dstock
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Posts posted by dstock
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Well for occupations that require postdocs I don't see anything wrong with having a kid then.
And it also entirely depends on what the (if there is one) spouse is doing as well. I mean, it doesn't necessarily mean that he/she couldn't have a perfectly stable job and provide support. In that situation it could actually be beneficial because a grad student has a lot of downtime and ability to work from home more than typical occupations.
And like I said before, I don't actually care if people do, if they want to have children all the power to them. I am not the official decider over who has children or not. I am not sure why you guys are taking this so personally.
I'm not taking it personally, I only made a single comment. It seems your actual opinion is more flexible than your previous statement that you "don't think it is the right choice" to have kids until people "are in TT territory". That is what got me a little riled up.
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If I was to want to have a child I would make sure I have a stable and decent paying occupation in order to start a family. And that isn't what academia is unless you are in TT territory.
I'm not sure what field you're in, but in biology: after completing undergrad at age 22, a PhD typically takes ~6 years. A postdoc is required for a tenure track assitant professor position... postdocs are variable but can be 4-5 years. So you're saying you wouldn't suggest biologists to have a kid before age 32. To start trying for a first child at 32 isn't a realistic option for many women that want children, especially if they want multiple children. And this doesn't account for people who do a year or 2 after undergrad to boost their PhD application. I'm trying to point out that your ideal plan is not possible for many people.
- ballwera, rising_star and Crafter
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Thanks. It's not NOT a good thing. It's just that in the last year, I've quit a job, got married, bought a house that we've completely gutted while living in (no kitchen for the first month of marriage--done!), moved states, started a new job in a new field, got accepted to a phd program, and found myself knocked up.
but, what's life if not crazy... right?
Wow. What a year!! Congratulations.
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Can your SO complete his degree while you are getting your PhD? At least you'll be in one place for 5 years or so.
Since you want stories
: I met my fiance in college. After college I got a job in city X, so he also found a job there. We lived in the same city and dated a few years, and we weren't living together yet. I moved jobs once, about 45 mins away (still close enough for us). Then he applied for graduate school and got into 2 schools. One in an academic hub (several colleges) and one that was kind've remote. Since I also was thinking about graduate schools, we decided he take the one in the "hub" so that I would have a good chance of getting in nearby. He started school and we moved in together! A year later I applied to graduate schools, and obviously I only applied to local schools! I started school at one about an hour away from his so we live midway between and both commute a bit. The next hurdle is when we both graduate. We may graduate at the same time, or 1 of us will be a year behind- hard to say. We'll face that when we do! I think this next step will be the most challenging due to timing being off and in case we have young children by then We've been successful thus far due to the luck of finding opportunities nearby, putting staying local to each other *above* finding the absolute best opportunity, and compromising!
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Leaving this job is not unlike breaking up with a boyfriend. One second I'm like "No! I can't believe I ever wanted to leave! I love it here!" And the next second I'm like "Stupid job. Good riddance! The day I accepted my grad school offer was the best day of my life."
2 years into my PhD and I still feel this way! Some days I'm so thankful I'm here and not at my old job, and other days I wish I just stayed there. (Also, the "new" people I trained when I was working have since gotten substantial promotions at that company...meanwhile I am a student).
But... today is a good day so I am fine with it!
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I wish I could read a paper a day but I haven't been able to make that happen. Maybe 2-3 each week, usually over the weekend.
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Thanks for making this. It is cool to see the distributions
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So should I be sending a "thank you again, I got an honorable mention" note to my letter writers?
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E/E, E/E, VG/E was awarded honorable mention last year, and this year as a 2nd year grad student (life science type of guy). Got similar reviews last year, both years all praise with nothing really to work on.
I'm a bit jaded about it, but really this is a foreshadow of inevitably what competitive grant writing will be like. Thus, I am gearing/tooling up for a career in regulatory affairs post-phd rather than trying to compete for what little money is available to do science.
For those that care to know, 1 first author pub in jchem ed (low impact factor journal) as an undergrad, 1st author pub in grad school (journal of molecular biology), and just got reviewer comments back on a PNAS submission (I think I can address the comments and have them accept it).
Come from an industry background, 1 patent from a large pharmaceutical company. Did lots of science literacy work through undergrad up until present (reviewers eat science literacy work up at all levels for those that still have opportunities to apply). Also was first generation college student, grew up poor in an atypical family setting, disadvantaged status (financially growing up), but not a minority (disadvantaged status has not really ever helped me win any fellowships...it almost seems like a disclaimer to the funding entity that you are different but not in a good way).
My last few chances are NDSEG and HHMI Gilliam. Wish me luck guys, I certainly am pulling for all of you wherever you land on the list. Good luck, and great science
What are you doing during graduate school to gear up for a career in RA?
I worked in a small biotech before my PhD and got some on the job experience supporting regulatory submissions but obviously I wasn't leading any of that work. I haven't found a way to beef up my resume or do anything related to this during graduate school. I'm also a 2nd year life sciences.
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Honorable mention. E/VG, E/VG, E/E. Can't really complain!! (but I want to! but I won't)
Congrats to those who got the big $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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Depends how much your resume/qualifications match the job you're applying for!
