think will be considered if a position opens up where you are?
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: , my PI hasn't complained because I've certainly been working, just not nearly as hard as I used to. Still, it's probably obvious I'm not as productive as the other postdocs in my lab. I'm wondering A) how common is it to take it easy during your postdoc? and B) will this come back to haunt me? Thanks!
RESPONSE A: That's one of the pitfalls of academia, I think. It "trains" us into thinking that only those who rise with their science on their mind and fall asleep, exhausted and still thinking about their research 18 hours later, are "real" scientists. Publish or perish. Impact Points über Alles. Feynman spent weeks doing things that had nothing to do with his work. Or, closer to your world maybe, Watzlawick was an avid cook and rebuilt motorcycles, often telling his doctoral students to come back in a week when he was willing to think about his research again. C. Wright Mills suffered from a cardiac condition that would kill him at 45 and, knowing he didn't have as much time as others, he spent only 40 hours a week working on the Sociological Imagination, "living life at the fullest" as he called it, on his motorcycle. Others, like Rudy Rucker, wrote fiction on the side. My advisor and later PI Rose MacAllen made a deal with her then girlfriend, now wife, that she would never work more than 50 hours a week and would quit academia if she ever had to. Yeah, I sometimes had to wait until the next morning to talk to her about things (there was a "no science at BBQs" rule that pissed me off something fierce back then), but when 80% of the department struggled with infighting and burnout she went on to publish on neuropsychology at a slower but steadier pace, becoming one of the greats. That we feel like apologizing for only working 40 hours a week... that's academia's greatest scam.
RESPONSE B: I assume you are aiming for academia. It really depends on your current stance, if you have good publications and not aiming for top schools, just take it easy.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: Is it okay to 'take it easy' during postdoc? I'll be honest, I (32 year old woman, psychology phd) started a postdoc about 6 months ago and I've been pretty lazy ever since. I worked my butt off during my PhD and was very productive (15+ pubs). But I kind of burnt myself out and had to start my postdoc right after my dissertation defense. I regret not taking much time off during my PhD, so I've been having a fun time during my postdoc-- I got a girlfriend, have been traveling, camping, developing new hobbies, etc. My postdoc isn't closely supervised and my duties are analyzing data and writing it up for publication, so I mostly work from home. I typically end up working about 35 hours a week, and rarely work weekends. So far, my PI hasn't complained because I've certainly been working, just not nearly as hard as I used to. Still, it's probably obvious I'm not as productive as the other postdocs in my lab. I'm wondering A) how common is it to take it easy during your postdoc? and B) will this come back to haunt me? Thanks!
RESPONSE A: I assume you are aiming for academia. It really depends on your current stance, if you have good publications and not aiming for top schools, just take it easy.
RESPONSE B: 15 publications from PhD ! I would have retired not just take it easy.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: Does it matter where I go to college if I want to be a professor? Like the title says. I'm currently a junior in high school, and I want to teach math at a college level. From what I can tell, this will entail getting a doctorate, which I'm perfectly fine with. I'm a good student, so I'm not worried about getting into schools, but I am worried about the cost (currently looking at schools like Harvey Mudd and MIT). Is it worth getting in debt to go to a really good school, or should I just get my bachelor's degree from a state school that will be a lot cheaper?
RESPONSE A: In the long run, your bachelors degree isn’t going to matter as much as your graduate. I would go to a good undergraduate school that can prepare you for graduate programs. Work with your advisors during undergrad to make sure you are preparing yourself for graduate education. Falling into debt as an undergrad is something I know that me and most other people regret. Look at specific math programs and not just the prestige of the university.
RESPONSE B: BS will likely matter less than a PhD - I would look at state schools and see if there are any where undergraduates actively participate in research. This is common in engineering, but may be more difficult in math etc. where you need a lot of base knowledge first. You also may get an advantage of standing out more at a state school, vs. MIT and the likes where everyone will be top of their class coming in.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: Professors on fellowship and prize committees, how do you choose between two equally competitive applications? Hi /askacademia profs, ​ When applying for fellowships and prizes, it sometimes feels like I lose to a competitor with an equally as good set of grades, academic background, project, and references. What drives an application over the line? ​ Thanks
RESPONSE A: If you’re able, ask if you can look over anonymized grant proposals sometime. When I was an undergrad a prof had us do this for homework and rate which proposal we’d award $$ to; it was pretty enlightening.
RESPONSE B: ITT: nepotism
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: the term has a new meaning? Perhaps there is some social code that I don't understand since it is new? Is this just basic gender bias against an intelligent, well-educated, middle-aged woman? I really do not understand it.
RESPONSE A: My students often remark (to friendly colleagues) that I’m a really hard professor. I’ve talked with those colleagues and we’re pretty sure what’s going on is that I’m the first physics prof they encounter since I teach the intro course, and the course is looking for a thought process they’ve never had to use before (such as using physics concepts and math skills to build new equations, and then rigorously apply them using math skills they may have forgotten). We’re pretty sure it’s not about me, because I’m actually more “hand hold-y” than the other profs in the department, I grade more leniently, I have a large percentage of their grade be low-stakes/no-penalty HW, and I’m just all around “nicer” and more patient then my colleagues. We think they don’t consider my colleagues “hard” bc by the time they get through my class and into theirs, they now know these basic physics skills. I suspect “intimidating” doesn’t get applied to me bc of my friendliness, (apparent) youth, and being female in a male-dominated field, but I agree with the other comment that sometimes being a woman can make students be more intimidated. *shrug* gender stereotypes can cut both ways.
