Questions tagged [emotional-responses]
On emotional issues such as guilt, discouragement, jealousy, anxiety or feelings of inadequacy affecting academics and researchers.
226
questions
55
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8
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Math Ph.D. does not know what to do with life? [closed]
Background: I am a Math Ph.D. student in the U.S. (originally from a developing nation) in partial differential equations (PDEs) but on the theoretical side of PDEs (no simulation, no numerical). I am ...
- 599
1
vote
0
answers
249
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Any suggestions how to deal with stress if stuck while working on master's thesis? [closed]
I am doing my master's thesis in Physics and I am stuck already for a quite bit. What I mean by "stuck" is that I am trying to implement something completely new to the analysis of my ...
0
votes
1
answer
316
views
How to overcome "reader's block" as an undegraduate student?
This semester I am reading lots of textbooks. In the beginning I learnt a lot by reading books but soon after, the amount of my learning started to decline. I feel like I have hit the reader's block ...
- 23
3
votes
1
answer
628
views
How to handle a harsh negative review? [duplicate]
Context
It is the first time I am submitting a research article as a first author. The review reports finally came back.
Review A is positive, suggesting acceptance and a few modifications.
Review B ...
- 229
48
votes
9
answers
13k
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Frustration with machine learning and deep learning research
I am doing a M.Sc. in artificial intelligence (AI), and I am collaborating with a computer vision company in a deep learning (DL) research project that will eventually become my master thesis.
...
- 569
3
votes
1
answer
698
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Have been thinking of Quitting PhD since day 1 - Advice appreciated!
I would really appreciate to hear some other people's thoughts on my situation. I am going into my third year of my PhD at a UK uni (paid studentship) and am thinking of quitting (80% sure) and ...
- 31
29
votes
10
answers
20k
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It has been 6.5 years of my PhD and I am not seeing the end. What to do?
My advisor is a decent person. She is helpful and supportive. She has continued to support me throughout financially. However, she advices me that I should have offers before submitting my thesis and ...
- 419
2
votes
5
answers
1k
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Should I mention about the time wasted (6 months) due to depression in my CV when I will apply to PHd programs
Very brief of the situations that happened from Jan 2021 : Living in a 3rd world country. I completed my masters in math in Jun 2020. Then I wanted to study some additional topics before applying in ...
user135061
63
votes
13
answers
13k
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How to handle one's own academic misconduct, long after it occurred?
I got my PhD in data engineering in 2014 from a reputed university in a developed country. I am now an associate professor in a well-reputed university. Between my PhD and my current position, I took ...
- 589
3
votes
2
answers
2k
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I have wasted 1.5 years of postdoc on self-doubts and depression. Is my research career doomed?
I continued with a postdoc with my PhD advisor on a tangential topic as my PhD work.
I spent the first 6 months in getting my PhD papers out. I have 4 papers from my 5.5 years PhD and 1 first authored ...
- 399
4
votes
3
answers
752
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How to deal mentally and emotionally with a prolonged stressful period?
I am a second-year PhD student, but I think this question may interest a broader readership.
I'd like to ask experienced researchers for some insights on how to navigate a prolonged stressful period.
...
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-2
votes
1
answer
225
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Feeling burnt out [closed]
I’ve been working from home for the last few months and it’s gradually started to wear me down. I don’t have a particularly strenuous job but I still live with my parents so things are quite tense at ...
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4
votes
0
answers
284
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How to respectfully "correct" my supervisor even though normally I'm the one who needs a lot of help?
TL;DR
I have made little progress in the time I started working as a PhD student (few months) and I need a lot of help from my supervisor (the professor). I get the feeling that I - or my lack of ...
- 167
9
votes
5
answers
6k
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Feeling inadequate as a PhD student
I just started a STEM PhD before last christmas and whilst things are going okay, I still feel like I'm not good enough and don't deserve the opportunity. I guess it's some form of imposter syndrome ...
- 881
4
votes
3
answers
676
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Losing confidence after a series of paper rejections [closed]
I don't think I have a concrete question to ask but I want to hear other researchers' opinions. I am pretty sure that there are many researchers who went through this and others will go through it in ...
