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nlbc03

askacademia_train

Human: How to leave without screwing yourself over Straight to the point: I'm really not enjoying academia as much as I thought I would. I'm currently in a postdoc position many would dream. The only caveat to the position is that you must publish as much as possible in 2 years. I'm now 1.5 years into it and have not published enough to my standard and likely the uni (1 journal 3 submitted - under review). I have many days of anxiety fuelled thoughts and have had thoughts of depression which were mostly addressed in therapy. However the underlying pressure is obviously still there. I just want out. The thought of applying for grants for the rest of my life with the added pressure of writing papers is just silly to me. I don't think this is a lifestyle for me. I'm pretty entrenched in the faculty now. How do I leave without pissing off my chain of command and without saying I wasn't grateful for this opportunity. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better academic. Assistant:

gzhquuy

gzhpvev

I'm not sure I understand the problem. You have a 2-year position which has almost ended, and you say you don't enjoy the work. So just apply to jobs elsewhere and leave academia. A majority of postdocs don't continue in academia so nobody will be surprised or outraged by this kind of career decision.

Yo just go this is a working relationship you do not owe the people anything. I left academia too after my postdoctoral and my PI totally understood. If they don’t it’s still not your problem. I have now an industry job and no one cares about who I did my postdoc with and why I left. Be polite but firm do not let yourself be guilt tripped into staying. Edit: plus not staying (surviving) in academia does make you second class scientist or anything like that! Do not let yourself being told that.

nlbc03

askacademia_train

Human: How to leave without screwing yourself over Straight to the point: I'm really not enjoying academia as much as I thought I would. I'm currently in a postdoc position many would dream. The only caveat to the position is that you must publish as much as possible in 2 years. I'm now 1.5 years into it and have not published enough to my standard and likely the uni (1 journal 3 submitted - under review). I have many days of anxiety fuelled thoughts and have had thoughts of depression which were mostly addressed in therapy. However the underlying pressure is obviously still there. I just want out. The thought of applying for grants for the rest of my life with the added pressure of writing papers is just silly to me. I don't think this is a lifestyle for me. I'm pretty entrenched in the faculty now. How do I leave without pissing off my chain of command and without saying I wasn't grateful for this opportunity. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better academic. Assistant:

gzhpsgj

gzhquuy

I’m in a similar position but at an earlier stage than you. The post doc rouge made me realise these things. Upon reflection I realised that sometimes ties are severed but this does not mean anything negative. There’s a lot of personal growth and positivity in being elegant about your goodbyes. Hard factual truth makes a reality worth living. Be open, be honest, and stand by your words - that you have enjoyed building relationships around those you find yourself with, but for now, your navigating your life toward another direction. This isn’t offensive, it’s powerful. There are far too many academics I interact with who are miserable and you can simply tell they didn’t want to end up where they are. I don’t want to be like that. Also there’s an inherent toxic side to how it works in academia so I don’t find any confusion to how you feel.

I'm not sure I understand the problem. You have a 2-year position which has almost ended, and you say you don't enjoy the work. So just apply to jobs elsewhere and leave academia. A majority of postdocs don't continue in academia so nobody will be surprised or outraged by this kind of career decision.

nlbc03

askacademia_train

Human: How to leave without screwing yourself over Straight to the point: I'm really not enjoying academia as much as I thought I would. I'm currently in a postdoc position many would dream. The only caveat to the position is that you must publish as much as possible in 2 years. I'm now 1.5 years into it and have not published enough to my standard and likely the uni (1 journal 3 submitted - under review). I have many days of anxiety fuelled thoughts and have had thoughts of depression which were mostly addressed in therapy. However the underlying pressure is obviously still there. I just want out. The thought of applying for grants for the rest of my life with the added pressure of writing papers is just silly to me. I don't think this is a lifestyle for me. I'm pretty entrenched in the faculty now. How do I leave without pissing off my chain of command and without saying I wasn't grateful for this opportunity. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better academic. Assistant:

gzhpsgj

gzhpvev

I’m in a similar position but at an earlier stage than you. The post doc rouge made me realise these things. Upon reflection I realised that sometimes ties are severed but this does not mean anything negative. There’s a lot of personal growth and positivity in being elegant about your goodbyes. Hard factual truth makes a reality worth living. Be open, be honest, and stand by your words - that you have enjoyed building relationships around those you find yourself with, but for now, your navigating your life toward another direction. This isn’t offensive, it’s powerful. There are far too many academics I interact with who are miserable and you can simply tell they didn’t want to end up where they are. I don’t want to be like that. Also there’s an inherent toxic side to how it works in academia so I don’t find any confusion to how you feel.

Yo just go this is a working relationship you do not owe the people anything. I left academia too after my postdoctoral and my PI totally understood. If they don’t it’s still not your problem. I have now an industry job and no one cares about who I did my postdoc with and why I left. Be polite but firm do not let yourself be guilt tripped into staying. Edit: plus not staying (surviving) in academia does make you second class scientist or anything like that! Do not let yourself being told that.

nlbc03

askacademia_train

Human: How to leave without screwing yourself over Straight to the point: I'm really not enjoying academia as much as I thought I would. I'm currently in a postdoc position many would dream. The only caveat to the position is that you must publish as much as possible in 2 years. I'm now 1.5 years into it and have not published enough to my standard and likely the uni (1 journal 3 submitted - under review). I have many days of anxiety fuelled thoughts and have had thoughts of depression which were mostly addressed in therapy. However the underlying pressure is obviously still there. I just want out. The thought of applying for grants for the rest of my life with the added pressure of writing papers is just silly to me. I don't think this is a lifestyle for me. I'm pretty entrenched in the faculty now. How do I leave without pissing off my chain of command and without saying I wasn't grateful for this opportunity. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better academic. Assistant:

gzhpsgj

gzi0r6z

I’m in a similar position but at an earlier stage than you. The post doc rouge made me realise these things. Upon reflection I realised that sometimes ties are severed but this does not mean anything negative. There’s a lot of personal growth and positivity in being elegant about your goodbyes. Hard factual truth makes a reality worth living. Be open, be honest, and stand by your words - that you have enjoyed building relationships around those you find yourself with, but for now, your navigating your life toward another direction. This isn’t offensive, it’s powerful. There are far too many academics I interact with who are miserable and you can simply tell they didn’t want to end up where they are. I don’t want to be like that. Also there’s an inherent toxic side to how it works in academia so I don’t find any confusion to how you feel.

You've got six months paid to cover you while you look for a new job. :)

nlbc03

askacademia_train

Human: How to leave without screwing yourself over Straight to the point: I'm really not enjoying academia as much as I thought I would. I'm currently in a postdoc position many would dream. The only caveat to the position is that you must publish as much as possible in 2 years. I'm now 1.5 years into it and have not published enough to my standard and likely the uni (1 journal 3 submitted - under review). I have many days of anxiety fuelled thoughts and have had thoughts of depression which were mostly addressed in therapy. However the underlying pressure is obviously still there. I just want out. The thought of applying for grants for the rest of my life with the added pressure of writing papers is just silly to me. I don't think this is a lifestyle for me. I'm pretty entrenched in the faculty now. How do I leave without pissing off my chain of command and without saying I wasn't grateful for this opportunity. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better academic. Assistant:

gzhpsgj

gzi2cte

I’m in a similar position but at an earlier stage than you. The post doc rouge made me realise these things. Upon reflection I realised that sometimes ties are severed but this does not mean anything negative. There’s a lot of personal growth and positivity in being elegant about your goodbyes. Hard factual truth makes a reality worth living. Be open, be honest, and stand by your words - that you have enjoyed building relationships around those you find yourself with, but for now, your navigating your life toward another direction. This isn’t offensive, it’s powerful. There are far too many academics I interact with who are miserable and you can simply tell they didn’t want to end up where they are. I don’t want to be like that. Also there’s an inherent toxic side to how it works in academia so I don’t find any confusion to how you feel.

> How do I leave without pissing off my chain of command and without saying I wasn't grateful for this opportunity. By doing it politely and professionally. Start applying for other jobs now. Then when you get one and hand in your notice, tell them you were very grateful for the opportunity, enjoyed working with them, you've learned a lot, etc., but have decided that it's a better fit for you to take your career in a different direction. People leave jobs all the time; they'll understand.

lnt6ry

askacademia_train

Human: Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off? Had good, supportive PIs? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. Assistant:

go2f5pd

go2lega

I had a wonderful PhD experience. I did really cool science that helps makes the world a better place, I lived somewhere beautiful with lots of things to do plus I got to travel pretty often to wonderful places. My lab was full of fun and brilliant people that I loved spending time with and my advisor is someone I really look up to. I would repeat those years in a heartbeat.

90% of the time I worked 10am-4pm. I graduated on time despite taking leave to have a baby and am about to be TT faculty at a university you have certainly heard of. Most of grad school was good. The hard times were REALLY hard though.

lnt6ry

askacademia_train

Human: Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off? Had good, supportive PIs? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. Assistant:

go2e17l

go2lega

I had a great PhD experience! Four of the best years of my life.

90% of the time I worked 10am-4pm. I graduated on time despite taking leave to have a baby and am about to be TT faculty at a university you have certainly heard of. Most of grad school was good. The hard times were REALLY hard though.

lnt6ry

askacademia_train

Human: Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off? Had good, supportive PIs? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. Assistant:

go2lega

go2i157

90% of the time I worked 10am-4pm. I graduated on time despite taking leave to have a baby and am about to be TT faculty at a university you have certainly heard of. Most of grad school was good. The hard times were REALLY hard though.

I just finished mine and had the time of my life. I met so many incredible people - colleagues and mentors - who I now call my friends. I truly feel like I’ve found my calling. I started grad school at 32 and was very sure of what I wanted, even though I had no idea how much I’d grow throughout the period of my studies. I had an incredible supervisor who treated me with respect and shared his networks and knowledge with me. I know others who also had a great experience. It’s important to hear the positive stories too.

lnt6ry

askacademia_train

Human: Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off? Had good, supportive PIs? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. Assistant:

go2de4e

go2lega

Hi! I'm currently a final year PhD student in the UK and, as much as I do complain sometimes, I do really enjoy it. I think the most important thing is a good, understanding and experienced supervisor who you can be open with. My supervisor has been great and although she pushes us to succeed, there are no crazy deadlines or expectations as she recognises that our mental health is important. She often says that in the end we are here to learn, so it's natural to make mistakes. I personally keep a work life balance by doing the same hours as my partner. He also has a job with long hours so it works. I'm working longer now as I am writing up but exercise is keeping me sane through lockdowns! Also (sounds obvious) but do something you love! It makes it so much easier to self motivate. I've met a lot of PhDs that slog through 4 years because they think the topic is important but the people that are genuinely excited by the area seem to happiest! Good luck, wish you all the best on your PhD journey!

90% of the time I worked 10am-4pm. I graduated on time despite taking leave to have a baby and am about to be TT faculty at a university you have certainly heard of. Most of grad school was good. The hard times were REALLY hard though.

lnt6ry

askacademia_train

Human: Enjoyable PhD/academia success stories I hear so many graduate school horror stories and I feel like those are the majority. Are there people who enjoyed their PhD experience? Had a good work life balance? Did not overwork themselves to exhaustion? Took most weekends off? Had good, supportive PIs? I started a PhD in 2014 but quit after 2 years and left with my masters because of mental health problems. I’ve been working in industry/ government since then, and I love it but I realized that my true passion is research and I am happiest doing experiments, and want to get back to grad school and apply to PhD programs. I sorely miss being in the lab doing experiments. I’ll be quite a bit older (30-31 when I start) but I’m not too concerned about that, in fact I think my experiences and perspective will help. My scientific skills are better than they were too so I feel ready. However, I’m concerned about the transition to life back in academia, in terms of the lifestyle. Also long term, I’m more inclined to an academic career although most don’t recommend it - I have an open mind for sure but I’ve realised in the 4 years of working in industry that it’s not my thing. I’m in USA and my field is biophysics/biochemistry. Many of my friends in Europe enjoyed their PhD experience but I know it’s different in USA. I’d love to hear about some good experiences! TLDR: looking to go back to get my PhD after 4 years in industry, want to hear about positive PhD experiences. Assistant:

go2fot0

go2lega

I'm doing my PhD in the UK, year 2 of 3, and I love it! I actually am not looking forward to graduating because it will mean leaving, though I'm sure a postdoc will be fun too. I take most weekends off, my supervisors are wonderful and supportive, the culture is positive, the city is quaint and adorable, and my department actively encourages us to take time off. Things are a bit different with covid but I would always make evening and weekend time for non academic things, and have a non academic friendship group which keeps me sane and grounded.

90% of the time I worked 10am-4pm. I graduated on time despite taking leave to have a baby and am about to be TT faculty at a university you have certainly heard of. Most of grad school was good. The hard times were REALLY hard though.

adw7sl

askacademia_train

Human: Update: "A PhD program posted the wrong deadline on their website. They won't consider my application after I missed the true deadline. Do I have options?" \*\*Update to previous post regarding a program that had posted the wrong PhD application deadline: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAcademia/comments/a7d269/a\_phd\_program\_posted\_the\_wrong\_deadline\_on\_their/ ​ After hearing from you all and talking with a mentor, I ended up sending my application materials to the two faculty members I was applying to work with, explaining my situation, and asking for their help. It appeared to work at first--a professor responded sympathetically and said he would do what he could, as I must not have been the only applicant to miss the deadline. The head of the graduate college (who had been ignoring all emails until this point) then got in touch with me to apologize for being out of the country and that he would make a decision after the holidays. So, I was hopeful someone was working on my behalf behind the scenes. But I got the final word a few days ago: the university says they have to treat the true deadline as final, and won't accept my application. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement, especially since this was my top program and applying to others without being considered at my top choice feels a little empty at this point. But I'm tired of fighting it. Hard not to feel completely turned off by academia after all this, too, so also considering applying to other jobs. Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone for their responses and advice. Here's to new things in the new year...! Assistant:

edklj4n

edkl43w

Fucking ridiculous. I'd drop a line to the professor who you've been in contact with: "Dear Professor XYZ, Thank you for your help with this matter. Unfortunately, ABC of the Graduate College has just informed me that my application will not be considered after all. I was very disappointed to hear this as I was hoping to work with you." Let them know that the grad college is fucking up the admissions process to their department.

what dicks. name and shame.

adw7sl

askacademia_train

Human: Update: "A PhD program posted the wrong deadline on their website. They won't consider my application after I missed the true deadline. Do I have options?" \*\*Update to previous post regarding a program that had posted the wrong PhD application deadline: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAcademia/comments/a7d269/a\_phd\_program\_posted\_the\_wrong\_deadline\_on\_their/ ​ After hearing from you all and talking with a mentor, I ended up sending my application materials to the two faculty members I was applying to work with, explaining my situation, and asking for their help. It appeared to work at first--a professor responded sympathetically and said he would do what he could, as I must not have been the only applicant to miss the deadline. The head of the graduate college (who had been ignoring all emails until this point) then got in touch with me to apologize for being out of the country and that he would make a decision after the holidays. So, I was hopeful someone was working on my behalf behind the scenes. But I got the final word a few days ago: the university says they have to treat the true deadline as final, and won't accept my application. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement, especially since this was my top program and applying to others without being considered at my top choice feels a little empty at this point. But I'm tired of fighting it. Hard not to feel completely turned off by academia after all this, too, so also considering applying to other jobs. Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone for their responses and advice. Here's to new things in the new year...! Assistant:

edkqcba

edks8ko

Do you really want to go to a program that won’t properly resolve their mistakes?

> Hard not to feel completely turned off by academia after all this, too, so also considering applying to other jobs. Word of advice: if this is enough to turn you off of grad school, don't go. There are many setbacks and frustrations ahead if you do. I'd only recommend grad school to people who are completely sure it's what they want, who know what it entails, and who know the job prospects afterwards. :) But unlike others on this thread, I wouldn't recommend naming and shaming unless you're 100% sure it either would never be linked to you or that you don't want to try again in the future. Sorry you had this experience. :(

adw7sl

askacademia_train

Human: Update: "A PhD program posted the wrong deadline on their website. They won't consider my application after I missed the true deadline. Do I have options?" \*\*Update to previous post regarding a program that had posted the wrong PhD application deadline: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAcademia/comments/a7d269/a\_phd\_program\_posted\_the\_wrong\_deadline\_on\_their/ ​ After hearing from you all and talking with a mentor, I ended up sending my application materials to the two faculty members I was applying to work with, explaining my situation, and asking for their help. It appeared to work at first--a professor responded sympathetically and said he would do what he could, as I must not have been the only applicant to miss the deadline. The head of the graduate college (who had been ignoring all emails until this point) then got in touch with me to apologize for being out of the country and that he would make a decision after the holidays. So, I was hopeful someone was working on my behalf behind the scenes. But I got the final word a few days ago: the university says they have to treat the true deadline as final, and won't accept my application. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement, especially since this was my top program and applying to others without being considered at my top choice feels a little empty at this point. But I'm tired of fighting it. Hard not to feel completely turned off by academia after all this, too, so also considering applying to other jobs. Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone for their responses and advice. Here's to new things in the new year...! Assistant:

edkoc25

edks8ko

I'm really sorry for you and I'm sure that you will find a better opportunity somewhere else. Also, while this might have been your top program, I think that what happened made you reevaluate the program and you might have been giving them credit and expectations that they don't deserve. Being a graduate student myself, let me assure you that you don't want to join a program with such bureaucracy. Lack of flexibility is one of the big hurdles that could lead you to quit med way. All in all, best of luck with your career/academia journey!

> Hard not to feel completely turned off by academia after all this, too, so also considering applying to other jobs. Word of advice: if this is enough to turn you off of grad school, don't go. There are many setbacks and frustrations ahead if you do. I'd only recommend grad school to people who are completely sure it's what they want, who know what it entails, and who know the job prospects afterwards. :) But unlike others on this thread, I wouldn't recommend naming and shaming unless you're 100% sure it either would never be linked to you or that you don't want to try again in the future. Sorry you had this experience. :(

adw7sl

askacademia_train

Human: Update: "A PhD program posted the wrong deadline on their website. They won't consider my application after I missed the true deadline. Do I have options?" \*\*Update to previous post regarding a program that had posted the wrong PhD application deadline: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAcademia/comments/a7d269/a\_phd\_program\_posted\_the\_wrong\_deadline\_on\_their/ ​ After hearing from you all and talking with a mentor, I ended up sending my application materials to the two faculty members I was applying to work with, explaining my situation, and asking for their help. It appeared to work at first--a professor responded sympathetically and said he would do what he could, as I must not have been the only applicant to miss the deadline. The head of the graduate college (who had been ignoring all emails until this point) then got in touch with me to apologize for being out of the country and that he would make a decision after the holidays. So, I was hopeful someone was working on my behalf behind the scenes. But I got the final word a few days ago: the university says they have to treat the true deadline as final, and won't accept my application. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement, especially since this was my top program and applying to others without being considered at my top choice feels a little empty at this point. But I'm tired of fighting it. Hard not to feel completely turned off by academia after all this, too, so also considering applying to other jobs. Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone for their responses and advice. Here's to new things in the new year...! Assistant:

edkvamk

edkqcba

Welcome to academia where a low level admin is having a power trip (I assure you, no dean likely saw your complaint). Contact your potential PI and let them deal with the stupidity.

