nehs

THANKS again

fuzzylogician, is the thesis a total waste for going into the industry?

Appreciate your response here. I've added whatever information I have. I'm really inclined toward the thesis. But will have to sit down with my graduate advosor and figure out which is best for me. The other good thing about the thesis is, I only have to ocmplete 30 credits but with the comp I need to go for 36 credits. So the chances of me finishing up my degree in the next 2 semesters is higher if I choose the thesis option. because i will have to add one thesiss course every semester and do3or 4 other grad courses BUT with the comp, I have to do 5 courses this coming spring(15 credits) which sounds a lot of work! thanks for ur questions. I'm going to note these and take it to my advisor.

Thanks so much robot_hamster and fuzzylogician. You guys have no idea how helpful you have been. I've been losing sleep over this for a few days now. The thing is I do not want to take the comp exam but most students in my class prefer to do so because they plan on going to work in the industry after ward. I plan the same, however, I would think that a thesis is nevertheless a useful piece of work! Also, I do not have access to students who are doing the thesis research. Its like most have graduated and the 2-3 who choose to do so, are not in any of my classes. So I'm left all alone. duh! To make things cmplicated, I'm am international student and so a little unaware of the processes in the american education system....Well, to cut my story short - THANK YOU! robot_hamster, I too plan to work on the research in the spring and summer and then sit down to write the thesis in the fall 2012 semester. My defence will , hopefully, be in the same semester. I have to graduate in that Fall semester because of visa issues(F-1 etc). So this makes the decision even more complicated and time lines are very important to me. Well, all I can hope is I graduate in time. I've not even narrowed down on the topic and if I plan to start the research in the spring, my Dept. expects that the proposal should reach them by Dec 15 of the Fall semester which means 1.5 more months for me to decide on the topic. I hope that's enough time. fuzzylogician, Yes I want to go into industry. Ofcourse, I'm not ruling out PhD in the future but that's some thing I have not planned right now(<5 years). I'm not sure if I already have literature because I have not yet started reading much except for browsing topics on internet, published papers etc. So no topic defined yet. Well, this is the meting I'm having with my professor next week. Hopefully, he can help me. About failing the defence, I was scared because my Dept allows us to choose between the comp exam and thesis and once we choose our route there is no going back. So failing a thesis defence sounds scary! I would imagine, after reading the replies here, that failing happen primarily because of the documentation part of it and not because of the research..isn't it? My Dept has some training and help for writing thesis papers. So may be when time comes I can use that help. fuzzy, your ideas about the depth of the research are VERY important to me. I had no idea how deep the master's thesis goes. Now that is comforting to hear that its not really a new topic or new research that counts but could also be adding data to existing topics or adding one-two more points to an existing topic etc.... Thanks again. I will keep you all posted with my progress.

Hello All! I am meeting a professor this week for some ideas on thesis research topics. I have a list of ideas with me .However, I have still not thought if I want to go ahead with the thesis or sit for the comp. My Dept. gives me the option. So before I meet him, I would be happy if I get some perspective here: My specific questions: 1. Typically, how many months does a research go on at master's level? I'm in a M.S program. is this time frame predictable or can it go way beyond the planned deadline? I was thinking of making the thesis draft in the Spring 2012 semester and also registering for one thesis course(my Dept requires us to register for research courses). So that means 3 credits of research will be done in the spring. I can do upto 6 credits of research. Then in the summer, I work towards the thesis writing and finally submit it in Fall 2012. 2. I've never written a thesis before, written a few papers for 10-20 pages though. In my Dept, the final thesis is around 40 -50 pages long. So is this manageable? 3. What exactly is thesis approval/defence? Is there a huge audience or something like that? How high are chances of rejection for a master's level thesis? This is important to me because my Dept. does not allow us to sit for the exam if we decide to go the thesis way! So I need to be clear on my options. Finally, I hve a silly question - how much depth does this research go into? I would imagine it is not as deep as a PhD research but I'm still curious. Sorry for bothering you guys. I hope some one can help me ThankYou