RESPONSE B: >but this is Philosophy, which requires academic rigor this is probably at least part of it. rigor is intimidating to those who have not been tested - **really tested** - on what they know and how to explain and what.....they don't I can't speak for your university or course, but grade inflation and coddling undergrads who have a minimal understanding of their discipline is an absolute thing across the board, from high to low status schools. people having their limits exposed - especially those who have been told all their life that trying hard is enough - will be intimidated!
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POST: is that I am "approachable." I am not a very traditional academic as I spend much of my time traveling, at academic conferences, and doing service-based work. Is there some meaning to the word "intimidating" that I am not clear about? Outside of recent teaching, I have never been told this in my life. I am, like many academics, a bit mousy. It is bewildering. Perhaps the term has a new meaning? Perhaps there is some social code that I don't understand since it is new? Is this just basic gender bias against an intelligent, well-educated, middle-aged woman? I really do not understand it.
RESPONSE A: As a student, I have been intimidated by many of my professors when it’s very obvious that they are extremely intelligent, accomplished, well spoken, passionate, organized, have their life together... etc. It’s because they are impressive. It doesn’t mean that I think they are unapproachable/mean/tough/cold; there are really none of the (possible) negative connotations of the word “intimidating” attached to it. Rather, it’s that it can be a bit intense to be in the presence of, and/or communicate with, someone like that.
RESPONSE B: I'm guessing you are direct, expect them to improve over time (work hard), and you reject the notion that you are there to befriend them. That's "intimidating," or, my favorite, "scary." I am literally the nicest person I know, I have a dry, pointed humor, but I laugh a lot . . . And I'm not taking shot from *anyone* as it demeans the value of everyone's time. So I'm "scary," lol. I would suggest that I'm "for real" (a la the Key & Peele skit "substitute teacher"). Edited to add this link: https://youtu.be/Dd7FixvoKBw I'm actually nothing like that skit, but I love how he says "I'M FOR REAL."
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: Is it difficult to switch to a career in a different field other than your masters or doctorate? I am particularly wondering about a fields within biology (am a recent graduate personally tossed up between pursuing a career researching turtles or the medical field as a D.O./PhD), but would be very curious about the case within other sciences as well. Notes about your personal experiences or what you've witnessed would be very appreciated
RESPONSE A: I know a social science professor who now teaches and advises heavily (and publishes, less heavily) in a subfield that he didn't work on at all in grad school (and he didn't do any kind of post-doc). It's probably easier to do this post-tenure, partly because departments tend to hire someone to fill a specific subfield, so I imagine if they hired you because they needed an X specialist, they might not want you abandoning X and switching to Y. Another, newer professor in the same department is also branching out into the same subfield, by collaborating with the first professor. The department as a whole is also very big on this subfield, so it was probably easier for them to branch out where there were already a lot of institutional resources in place.
RESPONSE B: The thing to remember is this; a PhD is not a qualification in your tiny little thesis area. It's a qualification to say you know how to do research. It demonstrates you have the ability to start from a basic understanding and develop *yourself* into an expert in the field. You're free to apply that to what you like. People usually only move in baby steps from sub specialism to sub specialism, but there's nothing to stop you utting the groundwork in to develop yourself as a researcher in another quite different field. Obviously the problem is it will take you longer to get up to speed the more different the topic is to your current one.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Does anyone *not* pass their dissertation or thesis? I'm curious of how often this happens, and what the reasons were. Thanks guys!
RESPONSE A: I didn't pass my first time. Never got as far as defending it though, but as I was about to present my theory on Egypt being a stable authoritarian regime the Arabic spring thing happened. So, yeah. Had to revise that one as it was clearly wrong.
RESPONSE B: I knew two students in my graduate program that did not pass their initial defense and had to do it again the next semester. One was due to a poor major professor. The other was more the student's fault in that she did not get things checked out with her committee sufficiently before defending.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Does anyone *not* pass their dissertation or thesis? I'm curious of how often this happens, and what the reasons were. Thanks guys!
RESPONSE A: Generally speaking, any mindful adviser won't let you defend unless you're going to pass.
RESPONSE B: I knew two students in my graduate program that did not pass their initial defense and had to do it again the next semester. One was due to a poor major professor. The other was more the student's fault in that she did not get things checked out with her committee sufficiently before defending.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Does anyone *not* pass their dissertation or thesis? I'm curious of how often this happens, and what the reasons were. Thanks guys!
RESPONSE A: A colleague failed a student's PhD thesis. Asked the student questions like "why do you do things this way?", and the student replied repeatedly "because my adviser suggested it". That's not going to help you pass.
RESPONSE B: Two stories I've heard from law faculties in Switzerland come to my mind. Prof. Xavier Oberson wrote his thesis on tax law theory. At the defense, he was seriously and famously challenged by a member of the jury (tax law Professor from Germany) who try to refute his thesis. The defense lasted 4 hours, since it was a debate between the Professor in question and Oberson. This is quoted as a landmark case of a student being on the brink of not receiving his thesis. Since he was able to defend it pretty, the jury awarded him his doctorate. The other story is about a current clerk at the Swiss Federal Court who was also writing his thesis on a very special tax. A week before he finished writing it, the government presented a project to abolish it, which was adopted by the Parliament before he could pass the oral defense. He was not awarded his thesis. I could dig up more details if you want.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Does anyone *not* pass their dissertation or thesis? I'm curious of how often this happens, and what the reasons were. Thanks guys!
