lewin

A lot of places have a PhD in Experimental with a specialization in whatever field you choose (developmental, social, cognitive, etc.), which is usually separate from the Clinical PhD. I don't think the programs like that and the ones that are specifically PhD in Cognitive, etc. really have any substantial differences. It seems to have more to do with how the program and the department is organized. It probably doesn't matter much--I suspect you'll be doing the same work and same research regardless.

^^ That's the biggest challenge for some. It's easy to spend the day on the internet or chatting with other grad students. The way I attempted to do it was treat 9-5 (ish) as my job to do research and some TA work, the evenings and weekends were for reading, coursework, and marking.

Ok guys, need your feedback on this one! A PhD student at my university has entered in a consensual romantic relationship with an undergraduate student. There is no supervisory/TA dynamics involved watsoever. The school does not have an official or unofficial policy about relationships between faculty and students. We have looked at the policies of some other schools, but they vary greatly.

So what's your take - should the PhD student voluntarily disclose the information, and if so, to whom (Chair, who also happens to be supervisor, Dean of faculty, Dean of Grad studies, other?)

Cheerio!

I'm sorry but that is a load of bullsh*t. Not your demographics - one need only stumble into a computer lab random times during the day to confirm this - but the incredibly faulty connection that "Hey it's full of all dudes. . .definitely has the undercurrent of sexism in it!" - relative or otherwise. This is still academia; unless the OP is going to school in Iran or something gender/racial biases are pretty non-existent.



Jesus. And you're in Social Psychology too. God help us -

As for "insisting" on the department - I was simply curious if the OP would bite. They didn't. Coupled with the previous info, I'm simply leaning more towards "less insidious than a normal person would think - " in terms of the tenor of the conversation the OP heard.

You really believe that there is no gender discrimination and no racial discrimination of any kind in academia? Well. You either live in an overly protective environment and are very lucky, or you live in the same world as the rest of us and are very oblivious.

I'm a little incredulous at anyone who is minimizing the OP's claims because he won't name is specific department. What difference does it make? Engineering, physics, computer science, mathematics -- these are all male-dominated and also (relative to other fields) more sexist; they're probably more homophobic too. If "every field" is receptive to gay people where do all the homophobes come from?!

"Am I being underpaid?"

Only to the extent that the entire academic system relies on a cheap labour force of graduate students barely a step above indentured servitude.

Once you have your PhD, come to Canada! We have lots of incentives to attract educated workers and gay rights are enshrined in law and in social norms. Shitty places that oppress other people can reap what they sow and become intellectual backwaters. Or stay and try and change the culture: Knowing somebody who is gay is the biggest thing that can change attitudes. (See "the contact hypothesis".)

And I have to say, I'm astounded that somebody could make a comment like that in an official meeting and people would laugh. I bet (hope) many people were privately horrified.

Without seeing the actual letter, I doubt anyone here can say whether your letter was "deceptive" or not. Is the tuition 2200 a semester or year? Is the 5000 for a semester or a year?

As for your teaching duties, leading a discussion session is hardly out of order. You're not actually going to be teaching anything; you're most likely just going to be answering homework questions and administering tests.

These people generally are not out to screw you. Will they require you to fill holes in their lower division schedules for far less than it would take to hire part time faculty - yes. That's to be expected anywhere.

Did you stop reading my post halfway through, before I said: "If something about your circumstances changed between applying and now, then I take this back and apologize for assuming." ?

But if it's a matter of everyday finances then I stand by what I said. Part of being responsible enough to complete a PhD is planning ahead and being conscientious. That doesn't necessarily mean saving money, but it could mean having external scholarships or loans arranged in advance. I would say the same thing about any other foreseeable circumstances (e.g., "I applied to graduate school but my girlfriend/boyfriend has a year of undergraduate left so I decided to defer."). It suggests the candidate is unprepared or disorganized.

ETA: And much of this forum is about informing people about the unanticipated effects of their actions so I thought it worth mentioning in case the OP didn't hadn't fully thought through that asking to defer isn't necessarily a consequence-free decision.

