Too many conferences?

[volitans]

I'm a second-year MA student in English who has just figured out how not-that-hard it is to be allowed to present at well-established conferences in my field.

 

Now I'm kind of going crazy at it. I already have two abstracts accepted for presenting early next year (ACLA and PCA/ACA) - unfortunately, they're back-to-back, one on the weekend after the first. I think I can probably handle that, since I already have most of the research for both of those down.

 

But there are so many CFPs. And I can mush my research interests to fit with a lot of the large ones. There are two others particularly I want to submit to (ICFA and SWPCA/ACA) - but one is the week before the one that is already the week before the other! And the other is only four weeks before that... I'm already miffed that one nearby overlaps with one of the other two I'm already in.

 

Does anyone have experiences overloading themselves on this? I'm worried especially since I've never even been to one, though I don't worry too much about not having anything to say. Three back-to-back seems like it might be hell, even though each one sounds like it will be extraordinary fun.

 

Another factor: I'm good at finding excuses, so even without a travel grant (my university in no way subsidizes anything), I can justify it. My mom always wanted to go to New Orleans, so she's gung-ho about coming along. I have a sister-in-law near Orlando, so why not take that week to visit? etc. etc. So the travel funds aren't a deciding concern.

 

I've also put off PhD applications a year due to not feeling ready; I think I'm using these to fill the void. I know a high conference-to-publication ratio isn't seen as a plus, so I plan to do more there as well. But still - these seem so exciting!

 

Is it easy to burn out like this? Is it more worth it to pace myself (I don't even have any for the later half of the year yet; seems like none are open)? Particularly, anyone have experiences with the atmosphere of those conferences?

[Roquentin]

English PhD abd here. I expect that things will come to make more sense as you prepare for and attend your first couple conferences. Yes, there are tons of conferences to choose from, and, no, it’s not terribly difficult to write convincing proposals. But the workload, stress, and expense of these things can be quite high. There are benefits too, certainly, but over time you might find that the cons outweigh the pros. Most of my colleagues attend one or two every year; there are always better things to focus on, like, in your case, applications. Combining conferences with family holidays sounds like a nice plan, though. Enjoy!

[volitans]

Thank you! I guess I'm just at a stage where I can't see how it won't be fun - maybe because I'm somewhere where not a single person cares for my research interests. The idea of actually meeting people I can have a conversation with on this stuff seems amazing beyond belief. I'm probably too excitable.

[rising_star]

Yea, it stops being fun really quickly. Between the travel, meeting loads of new people, and trying to prepare good, unique presentations, you can get burnt out. I think 4/year is probably the max anyone should ever do.