RESPONSE A: I've known a couple of people in the UK fail their PhD vivas. One I'm not sure of the reasons behind it. The other was a student in biochemistry whose supervisor moved to another university during her second year. She then had a medical issue which meant it was a further 4 years before she submitted the thesis, in which time she had basically had no help from her supervisor and was working blind. The work had also been gazumped by another group 12 months beforehand. Supervisor gave little to no feedback on the thesis before submission. I've seen other students have very good supervision but ignore it and come very close to failing (given major corrections). Once I saw someone I was sure get major corrections breeze through with a few typographical amendments. Long and short of it is you absolutely can fail to pass the defense, but it's a combination of quality of student, quality of supervision, and who the examiners are. Things have to go very badly wrong for a complete fail.
RESPONSE B: A colleague failed a student's PhD thesis. Asked the student questions like "why do you do things this way?", and the student replied repeatedly "because my adviser suggested it". That's not going to help you pass.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Does anyone *not* pass their dissertation or thesis? I'm curious of how often this happens, and what the reasons were. Thanks guys!
RESPONSE A: Two stories I've heard from law faculties in Switzerland come to my mind. Prof. Xavier Oberson wrote his thesis on tax law theory. At the defense, he was seriously and famously challenged by a member of the jury (tax law Professor from Germany) who try to refute his thesis. The defense lasted 4 hours, since it was a debate between the Professor in question and Oberson. This is quoted as a landmark case of a student being on the brink of not receiving his thesis. Since he was able to defend it pretty, the jury awarded him his doctorate. The other story is about a current clerk at the Swiss Federal Court who was also writing his thesis on a very special tax. A week before he finished writing it, the government presented a project to abolish it, which was adopted by the Parliament before he could pass the oral defense. He was not awarded his thesis. I could dig up more details if you want.
RESPONSE B: I didn't pass my first TWO times. The project that they didn't accept is now published and is my best and most influential work. Reed, Zeglen, and Schmidt, 2012. The committee didn't accept the evolutionary framework for the project. They were wrong.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: How to be an independent researcher when you micromanaged by supervisor? I’m in PhD course and I have found it difficult to focus on research primarily because of micromanagement (such as daily reports and weekly three meetings) by the supervisor(PI). I am spending too much energy and time in making reports and meeting presentations for which he is not satisfied. I stay in lab from 8am to 10pm and work on weekend. Knowing the fact that this is not healthy work style but still due to stress I spend most time in lab working and learning stuff. But things are not clear, I found my self in dense fog. Could you please give me some suggestions how to navigate this path?
RESPONSE A: Coming from a student that is so burnt out from a 6-month long internship with a micromanaging supervisor: set up boundaries. I wish I had done this sooner. I had a very very micromanaging supervisor and he always seemed to be disappointed with everything I've done. I was in your shoes: working hard 8 til 9, hardly spared anytime for recreational activity, or relationships; trying to satisfy my supervisor. But that was not sustainable and I got burnout huge time, almost couldn't bring myself to the lab anymore. My supervisor didn't understand the amount of stress he put on me and when I started to falter he thought I was lazy or demotivated and became cold and distant. It took me a lot of communication to get us all on the same page again but the relationship is forever broken. So protect yourself with a nice boundary: ask them what kind of visions are they thinking of and you tell them how you think you will do it. Have clear expectations with each other and a clear plan on how to work about it.
RESPONSE B: Do you have a PhD/guidance counselor? It might be good to discuss your concerns with them and they'll be able to help you bring it up with your PI
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: Negotiating a job offer? Can I ask for higher pay or will that embarrass them? I received a job offer from a very small school in a cheap flyover state that would pay 40k after tax. The pay is laughably bad, lower than most high school teachers, but this was the only offer I could land so far and it may come down to this or unemployment. I have a couple post-docs that I will hear back from in about six weeks. I'm drafting my first response email to them now to thank them for the offer and let them know I will wait until I have all my options in front of me. Is it bad to ask if they are firm on their salary offer? Should I wait perhaps until I write them again next month or put this out there now?
RESPONSE A: Asking for a higher salary? Yes, that sounds reasonable. Asking for 6 weeks to decide after the offer was made? No, that's not reasonable. Except under extraordinary circumstances: They would really need to prefer you over other candidates for the position, and they would need to be doing the hiring process way ahead of time.
