robot_hamster

I don't really have issues with family saying stuff like this. What annoys me is when people at school say stuff like that. Professors, career advisers, etc. I'm working on my masters, but as I approach the completion of my program I grow more and more worried. I have been looking at jobs for the last 6 months or more. No luck. It scares the crap out of me!

Something I learned a long time ago is that you can't live your life by comparing yourself to others. Everyone does things on their own timeline.

Personally, I've never heard of a conference that didn't charge some sort of fee.

I'm not part-time, but there are tons of people in my program who are (both MS and PhD). I think it just depends on if you want to be eligible for funding (need to be full-time in my program) and if you have a full-time job you want to stay in. Some people have kids, but I think their decision to be part-time has more to do with their job.

Your adviser thought that was too broad? Huh. I guess I wouldn't think it was too broad. I'm not really into superhero stuff all that much, but I think the idea is interesting. Okay, don't take this next part the wrong way. I'm just thinking maybe your adviser might not have understood fully what you wanted to do. I have that problem. I will completely understand something in my head, but then I have difficulty explaining it like it should be to other people. At first, my thesis was a "bad idea" because I don't think I was explaining it right in the beginning. It took a few attempts before my thesis suddenly sounded like a "good idea". Just a thought.

I'm not an English student. If I'm understanding you correctly, you're wanting to look at how these superhero stories sort of reflect the social atmosphere from which they originated. Or am I reading into this too much?

I have one class this semester that I've decided will just have to be a B-. I try and try, but it seems there is no way to study for the exams. It doesn't matter how much I study, there are still weird and unexpected things on the exam that I can't answer correctly. I wouldn't worry too much. I know you're worried about probation, but if you are going to transfer then you can say it was simply a fluke.

I don't get a lot of support from my family. I don't know if they just don't understand what I'm going through or what. I'm the first person in my family to get a college degree, so perhaps that is part of it. It is just frustrating sometimes, especially when people make "off" comments about how "you won't make any money doing that". I think the general lack of interest is probably more hurtful though. Anyway, it sounds like your aunts are jealous and being a bit childish. As said above, if you don't have to interact with them on a regular basis then just be as gracious as you can be and avoid the subject.

I know we're talking about research-intensive PhD programs. I was just responding to the part about not being a good student and missing out on things. It just seemed from the post that this applied to all graduate students. I'm sorry if my response wasn't appropriate.

I have no choice but to work. My stipend isn't (wasn't) enough money to live off of and it doesn't cover the summer months. I have probably missed out on some opportunities because of it, but I don't believe I'm a bad student. My program just doesn't have a lot of funding opportunities. I can't count on getting some sort of outside grant. I can't have all my eggs in one basket, otherwise I might end up high and dry.

I noted that I wasn't a PhD student, yes. I didn't want the OP to assume I was coming from the perspective of a PhD student, so I included that bit of info in there. I'm a masters student and having an outside job is not a problem for me. I realize that some programs don't want a student to have an outside job though if they are receiving funding. I just wanted to chime in before since the OP did say they were allowed to have summer employment.

It really depends on the school, the program, the individual class, etc. I've had classes where the tests were easier than undergrad, about the same as undergrad, maybe slightly harder than undergrad, etc. I've also had classes where we didn't have any tests since some professors feel there's no need. They'd rather you put your efforts into class discussions and writing a good paper instead. In a way, they probably thought the paper was the test.

Most employers don't really care or ask about GPA.

I'm not a PhD student and I don't have a fellowship. If I have a TA position though, there is nothing that says I can't have outside employment. If you're allowed to work during the summer, then maybe you could say to your adviser: "Hey, I have this job lined up for summer but they would like me to start a little early. Would it be okay if I start working there before the semester is over?" It's worth a shot. Plus you wouldn't risk someone going to this place and seeing you.

I still don't understand how someone would even be put in this situation. I fill out course evaluations all the time. No one has ever called me into their office to ask me how I scored them on the evaluation. The evaluations are supposed to be anonymous. I don't care if the professor thinks someone doctored or changed the evaluations to make them look bad. The burden of proving it should not fall on the students. If someone higher up actually felt it was necessary to do an investigation, they should be the ones doing the investigating. Not the professor. I apologize, but this scenario just doesn't sound right.

Aren't course evaluations supposed to be anonymous?

No problem. I hope you find the right person to talk to. Sometimes you have to do some investigating/asking around to figure out who you really need to talk to. Sometimes they have multiple job responsibilities and figuring out TA stuff is just one of them.

Try resources coordinator.

You can ask your advisor. They may or may not know. Mine didn't know or offer any suggestions. Does your school have a faculty directory online? Sometimes you can find the right person that way.

I wasn't offered funding initially. After I was admitted, I talked to the coordinator and was set up with a position for my second semester. You should find out how your school handles setting up TA positions. Do you go through your advisor or is there a coordinator who is set up to take care of that?

We're past the half-way point in the semester, I can't drop my classes. I've been looking for a regular job but it has been very hard. I have something on the way though that is part-time.

Thanks for the suggestion. I have something and I'm just waiting on it right now. Only problem is they pay monthly and there won't be a paycheck until the end of April. Yikes! My adviser doesn't fund me, never has. My funding came from TA positions that were set up through the department.

It can really depend on the professor, what they want from a TA and whatnot. I had one class where I did nothing but grade. I had another class where I was supervising the lab sessions and doing some grading. If what you describe is all the professor wants you to do, then I wouldn't worry about. It sounds like you're fine.

This is an interesting one. It is about being a professor and having kids, but there is grad school stuff mixed in there.

There have been threads about this in the past. I honestly don't know how I would ever manage. Apparently other people have done it though, so I imagine they manage somehow. You might see if you can find the threads. People seemed to have good advice.