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Human: If any professor is reading this: please do not praise students keeping their presentations much longer than you said it should be because it covers more. It is unfair and an obvious sign of obliviousness. It is nonsense. Please. If you tell your students to keep their presentations at a certain length, do not praise the ones who go above the set time limit by half an hour and praise their work for its depth. This has happened to me second time now. My professor asks me to cover one of the most controversial and comprehensive subjects in social sciences in 10 minutes and rolls their eyes for it not having elaborated enough in certain aspects while praising the 40-minute-though-supposed-to-be-10-minute presentation of my classmate for covering more on the same subject. If there are any professors reading this; please don't do this. Some students put a lot of work into making the damn presentation as concise as possible and literally rehearse a few times so that they do not go over the time limit. Covering more by going waaaay above the limit you yourself set is not something to be encouraged. Nor is it fair. Assistant: I'm pretty strict on time, to the point where I'll cut off the presentation if it goes over the alloted time (typically, I'll also give them a warning when they're halfway through their time and another when a minute is left). Getting your point accross concisely is a valuable skill and important to master in a business environment. In a similar vein, I put a max word/page count on assignments instead of a minimum. Students often seem surprised at that.	Human: If any professor is reading this: please do not praise students keeping their presentations much longer than you said it should be because it covers more. It is unfair and an obvious sign of obliviousness. It is nonsense. Please. If you tell your students to keep their presentations at a certain length, do not praise the ones who go above the set time limit by half an hour and praise their work for its depth. This has happened to me second time now. My professor asks me to cover one of the most controversial and comprehensive subjects in social sciences in 10 minutes and rolls their eyes for it not having elaborated enough in certain aspects while praising the 40-minute-though-supposed-to-be-10-minute presentation of my classmate for covering more on the same subject. If there are any professors reading this; please don't do this. Some students put a lot of work into making the damn presentation as concise as possible and literally rehearse a few times so that they do not go over the time limit. Covering more by going waaaay above the limit you yourself set is not something to be encouraged. Nor is it fair. Assistant: I did a poster presentation where the time limer was 5 mins, including questions. I presented within the time limits, but no one else in my group did. The « winner » was a student that went 5 minutes over time. It sucked because I could have done a lot better with that 5 extra minutes too...
Human: After receiving an email from a sketchy journal soliciting submissions, a professor sent in a joke paper titled "What's the Deal With Birds?", which got published. Here's a small excerpt from the paper: > Abstract: Many people wonder: what’s the deal with birds? This is a common query. Birds are pretty weird. I mean, they have feathers. WTF? Most other animals don’t have feathers. To investigate this issue, I looked at some birds. I looked at a woodpecker, a parrot, and a penguin. They were all pretty weird! In conclusion, we may never know the deal with birds, but further study is warranted. > Keywords: birds, ornithology, behavior, phenotype, WTF, genomics, climate change You can read the PDf version of the original article here: https://irispublishers.com/sjrr/pdf/SJRR.MS.ID.000540.pdf Alternatively, there's a press summary of the situation here: https://gizmodo.com/sketchy-science-journal-publishes-article-titled-whats-1842924936 Assistant: "Scientific Journal of Research and Reviews" is the best name ever.	Human: After receiving an email from a sketchy journal soliciting submissions, a professor sent in a joke paper titled "What's the Deal With Birds?", which got published. Here's a small excerpt from the paper: > Abstract: Many people wonder: what’s the deal with birds? This is a common query. Birds are pretty weird. I mean, they have feathers. WTF? Most other animals don’t have feathers. To investigate this issue, I looked at some birds. I looked at a woodpecker, a parrot, and a penguin. They were all pretty weird! In conclusion, we may never know the deal with birds, but further study is warranted. > Keywords: birds, ornithology, behavior, phenotype, WTF, genomics, climate change You can read the PDf version of the original article here: https://irispublishers.com/sjrr/pdf/SJRR.MS.ID.000540.pdf Alternatively, there's a press summary of the situation here: https://gizmodo.com/sketchy-science-journal-publishes-article-titled-whats-1842924936 Assistant: Published on april 01, 2020. Hmm, april first, why does that date ring a bell?
Human: How about we stop working for free? Just this month I was invited to review five new submissions from three different journals. I understand that we have an important role in improving the quality of science being published (specially during COVID times), but isn’t it unfair that we do all the work and these companies get all the money? Honestly, I feel like it’s passed time we start refusing to review articles without minimum compensation from these for-profit journals. Field of research: Neuroscience/Biophysics Title: Ph.D. Country: USA Assistant: I'm getting pretty sick of writing papers for free. For my PhD and postdoc I've worked on other people's big projects. Every time they strategically keep me in the lab for the entire duration of the fellowship with no time to write, knowing full well that I have to write papers to get a job, and that I'll do it for free when the fellowship is over just to try to keep up.	Human: How about we stop working for free? Just this month I was invited to review five new submissions from three different journals. I understand that we have an important role in improving the quality of science being published (specially during COVID times), but isn’t it unfair that we do all the work and these companies get all the money? Honestly, I feel like it’s passed time we start refusing to review articles without minimum compensation from these for-profit journals. Field of research: Neuroscience/Biophysics Title: Ph.D. Country: USA Assistant: I have three tenure reviews due soon. While I consider it part of my service, especially as I have a fairly rare specialty, it adds up.
Human: Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this! Assistant: I had this feeling when I was in grad school. Now, it's more that I'll never have time in this life to create all the things I want to: books, games, etc., that will never see the light of day. OTOH, that means I'll never be bored. I'll never run out of things to learn, do, and try. I try to keep my focus on that side.	Human: Do you also happen to get sad because you simply will never have enough time to get the knowledge you want to? I was wondering if other people also get kind of sad because it is simply impossible to have enough time to learn everything you actually wanted to learn by a certain age/stage in life. Like idk, completing that list of books with important authors in your field which gets longer and longer while keeping up with the recent findings in your field. Or learning that additional programming language or further practicing the one your familiar with. Or learning one more additional language. And all of that on top of the workload you already have. Sometimes that makes me really sad because there are just so many things I am interested in and curious about but the more I study the things the longer the list of things I want to learn more about gets. Idk if you can relate but I just wanted to share this and I would be really interested to see what you think about this! Assistant: All the time. If I believed in an afterlife, I’d want it to basically be infinite time in the library.
