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Bear247

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Everything posted by Bear247

  1. My adviser is pretty busy and has a big lab group in the context of my department. He's naturally a very hands off PI. I'm one of 8 PhD students in the lab, the department averages around 5. He's pretty busy with conferences and meetings, so he usually sets aside one particular day a week that works for him during the semester/summer as "Weekly Meeting Day." This summer, that day was Monday. So every Monday, we all had a regularly meeting with him. Depending on your project, you either meet with him as a group with the others working on the project or you meet individually. I'm the head of my project and have two younger grad students working under me, so we meet all together for 2-2.5 hours. For those who meet individually, it's usually 45 minutes - 1 hour time block. Outside of weekly meetings, we send emails if we can wait a day or two for a response. If we just need 10-15 minutes, we try to fit into his schedule that day. If there's something major, we let him know immediately. Depending on his schedule, he'll either make time, or ask that the matter be the priority topic for the next weekly meeting. With each weekly meeting, we prepare a weekly report with two tables: Tasks Completed and Schedule Tasks. In Tasks Completed, you state the dates the task was worked on, the project, the task specifically, and any details/comments on it. In the Schedule Tasks table, you list the tasks in order of priority, what project they are for, any comments, and an anticipated completion date. If my adviser is out of town, he will either skype with you if he has time during your normal weekly meeting time, or he'll just ask everyone to email their weekly reports and communicate through email. If he knows he's going to be out of town, he usually makes sure that in the weekly meeting before he leaves, we end the meeting such that we are clear on what to do and have enough to work on autonomously for the duration of his travels. Hope that helps.
  2. I understand how you feel. My PI is very similar in not having a lot of time for me, and he is the model example of a hands off adviser. His issue is that he's terrible at managing a research lab and his own schedule. If he has three meetings in a row, and I'm in the middle, he's run the first meeting through my meeting time entirely, then tell me he's skipping me and having his third meeting as scheduled. I agree with TakeruK that you shouldn't diagnose your adviser. Really ask yourself and try and figure out why your PI doesn't have much time. Maybe you're not that high on their priority list? When my adviser has skipped over my meeting, it's usually because he's skipping me over someone closer to publishing or a labmate about to defend their proposal or thesis defense. He gave me top priority when I had to present at a research symposium last year. It sounds like your adviser is really busy and is a bit hands off. Maybe there is something you're doing that's causing her to not focus on you as much? Maybe she has other things to do that are unfortunately more urgent than helping you? I'm not saying it's right, but this is how academia is sometimes. Some of the best researchers are often horribly dysfunctional human beings. Most importantly, I would express your concerns with your adviser. This seems to be a big enough deal to you to warrent meeting and talking about it. Put your thoughts out there and get their opinion too. Maybe it's a misunderstanding. Maybe he/she doesn't realize you're feeling neglected. Maybe they need to hear that you're pissed off in order to change. If it turns out your adviser is just a hot mess, ask yourself if that's a grad school deal breaker? If it is, master out and apply somewhere else or talk to the department head and see if there's an opportunity for you to switch to a new adviser who'll give you the time you desire. I hope that helps.
  3. Thank you both for your comments. They were extremely helpful. To answer fuzzylogician's questions: I'm about to start my third year in a Chemical Engineering PhD program. I came straight to the program from my BS in Environmental Engineering. The program averages about 5.5 years for a PhD, so I'm not quit half way done (in theory). If I stay, I'd be defending my proposal sometime this academic year. The masters students in the department take 2 years. If I were to decide to get the masters, I could certainly be done by December. My adviser is tenured. He's in his 60's, and has been a faculty member at the university longer than I've been alive. I'm one of eight PhD students in his group. I am the only American in the lab, and all the international students either don't mind the what I've mentioned above about him or are willing/able to deal with it. We do have a research faculty who does some collaboration with our group (not on my project however) who I do speak to regularly. He just got promoted from post doc to assistant research faculty and is very personable. I have been meaning to speak with him a lot more, about research, careers, and life in general. The department did just hire two new faculty, one who does work similar to my project. I met him last week, and he told me to stop by sometime because he wants to know more about my project. Now that I think about it, I do have some mentor options, even if my adviser isn't one of them.
