Dal PhDer

I have a kindle and I love it. Calibre is an essential part of that...with all that said, I hate reading pdfs and annotating on it...for me, its a hassle. I would put that money towards a tablet that has way more additional features and allows for reference aps to manage your entire library. I think its all personal preference, so for me, if I bought a kindle to do what you re planning on doing, I would be very disappointed woth the outcome. Spend a bit more and get something with much more functionality.

I think you risk more going behind your PIs back and checking around for other positions...there other people you ask might be hesitant to take on a student who is going behind the back of their supervisor...also, if your supervisor gets wind of it, it might be an non-repairable situation in your relationship. I would (a) talk to your department chair about the possibility of switching and working with another advisor, and ( talk to your current supervisor about the issues you're currently struggling with. You should also consider the fact that your PhD work is merely a means...it's not the work you'll always be doing. So if you're working on a funded project that you think will hold your interest and move you in and out quickly, it might be worth staying. I know when you're in a situation that's not making you happy, you tend to react quickly...but I would just step back and weigh your options, and make sure you have open communication with your PI. I considered adding a co-supervisor, and went to talk to some people while I was still steaming and unhappy in my situation. I 100% regret it, because i feel I didn't present myself and my abilities as an honest and dedicated student. If people think you flipflop when the time gets rough, they won't take you seriously and will remember you as someone who was unsure, potentially wasted their time, and disrespected their own advisor. I'm not saying that this is you, but having been in a situation where I was looking for other options, I really regret jumping forward without taking a step back and considering the implications and future networking issues that I might have caused. Goodluck!

I really appreciate your perspective ak48! I think I held it too- I didn't really see the utility, and still don't, of an ipad. To me it's just a portable media device that's best for movies and music (and the occasional game). I'm also not one to need the newest and lastest device - cue my 6 year old laptop I still carry around! ha! However, I have to say that for my needs, the Galaxy is fantastic. I am REALLY impressed with the handwriting ability, and love it. It's really easy to take handwritten notes - and for me, instead of carrying and then spreading out an array of highlighters and coloured pens on my desk during class - I can easily switch between colours, pens, highlights, etc. while quickly writing notes in class. I'm also really pleased with the ability to annotate/highlight articles, WHILE taking hand written notes on the device. The ability to have multiple windows going is such a plus for me. Outside the functionality of note taking/annotating, it's mere entertainment and ease (I'm loving the Simpson game!) ... I wouldn't say it changed my life, but it's made it a lot easier! I'm interested to see if it's utility wears off, or continues to be a great addition to my work tools.

Are you living in my apartment and I don't see you? The only thing that gets me through my days working at home are kitty bellies.... I think it's realistic to think that grad school will change you- hopefully for the better. I know the stress can be limiting at times...but overall, just the development of skills, expertise and knowledge will change you. I think, or at least hope, that it also gives you confidence and changes your perspective of your abilities. I know there is a fine line, and I've experienced when grad school did the exact opposite...but looking back, I have certainly grown and matured for the better..like wine or cheese!

I've been told different things by different professors. I think if you're looking to build your CV for grants/jobs, they're not as good as non-student conferences. You'll want to attend local, national, and international conferences...I would say 1-2 a year for local/national, and 1 international for your degree {that's kind of what I've been told}....BUT...student conferences are great experience and practice, so they're great in that respect and are a valuable experience. I would recommend getting involved with the student conference as well. Being a part of it, and developing/organizing it will add to it's placement on your CV and is great experience.