Human: Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way? Assistant: 1. Go apply for industry jobs 2. Get an entry level job 3. Be happy when you see your first pay check that's double the money for less work	Human: Why did I pursue a PhD if it has not led to any opportunities? I’m feeling pretty down at the moment. I’ve been applying to TT jobs for a few years and have gotten no luck. I received my PhD from an average state school in 2015 and have had two relatively fruitful postdocs the last 5 years. I’ve published 10 papers in mid-tier journals. Yet it’s all been for nothing. I can’t get a job for the life of me. I’ve applied to probably almost 100 professor jobs with no success whatsoever. 4 year R1 schools, SLACs, and community colleges all have rejected me. I’m willing to relocate anywhere in the country. There’s too few jobs and I just don’t cut. I’m almost 35 now with a salary that an undergrad straight out of college wouldn’t be thrilled with. And I’ve busting my ass for more than a decade for pretty much nothing. No upside, no new or exciting opportunities, nothing. It sucks. I would have been better off teaching high school instead of trying in to break into higher ed. I’ve learned the hard way that the PhD pays in prestige, but you can’t eat prestige. Why did I do this to myself? Any one else feel this way? Assistant: This question is for OP and anybody who has completed a PhD program. What did/does your program do in regards to helping with job placement, making connections, etc.? I'm asking because several of the programs I'm looking at boast about high job placement, particularly in academia, post-PhD program. ... If it matters I have my MBA, and I'm looking at PhD in Business programs.
Human: My prediction for the Fall semester 2020. Might play out like this: https://imgur.com/IVt9EiJ Assistant: I currently teach high school... We plan to be open face to face, once a kid gets COVID we're out for a week and anyone who was in class with that kid is out an additional week for quarantine... In a school with almost 2k students. Yeah, ok...	Human: My prediction for the Fall semester 2020. Might play out like this: https://imgur.com/IVt9EiJ Assistant: "You will still have to pay full tuition for online access." - Vice Chancellor, lounging on a bed of money
Human: What to do about a situation where my professor wrote a negative letter of rec for grad school? I am in the US, and applying to graduate school. I was a research assistant for this particular professor and ran a club that she was the advisor to. I did not struggle in her class or other class revolving the program I am going into. I asked her well beforehand to write me a letter and she claimed "it would be an honor". She submitted it, I had my interview and it came up that she said in the letter that I would not be a suitable candidate for the program. Her points in the letter claimed "that the club struggled under my leadership" and my research "was not adequate and not helpful". She never gave any inclination that this was the case, so I am stunned that she is saying these things. What can I do about this? She lied to me, and could impact my future. What course of action do I take? I'm at a loss of words here. Assistant: This is extremely unfortunate and uncommon. For the most part professors will decline to write a letter if they can’t write a positive one. It’s a “letter of recommendation”, not “letter of review”. This person is out to get you and I would avoid interacting with them further.	Human: What to do about a situation where my professor wrote a negative letter of rec for grad school? I am in the US, and applying to graduate school. I was a research assistant for this particular professor and ran a club that she was the advisor to. I did not struggle in her class or other class revolving the program I am going into. I asked her well beforehand to write me a letter and she claimed "it would be an honor". She submitted it, I had my interview and it came up that she said in the letter that I would not be a suitable candidate for the program. Her points in the letter claimed "that the club struggled under my leadership" and my research "was not adequate and not helpful". She never gave any inclination that this was the case, so I am stunned that she is saying these things. What can I do about this? She lied to me, and could impact my future. What course of action do I take? I'm at a loss of words here. Assistant: That’s really quite terrible. Sorry you are in that kind of position. The worst letter I wrote never said anything negative about a candidate. The worst letter just didn’t say anything super positive. Basically a neutral letter is as bad as it ever gets.
Human: Your name was mentioned in a paper recently found by Academia! Dear Academia.edu, no one is mentioning my name in any papers. Please stop. Assistant: I get weekly emails from them with wilder and wilder paper publications. I'm a paleontologist. I highly doubt I would be doing something regarding "the increased complexities of the herpes virus". Honestly I haven't put them in the spam folder yet because their suggestions of papers that I have possibly written are just too amusing. What makes it even funnier is that I'm not even a published author yet. I'm still working on my first manuscript.	Human: Your name was mentioned in a paper recently found by Academia! Dear Academia.edu, no one is mentioning my name in any papers. Please stop. Assistant: Supposedly there are over 3,000 mentions of my name in papers. My name is quite uncommon.
Human: MY FIRST PAPER WAS ACCEPTED!! The good news keep on coming! My sole-author paper was accepted. I will be published as an undergrad! Assistant: Published as an undergrad in a non-undergrad publication? That's pretty nuts congrats!	Human: MY FIRST PAPER WAS ACCEPTED!! The good news keep on coming! My sole-author paper was accepted. I will be published as an undergrad! Assistant: Congratulations! That's wonderful!
Human: When you get home today, don't forget to kiss your spouse and say thank you. I see this particularly in STEM researchers; it's a thing for you apparently. I'm a spouse working in the private sector. We, along with your children, get a bit tired of not seeing you much. And I cannot understand how the hell you put up with the very long hours, horrible pay, medieval managers which you call PIs, incredible amount of stress every few years looking for funding, and one of the most ferocious competitive contexts that exist. Sorry about the rant, but it's dinner time, and my spouse is running some cells through some machine or whatnot in the lab. So, closing the circle repeating myself, kiss them fondly and thank them profusely! Cheers. Assistant: Ewwwww you kiss your spouse?	Human: When you get home today, don't forget to kiss your spouse and say thank you. I see this particularly in STEM researchers; it's a thing for you apparently. I'm a spouse working in the private sector. We, along with your children, get a bit tired of not seeing you much. And I cannot understand how the hell you put up with the very long hours, horrible pay, medieval managers which you call PIs, incredible amount of stress every few years looking for funding, and one of the most ferocious competitive contexts that exist. Sorry about the rant, but it's dinner time, and my spouse is running some cells through some machine or whatnot in the lab. So, closing the circle repeating myself, kiss them fondly and thank them profusely! Cheers. Assistant: Kissing your SO is always a good thing. Also, the lifestyle that you are implying is not universal and it doesn't have to be like that. Maybe some fields, maybe USA, maybe some PIs. But there are plenty of places where academia is associated with good pay and work-life balance.
Human: Does anybody feel like academic publication pressure is becoming unsustainable? I am becoming very frustrated with the publication culture in my field. Becoming an expert takes a long time and so is making a valuable contribution to the literature. However, publication pressure is turning many contributions into spin-offs that are slightly different from the publication before, and they are often redundant. Further, a failed experiment would never get published but it would actually provide insight to peers as to what route not to explore. I think that publication pressure is overwhelming for academics and in detriment of scientific literature. I feel like we seriously need to rethink the publication reward system. Does anybody have thoughts on this? Assistant: I'd honestly love it if there was an "International Journal of Zany Shit we tried that didn't work but oh well here's some data." But that of course means there has to be some degree of standards for what constitutes a good failed experiment.	Human: Does anybody feel like academic publication pressure is becoming unsustainable? I am becoming very frustrated with the publication culture in my field. Becoming an expert takes a long time and so is making a valuable contribution to the literature. However, publication pressure is turning many contributions into spin-offs that are slightly different from the publication before, and they are often redundant. Further, a failed experiment would never get published but it would actually provide insight to peers as to what route not to explore. I think that publication pressure is overwhelming for academics and in detriment of scientific literature. I feel like we seriously need to rethink the publication reward system. Does anybody have thoughts on this? Assistant: Agreed! It’s partly why I left academia: the “game” of publishing/grants. And I was good at the game! So many papers add epsilon to delta...very little meat. And the redundancy is ridiculous. Soooo many papers that don’t properly cite & document what has come before, despite it being easier than ever to check (Google). I am much happier in industry, after 20 years in academia.
