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ZeChocMoose

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  1. Upvote
    ZeChocMoose got a reaction from t_ruth in Education Policy PhD vs MA help   
    Since education is a practical field - not having experience in the field, but an education policy PhD is going to be hard on the job market.  My suggestion without knowing which PhD programs that you got into and which MA programs that you got it is to get the MA and get experience in the field and then go back for the PhD. Most successful candidates for top 10 PhD program in education policy typically have 2-5 years of experience and a relevant master's degree.
    The people who I have seen in your potential situation (PhD + no to little experience) end up with entry level research or policy analyst jobs after they graduate. Usually, you can get an entry-level research or policy analyst job with either a masters or a bachelor's degree and some research experience in college so having a PhD for an entry-level job is a bit overkill IMO.
    Although - I am not sure if I would suggest to do a one year education policy MA if you want a research position after you graduate.  I would be concerned that you won't get enough stats or research methods courses/experience to really be that marketable for entry level research or policy analyst positions.  I would really look at the courses that they want you to take (or can take) as most one-year education policy MAs are not research degrees.  You might be better off to do a two-year MA program that allows you to take a lot of courses in stats, qualitative methods, and research designs.  Some master's in education programs do that, but they are not usually one-year programs.  
    I might consider doing the PhD if that program has a good placement rate for its graduates and they offer you full funding for at least 4-5 years. You also want to have a research assistantship as part of your package to help you gain research experience and to be able to work closely with one of your professors on their research.  I would suggest to do at least one internship at an education policy organization over the summer to get more experience.  It would be a risk though because the job market is going to be harder, but might be a better option depending on what the MA offers are.
     
  2. Upvote
    ZeChocMoose got a reaction from mstaylor in Education Policy PhD vs MA help   
    Since education is a practical field - not having experience in the field, but an education policy PhD is going to be hard on the job market.  My suggestion without knowing which PhD programs that you got into and which MA programs that you got it is to get the MA and get experience in the field and then go back for the PhD. Most successful candidates for top 10 PhD program in education policy typically have 2-5 years of experience and a relevant master's degree.
    The people who I have seen in your potential situation (PhD + no to little experience) end up with entry level research or policy analyst jobs after they graduate. Usually, you can get an entry-level research or policy analyst job with either a masters or a bachelor's degree and some research experience in college so having a PhD for an entry-level job is a bit overkill IMO.
    Although - I am not sure if I would suggest to do a one year education policy MA if you want a research position after you graduate.  I would be concerned that you won't get enough stats or research methods courses/experience to really be that marketable for entry level research or policy analyst positions.  I would really look at the courses that they want you to take (or can take) as most one-year education policy MAs are not research degrees.  You might be better off to do a two-year MA program that allows you to take a lot of courses in stats, qualitative methods, and research designs.  Some master's in education programs do that, but they are not usually one-year programs.  
    I might consider doing the PhD if that program has a good placement rate for its graduates and they offer you full funding for at least 4-5 years. You also want to have a research assistantship as part of your package to help you gain research experience and to be able to work closely with one of your professors on their research.  I would suggest to do at least one internship at an education policy organization over the summer to get more experience.  It would be a risk though because the job market is going to be harder, but might be a better option depending on what the MA offers are.
     
  3. Upvote
    ZeChocMoose got a reaction from amam in How Rude! (or, when grad programs suck at wooing)   
    I could see how someone on the admission committee may have concerns.  I am assuming here that you have never stopped your schooling and there may be at least one field change in your education since you have two master's degree.  If the admissions committee didn't fully understand your transition to this new field (which I assume is your second master's)-- perhaps they are concerned that you'll want to transition again once you are done with this program (which I am assuming is a PhD program).  Since it is a top program, I imagine that the spots are selective so they want to double check your rationale esp. if there are many qualified applicants in the pool.
     
    When I sat on the admission's committee in my dept, I learned that sometimes it is not about the current applicant, but you remind the faculty of a past student who entered the program but didn't work out for whatever reason.  They just want to make sure that you are committed to the field/program/what not before they commit to you for 5+ years.
     
    I would at least wait until the campus visit day before you rule out the program.  If you still get a negative vibe or bad feelings, then yes don't enroll.  I think it is too early to make that call because we don't (yet) have a pattern of bad behavior.
