rising_star

Why not use Zotero or EndNote? They allow you to put in the information for all types of different sources and output a reference list in literally thousands of styles.

A handout is a good idea. So is having business cards handy so that people can easily take your contact info with them in case they want to follow up with you later on.

It definitely depends on what you're doing in those 9 hours. I have a friend that had a campus job this spring while also writing their dissertation and doing an internship with a federal agency. It was a bit nuts but xe survived it and the dissertation didn't get sacrificed in the process. The real key will be having terrific time management skills since you'll have a lot on your plate. If that includes 1-2 graduate seminars, then you may be taking on too much, which could mean having trouble with your comps.

TA evaluation scores should not be on your CV. You can include them in your teaching portfolio if you really want to have them in there somewhere. When you're on the job market, some schools ask for copies of your evaluation scores. If and when they do, you include all of them unless they say otherwise.

I had something interesting typed out and then lost it. Oops. In a nutshell, it was to agree with Eigen. Another thing that is annoying about first year students is all the assumptions they can (and do!) make about how things run (in the department, at the university, in academia, etc.). You don't know as a 1st year what things people are keeping track of so it behooves you to do everything you can to look and seem like a happy, productive, contributing member of the department. Attending department seminars is part of that. So is coming to class prepared. So is not trash-talking other grad students, the undergraduates, or faculty because you never know who is listening. You also don't always know as a 1st year how you will be evaluated, especially since that varies from one program to the next. My MA program let every faculty member comment on each student as part of the student's confidential annual evaluation. They literally just put up a slide with your picture and your accomplishments then let people talk. One prof slyly took notes on who attended departmental seminars (we call them colloquiums), another commented on how students behaved in their required grad seminar. While no one lost their funding, you don't want to be in the position of having profs talk crap about you based solely on the fact that they've never seen you when a guest speaker is around. To TakeruK's point about various fields, I will say that as an interdisciplinary person (or, more accurately, everyone finds my actual discipline to be interdisciplinary) I find that I can learn something from basically any talk, even if it's bad. In the era before smartphones, I sat through a 45-minute talk about something I didn't understand in no small part because it used an acronym I didn't know. I ended up whispering to a friend and asking what it was about halfway through. I've also never forgotten what that acronym means and I rarely use acronyms in my own talks because of that experience. People in my field have an array of backgrounds, ranging from the humanities (philosophy, literature, history) to the social sciences (political science, psychology, anthropology) to the natural & physical sciences (physics, meteorology, geology, hydrology) and then there's computer scientists. I have attended talks by speakers with basically all of those backgrounds and have been able to find something useful to take away from those talks. Especially as a first year, you have no idea what you can take away from those talks if you just go and sit there like a sponge waiting to soak up cool things.

Sarochan, if you can take the time to drive or fly out, even for just a few days, do it. My most recent move featured a semi-sketchy situation in that I came out about a month before I needed to move and there weren't a lot of options. I ended up resorting to looking for "for rent" signs in yards (actually this is so not the first time I've done that) because people here don't always advertise online and are often small owners/companies with only a few rentals. I called a number, had a nice conversation with the landlord, but ze wasn't available to show me the place. Instead, ze directed me to knock on the door of a current tenant, tour their place (all units are identical), and call ze back if I liked it. I did, we talked in more detail, and then I agreed to rent the place. The landlord didn't ask for a security deposit or even an application up front, which simultaneously made it easier for me and also left me completely worried that it wouldn't work out. It did. That said, do not use me as any sort of role model or example of what to do in a housing search. Going out to look for housing is really the best, even if just to give you a better sense of what the commute would look like, what the neighborhood is like, etc. In the city where I did my PhD, one block could be great and two blocks later could be incredibly sketchy. Even Google Street View didn't give me a real sense of this. I had to figure it out on the ground.