Hello Janomaly, May be I can pour in here :-) .. The second link in ktel's post was started by me. I had a lot of fears and apprehensions before my classes started. It took me a month to settle down into my classes and my schedule. I'm married, but no kids yet. I was also hugely concerned about time outside of school work. What I have noticed is , it is best to leave one day free every week to do things related to personal life or to just relax. This maintains our balance. For me this day is usually friday. In my dept/school, we do not have classes on fri-sat-sun. I'm a full-time student and i'm doing 12 credits a semester. So I attend class tues-thursday for my 4 courses.Mon, there is no class for me. My schedule is such that I attend 2 classes on tues and then one each on wed and thurs. Fri - I do nothing. Sat, usually catch up with homework or assignments and Sunday's schedule is dynamic. Sometimes I get the week's dinner/menu ready and then do nothing the whole day. sometimes, i study a little in the evening, 2-3 hours. so it depends. Monday is a busy day for me since my husband goes to work and i catch up on pending assignemnts or reading. So yes, life is hectic but not unmanageable. You did not mention if you plan to work while in school? If so, then you might have to reduce ur course load to keep urself and ur grades sane. also, i don't thnk you need to post pone marriage - or anything for that matter - because life just goes on. and life teaches us how to handle things. so go ahead, make all ur plans ;-) Morepver, in my opinion, marriage ,kids and other such decision should not have to wait because there is never a 'right time'. About managing things, you will learn what works best for you ,as you get into it.If you have the finances to do the program full-time, then take as many courses as you can manage and finish off . Your profile mentions Human resources? that's usally in the labor relations or business Dept, right? So if you are doing full-time then 4 courses, 12 credits, might be ok. This is just my perspective I do find it overwhelming sometimes and I even feel guilty becuase my husband has to keep himself busy depsite the fact that he wants to talk to me or go out because I have to study! ok good luck!

goood luck!

So you just want to get a degree to take advantage of tuition reimbursement? In that case, won't a MS degree be more useful? Or have you already gotten your MS? Because you could use the MS-level courses toward your PhD later,provided you don't use those courses to gradaute. So that way, you will be saving some credits/money. MPH also sounds good! But not sure if MBA is for you. Or if you are keen on the MBA then a health domain specific MBA should be good.

You have got great suggestions here. I'm an international student and the only one in my class. So the situation is a reverse of your situation Some one here mentioned about mistaking jokes and being straigtforward. I think that's part of the problem. They might be having a different notion about americans. you say they are all experiencing a new country - so why not be a part of their exploration? Suggest that you all meet up some day - not outside the campus but may be inside the campus , like the cafetaria...this way they will be more open about the meeting. Start from there. Since they are all enrolled in a PhD program, I assume they are fluent in English. so your meeting could be in english(its sad that they use their first language in the lab; I NEVER do that except when I am home). Start talking about generic stuff: which country(specifically) are you from? So how do u like it so far? where are u living? etc. Just start off and see if they reciprocate(i think they will). Then if u guys meet a second time, you could start discussing about the courses/classes etc. And hopefully it will be smooth from there. Good Luck!

eigen - yes, i am also leaning more toward handwriting notes but retyping on a computer might take up more time. but, i think its better to do it. that way i can 'revisit' the material again. sigaba - loved the notebook! currently i use a mead notebook ...here it is http://www.mead.com/meadstore/mwv/product/Flirty-FLORALS%26trade%3B-Notebook-80CT-college-ruled/07046?catId=&prodId=07046 one note is awesome, the 2010 version has even more features than 2007 but ,as u say, not sure how many of us wud be comfortable using it for studying. do u think this topic is not so relevant then? hmm..may be you are right! i have tons of reading to catch up with. i should invest more time there mandarin.orange - your idea sounds good especially if we ned to use those notes for a paper or for ap resentation. then it makes things really easy. aaron - i too don't make any notes in class ..but at home, while reading, i have realized that only reading does not commit anything to my memory or understanding. it only gives me an overview of the chapter.

ktel , eigen - thank you. I'm actually talking about notes while studying for an exam or notes while reading the text book. Sorry, I did not mention this earlier. I have a list of text books for this semester and I was thinking of making my notes using the computer(one note to be specific). But, i've also realized that this process is more time taking! Ofcourse, the advantage is a neater looking document and no worry of paper/storage etc. Thoughts?

I love teaching too and the research part of a PhD is what makes me plan not to get a PhD! Please don't get me wrong, research may be a ful filling ting for many but I'm not among those. However, I do realize that only a master's degree may not land me full-time jobs at any institution! A question for those of you having some knowledge on this topic : so a teaching institution/university is not really top tier then? I mean do such school always have to be tier 3 or low ranked?

I'm thinking if I should start using my laptop(the onenote in the MS office suite is so nice!) or stick to handwritten notes. Hand written notes feel like more 'cementing' to me but laptop seems a more organized method. I would not need to take these notes to class. Its just for my reference. your thoughts?