- 604
8
votes
2
answers
2k
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I am not getting response from any professors or industry. Is it end of the road for me?
I did in a PhD in mechanical engineering from a Canadian university on simulation of shot peening process. I collaborated with experimental groups from my department.
After graduating in January 2020, ...
- 167
4
votes
4
answers
1k
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I am unable to submit online quizzes on time due to technical difficulties, and it is negatively affecting my mental health. Can I get extra time? [closed]
I am an undergrad student taking a chemistry class. We have a 50 minutes quiz every week during the discussion section. The TA usually emails this quiz to us, and while my class is at 1:00 pm, the TA ...
4
votes
0
answers
220
views
How to deal with career anxiety and manage to remain concentrated on the matter in hand?
I am just over 30 years and about to finish my PhD. I will obtain my PhD from an EU country, and I must obtain residence permit to keep staying in EU.
My thesis is almost a staple thesis which ...
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9
votes
1
answer
340
views
How to not let paper rejection affect you? [duplicate]
At times I am really frustrated with constant rejections when the papers just fail to make it to acceptance. And if this keeps happening for quite some time, especially when your peers are moving on, ...
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3
votes
1
answer
1k
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Finding it extremely difficult to get through with my Masters thesis. Stuck with a mediocre thesis
I am very close to finishing my masters and am finding it extremely difficult to get through with my thesis. Although my topic is relevant and interesting, nobody, including my supervisor is able to ...
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4
votes
3
answers
423
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Is it possible to have a career in academia and not be confident in their field of research? [duplicate]
I thought getting a PhD in my mechanical engineering field would lead in gaining confidence in the field. However, it became other way round. I am far less confident on my skills and knowledge than I ...
- 285
26
votes
8
answers
14k
views
Colleagues don't congratulate me or cheer me on when I do good work
When colleagues that don't co-author with me and are in separate projects, writing different papers, I've noticed they don't congratulate me, when I give them exciting progress. They're around for ...
- 309
0
votes
1
answer
287
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How do I deal with feelings of guilt and shame related to how long my PhD has taken? [duplicate]
I am physically disabled. I have spinal muscular atrophy, a degenerative neuromuscular disease. I am wheelchair-bound and am nearly quadriplegic. This is not to complain, but rather to provide context....
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20
votes
11
answers
11k
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How should I consider a possibly rude reply from a potential PhD advisor?
I am in my first semester of my applied math PhD program in the United States. The professor (potential PhD advisor) of the course I am auditing has replied to my question about the schedule for the ...
- 243
22
votes
5
answers
8k
views
Trouble finding job after disappointing PhD in India [closed]
Started PhD in 2014.
Mistakes that I have committed:
I did my PhD in a topic that was not the area of expertise of my PhD supervisor.
I was doing computational work, while the past graduates on the ...
- 285
2
votes
3
answers
360
views
How likely are you to be stressed in academia? [closed]
So a little context. I'm a second year masters student in theoretical physics and last year I almost had a burnout. I mean that I had symptoms of burnout but it was not severe enough to be an actual ...
7
votes
3
answers
1k
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How much does the future career of a PhD student matter to the advisor?
I am struggling with my Post-PhD career. I am still looking for positions and I getting zero response. My advisor is giving me no leads and I don't know if she's even bothered about my career ...
- 159
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What can I do when anxiety causes me to perform poorly in oral exams and class discussions?
I have this class where we have oral exams once in two weeks. I am honestly trying my best. I am preparing for the class and I think I understand all the material. I can do all the assignments (albeit ...
- 63
7
votes
1
answer
575
views
I shouldn't have got a PhD. I am not suitable for research in my field. How should I proceed?
I shouldn't have got my PhD. I have published 5 papers in Q1 journals. But that has been possible because the topic is hot right now and much rigor is not required for publishing.
I can use an open ...
- 81
1
vote
0
answers
101
views
Regret of leaving the opportunity to work on highly funded topics for something not so rewarding. How to stop remorse?
