snowshoes

This is NOT a standard practice, in fact, this is very, very odd. I have never heard of this before and assume the PI is doing so to get papers out fast. Will he end up putting his name first in the end? You should refuse to be a part of this for many reasons. Your name and reputation is on that paper. Sure, you get to "edit" the paper that you are the first author of, but what if you don't like it in the end? This guy needs his publication count and it sounds like quality isn't the number one issue. Also, you should be the one writing your own research up and going through the peer review process. You will be missing out on a very, very important process. If you do a post doc you will never have someone "writing your own papers", this is absurd. A huge red flag popped up when you described your situation. This is not normal in any way, and if you go with the flow you may end up with a bunch of papers, but you will be missing out on critical experience as a PhD student and may be getting your name on subpar quality work that you may not be proud of. It sounds like you are part of a micro-managing publication mill headed by a very nervous and worried associate prof. If I were in your position I would clearly state that I will be writing my own papers and appreciate any feedback and help he can give me along the way. I wouldn't be rude about it, but I would say that it is important I gain this experience and learn to be self sufficient. Again, this is not normal and I wouldn't fall into this trap.

That is shocking, I have never heard of that before. My supervisors have always had my best interests at heart and seemed to take their role as a mentor seriously. If a researcher is mid-career and has 50+ papers, why would they want to steal from their graduate student? Don't they understand that one paper means more to the grad student and that what they are doing is completely unethical? If this happened to me I don't know what I would do. I would probably contact the university and make a huge stink about it, let everyone in the field know what an asshole the supervisor is, and find a new supervisor to work with. I couldn't work with someone if they acted like this, pathetic behavior!

I wouldn't even expect to hear anything within a month. All journals are different and a lot depends on how prdoactive the editor is, but one month is not long at all. On the other hand, I submitted a paper and wanted to cite it for a scholarship. I heard the editor was good and knew of some people who got reviews back within 4-6 weeks, so I emailed him after only 4 weeks. He said he was waiting on one outstanding review and ended up letting me know it was accepted the next day. I was very polite and almost apologetic about asking. I felt like it wasn't a good move to email after only a month, but I really had to know about the paper, money was at stake!

Wow, I can't believe somewhat was scooped by their own supervisor! Any updates?

One extra year is a pretty big deal for a Masters - it is 50% longer than what it should take! I don't think you can compare the time people take for a PhD to that of a Masters, that isn't really valid. A PhD is the end of the road academically and, unless you came out of your Masters with lots of papers, you have to show more for that extra year than simply completing the degree. I'm not sure why you aren't seeing this. Regardless of your supervisor's personality traits, you should recognize your faults and try to make improvements. If 2 people who were part of your thesis refuse to give you a LOR and are disappointed in your efforts then it is most likely you at fault. Try to take something positive out of this situation, don't dwell on pointing fingers and refusing to even consider your hand in the issue. It's flat out denial or delusions at this point.

I really feel for you. It sounds likes 3 years of hardship finally finished and your supervisor rubbed it in your face. Whatever happened between you two, it sounds like he lacks any sort of tact to say that immediately after a second defense. But yes, if your second reader and supervisor will not give your letters of recommendation that should be an indication that it is probably you that is at fault. Research must be done in a timely manner, because money and time are in short supply and potential supervisors/granting agencies need to see that you can finish what you set out to do efficiently. So don't take it too personally and beat yourself up about it. You may be a great critical thinker, articulator of ideas, creative mind, etc. but you may not have proven to your committee that you can devise a successful thesis. Being too ambitious can be a downfall of many grad students. It is a degree after all, so time is of the essence. Anyone can say they will solve all the world's problems in 2 or 4 years. I would suggest having another meeting with your supervisor. Forget how this matter interferes with your PhD aspiration, hurts the ego, and confirms your suspicions that your supervisor is an asshole. Be civil and calm and genuinely seek his honest criticism, don't even think about a ploy to get a letter out of him (you wouldn't want one anyway, by the sounds of it). If this is your passion and philosophy is what makes you happy then pursue it by all means. Suggesting not to do so is what is truly unimaginative. But don't just go for the PhD because it was always the plan, maybe you'll have to wait a bit until the time is right.

It's that time of the year again. The PGS deadline for my university has inexplicitly been pushed forward this year to the end of September. I've got a couple more papers under my belt, a finely polished proposal, honed my Contributions/Statements form, and talked to my referees about customizing their letters more to the NSERC recommendations. I read my application daily and am obsessed about my last chance at an NSERC. Prepare for the best, expect the worst! Who else is applying for an NSERC, PGS or other?

I know a few people that switched to a PhD program. At the time I was an MSc student and a little envious, thinking how they would finish their PhD so early. To be honest, I'm glad I did my MSc - no sour grapes! I got a couple papers out of it, different experiences (different lab, methodologies, specialties, supervisors, etc.), built important connections, and matured a lot as a researcher. Don't be hung up on shaving off time. Enjoy your MSc and see where it leads. You may want to purse a PhD in a different area with a brand new supervisor at a different school. Yes, when you finish your PhD most employers will only care about those three letters on your CV, but that is not the whole point of education. See how the first year goes.

Thanks, your format looks good. And yes, they stipulate that information as a requirement but do not give a format.

