Adelaide9216

I am wondering if it's even relevant to put a timeline in the proposal. My methodology is very much described. My timeline is pretty much "I am going to do my PhD in 5 years" and explaining the different steps of the research process in more general terms. I don't know if it is useful to put this section because it's pretty much a "given" that everyone goes through these different steps (coursework, comprehensive exam, dissertation project, ethics approval, data collection, analyzing, writing the thesis.)

Hello, so I have applied to four courses to be a TA (I wanted to get only one for next term) but I got the answer from my department that I did not get selected for three courses. So I still have one application pending in another department that I am also enrolled in (as a graduate option to my main degree). Are Teaching Assistantships usually reserved/prioritized for PhD students? I am disappointed that I did not get a TAship but at the same time, I am going to be working as a RA + gonna be a fellow at a research institute so it's fine. Probably is a good outcome anyways due to how busy I'll be next term.

Good luck to you too! Where do you study?

I have submitted two first versions of chapters 1 (lit review) and 2 (theoretical approach) to my supervisor today!

I am out of town for four days (writing retreat). Worked since 10am this morning until 8pm (with breaks).

I did not get a TA position for next term. I don't know why but I am assuming they give priority to PhD students instead of MSW students. Better luck next time.

Yes, you can fast-track from a BA to a PhD, some people do it, especially if they have very high grades, but it might be difficult in the long run because you don't get to have the prior experience of doing an actual thesis and learn the basics of the research process. Being in graduate school is very different than being an undergraduate program and you need to learn how you best function, learn, process and work through the process which is not something you can really know before actually doing it. I could've fast-tracked but decided not to do so because I really wanted to learn the research process and learn my way of producing a thesis. I think I would've felt lost if I had just fast-tracked directly from my BSW to a PhD. I also read there are also higher chances of quitting the program by students when they do fast-track. However, some people do fast-track and are fine in the long run. It really depends. I would never tell anyone not to do it, if that's what they think is best for them.

My experience has been that I did a social-worky program in CEGEP (which is specific to the province of Quebec, it's a step between high school and undergraduate university studies) and that program allowed me to have a lot of field placements because it was geared towards heading to the job market rather than to university (at that moment, I did not know if I wanted to go to university which is why I chose that program). So I worked in the field as a student during and after that CEGEP degree. So when I got into university, I already had a few years of work experience under my belt + I did a lot of volunteer work prior to that. So when I got into grad school after my BSW, I realized that I wanted to do research and choose the "thesis" option in my MSW which means: no field placements. However, I am the only student in my program (cohort of approx. 30 MSW students) who chose that route. 99% of the students in my cohort want to be clinicians or community workers. Work on the ground in other words. I still took the same courses as my cohort for the most part. We had two mandatory research courses, but that was it, research was not really part of the vocabulary of my professors because most students don't chose that path and most students in my cohort aren't interested into research at all. So it's not typical for social workers to choose the research route. Most social workers work on the ground. However, I cannot stress how much we need researchers in social work. We have an expertise and a way of analyzing social issues that is very macro and embedded into other "bigger" things than simply personal failures. So I do believe that more social workers need to do research so we can bring that perspective and expertise to the table. If that's what you really want to do, there are ways to get involved into research either as a RA/TA, in labs or even in associations of students from different universities who work on the topic you want to study (you can ask for recommendations about those types of associations to your supervisor, they often allow students to be members and sit on committees). I also took a graduate option in gender and women's studies which allowed me to meet other "research-oriented" students from all across campus. I am sure these types of options exist as well in the US. You would need to look into the specifics of the universities you want to apply to. One thing I did was looking for FB groups of current students in the programs I am interested in and contact the admins of those groups to ask them questions about the program, prior to applying. It's been very useful and most people are willing to help and answer your questions, especially in social work. Maybe it would help you to find answers to your specifics questions.

