FishNerd
-
Posts
179 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by FishNerd
-
-
On 3/23/2018 at 12:02 PM, fuzzylogician said:
It's useful to sit down and sketch in bullet points what the main points to be discussed are. E.g., finding 1 -- teaches us that [blah], is evidence against [this thing], lead to broader conclusion that [something]. Same for other findings. Now, are there themes? Group the discussion so you stress those recurring themes instead of scattering them.
I know that I should have done a better job of this before writing my discussion (though I really thought I had approached things in a logical fashion), but I did do this during revision to help figure out redundancy/flow issues and it helped a lot! I will likely do it again after I let this revision round rest for a couple days. Thanks again!
-
So one thing I think you could easily do is try to find a volunteer research position or other entry level research positions (field technician and other temporary or seasonal positions). These are often advertised on places such as Texas A&M job board (see link below) - which is not only for jobs based out of Texas or that university, usually the ads are on the national or international level. If you do some searching you might be able to find some other list services that could list positions you might be able to apply to.
https://wfscjobs.tamu.edu/job-board/
Another thing you could do is try looking at universities in your area (which if you are in Boston area there should be plenty) and try to find a lab/professor who is doing stuff that you would like to have experience in. Then you could reach out by email to that professor and ask if there are any volunteer positions available in their lab or upcoming. If they have grad students in their lab needing field hands they may very well take you up on that and get you some opportunities volunteering. I had a volunteer in my lab during my Master's that did exactly what I suggest you do and helped volunteer with several different things in the lab.
The only thing in any case you will need to do is be up front that you do have a job and let them know how much that limits your availability/what flexibility that job allows you. This is especially true for positions that are advertised since I believe a lot of those do require you to have quite a bit of availability.
-
@fuzzylogician That is definitely something I probably could have done a better job of before writing, but I did try to outline the main points and group them in a way that seemed logical before I started writing. I definitely didn't start my discussion without some sort of plan but it seems that the plan I had may not have been the best. I think I will try to pull out the main points of it all and see where ideas/conclusions get repeated and see how I could restructure them to condense those scattered ideas. Yesterday I was really struggling with this (hence this post) but already today I think I have more ideas on how to tackle the structural issues. Obviously the revision process takes time, since coming at things with fresh eyes helps a lot and, unfortunately, I did probably hurt myself in not having the clearest plan on how to address all the points I wanted to cover in my discussion.
-
@rising_star My university does have a writing center but I'm not sure how many people specialize with working with grad students since the grad student body at my school is pretty small. I can definitely ask though to see if that could be a possibility. I hadn't actually thought of that! Thank you!
-
@fuzzylogician thank you so much for the great advice! I've gotten a lot better at not using the extra adverbs and adjectives but I definitely use hedges (also thank you for informing me as to what that type of phrasing is referred to as!). I have been doing my best to catch those when editing. And the little stuff like that isn't the part that I think I struggle with. Instead restructuring ideas and sentences seems to be where I get hung up on.
My advisor and I have discussed the main points of my thesis and I think I've done a decent job of conveying these during my Introduction, Methods and Results but I think I needed some more structural tips for the Discussion and I didn't get a lot of those. She said my Discussion content is solid, I just have it organized to where certain ideas definitely get repeated, just in new contexts. I think most of my redundancy right now is structural, so I have to figure out which paragraphs can be condensed/reordered to streamline and remove redundancy.
What software reads writing aloud for you? I have heard it was a thing but I hadn't looked more into it. I think I benefit from hearing someone else say rather than hearing myself. I also definitely plan on re-reading discussions from papers I have really enjoyed and use them as inspiration during the revision process.
@hats thank you!! Also I was very aware that during my post and even my title I was likely being a bit too wordy... Oops lol. Yes, when I or someone else reads my work aloud if there is a stumble or I get lost during a sentence I am sure to revise that sentence. Also I definitely have found that leaving writing for 3+ days (sometimes I need a week or so even) helps me see the flaws of my own writing a bit more clearly. I hadn't thought about handwriting my writing to help with the editing process. I will definitely have to try that.
As for "burying the lede" what do you mean by that? I think I understand it by when you say you have to find your topic sentences and move them to the top of your paragraph. Is there somewhere I can find an example of this? A comment my advisor made to me makes me think I might also have a tendency to do this so I think I need a concrete example of how this problem might look. Maybe I will go to Google and see if that gets me anywhere.
Thanks so much to both of you! You've given awesome suggestions that I will definitely keep in mind during the revision stage.
