Dal PhDer

I've heard about it, and how excellent it is! I've been tempted to pick up the manga for it! You would say it's worth it?

Oh gosh. I've never been in a situation where an international student didn't want more experience and help developing their english skills. My question is- how does your advisor talk to them? Do they require them to speak in english or their native tongue? Do you have lab meetings? Are they in english? My own opinion is that you are all at an english speaking school in and english speaking country. As zapster said, they will be required to present, write, discussion, etc. their own work in english, so it's of value to them to know how to do that comfortably- so helping them to learn the terms early, would be useful. I do think that it would be nice for you to help them with this, but at the same time, I feel that it's a big burden to put on you - especially if they're not that particularly motivated to learn english- I think it would be a lot of extra work for you, and might put you in a tough situation with them if it seems like you're coming off as 'teaching' them ...I don't know if what I'm saying is coming off the right way- but I'm just expressing concern for you over this situation- you don't want to get into a worse situation where none of them want to talk to you! (Btw,it seems very silly and childish that the post-doc won't talk to you now...) I think you're in a tough situation, and I would base my next actions on what your supervisor does, and even approach your supervisor and express your concern. I don't know if this is too passive-aggressive *sneaky look*, but could you maybe say 'I'm finding it difficult to talk about the lab's work with the other students as I don't know the terms and content in ______ (their native tongue). Do you have any good reference material that could help me with my ______, so that I can better participate in discussion with them?" This would at least point you to some material that could help you out, it would present the situation to your advisor without putting anyone in a bad light, and would also show that you're determined/motivated to engage with the other students. Good luck! Let us know how it turns out!

I just have to say, I don't think I've ever experienced a graduate school discussion that was heated or oppressive...maybe it's the culture here in the Maritimes, but 'most' of the students always raise their hand to speak, and typically aren't critical of others' ideas- we might pose a question that asks the other student to think about the topic from a different perspective, but I have never experienced another student being harshly critical or demeaning to another. I do know students who over engage in class (*waves her hand*), and recently I've been trying to limit myself to two-three short points/comments/questions to a 3 hour class, but honestly- it's how I learn. I learn by discussing and talking, and hearing other people's ideas/points, because it makes me question/think about my own opinion. I think a lot of people, like myself, don't realize they're taking hold of the class. I find I talk more when no one talks, because I want to fill the awkward silence. I also talk more when I'm engaged or excited about the topic - or when I know participation is part of the evaluation. I guess you can choose whichever way you want to go. I have to agree that not speaking probably won't solve anything- as you'll most likely just get absorbed into the background. But my biggest thing is that I would feel I'm not learning or getting what I need out of the class. I know when I sit back and stew about a students/topic/issue, I glaze over the content and miss opportunities to learn- and I might be worried that if I sat back and watched the landscape unfold, I would be overlooking the content that is being raised in the discussion. With all that said- I think it is the professors responsibility (along with the students) to manage and direct the discussion. And I think you did the right thing by commenting on the issue- they might not know that this is an issue in the first place, and so you're allowing them to correct it. But also, I think as the others have said, redirecting the conversation back is a good way to develop the skills that your professor seems to lack! Honestly, I don't know what you should do. I think you're in a difficult situation...and I'm probably one of those students you would be upset with! BUT, coming from that perspective, I would want to know if I'm 'too much', so maybe talking to them or commenting in a nice but to the point way would be helpful to you, the class, and them!

have you tried mendely or other programs that let you annotate on pdfs via your laptop? If you don't want to print them off, and don't mind reading on your laptop-that's a really great way to cut down on cost! I use to print print print...then moved to annotating on my laptop- I actually like it better now!

Hi there! I just wanted to start off by saying that you're probably not alone with those feelings. I think we've all felt intimidated at some point in grad school! But I wouldn't cut myself down, you're clearly skilled and experienced enough to have gotten this far! And you're motivated and eager to develop your critical and analytical skills- so that's great! As far as changing the way you read/think about literature- it takes time and knowledge in the content area! If you google things like "critically reviewing literature" "critiquing articles" you get lots of documents that pose questions that you should ask yourself when reading the literature. I like to focus on the methods when I critique an article. (for example, the sampling frame, or the characteristics of the population; what was the study design? was there recognition of potentially confounding variables? what measures were used? how did they define the constructs being measures? would there be a better way to conduct the study?) Also, sometimes if I'm feeling like I'm not sure what I think about an article, I'll just google it. Sometimes you can find other pieces of work that critiqued the piece you're looking at, and you can use that work to cite and build your own argument, or pose questions. A portion of a critique is linking it to other work and knowledge bases, so if you spend a bit of extra time looking at pieces of work that are related to that field, you might be able to understand the major gaps and limitations in that area (literature reviews/meta-analyses are great for that) The biggest things are that it takes time to develop those skills and it takes you always questioning the work you're given! It'll come in time

I am in LOOVE with dystopia YA novels!! If you haven't heard of it, you should pick up the Razorland series!! SOOOOO good! I read them all in a weekend! It's like Fallout (the video game), the Walking Dead, and Hunger Games all rolled into one!

have you tried reading 'The Name of the Wind' [http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/186074.The_Name_of_the_Wind] I thought it was a cross between Harry Potter and Game of Thrones! It was really good!

