Eigen

I'll  note that at least New PI Slack is currently heavily biomedical, but is trying hard to grow. It's also easy to just sub-channel more specific fields within a larger Slack community. Not sure if the Future PI Slack is the same.

Bumping this back up for two resources I found some of you may (or may in the future) be interested in. 
One of them is the New PI Slack (https://newpislack.wordpress.com/), which as the name suggests is a Slack group for new PIs. You have to have PI status (verified), and not yet be tenured. It's a fantastic resource that I've been getting a lot out of that has many similarities to the community here. 
Built along similar lines is Future PI Slack (https://twitter.com/futurepi_slack?lang=en), which is a Slack support group for PostDocs on the academic track. Since I don't qualify, I'm not sure how they're set up- but my understanding is that it's similar to the New PI Slack, and I hope some of you find it useful. 

The other good approach I see is a sliding scale based on event size that delineates profit vs. non-profit. 
This lets you have base prices that scale for, say, the 4000 person gig and the 50 person gig. It also lets you charge a non-profit differently than, say, a company retreat. 
I agree with TakeruK that I wouldn't advertise a price- I'd work out what you feel comfortable with and then have that on hand. 
The other thing you need to decide is if you want to go flat or itemized- and how you want to deal with this for tax purposes. Do you want to set up a business and bring the income through that? Or deal with it as contract income? 
These all have different outcomes in how you can deduct related expenses on your taxes.

LoRs are far from useless. In fact, they're one of two parts of the application that's worth anything- the letters and the personal statement/research statement. 
The problem with Interfolio comes with not being able to easily customize letters. When I write letters for my students, I have one general letter that I then customize to each school and program. 
Also, having used Interfolio from all 3 perspectives... There are some nice thighs about it, but a good application system from the school is just as easy if not more so. 

It's more of a school by school thing. 
Some do pre-acceptance interviews, some post-acceptance, and some do visit weekend where everyone comes at once. 
Generally, I'd say chemistry interviews bias to more of a "last check" before they accept you. When I was in grad school, my department planned to accept everyone that interviewed unless something was glaringly wrong during the interview. Like the guy that spent the whole weekend dissing all of the faculty members research. 

One thing I'll note is that when I was in grad school and presented without my advisor there, I got a lot more conversation and face time with the other panelists. When my advisor was there, most people spent the time talking to them. 
Having someone there to help you network can be nice, but it's also nice to be there on your own to be a more independent contributor. 

You're asking questions that essentially come down to comparative personalities, for which you'll get every possible answer. 
Some PIs will take the initiative, some will disappear and you won't see them at all. 
Personally, when I take my students to conferences I want them to do a mix of exploring and networking on their own, and introducing them to people I know. I usually only introduce them to people that are close colleagues, not the people I'm striking up new relationships with. 

You're asking questions that essentially come down to comparative personalities, for which you'll get every possible answer. 
Some PIs will take the initiative, some will disappear and you won't see them at all. 
Personally, when I take my students to conferences I want them to do a mix of exploring and networking on their own, and introducing them to people I know. I usually only introduce them to people that are close colleagues, not the people I'm striking up new relationships with. 

My wife and I always talked about combining raising corgis with a coffee shop. Coffee and Corgis. 
We'd have a big amphitheater-like pen with pillows and corgi puppies, so people could get coffee and then go play with the puppies. Ideally right off campus somewhere. 

Grad school is a whole different ballgame than undergrad and the transition can be rough. Especially if you're changing programs! Going into synthetic organic with just sophomore level OChem background would be rough.
Keep up with the therapy, realize that imposter syndrome is very normal, and focus on where you are now. 
Grad school is all about he research- classes are just something you do at the start and have to get through. Don't let bad coursework early stop you from doing well where you are now! Several of my colleagues (who are now faculty) were on and off academic probation all through grad school. They didn't let it shake them, focused on the work, and did fine. 