Human: Have you been getting these emails from your ever-supportive senior administrators? Dear loyal workers of Flailing University, First off, let me start by making a distracting comment about how odd the situation feels and sharing what I think are some uncanny observations about “these times.” Next, I want to write something that sounds very empathic here. I want to put a lot of emphasis on saying how much I understand all your stresses now, ALL of them, every single one. I understand. Of course, I need to place some blanket praise here about how much we appreciate all that hard work and perseverance everyone has shown. Because this email is going to every single person employed at the school, these statements will feel as personal and uplifting as a sign stating: "Thank You for Not Smoking." Now, I will start to discuss the hard truths. I will discuss how enormous our budget shortfall is and how all the previous efforts, which I enumerate in detail, have not been enough to come even close to closing the gap. As a result, surely now you will see that we have no other option than to do the following: (1) Terminate all contract workers, non-tenure track faculty, and 65% of lower-level administrative staff. Fortunately, you will all qualify now for a special Coronavirus inspired extra unemployment bonus that, surely, will make this feel more like a glorious paid vacation if not winning the lottery. You can thank us later. (2) As for fortunate few staff allowed to remain (I bet you'd like to know if you're in this category, but let's keep the mystery), their [paid] hours will be reduced to a minimum. However, we all know their actually working hours will remain the same, maybe increase because now that they are working at home every waking hour is a potential working hour - and someone has to do the work of the 65% we’re letting go. (3) Thanks to all the tenure track faculty who are part of the Flailing University family. That’s why I know they will be more than glad to take on all the extra teaching needed (since we have purged all the teaching faculty, adjuncts, university-funded postdocs, researchers, assistants, and technicians) all while revising their curriculums to be entirely online, including lab sciences. A 25% pay cut will no doubt serve as a terrific incentive to work harder and maybe be able to get back to the barely living wage we were paying before. We all know it really doesn’t work like that, but you’ll try, won’t you! (4) All senior administration will be taking a 4.387% pay-cut. I want to close here but talking about how incredibly stressful, painful, even traumatizing it was for us - the senior administration - to make these decisions. We have screamed, we have cried, we rent our garments, we have gone up to as much as three times a week with our $300/hour shrinks. You see us being on a high perch here, but we're the ones suffering the most - always ready to take one on the chin for FU. I wish you all the best in this difficult time for everybody! We are all in this together! Sincerely, Senior Administrator Assistant: >As for fortunate few staff allowed to remain (I bet you'd like to know if you're in this category, but let's keep the mystery), their \[paid\] hours will be reduced to a minimum. LOL. Sincerely, A staff member whose mandatory \[unpaid\] furlough days will result in $3,000 less this year	Human: Have you been getting these emails from your ever-supportive senior administrators? Dear loyal workers of Flailing University, First off, let me start by making a distracting comment about how odd the situation feels and sharing what I think are some uncanny observations about “these times.” Next, I want to write something that sounds very empathic here. I want to put a lot of emphasis on saying how much I understand all your stresses now, ALL of them, every single one. I understand. Of course, I need to place some blanket praise here about how much we appreciate all that hard work and perseverance everyone has shown. Because this email is going to every single person employed at the school, these statements will feel as personal and uplifting as a sign stating: "Thank You for Not Smoking." Now, I will start to discuss the hard truths. I will discuss how enormous our budget shortfall is and how all the previous efforts, which I enumerate in detail, have not been enough to come even close to closing the gap. As a result, surely now you will see that we have no other option than to do the following: (1) Terminate all contract workers, non-tenure track faculty, and 65% of lower-level administrative staff. Fortunately, you will all qualify now for a special Coronavirus inspired extra unemployment bonus that, surely, will make this feel more like a glorious paid vacation if not winning the lottery. You can thank us later. (2) As for fortunate few staff allowed to remain (I bet you'd like to know if you're in this category, but let's keep the mystery), their [paid] hours will be reduced to a minimum. However, we all know their actually working hours will remain the same, maybe increase because now that they are working at home every waking hour is a potential working hour - and someone has to do the work of the 65% we’re letting go. (3) Thanks to all the tenure track faculty who are part of the Flailing University family. That’s why I know they will be more than glad to take on all the extra teaching needed (since we have purged all the teaching faculty, adjuncts, university-funded postdocs, researchers, assistants, and technicians) all while revising their curriculums to be entirely online, including lab sciences. A 25% pay cut will no doubt serve as a terrific incentive to work harder and maybe be able to get back to the barely living wage we were paying before. We all know it really doesn’t work like that, but you’ll try, won’t you! (4) All senior administration will be taking a 4.387% pay-cut. I want to close here but talking about how incredibly stressful, painful, even traumatizing it was for us - the senior administration - to make these decisions. We have screamed, we have cried, we rent our garments, we have gone up to as much as three times a week with our $300/hour shrinks. You see us being on a high perch here, but we're the ones suffering the most - always ready to take one on the chin for FU. I wish you all the best in this difficult time for everybody! We are all in this together! Sincerely, Senior Administrator Assistant: Ours are taking a 10% paycut and one extremely noble individual is going up to 20%.
Human: Is misogyny the only problem with the WSJ op-ed on asking Jill Biden to not use 'Dr.'? Edit: I do not often post. And looking at the options for flairs, I have a feeling this might not be the right subreddit for this. I apologize if that's the case. So recently there has been a furore over the op-ed by Joseph Epstein asking Jill Biden to not use the title of 'Dr.' and even calling it fraudulent. The article is absolutely misogynistic and should be condemned. However, I was also offended by the denigration of PhDs in general. I have listened to people talk about 'real doctors' and it gets annoying. As a PhD in computer science, I do not go about touting my title in a hospital. In fact, I rarely use my title, unless required on a form. However, I feel that people who choose to do so are completely in the right. If a PhD goes about using the title with their name, the only flaw that can even be alleged is vanity, not fraudulence. I do not know whether the author chose to disparage PhDs only to help his misogynistic agenda with regards to the next first lady, or that he felt envious of people with higher degrees while he worked in academia. However, I think that the article can be condemned from an angle other than misogyny. The reason is that both WSJ and the author will double down on saying that they are not misogynistic, but in my opinion find it harder to objectively defend why a PhD should not call themselves a doctor. This is just the thought that occurred to me. I would love to hear what other people's approach is towards this and learn from that. Thanks. Assistant: I stopped reading the article after “kiddo”	Human: Is misogyny the only problem with the WSJ op-ed on asking Jill Biden to not use 'Dr.'? Edit: I do not often post. And looking at the options for flairs, I have a feeling this might not be the right subreddit for this. I apologize if that's the case. So recently there has been a furore over the op-ed by Joseph Epstein asking Jill Biden to not use the title of 'Dr.' and even calling it fraudulent. The article is absolutely misogynistic and should be condemned. However, I was also offended by the denigration of PhDs in general. I have listened to people talk about 'real doctors' and it gets annoying. As a PhD in computer science, I do not go about touting my title in a hospital. In fact, I rarely use my title, unless required on a form. However, I feel that people who choose to do so are completely in the right. If a PhD goes about using the title with their name, the only flaw that can even be alleged is vanity, not fraudulence. I do not know whether the author chose to disparage PhDs only to help his misogynistic agenda with regards to the next first lady, or that he felt envious of people with higher degrees while he worked in academia. However, I think that the article can be condemned from an angle other than misogyny. The reason is that both WSJ and the author will double down on saying that they are not misogynistic, but in my opinion find it harder to objectively defend why a PhD should not call themselves a doctor. This is just the thought that occurred to me. I would love to hear what other people's approach is towards this and learn from that. Thanks. Assistant: And where the hell did he hear the phrase about only being able to call yourself a doctor if you’ve delivered a baby? Correct me if I’m wrong, but historically (globally) haven’t midwives traditionally delivered most babies while doctors were called in under special circumstances? (Or have I watched too much “Call the Midwife?”)