Hi there, I'm sorry to hear about your situation. You sound like a really great sister, daughter, and auntie-mom! I can't imagine the weight of the stress that is on you right now. Firstly, I just wanted to say that I understand the guilt you're experiencing with your bf and making him move...but it wasn't for nothing! It was for your dream! And it sounds like you're doing really well! So don't think it wasn't for nothing, because it was for something very important! Unfortunately, life has changed your circumstances a bit! Secondly, I would REEEEEEEEEEEEEALLY recommend talking to (a) a counseller on campus - they can offer you suggestions on handling the situation you're in with the new motherhood, the grief from your father's passing, the stress balancing school, and offer you ways to help cope with that- because grad school is hard on it's own! ( talk to your department! I think there are several ways you can make the degree work. You could take a short leave for the semester to help sort your situation out- it's not uncommon. Then you could come back later...but I would also ask if it's possible for you to work on the minimum credits, even go part time. I know a lot of programs aren't like that, but there might be ways to still go fulltime but have a part-time workload (for example. independent studies are a great way to make course load fit to your schedule!).. Lastly, I think for you it's really important to have time to connect with your peers AND your bf! You need some YOU time...and I know it's easier said than done...but are there support systems at your school that could help take the burden of caregiving off of you? Could you delegate a night a week for you? How about turning study dates with your peers into a social outing? I hope things work out for you. I think it's important to realize that you have your own dreams and desires, and that sometimes you need to think about how you can achieve them. Family burden is hard, I experience it with my family, but sometimes you really have to say 'I need to do this for me'. Goodluck! *hugs*

Jealous!! Wine is so cheap, so I easily afford it!

I'm with rising_star. they don't normally talk about courses as 1 credit, they normally refer to credit hours. Typically, one semestered course is 3 credit hours. So it sounds like the min for you would be 9 credit hours...in my program, that would work out to 3 courses a semester... Honestly, if that's the case, that's a lot. For my program, students had to take a minimum of 12 credit hours for their entire degree, with a maximum of 18 credit hours. So that means between 4 -6 courses for the entire program which is to be completed during your first year. There's certainly exceptions, and you can add more credit hours...but they typically want you to take max 3 courses a semester and nothing more. Is your program thesis based or course based?

I'm with TakeruK! 1 minute to introduce you, your project, and overview of the presentation 1 - 1.5 minutes for intro, rationale, and questions (you only want to highlight the main points here) 1 minute for methods (you only need to give an overview, if people want to know more, they can ask..and for a meta-analysis, this shouldn't take you long) 5-6 minutes on results with discussion incorporated in 1-1.5 minute for 3 take home messages/conclusions For me, the most important thing is ending off on the 3 key take homes...every project will have a variety of results, but sum up the 3 most important ones and briefly tie in their implications. As the others have said, it's really about presenting what you found - so that should be the majority of your presentation! good luck!

Aside from the extra 10lbs I've put on the last three years? I'm not sure if my program has changed me, but definitely the process and who I've worked with changed me...but I also think getting older has changed me too. I guess my overall perspectives have changed- I don't let petty little things bother me, as I have much bigger things to deal with. It's taught me how to take criticism, and GIVE criticism. I guess being in a teaching environment I've really learned a lot about how I want to teach, and what I will and will not do as a teacher...so it's taught me to take note of others' perspectives. I most certainly think that graduate school changes you. With any major event and change in your life you'll experience growth and adaptation. For me, it's been mostly positive - except for all the wine and gummies I consume.

Thanks for your experiences! It's great that you both have partners that can help with the editing! I think it's so difficult to do it yourself...it's hard to step back and read it with fresh eyes! Takeruk: I highly recommend using that service! I've talked to a few other grad students in my lab, and they're all like "I don't need it!" and kind of brush it off...but honestly, as much as it hurt, it was great feedback! I think it'll get me in the habit of writing earlier than I do, so that I can take it in to them but also step away long enough to go back to it with a critical eye! Eigen- I'm so surprised that your writing center won't take students! That's horrible. Mind you, when I first went in for an appointment, they said they don't get graduate students in very often, and when they do, it's more because of ESL. It seems like it's something grad students don't use or think they need...but it's a service that is probably needed the most for graduate students as our writing is critical for our careers! I was having a discussion about the book Outliers yesterday, and it made me think about wanting to improve my writing. I think I'm going to set myself on the journey of blogging daily- just to rack up hours writing. I'm hoping that if I keep doing it over and over again, I'll improve! Do any of you use any kind of method like this to improve your writing?

I blame the tiny keyboards on phones! If they made them a size human fingers could use, so many texting problems could be avoided! The gentleman gave me a great tip. He said "read your paper outloud so you can hear how it sounds because you are writing a discussion with the reader" I did find that helped me finish the edits, and will do that more. I also find that its hard to step away ling enough to see it with fresh eyes!

Hope tonight is better for you. I chalk my poor sleep down to stress I think...nightmares are my new thing ..hehehe I have tried the meditation recommendations and it works!