This doesn't sound silly to me at all. When I was a graduate student, I reserved lunch for myself, though sometimes only 30-45 minutes. Now that I'm out of grad school, I've found that a lot of meetings are scheduled over lunch that I cannot skip. As a result, I find myself relishing the days when I don't have lunch meetings and can take that time to relax, catch up on the news, or do whatever else it is I want in addition to eating. (In case anyone cares, 3 days a week have lunch meetings that I have to attend. Three out of five. It is maddening.) But, this post is about one's schedule as a graduate student. In my PhD program, all the graduate seminars were in the afternoon, some starting as late as 5pm. That was especially aggravating when one also TA'd a class that met at 9am or 10am. But, I'd use the time in between to read for class, grade papers and hold office hours, catch up on research-related work, etc. In the coursework phase when I was getting home between 6 and 7:45pm, I typically did not do any work in the evenings unless I was up against a deadline. It's hard to replicate one of those schedules since it's been a while since I was in coursework... Here's a schedule from when I was finish my dissertation: 7:30am Wake up 7:40 Walk dog 8:10 Workout at home 9:00 Shower, get dressed 9:30 Eat breakfast, answer emails 10:00 Class prep, finalize lesson plan, review student discussion questions 11:30 Teach class (11:30-12:45pm) 1:00 Lunch & office hours 3:00 Home/library to work on dissertation 5:00-5:30 Take dog to dog park 7:00 Return home from dog park At some point, another 1-2 hours of either dissertation work or class prep I schedule everything that I have to do in Google Calendar and get notifications on my phone so that I don't miss meetings or activities I need to attend. This includes classes, workouts (if I'm going to a workout class, it's on the calendar), office hours, meetings with students, etc. One advantage of this is that if your campus uses Google Apps for Education, people can easily see when you aren't available for a meeting. I try really hard not to meet with students outside of my office hours unless absolutely necessary (by which I mean they have class during all of my office hours and not that they waited until the last minute to get help on something). I also try to answer all work emails during a dedicated half hour in the early evening (so maybe 7-7:30pm) and then ignore my work email until the next morning.

Not in the sciences but, I had the same complaint as a graduate student. My field is a huge one with people working in very different areas (some study apples, some study bananas, and others study lasagna). I always viewed department seminars as a way to learn about another area of the discipline in 45 minutes, without having to do a lot of reading or preparation. What I found was this made me more conversant at conferences (that is, I could walk into a session and have some clue of the conversation happening) but also made things easier for me on the job market. If you're looking for an academic position, you tend to meet individually with every faculty member in the department for at least 30 minutes. In that time, you talk to one another about your research among many other things. Having that breadth from department seminars made it easier for me to ask intelligent (or at least not completely ridiculous) questions about research way outside my field. Now I'm in the position of having a job in an interdisciplinary department where, once again, having some exposure to a bunch of different areas is helpful for speaking with my colleagues and interacting with the guests we bring in.

It can be done but whether or not it's desirable really depends. Landlords can be very shady and mislead (or outright lie) to you about the dimensions and condition of a place. The IHOG section here is a place where you might be able to find related posts.

My PhD advisor basically views VAPs as 1-3 year teaching postdocs, even though we're not really in a STEM field. That said, having that mindset could be helpful for not getting stuck in a VAP. I think just like people have to decide how many years they're willing to be on the market, they also should decide how many years they're willing to spend as a postdoc/VAP. To Eigen's first point, I'll just say that the University System of Georgia has moved to having a non-research tenure-track like process for lecturers. Basically, you're a lecturer for 6 years and then can apply in your 6th year for promotion to senior lecturer (in other words, on the same timeline as going up for tenure on a more traditional TT track). Those positions don't just exist at the "satellite"/"directional" state universities like Georgia Southern or University of West Georgia, they also exist at Georgia State and the University of Georgia. I've also heard of the same thing at Auburn. It may be that even the R1s are moving in that direction...

The years spent pursuing a more permanent position is definitely an interesting part of this whole story. I have encouraged ABD grad students to think about how many years they're willing to spend on the market and what else they might do if they aren't successful. It's a hard conversation, especially when what they're hearing from faculty is that they will get a position in academia (typically said with the belief that the student will get a TT position). It's especially hard if you're in a PhD program with a good track record of placing students in TT positions. A lot of the folks in my program that sought TT positions have them but, there are exceptions. And the exceptions are the ones that end up in VAP or lecturer gigs, which you can hope to get out of but may not always be successful. What's interesting is that VAP, lecturer, and adjunct positions are the first ones on the chopping block when budget cuts are needed. I just talked to a friend that has been working as a full-time lecturer for more than 6 years (at 2 different institutions) and we were sharing stories about how our provosts have talked this academic year about protecting TT/tenured faculty by eliminating those in contingent positions. Budget issues aren't new, they're ongoing at many institutions. My own provost said that they're managing the budget situation by not hiring VAPs (many of whom are either sabbatical replacements or specialists in a particular area that isn't otherwise represented on the faculty) and hiring fewer adjuncts. My friend's provost basically said flat-out at a meeting that the TT faculty were safe but the full-time lecturers would be cut due to the budget. The implication in both cases is that while you may have a multi-year contract, even that may no longer be guaranteed since you are the most dispensable contracted teacher on campus. It underscores the need to not rely on or stay in such positions for too long since you may still end up belly up after all that.