I would avoid. I noticed typos in the fine print (e.g., "American Psychology Association"). I think you're probably fine with a relatively recent introductory text book and, if you want more, a guide from Princeton or Kaplan. They're the two standard prep companies.

No offense but that is pretty much a stupid way of thinking.
The gre is NOT a test you can study for. Just because YOU did well does not mean other people will do well.
I studied since late March and took it last week...got a 970.
I study a few weeks for a psych exam and get a 96. Correlation of test in undergrad and the GRE? My ass.

The GRE is a mindless test that tests if you can tell which triangles can be solved, and how many unused 17th ct words you know.
it is disgusting that the admissions process puts so much weight on this idiotic test. I know they need "something" to weed out applicants. well how about research exp, clinical exp, classwork, etc.

And "learned how to cope with the stress" ? Really? You speak really easily. I get really anxious over this stupid test because of the weight so many put on it.
Some people can not do well on this dumb test because they just can't. Thousands of people are incredibly intelligent and can not do well on this test, I guess being a poor test taker makes them an idiot?

The gre is worthless and should be abolished, but since it is a huge money making monster, it never will.

I'm new to forums, so if this is in the wrong sections, I apologize!


I've managed to graduate undergrad, with a Bachelor's in Psychology at age 19. My cumulative GPA was a 3.78, and I was a member of my college's National Honor's Society, Psi Chi National Honor's Society, and other various clubs on campus. I completed an internship, and also, studied abroad for a semester...

...unfortunately, the GRE attacks me. I cannot seem to perform impressively. I took the GRE when I was 18, and scored:
Verbal: 340 (18%)
Quant: 440 (16%)
Analytical: 4.0 (48%)

...YUCK!

These scores have deterred me from applying to graduate schools, until I could re-take the test. I studied for a couple months, and by "study," I mean, I spent HOURS studying for WEEKS. So, I just took it again this past Wednesday, and received:

Verbal: 152 (56%)
Quant: 148 (44%)
Analytical: N/A, yet

Needless to say, even though the test has been revised, according to my percentile score, I drastically improved...? Unfortunately, my scores are STILL not impressive.

My question is, I suppose, is it worth the time and money to enroll in a class, and take the GRE for the THIRD time? Or - should I just settle with my current scores, and start applying to graduate schools. My dream is to one day obtain a PhD in Clinical Psychology, but this field is extremely competitive, and I feel like graduate schools will have a look at my GRE scores, and toss my application, without considering my academic performance. Also, I don't know if it will look bad to have three GRE scores, even if the third one improves? I intend on applying to both PhD programs and Master's programs.

Does anyone have any suggestions, experiences, information....anything? I appreciate it SO much. I am insanely passionate about my education and schooling, and I'd really like to achieve my goals. Thank you!

I think the above make great points and more assertive confrontation might be a good idea. That's a judgement call. But for me, myself, I would leave it be. From my reading you had the assumption of first-authorship but this was never made explicit (right?) and writing does not necessarily mean first authorship, though it usually does. I would assume that my advisor and I both made assumptions, regret it, and be more explicit next time.

Did you stop reading my post halfway through, before I said: "If something about your circumstances changed between applying and now, then I take this back and apologize for assuming." ?

But if it's a matter of everyday finances then I stand by what I said. Part of being responsible enough to complete a PhD is planning ahead and being conscientious. That doesn't necessarily mean saving money, but it could mean having external scholarships or loans arranged in advance. I would say the same thing about any other foreseeable circumstances (e.g., "I applied to graduate school but my girlfriend/boyfriend has a year of undergraduate left so I decided to defer."). It suggests the candidate is unprepared or disorganized.

ETA: And much of this forum is about informing people about the unanticipated effects of their actions so I thought it worth mentioning in case the OP didn't hadn't fully thought through that asking to defer isn't necessarily a consequence-free decision.

