jujubea

Hi all I know it is generally frowned upon once one hits the job market to include anything from undergrad, but what about while we're still in grad school and still years out from job market? CV's have been requested of me for anything from grant applications, internal departmental progress reports, conference stuff, professors sometimes asking to see it, etc., etc. Specifically, I was awarded a research grant and multiple scholarships in my undergrad. How lame is it for me to include those in the "Awards/Honors/Grants" section of my mid-grad-school CV? Thanks!

I want to comment on this post but don't have time right now. Just marking it like this for later!

It ain't over til the... Don't count your chickens before... It's probably fine (I have no basis for saying that except for wanting to assuage your fears), but tbh if I were you I wouldn't celebrate until I got something in writing. I've been burned before on verbals. After a week or two, it might be reasonable to reach back out and ask when you can expect a formal offer or reversal of the decision.

Yes, every department differs. Over summer, unless you need to teach or work, you can do whatever you want, so that's 2-3 months. During the school year, while you are taking coursework, you would likely not be able to travel, unless you could justify it as necessary for your research. Missing a month of class doesn't make sense. While doing prep work for exams, depending on your team, you may be able to do that prep remotely. ABD every program is different but that seems like the likeliest time to be able to go somewhere else for a month without anyone batting an eye. If you're talking specifically about pregnancy and/or family leave, the schools will have their specific policies posted about that. I'm at a state school and you get 3 DAYS for bereavement leave of an immediate family member (you get 1 day of leave if not immediate, no matter how close). You get up to 3 quarters or 9 months of family leave but for specific kinds of circumstances only. Parenting leave has its own limits. I wouldn't be too hopeful about provided leave, but in any case you'll need to check the specific school(s) for their leave policies for grad students. Good luck! What type of philosophy are you interested in?

I'm in the middle of my program but the biggest thing I'm worried about is conferences getting cancelled If I was a STEM major or other major that needed to work in a lab to do my work and research, I would be a lot more anxious. But I'm sitting on a pile of data I already gathered and just writing it up all summer. My foreseeable research projects will not require travel or in-person anything, except perhaps needing library access and ours is closed. That would suck. I feel for everyone who is supposed to start this fall. What a very strange time to begin graduate school. Nothing will be the same, but you won't know any different. I wish you all good luck.

Humanities here, so take with a grain of salt. I'm chiming in because I have struggled with not fitting in to certain department groups, and took some steps to change my situation, and it has made a huge difference in my quality of life and research. I agree with @vernigan as far as finding a grad program director or equivalent who can be a confidant and help you navigate your options and what's normal, etc. Also agree with @Ignatius and @thebougiebehaviorist on the general vibe of the situation (I can't speak to lab specifics). But sticking around where you don't feel wanted or valued or appreciated is not only not good for your self-esteem in the long run, it will just translate to lower quality work. Better to be somewhere with a team that lets you shine. You're only a year in. Not too much of an investment sunk in my humble opinion. Your reasons for leaving sound mature and nothing you would have to hide from the next academic employer/research lab. Good luck.

OK - this is all helpful everyone! I am tapped out on "likes" for the day but I'll be back tomorrow to upvote allay'all's helpful answers! p.s. I spent all my likes today on the "rejection quotes" thread which, if anyone needs a little laugh, is prime for the giggling.

Reading this thread to boost my mood after getting rejected by our national conference on a call for papers that was, like, exactly written for my very peculiar research interests. Heart broken! Thanks everyone for the laughs.

That's the whole question. As a course reader, as in a readership, where I just grade the midterms and finals, am I required to attend the class? I don't want to ask the professor because I don't want to risk him thinking I'm lazy for asking, he's my advisor. And I'm not lazy, I just have a lot of work to do otherwise.

