Questions tagged [academic-life]
Questions related to academic culture, academic communities, and the coexistence of "life" and "academia."
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Postdoc vs. academic position [duplicate]
I'm a citizen of a third world country, currently living in Canada. I've completed a 2-year postdoc position here and recently got an offer for an academic position at one of the reputable ...
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Is it recommended to invest in stocks as a typical broke graduate students? [closed]
I openly admit that I am financial illiterate and for most of my life neither know about nor cared about investing. I am currently doing research in a field that is tangentially, but not exactly ...
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How to prevent my introvert nature from being a barrier to success in grad school and future academic life?
I don't ask questions during class/meetings/seminars out of the fear of embarrassing myself. I am also not able to intiate interactions with people I don't know beforehand e.g. Visiting professors/...
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Advice for thinking about whether to pursue a PhD
I've included lots of context because I thought it may be useful. If it's too much to read, I've marked the important parts of the question.
I graduated from college last May with a degree in ...
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In Preparation For The Job Market - On Day 1 of the PhD [closed]
There's a higher likelihood everyday that I am considering pursuing a PhD in my field, and ultimately, in applying for positions as a professor down the road. What I am trying to do is think ahead as ...
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What should a candidate ask in an informal phone call to Hiring Person in Department
Many positions, especially in UK, have an email or phone number for the Head of Department.
What should a candidate ask in these informal phone calls about academic posts?
Example:
For informal ...
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Is it correct to tell a professor that solutions to exercise sheets are online?
I'm a MSc student (second year) in a math department in Europe and I have to check and correct the exercise sheets of the students of the first year of Master degree attending a course this semester....
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how should I describe my status in job applications? I have just passed my PhD oral defence
I have passed my PhD viva voce and submitted my revised thesis. Currently, I am waiting for my degree to be conferred which will take one to two months. How should I describe/introduce my academic ...
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How To Cope With The Stigma of Quitting a Second PhD for a Third one?
As per the title, I quit my second Ph.D. after 10 months, having quit my first after one year.
My first supervisor was narcissistic and a sociopath. (Nonetheless, I received prizes for my research.) ...
user116038
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I am going to teach a course, but the classes have already started with another professor. Any tips?
I am the assigned professor for a course, but won't be able to teach its first two or three weeks.
The University has appointed a substitute for those weeks. Any tips on things I could do to smooth ...
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What to do when someone does not respond to your email?
So, I am struggling with one of my upper division math class(Partial differential equations). I contacted a close family friend to see if he can help me or if he knows anybody that can tutor me ...
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How do you approach your professor if you do not understand or know how to do the homework at all?
So, I am an undergraduate student taking partial differential equations. This class can be so stressful at times because I do not understand the lecture material, and thus it makes it hard to do ...
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Attending a conference that my abusive ex-supervisor is also attending, how I should react?
I am going to attend a conference as I have been selected to a voluntary position and it is mandatory to meet up with the organizers. At this conference, my abusive ex-supervisor is chairing sessions ...
user116038
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Do active researchers in mathematics read a paper in detail?
Context:
As a researcher you need to read many research papers by others. In the case of mathematics, a paper consists of:
Results (theorems, lemma, propositions)
Proofs that consist of the technique ...
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Feeling like stuck in a wrong field of study due to inept technical background. Seeking advice on how to sustain in academia and research? [closed]
I completed my PhD from North America recently in a particular subfield in mechanical engineering. Though, I have published 3 decent publications and got a postdoctoral position afterwards, I am ...
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Kicked out of PhD program, I have been delayed two years until find a new one [closed]
It maybe sounds emotional, but I am struggling because I have been delayed two years until I found a new program that could accept me. I was kicked out because of a racist supervisor. It hurts me as ...
user116038
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Advice needed for leaving academia
TLDR: I am being targeted by an institution where I previously studied/worked and would like to leave academia entirely without giving anyone the knowledge of where I'm going next.
Backstory:
I ...
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I wasted six years of my life getting a PhD degree. What should I do, and how will I survive?
I struggled with low self confidence throughout my bachelors, masters and PhD in chemical engineering. After spending two years in Masters and six years in getting a PhD degree, I am lost at what I ...
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How to deal with the postdoc offer without a contract
I was recently interviewed for a postdoctoral position at a top-three institution in the world. The PI has now offered me a position via email which does not include any form of contract. How do I ask ...
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Some professors a my institution are asking for "common" spaces in which post-docs are not allowed. Is this ok? [closed]
I have been working as a postdoc for nearly a year. In recent months, the university is working to upgrade office and common spaces within my particular building. Some professors wanted a "Faculty ...
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Should phd candidates spend time on extra-curricular?
Suppose an engineering PhD candidate in the USA is trying to pursue an academic profession (e.g. Assistant Professorship in a Research Institute), is it even worth-while to commit to extra-curricular ...
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Contacted by head of school regarding an issue - should I be worried?
I am a PhD student at a UK university. A small part of my time is taken up by (voluntarily) organizing a monthly seminar series. The seminar is open to all PhD students in my school, and is regularly ...
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Is it acceptable for the secretary to have full access to our entire Outlook agenda?
Today we were asked by the management of our department to give full access of our agenda in Outlook to the secretary. By full access, I mean the possibility to look, read, write, delete (own) slots ...
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Tenure and tenure denial rates by universities
Is there a way or website to find the tenure and tenure denial rates by universities and departments? I heard from some faculty that the tenure rate at X university is Y%, so I wonder if there is a ...
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The choice between changing advisor or just ignoring her and do the PhD research alone?
