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MAME5150

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    Psych Ph.D

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  1. I'm also in the social sciences, and I'm telling you that you are kidding yourself if you think that you work more than those in the physical sciences. You're also acting as if those in the physical sciences aren't publishing (where acceptance rates are often times much lower than our journals) or helping write grants and plan new experiments. You are also making it sound like it's a 9-5 where they punch into the lab and are done. This is the problem with advice threads. Everyone wants to believe they are suffering through it equally just like everyone else. Social scientists are the worst. Let's face it: Our field has a rich tradition of following the lead of the physical sciences, in many ways to get broader credibility. There's no need to have a chip on your shoulder about it. Also, I can say that within my department I'm someone who is moving through the program at one of the faster paces, and I've been a solid producer of work. Our hours are really influenced by how smart you work. This includes knowing how your advisor works and being able to anticipate what you will need to do, but also knowing what you want to get out of the program you are in and what experiences really deserve all of your attention. Too many people I work with are stuck in a state of paralysis because they are trying to make everything perfect or trying to solve all problems at once. Those kind of things will keep you up at night and unnecessarily working. In the social sciences your hours are really a product of how smart you work. Again, not as much of a luxury in the physical sciences.
  2. I think that in grad school we all have to work around the clock when deadlines are pressing. I don't think that what I'm saying is a generalization, as I know 23 people who have their PhD in some form of biology or chemistry, and the actual amount of time that they spend in labs is way more than anybody that I know getting a PhD in the social sciences.
  3. Ya, I also recommend R. I think it's really at the vanguard of statistical software. I generally think that GUIs are a horrible way to go. The logic usually follows that these are good to learn on. However, I feel like I rarely encounter people that try to move away from GUIs once they learn how to use them. Scripting forces you to know a lot of your analysis. Learn how to script and you'll know your analysis like the back of your hand. This leads to my next point: Your data should be reproducible, so regardless of what field you are in you should be using scripts with annotations and some kind of version control to have a clear space that charts the evolution of your findings. With that said I will say that something I have encountered is that depending on how niche your analysis is, you might run something in one program, write up the results and send it out for publication only to have a reviewer ask you to redo the SAME analysis in another program. Ideally, you learn them all. This is why i recommend R. Once your learn a scripting language taking those principles across programs is very easy. I script in STATA, but I can bet that the GUI is how that program will be taught.
  4. I can dig that notion of a tablet being key for PDF reading. I tried that for a while, but for my work flow it wasn't optimal. Maybe it's just my style of reading, but I frequently will find that reading one article quickly turns into reading 3 or 4 simultaneously. I just never got comfortable doing that on a tablet.
  5. The MacBook Air is all most people need. The Retina doesn't make sense because if you look at the data on the Retina only the 15 inch really performs optimally, additionally most people don't need a Retina screen. Are you a graphic artist, movie maker, photographer or someone else that needs really high quality graphics? If not, why pay the premium? Sorry to the person who bought one, glad it is working out for you though! I supped up my Air. It brought me close to the cost of a Retina, but I still wasn't in the same cost bracket. I added A LOT to this thing too, so not quite sure of the logic behind that unless prices fell. This thing is more computer than most people need. Your RAM is the big one to watch. Max out on that. Your storage can be augmented in a number of different ways. There's no reason for all your data to always be on your computer. It drives me nuts when people make that argument because it usually comes from people that don't know how to manage their data. I'm in the social sciences and I frequently run statistics on both the Mac and Windows side of my laptop that are on par with what economists do. I never have an issue. Ever. Some other computer related thoughts: If you have an air, or any laptop for that matter, do yourself a favor and buy a desk and a monitor. The monitor will keep you from squinting. Plus it is best practices to have a lot of screen real-estate when you are doing a lot of writing and cross referencing. The desk will help save your back and wrists. Get an external hard drive and back up regularly. Use your Dropbox or Box account shrewdly. These aren't places to back up your data, these are places to store data you will need to access across PCs. Learn how to manage your files. Jesus, it never ceases to amaze me how many people don't know how to manage data on their PC. I don't think folder structures are quite enough. I'm talking using databases for everything. Develop a workflow, and don't be afraid to experiment with how to optimize it for you. Really look at apps that can help you manage what you do!
  6. Keep your distance. Not to sound Machiavellian, but you'd be surprised at the amount of one-upng that happens even in the best of labs. It's only a matter of time before this person is sandbagging you to get ahead.
  7. I agree with those that say that the grad school experience really is dependent on your program of study and department. Those in the physical sciences are pulling way longer hours than us in the social sciences. For me there's lots to not like about grad school. I don't think I hate it, but I certainly don't love it. It's a necessary evil to do what I want to do. I also do a good job of staying in control of my graduate school experience. That sounds easy, but trust me it's way harder to do than you expect, and I know many who don't have this figured out.
  8. Hi, I used to post here when I was applying to grad school, now that I'm 3 years in I figured it would be fun to return over the summer to reply to some posts. I'm currently getting a Ph.D. in a psych/policy-related department. RE: The issue of not being busy enough... I'm of the perspective that you should have a good work/life balance when in grad school. In fact, nothing bothers me more than when I go out for drinks with colleagues need to talk about the grad school experience 24/7. The anxiety of grad school, at least in my opinion, is what starts to define a lot of people's grad school identity. It is those people that seem to be the least happy and in the lab 24/7. Ironically, these people are actually the least productive researchers/students that I know. So, like both of you I tend to go in to the lab and get out. I don't keep track of my hours because so much of the lab experience blends and works it's way into odd hours. I work on a couple large projects where I am responsible for sub analysis projects and managing smaller groups of students in addition to the endless meetings, and I currently am working on 3 manuscripts over the summer. In my experience with the social sciences this isn't really a 9-5. Sometimes I need to be in the lab everyday, other times I head in to do some very specified tasks. Most of the time I work on my PC from various locations. There's a lot of reading, and a lot of teaching yourself how to do different kinds of analytical tasks. A lot of times this can be fluid. Sometimes I work past midnight, most nights I'm reading something on my computer up through 10 at night. I can always get away, and I have learned a lot better how to say no to things and how to draw my boundaries. However, we are grad students and we don't call the shots. So, it's easy to let your lab mates know where you stand, but when your advisor says, "So, you can get this looked at and revised tonight, right?," and is giving you 3-4 hours to turn something around they need ASAP- good luck telling them, "No." The best you can hope for is that you have an advisor that doesn't do that much, and when they do are cognizant that they are asking you for a lot. The aforementioned is a snapshot of my life in grad school. Do I think it's hard? Eh. Not typically, but it depends on the task BUT there's ALWAYS something to do. If the lab is slow you should be working on manuscripts or developing ideas that you can turn into manuscript. If you are first years enjoy it. However, as you move forward through the program if you continue to feel like there's not a lot to do than I'd question how your advisors/program are prepping you for future jobs both inside and outside of academia.
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