     
    Edit:  And yes, I too had several weird phone conversations with programs when I was applying.  I chalked it up to academics not being the most socially savvy bunch of individuals. 
  4. Like
    ZeChocMoose got a reaction from Faith786 in Coronavirus and academic job hiring for 20-21   
    Not to add to anyone's anxiety but tenured faculty can be laid off if the university declares a financial exigency.  It is not very common though, but it does happen from time to time and the college/university usually gets rid of programs/majors with low enrollments and then lays off all those faculty - tenured or not.  Sometimes universities try to have tenured faculty absorbed by another dept/program, but it is not always possible.  Due to COVID-19 and the financial strain that some schools are under, my guess is we might see that happen to a small number of colleges/universities -or- the entire school will close and then everyone will get laid off.
    Just recently, St Cloud State has laid off 8 tenured faculty members at the start of Fall 2019 because of financial issues (https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/09/19/tenured-faculty-laid-st-cloud-state).  I am pretty sure that the faculty members who were laid off are trying to fight it or hope it doesn't come to this, but the decision was decided before the COVID-19 situation so an 11th hour save might not be possible.
    I do agree that contingent faculty will be harder hit by the COVID-19 situation in general though.   This is going to be a really difficult year ahead for university hiring and budgets.
    They might be trying to buy some time to figure out what Fall enrollments look like and how long the COVID-19 situation will last.  It is definitely a bummer though and I hope you find something soon.
  5. Like
    ZeChocMoose got a reaction from Faith786 in Coronavirus and academic job hiring for 20-21   
    I know that The Professor Is In is collecting which schools have announced a hiring freeze due to COVID-19 and compiled into this blog post: http://theprofessorisin.com/2020/03/24/schools-announcing-a-hiring-freeze/  There are also some people responding to her tweet with school names that are not included in the blog post.
    I know at my particular institution - we haven't announced a hiring freeze but are pausing any search that has not extended an offer yet.  :/   Yea, so not the greatest of times to be job searching. 
    My suggestion would be to think about doing a postdoc or a non-academic research position for a year or two if getting a TT job does not work out due to a (potentially) lower number of jobs for next year.  How disruptive the coronavirus is going to be - is hard to tell right now.  I think it is going to depend on how long it takes to contain the situation and what effect this may have on fall enrollments.  A couple universities are also declaring financial exigency which allows them to lay off tenured faculty members... so I also would be prepared for some postsecondary schools to close.
  6. Like
    ZeChocMoose got a reaction from hantoo in Post-Doc Necessary for Non-Academia Jobs?   
    As someone who did a post doc, they are really only helpful if you intend to stay in academia or want to pursue a research position outside of academia.  And even if you want a research position outside of academia - I would just recommend you seek out and apply for those type of positions.  At least in my field, post docs don't tend to pay as well as a PhD-level research positions outside of academia.
    I would definitely try to do an internship as this would get you familiar with the organizational norms as well as hopefully you can secure good references.  You also will get to work on projects that you can talk about in your future interviews.
  7. Upvote
    ZeChocMoose reacted to juilletmercredi in Discouraged, Bored, and Probably Overreacting   
    I am assuming that you're in an American-style program, with ~2 years of coursework before comps and dissertation. I will say that I felt kind of similarly in my first two years of graduate school; the challenge was the volume of work I was being expected to do, not the type. I went to a small liberal arts college where close reading, deep discussion, and analytical writing were expected parts of the curriculum, so doing these things in graduate school was not a challenge. I definitely did grow and learned a lot of new material, but I didn't necessarily feel like I had to quickly ascend to a new level of understanding or anything like that. I did get the distinct feeling that some of my colleagues had different educational experiences and that there were areas in which the seniors at my undergraduate college may have excelled, also (particularly the writing and analysis).
    I also don't think graduate school felt like getting into depth on a narrow topic until after my coursework. I didn't feel like I was delving really deeply until comps, honestly, and my dissertation was really the pinnacle of that.
    A doctoral program is largely self-directed, especially after year 2 or so. So if you want to dive into things more intellectually, set yourself up for that. Take an independent study with the theorist in your department, or work on a collaborative project with them that might result in an article/monograph. Work on your own projects that are more theoretical and intellectually deep in nature. There are programs that will allow you to take a semester at another university to work on such a project. Or you can start a cross-university collaboration with a researcher in a related area. A lot of the intellectual fulfillment you'll get will be independent work. Developing a close working relationship with advisors is also self-directed.