Mouth is watering!! Fatteh- that sounds amazing! What type of meat do you normally use? I'm a big big fan of baked fish- wrap anything in a banana leaf and broil/bake it, so yummy! Poached is good too! I find cooking up fish to have cold in my fridge is a great snack! Even just with a squeeze of lemon, dill, s&p! Yum! I LOOVE avocado and eggs! I found this new breakfast sandwich...you make a small omelet, then put in on some bread with mushed up avocado, a slice of tomato, mayo, and s&p! So good!!

Mmm! Lentils are so good! There's a really yummy recipe for sloppy joes with lentils! Basically it's tomato paste, lentils, onion, garlic, mustard, and balsamic vinegar. I like to eat it on a flat bread with some fresh avocado on top!! So yummy!

It's often related to who received the funding to do the project, or who came up with the project/idea. It's further complicated if the work was done through a paid stipend from the lab or an RA position. I can't speak for Fuzzy, but I'm referring to projects/work/an MS outside of your thesis/dissertation research. Sometimes papers are written in a way that one person does a comprehensive lit review to build a background/rationale for the paper/funding, and then someone does the analysis and discussion. When you divide the work up like that, it can be difficult to know who should be first author, as everyone has contributed. You can also get into the weight of analysis...if you're using a complex methodology and require expertise to perform and/or interpret the data, then someone could spend hours on just the results (this has been very relevant in some of my work where data analysis takes months to clean, convert, build models around, etc.). A lot of work can go into a project outside of a MS, and that is often considered heavily when determining authorship. We're not trying to argue, we're just presenting our experiences with the situation. I've worked on many interdisciplinary teams where 10-12 people have contributed to a project, and then only edited a MS I've written up. I was never first author, because all I did was write up the project and findings...they did all the other work. In my other experience, I was in a bind because the data came through the lab, thus it was the property of someone else. In my case, this determined authorship. Authorship, as simple as it seems, is not black and white. And if you realize that now, then it'll help with future projects.

It seems like a lot of us like food. What are some cheap, easy, time saving things that you cook for meals? I recently discovered a easy way to make brocoli soup with left overs! I always have brocoli and potatos hanging around, so I just plop them in a pot with onions, garlic, salt/pepper, and chili peppers and let steam for a bit, then I cover them with stock and water and let it boil for 20 minutes. I mash it all up, toss in some grated cheese and soy milk, and I'm good to go! It's super easy to make and cheap!

I need some good new reads for my bedtime. I'm slowing making my way through the third Game of Thrones book, but I always like to have another novel on the go for when that gets too heavy. I'm currently reading the fantastically easy tween book: The Name of the Star http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9802372-the-name-of-the-star ...but I'll be done soon! Anyone have any good recommendations? What are you guys reading? I thought I would shock this thread to life...especially because it allows me to procrastinate!

Why does spending money feel so good? I like new shiney things! It's 11:30am, and I'm dying to break into my lunch...*sigh*...this always happens, I eat everything before noon and then I'm hungry at 2pm and left with nothing! Curse you food!

I'm like you- i will still do all my writing and analysis on a computer...but for 'mobile work' it's great! It's nice to be able to read a PDF anywhere, or take notes on it! Like you said, it's so good to have the palm touch thingy with it! I'm a lefty, so my hand always drags while I write, so it works SOO well for me! I know the screen quality isn't as nice as the iPad- that's one downside, but I haven't noticed it at all! I imagine for any kind of visual work though (i.e., photographs, video) it would be important...but it works well for me! (I'm also addicted to Simpson's Tap!)

It's because it's the only thing that eases the stress and pain!! (that and shopping!!) My new 'out of the house snack' is frozen yogurt! we just got a place here in my city- it's so good...I'mma be so fat...good thing it's a 20 minute walk there!

No, I'm referring to a personal situation where I, after the data was collected by a third party, analysed and wrote a MS to be published. Because I did not clearly state my desire to be first author at the beginning of the project, I didn't receive it...I'm not saying that all professors are like that, I'm just reinforcing the notion to discuss authorship at the start, because it's not a promise that you'll be first author. If you are collecting and writing the data, then yes, that is your own research and intellectual property if you came up with the idea, research plan, etc...but, you get into a grey area when you work with your professor to (a) come up with a project, ( are apart of a project but are responsible or the MS, or/and © are using existing data to analyse and write. I went into the situation with the idea that if I wrote it, I would be 1st author...but that's not always the case. As the GCers know, I discussed this issue on here, and learned quite quickly (and the hard way) that being upfront about it, is the way to go....even though I felt, as fuzzy said so eloquently,' whiny and greedy', it's what needs to be done from now on when I write with people! ajacot- hopefully you can have a chat with your PI and figure it out! As fuzzy said, it helps delegate the responsibilities so that authorship is correct!