RESPONSE B: Maybe others said some of this already. I don't know if you can string them along like that and make this process work. the way you wrote it sort of says, "I'll take you if I have to. I'm gonna see if I can get something better. but if I can't, would you be willing to pay me more." I'd say, "I'm excited about the offer but I am looking for a higher salary. How much higher can you go." Then say, "Hmmmmm. Let me ponder that." And then wait for other offers. Often in that waiting game they will slowly tick up.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: 'Informal meeting' two weeks after postdoc job offer - what to expect? Hi all, ​ After a frustrating year of job hunting, I was offered a three-year postdoc (humanities) a couple of weeks ago to my immense delight. Since the offer, I've had an initial formal offer letter and some communication via email with the admin people at the research institute. ​ I've now received an email saying that the institute's director (who was one of my interviewers) would like an 'informal chat' about the post, including discussing an overseas trip to a conference around when I'd be starting the position. I asked whether I should prepare anything and they said 'no need, look forward to seeing you then'. ​ I'm sure I'm just being paranoid but I'm freaking out a bit about what this meeting could concern. Since I'm already living in the town in which the research institute is based, my husband thinks that the director just wants to do things face-to-face and that I have nothing to worry about. ​ Has anyone had a similar experience? Please don't judge me for being so anxious - it was so hard to get this job and I think I'm just worried it could slip out of my hands for some reason :/
RESPONSE A: I agree with everyone else, you should be fine! Before I started my postdoc my would-be boss asked me to come in for a chat the week before starting; this was partly because he was going to be away when I actually started so he just wanted to go over logistics for my first week. There are many perfectly non-worrying reasons to have an advance chat (especially one defined as "informal") including the one you mentioned about the conference, so I'm sure you'll be fine. Also congrats on the job!
RESPONSE B: Best of luck
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: 'Informal meeting' two weeks after postdoc job offer - what to expect? Hi all, ​ After a frustrating year of job hunting, I was offered a three-year postdoc (humanities) a couple of weeks ago to my immense delight. Since the offer, I've had an initial formal offer letter and some communication via email with the admin people at the research institute. ​ I've now received an email saying that the institute's director (who was one of my interviewers) would like an 'informal chat' about the post, including discussing an overseas trip to a conference around when I'd be starting the position. I asked whether I should prepare anything and they said 'no need, look forward to seeing you then'. ​ I'm sure I'm just being paranoid but I'm freaking out a bit about what this meeting could concern. Since I'm already living in the town in which the research institute is based, my husband thinks that the director just wants to do things face-to-face and that I have nothing to worry about. ​ Has anyone had a similar experience? Please don't judge me for being so anxious - it was so hard to get this job and I think I'm just worried it could slip out of my hands for some reason :/
RESPONSE A: The conference thing makes me think they want to discuss some organisational issues, plane tickets, teaching duty (maybe they have a teacher who just quit or got pregnant and they need someone to cover)... Don't worry 😊
RESPONSE B: Best of luck
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: 'Informal meeting' two weeks after postdoc job offer - what to expect? Hi all, ​ After a frustrating year of job hunting, I was offered a three-year postdoc (humanities) a couple of weeks ago to my immense delight. Since the offer, I've had an initial formal offer letter and some communication via email with the admin people at the research institute. ​ I've now received an email saying that the institute's director (who was one of my interviewers) would like an 'informal chat' about the post, including discussing an overseas trip to a conference around when I'd be starting the position. I asked whether I should prepare anything and they said 'no need, look forward to seeing you then'. ​ I'm sure I'm just being paranoid but I'm freaking out a bit about what this meeting could concern. Since I'm already living in the town in which the research institute is based, my husband thinks that the director just wants to do things face-to-face and that I have nothing to worry about. ​ Has anyone had a similar experience? Please don't judge me for being so anxious - it was so hard to get this job and I think I'm just worried it could slip out of my hands for some reason :/
RESPONSE A: Best of luck
RESPONSE B: I was asked for a similar meeting after my acceptance of a post-doc. It was to discuss logistics around the job, i.e. when I'd move out, my family, the rental/house market in the area, etc. We also discussed potential projects, which was nice as we were able to put things in place so I could begin collecting data as soon as I arrived.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: How should I negotiate salary for a teaching position at a public university? I've just been offered a teaching-only faculty position in a science department at a state university. It's basically my dream job. They've offered what I think is an extremely reasonable salary for a 12-month contract. Because the faculty are state employees, their salaries are public, so I've also done some research on what people in the department make. The salary they've offered me seems to be on the high-ish end of the teaching faculty range, although I don't know if other faculty are on 9-month or 12-month contracts. It is also more than what I know many universities pay. How much leeway do I have in negotiating salary? How should I approach it?
RESPONSE A: Check out The Professor Is In blog and book. She has tons of great advice and experience with how to approach this kind of thing. She argues that initial offers are meant to be negotiated. Congrats on being offered a dream job!
RESPONSE B: I don't think there's any harm in at least asking for a bit more, but be prepared for them to either (a) not be WILLING to go any higher or (b) not be ABLE to go any higher. Know your next move before asking. What will you do if their response is either case (a) or (b)? Many times, though I'm not sure about your state/situation, raises or promotions may be a percentage of your starting salary. Ask about this, and if it is, understand that even a couple thousand more per year would be more in the long run. If they respond with option (b), then I would try to negotiate something else, as others have mentioned here. Classes taught, committee assignments, parking, office space, teaching releases, student assistants, etc. could all be fair game depending on the particular position.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: How should I negotiate salary for a teaching position at a public university? I've just been offered a teaching-only faculty position in a science department at a state university. It's basically my dream job. They've offered what I think is an extremely reasonable salary for a 12-month contract. Because the faculty are state employees, their salaries are public, so I've also done some research on what people in the department make. The salary they've offered me seems to be on the high-ish end of the teaching faculty range, although I don't know if other faculty are on 9-month or 12-month contracts. It is also more than what I know many universities pay. How much leeway do I have in negotiating salary? How should I approach it?
