abeilles

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this comment is offensive & entirely unnecessary

this comment is offensive & entirely unnecessary

this comment is offensive & entirely unnecessary

They do make sure you follow through with it, at least to an extent. Just like any other grant there's a yearly progress report on your pat year of activity, and what you did. Keeping the award is contingent on satisfactory progress in all areas, including BI.
 
You shouldn't do mentoring work to win an award. You should win an award because you have been active in mentoring and outreach. 
 
If mentoring isn't your thing, but you have other outreach you do, that's good as well. 
 
I do, however, take exception to your statement that winning requires "a lot of padding, overemphasizing and just generally telling NSF what they want to hear". 
 
That's not something I've seen in many successful applicants, and certainly none of the ones at my school I've worked with, or undergrads applying elsewhere that I've worked with. 

yes!! maybe this is because a number of students come straight in out of undergrad and haven't had a lot of full-time work experience, but looking at job dissatisfaction in any one industry isn't going to tell you much if you don't look at job dissatisfaction as a whole

Rather than questioning if people hate grad school, I think a more interesting question is why someone would hate (or love) grad school. The horrific job market is a concern for most. Insane hours are also an issue for many fields, but the reasons for these hours should be considered. Many people work lots of hours in the lab sciences because time consuming things must be done before "real work" can occur, fair enough.
 
However, I do think one of the problems that causes misery is that people expect to work crazy hours, regardless of whether or not it's actually a good thing for productivity. There are many students that show how working beyond the 40 hour work week reduces productivity. Not just in creating a situation of diminishing returns, but in actually reducing productivity. Working insane hours causes mental health issues, sleep deprivation, mistakes, and less efficient working. I do think a lot of misery is self inflicted, not because people think they are supposed to be miserable, but because people think that working 80 hours weeks is just "what's done" and necessary to get the job done, when in fact working such hours means you get less done overall. The lack of sleep, the lack of time to pursue other activities; these things cause misery.
 
For example, I'm in a math field. It wouldn't be productive for me to work 80 hour weeks. Math and many other fields often advance through intuitive leaps, and these leaps don't occur by "turning the crank". I need to be sleeping well, excited about what I'm doing and have plenty of time to pursue other interests. If I'm working too much, I'll never reach the state of mind that actually allows me to make proper progress through these leaps. Screw that, I'm working 40 hour weeks throughout my PhD.
 
However, some professors and labs do have ideas about what is "expected" in terms of time commitment, even if they aren't aware that such time commitments aren't conducive to productivity (seriously professors, you're in academia, read up on studies about time management and productivity and realise you're often making people miserably in return for... less and lower quality work). In such cases, it isn't self-inflicted until the point that students who have gone though such departments perpetuate the cycle.
 
One aspect that I do think is self inflicted is the graduate students idea of what "graduate school" is like in comparison to undergrad. I think too many grad students tell themselves that they are "beyond" viewing their universities as communities. They don't advantage of the clubs, events, groups etc. on offer at their university; that's an undergraduate thing. Essentially, I think many graduate students cheat themselves out of opportunities to meet new people and discover new things because of a close minded idea that they are "mature" now and such things are beneath them.
 
In a related vein, I think grad students are in too much of a hurry to shoot themselves in the foot through their housing situation. Dorms, residential colleges etc are an "undergraduate thing", and so people choose to live in apartments, ignoring that they are now often in new cities not knowing many (if any) people at all. Undergrads often move into apartment living after a year or two in on campus accommodation, failing to realise that it is because they have already acclimatised to the area and formed friendship groups that they are able to enjoy the apartment lifestyle. Too many grad students move straight into apartments thinking this lifestyle will carry over, not realising how isolating such a living experience can be in a new area where you don't know anyone. Part of the problem is that grad school is all-encompassing for grad students. They spend their working hours in their labs, and then all their free time with their labmates because they haven't had the opportunities to branch out more and meet other people. So one aspect that could be addressed is that more grad students should consider on-campus/dorm or residential college (in particular) living in order to vastly increase the amount of people one is exposed to. My options for my PhD in a new city were a) living in a residential college where I'd meet a bunch of people who'd introduce me to the area, who'd organise tons of activities (movie nights, day trips, ski trips etc) I could attend without going out of my way, where I'd have access to tons of amenities (gym, lounges, dining hall, libraries etc) right where I lived or b ) feeling isolated living in an apartment in a city where I knew no-one except people in my department. There are definite advantages to apartment living but these advantages, I think, are only useful once you're already established in an area.
 