Do you really want to go to a program that won’t properly resolve their mistakes?

adw7sl

askacademia_train

Human: Update: "A PhD program posted the wrong deadline on their website. They won't consider my application after I missed the true deadline. Do I have options?" \*\*Update to previous post regarding a program that had posted the wrong PhD application deadline: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAcademia/comments/a7d269/a\_phd\_program\_posted\_the\_wrong\_deadline\_on\_their/ ​ After hearing from you all and talking with a mentor, I ended up sending my application materials to the two faculty members I was applying to work with, explaining my situation, and asking for their help. It appeared to work at first--a professor responded sympathetically and said he would do what he could, as I must not have been the only applicant to miss the deadline. The head of the graduate college (who had been ignoring all emails until this point) then got in touch with me to apologize for being out of the country and that he would make a decision after the holidays. So, I was hopeful someone was working on my behalf behind the scenes. But I got the final word a few days ago: the university says they have to treat the true deadline as final, and won't accept my application. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement, especially since this was my top program and applying to others without being considered at my top choice feels a little empty at this point. But I'm tired of fighting it. Hard not to feel completely turned off by academia after all this, too, so also considering applying to other jobs. Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone for their responses and advice. Here's to new things in the new year...! Assistant:

edkt531

edkvamk

Get the department chair for the program you were applying for involved as well. This is absolutely unacceptable.

Welcome to academia where a low level admin is having a power trip (I assure you, no dean likely saw your complaint). Contact your potential PI and let them deal with the stupidity.

tmu34l

askacademia_train

Human: Student keeps missing class for part-time job I'm TA-ing for a big class this semester, and one of the students in my section has a job in healthcare, and keeps asking to miss class for extra shifts as they have stated that they need the hours. They keep begging to take the quizzes remotely during their shifts, and I let them once, which I know I probably shouldn't have. However, they have now asked to take every quiz remotely for the rest of the semester, and keep telling me that they need the shifts and want to miss every class for the rest of the semester as they have been offered shifts at this time. It's an afternoon class so not at an unreasonable time. They're a high B/low A grade student, so they are keeping up, but I'm just reluctant to allow this as I don't think it's fair that they miss every class when others have to come, as this isn't a legit excuse, but when I try to broach the issue with them, they tell me that they need to work. I understand that they are in a difficult situation, but I don't want them to miss every single class, as we have group and project work coming up, too? Assistant:

i1yukcf

i1yqgm2

You made what you thought would be an exception (unwise in hindsight), and now they're asking for it to become the norm. You can say no to that. Especially if participation (via physical presence) is a part of the requirements for the class. But also you're the TA, not the instructor, surely you can kick this question up to the instructor in charge of the class and let them make the call. I'm sympathetic to the needs of some students to work while in school. However you don't know how many of the other students actually coming to the class also need to work, but who have made the decision to prioritise/schedule their time to make it to the class. As you say, it is unfair to them that you would bend the rules for this one student.

I've been dealing with this more among pre nursing students who are working at a hospital. I understand students need to work but they do need to attend their classes. In most healthcare fields right now there is a shortage and therefore they should be able to find an alternative shift. The money is really good in many positions and they are getting bombarded with pleas to help out, but I talk with them about their long term goals and the consequences of not being able to attend or pass their classes.

tmu34l

askacademia_train

Human: Student keeps missing class for part-time job I'm TA-ing for a big class this semester, and one of the students in my section has a job in healthcare, and keeps asking to miss class for extra shifts as they have stated that they need the hours. They keep begging to take the quizzes remotely during their shifts, and I let them once, which I know I probably shouldn't have. However, they have now asked to take every quiz remotely for the rest of the semester, and keep telling me that they need the shifts and want to miss every class for the rest of the semester as they have been offered shifts at this time. It's an afternoon class so not at an unreasonable time. They're a high B/low A grade student, so they are keeping up, but I'm just reluctant to allow this as I don't think it's fair that they miss every class when others have to come, as this isn't a legit excuse, but when I try to broach the issue with them, they tell me that they need to work. I understand that they are in a difficult situation, but I don't want them to miss every single class, as we have group and project work coming up, too? Assistant:

i1yukcf

i1ysrva

You made what you thought would be an exception (unwise in hindsight), and now they're asking for it to become the norm. You can say no to that. Especially if participation (via physical presence) is a part of the requirements for the class. But also you're the TA, not the instructor, surely you can kick this question up to the instructor in charge of the class and let them make the call. I'm sympathetic to the needs of some students to work while in school. However you don't know how many of the other students actually coming to the class also need to work, but who have made the decision to prioritise/schedule their time to make it to the class. As you say, it is unfair to them that you would bend the rules for this one student.

As someone who works full-time and goes to school full time, this is something I can definitely relate to. No one wants to work while they are a student but sometimes life isn't perfect. Everyone's situation is different for me I would work my school schedule around work and not the other way around. As much as I want to power through school and graduate this isn't an option because I have to pay the bills somehow. Profs who have understood this have been the best and profs who didn't I would avoid. It's not easy and not fun but I urge you to be understanding. If something can be done remotely what's the point of making them come in? At the same time, You do have to put your foot down if it's something you cannot allow being done remotely and you need them in the class. I think one thing the pandemic has taught us is that remote work in this day and age should be available. If the work is getting done that's all that matters. I understand if you say no because that creates more work for you again you have the power and you should be able to say no when you want to.

tmu34l

askacademia_train

Human: Student keeps missing class for part-time job I'm TA-ing for a big class this semester, and one of the students in my section has a job in healthcare, and keeps asking to miss class for extra shifts as they have stated that they need the hours. They keep begging to take the quizzes remotely during their shifts, and I let them once, which I know I probably shouldn't have. However, they have now asked to take every quiz remotely for the rest of the semester, and keep telling me that they need the shifts and want to miss every class for the rest of the semester as they have been offered shifts at this time. It's an afternoon class so not at an unreasonable time. They're a high B/low A grade student, so they are keeping up, but I'm just reluctant to allow this as I don't think it's fair that they miss every class when others have to come, as this isn't a legit excuse, but when I try to broach the issue with them, they tell me that they need to work. I understand that they are in a difficult situation, but I don't want them to miss every single class, as we have group and project work coming up, too? Assistant:

i1ypjrl

i1yukcf

The answer from the beginning should have been no. If they choose to work during class, that's their choice. But it comes at the cost of not being part of the class and not being able to complete the in-laws activities (quizzes or otherwise). They signed up for the class. Not for a remote independent study on their schedule.

You made what you thought would be an exception (unwise in hindsight), and now they're asking for it to become the norm. You can say no to that. Especially if participation (via physical presence) is a part of the requirements for the class. But also you're the TA, not the instructor, surely you can kick this question up to the instructor in charge of the class and let them make the call. I'm sympathetic to the needs of some students to work while in school. However you don't know how many of the other students actually coming to the class also need to work, but who have made the decision to prioritise/schedule their time to make it to the class. As you say, it is unfair to them that you would bend the rules for this one student.

tmu34l

askacademia_train

Human: Student keeps missing class for part-time job I'm TA-ing for a big class this semester, and one of the students in my section has a job in healthcare, and keeps asking to miss class for extra shifts as they have stated that they need the hours. They keep begging to take the quizzes remotely during their shifts, and I let them once, which I know I probably shouldn't have. However, they have now asked to take every quiz remotely for the rest of the semester, and keep telling me that they need the shifts and want to miss every class for the rest of the semester as they have been offered shifts at this time. It's an afternoon class so not at an unreasonable time. They're a high B/low A grade student, so they are keeping up, but I'm just reluctant to allow this as I don't think it's fair that they miss every class when others have to come, as this isn't a legit excuse, but when I try to broach the issue with them, they tell me that they need to work. I understand that they are in a difficult situation, but I don't want them to miss every single class, as we have group and project work coming up, too? Assistant:

i1yukcf

i1yu1yk

You made what you thought would be an exception (unwise in hindsight), and now they're asking for it to become the norm. You can say no to that. Especially if participation (via physical presence) is a part of the requirements for the class. But also you're the TA, not the instructor, surely you can kick this question up to the instructor in charge of the class and let them make the call. I'm sympathetic to the needs of some students to work while in school. However you don't know how many of the other students actually coming to the class also need to work, but who have made the decision to prioritise/schedule their time to make it to the class. As you say, it is unfair to them that you would bend the rules for this one student.

Not sure why a university class would require attendance to a lecture. I get wanting them to show up for testing or whatever. But if they paid to be there, can't they choose to show up to lecture or not? If they don't get their class work done, they fail.

tmu34l

askacademia_train

Human: Student keeps missing class for part-time job I'm TA-ing for a big class this semester, and one of the students in my section has a job in healthcare, and keeps asking to miss class for extra shifts as they have stated that they need the hours. They keep begging to take the quizzes remotely during their shifts, and I let them once, which I know I probably shouldn't have. However, they have now asked to take every quiz remotely for the rest of the semester, and keep telling me that they need the shifts and want to miss every class for the rest of the semester as they have been offered shifts at this time. It's an afternoon class so not at an unreasonable time. They're a high B/low A grade student, so they are keeping up, but I'm just reluctant to allow this as I don't think it's fair that they miss every class when others have to come, as this isn't a legit excuse, but when I try to broach the issue with them, they tell me that they need to work. I understand that they are in a difficult situation, but I don't want them to miss every single class, as we have group and project work coming up, too? Assistant:

i1yukcf

i1yubp5

You made what you thought would be an exception (unwise in hindsight), and now they're asking for it to become the norm. You can say no to that. Especially if participation (via physical presence) is a part of the requirements for the class. But also you're the TA, not the instructor, surely you can kick this question up to the instructor in charge of the class and let them make the call. I'm sympathetic to the needs of some students to work while in school. However you don't know how many of the other students actually coming to the class also need to work, but who have made the decision to prioritise/schedule their time to make it to the class. As you say, it is unfair to them that you would bend the rules for this one student.

I would tell them that it’s ultimately up to them to decide whether to prioritize the class or work but that they need to deal with the consequences of that decision. Making up a quiz once can happen based on the TA or professor’s discretion, but it’s not an accommodation that can be made repeatedly because it’s unfair to the class as a whole. If they can still pass the class while receiving zeroes on all future quizzes, that’s an option. Dropping the class is also an option. Taking fewer shots is also an option. It’s their choice, but you can’t get “the best of each option with no consequences.”

u9s119

askacademia_train

Human: Why aren’t phd students paid more? This certainly isn’t for all disciplines, but I recently commented on another post and drew a correlation between STEM PhD students and college athletes… at some schools which receive grant money, this seems to hold valid parallels. The value of the grants these labs pull in is very much so like college football players/teams pulling in vast streams of revenue for big ten schools during their sports season through games merchandise etc… are discussions ever had about what’s fair? Assistant:

i5td1p8

i5tdx4x

I often wonder this too, because phds can be 6-7 years too. That’s a long time to be paid minimum wage. I’m assuming you’re referring to US stipends? I think it’s because we’re technically students, I don’t know any students who get paid well. Edit: I just knew saying minimum wage would start a whole thing. A bunch of my grad school friends just had a whole discussion about it😂 not sure what we ended on

Because at existing wages they get a surplus of applicants.

u9s119

askacademia_train

Human: Why aren’t phd students paid more? This certainly isn’t for all disciplines, but I recently commented on another post and drew a correlation between STEM PhD students and college athletes… at some schools which receive grant money, this seems to hold valid parallels. The value of the grants these labs pull in is very much so like college football players/teams pulling in vast streams of revenue for big ten schools during their sports season through games merchandise etc… are discussions ever had about what’s fair? Assistant:

i5tdvf4

i5tdx4x

Because they agree to it.

Because at existing wages they get a surplus of applicants.

u9s119

askacademia_train

Human: Why aren’t phd students paid more? This certainly isn’t for all disciplines, but I recently commented on another post and drew a correlation between STEM PhD students and college athletes… at some schools which receive grant money, this seems to hold valid parallels. The value of the grants these labs pull in is very much so like college football players/teams pulling in vast streams of revenue for big ten schools during their sports season through games merchandise etc… are discussions ever had about what’s fair? Assistant:

i5tdx4x

i5tdk8n

Because at existing wages they get a surplus of applicants.

some schools have grad student unions to negotiate marginally better wages, and which definitely aim to get livable wages for grad students. it’s disappointing to say the least that students have to sacrifice financial security for several years in order to pursue higher ed. not to mention the usual added costs of insurance, student fees, etc.

u9s119

askacademia_train

Human: Why aren’t phd students paid more? This certainly isn’t for all disciplines, but I recently commented on another post and drew a correlation between STEM PhD students and college athletes… at some schools which receive grant money, this seems to hold valid parallels. The value of the grants these labs pull in is very much so like college football players/teams pulling in vast streams of revenue for big ten schools during their sports season through games merchandise etc… are discussions ever had about what’s fair? Assistant:

i5td1p8

i5tgrci

I often wonder this too, because phds can be 6-7 years too. That’s a long time to be paid minimum wage. I’m assuming you’re referring to US stipends? I think it’s because we’re technically students, I don’t know any students who get paid well. Edit: I just knew saying minimum wage would start a whole thing. A bunch of my grad school friends just had a whole discussion about it😂 not sure what we ended on

Grants aren't given because you're employing/training students (most of the time). They're given to make progress on a scientific endeavor. Given the cost of tuition (which many times needs to be paid for by grant funds as a behind-the-scenes tuition waiver) it can be more expensive to pay a graduate student the current stipend than to hire a full time professional researcher (post-doc, research technician). Also, for what it's worth, I only make double my PhD stipend as a faculty member, and it's not that uncommon for folks to have to take a salary cut moving from a well-compensated post-doc to a faculty position, especially if they're not at a top university. ::edit:: Thought of two more points to add: That said, the major reason stipends haven't increased is because they're paid off of grants which... haven't increased. I know a ton of faculty who are having to take cuts to their own salary (not paying themselves summer salary from grants) to afford the budget for a graduate stipend as is. It used to be a major NIH or NSF grant could fund multiple students, now it can barely fund the stipend and research supplies for one student. Finally I think you're vastly overestimating the "vast streams of revenue" that grad students or even research as a whole pull in for most schools. Chances are, the school pulls in more revenue from tuition in a section of Intro Philosophy than they do for a whole research lab's grants. This is especially true because (depending on contract) the majority of grant money doesn't go to the school: it's spent by the school and goes to other people.

u9s119

askacademia_train

Human: Why aren’t phd students paid more? This certainly isn’t for all disciplines, but I recently commented on another post and drew a correlation between STEM PhD students and college athletes… at some schools which receive grant money, this seems to hold valid parallels. The value of the grants these labs pull in is very much so like college football players/teams pulling in vast streams of revenue for big ten schools during their sports season through games merchandise etc… are discussions ever had about what’s fair? Assistant:

i5tdvf4

i5tgrci

Because they agree to it.

Grants aren't given because you're employing/training students (most of the time). They're given to make progress on a scientific endeavor. Given the cost of tuition (which many times needs to be paid for by grant funds as a behind-the-scenes tuition waiver) it can be more expensive to pay a graduate student the current stipend than to hire a full time professional researcher (post-doc, research technician). Also, for what it's worth, I only make double my PhD stipend as a faculty member, and it's not that uncommon for folks to have to take a salary cut moving from a well-compensated post-doc to a faculty position, especially if they're not at a top university. ::edit:: Thought of two more points to add: That said, the major reason stipends haven't increased is because they're paid off of grants which... haven't increased. I know a ton of faculty who are having to take cuts to their own salary (not paying themselves summer salary from grants) to afford the budget for a graduate stipend as is. It used to be a major NIH or NSF grant could fund multiple students, now it can barely fund the stipend and research supplies for one student. Finally I think you're vastly overestimating the "vast streams of revenue" that grad students or even research as a whole pull in for most schools. Chances are, the school pulls in more revenue from tuition in a section of Intro Philosophy than they do for a whole research lab's grants. This is especially true because (depending on contract) the majority of grant money doesn't go to the school: it's spent by the school and goes to other people.

u57e7n

askacademia_train

Human: 26% of Cambridge's PhDs are fully self-funded This is from this infographic from the University of Cambridge's 2020/21 funding site. As an overall percentage, I suppose is not unheard of. But what I find astonishing is that on average 43% of the Humanities PhDs are fully self-funded. Unless someone is independently very wealthy, isn't this a big financial risk to take? Not to mention paying to work? Also, the job market for the Humanities can be tricky as it is so there's no guarantee this will pay off. Because, at least in STEM, the person could specialise and switch directly to industry. Assistant:

i50lb2q

i50hmiy

>Unless someone is independently very wealthy, isn't this a big financial risk to take? Not to mention paying to work? International students, who sometimes account for 25-30% of all students at many Western Unis, spend tens of thousands per year for tuition at subpar universities, subpar programs and get ZERO for experience. Spending tens of thousands at one of the worlds best universities and getting world class PhD experience will produce a very good return on investment.

I don't know the figures but I am pretty sure self-funded would be the norm and not the exception at my university in Australia. There are national and school stipends but the candidates way outnumber what is available. I was self-funded for a time and earned plenty to survive through tutoring (TA) and marking.

u57e7n

askacademia_train

Human: 26% of Cambridge's PhDs are fully self-funded This is from this infographic from the University of Cambridge's 2020/21 funding site. As an overall percentage, I suppose is not unheard of. But what I find astonishing is that on average 43% of the Humanities PhDs are fully self-funded. Unless someone is independently very wealthy, isn't this a big financial risk to take? Not to mention paying to work? Also, the job market for the Humanities can be tricky as it is so there's no guarantee this will pay off. Because, at least in STEM, the person could specialise and switch directly to industry. Assistant:

i515m5i

i51wj8h

This blew my mind. I’m at a different major institution and we have 0 self funded PhDs.

