Dal PhDer

I am dating TV. Seriously...if I am not at work or at home doing work, I am normally relaxing to TV! As others would say, gradschool is often what you make it. If you are spending 24/7 working, you won't have time for anything (and will be burnt out!)....an important skill/lesson to have/learn is to manage your time. Make sure you get YOU time, friend time, and family time, between work. it is possible! Like others have said- if you are flexible, you will really be surprised at how much you can fit into your life outside of school! PS: Just don't start any of the Real Housewives series...you will be sucked in and never be seen again!!!!

As others have said, don't assume that things in your department will happen the same way as other departments. I didn't know about my student orientation until the first week of Sept! Is there an admin person to the department? I go to my department's admin person first...they can normally direct you to who you should be talking to, or 90% of the time they will have the answer. I would also HIGHLY recommend getting the contact of your department's student organization (if they have one). You can get in touch with students and even ask them the questions that you have...also, these organizations are often partly responsible for the student orientation, so you could get info from them!

I have said this before on here...I want to blog, but I honestly don't have enough to say...I am scared to start a blog about grad school and then have all my posts be about wanting to pull out my hair! haha

Interesting...I would say my closest friends are the friends I have made through my MAs and the last few years. As the others have said, I think friendships are formed through luck, how you live your life, and certain situational factors. If you are open to friendships and as the article says are not "picky" you will find many people who want to have a friendship, and some of those will turn into serious longterm relationships.

Hi Mo, It's lovely to meet you! Your enthusiasm and passion for your work is fantastic! You mention that you haven't had a change to make many academic friendships- give it some time! My biggest piece of advice is to - join join join! I would join journal clubs, school organizations (especially student council/union), suggest study groups...etc.! I have found that it might take a bit of looking or suggesting, but there are lots of people out there in your classes and programs that want those same kinds of friendships. I have also found that during grad school, they are a bit easier to shape, as a lot of work and feedback comes from your peers. In grad school, your peers are a great source of support and feedback, and you'll find that people will want to engage and initiate school-related get togethers! Also, the forum is a great place to chat to peers that are in the same sort of situations! It's a great source of support and help! There have been lots of times I have had questions or wanted some advice and the lovely individuals on here have offered it! Look around, and start engaging! You'll soon find that there's lots of people on here that will want to spark a conversation!

Thanks Sigaba! My feeling of the entire situation is that whatever the outcome is, I know I have to work with him for the next few years and will need to be in his good graces, so I don't want to burn any bridges with him. I do feel that writing for publication has many benefits and positive outcomes aside from authorship- so I have gained something by this experience. I have a casual meeting with him on Wed and felt that this might be a good time to bring it up as we will be discussing the progress of the paper. Ideally I would like to have first authorship (Plan A) [he is not a person to give praise or verbally reward a student for a good job so hoping for that is a lost cause!], but if he says that the authorship is the way it will stay, I will just accept it. I don't know if this is the best method, but I think it's a learning experience and shows a lot more of about him...and in the future I will pursue publications outside of his guidance. Unfortunately, there is no one in my department that can handle this. Our graduate coordinator (who would be the person to go to) is currently on leave until Sept and there is no replacement...so I am a bit out of luck. I may go to a Post-doc in our lab and chat with her about the situation. We're quite close and she is often filled with really great advice and experience. She would be able to let me know her experience with writing with him, and perhaps give me some advice on my expectations. I am certainly cautious that I don't want to go into my meeting with him with my guns blazing and a chip on my shoulder.

Thanks Takeruk! I do agree that authorship should be discussed at the start. My work with my MA advisor was very much - you take the lead on this paper, I will edit and review, but you will be first author. Much like the research work I've done for groups...it's discussed that whoever takes the lead on the paper is first author, and those who contribute (RAs, RCs, Co-PIs, etc.) will be put on the publication as well. I am wondering if perhaps he put his name first to expedite the feedback response from the other two...as they might be more likely to put a paper by a student on the back burner. My only fear is if they edit and put comments on a paper with his name first on it, when it comes to publication they'll expect the authorship to stay the same. I have learnt a very valuable lesson in that I must be clear at the start if this will be a first author publication for me, or simply something I am adding a contribution to and will have my name somewhere in the authorship list. I also don't want to come across as expecting more than I should or giving the sense that I have a sense of entitlement to something that I shouldn't....but I feel that if a student does the data cleaning, analysis and paper write up 100% on their own, and then distributes it to the group for feedback, that they should receive first authorship....especially when they were asked to do it, and it went over and above their work, course, and dissertation duties. This paper is not my background and to be honest- is not related AT ALL to my previous or current work. It took time to read and learn the background literature and information for me. I am grateful for the opportunity and experience in writing/researching for a publication, but it took a considerable amount of time and effort out of my regular work duties. I don't want to feel like my advisor was getting heat from others to publish this data and then took advantage of me to get it done. If he's first author, I kind of feel that he should have spent more than 1 read through and a few grammar edits to get the authorship. I guess I am wondering what others' experiences are on authorship...and what they think I should do to proceed. I mean he certainly took the time and effort to reorder the authorship from what I had it, so he is conscious of what he did...i just don't know how to approach it.

