Questions related to school of higher learning, especially for Master's degree or Ph. D.
18
votes
2answers
592 views
What's a good way out when research is stuck?
Consider a mid-level PhD student in a STEM field (maybe 2-3 years into the program), he and his advisor are working on something relatively new and interesting but they have reached a point where the ...
5
votes
1answer
82 views
On calibrating syllabus based on the requirements of the industry
Often the industry finds that students graduating from a particular department do not possess the skill-set required to perform well in their company. While research can at least afford to be outside ...
8
votes
4answers
713 views
Can graduate students be forced to leave graduate school under pressure from their advisers?
And how often does it happen? I know someone who was de facto kicked out of Harvard due to some conflict with his advisers, though he was later able to transfer to Caltech.
As an example - what if ...
6
votes
2answers
283 views
Is it ever advisable for graduate students to go on sabbatical for several months?
Undergraduates have several-month long "sabbaticals" every years. While graduate students shouldn't expect to have the same thing, could it maybe be justifiable for them to take a several-month long ...
4
votes
3answers
228 views
Is the middle of May very late for graduate admissions in the same year?
Let me explain my situation a little bit, then I will try to make it more general for others to benefit.
I am graduating in a month and getting my bachelor degree in computer science. I did apply to ...
9
votes
1answer
831 views
Choosing research ideas to include in a statement of purpose
The internet is littered with information on what makes a good SOP, but I would like to ask a specific question regarding mentioning one's research interests in SOP.
What points should a student keep ...
11
votes
2answers
251 views
What are some good practices for applying to the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program?
As some starting small questions...
Is it possible if I could get 4 letters of recommendation?
How far in advance should I notify those who are writing my letters?
Does activity on sites like ...
14
votes
3answers
210 views
Number of potential PhD advisors at a school
Past advice suggests that potential PhD students should be wary of attending schools with only one professor in their subfield. If you have problems with your advisor and want to switch, having that ...
8
votes
4answers
128 views
Do many academic institutions let students deposit their publications in the institutional repository?
I'm a doctoral student, and I've published several academic papers. My institution maintains a digital institutional repository but it doesn't look like I can put copies of my work in it. When I ...
5
votes
2answers
203 views
Is it better to do an MBA with some work experience?
I wish to pursue my MBA in a premier business school. Is it better to go straight from my graduation (B.Tech in CS) or get some work experience and then go on with MBA?
13
votes
2answers
105 views
What are some guidelines to keep in mind when selecting members of one's PhD committee?
Especially if they are on a committee that determines what topics are on your prelims?
(I do intend this to be a generalizable question useful for people with different student-selected committee ...
8
votes
3answers
220 views
Rankings for university departments
The Internet is so littered with information about university rankings and comparisons that it is very easy for an applicant to lose track of what exactly he wants to know. Apparently rankings which ...
28
votes
3answers
1k views
How to cope when PhD advisor quits midway
How does a PhD student come to grips with the situation when his/her advisor quits midway?
What should be the student's considerations when the professor offers him a choice to move along with him? ...
7
votes
2answers
161 views
Etiquette to take external help
Assume that the student (during his PhD) is faced with a problem which he and his advisor are both completely new to; The advisor is trying to help the student but owing to his lack of ...
12
votes
2answers
293 views
How should students approach quals?
Most universities (at least in North America) have the concept of "Qualification Exams" taken one year after the student joins the graduate course. These usually encompass all that was done in the ...
6
votes
1answer
106 views
How to find a good part-time programs by reputable business schools?
I have a bachelor degree and work for a marketing research company as a senior research analyst in Morris County in NJ. Having this day-time job, my options for further education remain part-time ...
2
votes
3answers
109 views
How should a “brief synopses of each paper” look like?
I'm a exchange student that just arrived in the US. The professor is asking us to do this:
Please write and submit brief synopses of each paper before class which include the following:
...
7
votes
2answers
346 views
Who typically serves on a graduate school admissions committee?