-
Hey all!
I've been really struggling with editing the discussion of my Master's thesis (in biology) that is unfortunately quite redundant at times. I have never found editing to be so draining before and I was wondering if any of you all on here had tips on how to edit a piece of your own writing for redundancy to help streamline and condense the writing overall?
At times I really struggle with seeing why the way I have written something needs to be fixed since the way I wrote it still makes sense to me in my head. Reading my writing aloud helps a lot but it doesn't always help me catch stuff. My advisor and partner help me a lot in improving something I have written but their comments can only go so far since it is ultimately up to me to make the changes. I've also not ever struggled so much with redundancy before but this discussion is a style of writing that I don't have as much practice with. Overall, I just struggle with being concise and getting to the point with the fewest words in the most logical order so that the writing doesn't go too long.
Any tips on how to work on these things or how to make the editing process in general not quite so draining?
-
@Vaudevillain Yes it actually was the University of Denver I visited! I really like the fit there. The department is super encouraging of a good work-life balance, and is super enthusiastic and passionate about its research, which is very refreshing compared to my current academic environment. Also I'm super pumped by the research I would be doing and the advisors I'd be working with! Also I think I would love the area. My only hesitancy is that the stipend is pretty low compared to cost of living in the area (mainly because rent is ridiculous in Denver from what I can find). And Denver's stipend is also just about half of the amount that I would receiving as a stipend at the University of Arkansas... So it's hard because I feel like overall fit there is better but I would probably be pretty strapped financially at Denver (though I am lucky that I have some savings that would probably get me through rough financial times).
As for thesis stuff I am super close to being done (everything is written). But I am in the editing phase which can be super draining. Especially since my advisor's comments are always negative. I mean I know they are just trying to improve it but is it so wrong of me to want some positive feedback at times... I know they have positive things to say about it but apparently it just isn't their style to really verbalize those positive comments much. Also one of my lab mates is also trying to finish and my advisor told me that my lab mate is a great writer and they have never said anything like that about my writing... Ughhh... My advisor probably didn't mean that statement to sound that way, but my insecurity about writing sure seized onto that statement. Sorry for the rant... I hopped on here to take a break from editing and needed to vent apparently.
-
1 hour ago, andiedralls said:
Do I even ~need to earn my MA here before heading for that program?
First off, I think that you should probably see if the PhD program requires you to have obtained a master's for one of their requirements for admission. If so, then I really think that you will need to finish your thesis before starting in the fall... But you would still be able to potentially finish your thesis before the end of this summer and graduate in the summer if you can do that at your current school. I'm not really sure I have any answers/advice to your other questions (though some people do transfer schools during grad school so being treated as a transfer student could maybe be a possibility?).
1 hour ago, andiedralls said:My guess is that, formally, this would be an entirely fresh start, and informally, word would probably get back to the PhD department and faculty would view me with some skepticism (and maybe hostility). In fairness, I know that leaving my thesis director hanging after s/he bothered to write a letter is a dick move; I wouldn't entertain the idea unless I thought the circumstances were extenuating.
That leads to a bunch of information that I think is relevant, but which I'll spare for now, that would answer some questions here that I suspect I might get: "If you're struggling to finish an MA in three years, then what makes you think that you can get a PhD?"; "What do you think will be different if you do move [transfer, technically?]"; "Do you think that your heart is ~really in your discipline?"; "Which factor(s) could have been so extenuating?," etc. I'll be happy to field those if/when they come.
I do also have a good sense of the relative disadvantage I'm giving myself by pursuing a doctoral dissertation having not gotten the practice of completing a thesis. I'm aware of the possible (likely?) difficulty of entering the program with a somewhat-sullied reputation if I don't finish here. I have a sense of the human-kind of difficulties that would await me.
Okay, I am gonna say that I do agree that it is kind of a "dick move" as you put it to leave your thesis director hanging, especially since they seem like they might have been influential in your acceptance to this PhD program... Not only that, but personally I am always super hesitant to do anything that could burn bridges in academia since those connections could greatly help with obtaining a job after PhD... I do recognize that things happen that can be a huge impediment to people finishing degrees, but not finishing should be something you should really think through.