    I don't think choosing to do another PhD is a good idea necessarily. Remember that a doctoral program is also customizable and tailored, so if you want to take classes or work with someone in the philosophy or history department at your own university...arrange that.
    Also, most programs will not admit you for a second PhD if you already have one, unless it's in a wildly different field.
     but being on a grad stipend for another 5 years certainly beats working outside academia.
    Hoo boy, I would strongly disagree with that. But I think it depends on your values, wants, and needs. By the time I was nearing the end of my doctoral degree, I was real tired of living on a grad student stipend. But autonomy and theoretical analysis were not important to me (on the contrary; I much prefer applied work). If it is super important to you to do theoretical work, that may be different for you.
     
  8. Upvote
    ZeChocMoose reacted to juilletmercredi in Post-Doc Necessary for Non-Academia Jobs?   
    I work in industry. While a postdoc won't hurt you, it's certainly not necessary for the vast majority of non-academic positions. There are some non-academic positions that function pretty similarly to academic ones, and some of those might prefer a postdoc (think think tanks or policy institutes). But for the vast majority of non-academic jobs - especially if they are not research roles - not having done a postdoc is totally fine.
    Second, if I want to gain industry experience while still in graduate school, what might be some recommended ways to go about it? My research focuses on questions of development in Latin America so I'm considering incorporating ethnographic fieldwork not only at my research site but with NGOs/development agencies working in my geographic area of interest to see another side of things. Would this be the best way to go about it or should I consider internships as well?
    Both? This doesn't have to be an either/or; if you are considering non-academic careers, you should get any kind of industry experience you can in graduate school. Working with NGOs/nonprofits/other agencies while doing your fieldwork is an excellent way; you can build connections and demonstrate your research skills. I know several people in social sciences who have gotten non-academic jobs this way. But you should also consider internships as well.
    Lastly, and maybe this is more personalized to different jobs/fields, but for any of you who are now working outside academia, do you feel that you're still able to do enough research, apply the skills you learned through your PhD, etc. in your non-academic position? 
    It's definitely dependent on what you do. I'm a research manager at a tech company, and I definitely apply the skills I learned in my PhD - both the "hard skills" of statistics, research methodology, etc. and the "soft skills" of critical thinking, time management, planning and executing on a giant project, prioritization, communication, conflict resolution, etc. I would say that the latter set of "soft skills" has been FAR more important in the long run for my success here, and I actually work in a direct research role. I do less research myself now that I am a manager - I manage other researchers - but my research skills are still necessary so that I can advise them and direct their work for maximum impact. I also do research project planning that can be multi-year and cover large strategic areas of the business, so that research agenda planning that your PhD teaches you (perhaps indirectly) - that's super useful, too. Surprisingly, grant-writing was useful, too. Not because I write grants here, but because learning to budget what you need to get your work done and learning how to ask for money and resources that you need is a generally useful skill in business, and I now do that all the time.
  9. Upvote
    ZeChocMoose got a reaction from indorichai in Anyone on this forum have a PhD in educational policy??   
    I have a PhD in higher ed policy.  If that is close enough to what you are looking for - feel free to DM me.
  10. Upvote
    ZeChocMoose got a reaction from bibliophile222 in I failed my thesis.   
    I didn't realize that you are the only master's student who is doing a thesis.  That makes it super hard because my guess is the program is not set up to successfully guide master's students through the independent research process.  It can be a tough road to go down especially if faculty have only worked with PhD students on independent research projects as they tend to need less guidance/assistance than a master's students would.
    If worse comes to worst, can you think about switching to the non-thesis master's?  This will allow you to graduate and hopefully not disrupt your PhD plans.  I would still keep on working on the edits, but it is also good to have some back up plans just in case things don't go the way that you hope. 
  11. Upvote
    ZeChocMoose got a reaction from jenen in accepted but still waiting for other decisions- now what?   
    Yes - ask for an extension.  I did that for both my master's and PhD degrees.
    Although - they may only be willing to wait a week or so especially if they have given you funding.  At some point, you may have to make a decision with imperfect information.  Not ideal - but it may happen.
