Jump to content

anonphd1234

Members
  • Posts

    2
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

anonphd1234's Achievements

Decaf

Decaf (2/10)

3

Reputation

  1. It could involve anything from photocopying, running some errands for the professor, and compiling articles/books/research for the professor. I think some people help coordinate events which is paid but is another thing we need to get done to get the stipend we were promised in the admissions offer. Some students don't do any work and still get that amount, while others are given a full workload for those allotted hours.
  2. Hi all, I wanted to chime in on the working hours. I'm a long time lurker and decided to create a new account for privacy reasons. I'm currently doing my Ph.D. in English and managing the amount of work is definitely a challenge. I think I also felt some betrayal since the tone that my offer letter took seemed to imply that there would be "minor" work to do outside of teaching, which really was a code for extra administrative duties that were required of me on top of teaching, grading and holding office hours. For those with offers, I suggest you ask some tough questions to the graduate students currently there. I was not able to go to the visiting days so I emailed a few, but the responses were of course, somewhat tempered by my own rainbow-colored optimism and the fact that most people who volunteered to show the new graduate students around and answer questions are somewhat satisfied or are probably afraid to tell the truth. Some institutions may have labor unions and those seem helpful, but only in the sense of boosting morale. It is only compounded by the fact that some professors are probably not willing to help with the grading at all, despite the fact that the amount of work they require is way above the contracted hours. It is almost impossible to keep the university accountable for the number of hours they make us work since a lot of it is independent work you do at home. The funny thing is, they keep us accountable for things that benefit the department, but they themselves do not mandate us keeping track of our own hours since that means they'll actually have to cut the amount of work we do. The general vibe here is, "Be more efficient with your time. Here's a book to help with efficiency." It is SO helpful, as you can imagine. And not to mention the events and volunteer work we are pressured to do... But despite it all, I was able to get all A's in my classes which really doesn't say a whole lot about my competence since I am reusing what I know instead of learning new research avenues as I'm supposed to be doing in grad school. Despite the time restrictions, I have managed to find time to apply for another round this year with a new writing sample I wrote last semester and a better-defined statement of purpose. Desperation is the mother of innovation, though not having a single weekend off since last August is another method. Top schools give you time; money matters less as long as my basic needs are met than the amount of time you have to do what you're there to do. That is why I apply again this year, although this time, I'm very much aware that I might be headed to a place that has even less accountability and more work. I'd like to hear from other grad students too if their experiences differ.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use