For lab assistant type jobs, you should be targetting your resume and cover letters to the specific job. If you have lab experience relevant to what you're applying in, you should be able to get something.
I'm not familiar with library or food service jobs.
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Move-in day is when you really see the ugly side of these kids' parents. I had a hall mate whose mother took off every curtain in the room and decided to wash them in the laundry room for her child. They weren't even dirty but she insisted on basically sterilizing the room.
My mother did this. I was mortified. It's hard as a 17-19 year old to know how to set boundaries with an insistent parent.
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Anyways I went to lunch with this girl recently and got to know more about her... Is it possible to just not like people because you just don't like them much? I mean I don't think I dislike her necessarily but I just can tell that she isn't someone I would try to be friends with outside of school. I think that I can manage while in school but we have no real common interests. My views about life and what life should be are totally different than her's. I can get along with her and be civil but yeah. I think I can manage being friends with other married people I guess... they aren't my first pick in friends or anything but if I have to be in contact with them I guess I can.
It's enough to just be friendly to her at school- there's no need to force a relationship outside of school with someone you don't mesh with.
- LittleDarlings and GCool
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I applied to 7. I got 5 interviews-since schools generally have interviews around the same time I think it ended up being 5 weekends in a row. I definitely would not have wanted to do more than that.
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In addition to NIH and universities, also check out large academic/research focused hospitals
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Submitted. that was anxiety inducing... must've checked that I had definitely attached my statements and transcripts about 10x each....
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In the final stretch!! I can't wait to hit the submit button and be done.
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My school doesn't have dental for graduate students. For a dental appointment uninsured I think I've paid about $100-120.
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I heard it's unwise to sell until you're 59 or something, because the government takes out more tax if you do. good thing is that my employer puts in 6% to my 401k, but I'm totally lost on what to put my money in. There were a whole bunch of options, and the only one I recognized was the sp500. I just picked mine based on their ratings.
did you make an HSA account? I almost never go to the doctor, unless it's covered. But they're income tax free, so I guess it makes sense to keep a healthy stack there and fill it up as needed.
who do you use to handle all your investments?
6%!!! jealous. If you have a 401k at your job do they offer a free meeting w/a financial advisor? that would be a good source of info.
Within a retirement account I think you can buy and sell without a tax penalty- withdrawing funds out of the retirement account before age 59 is what triggers the higher tax. Don't take my word- you can find more info on this by searching online. I never used an HSA because I didn't have a lot of medical expenses that would make it worth it. I have accounts with Fidelity and Vanguard. One is my Roth IRA and one is a regular IRA from when I left my job and moved my 401k there. I don't know enough to say one is better than the other. I'm just figuring it out as I go. It's educational to get used to all this now, so someday when I have $$$$ I will already know how it works
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I worked and had a decent salary before going to grad school- I stocked away some money in retirement accounts (roth ira and ira) and made initial investments in mutual funds in these accounts about 2 years ago. I still have uninvested $ sitting in these accounts and I continue to use this to make incremental purchases on more mutual funds-- about once a month I buy more when I think its at a relatively good price. I have never sold any of them yet.
No idea if this is a good strategy but its been working for me.
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I love using a written planner. I found a nice one during back to school time at Barnes & Noble, I think it was $15. (prettier than what they had at Target)
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easy snacks to bring:
tub of hummus and small bag of baby carrots-5 servings (bring in Monday and lasts the whole week).
1 piece of fruit per lunch: apples/banana whatever.
string cheese
small serving of nuts
yogurt
I usually bring at least 2 of these per day. I use these as a side dish for whatever leftovers I'm bringing- allows me to bring less of a "main dish" and lets the leftovers last for more days (= less cooking).
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Wow, reading your story had me feeling completely creeped out. You weren't being over dramatic in the slightest. Not your fault- 3 days of talking (even if it was flirty) doesn't warrant his weeks of disturbing behavior. I'm so glad you brought it up and that your PI is supportive and getting the right people involved!
If I were you I would still have my guard up against this guy. Hopefully he's just a harmless weirdo, but who knows how he might behave or if it may escalate.
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Not really applicable to OP (sorry) but to the last few comments,
I used a professional recommendation (former Scientist at a biotech company I worked for- he had moved on to another company). During one of my interviews, a faculty member mentioned being impressed by that letter. Not necessarily having anything to do with academic vs professional, but just throwing in my experience that professional recommendations are fine. (I had 2 academic, 1 professional- was out of school for 4 years).
Unless you are in a job situation where many people leave for higher education, I would caution against giving too much notice. In some labs it is common for lab techs to work for a few years and everyone knows they are applying to graduate school. There it is normal to ask your supervisor to write a recommendation. The company I worked for did not have that culture. I was there for several years and no one left to go back to school. Whenever anyone left, they gave 2 weeks or less. I gave 3 weeks and organized the transfer of my responsibilities to other employees. I think it would have been weird for me to give them lots of notice and ask for recommendations (it would be 6 months from when letters are due to when I quit). I maintain a good relationship with my former coworkers and supervisors.
My point is, for giving notice and asking for recommendations, you really have to consider your individual situation and the culture at your job.
Applying for NSF-GRFP grant, need advice!
in Research
Posted
There is a huge NSF GRFP thread in "The Bank" forum on this site you can check out.