  12. Like
    ZeChocMoose got a reaction from TwirlingBlades in Submitting your thesis by articles   
    I'll offer another perspective.  I did a 3-paper format for my dissertation, but it tends to take longer than those who do the more traditional format.  Part of the reason is because of what TK2 mentions, you end up having to write and rewrite your articles so that you have a very tightly written argument in each of your papers, and you throw out a lot of the work that you did that doesn't end up fitting in with this narrative.  It is a more marketable product in the end assuming you are in a field that emphasizes articles, but it takes much longer. 
    I wouldn't suggest a 3-paper format for a master's thesis!  Unless you can get away with doing one publishable article or you can co-author some of the articles because trying to write three publishable articles as the solo author in a master's program sounds like a recipe for being 4 years in and still not done. Don't do that to yourself.
  13. Like
    ZeChocMoose reacted to Adelaide9216 in I failed my thesis.   
    I already have that type of memo. I am addressing the changes. That’s my plan, regardless of the examiners intentions.
  14. Like
    ZeChocMoose got a reaction from Adelaide9216 in Turning your coursework papers into publishable articles   
    I agree with @maxhgns
    I probably wouldn't because you are not going to have enough knowledge about the field at this point.  I would wait until you are a couple years into PhD coursework (or really after comprehensive exams) before you start submitting solo author work to a journal or work with a faculty member who really understands the academic publishing process and can mentor you.  You also need to know which journals to target, acceptance rates, and the type of research that the journal typically publishes so you are more likely to get in and frame your work appropriately.
    I say this as someone who has 1-2 earlier pubs that maybe I wish I waited on because they could have been a lot better, but I just didn't have the skillset/knowledge/experience at that point.  They are okay - but I am definitely not directing people to read them as representative of my work!
    One suggestion is a book chapter in an edited volume. Although usually you need to get invited to participate by the editor(s), sometimes there are open calls for chapters (at least in my field) that you can submit a proposal for a chapter that matches the theme of the volume and the editors select a certain number of people to write up their proposals into a book chapter.   
  15. Upvote
    ZeChocMoose reacted to maxhgns in Handling mean-spirited and unhelpful criticism   
    No, it won't. Unfortunately. Referees are nasty all the time, and not just about genuinely weak papers. Anonymity lets them take on all kinds of unwarranted airs of superiority. My discipline's blogs and social media spaces are chock full of the absolutely unforgiveable things referees have said, and not just to new members of the profession. I can point to several people who are the top scholars in the world in their respective subfields who still get referee comments like "this is garbage, even for an undergraduate; does the author even work in [our discipline]?". Such comments aren't OK under any circumstances, let alone when directed at perfectly fine pieces of scholarship.
    Hell, I submitted one of my papers to a T20-30-range generalist journal which took four times its average review time to get back to me, and when it did I got twenty words of comments telling me the paper was unpublishable in any journal in the discipline. I immediately sent it unchanged to a T10 journal which accepted it in under a month.
    So: the moral of the story, I think, is that you ought to ignore the cutting remarks as much as possible. Make whatever changes you need to in order to avoid getting similar complaints, but ignore the nasty commentary. If a referee is altogether too nasty, then ignore them entirely. (And yes, I agree with PaulaHsiuling that one should strive to submit work that's more or less complete, and not use the peer review system as a means of getting feedback on drafts.)
  16. Upvote
    ZeChocMoose reacted to maxhgns in Turning your coursework papers into publishable articles   
    The short answer is that they probably won't be publishable, because you won't yet be sufficiently familiar with work in the area to generate a new piece of scholarship. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try, just that you shouldn't go in expecting too much of yourself. As a new PhD student, you're still just learning the ropes.
    Now that all that's out of the way: in order to do this, you'll need to explicitly set out to do it, and that means choosing your paper topics with care. You'll need them to make an original contribution, and that means having a good grasp of the relevant literature, and doing a lot more independent research for the papers. You'll need to start them early, and revise, revise, revise. Revise. And you'll need to have a good sense of where to send them, what the norms are for that journal, etc. And all that is a lot of work, especially for a new student who's still in coursework. So don't beat yourself up if you don't get around to trying to publish them for a few years. Coming back to the topic with fresh eyes and more experience will make it much easier to see what work still needs to be done, or even whether it's a worthwhile cause in the first place.