If a guy is introverted/shy he would really, really, really love it if you asked him out. A lot.

Geez, glad I don't have those problems!

I'd like to add my two cents, and please don't take this as an attack against you in anyway. You just started graduate work - it is still only September. It sounds like you want to be treated "better than an undergraduate" but, assuming undergraduates are even treated unfairly or differently, why do your 3 weeks or so of graduate education entitle you to a newfound respect or sense of equality? You pay tuition and deserve an education, but you can't expect everyone to treat you the same as others all the time. Maybe the profs had bad days, maybe you rubbed them the wrong way (they are only human), etc. The fact that you automatically assumed it was because of your graduate degree suggests a sense of entitlement or sense of inadequacy compared to PhD students. Whatever it is, drop it. Part of learning is opening your mind and becoming a sponge, not being a hyper-critical filter. Don't kowtow to others but don't carry yourself with a sense of entitlement, just relax and enjoy yourself. Grad work is hard but can be very rewarding and you are still learning about who you are. Grad students almost always feel like they are underappreciated at some point, so don't take anything too personal or take your initial impression too seriously. Again, you just started. Don't be so sensitive and start your degree off with this mindset, it will not be a positive experience.

I am applying for a scholarship and they are vague about format. I want to cite two accepted papers in my list of publications, but I'm not sure what the proper format is. The one thing they stipulate is the manuscript number, number of pages, and date it was accepted. How do you put all this information in a clean manner? e.g.: Snowshoes, X.X. (in press) Applying for scholarships. Journal of Graduate Studies. MS #8494-234 22 pp. Accepted 12/12/2013. It just seems really sloppy and I can't find any format. It is nitpicking at this point, but I need this scholarship! Thanks

I was under the impression that the successful waitlist folks could hear from NSERC anywhere from June-January. If you don't hear over the next few weeks does it really mean you didn't make it? I can't see how NSERC would find out all the applicant responses and other information by June. That said, not holding my breath

Anyone find out their ranking/score from NSERC yet?

I emailed them last week about ranking information and they put my name on a list of people to contact. We will hear about it sometime in May. Regarding the alternate/wait list, it is too early to tell. It depends on a number of factors, including the number of declined awards. People have until January to accept or decline, so don't hold your breath! I was told that people on the alternate list find out in the summer or even fall if they are successful. For the sake of my sanity, I am going to put this out of mind and hope for the best/expect the worst. You can't start hoping to be contacted from now until fall, and you won't be contacted unless you are successful, so just enjoy the summer and forget about it. I have a few manuscripts on the go and I am just going to assume I don't get a PGS-D and use that as motivation to finish them ASAP and get them on my C.V. for the NSERC 2014 application.

Alternate list for me too.

Lab size may not be the best metric. It implies they (should) have adequate funding to support, but it doesn't necessarily mean they are respected in their field. The most important thing is how you get along with them - we all know stories of supervisors from hell. Asking their current graduate students is very important. Make it known that your conversation is "off the record" and that you want to know about their strengths and weaknesses with respect to interpersonal and professional skills. If a graduate student isn't happy you will definitely hear about it. Of course their opinions should be taken with a grain of salt and may not reflect reality, but you want to get an idea of how your potential supervisor interacts with his students. I am in a small field and know quite a few researchers, so figuring out what others think of someone is pretty easy. I know of somewhat sketchy researchers who have high H-index scores, big labs, lots of papers being pumped out, etc., but you couldn't pay me enough to work in their lab. It's tough, but use a combination of suggestions made in this thread, definitely talk to their graduate students, and go with your gut. Being part of a prestigious lab is good for your "pedigree", networking, resources, etc., but at the end of the day you will be spending several years with your PI and want to enjoy yourself as well.

Thanks for the information, I'll bow out of this thread until June and wish you and everyone else the best of luck!

On paper maybe, but never in practice! Were you told what "position" you were on the wait list? I don't want to get my hopes up, and it sucks having to wait a couple more months, but I wonder if anyone actually gets an NSERC PGS on the wait list (especially in recent years).

I'm pretty sure it is dependent on the university. I remember reading in last year's NSERC thread that several people on the waiting list actually got an award in the middle of the summer. I have no idea what the chances are though. If someone declines I suppose we get one, but the chances seem slim. I hope it is NSERC-wide instead!

No mail today so I ended up emailing graduate studies. I was told they didn't want to contact students in case there were any errors and were letting NSERC inform them. However, I was told that I did not receive an NSERC but was "first on the wait list". Ah, now more anxiety and waiting! I guess this means I will only receive an NSERC if one of the students declines it (which probably won't happen). Disappointing, but that's how it goes.

Congrats! Did you (or anyone else for that matter) receive a letter informing you? I am still hesitant about contacting graduate studies, because I am sure they are being inundated with like-minded individuals and it is a good exercise in patience... as I sit here and listen for the mailbox to slam shut

Received means NSERC received your forwarded application from your school. Your status won't change until you get your letter and formally accept the award.

You received a rejection today? By mail or what? Sorry to hear that. On another note: IT BEGINS. The anxiety, people trolling early on by saying they heard from NSERC, the post count doubling daily... this message board was way too much fun last year