Hey y'all. Sorry I dropped out of sight after starting this but glad it sort of garnered some interest. I ended up making a one-person writing group (ha) in person; I set a time and a place and I went there and wrote every week for 3-4 hours every time. It's the most progress I've made while school was in session on this particular project. I told my friends about it and just said "I will always be at xplace at xtime, rain or shine, if you ever want to join me for a writing session" - and by the end of the term, I had one other regular join-er. I never missed a week! Anyone still interested in this? I saw someone mention a Doodle for gathering available times. It really only takes two of us. I'm gonna turn email notifications back on for the forum so I see if anyone responds this time. Maybe we can start in January after the holidays?

Yayyy someone!!!

Anyone? Anyone? Let's help hod each other accountable and make progress! We can do it! Very not-time-consuming!

Hey all I'm starting a virtual writing group on the forum please come join!!!

Inspired to do this based on what I've learned from the "How To Write a Lot" book by Paul J Silvia. Here's how it works: You respond here and say you're "in" I start a new thread "Agraphia Grad Student Writer's Group" We decide on a meeting window (maybe a three-hour window? during which you're expected to post) Rules are: 1. Upon joining the group, everybody shares what their scheduled writing hours are (writing hours they've committed to protecting for the use of writing or activities necessary in order to write; can be any number of hours, even just one) 2. Upon joining, everybody shares what project(s) they are working on during those writing hours 3. Each week, each member posts their realistic and measurable goals for the following week's hours 4. Each week, each member posts what they did or did not achieve during those hours, and whether they stuck to their hours 5. Everyone praises each other for their progress each week and optionally provides constructive feedback or tips 6. If one member consistently is skipping out on their hours, or is not meeting realistic goals, we professionally heckle them (aka hold them to their own goals and ask wth?) 7. At the end of the window I post a quick summary recap of all the members: met goals yes/no, goal for next week is... 8. We figure out other reward systems - either individual ones and we self-report what rewards we gave ourselves, or we could potentially have something like a virtual quarter jar that everyone contributes a quarter to each meeting, and whoever finishes their main project next gets a $5 Starbuck's card? What do you think? Anybody interested???

All super helpful advice, thank you! The above chunks made me laugh and/or were the biggest aha moments for me. As to the book above, I got it, and it makes me laugh out loud about every other page. Some gems: I imagine people who say they can't find time to write "roaming through their schedules like naturalists in search of Time To Write, that most elusive and secretive of creatures..." (12) "Struggling writers who 'wait for inspiration' should get off their high horse and join the unwashed masses of real academic writers..." (26) My favorite: "Complaining is an academic's birthright. The art of complaining develops early, when undergraduates complain about their professors, their textbooks, an the cosmic unfairness of 9am Friday classes. In graduate school, complaining approaches professional levels---students are aggrieved by the tediousness of their graduate advisors, and the omnipresent half-written dissertation. And, of course, professional faculty raise complaining to a refined, elegant art, particularly when provosts or parking permits are involved." --- And don't worry, I've done my scheduled writing time for the week

...precisely what i'm doing right now! well, maybe this counts for something - i am on my way to improving!

@Psygeek this is SUPER helpful - thank you!!!

Find what you feel most confident about in your work and remind yourself why you're confident in it, and also why you're passionate about it. This will give you the poise and energy to deliver, it will also sustain you if anyone questions you harshly (has never happened to me, just neutral questions usually intent on strengthening the argument). Go with an open mind and think of it like a brainstorming session to improve your paper or work with some new friends and colleagues who also care about improving their own work. Good luck!

I am freaking out right now,someone please talk me down... My MA thesis is delayed for lots of valid reasons, but also because - and I've just realized this - I never have those big solid blocks of time to write that I always envision in my head for writing the thesis. I envision full days spent writing and reading, and in my experience do very well when I have that...so I've just been waiting for it to make any real headway. The time never comes. For a variety of reasons, most of which will not be changing (mainly supplemental employment and lifelong health condition requiring regular appointments), I never get more than at best a 2-hour chunk of uncommitted time during any given day. Usually I get 1-hour chunks or less. When I was in my 20s I burnt myself out... pulling late nights and early mornings, skipping meals or eating on the go, insane caffeine intake, ignoring body needs... for about 10 years straight. And now, even if I can get myself to stay awake til, say, the 'late' hour of 10pm, my brain is mostly non-functional in terms of academic writing. Same with getting up before 630am. One of the things I do have control over is building a skill, namely the skill of writing in shorter chunks. Here is where I'm asking for help! Usually it takes me about an hour to sort of get myself warmed up to the materials again, get it figured out where I was in processing data and/or writing, and get my materials selected for that session and my workspace all set up with computer and the right books or articles. It's all sort of a ritual to get me in the right headspace to begin writing. (Also we don't have reliable desk or shelf or office space in my program so I'm often setting up and tearing down my workspaces. This issue is resolved starting this school year.) So, how do YOU get yourself into writing mode, quickly and efficiently? How do you manage your time as related to getting writing done? How do you write anything good in an hour or less???