I decided to try out the Samsung galaxy for its annotation and note taking features. Its been a few hours and I love it. You guys are spot on with the annotation features, they are great! I will get no work done now! Thanks to all for the opinions. It was nice to hear that they are useful tools for other students.it made whipping out my credit card a lot less painful

My title is a great representation of my writing, eh?

It happened. This morning I went in to have someone go over a draft of my comprehensive. Let me tell you- it was heart wrenching. I wanted to curl into a ball and cry. The English gentleman, who asked me if english was my first language , said I had fine writing but lacked grammar. 'What'chu sayin'?' Seriously though, I advocate students to go into them all the time. I decided today I would give them a try and was really shocked at how much improvement my writing could use. (It was both the best and worst hour of my writing career) With all that said- do any of you guys use text/websites/programs to help with grammar and your writing? I never took a writing class and I would really like to improve on my writing and am looking for any material - outside of a formal course - to help me!

So...after a lot of reading up...I think I might be more incline to purchase the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1....anyone have any experience with it? Apparently it's one of the best for taking hand written notes!

Hmmm! I'm liking this! So it's good for presentations? So I could easily hook up my ipad to a projector and use it for powerpoint? I have an oldschool macbook that needs a special adaptor to hook up to projectors. The last time I check, it was about $60 ...and I've been delaying buying it, but have a few classes I have to teach and will need it...this might just sell me on it.

I have heard there are better annotative softwares for the iPad. I'm really interested in the ability to highlight and write (with a pen) on the PDFs...that would essentially cut down on about 15lbs of stuff I pack daily! haha

So you would say that the ability to read and annotate PDFs on your iPad is worth it? Is it particularly easy? I have gone paperless (or am trying too)...so I do 95% of my reading on my laptop. This is so hard...ion_exchanger basically sealed the deal for me- you confirmed everything I tell myself...but hejduk, you're point is the only reason I'm considering....But it's a lot of money to spend on just a PDF reader and annotater...but it would be a lot easier to carry an ipad to whip out than my laptop.

This is pretty much what I have been telling myself. I have a kindle I use for leisure reading, and then when I'm stomping around at school, I have my smartphone for email. The only thing is, I have to unpack and set up shop if I want to read articles/write, and lugging my laptop around is a bit of work - but if I would revert back to a laptop to actually write/compose stuff, then I would still need to take it with me. I am an hobby photographer, so korartiz's point is kind of interesting! It's interesting that some of you find it's easy to compose on an iPad/tablet while others see themselves just going back to their laptops. I'm worried that I would just revert back to a keyboard. I see the utility for PDF reading/highlighting, and I use Mendely - so an it would be useful for reading...but when I take notes, I'm worried I would find it incovienent and move back to my keyboard. I know a lot of people use it for note taking...are they actually writing on it? Or typing? PS: thanks for the input guys! I really appreciate it...I want to make an informed (and responsible) decision!

Tomorrow I am going with a friend to the Mac store so she can buy an iPad for school. I.Want.One....But I don't. BUT I DO! They're so pretty....but expensive....I don't need to eat. I've been battling with the desire of having an iPad for about a year. However, I can't justify why I would need one. I have a laptop and a smart phone...these should be enough for me, right? What more do I need? What would an iPad do? For those of you who have iPads/tablets, why did you make the choice to buy it? Would you say that it adds something over and above your laptop? Has it made work/school easier? How so? For those of you have have yet to get one, other than perhaps the cost, what has stopped you?

Awwww!! Move here! I will come over to dinner every night! hehe But it's true...it can be a very overwhelming and lonely experience!

What I've done occasionally is send the editor of a journal a quick email being like : "I am interested in getting this MS published... [ a few sentences on the overview and relevance ...Is this something you think your publication might be interested in?" The two - three times I've done it, I've gotten a reply back which then lets me know if it's worth pursuing further. Maybe try that? It might help with being discouraged! It can be a really frustrating process, but it's worth it in the end!

Two giant thumbs up in 'yes yes yes!' I TA a research methods class where students need to write a full proposal with a question, lit review, methods, etc....reading 90 proposals each semester for the last 3 years has helped MY writing SOOO much. Peer review is an excellent way to learn, so TAing is just as valuable to learning for students as any other class!