That is a pretty presumptive statement to make. "Sh*t happens. . ." isn't just a saying, and for some people attending school is done so on a very precarious tightrope of juggling financial responsibilities. My entire undergrad I was on the razors edge where any financial difficulty could've derailed my progress.

Fingerwagging that they should have had a couple 10K or so socketed away so they could afford (I'm assuming) a masters (even worse for a PhD), on top of everything else, is a bit ridiculous.

By the way, I want to point out that you're probably asking to defer, not telling them you'll defer. I don't know anything about your program but at my university if somebody wanted to defer we'd just accept somebody else and they'd have to chance it again next year.

And not to be a jerk, but it doesn't reflect well that your financial situation wasn't in order before applying. I knew I couldn't self-fund my graduate studies so I only applied at places that guaranteed full funding, to avoid situations like this. As TakeruK pointed out, the admissions process is a lot of wasted effort if you already know you're not attending. (If something about your circumstances changed between applying and now, then I take this back and apologize for assuming.)

Wow!

1. Ten weeks sounds like an astoundingly short time to prep studies and collect data. Was that always the plan? Presumably your internship is 10 weeks but the grant is longer, right?

2. It's not uncommon for PI's to rely on PhD students for the day-to-day managing of research assistants. The grad student leaving is unfortunate but while the PI might seem to be "missing in action" (from your perspective) she might really be working on other, just as important things.

3. Of course the PI wants to continue collecting data! She's not a 10 week intern. Your wording is slightly ambiguous, but are you saying that YOU don't want to continue with the project, or that you think it should be abandoned altogether? If it's the latter, that she shouldn't continue with the project, you'll look incredibly bizarre if you tell her that because interns don't "tell" PI's anything, really. If it's the former, disregard.

In sum, if you don't want to burn a lot of bridges, I think you need to adjust your expectations about your role in this project, how labs operate (especially in the summer), and your attitude.

By the way, I want to point out that you're probably asking to defer, not telling them you'll defer. I don't know anything about your program but at my university if somebody wanted to defer we'd just accept somebody else and they'd have to chance it again next year.

And not to be a jerk, but it doesn't reflect well that your financial situation wasn't in order before applying. I knew I couldn't self-fund my graduate studies so I only applied at places that guaranteed full funding, to avoid situations like this. As TakeruK pointed out, the admissions process is a lot of wasted effort if you already know you're not attending. (If something about your circumstances changed between applying and now, then I take this back and apologize for assuming.)

lewin00 nailed it.

Just to be extra clear: The project that you are on doesn't depend on your membership in it, and you should stop acting like it is. The idea was conceptualized without you, and the money to fund it (and you!) was obtained before you arrived, too. I imagine the PI was hoping that you could help design an experiment and run it within the 10 weeks of the internship, with the help of current lab members. It's a shame that the graduate student who was in charge of you had to leave and I can see how that would set things back, but I don't understand why you think the project should stop. 10 weeks are a very short time to design and fully run an experiment. It would be more beneficial for you to think of your internship as a learning experience about how labs work instead of just having the narrow view of this one portion of this one experiment in one project. You got a peek into how labs are organized and what the process of designing and running one study from an existing idea looks like. There are many remaining stages to the project - analyzing the results, possibly re-designing and re-running the experiment (because often first runs of experiments have problems that you would like to control for), fitting the results within the larger project, designing and running other experiments to help interpret the results you have, presenting, publishing, developing the next stage of the project based on given results. Clearly, that all doesn't happen in 10 weeks (not even in 10 months usually) and you have a lot to learn.

Regarding your poster, what is it for? Is it for a conference (what size)? For an internal or internship-related event? You don't put a lit-review on a conference poster, and for a smaller event I don't see a reason not to put preliminary results along with a discussion of the design, the implications of what you have and plans for the next step. There could be some lit review but it'd be a shame to make it seem like that is the only thing you did and learned in 10 weeks!

So, you should adjust your attitude and your expectations.