It seems that you are very aware that not finishing your thesis is un-ideal so maybe you're kind of answering your own question as to not finish? I definitely felt like quitting at times during my Master's thesis and I took longer than I expected (3 years), so I understand maybe feeling burned out and ready for something new because that is definitely where I am right now. But if you have already put so many years into this degree it really would be a shame to leave it unfinished (however, this is my own personal stance on my master's myself where I have always told myself I don't quit things once I have committed so much time and effort to them). Also if you did accept this PhD offer it could be a great motivator to help you finish up. How much is left to do to finish your thesis? Because if its mainly at the writing stage I think you could do that in time to do a summer graduation (as long as that option is available to you). It would be a time crunch but it could be feasible. And if you do finish your thesis and do a good job on it then you will likely have one more product that you can put towards publication and that will look great on your CV. I would also be concerned as to how you would detail those 3 years on a CV/talk about a conspicuous 3 year gap on your CV during future job interviews. Lastly, is there an option for you to maybe graduate with your MA, but without having completed a thesis? Or is a thesis required of you for graduation?
I'm not sure how much of what I said holds any weight because I am in the same level of academia right now, but I do think the problems you are aware of are big ones and I don't think you should discount them.
-
So I was in the middle of a project that I started in my undergraduate when I started my Master's and while I kept up with it for about a year (we were in data collection stage) it is still not finished... The reason it is not finished though is because my undergrad research advisor didn't really have the funding to keep the project going. So I think my situation is completely different from yours, from what it sounds like.
From everything I've ever heard it can be very difficult keeping up with a project when you are living elsewhere and starting a new project, but I really don't think its impossible, especially if all the data is collected or close to being collected by the time you leave. After that I think the most important thing is that you don't let the project/publication fall off your radar. When you are in a new environment it is easy to forget about lingering things outside of that new bubble you are in. Since you have been such a big part of this project I do think it is worth your time to try and remain a part of it as best as you can until it gets published. You should also clarify with your advisor your question of authorship. While first authorship is great for your CV, if you are going to a coauthor rather than first author that might make it easier for you, because once you start your new program the only thing you may be responsible for are maybe some further analyses and revisions of the manuscript once its put together (of course this is based off of my somewhat limited knowledge of publication... some people have their coauthors write sections of the paper instead of just having them revise). Honestly if you are first author and have to write the manuscript for publication that is going to be a lot harder to follow through on with your new responsibilities than what you would need to do as a coauthor.
What I think would benefit you most is to sit down with your current advisor and ask what expectations they want of you on this project going forward. Express your concerns about juggling your new responsibilities with the things you need to finish this project up. You all can then maybe create a plan of what you need to do for the project when you move away (this will likely be easier to do right before you move to your new program). I'm sure your advisor will understand all of this and help get together a plan of action to get this research project done and published!
-
11 hours ago, Vaudevillain said:
How are y'all's decisions and constant refreshing of emails going?
I'm still waiting to hear back from Arizona, but not expecting to hear anything from them before the eleventh hour, even if it's good news. I've been talking to my PI and his grad students at UMN, and while I've waffled a lot back and forth, I'm leaning towards committing to go there there. I'll probably wait till mid-April just to see if I do hear back from Arizona and something surprises me, but it's nearing a close... feels pretty wild that it's less than a month away now.
So I finally heard something back from UMass during the first half of March but it was just an email from my potential PI there asking if I was still interested in her lab and if I was we could chat about the status of my application. My partner didn't get accepted to his program at UMass so I kindly told my PI that I was going to be choosing between my other two options and she was very kind in response (told me it was great that I had found a good fit elsewhere). But in her email she didn't say what the status of my acceptance/rejection was there and she said I would get something back about that eventually. Considering I have yet to hear anything further from there I assume that I could have been on an unofficial waitlist for my program maybe? It doesn't matter to me at this point but I am curious as to what the official status of my application there was/is...
As for my decisions between my other two schools I have visited one of the two and that visit was fantastic. My other visit is at the end of next week, so I'm really trying to stay neutral-ish on my position (though I'm heavily leaning towards the school I've already visited) until I visit the second school. But this is all very stressful because between now and April 15th I have to make this decision, get an acceptable version of my thesis to my committee, give my 45 minute seminar and defend. I don't know how I haven't collapsed under the stress of all I have to do in the next couple weeks... So I too will likely be waiting til mid-April to make my final decision @Vaudevillain, unless the second visit really makes it clear where I should go...