    So I'd advise you to take a long view. Try to come up with interesting and original ideas for your papers, and do your best writing them. Then try to present them at conferences. The feedback you get there will help you to determine whether it's worth pursuing publication, and will give you a sense of what you need to do to get there. Plus, it'll help you do some of the other stuff you need to do as a grad student, and get you started on networking.
  17. Like
    ZeChocMoose got a reaction from psychisfun in Did anyone tried to discourage you from pursuing a PhD?   
    I agree with pretty much everything that @juilletmercredi said. I received my PhD about a year ago and I am not entirely sure that I would recommend it either.  Or at least I would recommend people to get some full-time professional experience for a couple of years before deciding to pursue the PhD. 
    And you definitely, definitely need a plan B and probably a plan C because the academic job market is really terrible.  (I have been on the academic job market for three years in a row and it gets old...)
    While I agree with this advice, I am not sure I would have been able to realistically assess this as a prospective PhD student.  At the time, I definitely would have said I could do a 3-3 teaching load, balance mentoring and advising students, service, and continue my research agenda - no problem!  Now, I have a much more realistic picture about how difficult and time consuming this is and how isolating academia can be.
    But I am also realistic because I don't think @juilletmercredi or my advice is really going to discourage anyone!  I doubt it would have discouraged pre-PhD me honestly.  I would say instead to think about the non-academic options that you can do with a PhD in your field and actively work to pursue those while you are in the program.  Also cultivate a good support network - those are super helpful when you go through the ups and downs of your program.
  18. Like
    ZeChocMoose got a reaction from Arcadian in Still Ambivalent About Staying in Academia   
    Awesome!  Congrats :)  It is great that you found a job that suited you and all is going well in your new position. I am hopeful that I will be in a similar position soon.
  19. Like
    ZeChocMoose got a reaction from Adelaide9216 in Did anyone tried to discourage you from pursuing a PhD?   
    I agree with pretty much everything that @juilletmercredi said. I received my PhD about a year ago and I am not entirely sure that I would recommend it either.  Or at least I would recommend people to get some full-time professional experience for a couple of years before deciding to pursue the PhD. 
    And you definitely, definitely need a plan B and probably a plan C because the academic job market is really terrible.  (I have been on the academic job market for three years in a row and it gets old...)
    While I agree with this advice, I am not sure I would have been able to realistically assess this as a prospective PhD student.  At the time, I definitely would have said I could do a 3-3 teaching load, balance mentoring and advising students, service, and continue my research agenda - no problem!  Now, I have a much more realistic picture about how difficult and time consuming this is and how isolating academia can be.
    But I am also realistic because I don't think @juilletmercredi or my advice is really going to discourage anyone!  I doubt it would have discouraged pre-PhD me honestly.  I would say instead to think about the non-academic options that you can do with a PhD in your field and actively work to pursue those while you are in the program.  Also cultivate a good support network - those are super helpful when you go through the ups and downs of your program.
  20. Upvote
    ZeChocMoose reacted to juilletmercredi in Did anyone tried to discourage you from pursuing a PhD?   
    I want to re-emphasize this. Let's set aside for a moment family or others who don't know anything about academia for a second, and focus on advanced graduate students or people with PhDs trying to discourage people coming in or thinking about PhD programs. I feel like some people are characterizing this as malicious or clueless strangers trying to steal your dreams and framing this as some kind of rah-rah "believe in yourself!" overcoming of obstacles, but IMO, that's not what this is.
    I received my PhD 4.5 years ago (hard to believe I will be 5 years post-PhD this year!). I currently work in an industry job that I would not have gotten without my PhD - not in the same way, at least. And I still spend some time actively or indirectly discouraging people from going to get a PhD. It has nothing to do with these people's work ethic or whether I think they're able to do it, or anything like that. In fact, I have gently discouraged people who I know could do a PhD no problem, who wouldn't have any issues getting through the work. (To be fair, I don't usually give advice unsolicited - but since I work in an environment in which I am one of a few who has a PhD across my company, I get asked this question a lot.)
    First of all, while many students come in knowing about the job market, some don't. Some people's professors have told them the old canard about the wave of retirements coming soon (you know, the one they've been spinning since the 1990s), or whatever else. Some of the people trying to warn you may have been in this bucket, and they are only trying to be kind and pass on information they wish they had when they were new.
