wildviolet

BrokenRecord--I know what you mean. I have a lot of polished business casual pieces from many years in the workplace. Most of the faculty and students are super casual. I want to "fit in" but still keep my own fashion/style. People do dress up for teaching days, but that's only one day a week for me. I also have to tone down my makeup a bit. I love eyeshadows, and I don't think I'll be able to wear any of the more colorful ones. I'm going to see how it goes and make little adjustments here and there. But, overall, I think the approach I'm going to take is that it's better to be slightly overdressed.

Gotta add my pic I took when I was studying for the GRE last summer. Birds of a feather flock together, LOL! Hmmm... gotta figure out how to insert a pic...

Dal PhDer--you are so cool, of course you will get one. I had to look up "TARDIS." I really need to watch Dr. Who.

Definitely true in the workplace. You can't escape it really, unless you become a hermit. It's human nature. There's always a pecking order, even if it's just two people (this is what I confirmed in my MS thesis research). And let's face it, many people abuse that power. Now, in my case, my advisor is awesome--he is such a modest and down-to-earth person and seems to truly want the best for his advisees. BUT, he still has to approve of my RA work and course selections, so in that sense he still has the power to evaluate my academic worthiness. People who don't understand and accept this won't survive long in positions where there's a hierarchical structure. My ex started a PhD program in the sciences and left with an MS. He is now happily self-employed, finally free from any constraints imposed by an employer (his income is variable, but that's the tradeoff I guess). Me? I'm happy to play the game.

I used Professor in my statement of purpose. Most professors I know do not like to be called Doctor. My advisor doesn't even have PhD after his name in his email signature! He is a very modest person, though. Others I know may put PhD after their name but not "Dr. X." When my 10-year-old neighbor asked me why I was moving, I said that I was going back to school to get my "doctorate" degree. She replied: "Oh, that's so cool, you're going to save lives!" Um, I guess in a way...

Thanks! It was inside my fortune cookie, and it really spoke to me.

You have an interesting perspective here. How you view your parents has a lot to do with cultural upbringing. In my culture, we are taught to respect our elders. We show this by using proper names like Aunt or Uncle (not just first names), serving elders first, and listening (not talking back). However, having grown up in America and wanting my freedom and independence, I have broken my mother's heart several times by moving across the country for school or marrying someone outside the culture. If she wants to help me load my car, if she wants to pack me a lunch for the road, then I'm going to let her. I have the rest of my life to be free and independent. And when she dies, I'm really going to miss her.

I second TMP's suggestion. People love to feel useful (and appreciated, so if she really helps you out don't forget your manners)!

I would go see her and apologize for stepping on her toes. Feign ignorance. Smile. I had an advisor like that for my MS, and she wasn't even old! She just had too many advisees, so I think sometimes she confused me with another student. Anyway, things like this happen. A sincere apology is usually sufficient, even if she is in the wrong. Remember who has the power and authority here? That's the way the world works. If you want to get things done, you need to know and be respectful to the right people. If that means sometimes having to kowtow to others, then so be it. You'll always know you were right. Good luck working this out.

LOL (literally), I just got what PITA stands for. I was pretty sure it didn't go with hummus.

Truly collaborative, creative co-teaching is actually pretty hard. The two of you would have to communicate well verbally and nonverbally. It took me three years of working with the same special education co-teacher EVERY SINGLE DAY to develop our co-teaching to the point where it flowed smoothly. So, nope, I wouldn't suggest it. Plus, I do think it would be kind of weird in grad school unless the assignment is specifically designed that way. I was really shy in school and yet I became a classroom teacher and had to be "on the stage" 6 hours a day every day for the entire school year. Basically, it just takes time and practice. You may also want to have a partner or create an informal discussion group to share and reflect on your TA experiences. Oh, and one more thing... you can always FAKE IT. Walk into that classroom with confidence and look those students right in the eyes (and think to yourself that you're the boss)! They'll never know what hit 'em! Good luck!

Both. Getting my MS allowed me to demonstrate that I could do the coursework (4.0 GPA, including 3 graduate-level courses in environmental engineering) and the research (thesis). Plus, as a graduate student instructor, I'm on the second pay scale. Not much of a difference, but it's better than nothing. Of course, the other areas of your application should be decent as well--GRE, letters of rec, statement of purpose. Good luck!

I love this blog. Check it out! She's so stylish and a role model for all women, curvy or not. http://girlwithcurves.tumblr.com/

I agree with much of the advice here. Another thing I would add is that it also depends on your advisor's advisee situation. In my case, my advisor's post-doc just accepted a TT position nearby. So I came in at the perfect time because he needs someone to pick up the two research projects the post-doc has been working on. My advisor is sending me away (via plane) next week to meet with a collaborator on one of the projects. Talking about jumping into the action! As far as I know, he has only one other advisee, who is a second-year PhD student. And he has already told me that he would like to meet at least every other week to talk about ANYTHING related to the program, adjusting to the new surroundings, life, etc. He's been a full professor for a while and, although he may not feel the push to publish, he still has several research projects going on, and they are all collaborations with people from other universities, which may lead to significant networking connections for me. I feel like he's already looking out for me, even though I'm just his temp advisee until next year, when I decide if I want to stay with him or not. Also, he's super chill. So, I wouldn't discount having a mature professor as an advisor. Perhaps the advisor-advisee relationship is like any other. Either the chemistry works, or it doesn't.