Human: My fiancée passed away on the 1st and she was going to come to my PhD program with me. Is deferment bad? I'm at a loss and I don't know what I should do anymore. I got into my dream PhD program in January and my fiancée and I were making our plans to move there soon. However, my fiancée passed away unexpectedly on the 1st of this month and I've been a total wreck. I can't concentrate on my last semester of undergrad and a huge reason I chose this school was because she would love the area/things to do there. I want to still get my PhD but now I'm feeling lost and scared about moving forward. I contacted the school and they said I can defer up to a year and keep my RA-ship offer and everything and my current university is offering me incompletes to finish over the summer, but I don't know what I should do. My parents have taken me back to my childhood home and they are trying to "get me over" the death of the love of my life. They want me to finish my undergrad on time (by May 1st) and start grad school on time (June 1st), but I'm having trouble just typing this let alone thinking about math. My end goal is to become a professor at a PUI. Would deferment be looked at negatively? Does anyone know how I can transition back into my life/school? Is it okay to not be able to do any work right now? I'm also feeling guilty to move on with my life without her. Does anyone have any advice? I'm only 22 and my lover has already passed away. Thank you for any advice. Assistant: I'm so sorry for your loss. I have also asked for a deferment, but it's due to a loss in my family. No one will look down on you for making this choice. I had felt guilty about asking for a deferment, but was then told it was a mature decision from the PI I applied to. Take this time to be with your family and just grieve. Again, I am so sorry this happened. Take care.	Human: My fiancée passed away on the 1st and she was going to come to my PhD program with me. Is deferment bad? I'm at a loss and I don't know what I should do anymore. I got into my dream PhD program in January and my fiancée and I were making our plans to move there soon. However, my fiancée passed away unexpectedly on the 1st of this month and I've been a total wreck. I can't concentrate on my last semester of undergrad and a huge reason I chose this school was because she would love the area/things to do there. I want to still get my PhD but now I'm feeling lost and scared about moving forward. I contacted the school and they said I can defer up to a year and keep my RA-ship offer and everything and my current university is offering me incompletes to finish over the summer, but I don't know what I should do. My parents have taken me back to my childhood home and they are trying to "get me over" the death of the love of my life. They want me to finish my undergrad on time (by May 1st) and start grad school on time (June 1st), but I'm having trouble just typing this let alone thinking about math. My end goal is to become a professor at a PUI. Would deferment be looked at negatively? Does anyone know how I can transition back into my life/school? Is it okay to not be able to do any work right now? I'm also feeling guilty to move on with my life without her. Does anyone have any advice? I'm only 22 and my lover has already passed away. Thank you for any advice. Assistant: I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. There's no shame at all in taking time off to process your emotions. Trying to push on may only hurt you in the end if you don't take the time to deal with this.
Human: Successfully defended PhD yesterday. COVID-positive today. So much to do to submit this paper, but I feel like death. Any advice? Assistant: PhD's cause Covid, n=1	Human: Successfully defended PhD yesterday. COVID-positive today. So much to do to submit this paper, but I feel like death. Any advice? Assistant: Inform your adviser? That's the first thing I'd personally do. So they'd know I won't be able to submit any revisions or further requirements as quickly as I can under normal circumstances. Anyway, congrats op! I hope your case is mild and it goes away fast. Take your vitamins and other over the counter medicine for symptom control.
Human: Successful defense! Today I defended my PhD dissertation, and it was accepted by committee with revisions. I'm so relieved I could cry. I'm so glad this stage is over. To be honest, I had been worried the pandemic was going to affect my defense process negatively, and I'm so relieved it's done with. Assistant: Congrats, Dr! I guess no one is showing you the secret handshake, what with social distancing and all.	Human: Successful defense! Today I defended my PhD dissertation, and it was accepted by committee with revisions. I'm so relieved I could cry. I'm so glad this stage is over. To be honest, I had been worried the pandemic was going to affect my defense process negatively, and I'm so relieved it's done with. Assistant: Congrats! Did you need to defend remotely?
Human: I just passed my Qualifying Exam. I’m officially a Ph.D Candidate!! As many of us, I’ve had imposter syndrome since I started grad school. Until my exam, I honestly thought I would fail my QE as I really didn’t belong and didn’t think I knew enough. I thought they would hate my proposal and rip it apart in front of me. However, after today’s exam, I finally feel more confident in myself. Having a discussion about your proposed project with other researchers really does help bring things into perspective, and can be thought provoking. Having your thoughts and ideas supported by other well established researchers is something that I never thought would happen. To everyone going through comprehensive/qualifying exams: you can do it!!! We are our own worst enemies, but believe me when I tell you that you know a lot more than you think you do! You’re going to kill it! Assistant: Congratulations! This marks (in theory) the point where your committee is on your side: supportive rather than antagonistic. Excellent work! I wrote up my experience while it was still fresh in my mind; maybe you'll consider doing the same to dispel some of the common fears that new grad students face regarding the qualifying exam?	Human: I just passed my Qualifying Exam. I’m officially a Ph.D Candidate!! As many of us, I’ve had imposter syndrome since I started grad school. Until my exam, I honestly thought I would fail my QE as I really didn’t belong and didn’t think I knew enough. I thought they would hate my proposal and rip it apart in front of me. However, after today’s exam, I finally feel more confident in myself. Having a discussion about your proposed project with other researchers really does help bring things into perspective, and can be thought provoking. Having your thoughts and ideas supported by other well established researchers is something that I never thought would happen. To everyone going through comprehensive/qualifying exams: you can do it!!! We are our own worst enemies, but believe me when I tell you that you know a lot more than you think you do! You’re going to kill it! Assistant: Yay, congrats! I'm taking my exam next week!
