dynamic89

Well I am not moving to Pittsburgh. CMU I'll see you when you call me to give a talk in the future.

Hi All, 
 
I've seen some really nice scripts that scrape the Grad Cafe, but none had all the features I wanted. 
 
I wrote some of my own functions and put them into an R package called brewdata. If you're also interested in using R to parse Results Search data, then you can find brewdata on CRAN ( http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/brewdata/). 
 
Please email or PM me with any suggestions or bugs you find. I'd welcome the chance to work with anyone interested in making their own improvements.
 
Thanks!
NW

Not necessarily CommonerCoffee. I came across this post
 

Not necessarily CommonerCoffee. I came across this post
 

I think that every generation/cohort thinks that the previous generation are doing something wrong, that things were better in the old days. And every generation thinks that the older generation is irrelevant and stuck in the old ways! This semester, a bunch of us who were TAing were mentioning how much undergrads these days want their TAs to just tell them the answer, and they get mad when we ask them questions in response to their questions. But if we're complaining about our undergrads now, I wonder what our TAs said about us ~4-5 years ago!

Easier said than done, but it seems ideal for the new generation to do as Sigaba says, and remember that the older generation gained a ton of experience getting to where they are now. At the same time, the new generation could be bringing in fresh ideas and it might not be a good idea to dismiss these thoughts simply because we don't have the experience. I am thinking more of the generation gap between current students and junior faculty members, but it could also apply to the gap between PhDs-about-to-graduate/postdocs and incoming grad students.

Now, to "defend"/"explain" "my" cohort despite what I said above

1. I don't agree that Internet BBs are ONLY meant to be repositories of knowledge where someone with a question should try to find every single thread on the topic and read everything. Sure, this is exactly what we do for a literature review for our work, but discussing graduate school, while related to work, isn't work. I think this was the original intention now, but with more and more people growing up in an Internet dominated world, Internet technologies are changing fast. Here's why it makes sense for a new user to post a new question instead of digging up old ones:
a ) Internet rule of not reviving dead posts. On most BBs, it's poor etiquette to post in a thread that has been inactive for some period of time
b ) The user wants to interact with current, active members, not just passively read something -- maybe they already read some of the stuff and now want interaction
c ) Related to ( a ) and ( b ), posting in an old (dead) thread is not effective at getting the attention of current active members. If there is an existing thread 5 pages long, most people will not read the previous 5 pages and write responses taking into account all of the past posts in mind. Most people will either see that it's 5 pages long and not bother, or just write a response based on the new post and not consider the previous posts. In the former case, the OP doesn't get the interaction. In the latter case, there was no advantage to continuing a year-old thread since few people make use of the past -- it's more organized to start a new thread.
d ) It's more satisfying to ask your own question, in your own thread, where you can define the parameters of your question instead of a thread where a mood/tone might have already been developed. This point is more "frivolous" but still plays a factor I think.

My solution? I'm a new member of this community but I've been on other BBs for many years and see the same stuff get asked all the time. It might be more useful to link to a specific post that we think is helpful or just copy and paste something we've written before for the OP, if we think we are repeating ourself.

I think nowadays, a BB is more of a place for a person to announce something (e.g. I have a problem!) and then whoever is around and interested can gather and have a discussion. Although it has the capability to function like a library of knowledge, and there are many who do use it that way, I would say that the majority are drawn to BBs because of the ability to talk to active members, not read through past posts. But it's a good thing that BBs can function in both ways and allows users to choose how to use the BB.

2. Regarding the "sense of entitlement" of "our" cohort. I think this is partially due to the fact that the people entering graduate studies today are VERY different than the people running graduate studies (i.e. profs). It's clear that nowadays, more and more people are going to University and getting degrees -- it's the norm to go to college and I think this is spreading into grad school too. So, the demographics are different. I'm not sure if it's true but it sure feels like many programs expect graduate students to devote themselves to academia. I'm not saying this is the case for any particular person, but I feel that someone from a family who has had people in grad school before (so they understand us) and/or aren't from a "working poor" class would have a much easier time adjusting to graduate student life and doing well than others. Someone who wants to start a family, or needs to send money home to their parents, or wants to do other things than just academia will face more challenges in grad school. One can argue that grad school isn't for those in the above categories and aren't able to / willing to face the challenges, though -- but I don't think this is the right way to do things.

I don't know for sure what the job prospects were for our profs though. Maybe it was just as bad for them but they just toughed it out. I don't think it's a bad idea for our cohort to come with certain expectations and fight/push for changes for things that we want. We should have the ability to voice our opinions and shape the way our graduate program is run. Maybe when all of the new people entering college in the past decade reach faculty positions, graduate programs will be drastically different. Or maybe it won't, if the system ends up doing a good job of self-selecting like-minded people. But fighting for better working conditions or improving student life shouldn't be considered a sense of "entitlement". That is, graduate school shouldn't be a place of "conform or perish" -- the norms of the department should be set by all of its members, including students. If the issues are important enough, the students' voice could be strong enough to cause change.

I guess when it comes down to it, I feel this way because I believe that educational programs (at all levels, i.e. BSc, MSc, PhD) exist to serve the students and it should meet our needs. The faculty members with experience would know what kind of skills are important for academic success so they would build the degree program on this. But it's easy for people to think that "I suffered through this to get to where I am so the students have to as well". And the needs of students back in the day may not be the same as the needs now. So it's important for department to seek feedback from students and incorporate what we would like to get out of our degrees into our degree programs. Maybe this is the "sense of entitlement" that Sigaba is referring to, but I don't think it's unreasonable to want to have some say in our degree programs if we are going to spend 5-6 years of our life and potentially opportunity costs during our PhDs.