Grad school is a whole different ballgame than undergrad and the transition can be rough. Especially if you're changing programs! Going into synthetic organic with just sophomore level OChem background would be rough.
Keep up with the therapy, realize that imposter syndrome is very normal, and focus on where you are now. 
Grad school is all about he research- classes are just something you do at the start and have to get through. Don't let bad coursework early stop you from doing well where you are now! Several of my colleagues (who are now faculty) were on and off academic probation all through grad school. They didn't let it shake them, focused on the work, and did fine. 

For the love of all that is holy, don't look at your materials after you've submitted them. It's only going to give you grief. 
For what it's worth, I know almost no one who is not mortified by their own old writing. 

The other good approach I see is a sliding scale based on event size that delineates profit vs. non-profit. 
This lets you have base prices that scale for, say, the 4000 person gig and the 50 person gig. It also lets you charge a non-profit differently than, say, a company retreat. 
I agree with TakeruK that I wouldn't advertise a price- I'd work out what you feel comfortable with and then have that on hand. 
The other thing you need to decide is if you want to go flat or itemized- and how you want to deal with this for tax purposes. Do you want to set up a business and bring the income through that? Or deal with it as contract income? 
These all have different outcomes in how you can deduct related expenses on your taxes.

Continuing the aside, I do some general office hours and some targeted. For lab classes, I offer special office hours for data analysis evenings after lab when I expect people come in groups. I don't turn people not in that class away, I just target my advertised availability.
My current policy is that my schedule is taped on my door, and I will take walking when my door is open. I also schedule office hours based on a doodle poll about 2 weeks into the semester, and pick the most popular times (that I am willing to offer) that all my students can make. Mostly evenings. 
Adding to the takeaway, I feel like there's a general trend in academia towards disliking over-credentials get, to the point that you're more likely to ruffle feathers with an overly detailed signature than none at all. So I would suggest a bias to the light end, and add more if you get told (or feel) it's necessary and useful. 

My wife and I always talked about combining raising corgis with a coffee shop. Coffee and Corgis. 
We'd have a big amphitheater-like pen with pillows and corgi puppies, so people could get coffee and then go play with the puppies. Ideally right off campus somewhere. 

Grad school is a whole different ballgame than undergrad and the transition can be rough. Especially if you're changing programs! Going into synthetic organic with just sophomore level OChem background would be rough.
Keep up with the therapy, realize that imposter syndrome is very normal, and focus on where you are now. 
Grad school is all about he research- classes are just something you do at the start and have to get through. Don't let bad coursework early stop you from doing well where you are now! Several of my colleagues (who are now faculty) were on and off academic probation all through grad school. They didn't let it shake them, focused on the work, and did fine. 

Taking easy classes to boost GPA is a horrible idea in grad school. It's a waste of your time and effort. 
Take fewer classes, and then just don't worry about the GPA much.
Taking professors because they're easy (rather than because they'll be good, knowledgable faculty who can be future colleagues) isn't a good thing. Taking electives that aren't in line with your research interests is just a waste of your time and effort, even if they're easy. 

Taking easy classes to boost GPA is a horrible idea in grad school. It's a waste of your time and effort. 
Take fewer classes, and then just don't worry about the GPA much.
Taking professors because they're easy (rather than because they'll be good, knowledgable faculty who can be future colleagues) isn't a good thing. Taking electives that aren't in line with your research interests is just a waste of your time and effort, even if they're easy. 

Will this be free, or are they charging?
There are a ton of great resources out there for teaching development that are free, but nothing substituted for time in the classroom. 
Spending 12 credits of time seems like a lot relative to doing some workshops and online classes (check CIRTL), and then teaching some. 

You're looking for general rules where none apply. 
How much you share with someone depends on that particular relationship, not some imaginary and enforced personal-professional divide. 
Many of my work colleagues are just work colleagues. Some are also friends. Some of my friends have no connection to what I do. 
I think of it in terms of a venn diagram with personal and professional overlapping with friends. Some friends are just personal, some are professional. Some of my personal and professional life overlap, some doesn't. 
I think you're going to have a really hard time in grad school if you make no friends with whom you can discuss classes, professors, advisors, exams... And moreover, I would consider that "professional", just like I talk to my colleagues about research woes, how our classes are going, etc. 