Human: Just wanted to say thank you. I'd read several times on here that the best way to gain access to most papers is to ask the author directly. I tried it yesterday and it worked. Not only was the author happy to send me her paper, she also sent me another related paper of hers and offered to send me more of her research if I wanted it. The papers are fascinating, it's exactly what I needed for my current research project (writing a high-school textbook), and on top of that, the author is a lovely person. So thank you, AskAcademia, for helping me dare to do something I would never have done otherwise. Assistant: Can't speak for everyone but I know for me as an author publishing feels like throwing things into the void sometimes. So getting an email from someone who's actually interested in what I'm writing about is such a great and validating feeling. I'm sure that the feeling is the same for most other academics. Plus... not like we get a cut of what publishers are making.	Human: Just wanted to say thank you. I'd read several times on here that the best way to gain access to most papers is to ask the author directly. I tried it yesterday and it worked. Not only was the author happy to send me her paper, she also sent me another related paper of hers and offered to send me more of her research if I wanted it. The papers are fascinating, it's exactly what I needed for my current research project (writing a high-school textbook), and on top of that, the author is a lovely person. So thank you, AskAcademia, for helping me dare to do something I would never have done otherwise. Assistant: I would suggest using scihub. Just copy the doi ID of the paper that you want and paste it on scihub and voila! instant pdf.
Human: Does anyone else get really sleepy about 20 minutes into any Zoom call? I find it's impossible for me to stay alert during colloquiums or presentations, and sometimes even for more dynamic conversations where I'm actually participating, for more than about 20 minutes into a video call. I feel like my brain gets exhausted very quickly by the low-quality, compressed audio/video. I'll have a coffee during these events and that still doesn't help. Has anyone else suffered from this, and do you have any tricks for remaining alert? Assistant: You can make it for 20 whole minutes!?!	Human: Does anyone else get really sleepy about 20 minutes into any Zoom call? I find it's impossible for me to stay alert during colloquiums or presentations, and sometimes even for more dynamic conversations where I'm actually participating, for more than about 20 minutes into a video call. I feel like my brain gets exhausted very quickly by the low-quality, compressed audio/video. I'll have a coffee during these events and that still doesn't help. Has anyone else suffered from this, and do you have any tricks for remaining alert? Assistant: All the time. Writing notes during the call definitely helps me stay focused.
Human: People who write scientific research papers quickly, what’s your secret? For academic research papers, what are your best tips and tricks for being both efficient and doing high quality work? What order do you write the paper in, and how do you keep from going off on too many tangents? How do you deal efficiently with co-authors? Assistant: ALWAYS figures first. Figures tell the story. If you feel like you're missing a panel of a figure because you don't have that data, put a white box as a placeholder. Then, do that experiment (and hope that the data agrees with your other data). Repeat until all figures are finished. Then write the other parts. And you should start this process when you feel like your story is 50 - 75% done.	Human: People who write scientific research papers quickly, what’s your secret? For academic research papers, what are your best tips and tricks for being both efficient and doing high quality work? What order do you write the paper in, and how do you keep from going off on too many tangents? How do you deal efficiently with co-authors? Assistant: Confidence
Human: If I have 6 hours of Zoom meetings everyday, can I really be expected to get anything else done? Postdoc in STEM completely overburdened with meetings at the moment. I'm (co-)supervising 15 student projects, spanning the bachelor to PhD level with students in 4 different countries, on top of which I have all of my normal collaborations that I should make progress on. On top of that, there's seminars and journal clubs everyday. It's just impossible to get anything done at the moment! /rant Assistant: Cut the meeting times in half, move others to email or slide updates and meeting every other week, have a conversation with your PI about overburdening, and start blocking time on your calendar for your priorities.	Human: If I have 6 hours of Zoom meetings everyday, can I really be expected to get anything else done? Postdoc in STEM completely overburdened with meetings at the moment. I'm (co-)supervising 15 student projects, spanning the bachelor to PhD level with students in 4 different countries, on top of which I have all of my normal collaborations that I should make progress on. On top of that, there's seminars and journal clubs everyday. It's just impossible to get anything done at the moment! /rant Assistant: Also how could you possibly mentor 15 students well? This sounds like a bad situation for everyone involved.
Human: For us average people in academia: When in your academic career did you realize that you weren't going to be a star and what prompted it? Now, if you are a star in your field or are on track to be one, congratulations! But this question isn't for you. I've spent my entire academic career at "highly-ranked" R1s, which means that I'm around a lot of people from undergrad students through early professors who have the expectation that they're going to be the stars of their field, and the environment promotes that. This is especially true at the university where I am currently. Most people, even from big-name R1s, do not end up being stars in their field. That's not a bad thing at all and is not even necessarily their fault - it's largely the nature of how reputations in academia are developed. I've also noticed that some are able to adjust to that change in expectation of themselves very easily, while others have a really hard time letting that go. I'm just curious for all of us non-stars, when in your career did you start to recognize that you weren't going to be a star in your field? What prompted you to realize that and what did you do to adjust your frame of mind to be content with it? I'm just interested in what others' experiences are and am not looking for advice or anything - I'm well past the point of being okay with not being on a path to be a big name in my field and am content with where I am (as long as I don't run out of funding!). Assistant: When I took a permanent contract at a mid level university, looked at my objectives and the promotion criteria and realised I could have a decent albeit unremarkable career and a life outside work. I do good work, stars in my field have said nice things about my papers but I write three of those a year, they write 9. But then I realised that the answer to 'when do they sleep' is they dont.	Human: For us average people in academia: When in your academic career did you realize that you weren't going to be a star and what prompted it? Now, if you are a star in your field or are on track to be one, congratulations! But this question isn't for you. I've spent my entire academic career at "highly-ranked" R1s, which means that I'm around a lot of people from undergrad students through early professors who have the expectation that they're going to be the stars of their field, and the environment promotes that. This is especially true at the university where I am currently. Most people, even from big-name R1s, do not end up being stars in their field. That's not a bad thing at all and is not even necessarily their fault - it's largely the nature of how reputations in academia are developed. I've also noticed that some are able to adjust to that change in expectation of themselves very easily, while others have a really hard time letting that go. I'm just curious for all of us non-stars, when in your career did you start to recognize that you weren't going to be a star in your field? What prompted you to realize that and what did you do to adjust your frame of mind to be content with it? I'm just interested in what others' experiences are and am not looking for advice or anything - I'm well past the point of being okay with not being on a path to be a big name in my field and am content with where I am (as long as I don't run out of funding!). Assistant: I don't think being a star ever crossed my mind. It's pretty obvious that even if you are very smart and hard working, there's a lot of luck involved and the competition is fierce. I just wanted to do something meaningful with my life.