I did a half a year of self funded study at a Russell group school. Turned down Cambridge (also a self funded offer) to work with an amazing supervisor. After not getting the very competitive funding for international students about 6 months in, I realized it was a mistake and returned home. I don't regret taking the chance and pursuing a dream but I was right to call it and don't regret that either. I just felt extremely underappreciated by the institution and knew I wouldn't make back what I was going to go into debt for.

u57e7n

askacademia_train

Human: 26% of Cambridge's PhDs are fully self-funded This is from this infographic from the University of Cambridge's 2020/21 funding site. As an overall percentage, I suppose is not unheard of. But what I find astonishing is that on average 43% of the Humanities PhDs are fully self-funded. Unless someone is independently very wealthy, isn't this a big financial risk to take? Not to mention paying to work? Also, the job market for the Humanities can be tricky as it is so there's no guarantee this will pay off. Because, at least in STEM, the person could specialise and switch directly to industry. Assistant:

i50hmiy

i51wj8h

I don't know the figures but I am pretty sure self-funded would be the norm and not the exception at my university in Australia. There are national and school stipends but the candidates way outnumber what is available. I was self-funded for a time and earned plenty to survive through tutoring (TA) and marking.

I did a half a year of self funded study at a Russell group school. Turned down Cambridge (also a self funded offer) to work with an amazing supervisor. After not getting the very competitive funding for international students about 6 months in, I realized it was a mistake and returned home. I don't regret taking the chance and pursuing a dream but I was right to call it and don't regret that either. I just felt extremely underappreciated by the institution and knew I wouldn't make back what I was going to go into debt for.

u57e7n

askacademia_train

Human: 26% of Cambridge's PhDs are fully self-funded This is from this infographic from the University of Cambridge's 2020/21 funding site. As an overall percentage, I suppose is not unheard of. But what I find astonishing is that on average 43% of the Humanities PhDs are fully self-funded. Unless someone is independently very wealthy, isn't this a big financial risk to take? Not to mention paying to work? Also, the job market for the Humanities can be tricky as it is so there's no guarantee this will pay off. Because, at least in STEM, the person could specialise and switch directly to industry. Assistant:

i50hmiy

i50m84k

I don't know the figures but I am pretty sure self-funded would be the norm and not the exception at my university in Australia. There are national and school stipends but the candidates way outnumber what is available. I was self-funded for a time and earned plenty to survive through tutoring (TA) and marking.

It is super hard to tell from this infographic where the "self-funded" students are in their degrees. Like, are these people who had scholarships but have run out and are now funding the final stages of their degree (common at my university in Canada, where we have 3 years of guaranteed funding, but students may not finish within the time). It makes quite a difference if this is a snapshot of "what's your funding this year" vs "what was the funding for your entire degree".

u57e7n

askacademia_train

Human: 26% of Cambridge's PhDs are fully self-funded This is from this infographic from the University of Cambridge's 2020/21 funding site. As an overall percentage, I suppose is not unheard of. But what I find astonishing is that on average 43% of the Humanities PhDs are fully self-funded. Unless someone is independently very wealthy, isn't this a big financial risk to take? Not to mention paying to work? Also, the job market for the Humanities can be tricky as it is so there's no guarantee this will pay off. Because, at least in STEM, the person could specialise and switch directly to industry. Assistant:

i50hmiy

i515m5i

I don't know the figures but I am pretty sure self-funded would be the norm and not the exception at my university in Australia. There are national and school stipends but the candidates way outnumber what is available. I was self-funded for a time and earned plenty to survive through tutoring (TA) and marking.

This blew my mind. I’m at a different major institution and we have 0 self funded PhDs.

n5qnrh

askacademia_train

Human: How do researchers stay up to date on all the literature in the STEM field? There is so much to read and all the papers are soooo long. I don't get how you can digest all those papers without spending a significant amount of time parsing through it. Assistant:

gx2t8hv

gx2snns

We don't digest them all. I have alerts set up on PubMed for certain topics. I also rely on my colleagues, Twitter, journal clubs, conferences to keep up with the latest in my field. What comes through those filters gets triaged by reading the abstract and then I only drill into the subset that is most relevant to my personal research goals, which by necessity are narrow.

Nobody reads every paper. What people do is browse preprint archives like arxiv.org for papers that have just come out. Usually you will only read the abstract and maybe also a bit of the introduction and conclusion and look at the figures. If it looks especially interesting people may look into a paper in more detail, but that's only a handful of papers per month, tops. Aside from that, seminars, workshops and conferences and talking to the people there are good ways of keeping track of what's happening.

n5qnrh

askacademia_train

Human: How do researchers stay up to date on all the literature in the STEM field? There is so much to read and all the papers are soooo long. I don't get how you can digest all those papers without spending a significant amount of time parsing through it. Assistant:

gx2svoc

gx2t8hv

Well you have the wrong idea, you are saying “all the literature in the stem field” obviously no human can do that. You only read the papers that have to do with your specific field. Also, many people do in fact “spend a significant amount of time parsing through it”. Literature reviews are part of graduate school for a reason. Also no one is going through memorizing every aspect of a paper, you get wat u need from it and move on.

We don't digest them all. I have alerts set up on PubMed for certain topics. I also rely on my colleagues, Twitter, journal clubs, conferences to keep up with the latest in my field. What comes through those filters gets triaged by reading the abstract and then I only drill into the subset that is most relevant to my personal research goals, which by necessity are narrow.

n5qnrh

askacademia_train

Human: How do researchers stay up to date on all the literature in the STEM field? There is so much to read and all the papers are soooo long. I don't get how you can digest all those papers without spending a significant amount of time parsing through it. Assistant:

gx36rt4

gx37k2m

I honestly, don't think I've read more than 5 papers to completion..ever? I have a good pulse on the work that emerges in my immediate subdiscipline, but in reality, there's no reason to keep up to date with the *wholeee* STEM field! That would be counterproductive and wasteful IMO. Reading papers: Intros/abstracts/conclusions (digging deeper when necessary) Attending conferences, colloquiums, talks, collaborations

People by and large don't actually read the literature.

n5qnrh

askacademia_train

Human: How do researchers stay up to date on all the literature in the STEM field? There is so much to read and all the papers are soooo long. I don't get how you can digest all those papers without spending a significant amount of time parsing through it. Assistant:

gx37k2m

gx2svoc

People by and large don't actually read the literature.

Well you have the wrong idea, you are saying “all the literature in the stem field” obviously no human can do that. You only read the papers that have to do with your specific field. Also, many people do in fact “spend a significant amount of time parsing through it”. Literature reviews are part of graduate school for a reason. Also no one is going through memorizing every aspect of a paper, you get wat u need from it and move on.

n5qnrh

askacademia_train

Human: How do researchers stay up to date on all the literature in the STEM field? There is so much to read and all the papers are soooo long. I don't get how you can digest all those papers without spending a significant amount of time parsing through it. Assistant:

gx37k2m

gx36c2h

People by and large don't actually read the literature.

No one actually does. Most people only deeply read things that are directly relevant to whatever they're working on. Those are easy because you probably already know the techniques and a lot of the cited papers. Then you get a more surface level gist of what's going on in other parts of the field through talks and conferences.

bahd8m

askacademia_train

Human: Have your academic pursuits ever cost you relationships? Context: Recently left a 2 year relationship because distance couldn't keep working (I'm studying for a masters and she worked a lot, so were seeing eachother less frequently). The final straw was my accepting a PhD at the end of this course, which she'd supported my intention to do throughout, but the prospect of several more years of long-distance was too much. Have any of you had similar experiences? How did you move past them? Assistant:

ekbldva

ekblnhn

Doing LDR to start my PhD 10 years into my relationship made things rocky, but we pulled through.

Yes. My 15 month relationship ended a month ago. I just couldn’t do both. I was exhausted. I started neglecting his needs in order to satisfy my own - things like needing a night to myself after a long week, etc. It just created issues because it started to seem like I was always making excuses not to see him, but I honestly was just so fucking tired from school that I had nothing left in me to make someone else as happy as they deserve.

bahd8m

askacademia_train

Human: Have your academic pursuits ever cost you relationships? Context: Recently left a 2 year relationship because distance couldn't keep working (I'm studying for a masters and she worked a lot, so were seeing eachother less frequently). The final straw was my accepting a PhD at the end of this course, which she'd supported my intention to do throughout, but the prospect of several more years of long-distance was too much. Have any of you had similar experiences? How did you move past them? Assistant:

ekbkun3

ekblnhn

We pursued MS on opposite sides of the country. Tried to make it work but couldn't. It sucked at first, but I doubled down on my research, got into some new activities in what little free time I had, and had friends to lean on when it was tough. I think time is the biggest factor. Keep your head up! It gets better!

Yes. My 15 month relationship ended a month ago. I just couldn’t do both. I was exhausted. I started neglecting his needs in order to satisfy my own - things like needing a night to myself after a long week, etc. It just created issues because it started to seem like I was always making excuses not to see him, but I honestly was just so fucking tired from school that I had nothing left in me to make someone else as happy as they deserve.

bahd8m

askacademia_train

Human: Have your academic pursuits ever cost you relationships? Context: Recently left a 2 year relationship because distance couldn't keep working (I'm studying for a masters and she worked a lot, so were seeing eachother less frequently). The final straw was my accepting a PhD at the end of this course, which she'd supported my intention to do throughout, but the prospect of several more years of long-distance was too much. Have any of you had similar experiences? How did you move past them? Assistant:

ekbnsyj

ekbldva

Gods, the lack of roots you have while pursuing postgrad opportunities is oftentimes brutal. My MA and PhD are certainly partially to blame for the ending of my marriage, which, ultimately I was very glad for because she turned out to be an awful human. My academic pursuits meant my attention was no longer on her fully, which she disliked, and I think she resented my drive and success (if you could call it that) some as well. That, combined with serious mental illness and a shitty character led to her to cheat for almost two years before I found out and ended it. It was she who pushed me to move over 600 miles away to start my PhD. I thought it was because she cared, but really it was because it would make it a lot easier to continue to cheat and have a spouse who financially supported her. It wasn't easy at all, but I'm so glad I was able to figure out what a horrible person she was sooner rather than later. So I guess...academia can cost you relationships, but I'd like to think it's for the best most times.

Doing LDR to start my PhD 10 years into my relationship made things rocky, but we pulled through.

bahd8m

askacademia_train

Human: Have your academic pursuits ever cost you relationships? Context: Recently left a 2 year relationship because distance couldn't keep working (I'm studying for a masters and she worked a lot, so were seeing eachother less frequently). The final straw was my accepting a PhD at the end of this course, which she'd supported my intention to do throughout, but the prospect of several more years of long-distance was too much. Have any of you had similar experiences? How did you move past them? Assistant:

ekbnsyj

ekbmsp0

Gods, the lack of roots you have while pursuing postgrad opportunities is oftentimes brutal. My MA and PhD are certainly partially to blame for the ending of my marriage, which, ultimately I was very glad for because she turned out to be an awful human. My academic pursuits meant my attention was no longer on her fully, which she disliked, and I think she resented my drive and success (if you could call it that) some as well. That, combined with serious mental illness and a shitty character led to her to cheat for almost two years before I found out and ended it. It was she who pushed me to move over 600 miles away to start my PhD. I thought it was because she cared, but really it was because it would make it a lot easier to continue to cheat and have a spouse who financially supported her. It wasn't easy at all, but I'm so glad I was able to figure out what a horrible person she was sooner rather than later. So I guess...academia can cost you relationships, but I'd like to think it's for the best most times.

In my experience romantic relationships tend not to survive PhDs. Everyone thinks they'll be the 5% to get a tenured job, and everybody thinks that their relationship will last.

bahd8m

askacademia_train

Human: Have your academic pursuits ever cost you relationships? Context: Recently left a 2 year relationship because distance couldn't keep working (I'm studying for a masters and she worked a lot, so were seeing eachother less frequently). The final straw was my accepting a PhD at the end of this course, which she'd supported my intention to do throughout, but the prospect of several more years of long-distance was too much. Have any of you had similar experiences? How did you move past them? Assistant:

ekbkun3

ekbnsyj

We pursued MS on opposite sides of the country. Tried to make it work but couldn't. It sucked at first, but I doubled down on my research, got into some new activities in what little free time I had, and had friends to lean on when it was tough. I think time is the biggest factor. Keep your head up! It gets better!

Gods, the lack of roots you have while pursuing postgrad opportunities is oftentimes brutal. My MA and PhD are certainly partially to blame for the ending of my marriage, which, ultimately I was very glad for because she turned out to be an awful human. My academic pursuits meant my attention was no longer on her fully, which she disliked, and I think she resented my drive and success (if you could call it that) some as well. That, combined with serious mental illness and a shitty character led to her to cheat for almost two years before I found out and ended it. It was she who pushed me to move over 600 miles away to start my PhD. I thought it was because she cared, but really it was because it would make it a lot easier to continue to cheat and have a spouse who financially supported her. It wasn't easy at all, but I'm so glad I was able to figure out what a horrible person she was sooner rather than later. So I guess...academia can cost you relationships, but I'd like to think it's for the best most times.

k0qpoa

askacademia_train

Human: I am struggling with my thesis writing, please suggests sentence starters. I am currently writing my engineering Ph.D. thesis. One of the challenges I am facing is, I ran out of sentence starters. I have used 'In addition', 'Additionally', 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', 'Therefore', 'as is evident above' and 'However' a lot. I mean, really a lot to the point where everything looks cliche and uninteresting or even annoying. So, can you please suggest to me some interesting/unique sentence starters alternative to these words? ​ Thanks. Assistant:

gdjtz2r

gdjt49h

No. Stop using those transition words. Leave them out and your writing will improve immensely. It will go from a meandering walk through an overgrown path to a straight shot down a clear highway. Trust me. They are really only useful in a few situations. Most of the time they are rhetorical fluff or signs of a poorly structured argument, making the sentences longer while adding nothing. A much better solution is to structure your writing more. If you have three points, say so, and then use words like “First, ...” “Second...” etc. That gives your readers waypoints so they know where they are in your argument and makes your writing much clearer and easier to follow.

This is a weird tip, but it’s helped me. Just say out loud what you want to communicate and record yourself. Then write that. Most of us think a lot less about talking than writing (and put less pressure on ourselves), so that can help you get started. We also don’t use as many conjunctions when we speak, we just say what we want to say.

k0qpoa

askacademia_train

Human: I am struggling with my thesis writing, please suggests sentence starters. I am currently writing my engineering Ph.D. thesis. One of the challenges I am facing is, I ran out of sentence starters. I have used 'In addition', 'Additionally', 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', 'Therefore', 'as is evident above' and 'However' a lot. I mean, really a lot to the point where everything looks cliche and uninteresting or even annoying. So, can you please suggest to me some interesting/unique sentence starters alternative to these words? ​ Thanks. Assistant:

gdjqfjc

gdjtz2r

Be careful not to overuse transition words or phrases in general.

No. Stop using those transition words. Leave them out and your writing will improve immensely. It will go from a meandering walk through an overgrown path to a straight shot down a clear highway. Trust me. They are really only useful in a few situations. Most of the time they are rhetorical fluff or signs of a poorly structured argument, making the sentences longer while adding nothing. A much better solution is to structure your writing more. If you have three points, say so, and then use words like “First, ...” “Second...” etc. That gives your readers waypoints so they know where they are in your argument and makes your writing much clearer and easier to follow.

k0qpoa

askacademia_train

Human: I am struggling with my thesis writing, please suggests sentence starters. I am currently writing my engineering Ph.D. thesis. One of the challenges I am facing is, I ran out of sentence starters. I have used 'In addition', 'Additionally', 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', 'Therefore', 'as is evident above' and 'However' a lot. I mean, really a lot to the point where everything looks cliche and uninteresting or even annoying. So, can you please suggest to me some interesting/unique sentence starters alternative to these words? ​ Thanks. Assistant:

gdjtz2r

gdjrsri

No. Stop using those transition words. Leave them out and your writing will improve immensely. It will go from a meandering walk through an overgrown path to a straight shot down a clear highway. Trust me. They are really only useful in a few situations. Most of the time they are rhetorical fluff or signs of a poorly structured argument, making the sentences longer while adding nothing. A much better solution is to structure your writing more. If you have three points, say so, and then use words like “First, ...” “Second...” etc. That gives your readers waypoints so they know where they are in your argument and makes your writing much clearer and easier to follow.

Sentences for STEM should be precise. The focus is on nouns and facts, so they should be at the start of the sentence. Minimize the use of I or We, science is not about us, it is about the science. Your sentence starters should be avoided and only used when absolutely necessary. Strunk and White Elements of Style is an old classic about writing.

k0qpoa

askacademia_train

Human: I am struggling with my thesis writing, please suggests sentence starters. I am currently writing my engineering Ph.D. thesis. One of the challenges I am facing is, I ran out of sentence starters. I have used 'In addition', 'Additionally', 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', 'Therefore', 'as is evident above' and 'However' a lot. I mean, really a lot to the point where everything looks cliche and uninteresting or even annoying. So, can you please suggest to me some interesting/unique sentence starters alternative to these words? ​ Thanks. Assistant:

gdjp6fx

gdjtz2r

I am new here in Reddit, so I don't know if it is possible to send a file here or not. I guess I have a interesting book that help you with that. How could I send it for you?

No. Stop using those transition words. Leave them out and your writing will improve immensely. It will go from a meandering walk through an overgrown path to a straight shot down a clear highway. Trust me. They are really only useful in a few situations. Most of the time they are rhetorical fluff or signs of a poorly structured argument, making the sentences longer while adding nothing. A much better solution is to structure your writing more. If you have three points, say so, and then use words like “First, ...” “Second...” etc. That gives your readers waypoints so they know where they are in your argument and makes your writing much clearer and easier to follow.

k0qpoa

askacademia_train

Human: I am struggling with my thesis writing, please suggests sentence starters. I am currently writing my engineering Ph.D. thesis. One of the challenges I am facing is, I ran out of sentence starters. I have used 'In addition', 'Additionally', 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', 'Therefore', 'as is evident above' and 'However' a lot. I mean, really a lot to the point where everything looks cliche and uninteresting or even annoying. So, can you please suggest to me some interesting/unique sentence starters alternative to these words? ​ Thanks. Assistant:

gdjtz2r

gdjq9ow

No. Stop using those transition words. Leave them out and your writing will improve immensely. It will go from a meandering walk through an overgrown path to a straight shot down a clear highway. Trust me. They are really only useful in a few situations. Most of the time they are rhetorical fluff or signs of a poorly structured argument, making the sentences longer while adding nothing. A much better solution is to structure your writing more. If you have three points, say so, and then use words like “First, ...” “Second...” etc. That gives your readers waypoints so they know where they are in your argument and makes your writing much clearer and easier to follow.