Suppose a student is applying to a graduate school. Who is typically on the admissions committee? Is the chair of the department on the admissions committee?
31
votes
8answers
1k views
Age and Graduate school
I am 33. I live in the US. I am a neither a US citizen, nor a green card holder. I have worked in various jobs as a research assistant (physics, biology, economics) usually involving programming, ...
8
votes
4answers
640 views
1 or 2 Year Master's Program
I originally posted this on math.stackexchange but was recommended to post here.
I have been admitted to two Master's Programs in math (both with funding). One is 1 year long and the other is 2 years ...
3
votes
4answers
142 views
What is the academic route to study Archaeology?
I am really fascinated by ancient civilizations and cultures. But I do not know what subjects do one has to take up to study Archaeology (like what subjects in A Levels or High School)?
5
votes
3answers
230 views
How important are TA student evaluation points and how does one earn them?
I have seen a number of résumés of doctorate students, but only a few of them mention their TA grade points alongside their teaching experience.
How important are these points in evaluating the ...
17
votes
1answer
263 views
How can one successfully run a reading group?
This is related to "Skimming through a math paper with a group" and "What do professors gain out of teaching reading courses with individual Ph.D students", but from the other side :)
I've ...
20
votes
3answers
908 views
When does a PhD end?
When does a PhD end? I know this is a very general question on this forum, but let us consider a CS-engineering group. What is the usual and primary consideration for letting the student finish ...
9
votes
4answers
646 views
Is it possible to work on extra activities (start-up project) during PhD?
I am about to get my bachelor degree in computer science. I have applied PhD programs of US universities to earn doctorate degree in computer architecture subject. I kept my hopes high and applied the ...
10
votes
4answers
449 views
What are the 25th-75th percentile ranges for the annual income for graduate students in the United States?
And are there differences in average income between different types of fields, or different types of schools?
The diagram below says that the average income for grad students is $17k/year. But I'm ...
9
votes
2answers
186 views
Is there generally a high amount of variability in the number of hours grad students put to work each week?
As in, it's certainly not a standard 8-5 job of 40-50 hours per week. Is it common (and expected) for them to sometimes put in 80 hours a week, and to occasionally put in 10 hours? (say, during times ...
5
votes
2answers
106 views
Is it the norm to allow professors from different departments on a PhD committee?
Or is this the exception to the norm? I know that it's allowed at Brown - but I wonder if it's unique.
20
votes
3answers
917 views
How to efficiently read mathematically and theoretically dense books in STEM fields?
When it comes to reading, there are literally thousands of methods from Speed Reading to SQ3R to Sequential(Word by Word till the end). My question is regarding reading mathematically/theoretically ...
9
votes
3answers
204 views
Looking for sources of online graduate-level education
Can anyone suggest sources of online graduate-level education, as well as some criticism of them? Both free and paid are valid. I'm familiar with these sources:
Academic Earth
MIT OpenCourseWare
...
7
votes
1answer
553 views
What are the primary causes of conflict between PhD advisors and their students?
Here's a very interesting analysis from a professor's point of view.
In my experience, incompatible personalities account for a large
fraction of the conflicts that I have run across over my 13 ...
3
votes
2answers
68 views
Are the Survey rankings for the National Research Council really more objective than the Regression rankings?
This blog post argues so, but I have my doubts since the author works at a graduate program whose S-rankings are much better than its R-rankings. I have a feeling that R-rankings do capture some ...
12
votes
3answers
243 views
What role do professors on a graduate student's PhD committee serve?
Do they discuss the graduate student in meetings with each other? Or do they have any obligations to interact with the graduate student in other ways?
4
votes
2answers
103 views
How often do graduate students help connect professors with each other?
I know that a couple of UChicago professors told me that, especially if a graduate student ends up co-advised with two professors. Maybe there's an additional factor too: maybe students actually have ...
17
votes
6answers
437 views
When is it a good idea to let an academic department (or a professor) know that I have Asperger's (or ADD)?