Human: PhD defense in a few hours Just getting this off my chest. I'll defend in a few hours and genuinely think there is a big probability that I will fail. My thesis is an embarrassment to myself, my PI, and the field. Data is limited, analysis is very simple, conclusions are unclear. I could train a master student and the whole data collection could be completed in 2 months. The analysis approach is like the ones done in the 70s or 80s, product of a bygone era. I don't belong on the modern, cutting edge area of science. I have made peace (slightly) that it's ok if I fail. I will go back to my home country this weekend (will be expensive but I don't care anymore), leave science forever (imagine wanting to understand the brain lol, what a nerd), and start my life anew. I just don't want my family and closest friends see me differently if I fail. Assistant: If there was a chance you'd fail, your supervisor wouldn't allow you to defend	Human: PhD defense in a few hours Just getting this off my chest. I'll defend in a few hours and genuinely think there is a big probability that I will fail. My thesis is an embarrassment to myself, my PI, and the field. Data is limited, analysis is very simple, conclusions are unclear. I could train a master student and the whole data collection could be completed in 2 months. The analysis approach is like the ones done in the 70s or 80s, product of a bygone era. I don't belong on the modern, cutting edge area of science. I have made peace (slightly) that it's ok if I fail. I will go back to my home country this weekend (will be expensive but I don't care anymore), leave science forever (imagine wanting to understand the brain lol, what a nerd), and start my life anew. I just don't want my family and closest friends see me differently if I fail. Assistant: Hey OP give us an update, are you not just of of these people who always think they will fail their exams and have a big impostor syndrom? In many countries and US as well I guess if the manuscript is accepted for the defense there is no way to fail. You basically have your PhD already, you just need to show that you know what i inside and why it's done this way. If you were not ready for that and the manuscript was not good enough it would not be accepted for defense.
Human: How do you turn off the “academic” portion of your brain and just be a normal person? I’m always “on” and it’s not helping my relationships. Or is this just an occupational hazard? Assistant: I just had a major surgery and the medication they give to ensure you don’t form memories is fat soluble. So I’m a week out and still wouldn’t be able to give an undergrad mechanics lecture, let alone explain my research. So I guess what I’m saying is go get an organ removed. Or at least take the drugs.	Human: How do you turn off the “academic” portion of your brain and just be a normal person? I’m always “on” and it’s not helping my relationships. Or is this just an occupational hazard? Assistant: I often tell myself after a conversation "you didn't need to explain it like that". I still laugh about it though.
Human: How to be happy for getting accepted in PhD when it seems like family and friends can't relate? Hi guys, So I'm a first year phD in the Social Sciences and I've been struggling to be happy for myself and celebrate my accomplishments without the enthusiastic support of my family and some friends? Being the first PhD in my family from an inner city and female and African American, I feel like none of my inner family can relate and are so busy trying to get by the don't have the bandwidth to be truly happy for me and express support. Personally, I am proud of myself as I am fully funded and received additional external fellowship, but I am truly disappointed. It seems lonely at the "top". I worked so hard to get in and stay in during the pandemic but my family just doesn't seem to care and I want to be able to celebrate with them and feel loved/support. This is just not what I expected. It feels like the further along I move in my education the more I alienate or distinguish myself from "normal" non academic peers and family/friends. Do you all have any advice on this subject? Assistant: When I decided to pursue a PhD, my mom told me she hoped I’d be fired and have to find a real job. Which, lol. I don’t really have advice aside from getting comfortable with people not understanding your PhD process and also watching other people hit major milestones (marriage, baby, home ownership, promotion) that will be celebrated and more than likely not on your agenda as a PhD student? Unless you have a wealthy spouse, or family money, or something.	Human: How to be happy for getting accepted in PhD when it seems like family and friends can't relate? Hi guys, So I'm a first year phD in the Social Sciences and I've been struggling to be happy for myself and celebrate my accomplishments without the enthusiastic support of my family and some friends? Being the first PhD in my family from an inner city and female and African American, I feel like none of my inner family can relate and are so busy trying to get by the don't have the bandwidth to be truly happy for me and express support. Personally, I am proud of myself as I am fully funded and received additional external fellowship, but I am truly disappointed. It seems lonely at the "top". I worked so hard to get in and stay in during the pandemic but my family just doesn't seem to care and I want to be able to celebrate with them and feel loved/support. This is just not what I expected. It feels like the further along I move in my education the more I alienate or distinguish myself from "normal" non academic peers and family/friends. Do you all have any advice on this subject? Assistant: Learn to not need others validation. You do not need others happiness to validate your happiness. If you are happy, that is enough. Soak the moment in alone. Be grateful to the universe, be proud of yourself, and let your happiness shine. Oh and congratulations.
Human: Anyone so frustrated they literally start to cry? I am so frustrated with my self for not being able to focus on my online assignments that I literally feel like i’m going to cry. my house is loud and i can’t find anywhere where it’s completely silent even with noise cancelling headphones. i have so much work to do but even with my medication i just couldn’t do it. my medication usually helps but it’s not doing anything except making it hard for me to eat. i hate this. i feel like i’m on the verge of a breakdown Assistant: I cry all the time lol.	Human: Anyone so frustrated they literally start to cry? I am so frustrated with my self for not being able to focus on my online assignments that I literally feel like i’m going to cry. my house is loud and i can’t find anywhere where it’s completely silent even with noise cancelling headphones. i have so much work to do but even with my medication i just couldn’t do it. my medication usually helps but it’s not doing anything except making it hard for me to eat. i hate this. i feel like i’m on the verge of a breakdown Assistant: This is a suuuper common reaction for me when I get overwhelmed. It’s like the emotions are trying to escape my body via my eyes lol. I agree with the above advice, plus I highly recommend the strategy of breaking down bigger tasks into smaller ones. Even if that means watching a lectures in chunks. You watched 10 mins? That’s a win! Take it slow, and be forgiving of yourself :) you got this!
Human: Do you think that life would be easier if there was just one universally accepted citation style? I know it sounds a rhetorical question. But as a TA, I have noticed that students in my institution often have a very difficult time with correct citation style. My class follows APA. Somehow, even with widely available internet sources (and even citation generators) many still do not seem to get it. Sometimes I wonder if a universally accepted, standardized citation style, across disciplines would make more sense. Perhaps this is more of a rant out of frustration. But I figured I would extend this question to the crowd to see what others think. Assistant: Does anyone really care? I'm amazed when I see someone finding out that some ref isn't formatted as they expect. What's the process that someone goes through to be able to notice? To me it feels like like some purely aesthetic residual from another century. To find and download the ref I need a doi or a title exact enough to be googled. Why do people actually care? Then it's up to Mendeley/latex to format everything like editors pretend to like.	Human: Do you think that life would be easier if there was just one universally accepted citation style? I know it sounds a rhetorical question. But as a TA, I have noticed that students in my institution often have a very difficult time with correct citation style. My class follows APA. Somehow, even with widely available internet sources (and even citation generators) many still do not seem to get it. Sometimes I wonder if a universally accepted, standardized citation style, across disciplines would make more sense. Perhaps this is more of a rant out of frustration. But I figured I would extend this question to the crowd to see what others think. Assistant: The answer is Chicago. 🤷🏼‍♀️
Human: My work just got published, it's my first publication What are the things I should do? I've already created a Google Scholar Profile. Assistant: Congrats, welcome to the rat race	Human: My work just got published, it's my first publication What are the things I should do? I've already created a Google Scholar Profile. Assistant: A couple of other possible things to do: \- Post it to ResearchGate. \- Email it to people who you think might want to see it. Maybe someone you cited a lot in the paper? Someone you chatted with at a conference when you said this was a project you were working on? \- Post on Twitter. Maybe consider writing up a few key takeaways in accessible language as a thread for folks who can't or won't read an academic article. Also, find some way to celebrate!