RESPONSE A: Here's the thing: you can always ask. They can always say no. Are you ready to take the offer as is if they do say no? Often deans find it easier to commit one-time money than salary; ask for professional development funds, moving expenses, summary salary/teaching, etc.
RESPONSE B: I don't think there's any harm in at least asking for a bit more, but be prepared for them to either (a) not be WILLING to go any higher or (b) not be ABLE to go any higher. Know your next move before asking. What will you do if their response is either case (a) or (b)? Many times, though I'm not sure about your state/situation, raises or promotions may be a percentage of your starting salary. Ask about this, and if it is, understand that even a couple thousand more per year would be more in the long run. If they respond with option (b), then I would try to negotiate something else, as others have mentioned here. Classes taught, committee assignments, parking, office space, teaching releases, student assistants, etc. could all be fair game depending on the particular position.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: How should I negotiate salary for a teaching position at a public university? I've just been offered a teaching-only faculty position in a science department at a state university. It's basically my dream job. They've offered what I think is an extremely reasonable salary for a 12-month contract. Because the faculty are state employees, their salaries are public, so I've also done some research on what people in the department make. The salary they've offered me seems to be on the high-ish end of the teaching faculty range, although I don't know if other faculty are on 9-month or 12-month contracts. It is also more than what I know many universities pay. How much leeway do I have in negotiating salary? How should I approach it?
RESPONSE A: I don't think there's any harm in at least asking for a bit more, but be prepared for them to either (a) not be WILLING to go any higher or (b) not be ABLE to go any higher. Know your next move before asking. What will you do if their response is either case (a) or (b)? Many times, though I'm not sure about your state/situation, raises or promotions may be a percentage of your starting salary. Ask about this, and if it is, understand that even a couple thousand more per year would be more in the long run. If they respond with option (b), then I would try to negotiate something else, as others have mentioned here. Classes taught, committee assignments, parking, office space, teaching releases, student assistants, etc. could all be fair game depending on the particular position.
RESPONSE B: If you cannot honestly mention that you have competing offers that you are actually considering, you have little leverage. State unis also tend to have little flexibility due to budget constraints. Keep in mind that they probably have many, many other qualified applicants for a teaching position. that said, no harm in asking if they have wiggle room in salary, but be careful about playing hardball if you don't have other offers.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Gift for professor = bribe? Hi, my friends and I want to give one of our professors a thank you card and a small gift (fancy-ish chocolate, but it's a small pack which is just about £1). We genuinely like him and want to thank him for everything, but I've been reading around and some tend to be uncomfortable with gifts and seem to think of them as bribes? What are your thoughts on this? Should we give him just a card instead?
RESPONSE A: A card would mean as much to me as any gift, especially if you write a message that is personal.
RESPONSE B: I gotten gifts for two of my profs, never got caught up in any scandals.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Gift for professor = bribe? Hi, my friends and I want to give one of our professors a thank you card and a small gift (fancy-ish chocolate, but it's a small pack which is just about £1). We genuinely like him and want to thank him for everything, but I've been reading around and some tend to be uncomfortable with gifts and seem to think of them as bribes? What are your thoughts on this? Should we give him just a card instead?
RESPONSE A: A card would mean as much to me as any gift, especially if you write a message that is personal.
RESPONSE B: Most UK Universities have a gifts policy and it is generally set at some low amount like £5 and above for declaring it so you should be fine.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Gift for professor = bribe? Hi, my friends and I want to give one of our professors a thank you card and a small gift (fancy-ish chocolate, but it's a small pack which is just about £1). We genuinely like him and want to thank him for everything, but I've been reading around and some tend to be uncomfortable with gifts and seem to think of them as bribes? What are your thoughts on this? Should we give him just a card instead?
RESPONSE A: Most UK Universities have a gifts policy and it is generally set at some low amount like £5 and above for declaring it so you should be fine.
RESPONSE B: A. Only after grades are in B. Draw him a picture/write a personal message it is definitely not a bribe and they will appreciate it more.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Professors: Would you allow an interested person to sit in on your class? I am currently a master's candidate in a non-STEM field as a US citizen at a US university. My fiance is also a master's candidate, but in Pure Mathematics at a university in Germany (he's German). His English is excellent and he can certainly participate at a graduate level in mathematics where language is concerned, so that is not an issue. He would really enjoy the chance to sit in on some math courses in the US while he is here visiting me. Would it be untoward for me to ask the math department if he could sit in on some classes? Again, I am not in a math-related field and I have no connections other than the fact that I am a student at this institution. I am fine with drafting a respectful email to ask, but I'm just not sure if this is out of bounds in general. Would you, as a professor, allow him to sit in? My fiance is going to be in the country for roughly two months. He is a good student and very keen. It would absolutely not be for any kind of credit.
RESPONSE A: I don’t see the harm in asking. I would be fine with it. It may just depend on the type of course and what each professors plans for that time period are.