Last year my advisor gave me data that was collected back in 2006 and suggested that I do some analysis and get a publication out of this to help contribute to my CV/scholarships/etc. I have spent the last year doing data analysis, presenting this data (as first author) at an international conference and an in-house symposium, and back in Feb submitted a draft of my paper to him for edits. As the project was done with a few of his colleagues, he edited my draft slightly (I saw the revisions) and sent it out to them for comments in May. He has just sent me their comments and asked me to address them and do the edits so we can submitted, but I notice that I am now not first author, but last...he (my advisor) is first author and corresponding author (which I understand as it's his data and lab). Now, I felt during our conversations about publications and increasing my presence as a competitive scholar he indicated that this would be a great opportunity for me to get a first author publication- but perhaps I was mistaken and just assumed way too much. What are other peoples' experiences with authorship? How is authorship determined? And any advice on how to approach. I was just going to straight up talk to him about my assumption of first author...I kind of feel that I've been duped a bit. We also agreed I would write another paper (which I am waiting for him to review) on a workshop we conducted together...the conversation (and my assumption) were the same on that one as well...but I kind of feel as though the exact same thing will happen again on that one. I don't want to be lead into a situation where I do all the work thinking I will get first authorship and then after all is said an done it's submitted and I'm last author. But maybe that's how it works? Thoughts?

Yo might want to look into personal training programs- which are more hands on and will get you a job in a gym working with clients. If you want to do more work with sports teams as a physical therapist, I might try a kine degree...if you want to do research at a population level- health promotion!

My opinion: I will tutor him in any subject he wants...mmmmhmm!

I have had a recent discussion with someone and they suggested that I approach an expert in my area to discuss potential collaboration (as either a co-supervisor or committee member)...this is awesome (and intimidating) because they are really well known in the area I am interested in- and in my mind- super fabulous. However, the issue is they are not at my university, in my town, province, or country. No...they are infact across the Atlantic. Has anyone ever been in a situation where they worked closely with an academic in another country or so far away? I know technology allows easier communication, but I am reluctant to have them take on a role of a mentor or co-supervisor. I would love to know opinions and/or experiences!

It's interesting...for my program, I needed to submit a full proposal/statement of research intent to my department with my application package. I do believe this isn't the normal procedure, but isn't unheard of. As for choosing the topic. 1) Do you have a supervisor or an individual your are thinking about working with? If not, go through your department's website (and even other departments) and look at professors' interests and research. You might find one that is a good match based on your interests. If you have a supervisor, perhaps talk to them about what you're interested in, what work their doing, if they have any projects open for you to work on... 2) Read...read read read read read. Read and research the areas that interest you. Look up articles that are in your area and see what's missing or gaps need to be filled. In the end, you are really responsible for finding the topic which interest you. Don't get discouraged- this is your time now to find out what you're passionate about, and what you see yourself doing for your career. Take the time to explore lots of opitions and open doors for yourself

ok...so as a physical education teacher? A personal trainer? Or a professor at an institution in the field of sports psychology, kine, or health promotion?

Hahahahaha!! Love it!

bluetube- how did you get my kitty!!!!? hahaha jeff- Misty is adorable! I love her happy face! She looks so in love with life!!

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!! SOOOO CUTE!!!! *squeally voice and frantic arm flapping*

I don't see why people steer clear of strength training...especially to lose weight. Putting on more muscle allows you to burn more fat. it will also help you improve your stamina via cardio. I think for everything, you have to have a balance and do it in moderation. A workout plan that is only strength or only cardio will not be as beneficial as a combination. Moreover, i find a lot of women will stick to doing only one type of cardio - e.g., only running or only the elliptical; when really they should be switching it up. Mixing up your routine will help your body avoid the horrible plateau. As far as diet- i found weight watchers to be sooo beneficial. I never believed in diets and plans, but I have bought a few of their cookbooks on sale, and have begun following their points systems on my own (I didn't sign up or go to the meetings)- but I found it helped. It's all about portion control, and picking the healthier snacks and meal choices. Another issue I didn't realize I was battling before I started was making sure I got enough protein. It's amazing when you look at your plate and really see the protein/carb/veg ratio....