Human: Posting grades back in the '90s Thinking back to when I was in undergrad (early '90s). You would be in a big lecture course, and after an exam the prof would post everyone's grades on the wall outside the classroom so you could walk up and see what you got. (Not everyone had e-mail yet, and course management systems were years off.) The grades were not organized by name, because that would be too easy to know someone else's grade. No, by Social Security number. Assistant: They did this at my high school in the early 00s too. My poor boyfriend had an SSN that started with a 0, which the school's system didn't recognize so everyone always knew his grade because he was the one with an 8-digit social.	Human: Posting grades back in the '90s Thinking back to when I was in undergrad (early '90s). You would be in a big lecture course, and after an exam the prof would post everyone's grades on the wall outside the classroom so you could walk up and see what you got. (Not everyone had e-mail yet, and course management systems were years off.) The grades were not organized by name, because that would be too easy to know someone else's grade. No, by Social Security number. Assistant: UCLA early 90s, we were mailed postcards with final grades. We had comouter access but it was dos and used for informational purposes rather than registration. We could access the library however I believe.
Human: Postdocs under pressure: long hours and a lack of job security, combined with workplace bullying and discrimination, are forcing many to consider leaving science, finds Nature’s inaugural survey of postdoctoral researchers. There is a lot of relevant information here for people in various stages of their academic career, so I wanted to share it with the community: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03235-y Assistant: It's just drumbeating every now and then for letting future grads and postdocs know that "We" are aware of the situation. The survey they need to do is "How many vacation/summer/wine houses those senior/retired Professors own and keep paying mortgage from tenure salary without retiring at the age at 65-70?"	Human: Postdocs under pressure: long hours and a lack of job security, combined with workplace bullying and discrimination, are forcing many to consider leaving science, finds Nature’s inaugural survey of postdoctoral researchers. There is a lot of relevant information here for people in various stages of their academic career, so I wanted to share it with the community: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03235-y Assistant: Imagine that, people want better work culture, pay and hours like you get in industry instead of spending your 30s into 40s as an indentured servant
Human: Redditors who work in academia, how much free time do you get for your hobbies, exercising, etc.? How is the work-life balance for you? How would you rate your happiness? Do you think you earn enough for your efforts? From a curious teenager who is contemplating being in academia when I grow up 🙂 Assistant: I try not to let anyone know this, but I have rarely worked even 40 hours a week. I have plenty of time for non-work activities. The only exception was a few semesters in graduate school when I was running multiple experiments and teaching, and sometimes I have a few crazy days leading up to a grant deadline.	Human: Redditors who work in academia, how much free time do you get for your hobbies, exercising, etc.? How is the work-life balance for you? How would you rate your happiness? Do you think you earn enough for your efforts? From a curious teenager who is contemplating being in academia when I grow up 🙂 Assistant: “Work in academia” is WAY too broad. It’s like saying “work in a hospital”. The ER nurses will have a different answer than the oncology nurses, who have a different answer from the x-ray technicians, who have a different answer than the surgeons, who have a different answer than the OBGYN, who have a difference answer than the lab technicians, who have a different answer than the cafeteria workers, who have a different answer than the president of the hospital, who has a different answer than....
Human: I feel like an asshole asking, but is it wrong to feel like I shouldn't get MORE work than my colleagues with children just because I haven't got children yet? I feel like a complete asshole asking this, as I know it's an emergency situation and the normal rules go out the window. I'm a lecturer, and it feels like management are giving extra work to those of us who don't have children, or whose children are grown up. I'm not in a stage of my life where children are possible at the moment (hopefully soon), but I feel angry and upset that myself and other colleagues without children are getting all the extra work that is normally shared across all colleagues equally. Obviously I'm aware that colleagues who do have children are having to juggle work and their family situation, so I feel like I'm being unreasonable, but at the same time, this is work that I wouldn't have normally had in the usual non-COVID circumstances. What do you think? I am right to feel annoyed, or am I being a selfish asshole and need to suck it up? Assistant: I think you're not wrong to be bothered by a higher workload, but the amount of work that needs to get done per person has increased. While your colleagues have to spend more time each day to take care of their children, you get more of the work they usually do. It sucks for everyone. We have to lower our expectations a little bit if necessary.	Human: I feel like an asshole asking, but is it wrong to feel like I shouldn't get MORE work than my colleagues with children just because I haven't got children yet? I feel like a complete asshole asking this, as I know it's an emergency situation and the normal rules go out the window. I'm a lecturer, and it feels like management are giving extra work to those of us who don't have children, or whose children are grown up. I'm not in a stage of my life where children are possible at the moment (hopefully soon), but I feel angry and upset that myself and other colleagues without children are getting all the extra work that is normally shared across all colleagues equally. Obviously I'm aware that colleagues who do have children are having to juggle work and their family situation, so I feel like I'm being unreasonable, but at the same time, this is work that I wouldn't have normally had in the usual non-COVID circumstances. What do you think? I am right to feel annoyed, or am I being a selfish asshole and need to suck it up? Assistant: No, it isn't wrong. Children or no, each faculty member ought to shoulder a fair load of service, teaching, and research. The problem is that stuff is rarely tracked well (especially service) and people with children often get special exceptions for certain forms of service. > I am right to feel annoyed, or am I being a selfish asshole and need to suck it up? How much do you think you'll get recognition or compensation for doing this extra work?
Human: What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief! Assistant: My syllabus has the line, "if you need to miss lab for medical reasons, please notify me ahead of time via email. Do not include descriptions or pictures of your symptoms in this email." You can probably imagine why.	Human: What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief! Assistant: Last year more than one of my colleagues literally had to add a line to their syllabi explicitly requiring students be "fully clothed" when appearing on camera for class. Apparently several men thought it fine to Zoom in from bed, shirtless, and at least one student was zooming from her dorm room when her semi-naked roommate walked behind her on camera. Neither of these would have occurred to any of us before spring 2020.
Human: Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing. Assistant: When I’ve gotten professors to really talk about the weird/extreme hours my favorite thought is that while there’s an “expectation” to work late or on weekends you got the freedom to disappear for random hours during weekdays during work hours. Like taking off a random Wednesday afternoon for a family thing is a lot easier than anywhere else, but that’s because “they” assume you’ll still hit deadlines by doing a couple late hours or weekends	Human: Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing. Assistant: I try to tell all of my PhD candidates: hours of work is an input. At the end of the day, no one cares about your input, the world cares about your output. Focus on creating quality outputs efficiently, and then you won't have to give up years of your life the way I did when I was a PhD student and post doc.