Note: we are being harsh because we are trying to keep you from overestimating your role in the project. If you go to your PI and start making suggestions like you were making above, your PI may get upset at you. You shouldn't burn bridges with this PI, even if you don't want to continue working in her lab. You may need LORs from her, and besides it sounds like she was trying to give you the best learning experience for your 10 weeks that she could. Either way, you should know your place in the project and act accordingly.

Wow!

1. Ten weeks sounds like an astoundingly short time to prep studies and collect data. Was that always the plan? Presumably your internship is 10 weeks but the grant is longer, right?

2. It's not uncommon for PI's to rely on PhD students for the day-to-day managing of research assistants. The grad student leaving is unfortunate but while the PI might seem to be "missing in action" (from your perspective) she might really be working on other, just as important things.

3. Of course the PI wants to continue collecting data! She's not a 10 week intern. Your wording is slightly ambiguous, but are you saying that YOU don't want to continue with the project, or that you think it should be abandoned altogether? If it's the latter, that she shouldn't continue with the project, you'll look incredibly bizarre if you tell her that because interns don't "tell" PI's anything, really. If it's the former, disregard.

In sum, if you don't want to burn a lot of bridges, I think you need to adjust your expectations about your role in this project, how labs operate (especially in the summer), and your attitude.

Where do I begin,

I'm a MASTERS student (not a PhD) finishing up my second year. I am sort of in a tough place right now. Before the Spring semester ended, my advisor seemed interested in my thesis and in helping me finish. I'm really trying to finish in the Fall, because I'm getting married next summer. I've made tremendous progress this summer as a visiting graduate student at the top research lab in my field (the purpose of the internship IS for my thesis), but my advisor has become absolutely aphethitic to helping me whatsoever. I'm not asking her to spend copious amounts of time on my work, just to look at it for a few minutes and give me feedback. A few weeks ago, she e-mailed me with a list of new things to do for my thesis (even though she told me in May that my work was about finished), and she told me that with these changes, my work would be "scientifically robust for publication." I did what she told me to do (and more), updated her, and her response was virtually "I have no interest in looking at what you have done, or read your thesis." It's becoming clear to me that she isn't interested in helping me graduate, just getting more publications for herself. She recently screwed over my colleague in a similar manner, AFTER HE DEFENDED!!!!!!!!

My internship also provides the advisor with a one week visit, which she is doing next week. I asked her if she would be willing to look at my intro and methods sections and provide feedback, and she said no, because she will be too busy meeting with all of the scientists here (even though the purpose of her visit is SUPPOSED to be to look at my thesis work, meet with my supervisor here, and help me develope a plan going forward).

At this point, I have no desire to do any more work, because it's clear that she isn't going to provide me any feedback or help me. What's the point in working on this stuff if it's meaningless.

I need to put my foot down or I'm going to be in my MASTERS forever! I'M GETTING MARRIED NEXT SUMMER, and I need to move on!

Who knows? Probably not. But if you are asked for a reason I would come up with a better explanation than "I was bored".

I feel like telling off your advisor in that way is a quick trip to lost opportunities. It's a crappy power imbalance but that's how it goes. I do agree that (diplomatic) clarity is important for future projects.

Thanks for the update! And I want to compliment your quick thinking in saying, "Oh, like a PI on the lab he supervises?" That was a good hint on your part and it's too bad he didn't take that opportunity to switch things back. From your transcript it looks like you pushed as hard as you could without it getting weird.

Though his comment, "In some fields..." is a bit disingenuous. Other fields don't matter; only yours does. And in my field people only make the "last = main contributor" assumption when the last author is very clearly senior. Grad students don't get that courtesy. I have a major paper where another grad student and I are first and second author, our advisor is third. He joked, "I don't mind being last, they'll assume it was my idea anyway." In humour, truth.

And being vague about changing it is squirrely too. He should grow a spine and own up to his decisions. (Though it is easy to flip track changes off temporarily so it's not impossible that the other prof did it.)

In the future it might be a good idea to (casually) get important things written down in an email. ("I just want to confirm what we talked about today in our meeting....")

ETA: "They don't look at authorship- they just look at research work. They won't care that you're not first author." In my field this would be blatantly false.