emm, that makes sense. May be I should also jot down stuff that I don't understand. cliopatra, your reply sounds comforting. yes, this is a new class, a new semester and i am a new grad student! As you say, I might feel better as a few chapters are completed and I am on 'top of the material'. I hope professors are aware of such things because talking in class may not necesasrily imply knowledge or a better student. Yes, I am decent with papers. there is a portion of performance anxiety for sure. unlikelygrad, I'm reading your blogpost as I type this reply. Crossword puzzles sound a good idea. But I feel that, in my case, part of the problem could be solved by reading ahead of the class. don't you think so? and I'm going to take some puzzles this coming week. Let's see how that goes! neuropsych, taking notes on ur computer is a good idea. I don't carry my computer to class all the time. May be it will help because when I study at home, I take my noted on my computer. So having a copy of the notes in front of me may be good. starmaker, my classes are also rrally long! about 2.5 hours..My mind starts wandering after the first hour. Your tips are great. I was planning on reading ahead of class, which i currently don't do as much, and also print the lecture slides. oh and by the way I'm in a similar program as you ! which city are you in? sigaba, no, i don't take naps. yes, i definitely have some strengths but not really recognized any as of now . Groups study sounds good but considering the fact that most in my program are 'loners' anyway, I might be left with very few people to choose from which is fine with me. May be I could talk about this with a couple of my friends.. office hours..ahhh..how could I forget that? I somehow always thought that going to the professor during his/her office hours with questions from the text book is a silly thing to do. Hello all, thank you very much for ur inputs. I have made a little action plan for myself -read ahead of time and make my own notes -take cross word puzzles or print the lecture slides in advance so that my mind does not start wandering -keep in touch with prof outside class, if i'm inable to do so in the class, by using his/her office hours

Sigaba, I just skim/read through the course materials. And then after class, either the same day or some other day, I study the material. emm, You mean you take notes during class or you prepare earlier and go into class with your notes? taking notes is a good idea but I sometimes feel it is uselss when I'm not following the subject matter and so I just give up on that. robot-hamster, I am apprehensive about things like ADD.ADHd in adults! That dear itself is preventing me from seeing a doctor. Well, yes it could be other factors like class timings, I get very tired by the time my lcasses start, usually 7 pm. And yes, I get restless too. So thatm akes me wonder : how are some students so focussed througout the 2 or 3 hour period? Red bull may be ? clio, My style is self study! Damn me. I'm not a bad student, but peer pressure of wanting to ask questions, follow matter in the class is what my problem is. But then it could affect my grades and confidence if I don't dpeak up in class. So I have to put an end to this, atlreast for the most part. Yeah, may be ppl are spewing out BS or just randomly asking questions but I'm unable to do that either(may be this is a different problem in itself - being b old to ask questions). Takling notes definitely helps me remember material and also comprehend it as I read. As you say, I might not be so good at thinking spontaneously. I'm always 'slow' in that regard. Can this be improved? And yes, partly could be perfomance anxiety as well.

This is embarassing but is bothering me for a few days now. I'm female and 27 , for those of you who are curious. I'm unable to concentrate in the class, I mean my classmates listen attentively,process the informaion in their minds and even ask questions. I'm not even able to process the information because I haven't listened. Or does this mean they read the book prior to attending class? I do read up in advance for some courses and for some I don't. Any one has an idea what this could be? Is it more of a health reason than my mind? Could it be fatigue affecting me? I don't know from where to start - a physicial, a dietician or just more hard work?

well, true..I would not have it any other way ! But , that said, I must admit this whole school thing leaves me very stressed at the end of the day. I'm not in a PhD program, in the MS program, so do the statistcs change now ?

your point noted! However, I don't think I'm going to carry any of these items as of now. Not sure if it is even legal in my state. I'm just going to cross fingers and come home

Yes, I'm going to start working on something like drop boxes and then just communicating with eac hpther. Now, this seems a lot less stressful to me. Yes, the class is mandatory and is suually offered at this time. Ofcourse, it might be offered at an earlier time on some semester but we will never know which semester that is. So i have o option but suck it up and sit for class!

You are so on the point! True, even in a real world we all have different schedules. Drop bix folders, emails etc sounds like a good option.

Good idea, I think I"ll put this across and this is definitely a BIG issue for me. I live in NY and use the train for commute, I'm already terrified about starting from class at 10 PM and being all alone on the subway, I think I"ll get a heart attack if I leave class at 11 PM instead .

long_time_lurker, i SO HATe group projects too. These professors claim that it prepares us for the real world out there. While I do agree t oan extent, the situation in a work environment is different: everyone has the same 8 am to 5 pm and each person of a group/team can squeeze is a few minutes here and there if required. However, in school, especially grad program(MS/MA), students prefer to come in attend class and then go back to work or home. Its not like undergrad where many will still be lurking around after class. Wish professors would understand these issues. And not to mention how these issues 'could' affect grades. Sigh! I think you are right about not anyone wanting to wait too late. Its already 9 pm or 930 PM and when the class leaves, we all want to leave,reach home and hit the bed.

I know. I realize this and see the point now. Wel, the issue is this other person wants to work well-into the night, even after 10 pm, if needed. So that's also a problem!

Yeah, have to got to work at this. May be I"ll compromise soem days and the others compromise on other days. Also, some pieces of work can be done independently, as you say

Thanks for ur reply. Yes, you are right. We all registered thinking the class ends at 10 PM but I was secretly praying that this prof is light on us, which he apparently is. So the thought os 'making my mind go to 10 pm' again is frustrating and over whelming to me.! Moreover ,my husband goes crazy with this late schedule too, it messes a lot of things for both of us. I'm considering dropping the course but then I cannot find any other course for a replacement. So I would have very 'less' load.