I'am 2nd year PhD student and I'm in the phase of problem definition and exploration for my research. Other than research, I also do both RA (working on paper review, grants, etc) and TA jobs as well. ...
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Potential Postdoc advisor giving exams (assignment) as part of hiring process
I will be graduating with a PhD from a US institution in computational sciences. I have published 10+ papers in peer reviewed journals in the field I am applying for jobs.
I have been interviewed by ...
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Finishing with only 2 papers (both co-authorship)
So, I am about to gain my PhD degree in Biochemistry (Cancer biochemistry) in december.
But I'll have finished it only with 2 papers (3rd one, which is the one totally about my thesis project is due ...
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Academic life in China [closed]
I was offered a tenure track assistant professor position in China. However, I am not familiar with the admin culture and academic environment of China. Is it difficult to cope with the university ...
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Discussing one's working ideas and possible research projects in PHD application
I am a senior year undergraduate student in Computer Science, graduating in a year and looking forward to pursuing a PhD. I have a good experience with the research topic I want to work on, with a ...
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Is a good PhD student or researcher expected to spend some part of their day/week regularly reading new research papers/pre-prints?
Or alternatively do good PhD students and researchers spend some part of their day, regularly, reading new research papers and pre-prints?
Please give some reasoning of why and why not, if possible.
...
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Medically undiagnosed condition: how to inform?
I am currently a final year grad student. Sometime last year, I developed severe pain in one of my hands which led to a lot of time lost. I have seen some of the best doctors in the country for my ...
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Is success due to hard work sustainable in academic research?
I am a physics master's student hoping to pursue physics research by doing PhD, post-doc, etc., following the standard path. To put it straight, how far can sheer hard work take one in academia until ...
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Which is more important in academic promotion: getting funding, or its secondary effects? [closed]
Follow up question to How does research funding work in determining academic promotions? since it was too broad.
Take two equally talented researchers, Alice & Bob. Alice has acquired a large ...
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Can one compensate for poor funding performance elsewhere in determining academic promotion?
Follow up question to How does research funding work in determining academic promotions? since it was too broad.
Take two equally talented researchers, Alice & Bob. To what extent will it matter ...
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Does the source of funding matter in determining academic promotion?
Follow up question to How does research funding work in determining academic promotions? since it was too broad.
Based on this answer, one needs to get funding to be promoted. Does the source of the ...
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How many papers per week does a professor typically read?
I'm curious as to how many papers one would need to read per week, in order to keep up with the latest research in a particular field. For example, how many papers on average would a typical tenured ...
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Is prolonged Phd in accounting means the end of your academic career? [closed]
I have completed my PhD this month, but this month also marked the completion of 8 years of my PhD journey. Standing on the new road ( and long road) of establishing myself as an academic. I wander if ...
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How do academia and graduate advisors deal with the fact that the cost of living is dramatically higher but graduate wages is stagnant? [closed]
My supervisor got his PhD in the 1970s while having two kids and a house. He spent 25k on the house. Everyone from that era, even the 80s or 90s, said that their degree was dirt cheap and they were ...
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Have made several mistakes during the course of my PhD. Can't help but feel resentment. Can I get some advice about how to move forward?
I am about to defend my thesis. My PhD journey was not a pleasant experience. I worked in an area not within the field of expertise of my advisor. Though she was present to discuss; the conception, ...
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Moving from a R2 university to a R1 university
I am currently negotiating a TT position with a R2 university. This is my first faculty job offer after 4 years of postdoc experience in ecology and biogeochemistry related area. My long-term goal is ...
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Does academia have a lazy work culture?
I'm a rising sophomore at a top US university, and I've become really fascinated with the world of academia over the past year -- so much so that I'm considering doing a PhD after I graduate and ...
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Can a cat be a co-author in academic paper? [duplicate]
One of the most famous cat physicians must be F. D. Willard, who co-authored many physical papers.
My question is simple:
Is it academically correct to have a cat/dog as a co-author of a paper, in ...
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Interview question
I have a question regarding an interview at a university. The candidates are asked to prepare a presentation on the topic of 'How will you contribute to the teaching, learning, and research in the ...
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Chinese Mathematics Education [closed]
I often wonder about Mathematics Education in China, particularly at the late high school and undergraduate level.
In the US, a typical undergraduate math degree will include
lower division:
1-2 ...
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How Important is the rank of a school in a certain specialty?
I am interested in applying for PhD programs in discrete mathematics, but one of the schools I'm looking at isn't included in the top 10 rankings of discrete math programs (at least not according to ...
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Doing research in academia and not liking competition
In short: is it possible to do research in academia (starting from a PhD position up to being a professor) while not liking competition?
I was an athlete in high school and I left because I was not ...
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How to deal with the fear of missing out?
I will be soon starting my Ph.D. but have already experienced some of the research environment. I have chosen to work on a field in machine learning that is becoming increasingly popular. Every time I ...
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How many postdocs should one usually do before it is realistically possible to get a faculty position? [closed]
I am interested in the amount of postdocs one usually has to do before one gets a "good" faculty position while considering the apparent differences in various academic disciplines.
user102532
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Is it common to have a mentor in academia?
At a recent networking workshop (not one of the "just don't be an introvert" ones, an actually helpful one with applicable ideas) I learned that it is supposedly very common to have a (career) mentor ...
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Why is the UK such a brain magnet? [closed]
It's not hard to find sources that say that the UK punches (punched?) above its weight in the research, and there're lots of people who want to go to the UK for work or study. We can see this in ...
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