Hello, I live in Canada and am unsure in terms of actual specific schools programs, but here, most MSW programs have a "field" option and a "thesis" option. Due to the fact that I had prior "field" and work experience, I have chosen a "thesis" option in order to gain that research experience, in the event that I'd decide to pursue a Ph.D. (I have decided to pursue a Ph.D. for Fall 2019). I must say however that I feel lucky to have gotten that work/field experience before, because it informed my research interests. However, you seem to know what you want to study and to know where you're going which is already a big plus and will help you to stay motivated all along. I have also been told that at the graduate level, if you want to do research, it's better to look for the expertise of a specific professor you want to work with. But it's always nice if they are a person that is easy to get along with as well as an expert in their field. I'll let others from the US jump in though.

I cannot speak to that because it's not a field of study I am familiar with. Maybe a law student will jump in.

She is not the first member of this forum to create a thread on something that has already been addressed in the past. It's not the end of the world.

Got the job! The principal investigator recognized me from a research congress, and said I did a good job. The interview was not even 10 minutes! And I am really excited because it's directly tied to my PhD and Master's research topic!

The interview is in one hour. Wish me luck!

Wow, so I am going to have to change a lot my proposal that I made for Vanier lol

Let me know if you have any questions about the programs of Social Work at McGill, UQAM and Université de Montréal in Quebec.

Go for it. I'm almost 26 and will be starting a PhD at 26. I don't think about my age at this point. I have the right circumstances, the potential to get funding, an exciting research project, a great advisor, the energy and the motivation and the desire to be an academic. So I go for it!

I think you need to consider all of these aspects, but most definitely the relationship you'll have with your supervisor. I think you need to assess if they can meet your expectations and needs as a supervisor and vice versa. To me, it's crucial to have a supervisor who's an expert, knowledgable but also who has great interpersonal qualities and with whom you can get along and have an open conversation with.

I disclosed publicly my story in a TEDx talk. I do media interviews every now and then about my story and what I have experienced. My TEDx talk was the first time I ever spoke publicly about my MI struggles. It was stressful, but I wanted to do it. But now everyone around me knows, and I don't have to hide and I don't feel the need to hide. I've been in recovery for 8 years, even if I still get high and lows, I don't consider myself to have a disability per say because it doesn't impact my daily functioning and I never needed to go to the Disability Office for accommodations for instance so far. I hope I'll still be okay when I'll start my Ph.D. School is what has helped me the most to get past through this because I have a true passion for what I study and what I do. I get a lot of questions from people asking if disclosing has impacted negatively my professional career. The answer to that is no. So far. In the past three years, I've won community awards, been recognized by my community and it happened twice that I disclosed my past struggles in a job interview and still got hired. However, I still warn people that I heard stories of people who have disclosed and for whom the experience has been a lot more negative. I did experience negative aspects after having disclosed, but mostly on the interpersonal level. I still think other people definitely may have it worse than I did. I think my experience has been so positive because I am involved in the social work field, so people tend to be empathetic towards my story and most of the people I know disclosed to me in private having experienced similar issues.

Oh my, I feel you. My father (who doesn't have a university degree) kinda indirectly tells me 'why are you still in school? don't you want to work?' He accepts what I am doing now because he has no choice (lol) but I definitely felt that judgement at first. I'm turning 26 this year and will be starting a Ph.D at 27. I don't know when I'll have kids and a husband lol

I got an interview to work as a RA in a lab that's directly tied to my master's research topic for 2018-2019. I'll be quite busy next year, but fully involved and committed to my research topic.

I need a bit of help in terms of laying out my schedule in my proposal. Does this sound realistic to the doctoral candidates/students here? 1) Finish my year of seminars and courses (2 semesters) 2) Comprehensive exam (2 semesters) 3) Lit review (one semester?) and then what would be the following steps (research project proposal, ethics, etc.) and what would be the length of each of these steps in the social sciences?

Hello, A bit off topic, but I'd need some advice. I need to fly to Toronto with my sister (we're two adults) on September 15 this year for one time event. When is the right moment to start looking for flights? Thank you,

Hello, so the contest has opened today. Does anyone know what is the font required for the research proposal?

Am I the only one who's really struggling when using Excel spreadsheet for lit reviews? It doesn't seem to be very much user-friendly. Any alternatives?

Browzine (access to academic journals) and PressReader (access to newspapers from all over the world) are pretty useful.