You could also try getting a personal loan from any of the other banks in your area. It doesn't really matter where the bank is since you can always either mail them a payment or pay online. If you don't have to specify why you need a personal loan, don't. Moving may make you sound flaky, which isn't a good way to get a loan.

Another recent Inside Higher Ed article highlights the perils of thinking one can adjunct or VAP their way into a better job. I posted the link elsewhere in the hopes of starting a discussion about being a VAP but it seems no one was interested. So, here's the link again: https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2015/05/01/tales-long-stint-visiting-assistant-professor-essay At a conference recently, I was on a panel that was discussing adjunct labor and the academy. And I got into an argument with a tenured faculty member who basically said that sometimes people have no choice but to adjunct. I think that both isn't true and also is part of the discourse that contributes to the devaluation of the humanities and viewing them as disconnected from the "real world" or practical work. In a nutshell, ze said that their only option while ABD was to adjunct because ze had to move to a new city to be with their child. I was arguing that ze probably could've found work doing something else but ze insisted that wasn't the case and that adjuncting was the only viable employment option. Yes, ze now has tenure at a prestigious state university but, I'm skeptical that those two semesters of adjuncting are what secured the position. To use myself as an example, there was a time about 50 weeks ago when I wasn't sure I'd have post-PhD employment. I was asked quite directly if I would consider adjuncting and told the department chair no after looking at the salary offered ($550 per credit hour taught; 9 hour maximum) and comparing it to working full-time at a local restaurant ($9.25/hour to start). Are those two jobs equivalent? Absolutely not. But, the restaurant offered far more flexibility and the ability to leave ASAP for a better job, unlike adjuncting.

Many graduate seminars require lengthy final papers (15-25 pages double-spaced) in lieu of exams. The only exams you're likely to have to study for will be those for language courses and your comprehensive (or qualifying) exams.

I'm posting this link here in the hopes that we can have a productive (read: non-accusatory, non-inflammatory) conversation about the academic job market. In particular, reading the comments on a recent article on Inside Higher Ed sparked me to post this here. It's written by Jonathan Wynn and entitled "The Longest Job Visit". The author writes about his six years as a VAP before landing a TT position, the amount of work that went into securing that TT position, and now how that work (research) doesn't count toward getting tenure. The original post. The comment I'm referring to, which says in part, "Don't you think sharing such stories inform the uninformed and those young people who might believe the world is so smooth and only hard work matters may be aware of and do not be deceived by the pretence and not be perturbed and get out of their minds when they encounter it." There are some really interesting points about being a VAP and whether that is a(nother) form of contingent labor we should stridently oppose because of the effects it has on the academic job market. There's also the devaluing of work done before one is officially on the tenure track, which is true in cases beyond Wynn's. For another perspective, there's this news article from IHE, which discusses how one can have VAPs and provide them with the support that helps them transition into a TT position elsewhere. If anyone is interested in discussing any aspects of this, please do!

Yes, because I was still doing what I was paid to do, which was teach (I was funded as a TA at that time). I specifically said that I didn't shirk my teaching responsibilities because I didn't. I taught my classes, held office hours, assigned and graded student work, did course prep, etc., which took up the 20 hours a week I was paid to work. I'm in the social sciences and wasn't a RA at the time so while I delayed my own research, I didn't delay anyone else's or steal time or something like that. Also, I never said it didn't piss my advisor off. But, I didn't have the kind of advisor that let stuff like that in my life bother him. At some point he was probably bothered by the slowdown in my progress but, in the months prior to that break I'd worked my butt off sending out grant applications to fund my research. After that break, I found out I got multiple awards to collect data for my dissertation. A Ph.D. program is a marathon, not a sprint. It's nice to think you can keep up a sub-4 minute mile pace the entire time but, realistically, you can't. I never tried to, which probably helped manage my burnout but, churning out grant applications while teaching a new course and taking two grad seminars is what led me to burnout in my third year. Had I not taken a month to step back from everything that wasn't necessary, I might've ended up taking a leave of absence from the program to preserve my mental health and well-being.