Google transitional phrases

jv5f5u

askacademia_train

Human: My advisor showed me his LoR and asked me what I thought. He mentioned my poor undergrad grades but "put a positive spin" on them. Should I ask him to remove it? Hello community. Please remove if not appropriate. Thanks. I'm an international MS student looking to apply for PhD programs in the US this round. My advisor called me in and showed me what he wrote for my LoR and asked me if I wanted to change anything (I don't think this is normal or "ethical" but who am I to say no to a kind gesture). I'm not originally from my current major (CS) and I did a double major in undergrad. My grades suffered because of my unfamiliarity and, to be honest, immaturity. My advisor mentioned it in the letter and said something like (from memory): >Although I admittedly had concerns as to whether Joe would be able to keep up with graduate courses and conduct research due to his unconventional background and his undergraduate record, he immediately proved that my concerns were silly as he was able to maintain a near-perfect GPA and was able to successfully participate in research. I'm honestly extremely flattered that my advisor thinks so highly of me (he's not the expressive type), but at the same time am conflicted because I've heard that anything critical or mediocre on a letter is going to be viewed negatively. This has led me to wonder if I should bring it up and suggest that leaving out the part about concerns may be best. I don't really have anyone around me who's experienced higher education (my school doesn't really receive international students/faculty and no one really goes abroad either, I'm also the only one of my friends or family to have went to college) and so I decided I'd try to make a post here. Thanks for any feedback. Assistant:

gchk1ls

gchkb0b

It may well be a wise approach of your advisor. Your undergrad record will presumably be looked at in any case, the LoR won't change that whatever you do. So if it's not great then the best thing is to address it and remove concerns, which is what this is doing. I think there's a good chance it'd be considered quite rude to ask to remove it too - your advisor probably knows better than you, no? Not to always trust them, but in this case he's clearly being strategic.

Part of the purpose of LoR is to address things on your CV that an admissions committee might find questionable, such as poor undergraduate performance. It’s good that your advisor brought it up and - this is key - said how it did not negatively impact your higher-level academic success.

jv5f5u

askacademia_train

Human: My advisor showed me his LoR and asked me what I thought. He mentioned my poor undergrad grades but "put a positive spin" on them. Should I ask him to remove it? Hello community. Please remove if not appropriate. Thanks. I'm an international MS student looking to apply for PhD programs in the US this round. My advisor called me in and showed me what he wrote for my LoR and asked me if I wanted to change anything (I don't think this is normal or "ethical" but who am I to say no to a kind gesture). I'm not originally from my current major (CS) and I did a double major in undergrad. My grades suffered because of my unfamiliarity and, to be honest, immaturity. My advisor mentioned it in the letter and said something like (from memory): >Although I admittedly had concerns as to whether Joe would be able to keep up with graduate courses and conduct research due to his unconventional background and his undergraduate record, he immediately proved that my concerns were silly as he was able to maintain a near-perfect GPA and was able to successfully participate in research. I'm honestly extremely flattered that my advisor thinks so highly of me (he's not the expressive type), but at the same time am conflicted because I've heard that anything critical or mediocre on a letter is going to be viewed negatively. This has led me to wonder if I should bring it up and suggest that leaving out the part about concerns may be best. I don't really have anyone around me who's experienced higher education (my school doesn't really receive international students/faculty and no one really goes abroad either, I'm also the only one of my friends or family to have went to college) and so I decided I'd try to make a post here. Thanks for any feedback. Assistant:

gchp22h

gchn58i

Two points here: 1. There's nothing unethical about sharing the contents of the letter. It's expected that you will know what is in the letter, even up to the point that some professors will have the student draft the original letter. 2. I personally would definitely not remove that part. The application committee will see your undergrad grades (I assume) so they will need this addressed and it's much better for them to hear it from your professor.

better to have the poor grades addressed then just sitting there. they will absolutely be seen and taken into account.

jv5f5u

askacademia_train

Human: My advisor showed me his LoR and asked me what I thought. He mentioned my poor undergrad grades but "put a positive spin" on them. Should I ask him to remove it? Hello community. Please remove if not appropriate. Thanks. I'm an international MS student looking to apply for PhD programs in the US this round. My advisor called me in and showed me what he wrote for my LoR and asked me if I wanted to change anything (I don't think this is normal or "ethical" but who am I to say no to a kind gesture). I'm not originally from my current major (CS) and I did a double major in undergrad. My grades suffered because of my unfamiliarity and, to be honest, immaturity. My advisor mentioned it in the letter and said something like (from memory): >Although I admittedly had concerns as to whether Joe would be able to keep up with graduate courses and conduct research due to his unconventional background and his undergraduate record, he immediately proved that my concerns were silly as he was able to maintain a near-perfect GPA and was able to successfully participate in research. I'm honestly extremely flattered that my advisor thinks so highly of me (he's not the expressive type), but at the same time am conflicted because I've heard that anything critical or mediocre on a letter is going to be viewed negatively. This has led me to wonder if I should bring it up and suggest that leaving out the part about concerns may be best. I don't really have anyone around me who's experienced higher education (my school doesn't really receive international students/faculty and no one really goes abroad either, I'm also the only one of my friends or family to have went to college) and so I decided I'd try to make a post here. Thanks for any feedback. Assistant:

gchp22h

gchoho5

Two points here: 1. There's nothing unethical about sharing the contents of the letter. It's expected that you will know what is in the letter, even up to the point that some professors will have the student draft the original letter. 2. I personally would definitely not remove that part. The application committee will see your undergrad grades (I assume) so they will need this addressed and it's much better for them to hear it from your professor.

Hi, It's common practice for PIs to show students their LoR if the PI feels they would like the student's input. Sometimes there are specific criteria for awards that PI want to ensure they have addressed to your satisfaction. Your PI can also add or dismiss your recommendations that you add, so don't over think it. Revisions on work is common place in academia, this is all part of the process. Regarding the "negative wording", suggest a change. You have been mauling this over to the point where you have asked reddit for help, it clearly is bothering you. This is why your PI showed you the letter. Cheers Hope that helps

jv5f5u

askacademia_train

Human: My advisor showed me his LoR and asked me what I thought. He mentioned my poor undergrad grades but "put a positive spin" on them. Should I ask him to remove it? Hello community. Please remove if not appropriate. Thanks. I'm an international MS student looking to apply for PhD programs in the US this round. My advisor called me in and showed me what he wrote for my LoR and asked me if I wanted to change anything (I don't think this is normal or "ethical" but who am I to say no to a kind gesture). I'm not originally from my current major (CS) and I did a double major in undergrad. My grades suffered because of my unfamiliarity and, to be honest, immaturity. My advisor mentioned it in the letter and said something like (from memory): >Although I admittedly had concerns as to whether Joe would be able to keep up with graduate courses and conduct research due to his unconventional background and his undergraduate record, he immediately proved that my concerns were silly as he was able to maintain a near-perfect GPA and was able to successfully participate in research. I'm honestly extremely flattered that my advisor thinks so highly of me (he's not the expressive type), but at the same time am conflicted because I've heard that anything critical or mediocre on a letter is going to be viewed negatively. This has led me to wonder if I should bring it up and suggest that leaving out the part about concerns may be best. I don't really have anyone around me who's experienced higher education (my school doesn't really receive international students/faculty and no one really goes abroad either, I'm also the only one of my friends or family to have went to college) and so I decided I'd try to make a post here. Thanks for any feedback. Assistant:

gchoho5

gci9q9t

Hi, It's common practice for PIs to show students their LoR if the PI feels they would like the student's input. Sometimes there are specific criteria for awards that PI want to ensure they have addressed to your satisfaction. Your PI can also add or dismiss your recommendations that you add, so don't over think it. Revisions on work is common place in academia, this is all part of the process. Regarding the "negative wording", suggest a change. You have been mauling this over to the point where you have asked reddit for help, it clearly is bothering you. This is why your PI showed you the letter. Cheers Hope that helps

Proactively providing a potential counterpoint to apparent past poor performance should be perceived as pretty positive.

jv5f5u

askacademia_train

Human: My advisor showed me his LoR and asked me what I thought. He mentioned my poor undergrad grades but "put a positive spin" on them. Should I ask him to remove it? Hello community. Please remove if not appropriate. Thanks. I'm an international MS student looking to apply for PhD programs in the US this round. My advisor called me in and showed me what he wrote for my LoR and asked me if I wanted to change anything (I don't think this is normal or "ethical" but who am I to say no to a kind gesture). I'm not originally from my current major (CS) and I did a double major in undergrad. My grades suffered because of my unfamiliarity and, to be honest, immaturity. My advisor mentioned it in the letter and said something like (from memory): >Although I admittedly had concerns as to whether Joe would be able to keep up with graduate courses and conduct research due to his unconventional background and his undergraduate record, he immediately proved that my concerns were silly as he was able to maintain a near-perfect GPA and was able to successfully participate in research. I'm honestly extremely flattered that my advisor thinks so highly of me (he's not the expressive type), but at the same time am conflicted because I've heard that anything critical or mediocre on a letter is going to be viewed negatively. This has led me to wonder if I should bring it up and suggest that leaving out the part about concerns may be best. I don't really have anyone around me who's experienced higher education (my school doesn't really receive international students/faculty and no one really goes abroad either, I'm also the only one of my friends or family to have went to college) and so I decided I'd try to make a post here. Thanks for any feedback. Assistant:

gchoho5

gci2kgy

Hi, It's common practice for PIs to show students their LoR if the PI feels they would like the student's input. Sometimes there are specific criteria for awards that PI want to ensure they have addressed to your satisfaction. Your PI can also add or dismiss your recommendations that you add, so don't over think it. Revisions on work is common place in academia, this is all part of the process. Regarding the "negative wording", suggest a change. You have been mauling this over to the point where you have asked reddit for help, it clearly is bothering you. This is why your PI showed you the letter. Cheers Hope that helps

Honestly, if your undergrad grades are weak, the committee **will certainly** know that. Your professor mentioning it won't change anything. If it were some minor flaw, sure, don't draw attention to it, but grades are kind of the #1 easy criteria here; they know. I think it's a great recommendation that would absolutely encourage me to admit you if I were in the committee's position.

xszbqw

askacademia_train

Human: I like research, I don't like teaching. Should I be a postdoc forever? Hello, My field is cognitive psychology. I like my field and I run lab experiments. I also like being in the academia. However, I don't like teaching. As you may know, there are no enough positions in private sector and post-doc is not a stable position in academia and there is no chance for promotion (a step further is an assistant professorship that requires teaching). I would like to hear your experience. What should I do? Thanks in advance! Assistant:

iqndlia

iqndh76

Postdocs were never intended to be permanent, so don’t do it permanently! That’s the equivalent of an adjunct professorship, which was never intended to be a permanent career for anyone. The difference is that at least as a postdoc, you’re paid reasonably. For permanent research and non-teaching positions, look for Research Assistant Professor jobs; these are non-tenure track, research-based jobs with little to no teaching responsibilities. Salary and funding is usually dependent on grants, so they are called “soft money positions”, as opposed to “hard money” positions funded by the university’s general operating budget. If the grant dries up, you need a new job. Many of these positions are hard to find — they are not often advertised and usually professors offer them to long-term postdocs before their contract is up to keep them employed.

There are such things as research assistant professors, though I know less about the pipeline for those. There's also contracting research companies. You don't have much time for "your" research, but most I've been with support their people publishing on things related to their contracts. There's also .gov positions, like at NSF, DoD, etc. Can be heavy on paperwork and admin, but some positions still get to do quite a bit of research.

xszbqw

askacademia_train

Human: I like research, I don't like teaching. Should I be a postdoc forever? Hello, My field is cognitive psychology. I like my field and I run lab experiments. I also like being in the academia. However, I don't like teaching. As you may know, there are no enough positions in private sector and post-doc is not a stable position in academia and there is no chance for promotion (a step further is an assistant professorship that requires teaching). I would like to hear your experience. What should I do? Thanks in advance! Assistant:

iqnu4fr

iqo4qyg

You are not alone. I loved teaching until 2009 when the public schools started declining rapidly. And we only teach upper level- seniors- and grad students. Now that there is no standardized testing even grad students are woefully unprepared. Sigh.

I'm a psyc professor at a school that is R2 (e.g., my department has PhD programs, but we don't have enough throughout the university to qualify as R1). Even though my teaching load is a 2-3 (some of our faculty are on 2-2, 2-1, or 1-1 loads depending on grant support), it's extremely easy. The trick is to get the same classes each semester. If you can swing this, then there is practically no prep after the first couple years. At this point, I have all my lectures essentially memorized down to the individual jokes. I periodically change things around to keep it interesting, but I could basically teach the same classes for the rest of my career if I was that unmotivated. The point is that I have plenty of time for research (or whatever else I want to do).

xszbqw

askacademia_train

Human: I like research, I don't like teaching. Should I be a postdoc forever? Hello, My field is cognitive psychology. I like my field and I run lab experiments. I also like being in the academia. However, I don't like teaching. As you may know, there are no enough positions in private sector and post-doc is not a stable position in academia and there is no chance for promotion (a step further is an assistant professorship that requires teaching). I would like to hear your experience. What should I do? Thanks in advance! Assistant:

iqnu4fr

iqnuuiq

You are not alone. I loved teaching until 2009 when the public schools started declining rapidly. And we only teach upper level- seniors- and grad students. Now that there is no standardized testing even grad students are woefully unprepared. Sigh.

I'm full time research. Whether you can have a full time research post depends on your institution. It's a thing that exists here in the UK but you (and by extension your research group) need to bring in enough grant money to cover your salary. You need to be constantly bringing grants in if you want to be permanent and full time. It's not as idealistic as you may think. If a more steady faculty position came along within my group with some extra teaching attached, you bet your ass I would go for it. I would advise caution as to the pick and choose approach to what you want to do in academia. Getting jobs is hard enough already. If teaching really bogs you down, move to industry. Otherwise just see you teaching as paying your way to really getting stuck into your research during the summer.

vjlvea

askacademia_train

Human: How do institutions handle cognitive decline in faculty? To elaborate on the question, I'm wondering what measures are (or historically have been) used to address situations where an individual has lost their ability to do intellectual work (research, teaching, admin, etc). For example, someone becoming senile, or suffering a mental breakdown which they never fully recover from, putting them in a state where they can no longer work at the level they were qualified for, and are possibly incapable of self regulating/assessing. I'm also curious about the effectiveness of different measures (pros, cons, personal experience). For background, I am a graduate student in STEM who has some professional experience working for the university. My university has a system where professors will review one another, which includes auditing lectures, and provide a report to the university. I have been told that they usually write two versions, one for the university, and an off-the-books version for the person being reviewed. They usually reserve their criticism for the latter report, I believe to limit the influence of an overly financially-motivated administration. We also have some faculty who seem to be in the state I described, which has me wondering why situations like this occur, and how they can be prevented. Assistant:

idk00t4

idjunn9

When I was in undergrad I had a year long course that was team-taught, but one of the profs had a stroke the summer before. He was at retirement age but a brilliant man with many teaching awards, so their solution was to switch around the order everything was taught in with the hope he would recover enough to teach in winter, instead of teaching in the fall like usual. In theory this was fine because the order of the material didn't matter. But it was already renowned as one of the more difficult classes you could take and he didn't end up teaching well at all. Sometimes he told us the wrong stuff, sometimes he just forgot what he was going to say entirely and just sadly stood their awkwardly smiling and apologizing. The entire class did very poorly on that exam and most of them were pre-med and extremely bitter about their GPA going down. He was basically forced into retirement after that. I feel like on the whole it was handled poorly for everyone involved. Maybe if he had more time to recover he could have kept teaching? Maybe he only should have done some lectures? I had another class, a core class, taught by someone in his late seventies who had taught it since the 1980s. He unexpectedly died the following year and they were left scrambling

I feel like the majority of cases are due directly or indirectly due to old age, and those faculty members are already emeritus and semi-retired if they are still around. Just give them minimal to no responsibilities (or students to supervise, or classes) and let them show up and sit in their office if they want.

vjlvea

askacademia_train

Human: How do institutions handle cognitive decline in faculty? To elaborate on the question, I'm wondering what measures are (or historically have been) used to address situations where an individual has lost their ability to do intellectual work (research, teaching, admin, etc). For example, someone becoming senile, or suffering a mental breakdown which they never fully recover from, putting them in a state where they can no longer work at the level they were qualified for, and are possibly incapable of self regulating/assessing. I'm also curious about the effectiveness of different measures (pros, cons, personal experience). For background, I am a graduate student in STEM who has some professional experience working for the university. My university has a system where professors will review one another, which includes auditing lectures, and provide a report to the university. I have been told that they usually write two versions, one for the university, and an off-the-books version for the person being reviewed. They usually reserve their criticism for the latter report, I believe to limit the influence of an overly financially-motivated administration. We also have some faculty who seem to be in the state I described, which has me wondering why situations like this occur, and how they can be prevented. Assistant:

idjw8je

idk00t4

Insiders reviewing each other has rarely worked. The academic world is insular and people protect each other. Additionally, many faculty members have no proper training in psychological and biological assessments. The tenure systems make the problem worse. The end result is that many faculty members continue to function through cognitive decline. They continue to teach, make admission decisions and pull salaries. A sea change is needed to hold members of academia accountable to the public.

When I was in undergrad I had a year long course that was team-taught, but one of the profs had a stroke the summer before. He was at retirement age but a brilliant man with many teaching awards, so their solution was to switch around the order everything was taught in with the hope he would recover enough to teach in winter, instead of teaching in the fall like usual. In theory this was fine because the order of the material didn't matter. But it was already renowned as one of the more difficult classes you could take and he didn't end up teaching well at all. Sometimes he told us the wrong stuff, sometimes he just forgot what he was going to say entirely and just sadly stood their awkwardly smiling and apologizing. The entire class did very poorly on that exam and most of them were pre-med and extremely bitter about their GPA going down. He was basically forced into retirement after that. I feel like on the whole it was handled poorly for everyone involved. Maybe if he had more time to recover he could have kept teaching? Maybe he only should have done some lectures? I had another class, a core class, taught by someone in his late seventies who had taught it since the 1980s. He unexpectedly died the following year and they were left scrambling

vjlvea

askacademia_train

Human: How do institutions handle cognitive decline in faculty? To elaborate on the question, I'm wondering what measures are (or historically have been) used to address situations where an individual has lost their ability to do intellectual work (research, teaching, admin, etc). For example, someone becoming senile, or suffering a mental breakdown which they never fully recover from, putting them in a state where they can no longer work at the level they were qualified for, and are possibly incapable of self regulating/assessing. I'm also curious about the effectiveness of different measures (pros, cons, personal experience). For background, I am a graduate student in STEM who has some professional experience working for the university. My university has a system where professors will review one another, which includes auditing lectures, and provide a report to the university. I have been told that they usually write two versions, one for the university, and an off-the-books version for the person being reviewed. They usually reserve their criticism for the latter report, I believe to limit the influence of an overly financially-motivated administration. We also have some faculty who seem to be in the state I described, which has me wondering why situations like this occur, and how they can be prevented. Assistant:

idkes0w

idjw8je

I LIVED THIS. My grad school PI had early onset familial dementia. They were frequently confused by very simple aspects of the projects we were working on. Funding essentially dried up and we had to scrape by on fumes. Current grad students must either get fellowships to cover everything or TA every quarter (most students in my program only TA for one quarter). They were pretty good at masking it, either coming off as quirky, naive to a specific area of research, or (frankly) drunk if there was alcohol at the event. They tried to include an extremely offensive statement in a paper that I was co-first author on, and got mad when I told them that if they weren't willing to change it I'd have to withdraw my name from it. I had sent some articles about why the statement was offensive, and they responded by saying we should go to Ombuds to discuss my professionalism. In private I told the ombudsperson everything, and she was very concerned and said we needed to "plan an intervention with as much documentation as possible." I told her that jeopardizing my LOR was career suicide and declined to participate further. The median time to graduation in this lab is around 8.5 years (normal for the program is \~6.5). The PI was recently appointed to a lower level administrative position, and is openly trying to get a higher level administrative position (e.g. along the lines of an associate dean).