What type of job are you looking for after graduation? Research? Policy? More applied? There are a lot of ways you can pursue the health and fitness route, but each one would most likely require a different degree. A bit more information would be helpful!

I was the only PhD student for the first year in my program...it's an interdisciplinary program, so you essentially make up your own committee and are part of a parent department. So in my program, I have a wide range of PhD students from hard to soft sciences. It was a bit lonely, but was still alright. I was lucky to be in a lab with one other person..ha ha ha...we connected well and spent a lot of time studying together. It is a bit different, but it also is kind of nice- you don't have that competition or comparison.

Happy Monday folks!!!

Cici- hope the Friday night events went well!! Gotta say, Monday isn't feeling too good. I think I need to order a big injection of coffee for me....ugggggggggggggggggh! Waking up for work this morning:

Well, I like to realize that grad school isn't suppose to be easy- it's suppose to challenge you and make you question your abilities. There is something to be said about feeling like you can't do it, but pushing through it and saying to yourself "you can do it" . I think it's really important also to have a balance. I make sure I have down time and get out with friends...I vent and scream...and sometimes cry. But I love my topic, I am interested, and i take one day at a time. You will be fine! Grad school is an amazing experience where you grow and realize how strong, determined and motivated you are. If you find something difficult and hard, be happy- it means you are learning and gaining experience! If you knew everything, there would be no point in doing grad school!

Hi there, A couple of months ago I was in the very same situation. Everything I wrote would come back with very critical comments and no constructive guidance. It "no this is wrong" .. "wrong wrong wrong" ... "beginning to doubt your ability to understand the literature" ... "garbage" ... very hurtful and critical comments that made me doubt my ability to write and critically think- I too thought 'geez, am I even smart enough to be here?' ...I brought these to my graduate coordinator and she agreed that while lots of students receive this kind of negative feedback, it's not right. It's even more difficult to approach your supervisor. I have recently switched things around and provided my writing to outside committee members and have gotten a lot of great comments about the quality and level of writing- which has boosted my self-esteem. Here are a few pointers I can suggest: * Save all drafts and notes: If you are finding there are a lot of jumping around by them, go to them with a previous draft and say "you said this here, so this is what I did, perhaps you could help me understand how I can make the next step" ... a lot of time I think supervisors switch advice and go back and forth because they are on one wave length one day, and on a different one another day. Making sure you have a record of all your notes, drafts, and meetings will help you feel more comfortable approaching your advisor about their comments, and also in what you've done following their direction * Go to an outside source to evaluate/edit your writing: Head to your university's writing center- they can help you with flow, wording, grammar, etc. They are really useful. Book a one on one meeting so you can focus specifically on a piece of writing you have done. Also, do you have a committee member or another faculty member that could be helpful? Pass it along to them before giving it to your supervisor so that you can get their feedback. * Never give a 'rough' draft to your supervisor: Now, this is based on my own experience and on my situation- it may be different for other students. I have found a rough draft is the worse thing to give them, because they will tear it apart, make you question your ability, direction and competence. From now on, i only give full pieces of writing to my supervisor. * Remember you are a student, you are still learning. Writing is a skill you'll always be improving...the more you write, the more you edit, the more feedback you gain, the more you will improve. Share writing with your lab mates and friends. And always remember that writing style is a personal thing. i think we all doubt our abilities and whether or not we made the right choice. It sounds like your supervisor may not be the best at providing constructive feedback....and that it's not solely on your shoulders. Your advisor is there to help you improve your writing and research skills

How I look after I meet with my advisor on a Friday afternoon...

Hmm...when I cite a specific fact, I tend to go to the original source and cite that. I am not sure if that's helpful...as for review articles, I cite those, but in a way that says, "In a recent review on the topic of xxxxxxx, So & So found..." ..I tend to use review articles as a bibliography that points me to the major papers in that area. When I cite or reference the review article, it's normally to stress the point that there may be limited work in the area, or overall a pile of literature has found _____ . My default is to always go to the original source... I hope I was helpful!! Sorry! PS: Wahoo!! Congrats on the manuscript!!!!!!