I feel like this is foretelling... I heard rum gummy bears were great!! I want to try them! But I can never leave the gummies sitting around long enough for it to work (...same goes for the booze ) I LOOVE these! And I love how adaptable they are! I have a layer of refried beans, chillies, avocado, hamburger/onions, soy- sourcream with taco mix whipped in and topped with cheese, peppers, olives, tomatos and green onions! it's a delicious meal!!

I think this is mostly a personal choice. What do you use your phone for? Calling people? Texting? Email? Can you live without any of these things? Or can you get work done without any of these things? I could live without a phone...I don't NEED it, but it does make life and work easier!

I would say this isn't always the case. Authorship should be discussed before the project begins...from my experience, it can get into a situation where you're not getting what you feel you should. It's hard to manage authorship with your supervisor, as they are a power figure in your life, and it can be difficult to confront the issue with them. I would say that you should talk to the first author and say, 'listen, I've done this..this..and this, the publication would really help me with this..this...and this..., I feel I deserve second author". Something like that! Good luck!

I address big overwhelming projects by breaking it up. Open a blank document and then look at what your application requires, and first create sections that you need to cover. Then, under each section, list the required points that you have to address, and then the points that you would like to address. Often, this means breaking the sections up into subsections. Then take a break. Once you go back, look at each subsection, and little bullet points/sentences that you want to include in the section. Once you've done a few, take a break and go back. Once you have all your sections and sub sections done, with all the bullet points, you'll notice that you have a lot filled in, and now it's just reworking it into writing. This takes away the fear of sitting in front of a blank page and producing a full document. To combat your entire workload, make 'task' lists. One should cover EVERYTHING you need to get done, and then one should cover what you'll get done in a day. This helps you check off things, but not lose sight of what needs to be done in the long rum. Also, and most important, take time away from work and relax. It's easier said than done, but it's important- you need to recharge your battery!

At my school, if you're awarded an RA'ship (research assistantship), you're not able to hold a TA position. I might check into the possibility at the school that taking an RA would exempt you from being a TA. However, it's still good experience and will provide you skills that are useful outside of teaching. Managing a class and the various demands, personalities, and responsibilities provides you with skills that'll help you manage a lab, team, etc. in the future. It might be a requirement you don't enjoy, but it'll probably provide you with some skills- plus it's extra money!

How exciting PhDreams!! That's awesome!! Eigen, I'm with you- it won't replace my laptop for writing at all! It's more a reading, researching, cataloging tool for me. THere have been many days I lugged my laptop around just for article browsing...now I don't have too! And let me tell you, I used Netflicks today in the library while I marked...it might not made me more productive, but it made marking much more enjoyable!! I'm loving this thing!! LOVING IT! I kind of want to post a caption of my notes just to show how amazing it is for handwriting!

Ask me if I like TAing after the weekend. 90 midterms to mark...20 short answer, 2 essay, and one math problem....oy. I completed agree with juilletmercredi: TAing is VERY time consuming! ...but it's a nice mix from the regular work I do!

Hi there, I'm sorry to hear about your issues. It's never a good feeling to be put in a situation where you feel like you have no support. However, maybe take a step back, even take a week off, and really think about your situation and what you want to do. Here's a few suggestions: If you want to continue on think about if you're with the right supervisor. I would talk to other students and hear about their projects and advisors, and where they are in your degree. Maybe talk to the graduate coordinator about some of the things you are feeling. I would also check to see if your department has guidelines about advisor/student relationships - this might help you put into context your advisor's actions. It's not uncommon for a student to finish their proposal in a semester. The contents of a proposal in my discipline consists of a 5-10 page lit review/rational, a clear research question and hypothesis (.5 -1 page), 5-10 pages of methods, and 1-2 pages on expected outcomes/conclusions. It's the length of a term paper. The most difficult part of the entire process is the research question - do you have one? You, the student, will have to come up with it in most cases, but your supervisor can help you along. When you meet with your professor, here are a few tips: -Always send them an agenda a day or two in advance about what YOU want covered, and make sure to bring it to the meeting -Record ALL meetings notes, and send it to them within a day of your meeting -Have a question or piece of work ready for you and them to go through- they will not be there to do the work for you or really point you in the direction, you will have to go out, write and put something together, and then your advisor will go through it and add suggestions. If you are finding that your supervisor flipflops, the meeting notes will help you with that...as you can refer back to them. I want to pose the biggest questions of all: what are the reasons why this might be your last semester? Are you not able to get the work done? Do you not want to continue? As for it hindering your future process...I don't know your field...but if you phrase it in the right way, it shouldn't. Grad school might not be the direction you want to go in...and there's nothing wrong with that...BUT...you want to make sure you leave on a good note, so that you can get recommendations later...so I would try not to burn any bridges! Hopefully things work out for you!

I always go by my first name...and the professors I've TA'd for always have the students call them by the first name. I do agree that it depends on the culture of the department. Not to change the tread, but what do you do if a students calls you a nickname? I've recently had a situation where a student addressed me with a nickname in an email. Nothing horrible, more like adding a 'y' to my name...I think he was trying to be friendly/endearing...but it made my flags go up. Should I address it? I'm kind of waiting to see if it happens again, I just don't want to get into any trouble over it.