Insiders reviewing each other has rarely worked. The academic world is insular and people protect each other. Additionally, many faculty members have no proper training in psychological and biological assessments. The tenure systems make the problem worse. The end result is that many faculty members continue to function through cognitive decline. They continue to teach, make admission decisions and pull salaries. A sea change is needed to hold members of academia accountable to the public.

vjlvea

askacademia_train

Human: How do institutions handle cognitive decline in faculty? To elaborate on the question, I'm wondering what measures are (or historically have been) used to address situations where an individual has lost their ability to do intellectual work (research, teaching, admin, etc). For example, someone becoming senile, or suffering a mental breakdown which they never fully recover from, putting them in a state where they can no longer work at the level they were qualified for, and are possibly incapable of self regulating/assessing. I'm also curious about the effectiveness of different measures (pros, cons, personal experience). For background, I am a graduate student in STEM who has some professional experience working for the university. My university has a system where professors will review one another, which includes auditing lectures, and provide a report to the university. I have been told that they usually write two versions, one for the university, and an off-the-books version for the person being reviewed. They usually reserve their criticism for the latter report, I believe to limit the influence of an overly financially-motivated administration. We also have some faculty who seem to be in the state I described, which has me wondering why situations like this occur, and how they can be prevented. Assistant:

idkes0w

idk4186

I LIVED THIS. My grad school PI had early onset familial dementia. They were frequently confused by very simple aspects of the projects we were working on. Funding essentially dried up and we had to scrape by on fumes. Current grad students must either get fellowships to cover everything or TA every quarter (most students in my program only TA for one quarter). They were pretty good at masking it, either coming off as quirky, naive to a specific area of research, or (frankly) drunk if there was alcohol at the event. They tried to include an extremely offensive statement in a paper that I was co-first author on, and got mad when I told them that if they weren't willing to change it I'd have to withdraw my name from it. I had sent some articles about why the statement was offensive, and they responded by saying we should go to Ombuds to discuss my professionalism. In private I told the ombudsperson everything, and she was very concerned and said we needed to "plan an intervention with as much documentation as possible." I told her that jeopardizing my LOR was career suicide and declined to participate further. The median time to graduation in this lab is around 8.5 years (normal for the program is \~6.5). The PI was recently appointed to a lower level administrative position, and is openly trying to get a higher level administrative position (e.g. along the lines of an associate dean).

Generally, nothing. In the case of someone at the uni where I work, they are looking into medical retirement for one specific colleague who has been causing a lot of trouble due to some health problems that are also becoming mental health problems. He has caused so much trouble this past semester that he was almost fired (and he is fully tenured with 20+ years of service). One more major f’up or complaint for harrassment and he’s out. I only know this because I have been asked if I am ready to step into his position when it inevitably happens.

vjlvea

askacademia_train

Human: How do institutions handle cognitive decline in faculty? To elaborate on the question, I'm wondering what measures are (or historically have been) used to address situations where an individual has lost their ability to do intellectual work (research, teaching, admin, etc). For example, someone becoming senile, or suffering a mental breakdown which they never fully recover from, putting them in a state where they can no longer work at the level they were qualified for, and are possibly incapable of self regulating/assessing. I'm also curious about the effectiveness of different measures (pros, cons, personal experience). For background, I am a graduate student in STEM who has some professional experience working for the university. My university has a system where professors will review one another, which includes auditing lectures, and provide a report to the university. I have been told that they usually write two versions, one for the university, and an off-the-books version for the person being reviewed. They usually reserve their criticism for the latter report, I believe to limit the influence of an overly financially-motivated administration. We also have some faculty who seem to be in the state I described, which has me wondering why situations like this occur, and how they can be prevented. Assistant:

idkes0w

idkdmb8

I LIVED THIS. My grad school PI had early onset familial dementia. They were frequently confused by very simple aspects of the projects we were working on. Funding essentially dried up and we had to scrape by on fumes. Current grad students must either get fellowships to cover everything or TA every quarter (most students in my program only TA for one quarter). They were pretty good at masking it, either coming off as quirky, naive to a specific area of research, or (frankly) drunk if there was alcohol at the event. They tried to include an extremely offensive statement in a paper that I was co-first author on, and got mad when I told them that if they weren't willing to change it I'd have to withdraw my name from it. I had sent some articles about why the statement was offensive, and they responded by saying we should go to Ombuds to discuss my professionalism. In private I told the ombudsperson everything, and she was very concerned and said we needed to "plan an intervention with as much documentation as possible." I told her that jeopardizing my LOR was career suicide and declined to participate further. The median time to graduation in this lab is around 8.5 years (normal for the program is \~6.5). The PI was recently appointed to a lower level administrative position, and is openly trying to get a higher level administrative position (e.g. along the lines of an associate dean).

We have this problem at my institution. A senior faculty member seems to be declining quickly. Terrible memory, confusion, and MEAN. Like, absolutely ferocious to students and faculty. Other senior faculty say this person took a sharp turn recently. We don't know what to do.

rayche

askacademia_train

Human: What is the best scientific article you have ever read purely based on it’s readability, taxonomic levels, structure and overall design? I’m looking for some good inspiration on how to structure my own article. Assistant:

hnlkzu5

hnltmiy

!RemindMe 1 week

Miller's 1956 classic on working memory capacity "The Magic Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two" is one of my favorites (although just a heads up, our understanding of working memory has advanced a bit since then).

rayche

askacademia_train

Human: What is the best scientific article you have ever read purely based on it’s readability, taxonomic levels, structure and overall design? I’m looking for some good inspiration on how to structure my own article. Assistant:

hnmeedx

hnm7m8v

Hutchinson's Homage to Santa Rosalia, or Why Are There So Many Kinds of Animals? It's like prose.

> good inspiration on how to structure my own article Can you tell us a little more about what you're writing? You would want to structure a review differently to a research paper, and there would be an obvious difference in readability and structure between them too. It's far easier to be readable and well structured in a review since you're speaking more generally and synthesizing and summarizing material in a way that is understandable rather than creating it anew.

rayche

askacademia_train

Human: What is the best scientific article you have ever read purely based on it’s readability, taxonomic levels, structure and overall design? I’m looking for some good inspiration on how to structure my own article. Assistant:

hnmeedx

hnlkzu5

Hutchinson's Homage to Santa Rosalia, or Why Are There So Many Kinds of Animals? It's like prose.

!RemindMe 1 week

rayche

askacademia_train

Human: What is the best scientific article you have ever read purely based on it’s readability, taxonomic levels, structure and overall design? I’m looking for some good inspiration on how to structure my own article. Assistant:

hnm7m8v

hnmpsve

> good inspiration on how to structure my own article Can you tell us a little more about what you're writing? You would want to structure a review differently to a research paper, and there would be an obvious difference in readability and structure between them too. It's far easier to be readable and well structured in a review since you're speaking more generally and synthesizing and summarizing material in a way that is understandable rather than creating it anew.

I think for rigour and pure intellectual stimulation you can't go past the teaspoon study. https://www.bmj.com/content/331/7531/1498

rayche

askacademia_train

Human: What is the best scientific article you have ever read purely based on it’s readability, taxonomic levels, structure and overall design? I’m looking for some good inspiration on how to structure my own article. Assistant:

hnmpsve

hnmk7s3

I think for rigour and pure intellectual stimulation you can't go past the teaspoon study. https://www.bmj.com/content/331/7531/1498

Perhaps I've just become cynical, but keep in mind that what the ivy league elite are allowed to publish is not necessarily what *you're* allowed to publish. Peer review works very differently for the high prestige scholars; if you used simple language it might get rejected for not showing sufficient sophistication. But when a big name does it, it's celebrated as a show of clarity.

nwkj1b

askacademia_train

Human: Does online teaching make you tired? I am a first time professor and while I taught a couple of classes in person before the pandemic, this is my first time teaching this many hours. I found that attending conferences online is much more energy draining if compared to attending them in person. I started teaching after earning my PhD in 2020, so you can imagine that I've only experienced online professoring for the time being. What I realized is that teaching for hours online is incredibly exhausting. Given what I experienced with conferences, I can imagine that if the similarity holds, teaching in person should be somewhat less exhausting. Is this true? Do you think that online teaching is more exhausting than in person teaching? Assistant:

h19l04v

h19lb76

Yes, the same concept takes double the time to teach !!!

I teach online, primarily asynchronous. In an average year, I don’t find it more tiring. However, the pandemic has made everything tiring. If you are teaching live on Zoom, I can imagine it’s exhausting. After a day on Zoom, I am physically and mentally drained. I’m tired of looking at myself, I’m tired of not being able to read cues. It’s tiring. I do find in person teaching to be both exhilarating (while it’s happening) and exhausting (after), but I am an introvert.

nwkj1b

askacademia_train

Human: Does online teaching make you tired? I am a first time professor and while I taught a couple of classes in person before the pandemic, this is my first time teaching this many hours. I found that attending conferences online is much more energy draining if compared to attending them in person. I started teaching after earning my PhD in 2020, so you can imagine that I've only experienced online professoring for the time being. What I realized is that teaching for hours online is incredibly exhausting. Given what I experienced with conferences, I can imagine that if the similarity holds, teaching in person should be somewhat less exhausting. Is this true? Do you think that online teaching is more exhausting than in person teaching? Assistant:

h19ovhj

h19oazu

I taught on Zoom for the past two semesters, it was a whole different level of exhaustion from teaching in person. My brain was literally mush after a full day teaching classes and having meetings on Zoom. For me, teaching in person isn’t as exhausting because you aren’t constantly trying to manage a million different things on Zoom, your PowerPoint, connectivity issues, teach, and try to engage with students who don’t even have their cameras on. I also found that my social anxiety was worse on zoom. Since I couldn’t see the vast majority of my students, I didn’t know if they were there, who else was there, if they understood the concepts, etc. I understand the reasons for students not turning their cameras on…but it makes one hell of an experience for the instructor.

It does. When you teach online, you also move less since you subconsciously try to keep yourself centered on your camera, so you get stiff and thus more tired. Moving yourself around (during breaks or while in sessions even) with shoulder shrugs, head rolls, head tilts, etc. will help.

nwkj1b

askacademia_train

Human: Does online teaching make you tired? I am a first time professor and while I taught a couple of classes in person before the pandemic, this is my first time teaching this many hours. I found that attending conferences online is much more energy draining if compared to attending them in person. I started teaching after earning my PhD in 2020, so you can imagine that I've only experienced online professoring for the time being. What I realized is that teaching for hours online is incredibly exhausting. Given what I experienced with conferences, I can imagine that if the similarity holds, teaching in person should be somewhat less exhausting. Is this true? Do you think that online teaching is more exhausting than in person teaching? Assistant:

h19xun3

h19oazu

**Me in late 2019**: "I think I will switch to online distance teaching only. That way I can get a huge number of international students and get more bang for the bucks, i.e. teach fewer courses and cash in on the volume. 200 international students per course is the way to go!" ***2020 and Covid happens and everything becomes Zoom-teaching.*** **Me in 2021**: "I'm done with anonymous, and physically and socially distant teaching. 2022 will be IRL teaching only."

It does. When you teach online, you also move less since you subconsciously try to keep yourself centered on your camera, so you get stiff and thus more tired. Moving yourself around (during breaks or while in sessions even) with shoulder shrugs, head rolls, head tilts, etc. will help.

nwkj1b

askacademia_train

Human: Does online teaching make you tired? I am a first time professor and while I taught a couple of classes in person before the pandemic, this is my first time teaching this many hours. I found that attending conferences online is much more energy draining if compared to attending them in person. I started teaching after earning my PhD in 2020, so you can imagine that I've only experienced online professoring for the time being. What I realized is that teaching for hours online is incredibly exhausting. Given what I experienced with conferences, I can imagine that if the similarity holds, teaching in person should be somewhat less exhausting. Is this true? Do you think that online teaching is more exhausting than in person teaching? Assistant:

h19xun3

h19txh7

**Me in late 2019**: "I think I will switch to online distance teaching only. That way I can get a huge number of international students and get more bang for the bucks, i.e. teach fewer courses and cash in on the volume. 200 international students per course is the way to go!" ***2020 and Covid happens and everything becomes Zoom-teaching.*** **Me in 2021**: "I'm done with anonymous, and physically and socially distant teaching. 2022 will be IRL teaching only."

I hate teaching online. Pre-recorded lectures mean you get no interface with the audience - no visual cues to comprehension, no questions, not interaction. Online classroom sessions often result in really low engagement by many students, and it's impossible to walk around and see how people are getting on, challenge errors that you spot, etc. You can only see what they share, which often is very little. You can design around this somewhat, but if your university was anything like ours we were not given any resource to actually spend time re-writing our material for online format, so the opportunities to reformulate things were limited, and the module specifications/accreditations/assessment formats often have fixed requirements on what the skills and content to be covered are. If you can't write the module from scratch for an online format, the whole thing is harder work, less effective, and frankly soul crushing.

nwkj1b

askacademia_train

Human: Does online teaching make you tired? I am a first time professor and while I taught a couple of classes in person before the pandemic, this is my first time teaching this many hours. I found that attending conferences online is much more energy draining if compared to attending them in person. I started teaching after earning my PhD in 2020, so you can imagine that I've only experienced online professoring for the time being. What I realized is that teaching for hours online is incredibly exhausting. Given what I experienced with conferences, I can imagine that if the similarity holds, teaching in person should be somewhat less exhausting. Is this true? Do you think that online teaching is more exhausting than in person teaching? Assistant:

h1a0mnf

h19zwis

Yes it’s more tiring. In traditional classes, I’ll read the material, prep a lesson, and then go to the 50 min class. In online, I’ll read the material, prep a lesson, record the video, edit and upload the video, type the discussion, set the due dates, grade the discussion (check for completion), and answer emails about the discussion. Sometimes, I’ll give students a virtual live class option in lieu of completing the discussion but then I still have to grade the discussion for anyone who couldn’t attend.

Yeah, so sick of Zoom.

xd7ni9

askacademia_train

Human: Student with PSA I have a student who refuses to speak due to anxiety, which I can understand to an extent however this is a public speaking class and in order to pass you must give the required speeches. They’ve already taken the course with another professor and failed because they did not give the speeches. Any advice on how I can encourage the student to give their speeches so they can pass the class? Assistant:

io9olmp

io9nv9y

If you're in the US and the student has this documented as a disability with your school's office of disability services (or whatever their name is), that office should be working with you on accommodations.

I'm going to sound like the cruel old codger, but I'll say it anyway: student needs to withdraw from the course and take something else. My understanding of how anxiety disorders are viewed by mental health professionals: total avoidance is not a successful treatment strategy. If this is some kind of documented ADA scenario, exempting a single student from speaking in public in a public speaking course is unreasonable. Don't do it. It's also not your job to provide mental health therapy.

xd7ni9

askacademia_train

Human: Student with PSA I have a student who refuses to speak due to anxiety, which I can understand to an extent however this is a public speaking class and in order to pass you must give the required speeches. They’ve already taken the course with another professor and failed because they did not give the speeches. Any advice on how I can encourage the student to give their speeches so they can pass the class? Assistant:

io9olmp

io9dpzp

If you're in the US and the student has this documented as a disability with your school's office of disability services (or whatever their name is), that office should be working with you on accommodations.

Id recommend allowing for a smaller audience with this student. Could they do the first speech with just you present, the second with you and a couple of your colleagues or friends they invite, and the third with you and a smaller group of students in the class, like maybe a couple interested in extra credit? The idea here is to gradually desensitize the student to the anxiety of speaking publicly. Another suggestion is to recommend that the student start preparing the speech in advance, perhaps with your support as an instructor, to boost confidence. Edit: Just saw that SoupSoka made this suggestion of gradually increasing the audience size already. I agree with that redditor! Edit 2: I taught public speaking for a couple years, and those are the strategies that my department used with students who needed a little extra help with such an anxiety-inducing exercise.

xd7ni9

askacademia_train

Human: Student with PSA I have a student who refuses to speak due to anxiety, which I can understand to an extent however this is a public speaking class and in order to pass you must give the required speeches. They’ve already taken the course with another professor and failed because they did not give the speeches. Any advice on how I can encourage the student to give their speeches so they can pass the class? Assistant:

io9bgbh

io9olmp

Is it permissible to allow your student to record their speech using video software on their own, and then play that video for the class?

If you're in the US and the student has this documented as a disability with your school's office of disability services (or whatever their name is), that office should be working with you on accommodations.

xd7ni9

askacademia_train

Human: Student with PSA I have a student who refuses to speak due to anxiety, which I can understand to an extent however this is a public speaking class and in order to pass you must give the required speeches. They’ve already taken the course with another professor and failed because they did not give the speeches. Any advice on how I can encourage the student to give their speeches so they can pass the class? Assistant:

io9m9ha

io9olmp

I once had a student film her speech instead, but that isn't always relevant/sufficient of course. https://www.comm.pitt.edu/speech-anxiety

If you're in the US and the student has this documented as a disability with your school's office of disability services (or whatever their name is), that office should be working with you on accommodations.

xd7ni9

askacademia_train

Human: Student with PSA I have a student who refuses to speak due to anxiety, which I can understand to an extent however this is a public speaking class and in order to pass you must give the required speeches. They’ve already taken the course with another professor and failed because they did not give the speeches. Any advice on how I can encourage the student to give their speeches so they can pass the class? Assistant:

io9nv9y

io9bgbh

I'm going to sound like the cruel old codger, but I'll say it anyway: student needs to withdraw from the course and take something else. My understanding of how anxiety disorders are viewed by mental health professionals: total avoidance is not a successful treatment strategy. If this is some kind of documented ADA scenario, exempting a single student from speaking in public in a public speaking course is unreasonable. Don't do it. It's also not your job to provide mental health therapy.