Human: The university that I teach at (NYU) has gone remote because of the coronivirus. I teach two classes of over 100 students and give multiple choice exams. Is there any possible way to stop them from cheating on the exams? Assistant: So I don't know if this is used in the USA, but it's widely used in Canada. We use this thing called Lockdown Browser, it's mainly used with students who are online. When a student opens it, it blocks them from using external applications on their laptops/computers. Professors can also enable the browser to video/audio record when students enter their tests, to ensure students don't cheat.	Human: The university that I teach at (NYU) has gone remote because of the coronivirus. I teach two classes of over 100 students and give multiple choice exams. Is there any possible way to stop them from cheating on the exams? Assistant: No.
Human: What are some of the more absurd journal article titles you're come across? Having recently come across "The hitchhikers guide to flow chemistry" and "Will Any Crap We Put into Graphene Increase Its Electrocatalytic Effect?" journal articles, I was quite amused by them. What are some other articles that you've come across that have weird/absurd/funny titles? Also, what did it make you think of the authors who wrote them? Assistant: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1465-5922.1996.00165.x You are welcome...	Human: What are some of the more absurd journal article titles you're come across? Having recently come across "The hitchhikers guide to flow chemistry" and "Will Any Crap We Put into Graphene Increase Its Electrocatalytic Effect?" journal articles, I was quite amused by them. What are some other articles that you've come across that have weird/absurd/funny titles? Also, what did it make you think of the authors who wrote them? Assistant: The case of the disappearing teaspoons: longitudinal cohort study of the displacement of teaspoons in an Australian research institute. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1322240/
Human: Is academia so competitive now that it's pointless to try if you aren't exceptional/remarkable? People will suggest to major in engineering instead of physics or mathematics due to academia being so extremely competitive. Has it reached a point to where if you're not, say, winning math olympiads during secondary school, you should probably not bother with a mathematics degree & academia, and instead default to engineering & industry instead? I'm wondering how the landscape looks for any and all fields right now, but especially STEM. Do you need to be effectively the #1 best applicant out of 300-3,000 applicants to recieve an offer? Do you actually need 1-3 post-doctoral positions to have a chance? Is all of that just hyperbole from bitter people? It reminds me of how some children in europe begin training at 5 years old in these expensive soccer camps, so that they can have a chance of being on a team when they grow up. Is that what it's like now? Are you competing with people like that? Assistant: I'm not sure I can speak about math here. But as a professor in a social science, I can say with 100% certainty: if you are interested in going into academia in the humanities or social sciences, you absolutely *must* be exceptional and even being exceptional is no guarantee of success.	Human: Is academia so competitive now that it's pointless to try if you aren't exceptional/remarkable? People will suggest to major in engineering instead of physics or mathematics due to academia being so extremely competitive. Has it reached a point to where if you're not, say, winning math olympiads during secondary school, you should probably not bother with a mathematics degree & academia, and instead default to engineering & industry instead? I'm wondering how the landscape looks for any and all fields right now, but especially STEM. Do you need to be effectively the #1 best applicant out of 300-3,000 applicants to recieve an offer? Do you actually need 1-3 post-doctoral positions to have a chance? Is all of that just hyperbole from bitter people? It reminds me of how some children in europe begin training at 5 years old in these expensive soccer camps, so that they can have a chance of being on a team when they grow up. Is that what it's like now? Are you competing with people like that? Assistant: I'm finishing my PhD in engineering in a top 10 university in my field, and I don't think you need to be exceptional. What I would suggest is have interesting research interests-especially interdisciplinary- because that makes you stand out. Edit: After reading the comments here, I 100% agree about "playing the game". I know some people who weren't very smart but played the game well and now have fancy positions. It's weird how it works out sometimes.
Human: Why is academia so TOXIC? As title. Assistant: The secret of STEM advanced degrees is that it’s more about competition and ego than the science itself. Those who make it to TT positions are the most driven by the competition. If you want to do cool stuff and be happy, you go into industry. Or at least this is my hot take as I finish my PhD in bio.	Human: Why is academia so TOXIC? As title. Assistant: Are we... certain that academia is comparatively more toxic than other fields? Having worked in tech-adjacent and journalism jobs, in addition to academia, I find the level of toxicity comparable, as a byproduct of the demands of capitalism to milk productivity out of every person. The one benefit of growth industry jobs, is you can always quit a toxic work environment for a better one, whereas in a declining field like academia, one can't quit because there are no other jobs if one has a job already.
Human: Academia made me forget how to read, need advice This is my 3rd year working in a research lab (am STEM grad student). I've downloaded and read/skimmed at least 200 papers on my research topic (or related topics) at this point. But I think there's something seriously wrong with me - I can't seem to be able to read more than two paragraphs at a time nowadays. Skimming papers at a rapid rate to finish my literature reviews and satisfy my PI has conditioned me to skim, and I think I've forgotten how to actually read a piece of text. I literally have to force myself to resist the temptation of skimming to actually get through a paragraph. I've also pretty much stopped reading anything that isn't social media or research papers. This sucks. I used to be someone who read widely and for pleasure, going through an average of like 5-10 novels or paperbacks a month. Now, it's a pain to even get through one. Any advice? Assistant: Exact same boat. Didn't ever read your post tbh.	Human: Academia made me forget how to read, need advice This is my 3rd year working in a research lab (am STEM grad student). I've downloaded and read/skimmed at least 200 papers on my research topic (or related topics) at this point. But I think there's something seriously wrong with me - I can't seem to be able to read more than two paragraphs at a time nowadays. Skimming papers at a rapid rate to finish my literature reviews and satisfy my PI has conditioned me to skim, and I think I've forgotten how to actually read a piece of text. I literally have to force myself to resist the temptation of skimming to actually get through a paragraph. I've also pretty much stopped reading anything that isn't social media or research papers. This sucks. I used to be someone who read widely and for pleasure, going through an average of like 5-10 novels or paperbacks a month. Now, it's a pain to even get through one. Any advice? Assistant: I still work in research 11 years after grad school and find that I can't read anymore. I do too much of it for work. Instead, I've had to switch to audiobooks. Hopefully it will get better for you, but for me it has only gotten worse with time...
Human: Serious question - do admins really think people are excited to read their regular 20 paragraph emails? Because I rarely get one that has useful info. Why is this a thing? No, I don't care what you think about "mental health awareness" when you provide nothing to support it. No, I don't care what you think about race relations unless you mean it and make meaningful changes. These almost always read like a self pat on the back. /endrant Assistant: Slight modification: > Serious question - do admins really think people ~~are excited to~~ read their regular 20 paragraph emails?	Human: Serious question - do admins really think people are excited to read their regular 20 paragraph emails? Because I rarely get one that has useful info. Why is this a thing? No, I don't care what you think about "mental health awareness" when you provide nothing to support it. No, I don't care what you think about race relations unless you mean it and make meaningful changes. These almost always read like a self pat on the back. /endrant Assistant: As someone who has been involved in sending emails like this, a decent number of the items in any given email are a CYA so that no one comes yelling that you're not doing anything about X or yelling that you did something without telling people about it or without asking for community input.