rockbender

Hey everybody, I was just wondering if anyone had any advice about transferring? Many people have told me that it is ok/acceptable to transfer to a new program after finishing a masters, but I have doubts that it is really that easy. How do you go about the process? At what point do you discuss it with your current advisor? Are you expected to get a recommendation letter from your current advisor (that seems awkward)? I am a first year grad student (been at my university for 6 months, i.e. longer than the fall semester) and I just don't feel like it's working out. I'm not making any decision now, because I know it is still too early. But when the time comes, I would like to be able to make an informed decision. I haven't found that much information about the transfer process online, especially for the Earth Sciences. I feel like subspecialties are so small, that it would difficult to transfer without burning bridges. Would it be advisable to only transfer if switching to a new field (like ocean chemistry to atmospheric chemistry, or something like that)? Thanks, and Happy New Year!

I hate to be a downer, but I'm actually having a really hard time adjusting to the program... I keep telling myself to "give it some time" but I started in June and things haven't improved all that much. My dept has some "Brilliant Scientists", but the teaching quality is incredibly poor! It's mostly old men rambling incoherently about whatever they feel like discussing. I feel like I am not getting much out of this semester at all. Maybe I just came in with too high expectations…? My relationship with my advisor is awkward. He's a nice guy and everything, but I just don't know what he expects from me. I'm pretty sure that whenever we meet I just sound like a buffoon… My research (what little I get to do) is basically adding a few more data points to something that someone else has already done (and published). I have a hard time justifying the work to myself. What is the new insight that my data will actually add? It doesn't help that one of the "Brilliant Scientists", when told what I was working on, told me that he had solved that problem 20 years ago and I was wasting my time. My advisor will talk about a bunch of projects that I "could" do, but when it comes to making decisions or plans or anything, really, he just leaves me hanging. I've thought about maybe switching advisors, but from what I hear, the other options aren't much better... Beyond that… there is a lab group and a focus group and a division etc, circles upon circles of people that theoretically I should be able to connect with and learn from … but I don't feel part of the community at all. Maybe part of the problem is that the first-years are sequestered in a separate (dilapidated) building from EVERYONE ELSE. Maybe it's an institutional thing, in which all the "Brilliant Scientists" don't want to waste time on the new people (one older grad student told me not to expect any attention from anyone until my master's defense, and he seemed to think it was a right/fair policy). And yes, admittedly part of the problem is that I am just not the most talkative/extroverted kind of person… but other students in my cohort have noticed the stand-offish-ness of the dept as well. The one saving grace is that my cohort is amazing. I'm really grateful that we have gotten to be good friends. Well, sorry again to be so negative. It seems like people are generally enjoying their first years! But I am having a very different experience, and I thought I would reach out to see if there were other people out there who were feeling the same way...

Hey everyone, I recently started a PhD program (2 months ago). Just like everyone told me, my advisor is very nice... However his incredibly busy schedule took me by surprise (he was very attentive during the recruiting process, go figure). Now that I am in the program, he is gone for weeks at a time - at conferences, workshops, visiting collaborators. I meet with (/see) him once or twice a month, usually very briefly. He is also not very good with emails. Sending him an email is sometimes like sending an email into a black hole. I know this is not a very special situation, as a lot of people have this absent-advisor kind of experience... I am having a hard time adjusting to it, though, because my relationship with my last advisor was almost the exact opposite. We would meet frequently, multiple times a day. Just casual brief chats. I felt like I could always drop by his office to ask him 1 or 2 random questions, even if they weren't very important. I liked being able to check in with him to make sure I wasn't putzing around wasting time in the lab. I liked being able to talk about perhaps wacky ideas that ended up being cool mini-projects. He was also extremely good about responding to emails, at least within the day, and usually within an hour or 2. I find myself frustrated at times. I miss the more "collegial" relationship that I had with my old advisor, but I know that waxing nostalgic about it is not going to help me move forward. And I know that a PhD program is about being an independent researcher and all that, but I feel like I've been tossed overboard before I knew how to swim. Any advice about how to adjust to an absent advisor? How did you make it work for you? And... how did you reason with yourself to not take it personally? Thanks!

Ok, wow, much shorter than I was thinking. Thanks fuzzylogician!

Hey all, I am about to submit my FIRST PAPER EVER (so exciting!) in the next week or so. My advisor wanted to see a copy of my cover letter to the editor, but I have no clue what/how to write this letter! I know it is very important and should basically say things like "Here is my paper blah blah blah" "I'm not sending this to anyone else" "Please publish!!!!" Howeber I am not the greatest at writing charming, persuasive letters/emails... Does anyone have any advice or resources that could help steer me in the right direction? E.G. how long is it supposed to be, how detailed it should be, etc etc? I usually check out FemaleScienceProf's blog for these kinds of things, but I didn't see anything about journal cover letters there... Thanks!

Wow this thread is kind of depressing with all the talk about roaches and mice and other critters... How about... what are you most looking forward to at Columbia this fall?

Nice! Are you planning on going to Columbia, or are you still deciding?

When people say they got good and or helpful comments, what exactly does that mean? Paragraphs of specific advice? One reviewer wrote 2 sentences for each section. The other wrote a little more, but only because s/he added a few sentences "summarizing" what I wrote. Their comments were pretty generic (do more on broader impacts, etc)... me either...

Didn't get it. Like budgie it was my first year applying as an UG. Hopefully better luck next year! VG/G E/VG Out of curiosity - did anyone else get called out for having their references all from the same institution? I just thought that was weird... I mean I know some people outside of my UG institution, but yes, the 3 people who know me best are all at the same place!

THIS IS IT!!!! AHHH! *pulls hair*

Hmm where did you hear this? Everyone I talked to told me that undergrads rarely get them and I shouldn't get my hopes up

Accepted to MIT/WHOI! I wasn't really expecting that since I kind of messed up the app, so I guess that's even more exciting! I got an email from the associate dean and she said one of the scientists would contact me soon MIT open house Mon Mar 18 WHOI open house Tues Mar 19

thanks Queen of Kale!!!

I just heard from my contact at Columbia that I was recommended for admission!

Oh and for those waiting on Columbia, my contact there said they started discussing the individual applicants today, and we should hear in the next few weeks (I'm hoping by the end of next week!!!)