In a nutshell, I'd work at a distance with the advisor and stay where you are. But, that's because it's similar-ish to what I did. My advisor left while I was doing my dissertation research (data collection) but we continued to work together and he supervised my entire dissertation. Though the official university paperwork lists him as an outside reader, he considers me one of his PhD graduates and always will. That said, there are certain challenges to working at a distance but only you can decide if those are things you don't mind. I didn't mind them but that's because I was already used to only meeting with my advisor 2-3 times a semester. It didn't make my PhD more difficult nor did it make it half-assed. Another thing you might consider is whether you'd be able to go to University B for a semester or year to work more closely with your advisor while still being a student at University A. It might be hard to swing funding for this but, often you can write from anywhere, especially in the humanities. If University B is less prestigious, you shouldn't go there, especially if you want to go into academia. You will want/need the resources/recognition of University A to get a job (not just a good job but any job in academia) so don't foreclose that possibility unless you really are okay with basically shutting that door permanently. And, to be quite honest, it is incredibly unrealistic, especially in the social sciences or humanities, for a university to waive all of your coursework and comprehensive exams. Typically, you can transfer in 9-12 credits taken at another institution, which isn't even a full year of coursework.

Shows I DVR/binge watch when on include, but are not limited to: The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, Fixer Upper (HGTV), 19 Kids and Counting, Naked and Afraid, Grey's Anatomy, Sister Wives, Jeopardy!, and Chopped. Other shows I enjoy: Babylon 5, ST: TNG, ST: DS9, Eureka, NCIS: Los Angeles, and House.

An elevator speech is useful for all sorts of different audiences. At a conference or with a visiting scholar, as TakeruK said. But, seriously, when you're on the market, you'll meet with all sorts of people that just want a quick synopsis of what you do. For example, a dean or a grad student asks what you do and you want that to be brief but also convey the main points of what you research and why. That dean could have an English degree while you're studying astrophysics, so you'll need to explain in non-technical terms. You are telling them what you do but in a way that they can understand. That's the point we're all trying to convey here.

There's probably nothing you can do if the program is being shut down.

You might be able to gain experience by doing AmeriCorps. This wouldn't necessarily be experience teaching German but you could definitely find educational/tutoring opportunities through AmeriCorps. Another option would be CityYear but the deadlines may have passed.

In my PhD department, summer teaching and fall TA positions were completely unrelated so this wouldn't be a big concern. But, if you're out of years of funding, this could be a concern.

A combination of what eteshoe and TakeruK have said is my approach to dealing with this. (For background, I went to a school whose name wows people, got grad degrees in a field whose name confuses people, and just generally don't care about that at all anymore.) If you can't explain what you do in 1-2 sentences to the average person, you are going to struggle to get national grants and on the job market. Period. I say this because on an academic job interview, you will meet with people outside your department, like the dean, who want to know quite quickly what you do and why it matters. The better you get at explaining this now, the better off you will be. That's the explanation you use at a dinner party or social event. The next thing is to then transition the conversation away from you (especially if you're worried it seems like you're bragging) and toward the other person/people by asking what they do and getting interested in it. FWIW, if you don't want to talk about sports and celebrities, then it's on you to shift the conversation or to find other people to talk to.

This totally depends on the student and their preparation for college. I have taught students that literally never wrote a paper before coming to college. Do they understand the material? Yes, and they can explain it to me orally. When they go to put it in writing, however, it can be totally different. For those students, hours upon hours of work can result in a grade lower than a B because they simply have not yet learned some of the fundamentals expected of them. At the same time, other students who may not have a mastery of the content are able to pass classes because they know how to seem like they understand the material or because of the way the evaluation for the course is set up. It really isn't as simple as you say, Cheshire_Cat.

For summer, you might also look into the Summer Academic Working Groups that are organized each year by Leanne Powner. http://jayandleanne.com/lpowner/pages/sawg/ This year's information hasn't been posted yet but I included the link so you could get a sense of what it's all about. FWIW, I'll probably be participating this summer.