Is it permissible to allow your student to record their speech using video software on their own, and then play that video for the class?

kumo8i

askacademia_train

Human: 31M Asst. Professor struggling with recent move to small college town This August, I began my first tenure-track job. I am from a large coastal urban area in the USA, but my job is at a regional state university located in a college town. This town is located 21 hours from home and 5 hours from the nearest large city. The nearest Trader Joe's and Whole Foods (aka basic needs) are 2 hours away! I like my job, but I'm really having trouble with the town. My friends back home describe me as a friendly and outgoing person, yet it is hard for me to make friends here. No one is mean; I'm just having trouble finding people I vibe with. I attribute this to two factors: 1. I'm single (the town is very family-focused). 2. I'm just not that into the activities that are popular here (i.e., sports, church, and the outdoors). There aren't even activities I would enjoy doing alone here. I'm a big foodie (the restaurants here are all about meat, meat, and more meat); I enjoy going to museums (the museums here are extremely small and regionally-focused); and I LOVE shopping (this town has little more than Walmart & Target). So, as you can see, I'm really out of my element. I love to travel, and I'm willing to take on pretty much any city. However, I've never wanted to live anywhere other than a large city, and now I find myself in a town straight out of a Hallmark movie. Has anyone else found themselves in this situation? If yes, what did you do about it? I thought about getting a second small place so I could spend the weekend in the small/mid-sized city with Trader Joe's and Whole Foods (and a lot more to do than my college town), but my salary won't allow it. :( Thanks for your input! :) Assistant:

gisrzhl

git9n43

Get a really small, gas-sipping car, and do meet-ups in the closest city. You might also consider signing up for every professional seminar you can - gets you out of the house, and who knows?

There's a strong culture in academia to tell people to "bloom where they're planted", and sort of subtlety chide people for not being grateful that they have one of those magical, answer to all your prayers tenure track jobs. (At one point in my life, I might have bought this line of thinking, at least in part, too.) I'm not sure I buy that now, though. At 31, you pretty much know what you're about, in a broad sense. Some things may change, but you're a big city single guy in a middle of nowhere college town where the big draw is "It's a nice place to raise kids". You may find your niche over time (maybe you'll find a church community you like, or get active volunteering at the local museum, etc.), but you shouldn't be afraid to look for jobs, yes, even non academic jobs, in places where you'd actually like to live. It's just a job, man. What you're doing when you're not at work, and who your doing it with, matters a lot more than what you do to earn a paycheck.

kumo8i

askacademia_train

Human: 31M Asst. Professor struggling with recent move to small college town This August, I began my first tenure-track job. I am from a large coastal urban area in the USA, but my job is at a regional state university located in a college town. This town is located 21 hours from home and 5 hours from the nearest large city. The nearest Trader Joe's and Whole Foods (aka basic needs) are 2 hours away! I like my job, but I'm really having trouble with the town. My friends back home describe me as a friendly and outgoing person, yet it is hard for me to make friends here. No one is mean; I'm just having trouble finding people I vibe with. I attribute this to two factors: 1. I'm single (the town is very family-focused). 2. I'm just not that into the activities that are popular here (i.e., sports, church, and the outdoors). There aren't even activities I would enjoy doing alone here. I'm a big foodie (the restaurants here are all about meat, meat, and more meat); I enjoy going to museums (the museums here are extremely small and regionally-focused); and I LOVE shopping (this town has little more than Walmart & Target). So, as you can see, I'm really out of my element. I love to travel, and I'm willing to take on pretty much any city. However, I've never wanted to live anywhere other than a large city, and now I find myself in a town straight out of a Hallmark movie. Has anyone else found themselves in this situation? If yes, what did you do about it? I thought about getting a second small place so I could spend the weekend in the small/mid-sized city with Trader Joe's and Whole Foods (and a lot more to do than my college town), but my salary won't allow it. :( Thanks for your input! :) Assistant:

gitk3xn

gisrzhl

I spent 10 years in a similar situation. Everybody told me to "bloom where you're planted." I had great colleagues and terrific students, so that kept me going. I earned tenure while living in that suffocating college town. I traveled as much as possible, but it was always disappointing to have to go back there. And then, when a position in my subfield opened up at a university in a big city, I jumped. Best move I ever made. So my advice is to put your head down, work your ass off, publish publish publish, and then get out.

Get a really small, gas-sipping car, and do meet-ups in the closest city. You might also consider signing up for every professional seminar you can - gets you out of the house, and who knows?

kumo8i

askacademia_train

Human: 31M Asst. Professor struggling with recent move to small college town This August, I began my first tenure-track job. I am from a large coastal urban area in the USA, but my job is at a regional state university located in a college town. This town is located 21 hours from home and 5 hours from the nearest large city. The nearest Trader Joe's and Whole Foods (aka basic needs) are 2 hours away! I like my job, but I'm really having trouble with the town. My friends back home describe me as a friendly and outgoing person, yet it is hard for me to make friends here. No one is mean; I'm just having trouble finding people I vibe with. I attribute this to two factors: 1. I'm single (the town is very family-focused). 2. I'm just not that into the activities that are popular here (i.e., sports, church, and the outdoors). There aren't even activities I would enjoy doing alone here. I'm a big foodie (the restaurants here are all about meat, meat, and more meat); I enjoy going to museums (the museums here are extremely small and regionally-focused); and I LOVE shopping (this town has little more than Walmart & Target). So, as you can see, I'm really out of my element. I love to travel, and I'm willing to take on pretty much any city. However, I've never wanted to live anywhere other than a large city, and now I find myself in a town straight out of a Hallmark movie. Has anyone else found themselves in this situation? If yes, what did you do about it? I thought about getting a second small place so I could spend the weekend in the small/mid-sized city with Trader Joe's and Whole Foods (and a lot more to do than my college town), but my salary won't allow it. :( Thanks for your input! :) Assistant:

gitlf20

gittlai

There’s really no good answer as I’m sure you’ve already concluded. You could “stick it out” for the next 5 years and throw yourself out into your research, build your CV, and apply for new positions in cities you want to be. But that will bring about unhealthy habits and if a family is something you want, then you’d be putting that on hold at an age where it becomes significantly more difficult to build one. Speaking from experience, I’ve lived in a small town for undergrad and then started my career in a small town after that (I’m now in a proper city, thank god) and overall it doesn’t usually get better. The best hope you have is to try out local meetups and other events, have a drink, and just have conversations with people. Even if nothing comes of it at least you’re building your social skills for when you do find people you mesh with. Typically in smaller towns people tend to get cliquey, and only chance to get in on it is by random meeting but it can be rewarding... but y’know could take years. Obviously adding COVID considerations exacerbate these problems. Oh and as I’m sure you’ve learned... app dating in small college towns is also shit both for your age group and if you’re looking for someone who isn’t into sports, fishing/hunting, double standards, unreasonable expectations, making you a step dad to their 3 kids, morbid obesity, or an immature barely 20 year old (that would probably raise ethical issues for your job)... then you’re shit out of luck

“Publish your way out”. I was in a similar region very recently (I was living in the “largest” “city” in the region with a population of around 30,000). Job was okay, life was easy a la Hallmark movie as you said. But if you were not into high school football and church-ing, there wasn’t anything to do. The university was small enough. I put teaching and service on auto-pilot, focused on a couple of fast-tracked research projects, and got out.

kumo8i

askacademia_train

Human: 31M Asst. Professor struggling with recent move to small college town This August, I began my first tenure-track job. I am from a large coastal urban area in the USA, but my job is at a regional state university located in a college town. This town is located 21 hours from home and 5 hours from the nearest large city. The nearest Trader Joe's and Whole Foods (aka basic needs) are 2 hours away! I like my job, but I'm really having trouble with the town. My friends back home describe me as a friendly and outgoing person, yet it is hard for me to make friends here. No one is mean; I'm just having trouble finding people I vibe with. I attribute this to two factors: 1. I'm single (the town is very family-focused). 2. I'm just not that into the activities that are popular here (i.e., sports, church, and the outdoors). There aren't even activities I would enjoy doing alone here. I'm a big foodie (the restaurants here are all about meat, meat, and more meat); I enjoy going to museums (the museums here are extremely small and regionally-focused); and I LOVE shopping (this town has little more than Walmart & Target). So, as you can see, I'm really out of my element. I love to travel, and I'm willing to take on pretty much any city. However, I've never wanted to live anywhere other than a large city, and now I find myself in a town straight out of a Hallmark movie. Has anyone else found themselves in this situation? If yes, what did you do about it? I thought about getting a second small place so I could spend the weekend in the small/mid-sized city with Trader Joe's and Whole Foods (and a lot more to do than my college town), but my salary won't allow it. :( Thanks for your input! :) Assistant:

gitmpiu

gittlai

Apply for positions elsewhere... Consider it another postdoc ;)

“Publish your way out”. I was in a similar region very recently (I was living in the “largest” “city” in the region with a population of around 30,000). Job was okay, life was easy a la Hallmark movie as you said. But if you were not into high school football and church-ing, there wasn’t anything to do. The university was small enough. I put teaching and service on auto-pilot, focused on a couple of fast-tracked research projects, and got out.

kumo8i

askacademia_train

Human: 31M Asst. Professor struggling with recent move to small college town This August, I began my first tenure-track job. I am from a large coastal urban area in the USA, but my job is at a regional state university located in a college town. This town is located 21 hours from home and 5 hours from the nearest large city. The nearest Trader Joe's and Whole Foods (aka basic needs) are 2 hours away! I like my job, but I'm really having trouble with the town. My friends back home describe me as a friendly and outgoing person, yet it is hard for me to make friends here. No one is mean; I'm just having trouble finding people I vibe with. I attribute this to two factors: 1. I'm single (the town is very family-focused). 2. I'm just not that into the activities that are popular here (i.e., sports, church, and the outdoors). There aren't even activities I would enjoy doing alone here. I'm a big foodie (the restaurants here are all about meat, meat, and more meat); I enjoy going to museums (the museums here are extremely small and regionally-focused); and I LOVE shopping (this town has little more than Walmart & Target). So, as you can see, I'm really out of my element. I love to travel, and I'm willing to take on pretty much any city. However, I've never wanted to live anywhere other than a large city, and now I find myself in a town straight out of a Hallmark movie. Has anyone else found themselves in this situation? If yes, what did you do about it? I thought about getting a second small place so I could spend the weekend in the small/mid-sized city with Trader Joe's and Whole Foods (and a lot more to do than my college town), but my salary won't allow it. :( Thanks for your input! :) Assistant:

gittlai

gitrb0s

“Publish your way out”. I was in a similar region very recently (I was living in the “largest” “city” in the region with a population of around 30,000). Job was okay, life was easy a la Hallmark movie as you said. But if you were not into high school football and church-ing, there wasn’t anything to do. The university was small enough. I put teaching and service on auto-pilot, focused on a couple of fast-tracked research projects, and got out.

I refused to move to the middle of nowhere for similar reasons.

i8d9jm

askacademia_train

Human: and also sections with their comments/adjustments) and I have the email logs to prove it. Saying that I had not taken any initiative to seek support – 1) no issues have ever been raised prior relating to my writing, 2) I had elected to attend a number of development and training workshops on my own accord 3) In light of the COVID lockdown, any access to support and guidance was severely limited/if any provided at all. I mentioned in my earlier post that the lab that I worked in was notorious for politics, nepotism, and bullying. The student who had the project before me was bullied into leaving after a few months. It has become clear this is a reoccurring issue involving the behavior of particular senior members of staff which I and others had tried to raise. In my own experience, I had found myself subject to unwelcome comments regarding my appearance and stature made by a senior member of staff. Rumors were being spread about my apparent use of enhancing drugs (I don’t use) and that I was “all brawn, no brains”, comments to that effect. Furthermore, on a number of occasions, I had also experienced uncomfortable and unwelcome physical advances by a member of senior staff who would grope my chest and arms. I made it clear to this individual that I was uncomfortable with this behavior and in a professional manner would not like to be viewed as such. Unfortunately, this unwelcome physical behavior continued. In addition to remarks being made that I do not partake in social drinking (due to my religious beliefs) or the eating of shared food items (pork, meat, bacon). I had highlighted this to my supervisor. Particularly the physical harassment and groping who told me he was aware of this individual, politics such as this has a history and that his advice was to “keep your head down, let it happen and you can get your PhD at the end”. Members of the lab were frequently told to not socialize with me, not talk to me, “I don’t want to see you with him” which cultivated an environment of isolation. Finally, I raised this to the Head of Department via email, because it was taking a toll on my wellbeing and the enjoyment of my work being in such a negative and isolating work environment. This culminated in an interaction a few days after sending the email, where the senior individual in question lured me to a private corner of the workspace for “a quick chat” and attempted to intimidate me saying I should stop talking to members of the office (my friend/colleagues) and that I should stop talking about the issues and that I wouldn’t be remaining for much longer and that things could be made difficult for me. It is impossible to say whether these instances of bullying and harassment may have tainted my character in the eyes of senior staff for whistleblowing and potentially influenced the channels involved in my academic progression. As I had made it clear that I was not going to be subject to intimidation. It is arguable and perhaps logical that I was removed as a means to silence these issues. As I have highlighted before, written communication is an extremely atypical reason for such a drastic and final solution. Particularly when I have demonstrated promise in all other aspects of my performance. I would appreciate any advice/avenues to explore. I am currently launching an academic appeal so I can get a proper grading or an MPhil to at least show for my years of work. In addition to contacting the OIA, Research Excellence Framework, and potentially the local press / the Independent and the Guardian do articles based on student submissions and academic experiences to name and shame these members and faculty. Assistant:

g17qgp8

g17v0qj

OP I’m so sorry that you’re going through all of this. It sound awful. Have you contacted your research degrees team, graduate school team or student union? If I were you I would talk to as many people outside of your department as possible who can support you. The bullying and harassment needs to be flagged up with people not in your lab/department as they are seemingly turning a blind eye to everything and actively trying to get rid of anyone who speaks out against them by the sounds of it. Personally I would also make this public on twitter with a thread and name and shame the uni and department. The @DoBetterAcademia and #BrokenAcademia tags are something you should check out. But keep in mind that people who have spoken up about this sort of thing have received backlash in the sense that they have been ousted from their departments/fields etc. which is awful but something to think about. I would try and find a position elsewhere with a supervisor you trust (perhaps someone you’ve met at a conference?) who you can explain all of this to and who will be supportive and understanding. Best of luck with everything and again, so sorry you’ve had to put up with this.

I am very impressed by your willingness to continue to fight. It takes courage and perseverance to hold a mirror up to systems that are broken. Hurrah for those like you willing to make those sacrifices!

i8d9jm

askacademia_train

Human: and also sections with their comments/adjustments) and I have the email logs to prove it. Saying that I had not taken any initiative to seek support – 1) no issues have ever been raised prior relating to my writing, 2) I had elected to attend a number of development and training workshops on my own accord 3) In light of the COVID lockdown, any access to support and guidance was severely limited/if any provided at all. I mentioned in my earlier post that the lab that I worked in was notorious for politics, nepotism, and bullying. The student who had the project before me was bullied into leaving after a few months. It has become clear this is a reoccurring issue involving the behavior of particular senior members of staff which I and others had tried to raise. In my own experience, I had found myself subject to unwelcome comments regarding my appearance and stature made by a senior member of staff. Rumors were being spread about my apparent use of enhancing drugs (I don’t use) and that I was “all brawn, no brains”, comments to that effect. Furthermore, on a number of occasions, I had also experienced uncomfortable and unwelcome physical advances by a member of senior staff who would grope my chest and arms. I made it clear to this individual that I was uncomfortable with this behavior and in a professional manner would not like to be viewed as such. Unfortunately, this unwelcome physical behavior continued. In addition to remarks being made that I do not partake in social drinking (due to my religious beliefs) or the eating of shared food items (pork, meat, bacon). I had highlighted this to my supervisor. Particularly the physical harassment and groping who told me he was aware of this individual, politics such as this has a history and that his advice was to “keep your head down, let it happen and you can get your PhD at the end”. Members of the lab were frequently told to not socialize with me, not talk to me, “I don’t want to see you with him” which cultivated an environment of isolation. Finally, I raised this to the Head of Department via email, because it was taking a toll on my wellbeing and the enjoyment of my work being in such a negative and isolating work environment. This culminated in an interaction a few days after sending the email, where the senior individual in question lured me to a private corner of the workspace for “a quick chat” and attempted to intimidate me saying I should stop talking to members of the office (my friend/colleagues) and that I should stop talking about the issues and that I wouldn’t be remaining for much longer and that things could be made difficult for me. It is impossible to say whether these instances of bullying and harassment may have tainted my character in the eyes of senior staff for whistleblowing and potentially influenced the channels involved in my academic progression. As I had made it clear that I was not going to be subject to intimidation. It is arguable and perhaps logical that I was removed as a means to silence these issues. As I have highlighted before, written communication is an extremely atypical reason for such a drastic and final solution. Particularly when I have demonstrated promise in all other aspects of my performance. I would appreciate any advice/avenues to explore. I am currently launching an academic appeal so I can get a proper grading or an MPhil to at least show for my years of work. In addition to contacting the OIA, Research Excellence Framework, and potentially the local press / the Independent and the Guardian do articles based on student submissions and academic experiences to name and shame these members and faculty. Assistant:

g17t52u

g17qgp8

Try your university Ombudsman. They might be able to review your case.