These issues aren't so much about psychologically tricking oneself into disliking grad school by saying "I'm supposed to dislike grad school", but DO come about as a result of perceptions of what grad school and grad students are like (e.g. "I need to work an 80 hour week", "only undergrads view university as community", and "I'm too mature for on-campus and/or community living")

I finished my MS a couple years ago and I'm about to start my PhD. I can't say that I hated grad school to be honest. Sure, like all things in life, it can have its bad moments and we all complain about it, but overall I'd say it was a positive experience. You just have to go into it with clear expectations.
 
There are legitimate reasons for some people to hate grad school, but it's more an individual experience than something to be generalized. You can have miserable luck with an advisor. Maybe your department/lab is particularly tough to work in. Maybe the economy crashed just as you were graduating. Maybe you are doing a graduate degree to get a job opportunity and you're doing your best, but you don't like graduate work or want to go into academia.
 
On the other hand, for a lot of other things that I've heard plenty of people complain about, there is something in the self-fulfilling prophecy. Don't do things like crazy 80hrs/week including weekends and then burn out, if 35 or 40 hrs/week of focused work and free weekends make you happier and more productive. If you have extracurricular interests, don't give them up. If you don't like your lab mates, keep it professional and try to find friends elsewhere. If you are sleep deprived, then for God's sake, sleep! The work will still be there when you wake up. A lot of the complaints I heard from colleagues were often self-inflicted because they had gotten the idea that this is what they were supposed to be doing.
 
In short, think about what feels right for you and do what makes you happiest, most relaxed, and most productive. It's a largely individualistic experience that varies per subject, department, advisor, lab, and PERSON, and it probably won't be the same thing as what the other gal/guy is doing.

First of all, congratulations!  I know that this was unplanned, but you plan to keep the baby and so it's a celebration
 
Second of all, this is tricky but I think this is about your comfort level.  Like you, I believe that a pregnancy (and any other health issues) are private and really only the PI's business to the extent that it affects your health.  Personally, I would wait until I arrived on campus, got settled in, and had my first meeting with my advisor.  I would mention it very matter-of-factly.  "Professor X, I just want to let you know that I am pregnant, and due in late December.  I'm just letting you know so we can discuss my plans for spring semester 2014."  And then begin discussing how you plan to handle the spring…don't let the conversation derail from being about how you're going to work your pregnancy around working (unless it turns into positive baby-talk, which is okay if you want!)
 
For what it's worth, I had a woman in my cohort get pregnant in our first year (maybe it was the beginning of our second year, I don't remember, but it was definitely during the coursework phase and our coursework here lasts 2-3 years).  She has since had another baby, and she's still here, trucking along and being awesome.  It can be done, so don't let people discourage you.  Only you can decide what you can and can't handle and do.  Lots of people do PhDs with children.

Have you looked into getting parking at BC? It can be pretty tough

Have you looked into getting parking at BC? It can be pretty tough

I know this topic has been debated ad infinitum, but this is one (humanities) graduate student who talks about the difficultly of giving advice to potential students on the question: Should I attend graduate school?
 
tldr: finding the definitive answer to "should I go to grad school" kinda requires knowledge of the meaning of life
 
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2013/04/graduate-school-advice-impossible-decision.html
 

Some friends are asking how to give condolences and support for the spirit of Lu Lingzi and for her family.
 