-
So during my Master's my take home was pretty minimal (~$10,000 a year) but I did make it work okay. My school though is located in a smaller city in the South so cost of living was pretty low and I lucked out in getting rent that was only $545 a month (for a fairly spacious apartment). Also I did have additional financial help from my parents. My car insurance and phone bill was paid by my parents and I was and still am on my parent's health insurance. I had no car payments on my car since I paid in full for it before I started my Master's. But outside of those things I paid for everything else: car maintenance (though mine was minimal since I have a relatively new car with few miles), food, rent, utilities, streaming services, etc. I also did split a lot of these costs with my partner. He was also on a similar stipend as me. We lived in the city our master's institution was in so we had to cover our costs year round.
Overall, money was very tight and we didn't have a ton of expendable income, but we were always able to pay our big expenses. We did eat out quite a bit because we were terrible about making time for cooking, but we rarely ate out anywhere very expensive (those types of restaurants were treats/splurges to us). We have two cats and have been able to cover any costs they need, though we were lucky that we only had to pay a one time deposit on them and no monthly rent. But we paid for that deposit and vet check ups/shots yearly, and of course food. They are even on pricey food now since one of them is allergic to fillers found in pet food. We were also able to buy ourselves new clothes when we desperately needed them and also keep our book/comic reading going too (though these were purchases that didn't occur frequently). Other people in my program who lived alone or didn't manage their money super well had to sign up for food stamps though to get by on the small stipends we got. But my partner and I always tried to manage our money relatively well and we were able to get by, though having help from our parents for the costs I mention above definitely helped tremendously.
-
I personally don't worry about prestige too much since I'm not planning on trying to get a tenure-track position in a top program when I graduate with my PhD, but I'm not sure how much prestige is important in industry jobs (this is how I read your post, forgive me if I misinterpreted) such as biotech - is there a professor/someone in your current (undergrad/masters) program you can ask about how prestige matters in biotech job acquisition?
I am very heavily weighing environment fit into my decision - are the professors and students in the program enthusiastic and positive about their research? Does work-life balance in the program align to what I would like to have during my doctoral training? Do I feel as if I would have a good relationship with my advisor? Etc. I'm weighing these things heavily because environment goes a long way in making people happy and content which is much more conducive to a positive grad school experience. A positive grad school experience will go a long way in making you productive and happy during your time there.
Also as to location of a school in a biotech hub I think this could matter? But mainly it matters if your professors in the program you attend have connections to those local biotech companies around their university. This seems to be likely for people in universities near the hubs, but that isn't to say that programs far away geographically from the biotech hubs couldn't also have connections you could network with for potential jobs after grad school.
-
I have to agree that it really seems like you are most excited about UNT and I think excitement about the research and environment can go a long way in making grad school enjoyable and worthwhile.
20 hours ago, Lindsc237 said:The program is three years long. Their rationale for the third year is to allow you to have that first year to adjust to grad school and figure out what area you want to concentrate in; this gives you the next two years to start working on your thesis. As I can get easily stressed and really want to do things to my fullest ability, having the extra year appeals to me; however, I am a little unsure of how I feel graduating with a Masters at 25, because I want to do a PhD as well.
As someone who has taken 3 years to get my Master's I think their rationale of having that first year to adjust and figure out research concentration is a solid one. I knew I wanted to do grad school and that first year really was an adjustment for me. While my program wasn't built for 3 years necessarily there is flexibility in finish date and since I took a bit to figure out how to adjust to grad school I was able to do that my first year and then concentrate more on my thesis my last 2 years when I knew what I was doing better. Also having the 3 full years means that I have really done a lot to make my thesis very thorough and (hopefully) highly publishable. I also will be getting more publications than planned because of my extra year at my Master's institution. I will be graduating with my Master's at 25 and I don't really think that is old at all for that degree, especially since my program cohort had a majority of students who were older than me. I applied and have been accepted to PhD programs for this fall and I doubt I will be that much older (if older at all?) than other students who will be starting. So if you have any more questions for doing a 3 year Master's and finishing it around 25, feel free to ask me.
-
On 3/16/2018 at 1:36 PM, singinglupines said:
I can't stop thinking about the research at school B, it has me so excited, so I guess that's my real answer right there.
Yeah research fit is what I keep coming back to as well which is why I'm so excited by my School A! Maybe I will be just as excited by the research at School B when I visit and flesh out what I will be doing there a bit more, but as of right now I really really want to do the research at School A. I ultimately am in science for the research and not money, so while the money at School B is freaking phenomenal, if I really feel like I'm gonna like the research at School A much better I think I'm gonna go for that. But I guess I have to wait until I visit School B to know for sure about my decision.
-
Ugghhhh I am in a similar, but also different, situation between my choices. I mean it's great that I have options, but my indecisive nature is definitely going to be a detriment in this decision process.