OP I’m so sorry that you’re going through all of this. It sound awful. Have you contacted your research degrees team, graduate school team or student union? If I were you I would talk to as many people outside of your department as possible who can support you. The bullying and harassment needs to be flagged up with people not in your lab/department as they are seemingly turning a blind eye to everything and actively trying to get rid of anyone who speaks out against them by the sounds of it. Personally I would also make this public on twitter with a thread and name and shame the uni and department. The @DoBetterAcademia and #BrokenAcademia tags are something you should check out. But keep in mind that people who have spoken up about this sort of thing have received backlash in the sense that they have been ousted from their departments/fields etc. which is awful but something to think about. I would try and find a position elsewhere with a supervisor you trust (perhaps someone you’ve met at a conference?) who you can explain all of this to and who will be supportive and understanding. Best of luck with everything and again, so sorry you’ve had to put up with this.

i8d9jm

askacademia_train

Human: removed with no fair cause and no further qualification/career development. As I am in the process of launching an appeal. I had requested a copy of the meeting minutes to compare with my own. Strangely all mention of my supervisor not supervising was omitted. It downplayed any of the supervision shortcomings and painted me to be a lost cause/bad student – saying that I did not provide drafts (I sent my supervisory team drafts 3 weeks before submission and also sections with their comments/adjustments) and I have the email logs to prove it. Saying that I had not taken any initiative to seek support – 1) no issues have ever been raised prior relating to my writing, 2) I had elected to attend a number of development and training workshops on my own accord 3) In light of the COVID lockdown, any access to support and guidance was severely limited/if any provided at all. I mentioned in my earlier post that the lab that I worked in was notorious for politics, nepotism, and bullying. The student who had the project before me was bullied into leaving after a few months. It has become clear this is a reoccurring issue involving the behavior of particular senior members of staff which I and others had tried to raise. In my own experience, I had found myself subject to unwelcome comments regarding my appearance and stature made by a senior member of staff. Rumors were being spread about my apparent use of enhancing drugs (I don’t use) and that I was “all brawn, no brains”, comments to that effect. Furthermore, on a number of occasions, I had also experienced uncomfortable and unwelcome physical advances by a member of senior staff who would grope my chest and arms. I made it clear to this individual that I was uncomfortable with this behavior and in a professional manner would not like to be viewed as such. Unfortunately, this unwelcome physical behavior continued. In addition to remarks being made that I do not partake in social drinking (due to my religious beliefs) or the eating of shared food items (pork, meat, bacon). I had highlighted this to my supervisor. Particularly the physical harassment and groping who told me he was aware of this individual, politics such as this has a history and that his advice was to “keep your head down, let it happen and you can get your PhD at the end”. Members of the lab were frequently told to not socialize with me, not talk to me, “I don’t want to see you with him” which cultivated an environment of isolation. Finally, I raised this to the Head of Department via email, because it was taking a toll on my wellbeing and the enjoyment of my work being in such a negative and isolating work environment. This culminated in an interaction a few days after sending the email, where the senior individual in question lured me to a private corner of the workspace for “a quick chat” and attempted to intimidate me saying I should stop talking to members of the office (my friend/colleagues) and that I should stop talking about the issues and that I wouldn’t be remaining for much longer and that things could be made difficult for me. It is impossible to say whether these instances of bullying and harassment may have tainted my character in the eyes of senior staff for whistleblowing and potentially influenced the channels involved in my academic progression. As I had made it clear that I was not going to be subject to intimidation. It is arguable and perhaps logical that I was removed as a means to silence these issues. As I have highlighted before, written communication is an extremely atypical reason for such a drastic and final solution. Particularly when I have demonstrated promise in all other aspects of my performance. I would appreciate any advice/avenues to explore. I am currently launching an academic appeal so I can get a proper grading or an MPhil to at least show for my years of work. In addition to contacting the OIA, Research Excellence Framework, and potentially the local press / the Independent and the Guardian do articles based on student submissions and academic experiences to name and shame these members and faculty. Assistant:

g180woi

g182hcr

Best chances are to document everything you can, elevate to whatever the highest level you can is, and start making plans to transfer to another program as a second year if possible. Going to the press is almost never a good idea. They don't necessary have your interesting in mind or see things your way. The rules that the press think are fair aren't necessarily what you would think are fair. It sounds like your advisor just doesn't want you there. The unfortunate thing is that even if you won an appeal and stayed in the lab, you're going to still be working with someone who a) doesn't want you there, and b) has a lot of control over your progress. The best chance you have is to switch to another program where they actually do want you there and support you/

My recommendation may not be what you want to hear because you are still fighting this decision. I’m sorry this is happening and this would not easily happen in the US. Why were you not able to select another advisor ? and I mean from their point of view Here is my recommendation. They don’t want you. Go to another university where you can be appreciated. They are not going to overturn this and if it is overturn they will make your life miserable.

i8d9jm

askacademia_train

Human: and also sections with their comments/adjustments) and I have the email logs to prove it. Saying that I had not taken any initiative to seek support – 1) no issues have ever been raised prior relating to my writing, 2) I had elected to attend a number of development and training workshops on my own accord 3) In light of the COVID lockdown, any access to support and guidance was severely limited/if any provided at all. I mentioned in my earlier post that the lab that I worked in was notorious for politics, nepotism, and bullying. The student who had the project before me was bullied into leaving after a few months. It has become clear this is a reoccurring issue involving the behavior of particular senior members of staff which I and others had tried to raise. In my own experience, I had found myself subject to unwelcome comments regarding my appearance and stature made by a senior member of staff. Rumors were being spread about my apparent use of enhancing drugs (I don’t use) and that I was “all brawn, no brains”, comments to that effect. Furthermore, on a number of occasions, I had also experienced uncomfortable and unwelcome physical advances by a member of senior staff who would grope my chest and arms. I made it clear to this individual that I was uncomfortable with this behavior and in a professional manner would not like to be viewed as such. Unfortunately, this unwelcome physical behavior continued. In addition to remarks being made that I do not partake in social drinking (due to my religious beliefs) or the eating of shared food items (pork, meat, bacon). I had highlighted this to my supervisor. Particularly the physical harassment and groping who told me he was aware of this individual, politics such as this has a history and that his advice was to “keep your head down, let it happen and you can get your PhD at the end”. Members of the lab were frequently told to not socialize with me, not talk to me, “I don’t want to see you with him” which cultivated an environment of isolation. Finally, I raised this to the Head of Department via email, because it was taking a toll on my wellbeing and the enjoyment of my work being in such a negative and isolating work environment. This culminated in an interaction a few days after sending the email, where the senior individual in question lured me to a private corner of the workspace for “a quick chat” and attempted to intimidate me saying I should stop talking to members of the office (my friend/colleagues) and that I should stop talking about the issues and that I wouldn’t be remaining for much longer and that things could be made difficult for me. It is impossible to say whether these instances of bullying and harassment may have tainted my character in the eyes of senior staff for whistleblowing and potentially influenced the channels involved in my academic progression. As I had made it clear that I was not going to be subject to intimidation. It is arguable and perhaps logical that I was removed as a means to silence these issues. As I have highlighted before, written communication is an extremely atypical reason for such a drastic and final solution. Particularly when I have demonstrated promise in all other aspects of my performance. I would appreciate any advice/avenues to explore. I am currently launching an academic appeal so I can get a proper grading or an MPhil to at least show for my years of work. In addition to contacting the OIA, Research Excellence Framework, and potentially the local press / the Independent and the Guardian do articles based on student submissions and academic experiences to name and shame these members and faculty. Assistant:

g182hcr

g17qgp8

My recommendation may not be what you want to hear because you are still fighting this decision. I’m sorry this is happening and this would not easily happen in the US. Why were you not able to select another advisor ? and I mean from their point of view Here is my recommendation. They don’t want you. Go to another university where you can be appreciated. They are not going to overturn this and if it is overturn they will make your life miserable.

OP I’m so sorry that you’re going through all of this. It sound awful. Have you contacted your research degrees team, graduate school team or student union? If I were you I would talk to as many people outside of your department as possible who can support you. The bullying and harassment needs to be flagged up with people not in your lab/department as they are seemingly turning a blind eye to everything and actively trying to get rid of anyone who speaks out against them by the sounds of it. Personally I would also make this public on twitter with a thread and name and shame the uni and department. The @DoBetterAcademia and #BrokenAcademia tags are something you should check out. But keep in mind that people who have spoken up about this sort of thing have received backlash in the sense that they have been ousted from their departments/fields etc. which is awful but something to think about. I would try and find a position elsewhere with a supervisor you trust (perhaps someone you’ve met at a conference?) who you can explain all of this to and who will be supportive and understanding. Best of luck with everything and again, so sorry you’ve had to put up with this.

grn0oh

askacademia_train

Human: Just got tenure. Want to let my gender fluidity come out in professional environments. What do you think? I'd like to let my gender fluidity be present at work, but I am hesitant. I'm not in gender studies or similar, and it will be a surprise for most. Do I send an email to the faculty? Do I explain "gender" to students the first day of class even though it has nothing to do with the class? I'd definitely keep my clothes professional but I'm a 35 y.o. dude, and while teaching or presenting in a conference as my authentic self sounds exhilarating, I know it's an image I can't take back--especially if it's one of those 300-student survey. I'm wondering if anyone has any related experiences or feedback. Would you care if a male professor in your department suddenly would show up here and there in feminine clothing? Hesitant to see him/her representing the department? Assistant:

frzw8wh

frzvmnj

From a student perspective: Definitely don't adress it directly. Nobody cares unless it's directly relevant to the stuff you teach.

I don't see what your gender has to do with your work environment. If someone asks you, you can choose to talk about it but sending mass email about it seems really inappropriate in a professional environment. If a male comes in feminine's clothing that's his choice and if people are curious they can talk to you about it. And I am one of those that after your phd if you choose to it is not him or her anymore but Dr.

grn0oh

askacademia_train

Human: Just got tenure. Want to let my gender fluidity come out in professional environments. What do you think? I'd like to let my gender fluidity be present at work, but I am hesitant. I'm not in gender studies or similar, and it will be a surprise for most. Do I send an email to the faculty? Do I explain "gender" to students the first day of class even though it has nothing to do with the class? I'd definitely keep my clothes professional but I'm a 35 y.o. dude, and while teaching or presenting in a conference as my authentic self sounds exhilarating, I know it's an image I can't take back--especially if it's one of those 300-student survey. I'm wondering if anyone has any related experiences or feedback. Would you care if a male professor in your department suddenly would show up here and there in feminine clothing? Hesitant to see him/her representing the department? Assistant:

frzw1dr

frzw8wh

Kinda seems unnecessary to me tbh as this information doesn’t effect your work. Why not just have it on your website, that’s how my profs openly share this or an lgbtq poster on your door

From a student perspective: Definitely don't adress it directly. Nobody cares unless it's directly relevant to the stuff you teach.

grn0oh

askacademia_train

Human: Just got tenure. Want to let my gender fluidity come out in professional environments. What do you think? I'd like to let my gender fluidity be present at work, but I am hesitant. I'm not in gender studies or similar, and it will be a surprise for most. Do I send an email to the faculty? Do I explain "gender" to students the first day of class even though it has nothing to do with the class? I'd definitely keep my clothes professional but I'm a 35 y.o. dude, and while teaching or presenting in a conference as my authentic self sounds exhilarating, I know it's an image I can't take back--especially if it's one of those 300-student survey. I'm wondering if anyone has any related experiences or feedback. Would you care if a male professor in your department suddenly would show up here and there in feminine clothing? Hesitant to see him/her representing the department? Assistant:

frzxech

frzvmnj

Don't send out a mass email, that would be very odd and unprofessional. If you think this is going to cause excessive attention then perhaps bring it up with your departmental administrator. I think it will depend very much on the culture of your country and university/department as to how much disruption this would cause (if any).

I don't see what your gender has to do with your work environment. If someone asks you, you can choose to talk about it but sending mass email about it seems really inappropriate in a professional environment. If a male comes in feminine's clothing that's his choice and if people are curious they can talk to you about it. And I am one of those that after your phd if you choose to it is not him or her anymore but Dr.

grn0oh

askacademia_train

Human: Just got tenure. Want to let my gender fluidity come out in professional environments. What do you think? I'd like to let my gender fluidity be present at work, but I am hesitant. I'm not in gender studies or similar, and it will be a surprise for most. Do I send an email to the faculty? Do I explain "gender" to students the first day of class even though it has nothing to do with the class? I'd definitely keep my clothes professional but I'm a 35 y.o. dude, and while teaching or presenting in a conference as my authentic self sounds exhilarating, I know it's an image I can't take back--especially if it's one of those 300-student survey. I'm wondering if anyone has any related experiences or feedback. Would you care if a male professor in your department suddenly would show up here and there in feminine clothing? Hesitant to see him/her representing the department? Assistant:

frzw1dr

frzxech

Kinda seems unnecessary to me tbh as this information doesn’t effect your work. Why not just have it on your website, that’s how my profs openly share this or an lgbtq poster on your door

Don't send out a mass email, that would be very odd and unprofessional. If you think this is going to cause excessive attention then perhaps bring it up with your departmental administrator. I think it will depend very much on the culture of your country and university/department as to how much disruption this would cause (if any).

grn0oh

askacademia_train

Human: Just got tenure. Want to let my gender fluidity come out in professional environments. What do you think? I'd like to let my gender fluidity be present at work, but I am hesitant. I'm not in gender studies or similar, and it will be a surprise for most. Do I send an email to the faculty? Do I explain "gender" to students the first day of class even though it has nothing to do with the class? I'd definitely keep my clothes professional but I'm a 35 y.o. dude, and while teaching or presenting in a conference as my authentic self sounds exhilarating, I know it's an image I can't take back--especially if it's one of those 300-student survey. I'm wondering if anyone has any related experiences or feedback. Would you care if a male professor in your department suddenly would show up here and there in feminine clothing? Hesitant to see him/her representing the department? Assistant:

fs0273t

fs06lj1

Just be yourself. If they want to, the students will figure it out. Making an announcement wouldn't really be appropriate during a class. Personal anecdotes are fine but I was always taught that, as a rule, never say "I am a... (Insert religion, ethnicity, sexuality, etc here)" unless it is DIRECTLY related to the course and the students would need to know for some reason.

I'm only a PhD student but I'm also a non-binary person in science.... I don't think you should go down the "big reveal" route, and definitely don't send a mass email or make an announcement in front of a class. Personally I just gradually began to transition as I became more confident over the last couple of years. When I joined my program I wore strictly masculine clothing, and gradually became more feminine over time. If you're gradual then in the beginning everyone will write off your slight femininity as 'fashion'. After a while if you start wearing women's clothing items then no one will blink an eye because they're already used to you having a feminine appearance. If you just suddenly come to work wearing a skirt after having always previously worn men's clothes then it's going to be jarring. I can understand the urge to 'come out' but I'd keep that for your private life - at work I'd only mention it directly if asked.

xunqxe

askacademia_train

Human: How does academic networking work? How did you learn this? Academia appealed to me because I thought it was based on objective merit - good research gets published; worthy applications get grants; expertise means you will be asked to contribute book chapters and present at conferences; all that produces a strong CV which leads to a TT job. Where does the benefit of networking come in? I’ve read that professional networks provide ‘support’ and ‘opportunities’. Could you give some concrete examples of this? Most descriptions I’ve encountered sound like favouritism but said in a way which tries to downplay that. It seems to be some kind of mutual support but I don't get what resources are being provided without it being an unfair system. I defended a PhD without knowing I was supposed to cultivate a network. I received messaging that academia was (1) competitive (so why would people be interested in helping each other?) and (2) academics ought to be independent researchers who didn’t need hand-holding (so why ask for help or direction?). Also, how did you learn about academic networking? Did you have to be taught? By who? How explicit was it that you were being shown how to network? Assistant:

iqwfpa8

iqwie2v

Any professional job, within or outside academia will benefit from networking. In academia you can think of it more in terms of potential future collaborations. Eg if you are researching tents and I’m researching tents from a different perspective maybe we could work on a project about tents together in the future. Also, if you are the lead of a tents research lab and are looking for a postdoc, if you met a person before at a conference and shared common goals it is more likely that you will share job opportunities (many of which are not widely advertised). I don’t remember being taught about networking, it’s something I’ve developed over the years of working in healthcare and now academia.

My PhD advisor, before she passed, made me promise that I would attend the national professional conference in my major research area. I'm pretty introverted, and the idea of attending a conference was very unappealing, but I had promised her so I went. Ended up interviewing for my first academic position at that conference that year, and got the job. I made sure to attend sessions I found interesting, not just in my research area, and I also attended the business meetings for those groups. Through attending the business meetings I was able to get minor (then later major) service opportunities I needed for my position. When the time came to go up for promotion, individuals I had served with on those committees made up the majority of my external reviewers. I never had to struggle to find external reviewers who knew me. I never "networked" purposely and I'm horrible at small talk, but showing up and volunteering at conferences has made all the difference in my career (and personal life, as I met my husband at my first academic job).

xunqxe

askacademia_train

Human: How does academic networking work? How did you learn this? Academia appealed to me because I thought it was based on objective merit - good research gets published; worthy applications get grants; expertise means you will be asked to contribute book chapters and present at conferences; all that produces a strong CV which leads to a TT job. Where does the benefit of networking come in? I’ve read that professional networks provide ‘support’ and ‘opportunities’. Could you give some concrete examples of this? Most descriptions I’ve encountered sound like favouritism but said in a way which tries to downplay that. It seems to be some kind of mutual support but I don't get what resources are being provided without it being an unfair system. I defended a PhD without knowing I was supposed to cultivate a network. I received messaging that academia was (1) competitive (so why would people be interested in helping each other?) and (2) academics ought to be independent researchers who didn’t need hand-holding (so why ask for help or direction?). Also, how did you learn about academic networking? Did you have to be taught? By who? How explicit was it that you were being shown how to network? Assistant:

iqx9sx7

iqxnsz2

Academic networking happens through functional alcoholism at conferences. I was taught by my undergraduate supervisor.

It's less favoritism and more just straight up knowing that you exist. There's too much research out there for everyone to read everything. If people know who you are (even if that's just from an insightful comment at their poster or whatever), they'll read your work when it comes out, or think of you when people ask for award nominations, invite people for a special issue, etc, etc. If you strike up a friendship and they hear about a position that might be a good fit, maybe they'll forward it. Little things.

xunqxe

askacademia_train

Human: How does academic networking work? How did you learn this? Academia appealed to me because I thought it was based on objective merit - good research gets published; worthy applications get grants; expertise means you will be asked to contribute book chapters and present at conferences; all that produces a strong CV which leads to a TT job. Where does the benefit of networking come in? I’ve read that professional networks provide ‘support’ and ‘opportunities’. Could you give some concrete examples of this? Most descriptions I’ve encountered sound like favouritism but said in a way which tries to downplay that. It seems to be some kind of mutual support but I don't get what resources are being provided without it being an unfair system. I defended a PhD without knowing I was supposed to cultivate a network. I received messaging that academia was (1) competitive (so why would people be interested in helping each other?) and (2) academics ought to be independent researchers who didn’t need hand-holding (so why ask for help or direction?). Also, how did you learn about academic networking? Did you have to be taught? By who? How explicit was it that you were being shown how to network? Assistant:

iqxcciq

iqx9sx7

I found Phil Agre's "Networking on the Network: A Guide to Professional Skills for PhD Students" to be really insighful on this topic. This is a really old piece that was first written when the internet was new to academics and aimed to explain how email can contribute to professional networking in academia. I think it gets at very important points about academia as an inter-personal activity. If we want to develop ideas then we need to discuss them with others. It paints a much less cynical view of networking than what one might get from thinking about networking in business circles or popular media.