Thinking of lining the street in Boston when the hearse goes to the airport to be sent back to her family in China ?

I read that it is traditional for chinese to have white flowers such as Irises for funerals , so they are thinking to hold up a white Iris as a mark of respect and support as the hearse drives past . ( can anyone confirm if this is correct ? )

Does anyone know the word used to describe when you line up in a street to show support and respect for someone as the hearse drives past ?

Its not a funeral procession because really the body is being taken to an airport.

any thoughts to share people ?

they want to share this around campus and for anyone else.

People want to show support for the grieving family , this woman came here as a guest of the American public really  , and there is a bit of responsibility feeling because we are supposed to look after our guests and keep them safe.

We dont know what date she is being taken back to China yet . any ideas peeps ?

A memorial service for LU Lingzi will be held on Monday, April 22, at 7 p.m. in the George Sherman Union Metcalf Ballroom beginning at 7 p.m.

thankyou kindly

love n light

thank you telkanuru!
 
Alianka
We have had a lot of bomb blasts in New Delhi over the past few years. If we get scared and let it affect our lives too much, then the terrorists win.
 
telkanuru
The housing outside (graduate commons) and the rent ranges discussed throughout this thread seem very high compared to the residence halls.
a room in the residence halls is in the range of $6300-8,000 for the academic year. As low as $700. and yes i would like to be close otherwise there is the danger that i may not make it to the classes/school in winters!
I will PM the rest.
Thanks a lot!!

I think you're making a lot of assumptions based on very little information.

Hi All,
 
Starting a PhD program in the fall and looking for some advice on to get my fiance excited about the move.  Some background:
 
We've been together  for 3.5 years and have lived together for the last 1.5.  Got engaged last summer and are getting married right before my program starts.  From day one, she has known about my career goals in academia and has always been supportive and encouraging.  We did pseudo-long distance (2 hrs away) for a year when I did my masters and I moved to the city where she was after I finished.  
 
I applied to many PhD psych programs this past winter and she played an active role in the process - together we made a list of schools/locations that would work for both of us.  We couldn't help but adapt a mindset of moving on and starting a new chapter in a new city and we we're both excited.  About a month ago, my prospects of admission were looking quite grim and we had to accept the fact that we would likely stay here for at least another year.  It was tough, but after a month of "selling" her (and myself) on staying, we finally began to feel comfortable.  Then, seemingly out of nowhere, I was offered admission to a top program on Friday and had to accept on Monday (which I did). 
 
To make a long(er) story short, her reaction to the acceptance has been overwhelmingly supportive, though her personal feelings towards the move fluctuate between excitement and high anxiety.  The fact that the last two months have been such an emotional roller coaster hasn't helped.  I think her main fears center on finding a new job and adapting to life with a grad student husband.  Obviously, this is something in which we have discussed and planned on for a long time, but when reality kicks in - especially when it is so sudden and rapid - it can be a tough adjustment.
 
Anyway, I'm looking for any advice from folks who may have been in a similar situation.  Ways to increase the excitement and/or help with the difficult aspects.  For what it's worth, we're both 28. 
 
Many thanks!

Yes you can walk home from the bus stop in the daytime safely...as you can in pretty much any city in the US.

The only question that matters here is: do you *want* to become a mom right now? Forget what anyone else thinks. This is YOUR decision and yours alone.
 
If the answer is yes, then you should have your baby. If the answer is no, then look at your other options (and whatever you choose is OK too!). But DO NOT, under any circumstances, give up something that will make YOU happy for someone else... least of all, a professor.
 
Think of it this way. If you were male, you would not be asking yourself whether your professor thinks your wife/gf should have a baby or have an abortion. And no professor in his or her right mind would demand that she do so.
 
No professor should influence your reproductive decisions. Choose what is best for YOU.