RESPONSE B: I would approach the individual professors teaching the classes he'd like to sit in on rather than the department chair. Be sure to mention that he's not looking to receive credit and focus on the fact that he'd just like to further his studies in math.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Professors: Would you allow an interested person to sit in on your class? I am currently a master's candidate in a non-STEM field as a US citizen at a US university. My fiance is also a master's candidate, but in Pure Mathematics at a university in Germany (he's German). His English is excellent and he can certainly participate at a graduate level in mathematics where language is concerned, so that is not an issue. He would really enjoy the chance to sit in on some math courses in the US while he is here visiting me. Would it be untoward for me to ask the math department if he could sit in on some classes? Again, I am not in a math-related field and I have no connections other than the fact that I am a student at this institution. I am fine with drafting a respectful email to ask, but I'm just not sure if this is out of bounds in general. Would you, as a professor, allow him to sit in? My fiance is going to be in the country for roughly two months. He is a good student and very keen. It would absolutely not be for any kind of credit.
RESPONSE A: Yes, I think any math department would welcome a keen German grad student to sit in on some grad courses. The simplest advice is that math transcends cultural boundaries, so he should just ask as he would if he were hanging around a university in Germany other than his home institution.
RESPONSE B: I don’t see the harm in asking. I would be fine with it. It may just depend on the type of course and what each professors plans for that time period are.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: Professors: Would you allow an interested person to sit in on your class? I am currently a master's candidate in a non-STEM field as a US citizen at a US university. My fiance is also a master's candidate, but in Pure Mathematics at a university in Germany (he's German). His English is excellent and he can certainly participate at a graduate level in mathematics where language is concerned, so that is not an issue. He would really enjoy the chance to sit in on some math courses in the US while he is here visiting me. Would it be untoward for me to ask the math department if he could sit in on some classes? Again, I am not in a math-related field and I have no connections other than the fact that I am a student at this institution. I am fine with drafting a respectful email to ask, but I'm just not sure if this is out of bounds in general. Would you, as a professor, allow him to sit in? My fiance is going to be in the country for roughly two months. He is a good student and very keen. It would absolutely not be for any kind of credit.
RESPONSE A: I don’t see the harm in asking. I would be fine with it. It may just depend on the type of course and what each professors plans for that time period are.
RESPONSE B: At my university this sort of thing is not allowed. I suppose you could always ask, but understand, the professor may not have a choice in the matter.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Again, I am not in a math-related field and I have no connections other than the fact that I am a student at this institution. I am fine with drafting a respectful email to ask, but I'm just not sure if this is out of bounds in general. Would you, as a professor, allow him to sit in? My fiance is going to be in the country for roughly two months. He is a good student and very keen. It would absolutely not be for any kind of credit.
RESPONSE A: Some good answers so far! A few more data points - do the classes that the fiancé would like to attend require the completion of one or more prerequisite classes, in order to attend the course? And, are these classes that have an upper limit to the number of students that can attend, with long wait-lists (with an order #) in the event anyone drops? And from a practical point of view, there many only be so many seats in the class (meaning, as many chairs as the upper limit of attendees). Finally, are the classes heavy on participation? I had a student ask me whether they could audit one of my classes; however they did not want to do any of the readings or case studies. My course is not a TV show that the visitor can watch, I expect participation and good discussion from all attendees. The visitor's request made me think about disruption to established class dynamics and so I turned it down. These are all factors that could also be considered by the instructor when considering this unusual request.
RESPONSE B: Has he considered registering as an auditing student with the university? Is there any specific class he's interested in? If not, perhaps he'd be interested in attending the graduate and undergraduate mathematics seminars; those are usually open to the public at universities and each occur once a week. The department can give you more information about when they're scheduled, and he could meet professors there and ask about sitting in on classes in person :) In my experience, at the graduate level, mathematics professors are a lot more lenient about this kind of thing, but if he comes in partway through the semester, he might have trouble unless he has already mastered the material; the classes move fast.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: Professors: Would you allow an interested person to sit in on your class? I am currently a master's candidate in a non-STEM field as a US citizen at a US university. My fiance is also a master's candidate, but in Pure Mathematics at a university in Germany (he's German). His English is excellent and he can certainly participate at a graduate level in mathematics where language is concerned, so that is not an issue. He would really enjoy the chance to sit in on some math courses in the US while he is here visiting me. Would it be untoward for me to ask the math department if he could sit in on some classes? Again, I am not in a math-related field and I have no connections other than the fact that I am a student at this institution. I am fine with drafting a respectful email to ask, but I'm just not sure if this is out of bounds in general. Would you, as a professor, allow him to sit in? My fiance is going to be in the country for roughly two months. He is a good student and very keen. It would absolutely not be for any kind of credit.
RESPONSE A: I have a reporter who works for the AP who will be sitting in on my American Politics Seminar this semester. So yeah.
RESPONSE B: Has he considered registering as an auditing student with the university? Is there any specific class he's interested in? If not, perhaps he'd be interested in attending the graduate and undergraduate mathematics seminars; those are usually open to the public at universities and each occur once a week. The department can give you more information about when they're scheduled, and he could meet professors there and ask about sitting in on classes in person :) In my experience, at the graduate level, mathematics professors are a lot more lenient about this kind of thing, but if he comes in partway through the semester, he might have trouble unless he has already mastered the material; the classes move fast.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: How important is 'evidence of a commitment to advancing equity and inclusion' in applying for faculty positions? A recent job posting in the humanities had the following requirement for the job: Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at [University Name]. Our excellence can only be fully realized by faculty, students, and staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates for our faculty positions will demonstrate evidence of a commitment to advancing equity and inclusion. How much does this play into the actual hiring process, i.e. how is this weighed up against teaching and publication records? Thanks!