Academic networking happens through functional alcoholism at conferences. I was taught by my undergraduate supervisor.

yl5580

askacademia_train

Human: What are your views on reducing core curriculum requirements and eliminating required courses? I was speaking to a friend who works at the University of Alabama, and he told me about proposed changes to their core curriculum. You can read about them here Notable changes I found intriguing were: * Humanities, literature, and fine arts are reduced from 12 to 9 hours. Literature is no longer required as the other options can fully satisfy the requirement. * Writing courses (comp) are reduced from 6 to 3 hours meaning only one writing-focused course is required. * History and social/behavioral courses are reduced from 12 to 9 hours. The social/behavioral courses can fully satisfy the requirement, so no history course is required. * Overall reduction of core requirements from 53-55 hours to 37-38 hours. More hours will be added to major requirements. My friend said he and a lot of his colleagues are up in arms about it. He also mentioned that statistics will satisfy the core curriculum math requirement. I'm conflicted on my personal feelings on this. I like that students have more choice, but it feels like it's pushing the university experience to be more focused on "job training" rather than a liberal education. I'm an idealist though. Assistant:

iuwr51j

iuwq9cb

Colleges in the US have had to step in to give students the general skills other countries provide in secondary school. With no national secondary curriculum and wildly different standards even within state boards of education, I can't help but feel like changes like this are going to create a further divide between students who have had the benefit of a high-quality secondary education and those who didn't. It's something we already see in my college in first year classes where about half of the students can't properly understand or respond to an argument being made and the other half feel (correctly) that they are wasting their time.

Aside from eliminating the humanities, which this policy would move closer to achieving, would most departments even be able to offer more major courses? My department would love to offer more major courses, but we barely have enough faculty to offer the current number of courses. We rely on the gen-ed requirements to fulfill the total-credit graduation requirement.

yl5580

askacademia_train

Human: What are your views on reducing core curriculum requirements and eliminating required courses? I was speaking to a friend who works at the University of Alabama, and he told me about proposed changes to their core curriculum. You can read about them here Notable changes I found intriguing were: * Humanities, literature, and fine arts are reduced from 12 to 9 hours. Literature is no longer required as the other options can fully satisfy the requirement. * Writing courses (comp) are reduced from 6 to 3 hours meaning only one writing-focused course is required. * History and social/behavioral courses are reduced from 12 to 9 hours. The social/behavioral courses can fully satisfy the requirement, so no history course is required. * Overall reduction of core requirements from 53-55 hours to 37-38 hours. More hours will be added to major requirements. My friend said he and a lot of his colleagues are up in arms about it. He also mentioned that statistics will satisfy the core curriculum math requirement. I'm conflicted on my personal feelings on this. I like that students have more choice, but it feels like it's pushing the university experience to be more focused on "job training" rather than a liberal education. I'm an idealist though. Assistant:

iuwkc0e

iuwr51j

Good luck with the specific job training when your applicants can't write, tell a good source of info from a bad one, do algebra or any other math, don't know natural limitation of physics chemistry, or biology, have no insight into another point of view because they never even read one good story , and condemn all the rest of us to repeat history forever because they have the collective memory of a gold fish As someone who also teaches "job training" for nurses and pharm tech and medical transcription etc , the lack of both foundational skills and the soft skills you get while acquiring those foundational skills is not surmountable for many of those people. Why the onus is not on companies to take a a reasonably educated person and train them for highly specific job skills is perhaps a better question. You are going to have to make primary and HS a lot better in the US if you think you can get away with adding more major requirements and having them just not flounder in those . They are already often floundering in those major requirements with the core courses, Since the students can't see into the future, the fact that they have an apparent choice is not the blessing you imagine. The students wanted a course in statistics for researchers without any programming or math. And could it be half on zoom and only use google sheets. They have that apparent choice now, but without understanding that they are going to be fucked by in later when they have an apparent class under their belt and don't know how to use any of the tools or concepts they need for their actual research.

Colleges in the US have had to step in to give students the general skills other countries provide in secondary school. With no national secondary curriculum and wildly different standards even within state boards of education, I can't help but feel like changes like this are going to create a further divide between students who have had the benefit of a high-quality secondary education and those who didn't. It's something we already see in my college in first year classes where about half of the students can't properly understand or respond to an argument being made and the other half feel (correctly) that they are wasting their time.

yl5580

askacademia_train

Human: What are your views on reducing core curriculum requirements and eliminating required courses? I was speaking to a friend who works at the University of Alabama, and he told me about proposed changes to their core curriculum. You can read about them here Notable changes I found intriguing were: * Humanities, literature, and fine arts are reduced from 12 to 9 hours. Literature is no longer required as the other options can fully satisfy the requirement. * Writing courses (comp) are reduced from 6 to 3 hours meaning only one writing-focused course is required. * History and social/behavioral courses are reduced from 12 to 9 hours. The social/behavioral courses can fully satisfy the requirement, so no history course is required. * Overall reduction of core requirements from 53-55 hours to 37-38 hours. More hours will be added to major requirements. My friend said he and a lot of his colleagues are up in arms about it. He also mentioned that statistics will satisfy the core curriculum math requirement. I'm conflicted on my personal feelings on this. I like that students have more choice, but it feels like it's pushing the university experience to be more focused on "job training" rather than a liberal education. I'm an idealist though. Assistant:

iuwr51j

iuwmpmr

Colleges in the US have had to step in to give students the general skills other countries provide in secondary school. With no national secondary curriculum and wildly different standards even within state boards of education, I can't help but feel like changes like this are going to create a further divide between students who have had the benefit of a high-quality secondary education and those who didn't. It's something we already see in my college in first year classes where about half of the students can't properly understand or respond to an argument being made and the other half feel (correctly) that they are wasting their time.

it would be outrageous to expect graduates to have only had 3cr hrs of writing practice

yl5580

askacademia_train

Human: What are your views on reducing core curriculum requirements and eliminating required courses? I was speaking to a friend who works at the University of Alabama, and he told me about proposed changes to their core curriculum. You can read about them here Notable changes I found intriguing were: * Humanities, literature, and fine arts are reduced from 12 to 9 hours. Literature is no longer required as the other options can fully satisfy the requirement. * Writing courses (comp) are reduced from 6 to 3 hours meaning only one writing-focused course is required. * History and social/behavioral courses are reduced from 12 to 9 hours. The social/behavioral courses can fully satisfy the requirement, so no history course is required. * Overall reduction of core requirements from 53-55 hours to 37-38 hours. More hours will be added to major requirements. My friend said he and a lot of his colleagues are up in arms about it. He also mentioned that statistics will satisfy the core curriculum math requirement. I'm conflicted on my personal feelings on this. I like that students have more choice, but it feels like it's pushing the university experience to be more focused on "job training" rather than a liberal education. I'm an idealist though. Assistant:

iuwpgto

iuwr51j

>My friend said he and a lot of his colleagues are up in arms about it. This reaction is driven by: 1. Conflation of self-identity with one's job. 2. Fear that one's job will be eliminated. The USA is the only country in the world that I know of where post-secondary students are forced to purchase courses about subjects that they have absolutely zero interest in.

Colleges in the US have had to step in to give students the general skills other countries provide in secondary school. With no national secondary curriculum and wildly different standards even within state boards of education, I can't help but feel like changes like this are going to create a further divide between students who have had the benefit of a high-quality secondary education and those who didn't. It's something we already see in my college in first year classes where about half of the students can't properly understand or respond to an argument being made and the other half feel (correctly) that they are wasting their time.

yl5580

askacademia_train

Human: What are your views on reducing core curriculum requirements and eliminating required courses? I was speaking to a friend who works at the University of Alabama, and he told me about proposed changes to their core curriculum. You can read about them here Notable changes I found intriguing were: * Humanities, literature, and fine arts are reduced from 12 to 9 hours. Literature is no longer required as the other options can fully satisfy the requirement. * Writing courses (comp) are reduced from 6 to 3 hours meaning only one writing-focused course is required. * History and social/behavioral courses are reduced from 12 to 9 hours. The social/behavioral courses can fully satisfy the requirement, so no history course is required. * Overall reduction of core requirements from 53-55 hours to 37-38 hours. More hours will be added to major requirements. My friend said he and a lot of his colleagues are up in arms about it. He also mentioned that statistics will satisfy the core curriculum math requirement. I'm conflicted on my personal feelings on this. I like that students have more choice, but it feels like it's pushing the university experience to be more focused on "job training" rather than a liberal education. I'm an idealist though. Assistant:

iuwr51j

iuwqjq8

Colleges in the US have had to step in to give students the general skills other countries provide in secondary school. With no national secondary curriculum and wildly different standards even within state boards of education, I can't help but feel like changes like this are going to create a further divide between students who have had the benefit of a high-quality secondary education and those who didn't. It's something we already see in my college in first year classes where about half of the students can't properly understand or respond to an argument being made and the other half feel (correctly) that they are wasting their time.

I think that it is impossible to effectively teach someone something they don't want to learn. In an ideal world, I too would want every graduate to know math, to be scientifically literate, to understand and appreciate the humanities. But in practice, students memorize their way through most geneds and come out the other side with a poor understanding of the subject as well as a distaste for it. Ask your typical non-STEM college graduate how much they got from their mandatory math courses and see how effective you think they were. We may as well just not. The time is better spent working on something they care about.

nvy6wz

askacademia_train

Human: What did you do during graduate school to fully take advantage of your time there? Hi everyone! I'm a STEM master's student in Canada and about a year into my degree. I couldn't really find a good discussion on the topic, so, like the title says, I'm curious to know about what you did during grad school that you felt help you stand out? Did you join a graduate council or a field-related organization? Did you teach yourself skills that aren't necessarily related to your work? Did you start an initiative of some sort? Apply for awards? I feel like I could be doing more, but with COVID, and working entirely remotely, it's hard to get new perspectives and ideas. Thanks! Assistant:

h15yi2r

h15vhri

I climbed a lot, traveled internationally quite a bit, fell in love, got married, and had a kid. Don't underestimate the importance of actually having a life at this time. Also published in Nature as a first author so that was cool but honestly it isn't even in my top 10 experiences during my PhD.

Enjoyed my life. I came to grad school (PhD program in engineering) 2 months after a long deployment to Afghanistan in a combat arms role. As such, grad school seemed like a vacation from previous hardships and I had a absolute blast doing research and taking advantage of everyday lifestyle (walking on a safe sidewalk to work, eating out, having some beers casually).

nvy6wz

askacademia_train

Human: What did you do during graduate school to fully take advantage of your time there? Hi everyone! I'm a STEM master's student in Canada and about a year into my degree. I couldn't really find a good discussion on the topic, so, like the title says, I'm curious to know about what you did during grad school that you felt help you stand out? Did you join a graduate council or a field-related organization? Did you teach yourself skills that aren't necessarily related to your work? Did you start an initiative of some sort? Apply for awards? I feel like I could be doing more, but with COVID, and working entirely remotely, it's hard to get new perspectives and ideas. Thanks! Assistant:

h15wrfx

h15yi2r

I did most of the things you mentioned. I wanted to make sure I had a well-rounded resume.

I climbed a lot, traveled internationally quite a bit, fell in love, got married, and had a kid. Don't underestimate the importance of actually having a life at this time. Also published in Nature as a first author so that was cool but honestly it isn't even in my top 10 experiences during my PhD.

nvy6wz

askacademia_train

Human: What did you do during graduate school to fully take advantage of your time there? Hi everyone! I'm a STEM master's student in Canada and about a year into my degree. I couldn't really find a good discussion on the topic, so, like the title says, I'm curious to know about what you did during grad school that you felt help you stand out? Did you join a graduate council or a field-related organization? Did you teach yourself skills that aren't necessarily related to your work? Did you start an initiative of some sort? Apply for awards? I feel like I could be doing more, but with COVID, and working entirely remotely, it's hard to get new perspectives and ideas. Thanks! Assistant:

h15vhri

h167hfu

Enjoyed my life. I came to grad school (PhD program in engineering) 2 months after a long deployment to Afghanistan in a combat arms role. As such, grad school seemed like a vacation from previous hardships and I had a absolute blast doing research and taking advantage of everyday lifestyle (walking on a safe sidewalk to work, eating out, having some beers casually).

The answer will depend a lot on what your goals are. People are going to grad school for reasons beyond attempting a career as an R1 researcher these days, and for those "alternative" careers, publications will not be all that matters (though publications do help in essentially all careers that follow grad school). For instance, I knew I wanted to teach at a PUI after finishing my PhD. Because of this, I picked a school with a specialization in biology education and an advisor who promised me that I could do as much teaching as I wanted as long as I met her standards for productivity. I ended up taking a few classes in pedagogy, earned a tack-on "teaching certificate" with my degree, and by making it known in my department that I wanted to teach I was given a lecture course as instructor of record during my last year. That lecture course is the biggest reason I landed my current position at a small liberal arts college right out of my PhD. Another example: my office-mate in grad school wanted to work in industry and wanted to keep options open for science communication. He started science outreach programs, worked with multiple groups across the large university to get involved in as many opportunities for collaborative projects as he could, and he networked his butt off. He's now working in an industry position and keeps active in communication where he can. The biggest advice I would give: ***talk to people who have the job you want and especially listen to those who got those jobs within the last 5ish years***. Place all advice in the context of who is giving it to you. I mostly say that because R1 professors have rarely worked outside of R1 universities and thus often only really know how to get jobs the same way they did.

nvy6wz

askacademia_train

Human: What did you do during graduate school to fully take advantage of your time there? Hi everyone! I'm a STEM master's student in Canada and about a year into my degree. I couldn't really find a good discussion on the topic, so, like the title says, I'm curious to know about what you did during grad school that you felt help you stand out? Did you join a graduate council or a field-related organization? Did you teach yourself skills that aren't necessarily related to your work? Did you start an initiative of some sort? Apply for awards? I feel like I could be doing more, but with COVID, and working entirely remotely, it's hard to get new perspectives and ideas. Thanks! Assistant:

h161agn

h167hfu

I got married and dropped out after my Master's degree. I decided I wouldn't take another 6 years of abuse. For me, that's what making the most of grad school looked like, and looking back it was absolutely the right decision.

The answer will depend a lot on what your goals are. People are going to grad school for reasons beyond attempting a career as an R1 researcher these days, and for those "alternative" careers, publications will not be all that matters (though publications do help in essentially all careers that follow grad school). For instance, I knew I wanted to teach at a PUI after finishing my PhD. Because of this, I picked a school with a specialization in biology education and an advisor who promised me that I could do as much teaching as I wanted as long as I met her standards for productivity. I ended up taking a few classes in pedagogy, earned a tack-on "teaching certificate" with my degree, and by making it known in my department that I wanted to teach I was given a lecture course as instructor of record during my last year. That lecture course is the biggest reason I landed my current position at a small liberal arts college right out of my PhD. Another example: my office-mate in grad school wanted to work in industry and wanted to keep options open for science communication. He started science outreach programs, worked with multiple groups across the large university to get involved in as many opportunities for collaborative projects as he could, and he networked his butt off. He's now working in an industry position and keeps active in communication where he can. The biggest advice I would give: ***talk to people who have the job you want and especially listen to those who got those jobs within the last 5ish years***. Place all advice in the context of who is giving it to you. I mostly say that because R1 professors have rarely worked outside of R1 universities and thus often only really know how to get jobs the same way they did.

nvy6wz

askacademia_train

Human: What did you do during graduate school to fully take advantage of your time there? Hi everyone! I'm a STEM master's student in Canada and about a year into my degree. I couldn't really find a good discussion on the topic, so, like the title says, I'm curious to know about what you did during grad school that you felt help you stand out? Did you join a graduate council or a field-related organization? Did you teach yourself skills that aren't necessarily related to your work? Did you start an initiative of some sort? Apply for awards? I feel like I could be doing more, but with COVID, and working entirely remotely, it's hard to get new perspectives and ideas. Thanks! Assistant:

h164g59

h167hfu

I picked up at least a passing exposure to every technical skill or language I could argue was relevant to my work. I'm a nonbinary woman with a history BA who is now a cancer epidemiologist, so I really wanted to preempt any perception that I'm not that technical or more of a soft scientist. I'd found myself being pigeonholed that way before, so. Now I'm known throughout my school of public health as the grad student you try to hire if you need expert GIS work fast. Not for everyone but I work for a research center that is way more focused on health policy and health behavior than on anything connected to my research. I like it because it gets me in contact with faculty I wouldn't have met otherwise (some of whom hired me for the aforementioned GIS work) and gives me a more well-rounded perspective on the field of public health. Before I reached the dissertation phase, I took a lot of part-time research assistant jobs like that just because I found the work interesting. Speaking of fully taking advantage of my time here, I got student health insurance to cover my tubal ligation. The pandemic slowed me down but I'm going to see how much gender confirming health care and therapy I can get them to pay for next. (And trust me, when it comes to therapy, they owe me.) I take full advantage of the gym, discounted classes, and my library privileges for my own personal projects and interests. Basically, soak up the benefits of campus life, which either you are paying for or are part of your compensation. It doesn't have to be obvious how it will benefit your career, it just has to benefit you.

The answer will depend a lot on what your goals are. People are going to grad school for reasons beyond attempting a career as an R1 researcher these days, and for those "alternative" careers, publications will not be all that matters (though publications do help in essentially all careers that follow grad school). For instance, I knew I wanted to teach at a PUI after finishing my PhD. Because of this, I picked a school with a specialization in biology education and an advisor who promised me that I could do as much teaching as I wanted as long as I met her standards for productivity. I ended up taking a few classes in pedagogy, earned a tack-on "teaching certificate" with my degree, and by making it known in my department that I wanted to teach I was given a lecture course as instructor of record during my last year. That lecture course is the biggest reason I landed my current position at a small liberal arts college right out of my PhD. Another example: my office-mate in grad school wanted to work in industry and wanted to keep options open for science communication. He started science outreach programs, worked with multiple groups across the large university to get involved in as many opportunities for collaborative projects as he could, and he networked his butt off. He's now working in an industry position and keeps active in communication where he can. The biggest advice I would give: ***talk to people who have the job you want and especially listen to those who got those jobs within the last 5ish years***. Place all advice in the context of who is giving it to you. I mostly say that because R1 professors have rarely worked outside of R1 universities and thus often only really know how to get jobs the same way they did.