The advice from the faculty at my university is to take the minimum number of courses required for the program and perhaps audit other interesting ones. You can learn in other ways--on your own or in a small informal study group. Your key focus should be the quality of your research and dissertation. Presentation skills are next. And teaching is last. Grades on coursework is not even considered worth looking at as long as you "pass." Now, it also depends on your goal. I know someone who doesn't want to be at an R1. She loves small colleges and doesn't want to pursue the multi-million dollar federal grants. So she's content pursuing her own line of research, whether others want to fund it or not. And that's cool. So, ultimately, the answer to your question depends on what kind of career you want. If you want to be a professor at an R1, coursework is the last thing you want to worry about. But if you want to teach, then you should find teaching assistantships that require you to be the sole instructor in the room. Good luck!

Okay, so I tried Googling my name AND my undergrad university and Google was able to find the "real me" fairly accurately. Most of these finds were newspaper articles or other publicity documents that contained my name and university because I was interviewed for something. It's all good. My picture from my gmail account even shows up in the pics (I use the same one for my LinkedIn account, too). I just think it's really interesting that we've gotten to this point in social media. I always joke about the days when I was a kid and had to have change for the pay phone to call home and let my mom know where I had gone with my friends. I remember when getting three-way calling was super exciting.

Okay, so I haven't Googled myself in a while, and I just did it. Luckily, one of the first things that comes up is my MS thesis, so anyone looking will know that it's legit.

How do you modify the results? I'm not the most tech savvy (hey, I remember using Pine for email during my freshman year in college) and definitely haven't kept up with all the social media/google stuff. I think my surprise, as it were, stems from the formalization of the process.

So, I was talking to an office administrator at my university recently, and I happened to see a list of names on her desk that read: "People Not Found on Google." It was laying openly on her desk. I just glanced at the title briefly. I have no idea who these people were. Potential graduate students? Faculty? With so many of us putting ourselves out there on the Internet, what do you think about this? Have you Googled your own name to see what would come up?

I understand. My parents would have wanted to come with me, too, if I had let them. Your parents will always be your parents no matter what your age (well, that is until things turn around and you have to start taking care of them). I say let her have her week with you, and don't worry about it too much. I'm saying this as a mom of a little boy. They really do grow up too fast.

Thanks! Now that I'm on campus and about to begin my program, it's becoming very real. I'll keep you all posted.

It's very possible to be curvy and still look professional. For me, I like Ann Taylor's "curvy" fit denim and pants. I feel like they provide just the right amount of give where you need it most while still looking tailored. I also like skirts with sweaters/cardigans/cute tops and dresses. My favorite stores to shop at are Nordstroms and Ann Taylor. Recently, I've been trying other stores that I normally woudn't, like Forever 21 and H&M. They actually have some nice, colorful, and trendy pieces that add some pop to my otherwise neutral wardrobe (i.e., black, gray, navy, white). I think the biggest change for me will be less makeup. I love eyeshadow, and I don't feel like I can be very experimental in my new university. Most of the other female students look like they wear very little or no makeup. I don't want to stand out in a bad way. At the same time, I still want to accentuate my eyes, especially since I wear black plastic frame glasses. At the very least, I will need a neutral shade of eyeshadow, dark eyeliner, and mascara. I might have to save the purples, blues, and greens for going out at night. Anyway, I think this is an interesting thread because I believe women are judged more on their looks than men are--a man can be a little sloppy, unmatched, or unshaven and no one will think twice.

Hmmm... Well, back to the conversation. I'm going for my PhD because I want to be a professor. I want to be a professor because I think my personality, values, and beliefs are suited to being a professor (this is different from my dream job, which is to sing or dance professionally, but that's not likely going to happen now). I love school. I've been a classroom teacher, a waitress, a database administrator, a program coordinator, and a cashier. I've worked in labs, offices, and retail stores. And, I cannot imagine spending the rest of my life doing any of those things (well, yes I'll have an office, but it won't be that kind of office environment, like in The Office). Anyway, even if for some reason I don't become a professor, I will still value the time I got to spend learning, exploring, and thinking.

Colleges of Education tend to be very large with diverse research interests and varied approaches to doing research (qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, etc.). My college is divided into several departments and ed policy is its own department. It sounds like a PhD program in Educational Policy would be a good fit for you. You could then focus on a specialty. Good luck!