RESPONSE A: Varies by the university and even department, how seriously they take it. If you've been on an Athena SWAN board, job done. At least show acknowledgement of the process, e.g. that RCUK grants will soon start requiring Silver Award from institutions to fund them. You're probably in an institution now (if UK) that has some AS award.
RESPONSE B: Depends purely on the program and institution you are applying to. At my Ph.D. institution, they had a hire in my last year and one of the committee members told me that they didn't even read the required diversity statements. At my post-doc institution, it definitely matters and any internet-driven prescripted statements about "oh I care about all my students and treat them all equally" are thrown out. They want to know that you have really thought about it.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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POST: landed a library position - not even to reshelve books. I simply cannot shake the desire to pursue a PhD in Art History to become a college-level instructor/professor. The only problem is I was always super quiet in undergrad and grad school and didn’t make connections, and I am now several years out of school, so academic recommendation letters are now out of the question. However, my undergrad GPAs were fairly decent at graduation (3.85 for Art History, 3.71 for French). Does anyone have any suggestions on how I should go forward in order to have any chances of being successful in my application processes? Thank you!
RESPONSE A: I was also out of undergrad for a long time before deciding to pursue more degrees. The norm of recommendation letters coming from faculty is partly due to the way that most students progress through their degrees with no break, which means they often have no one *but* faculty to ask. I had several folks I had worked with outside of academia in my field write me letters about how my real-world experiences had prepared me for grad school, how I was as a colleague and collaborator, etc. If your other materials are strong, and if you emphasize your “non-traditional” path in your personal essay, most programs will actually see a long break in the real world outside of academia as a big advantage. My non-academic jobs were actually hugely instrumental in me getting my current faculty position. First step—internalize the knowledge that this can be a true benefit to you in your career; second step—get folks who know you well to write about that in their letters.
RESPONSE B: I know this isn’t your question - but I have a friend with a PhD in Art History and she really struggled to find a job. She has one now, but it’s not secure (due to the pandemic) and it’s in a different state than where her husband live/works. It’s not easy. So, if you want to do a PhD just to learn - cool. But I would be careful/realistic about assuming it will get you a job in the end. (Source: Unemployed person with 2 MAs and a dual PhD).
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: connections, and I am now several years out of school, so academic recommendation letters are now out of the question. However, my undergrad GPAs were fairly decent at graduation (3.85 for Art History, 3.71 for French). Does anyone have any suggestions on how I should go forward in order to have any chances of being successful in my application processes? Thank you!
RESPONSE A: https://academicjobs.wikia.org/wiki/Art_History_Jobs_2019-20 Check here for a sense of the jobs in the field last year. A quick look shows about 80-100 permanent jobs in this field world wide. Check the placement rate of any PhD you apply to - in most art history departments the rate is currently sitting at about 10-20%. Statistically, therefore, you’d be studying for 5-7 years to get no job. In my own field, English, this was similar, and in 2020 there are literally 0 jobs requiring my specialization in the ENTIRE WORLD. I honestly tell everyone considering a humanities PhD not to do it - it’s a high stress job where you make less than your basic living expenses for no tangible return, and the intangible return could be replicated for free with a library card and self-motivation.
RESPONSE B: I was also out of undergrad for a long time before deciding to pursue more degrees. The norm of recommendation letters coming from faculty is partly due to the way that most students progress through their degrees with no break, which means they often have no one *but* faculty to ask. I had several folks I had worked with outside of academia in my field write me letters about how my real-world experiences had prepared me for grad school, how I was as a colleague and collaborator, etc. If your other materials are strong, and if you emphasize your “non-traditional” path in your personal essay, most programs will actually see a long break in the real world outside of academia as a big advantage. My non-academic jobs were actually hugely instrumental in me getting my current faculty position. First step—internalize the knowledge that this can be a true benefit to you in your career; second step—get folks who know you well to write about that in their letters.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: being successful in my application processes? Thank you!
RESPONSE A: I was also out of undergrad for a long time before deciding to pursue more degrees. The norm of recommendation letters coming from faculty is partly due to the way that most students progress through their degrees with no break, which means they often have no one *but* faculty to ask. I had several folks I had worked with outside of academia in my field write me letters about how my real-world experiences had prepared me for grad school, how I was as a colleague and collaborator, etc. If your other materials are strong, and if you emphasize your “non-traditional” path in your personal essay, most programs will actually see a long break in the real world outside of academia as a big advantage. My non-academic jobs were actually hugely instrumental in me getting my current faculty position. First step—internalize the knowledge that this can be a true benefit to you in your career; second step—get folks who know you well to write about that in their letters.
RESPONSE B: If you are independently wealthy and will never have to pay for pesky things like food, rent, etc. do it. But if you need to work to live, just...don't. Higher ed is burning down around us and art programs are closing by the day. The faculty job market in art is abysmal right now - -We hired someone for an NTT faculty job for 37k a year in graphic design last year before the covid crisis hit (this is a job at a teaching institution with a heavy teaching, service, and advising load and lots of underprepared college students), and let me tell you, we got an ungodly number of applications from people who were adjuncting for shit pay with excellent credentials (some of whom had been doing so for like 20 years!). Now? forget about it - our Uni might lay off all our FT NTT faculty this year, another small liberal arts college nearby just shuttered their entire art program, the state uni in our city got rid of NTT faculty and raised TT faculty teaching loads, the regional college about 50 mins. away cut almost all of its programs in the arts and sciences, including art. It is a massacre.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: . The only problem is I was always super quiet in undergrad and grad school and didn’t make connections, and I am now several years out of school, so academic recommendation letters are now out of the question. However, my undergrad GPAs were fairly decent at graduation (3.85 for Art History, 3.71 for French). Does anyone have any suggestions on how I should go forward in order to have any chances of being successful in my application processes? Thank you!