Sorry for the delay. Yes just PM me any time!

This is a good question, and one whose answer will change somewhat depending on what you're applying for. 1) Resumes and CVs are completely different beasts. In academia, it's best to forget most of what you've learned about resumes, and just learn the CV game anew. CV's, in general, can be as long as they need to be, no matter what stage of your career you're in. What can be tricky for some is figuring out what is sort of lame/bs padding and what is legit good material that should make it onto the CV. Again, this changes depending on what you're applying for. 2) ) What information should generally be included on a resume when applying for graduate programs in the humanities? Right now, I plan for my resume to include an "Education" section, a section on employment history and work experience (both work related to my prospective field of study and non-academic work/academic work not directly related), a list of academic awards and grants, and a list of skills (including languages) and miscellaneous certifications. I took out a section on volunteer work at the suggestion of my undergraduate adviser, but I still worry it will look like I am padding my application. Is there anything I should cut? Unless the program(s) you're applying for specifically ask for a resume, do not submit a resume, instead submit a CV. Education should be the first section. Academic awards and grants (of the sections you've listed) should come next. Instead of "volunteer work" that section should be "Community Service" and will eventually include things like serving on random committees, groups, or labs for relevant academic activities--essentially volunteering within your program, school, or academic community. It is OK that this volunteer work may be somewhat unrelated, in my opinion, because it shows that you dedicate time above and beyond and outside of normal work hours to the betterment of your community in some way. Also, just Google a standard CV to get the general idea. 1) Should I include work as a TA in a subject unrelated to the field to which I wish to apply? Namely, I worked as a TA in my school's mathematics department for two semesters before I declared a major, but do not know if admission committees in religious studies or history would care. Yes, in general, absolutely include it all. Teaching experience at the early stage you're in is relevant and worthwhile to include. Have a good one-sentence story or anecdote ready when they ask you why you TA'd in math and not your current major. For the programs which ask for NO CV and ONLY relevant teaching/research experience, I would strongly consider still including it, but I am interested to know others' opinions on this. 2) Last summer I worked a non-academic internship on archival work, which included a small research component. If I clarify what sort of research I did in this internship and how it relates to my academic interests and goals, would it be appropriate to consider this research work, or should I only include it on my traditional resume? The word archival alone screams academia -- yes again include it because coming out of undergrad, it is very easily arguably relevant. Absolutely include it. Research is research. I'm happy to take a look at your CV once you've put it together and tell you if in my humble opinion there is any glaring padding. Of the things you've mentioned, none sound bad. Toot your own horn!

I'm years into my program and still feel like I'm not smart enough, didn't deserve to get in, didn't deserve the funding package, and that my work is not as good as any of my colleagues let alone worthy of my professors' time or attention. Hey wait a minute, I think I've just figured out why I'm procrastinating so hard! Here is a mantra for you: "I am smart, I am worth it, and I make valuable contributions to my academic communities."

If a Master's degree is a requirement for entry to the program, or if the new school accepted to you on the basis of believing that you would have your master's degree by the time you join, then it sounds like you will not be able to go. However, your best option for getting answers is to get in touch with the new school directly and ask. My advice is to do whatever it takes to finish your master's degree though. It sounds like you were very close. What happened?

I read it. This made me cry. Thank you.

Hi there - can you PM me some contact info that I can forward to a pregnant and practicing therapist I know?