School A I have already visited and while when I initially left the visit I felt like I didn't feel any different from before I went, now that I have had time to process it I am really excited and please with what I observed on my visit. They also really emphasize a good work-life balance like your school A, @singinglupines. This is a big appeal to me because I almost feel like my current environment (at my master's) made me feel guilty for doing anything for fun ever... I would love to be able to plan fun things to do without feeling guilty about it and I know I could have that there. Also research and advisor fit there is fantastic. Overall, the people in School A's department seem like a great crowd to be around which would be a welcome change from the fairly negative people that are in my current program. For the specific subfield I am hoping to go into I think I might have the best opportunities for experience and knowledge in this subfield at School A. The location is fantastic and I would be able to experience a lot of new things that I never have before and I really want to gain some new life experiences during my PhD. However, cost of living is high and the stipend I am guaranteed each year is not a lot compared to cost of living. So I worry that the experiences I would want to have at this place could be limited from the amount of money I am making...
Okay so School B I have not yet visited so it's really hard to be as excited about it but.... I have been awarded a fantastic fellowship there that would mean I would be making almost double at School B than I would at School A. Also cost of living is much lower, so I would probably be putting a lot of money into savings... Maybe I shouldn't be comparing yet until I visit School B but its hard not to and unfortunately I won't be visiting School B until the end of the month, ugh. I feel like my advisor at School B could be great but I haven't yet met him, though my interactions thus far have been fantastic. I do worry about research fit though - mainly because I think the project I could be doing there is a lot more abstract in my mind since I haven't talked it through one-on-one with my advisor yet. However, my advisor doesn't have experience in the subfield I want to gain more experience in so I would have to find that experience in someone else in the department and those someone else's are still an unknown entity currently. I also don't yet known how work-life balance and personalities in the department are there yet. As for the location of this school I definitely think I could be very happy there but it is similar to past areas I have lived in so I don't think I would be gaining as many new experiences at School B than at School A. Though if I am making enough to save money conceivably I could pay to take myself to places to have those experiences. I'm just very uncertain about research fit currently at School B mostly though.
So ultimately I am struggling most with how much to factor in a very cushy stipend in at School B, vs. what appears to be awesome research and environment at School A. Maybe I should just try to keep it out of my mind until I visit School B, but it is so hard not to think about considering I need to think it through since I am terribly indecisive. Ultimately though like you @singinglupines I keep swinging back and forth, and currently my pendulum is swung towards School A since I have visited there and they've gave me their program pitch and everything. -
I totally understand not wanting to offend your professor, but if you absolutely do not want to attend the program at your current institution because you already know you've been accepted to a place you would rather attend, I do not think you should worry about getting this application to your current institution in. It would be a waste of your money and time, and I am sure that if you tell this professor that you've been accepted to your top choices with funding (rather than just hint at this), she will understand completely. Thank her for all her help in the application process too. I think most professors understand taking the offer you dreamed of, so I really doubt doing this will ruin your relationship with her.
-
1 hour ago, Halek said:
Yeah, even though this is pretty clear cut, I'm working as a technician right now and I had a lot of trouble picking between jobs for that. Maybe write a list comparing the schools you're thinking about? It helped me to have everything I was thinking written down. Also, I got input from people close to me who were basically like "You seem a lot more excited about job A than job B based on how you talk about it". Which was helpful because I hadn't realized that I was talking about the two jobs differently.
I was actually planning on writing down a pros and cons list of each place so that's nice to hear that helped you in making your decisions between your technician jobs. And I will for sure be talking it through with many different people and hearing their opinions I'm sure.
It's particularly hard right now I think because I have only visited one school so it's easy to be super excited for that school, but I do need to visit the other school before I can make a full assessment of each school. Also my partner has visited the school I haven't yet visited, but hasn't visited the one I have - so he's super excited for the one he's already visited. It's a weird place to be, especially since I need to finish my thesis up ASAP...
-
@lincoln.hawks Thanks for the info. I just wanted to have some sort of idea of whether or not lower rent was actually because of an actual good deal or because it is in a more problematic neighborhood.
I had heard that near DU was a good area but I have seen it can be quite pricey, so I did want to maybe know of areas to avoid if I look outside of that surrounding area.
-
There are many people who ask this on this forum and time and time again I have seen that it is always worth trying to ask for an extension. So I say try because all they can do is say no, but I do think a lot of people actually do get extensions on their deadline to decide.