Besides the obvious (laptop, clothes, etc): e-reader, 2 nonleaking coffee tumblers (one for home and one for campus), Gore-Tex outerwear including running shoes, extra laptop power cable for campus, enough emergency money set aside to replace any broken electronics, and a dog.

This thread is like being in high school :-).
 
No, there is no such thing as early action.

First of all, if you want a career in academia, you are going to have to teach students.  Most likely undergraduates, unless you are in a graduate-only field.  With that said, you might as well get some experience doing it.
 
In every class (with the exception of a few small, focused seminars) there are going to be some completely unfocused and uninterested students; some ridiculously well-prepared and awesome students; and a whole lot of people in the middle.  TAing helps you learn how to deal with those kinds of students and how to manage your time and interest in teaching with your research responsibilities.  Everybody sucks at first; practice makes perfect and you get better.  And sometimes, you have a bad semester and the students do realize it.  You learn how to get over that and not really care that much; if you're doing your best but you're just swamped or not very good at the material (or, sometimes, the professor is making you look bad because THEY are really disorganized)…whatever, it happens.
 
Me, I'm kind of meh on TAing.  I like working with and mentoring undergraduates, and I think I would like teaching my own independent courses.  But my experiences with professors have just been so variable, and even when the professor is really awesome, I still have only had "meh" to negative experiences TAing.  But it's because you do all the grunt work, right?  The professor designs the lectures and the syllabus and determines the direction of the class.  You get to do all the dirty stuff they don't want to do - grading (UGH), manging the course website and/or electronic learning resources, overseeing the paper/group project/special project, meeting with students in office hours, answering student emails, etc.  I've had professors forward emails to me from students that would have literally taken them about 30 seconds to answer.
 
I won't lie; it's also very time-consuming.  I remember losing a semester because I was TAing two lab sections of statistics, which was a very time-intensive assignment (the professor basically just showed up to lecture, so we three TAs were responsible for designing, teaching, and grading the lab sections, designing the homework assignments and grading them, designing the exams and putting together review sessions.  I learned a lot from that experience, though).  Statistics is also just one of those classes that most of the majors in my field hate and that they need a LOT of help with.  You have to become very good at managing your time and not spending too much time on TA responsibilities.
 
However, I wouldn't turn down a program just because it requires TAing if the school is otherwise a good fit.

If you notice, the author is a VAP- not a full time prof. And hasn't been able to find any other work, even with that. Which is why they're looking at having to leave academia. 
 
It's really interesting that the parallel discussion thread on the CHE forums, mostly faculty in this area, are really supportive of the message as a whole. And very happy that it's getting out to a wider audience via slate, even through it's been written about in CHE for quite some time. And that they keep trying to tell their undergraduates, but just get told "Stop crushing our dreams! We're different!" when they try to caution them against grad school. 

You GO girl.  I don't see how this can be construed as unprofessional dress, it's your ring!  So what if it's large, if it was small it would be more appropriate to wear?  Either way, most of what it communicates about you is your marital status not your level of professionalism.  Now, I might be jealous of its size as a female colleague, and that might lead me to comment on it, but it wouldn't make me think of you differently (except I would probably assume you had a sweet beach-front house you had never invited me to...and I thought we were friends!)

A haiku to summarize the thread:

Don't don't don't don't don't,

Don't don't don't don't don't don't don't,

You might get sued, don't

ok, to maximize your training as a phd experimental psychologist, academia is the typical route. Are there people outside of academia? of course, could those people get to that job with out a ph.d in experimental psychology? probably. Point is, there aren't many jobs outside of academia that would say "Seeking PhD in Experimental Psychology", so if someone wants a job in that field, why spend 5-6 year in a degree that isn't made for that field?

my point is, if your goal is to work outside of academia, think about what those jobs may be, and ask yourself, is a phd in experimental psychology the most productive use of my time to get that job? hoping that the infrastructure of academia changes or the program will accommodate you because you don't like what you signed up for is just being overly optimistic and doesnt sound like someone that went into a phd with a good idea of what it is about.