fuzzylogician

I think replying and asking for clarification of what "on hold" means is totally fair. It's not really obvious to me what it would be. It's not a rejection, so that's good, but beyond that it's not clear what to make of it.

Okay, in that case it would stand to reason that you want to find out how much time you want to have, and that you actually practice your presentation in front of a local audience before you go. Unlike our advice above to "go natural", this would be one case when practice would be a good idea. Also unlike a normal poster presentation, I don't know if you would get interrupted with questions during the presentation itself, although that's a very common thing normally. You could invite questions during (if you want), but still you might have to present like so (which, if you've done posters before, would be kind of unusual). You probably want to practice just presenting without interruptions and also perhaps with, if you've never done this before.

FWIW I am not seeing anything relevant that has been deleted or hidden. Any chance you remember who started this thread or when you last saw it on the board?

Good luck!

Okay, but is there anything you need to do? Or do you just show up and be your wonderful natural self? What are the selection criteria for this award?

Huh, ok. I got questions like that as an international student, with the reasoning that the relevant departments had very limited funding for international students and once it's been offered to someone, it can't be repurposed if the person declined, so they wanted to make sure I'd say yes before officially admitting me. I guess that could also happen to domestic students, though I can't say I've ever really heard of that. In any event, since it's been a week, I think it's okay to follow up to ask about your status and when you might have an official answer. I think mentioning that you're naturally anxious and would like to have your decision settled would be quite understandable.

That is an awesome update, I am so glad that things are finally working out for you!! Thank you for coming back to share your good news

I wouldn't hang too many hopes on this particular award, although it's of course always nice to win. (But losing isn't a big deal, so don't stress over it.) What does the competition entail, exactly?

Are you per chance an international student?

Also, some old advice threads:

Norms for conference presentations vary by field so it would help to know what field you're in. In mine, you don't usually read a paper but rather you give a presentation usually accompanied by slides or handouts, but this is precisely the place where expectations may vary. If you want to also give us the link to the conference website, we might be able to help you figure out how long you have to talk, etc. But if not, I bet you could get a lot of information by going on the website for this year's program, if it's up, or else last year's program, and seeing how long each talk is scheduled for. Keep in mind that there will be some time for questions, too. By far the most common format in my field is 20 for the talk + 10 minutes for questions. You might also see 15+5, 30+10, or 45+15, for example. The call for papers might also be a place to look, in my field you'll often find wording like "submissions are solicited for 20 minute presentations plus 10 minutes for questions" or some such as part of the CFP. One thing you might do in preparation is see if there are any local talks you can attend, to see how other people give presentations in your field. Your department likely holds reading groups of various kinds and has invited speakers at colloquia and perhaps job talks, if they are hiring this year. Ask your professor if there are any upcoming talks you might benefit from attending. As for the actual preparation, practice, practice, practice. That's the best way to get rid of the nerves, or at least bring them down to a manageable level. Make sure you give at least one full-length practice presentation to a small local audience (your professor and peers, if possible) to get feedback, but you will also want to practice in addition either alone or with friends to get a sense of the timing. Plan, in particular, what you want to say in the very beginning. That's when you'll be the most nervous. Once you've established a rhythm and get into it, things will get easier. It's fine to begin by saying that you're nervous because this is your first presentation; that might help get the audience on your side and give you some slack if you get confused or flustered in the middle. You might also want to think about some possible questions you might get asked, although those are a whole lot more difficult to anticipate. Learn to say "thank you for that question, I hadn't thought of that. I'm not sure what to say, I'll have to give this some more thought after the conference". And finally, enjoy and have fun. Good luck!

You might want to browse this thread:

In my department they didn't accept any transfer credits. You had to retake classes even if you had taken a version of the same class before, with the reasoning that you should take the class with current faculty to get their take on the material, because you'll be working with them, not with your old professors. I was initially resentful but after taking the classes (and certainly now that I teach them!) I think that was exactly right. Those classes are an easy way for professors to establish early working relations with students, and for students to get to know their professors. The enrollment issue that your department brings up is also a very real one, and it's hard for me to see you overcoming it with your arguments. If enrollments are low and classes can't open, that would be bad for the department for many reasons, including hiring and maintaining of personnel, and of course accessibility to students who may not have had a parallel class at another institution. I assume this isn't what you wanted to hear, but that's my opinion.

It sounds like any road to a PhD would have to go through an MA first, because you'll want to have better and current grades, as well as access to professors who could act as recommenders. You should read up on requirements and figure out what it takes to get into a good program. That said, nothing in your post makes it sound like you have any good reason to want or need a PhD in the first place, so I think that's the place for you to start. A PhD is a degree that more often than not prepares you for a career in academia; is that what you want? If you want a job in industry, are you sure that a PhD is required? It is more likely that another degree -- an MA or a professional degree of some kind -- are better choices. So my advice is that, as a first step, you should step back and ask yourself what career you hope to have, and then what it takes to get there. I wouldn't do anything drastic like move to another city or spend a lot of money on a terminal degree before knowing that it's the right career move (to the best that anyone can know these things). Spend time doing your research first, make decisions only once you have all the relevant information at hand. 25 is young, so don't feel like you have to rush anywhere.

Cross-posted. To reply click here:

It means you're accepted, congrats!

It's unlikely. But again, having someone tell you a story about (what is likely) a different program/university/degree won't tell you anything too useful.

This is such a vague question, I'm not sure what you want us to tell you. Suppose an internet stranger told you to go for it, would that be all you need? Go for it. What have you got to lose? If they revoke the funding, you can rescind your acceptance. I would assume that's unlikely to happen, but how can anyone here give you any guarantees?

Sure, in principle there is the option of being a visiting student at another institution for a semester or year. If/how it would work will depend on your home institution and the host institution.

I'm going to lock this thread for a bit so everyone can move on.

Surprise! This is how life works, not only in academia. In any job, it's not always the most diligent or productive employee who gets the promotion or credit for some work, more often than not it's the one who does the best job promoting themselves and networking. That's as true in academia as anywhere else. You're more likely to be invited to give talks, considered for jobs, awarded grants, cited, have your work assigned in seminars, etc. if your name comes to mind when people think of relevant people in your field. And that's more likely to happen if you put yourself out there and network. There is also a lot of politics that goes into all of these things that goes far beyond just networking (like who advised who, who went to what institution, whose student was admitted to which schools, who cited whose work, and so forth), so politics isn't just about who you know. So yes, you have to do a certain level of good work, but beyond that you also need to sell it (and yourself) and know how to position yourself correctly in your field. It's as important, if not more so, than the work itself.

There is really no way for us to know the answer to that question. You would have to follow up with the department and ask if they forwarded it to the other department.

I always reply to any personalized message. Someone took the time to write you something nice, and you should at least say thank you. Keep in mind that this won't be the last time you interact with this person, assuming they are a researcher in your field, so keeping a positive line of communication open would be helpful.

Cross-posted. To reply, click here:

Some grants require you to use the money precisely as you outlined in your proposal, and others might more flexible. Either way -- very often, you will not simply get the money in advance of doing the work, but instead be expected to do the work and then submit receipts for reimbursement. There won't really be a way to keep the money if you didn't use it for research expenses, and anyway that would be unethical. You might be able to use it for other research expenses, but again, those should really go toward your project and not for any other uses. These are really questions for the organization(s) that awarded you the money, and/or someone at your school.