As mentioned in the board policies, threads are permanent once started. Just because you aren't getting what you want out of this doesn't mean other people might not find the discussion useful. 

Just to be clear, you don't "own" a thread, or get to tell people that they aren't posting on the topic you want. That's not how discussion forums work. 
Lemma has suggested how you might charge for expenses, and mentioned why they don't. It's perfectly reasonable for someone to share their experiences even if they aren't exactly what you wanted when you made the thread. 

The other good approach I see is a sliding scale based on event size that delineates profit vs. non-profit. 
This lets you have base prices that scale for, say, the 4000 person gig and the 50 person gig. It also lets you charge a non-profit differently than, say, a company retreat. 
I agree with TakeruK that I wouldn't advertise a price- I'd work out what you feel comfortable with and then have that on hand. 
The other thing you need to decide is if you want to go flat or itemized- and how you want to deal with this for tax purposes. Do you want to set up a business and bring the income through that? Or deal with it as contract income? 
These all have different outcomes in how you can deduct related expenses on your taxes.

From the faculty side, we don't talk amongst ourselves about specific students, and we don't generally ask about the whys. 
I do generally set aside some time to sit down with each student that has accommodations and make sure that we're on the same page about what they need from me. 
I have a good many students who notify me of accommodations they may need. We talk about what they might need, and how they will let me know, and we schedule time to check in during the semester. 

You should always have senior mentors, but I generally encourage my students to choose a junior faculty for a committee chair if they have the option. You can have *bad* mentors that are junior or senior, but when you're picking a committee chair or primary advisor, my experience biases towards the better experience with the junior.
Taking this point by point:
No junior faculty member at an R1 has no experience as a mentor. You don't get to that position if you don't.  Generally, getting tenure at most schools will involve successfully graduating students. For senior faculty, they don't really care if you finish or not- it's incredibly important that you finish successfully for a junior faculty member.  It's unlikely that a junior faculty member is going to move, but my statement qualified "new" assistant professors- the first likely move would be at tenure, by which you'll likely be either graduated or OK to stay on your own at the old institution.  New professors don't necessarily have smaller networks- and they have a lot more sway with the networks they do have, imo. Older faculty can, if they socialize well, keep extensive networks- but they can also fall into the rut of just associating with the same old group while new faculty are aggressively and broadly networking. No faculty member, old or new, is going to have a poor grasp of the broader field.  Similarly, you aren't going to get a faculty position at an R1 without a strong track record for (or potential for) publishing. Newer faculty are much more dependent on getting work out, which is why they're good to work with. Senior faculty can pick and choose what they want to work on, and can afford to take years perfecting a single work- new faculty can't.  Anyway, you seem to have an interesting view that in no way matches my experience with reality- you also seem quite arrogant in your assumptions of junior faculty, most of whom are exceptionally successful in their field or they wouldn't be there. There's a reason many senior faculty say they would not be competitive for the positions they're currently hiring among new faculty.
As said, overall fit with the mentor is the most important property, but taking out obvious red flags (interpersonal issues, major funding problems) and aligning research areas (both are fields you want to work with), I think the better bet is usually going to be the junior faculty member. It might be a bit of a higher risk/reward proposition, but down the road being one of the first graduates of a well-known faculty member will continue to serve you very well as you progress through your career, much more so than being one of many graduates they've had over the years. 
And the negatives of that position balance out by finding experienced senior faculty members to act as mentors- they can provide the insight and experience a young committee chair may lack.
Most of us give advice based on our personal experiences- we don't do multiple PhDs to be able to comment on parallel experiences with different areas. But in the programs I've been in, this has held true- as with the career trajectory of myself and my colleagues, so it's advice I continue to give to my students. 
Regardless, as mentioned, fit is the primary factor- choosing a senior person who's a worse fit for your research interests over a junior person who's a better fit (as is the case in the instances discussed in this thread) just because the person is senior isn't a great idea.