  4. My department has a few seminars for new students every year, one of them focusing on how to write papers. 1st year PhD students are required to attend, all graduate students are welcomed and encouraged. Other than that, we don't get much formal training in terms of how to write a paper. That comes from your adviser and your lab group. My lab tends to have a nice balance as far as each newer student working with/under a more senior student. I would say talk to your adviser and senior students in your group. Get an idea for their method and procedure of writing a paper. If you are submitting something to your adviser, certainly have another grad student, post doc even, have a look at it first. If your university has a writing center/program, see if they have someone who specializes in technical or academic writing. Schedule an appointment with them and have them go over your paper. Also, the more literature you read in your field, the better a sense you get for what goes into a paper, how it is written, and how it should be structured. I understand the sink or swim frustration. In some cases, it is very unhealthy and not the way things should be done at the grad school level. 'How to write a paper' is certainly in that category. Regardless, with each paper you write and publish, you get a lot better at it and writing it becomes a lot more natural to you.
  5. I would say mention it briefly in your personal statement or elsewhere in the written application where it fits best. At the interview stage, I would certainly bring it up. You want to convince the faculty at the program you want to join that 1) you want to be at their program and 2) that you are dropping out of your current program for the right reason. Dropping out of another PhD program can look bad, but if it is because it's not a good fit for you personally or you don't like the research available to you, then that's understandable. It sounds like you have both of those, so I don't see that being a strike against you in the application. If the faculty hear that you really like the research in the department and that you would like living in the area, that's a plus.
  6. My adviser and I don't have the best relationship. He isn't a tyrant and he's never done anything unethical, unprofessional, or something of poor faculty/researcher character. But, he is neither my mentor nor my friend. He's my thesis adviser, and that's it. I've read enough about grad school from this site, other blogs, and articles to know that being a mentor/friend to his students isn't in the job description nor a requirement for getting more funding. I've had thoughts of quitting the lab for about a year now. They've faded in and out depending on how work has been going and how well my adviser and I are getting along. When I started thinking I should just get the masters and leave, I scheduled a meeting with him. It was scheduled for right after my weekly meeting with him. This 'one hour' meeting turned into 30 seconds of him telling me not to freak out or rush any decision. Let things play out, defend my masters thesis if need be, and go from there. Cross that bridge when we get there. I was not given the chance to respond or ask questions. About a month later, when he was on sabbatical, I decided to email him with an update of where I was at. I told him I would update him once a month on my status, how I was feeling, and what I think could be done about it. This email was about one page worth if it was in Word, Times 12 font. His entire response: "Thanks [my name]." I spoke with a few more senior students in the lab about this response as I was confused that he didn't have more to say. The two main theories the older PhD students had was that either he didn't have the time to actually respond or he doesn't care that I'm thinking about quitting. After this, I felt so awkward about telling him more about how I felt. His concept of professionalism and professional relationships is almost completely void of being personal. He's not one to hold his student's hand on anything, but I would think one of his students telling him they don't want to work with him anymore would be pretty alarming. If you don't have time for a student who's thinking of dropping out, what do you have time for? I haven't made a final decision, but I'm pretty sure I'll be quitting the program by this December. I guess what I'm looking for writing this post is: Is this common in your experience? Has this ever happened to you? With you or someone you know who's dropped out of a PhD program, what was the PI's response and how did they handle the situation? Do professors care if they lose a student or do they just not have the time/care to deal with it when it comes up? I welcome any thoughts, theories, and ideas on any of the above. Thank you for your time.
  7. @ TakeMyCoffeeBlack: Yes, I've done well other than the qualifier. My grades in my first year were above the average of my PhD class and I've built up the reputation of being one of the hardest working graduate students in the department. @ TakeruK: I'm not currently working on applications to any other programs for next year and don't plan on it. I haven't made a decision about whether or not I am staying in my current lab. If I do decide to leave, I'll have the masters by the end of this spring semester, after the summer at the latest. I would probably go work in the field for a year (maybe longer) and then reapply for another program starting August 2015. Thank you both for your input.
  8. I'm currently a 2nd year PhD in chemical engineering at a top 40 program. I'm contemplating dropping the program and applying somewhere else. I didn't pass the qualifier the first time (I do get a retake, I'm confident I can pass, but I wonder about whether or not some of the faculty want me here) and I ended up in my 2nd choice lab which is going ok, but not great. I've heard a theme throughout graduate school, specifically engineering that "you only get one shot at a PhD." As I understand it, this implies that once you're first admitted and join an engineering PhD program, you either get the PhD with that program or you don't get the PhD at all. In other words, a potential new programs will not (or are at least less likely) to accept me because my thesis masters degree was effectively a consolation prize to dropping out of my previous PhD program. Is there any truth to this, in engineering or other fields? Will programs be hesitant or apprehensive about accepting me knowing I didn't make it in another program? I did have several other offers with funding when I applied last time. I would think now having a bachelors and a masters with a thesis would make me a stronger candidate even if I chose not to continue with a program. I welcome any thoughts, advice, or related stories on the culture of this matter.
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