    Second of all, many students haven't thought about a Plan B if they don't go into academia, and I want any person who's asking me to think about it before entering the program because the academic market is so terrible. I want them to realize that the chances of them becoming a professor are pretty slim and think about what they want to do after. Furthermore, I want them to realize that a lot of successful academics are also exiting the academy for Reasons. The issues of a tight job market don't end once you secure the first tenure-track job; some people are stuck teaching in small towns or other areas they don't want to be in; some people get stuck with toxic departments; some people have always planned to "write their way out" but find it increasingly difficult in this atmosphere. I know I have a perceptual bias: since I am an ex-academic with a PhD, academics who want to leave contact me all the time (sometimes, out of the blue) to ask about how they can do the same thing. So I don't know what the real percentage of academics looking to leave is, but it's definitely not zero.
    Thirdly, and most importantly, what frenchphd said is true. I went into my own doctoral program not even wanting an academic career at all. Through six years of a PhD and a year of postdoctoral fellowship, I started to question what I thought I wanted because of the subtle (and not so subtle) cultural and social pressures of going through an academic PhD program. Professors tend to frame their work - overtly or more subtly - as the only work really worth doing, or the superior choice. They tend to infuse their efforts at career guidance with the same feelings. Few professors are fully informed on the options that you might have outside of academia, so they are of little help there. (I launched my non-academic career search by my lonesome, and when I did secure my job - I am a UX researcher at a large technology company - I had to explain to my postdoc supervisor AND my doctoral PIs what it was. They had never even heard of the field or knew it existed, and it's populated primarily by ex-academic psychologists.)
    The other thing here is that so much time, opportunity cost, and potentially money could be saved by someone who knows they want to work outside the academy, or for whom the chances are good that they will, by not going to a PhD program. I am 3.5 years into my career, and I have done really well pretty fast for someone at my stage; I recently got promoted to management at work. That said, I often wonder where I'd be if I had invested the 7 years I spent PhD + postdoc working instead - not just financially and career-wise, but mentally. I don't regret the years I spent getting my PhD - I learned some valuable skills and tools, met some lifelong friends, got married, and produced a large project I am proud of. But when people ask me if I would do it all over again, knowing what I know now...I don't know the answer to that question. Usually, I lean towards no.
    So yeah, usually the discouragement has nothing to do with how you work under pressure or what you're capable of, and it's not trying to squash your dreams. I want people who go into doctoral programs to go in with their eyes open. I always end my spiels with saying if you can go to a PhD program knowing that you likely will never be a professor; that if you are in the infinitesimally small group of people who do get a professorship, it'll likely be at a teaching college with a 3/3 load or more; that your non-academic job search, should you undertake it, will largely be powered by you with little outside support - and yet you are still so passionate about your field and research that you want to do it anyway and can be satisfied simply by the process of studying an area you deeply love for 5-7 years - then yeah, a PhD is for you!
    Supervisors aren't necessarily the most reliable sources of advice, either. Yes, they know you, and they know your ability to complete the PhD. But most of them have survivor's bias, and also many of them haven't had to look for a job in years, sometimes decades. They only know how difficult the market is second-hand, and frankly they are not really evaluated by whether or not they get their students jobs - they are evaluated far more on how much research they get done, and they need graduate students to accomplish that.
  21. Upvote
    ZeChocMoose got a reaction from Regimentations in Is an Ivy League degree a "golden ticket" career-wise?   
    Did you face disciplinary action by your state bar?  If you go the MSW route - I assume you'll want to get licensed, and they require that applicants have good "moral character."  In NY - at least - they ask whether you have had, "any criminal arrests or convictions or disciplinary action in another licensed profession."  
  22. Upvote
    ZeChocMoose got a reaction from raio in opportunity cost / should I even apply? / School's PhD prestige   
    I did a three paper dissertation. I would not use your master's papers in your three paper dissertation.  You grow a lot as a researcher during your PhD and you want your dissertation to reflect the work that you can currently do.  There is no point in getting a PhD quickly if you are not going to be competitive for the jobs that you want when you graduate.  And securing a postdoc in my experience are all about the connections your faculty have with other faculty in other places.  Do your current faculty have connections at these prestigious places?