RESPONSE A: Are you or you family wealthy? If yes, then give it a try, but you almost certainly will not become a professor. If you aren't rich then for Pete's sake don't do it. You may not know it, but higher ed is about to implode (or slowly deflate, depending on how fast you expect it to happen, though implosion is seeming more likely). Rising costs are making more and more people turn down college and the demographic cliff is ensuring that there will be fewer traditionally college-aged students and there is no sign of a rebound. Some people say the implosion is already happening, accelerated by COVID-19. Unless there is a second baby boom soon you should *not* get a PhD with the intention of becoming a professor.
RESPONSE B: I was also out of undergrad for a long time before deciding to pursue more degrees. The norm of recommendation letters coming from faculty is partly due to the way that most students progress through their degrees with no break, which means they often have no one *but* faculty to ask. I had several folks I had worked with outside of academia in my field write me letters about how my real-world experiences had prepared me for grad school, how I was as a colleague and collaborator, etc. If your other materials are strong, and if you emphasize your “non-traditional” path in your personal essay, most programs will actually see a long break in the real world outside of academia as a big advantage. My non-academic jobs were actually hugely instrumental in me getting my current faculty position. First step—internalize the knowledge that this can be a true benefit to you in your career; second step—get folks who know you well to write about that in their letters.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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B
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POST: preservation. I am located in the U.S. I pursued an MLIS as a compromise to pursuing a PhD in Art History because I was always told and was under the belief that a PhD in Art History “just isn’t worth it” and the job prospects with an MLIS were much higher. However, I was never 100% happy with the MLIS program and despite many applications, interviews, and years of searching, I never landed a library position - not even to reshelve books. I simply cannot shake the desire to pursue a PhD in Art History to become a college-level instructor/professor. The only problem is I was always super quiet in undergrad and grad school and didn’t make connections, and I am now several years out of school, so academic recommendation letters are now out of the question. However, my undergrad GPAs were fairly decent at graduation (3.85 for Art History, 3.71 for French). Does anyone have any suggestions on how I should go forward in order to have any chances of being successful in my application processes? Thank you!
RESPONSE A: I'm in the same boat! Currently trying to talk to old professors about recommendations. It has been quite a challenge. ​ Something someone recommended to me is that if this doesn't work, I could volunteer to help a professor on a project as a part-time internship.
RESPONSE B: Are you or you family wealthy? If yes, then give it a try, but you almost certainly will not become a professor. If you aren't rich then for Pete's sake don't do it. You may not know it, but higher ed is about to implode (or slowly deflate, depending on how fast you expect it to happen, though implosion is seeming more likely). Rising costs are making more and more people turn down college and the demographic cliff is ensuring that there will be fewer traditionally college-aged students and there is no sign of a rebound. Some people say the implosion is already happening, accelerated by COVID-19. Unless there is a second baby boom soon you should *not* get a PhD with the intention of becoming a professor.
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: I was expelled from a religious private university for drinking and having sex, I'm now completing my degree at a state school, how will my expulsion impact me when applying to Grad School? BYU is the private university in question. I want to apply to data science/analytics grad programs. I have a 326 (cumulative) on the GRE, and a 3.5 GPA double majoring in Statistics and Economics. Certain applications require me to disclose my academic standing with my former universities. I would love insight into what selection committees are thinking when looking at my applications and such. I'm thinking of applying to in-state programs in Utah, who are more familiar with the ludicrous staunchness of BYU, but maybe I should set my sights higher. Thanks in advance.
RESPONSE A: A strong reason, kids, why to never attend a fucking private religious university.
RESPONSE B: That GRE score is pretty impressive. If your writing score is high too I don't think you'll have to worry too much! I don't think at my university it would make much difference especially if your most recent GPA is still high. Does your transcript from BYU say what the expulsion was? Or would it look like a transfer?
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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A
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POST: I was expelled from a religious private university for drinking and having sex, I'm now completing my degree at a state school, how will my expulsion impact me when applying to Grad School? BYU is the private university in question. I want to apply to data science/analytics grad programs. I have a 326 (cumulative) on the GRE, and a 3.5 GPA double majoring in Statistics and Economics. Certain applications require me to disclose my academic standing with my former universities. I would love insight into what selection committees are thinking when looking at my applications and such. I'm thinking of applying to in-state programs in Utah, who are more familiar with the ludicrous staunchness of BYU, but maybe I should set my sights higher. Thanks in advance.
RESPONSE A: Do you have documentation of the reason(s) that you were expelled? It might be good for you to request that from the university if you're able. Surely you're not the only student to have behaved like a normal young adult and run afoul of strict (and in my opinion, unrealistic) university standards.
RESPONSE B: That GRE score is pretty impressive. If your writing score is high too I don't think you'll have to worry too much! I don't think at my university it would make much difference especially if your most recent GPA is still high. Does your transcript from BYU say what the expulsion was? Or would it look like a transfer?
Which response is better? RESPONSE
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