@Jeffster--

My conclusion is based upon using the search function for less than a minute and finding several threads that answer the questions asked in the OP. That is, in less time than it took the OP to type up the questions, the member could have found previously offered guidance.

I understand that many newer members of this BB would like to think that the challenges they face are new, that their questions are unique, and that their insights are novel. This attitude undermines the effectiveness of the BB because it encourages newer members to start new threads rather than to build upon existing ones.

In regards to your characterization of my "hijacking" the thread, you have again demonstrated an inability to read carefully. The OP specifically asked for "age related' advice which my reply offered.

Do what you can to minimize the temptation to reinvent the wheel.
Do your level best to learn from those who have gone before you and have asked similar questions.
Consider the utility of incorporating your questions into ongoing discussions.
When assessing the guidance you've received, consider the background, the expertise and the experience of the person who offered it.







If I sound snarky it is because this BB is going through a phase in which newer members are repeating questions that have been addressed many, many times. While this trend provides opportunities to get great guidance from experienced graduate students such as jullietmercredi, it also provides opportunities to miss equally sound guidance from experienced graduate students such as jullietmercredi.

IMO, this trend represents a "lost opportunity" for many of you to start the transition from being undergraduates to being graduate students. As graduate students, you will often encounter an implicit expectation that you are doing the leg work to find the answers to your own questions, and from there generating additional questions and answers. (In some quarters, this leg work is called "research".)

Additionally, some of you who are in your twenties may be walking into a buzzsaw as new graduate students. Your cohort is developing a reputation for having attitudes of entitlement and self-absorption. (Consider how members of the generation of 1965 talk about the OWS and Tea Party movements) Regardless of the accuracy of this perception (Christopher Lasch had the same complaints back in 1978), perception is reality.

While it is your choice as to what questions you want to ask and how you want to ask them, do not be surprised if those who are most capable of helping you decide to tune you out. If you think this can't happen to you, ask yourself why you're asking strangers on the internet for guidance rather than going into a professor's office and getting mentored?

My $0.02.

Hi all,
 
After finishing my PhD this past summer, I helped write a series of posts on graduate school in statistics and biostatistics. As you sort through the application process, feel free to check them out here:
 
http://statsbylopez.com/2014/07/23/so-you-want-a-graduate-degree-in-statistics/
 
Also, I'll link to my shameless plug for Brown's biostatistics program:
 
http://statsbylopez.com/2014/01/28/why-biostatistics-at-brown-was-the-best-thing-for-me/
 
-Mike Lopez

I would say apply to any schools that do not require the mGRE (and there are some good ones that don't!), but only if you would be excited to go. Do not settle just because you haven't taken the test. If nobody takes you, write it and then apply again for 2016. Or, maybe consider applying internationally where the GRE is not required, if that is something that interests you.

Similar application profile to what I had, however, my GRE and GPA were a little higher. I did get into PhD programs and some highly ranked MS programs. With that said, unless the admissions process is far less competitive than it was two years ago, I'll be blunt, you're not getting into Harvard or Hopkins and I'd advise not throwing away the $150-$200 in application fees to apply to those two places.
 
Your shot at a funded PhD at the places in the top 8-10 is less than 50%. Admissions are getting increasingly competitive each successive year, and being a current grad student knowing what I know about applicant acceptances in recent years, it's just not likely. However, outside the top 10 is a possibility for you. I'd throw at least 5 apps at places outside the top 10 if I were in your shoes with my knowledge. 
 
In doing this, my BEST advice for you is to take into careful consideration who you would like to work with at these schools and see if they have availability to mentor students in the coming years. Cyberwulf and Biostatsprof have been here for years giving good advice, and I used their advice when I was applying a few years back (I've changed my display name since then), and they will probably back me up with what I'm about to say -- your advisor/mentor is the most important part of your individual grad school experience. Top programs are at the top because they have a large number of faculty doing high quality, high impact work in various and  diverse areas of research. At the top schools, your chances of working under a good, highly regarded mentor is greater than at lower ranked (and typically smaller) departments. This in turn leads to better publications, networking experience, and dissertation work, which will lead to more promising possibilities of a career in academia. There isn't much you can do at this point to get in at Hopkins or Washington or Harvard, but departments outside the top 10 do have well regarded faculty to choose from, there are just fewer. You're looking at maybe 1 or 2 high quality faculty members at these schools that are on the same level of many of the faculty at the top schools. It's tough without having experienced different areas of biostatistical research yet, but if you have an idea of the area your interested in, and find schools with a well regarded faculty member doing research in that area, then that would be extremely beneficial in helping you choose among the lower ranked programs. 
 
Overall, you have a realistic shot at PhD programs, but you won't be at at top program. I don't share too much about where I'm at, but I will say I'm not in one of the top 5 departments... But I have seen first-hand that you can get an academic position at a well-regarded (i.e. top 10 department) coming from a lesser ranked school, and am personally friends with a people that have. With the right adviser, even at a lower ranked school, you can make connections to some of the top researchers in the field, and more specifically, researchers from your areas of interest (and I know this because I've been fortunate enough to do it). The opportunities may come easier for the Harvard students, but if you work hard enough, find the right opportunities and take advantage of them when they come, you can make it to the same places. 
 
That's about all I got. I'm not going to list where I go or name drop the people I've met and have made connections with publicly, but I'll be happy to provide more info in a message if you PM me.