    If you really want an academic career - I would do your PhD at the place that has the best connections, resources, and productivity of the type of research that you want to do.
  23. Upvote
    ZeChocMoose reacted to Hope.for.the.best in I need help surviving my PhD   
    I hear you. I have gone through a terribly stressful time leading up to the completion of my PhD. Even though I was not depressed, I got a lot of anxiety, due to the seemingly unachievable deadline and two toxic advisors. I too just wanted to get the hell out of it. Feel free to read my previous posts if you are interested. 
    I second the above advice that you should go to your school counsellor. Or call a local mental health helpline. It would also help if you can talk to friends /family members who have gone through the PhD journey. They cannot help you to finish your PhD, but an understanding ear is all you need for a tough time like this. 
    Looking at your post, I have a few other suggestions. 
    (1) Work out a timetable for the next 11 months to complete your thesis, e.g. finish all analysis by Nov 2018, finish chapters 1 and 2 by Dec 2018. Agree with your advisor a feedback and turnaround schedule. This way, you put things into perspectives, so you feel less overwhelmed. 
    (2) Try your best to take the weekends off. You don't have to go and hang out with your friends if you don't feel like to, although it would be good if you can. Sometimes, even staying at home and doing nothing can help switch your mind off. You can turn some soothing music on if you don't like the silence at your home. Remember, you simply can't work 24/7.
    (3) Prioritise sleep. Write a feasible to-do list for each day and stop all work 2 hours before you go to bed. Do something relaxing like meditation. For me, a hot shower is what it takes to get me ready for sleep. There are a lot of strategies for a good night sleep online. If you have tried hard but you still can't sleep well, you should consult your doctor. 
    (4) You have not mentioned anything about diet, but it is also important that you eat well. A balanced diet is key for functioning. 
    Feel free to write back/pm me if you want to chat more. Wish you all the best! 
  24. Upvote
    ZeChocMoose reacted to Sigaba in Changing Thesis Supervisors   
    In the strongest possible terms, I recommend that you make this request in person and only after a conversation about the issues you're experiencing with the incumbent.
    Pie in the sky, the face to face conversation flows in such a way that the person you want to be your supervisor offers to take the position.
    Please consider taking the following steps.
    Make sure that the person whom you want to supervise your dissertation is going to provide you with the support that you need. Try to have "off the record" conversations with this person's ABD's and with those who have recently received their doctorates. Listen very carefully to what they have to say because some of the observations may be excruciatingly subtle. Schedule a conversation with the potential supervisor to talk about your dissertation. Be prepared for this person to agree with some/many/most/all of the notes you've received from your current supervisor. Be prepared to pivot towards a discussion of the interpersonal issues you're having with the incumbent. To me, "being prepared" means being professional. Your current supervisor can be a horrible person but it's up to you to keep the conversation from devolving into a festival of complaining. To be absolutely clear, I'm not saying that you should disregard how you feel. I am saying that there's a time and place for certain kinds of conversations. Be prepared for the person you'd like as your supervisor to not provide the empathy you'd like to receive. To prepare yourself for this experience, Google "hurt feelings report," download it, print it out, and read it. Be prepared for the person to indicate that you two could work together. While this is your preferred outcome, it's critically important that you give yourself enough time to think / talk through the offer. Have ready questions like "What kind of time table would you want if I were writing for you?" or "I would like to my work to receive a very close, very critical reading, is this something that you'd be able to provide?" You won't have to ask all of your questions at once. You can beg off by saying, "I am honored that you would do this for me and right now I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. Would it be possible for us to meet again in the next day or two to continue the conversation?" Be prepared for the conversation to end without clear resolution. 
  25. Upvote
    ZeChocMoose got a reaction from E-P in Do new professors get relo budgets?   
    In my experience - tenure track faculty get relocation budgets (and usually start up funding).  The relocation budget can be a flat fee or some percentage of your salary.  If you end up with a non-tenure track faculty position - I think whether you get a relocation budget varies widely. 
    If your monthly budget can afford it - I would put away some money into savings.  It is also expensive to be on the job market because typically you'll need at least a new interview suit and may need to pay for a portion of your travel to interviews (or at least front the costs until you get reimbursed.)  
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