With Asperger's, the trick is always when to explain it (in a non-awkward situation). I'd like to avoid mentioning it if possible, but it has gotten to the point that I only mention it after ...
6
votes
3answers
103 views
Are university counseling services usually able to help with the professional troubles that PhD students face?
The thing with PhDs is that it often takes someone who knows the politics and people of the field in order to really understand (or help) a PhD student's troubles (if any arise). At the same time, ...
15
votes
3answers
354 views
How many weeks of break (per year) should a graduate student reasonably expect to have?
Here are the details for one of my schools so far:
At UChicago, my prospective adviser said that I should expect to have around a month off per year (probably 2 weeks in winter and 2 weeks in ...
18
votes
7answers
3k views
What are the advantages and disadvantages to completing a Masters program before applying to a Ph. D program?
I've been considering applying to graduate school of some form or another in Mathematics. During my undergraduate years, I did decently on my undergraduate coursework (mostly A-s, some As, a B) but ...
7
votes
4answers
201 views
How to fruitfully utilize faculty-student orientation sessions at institutes you don't want to attend?
More than once, I have had (graduate school admissions) orientation sessions where the faculty of the institute introduce their fields, their research and what they expect from potential students ...
7
votes
5answers
289 views
Any reason not to apply for funding as a grad student?
The question is hypothetical, but it came up in a conversation and I'd like to see if we can come up with a logical analysis and conclusion. For various reasons, graduate students might not be ...
6
votes
3answers
251 views
Good source for pre PhD level papers/dissertations in Mathematics
I am looking for a good source to get my hands on some pre PhD level maths papers/dissertations, because I want to get a better feeling what is expected. (i.e. BSc and MSc Dissertations)
My ...
14
votes
3answers
377 views
How much guidance should I reasonably expect from an MSc Thesis Supervisor
As part of my MSc I have to produce a Thesis/Dissertation which forms an integral part of the program and classification (roughly 1/4 - I imagine the subject can make a difference, so I should say ...
20
votes
4answers
919 views
What are some good questions to ask current graduate students when visiting schools?
For the record, I'm visiting the University of Chicago as an accepted PhD student (in the geophysical sciences) next week.
In particular, I'd especially appreciate creative questions that few other ...
3
votes
2answers
133 views
Do school-wide holidays count against personal vacation time?
I keep hearing different things from different people and it seems there is no clear policy laid out at my institution regarding the definition of graduate student vacation days; I'm curious how PIs ...
16
votes
5answers
866 views
Doing a PhD with significant external time obligations (e.g., marriage)
Graduate school has a reputation for being a tremendous time-sink. I'm currently married with kids, and I have a fairly busy extracurricular schedule. Is it common for married people - or anyone, ...
14
votes
3answers
285 views
Does Pop-Science involvement hurt one's reputation?
There is a divide between the scientific community about involvement in popular science. I would define it as involvement in NatGeo/Discovery type documentaries, writing columns for ...
10
votes
2answers
341 views
What is the typical time period after which an incoming grad student is expected to start publishing?
An incoming graduate student is typically required to help out as a TA, take courses both related to their research and required by the program, as well as to start reading up on the research topics ...
13
votes
4answers
324 views
How do I not get impatient when other people ask me to describe my research?
I mean, I really should be glad when they ask me this question. But inevitably, different people will ask me the same question many different times (over many different interviews), understandably so, ...
17
votes
4answers
770 views
Details an applicant should include/exclude in an introductory letter to a prospective grad school adviser?
I'm applying for graduate school (PhD in computer science), and I'm considering writing to faculty whose research areas match with what I intend to pursue, to understand:
Whether they'd be looking ...
7
votes
1answer
135 views
What are the options for fellowships for international grad students in USA?
I'm looking for fellowships that an international grad student can apply for, to support him/her while working towards a Ph.D. (additional to whatever funding that may be available as TA). So far, ...