Good luck!
- muddpudd18 and TakeruK
-
1
-
1
-
3 hours ago, Halek said:
In terms of making a decision, for me it was about program fit. Penn State's ecology program has a really strong emphasis on interdisciplinary work, which works great for what I'm interested in because it lets me work with both the Ecology and Anthropology departments. Also I got along really well with the PI's that I talked to there. But Penn State was also my first choice program going in, so that made deciding easier too. Otherwise I'd probably be super anxious about making the choice.
Thanks for your input. I wish my decision was that clear cut.
-
@samman1994 So based off what you describe about your fellowship it sounds pretty similar to my fellowship I've received at one of my schools. Since it is only one year I would imagine its impact on a resume/CV are relatively low, at least in comparison to fellowships that are guaranteed across several years (like the position I am in). I'm sure it would still look very good on a resume/CV but I don't think that alone will make your CV. Sometimes awards beget more awards though (if the application process for subsequent awards takes into account previous awards you have won), so it could be a stepping stone for subsequent awards.
Like Takeru says above I probably wouldn't make my decision on whether to attend this school based off of this fellowship alone. I know the fellowship I have received that's similar to yours is definitely not swaying my decision making (it is a competition - but only within the school of Natural Sciences and Mathematics). When I visited that school my prospective advisor called it basically a signing bonus if I decide to go there and that's how I am treating it. I do think my fellowship at my other school though will look pretty good on my CV, since it is a university wide award, and I definitely am taking it more heavily into my considerations (it also is worth a lot more money).
-
@PsychedSloth So far my funding amounts have all been listed on award/acceptance letters I have received. However, these letters have always been PDF attachments on the email or admissions portal.
-
On 3/4/2018 at 3:22 PM, potentiallylovely said:
For everyone else following this thread, how are things going for you?
So since I last posted in this thread not much has changed quite yet. I did receive an additional small fellowship on top of my regular TA stipend at the University of Denver and I also visited that school (and liked it quite a bit!). Yesterday I actually heard from my PI at UMass and it seemed like she was still interested in working with me but she couldn't say whether or not I had been accepted to the program I applied to. My partner didn't get in at UMass so I told her I would be attending one of my other two schools, but I am still really curious whether or not I've been accepted into my program there. She said I should still receive my admissions decision at some point in the portal so that makes me wonder if I was waitlisted or rejected at my program there - guess I'll find out whenever it eventually comes up on the portal. I am okay that UMass isn't on the table any longer though because I do feel like my other 2 schools are better fits for me and my partner.
On 3/5/2018 at 10:50 PM, fossilsrcool said:I am really freaking out about having to make this decision soon.
On 3/6/2018 at 2:53 PM, bluemonday said:It's going to be a hard decision process! There are a lot of factors to think about and it's lowkey giving me a lot of anxiety.
ME TOO! I am gonna have a hard time choosing. At one of my acceptances I have received a ridiculously nice stipend, but am less certain about research fit (though I know my PI would be a great mentor). My other acceptance has a much lower stipend in a higher cost of living area (which I am more excited about location-wise), but I know I will love the research I will get to do there and my PI's there are amazing. I really do have 2 great options and I'm just not sure on how to choose.
What factors are everyone thinking about when making their decisions?
-
So I think you might need to inquire what this fellowship entails because internal fellowships at schools can vary widely.
For example I have received additional fellowships at the two schools I am considering. I say additional because in both cases they are additional money on top of the typical TA stipend for my department. So not all fellowships replace a TA or RA position and they sometimes do mean more money overall. Also at one school the fellowship is only for the first year and across the regular nine month TA stipend. The other school's fellowship is for the first 4 years and goes across the entire year. So it might also be worth asking how long you will receive this fellowship for.
Tips for preparing/practicing for seminar length (~45min) presentation?
in Writing, Presenting and Publishing
Posted
So I am rapidly approaching my Master's thesis defense and I have to give a seminar length presentation over my thesis (~40-45 min presentation, ~5-10 min for questions) to the department/university public before doing the defense with my committee in a closed room. I am fairly well-practiced with giving conference length presentations (~12 min presentation, ~3 min for questions), but I have only ever given presentations longer than this in a handful of classes and those were definitely different beasts. Does anyone have any tips on preparing this type of presentation to a scientific, but not subfield specific audience? Also if anyone has tips on how to practice for this sort of presentation I would greatly appreciate it since I know practicing something that long will not be nearly as easy as practicing a conference presentation.