My materials science PhD group works on two different fields. Most of them work in battery technology while I am few others work in mechanical behavior of materials in aerospace materials.
I was ...
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
1k
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I wasted a lot of time during my PhD. As a postdoc, I don't see much progress in my abilities. How can I make progress? [closed]
I made several mistakes in my PhD:
Joined a PhD advisor who didn't have direct knowledge/experience about my PhD topic. She worked with nanomaterials, my work was on continuum mechanics. I had both ...
- 305
4
votes
4
answers
2k
views
What are strategies for dealing with negative course evaluations? [duplicate]
I recently saw my ratings on RateMyProfessor.com and it's very disheartening to see all the negative reviews from a course for which I worked so hard. Comments like "sh***y professor" are ...
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46
votes
17
answers
10k
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How can I counter a student response saying "Why are we bothered to reinvent the wheel when proving mathematical identities?"
I am teaching an undergraduate mathematics course to software engineering students. I often ask my students to prove some mathematical identities as their homework. The identities could be, for ...
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38
votes
11
answers
16k
views
Was my student being disrespectful by using shouting language in her email to me?
I have a PhD in statistics and teach statistics for humanities students in a university. One week before the start of the semester I posted all the required information regarding the course textbook, ...
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53
votes
5
answers
12k
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How to differentiate "imposter syndrome" from actual lack of suitability for grad. school/academia?
A lot of graduate students/applicants, it seems, suffer from "imposter syndrome." Typically, these are bright, high-achieving students, who nonetheless doubt their ability, and this most ...
user124395
19
votes
6
answers
3k
views
I am lost with my career path. I am questioning my ability to be in research field, academia or otherwise. What to do? [duplicate]
I am 31 soon to be 32, I don't know what I am doing with my life. I have a PhD in computational chemistry from a top 50 world ranking university. But, it did not turn out well and took too long to ...
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43
votes
5
answers
6k
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How to deal with overly helpful co-advisor?
I have 3 advisors; two are great (main prof and a daily advisor) and one ('Jill') is not. Jill invited herself to my advisor team after coming back to work from a long medical leave and she's ready to ...
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1
vote
2
answers
309
views
How does one remain focused while studying for the GRE?
The program that I want to apply to isn't accepting students until next year, so that gives me plenty of time to study for the GRE. However, I also want to take it as soon as possible because 1.) As ...
user124395
7
votes
2
answers
430
views
How to not feel offended by comments/edits during manuscript drafting as first author
I work as a consultant in industry where I often get to publish scientific articles on "advanced" methods with pharma. Unfortunately, there is a often a fair amount of politics in the ...
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4
votes
2
answers
1k
views
I have turned myself into an incompetent researcher. I have screwed up my career, now I would like some advice how I can recover?
I hope I am not at the end of the road. I had flunked advanced engineering mathematics and applied mechanics during my undergrad second year. Though I scored decently in the reexamination during the ...
- 57
5
votes
6
answers
3k
views
How do I determine if a PhD is financially feasible for me?
Pursuing an academic career involves risk, including financial risk. My question is: what factors should one consider when deciding whether these financial risks are worth it in one's personal ...
user124395
3
votes
2
answers
385
views
Are Graduate Schools Less Likely to Fund and/or Accept Nontraditional Students?
I once heard that nontraditional students are less likely to be funded for graduate school. Supposedly (according to this person), this is because 40+ year old students rarely get tenure track ...
user124395
-1
votes
2
answers
582
views
What are the implications when a student takes a conflict to the chair?
Does writing to a Department Chair always have to result in a grievance and/or official investigation, or does the Chair ever help the parties work things out?
I had originally posed this question ...
user124395
1
vote
2
answers
442
views
Should I Disclose Mental Health Conditions to a Potential Advisor Before Applying to the Program? [duplicate]
I suffer from anxiety, and this condition has led to some situations that hurt my relationships and reputation at my undergraduate institution. Anxiety also affects me in other ways -- for example, I ...
user124395
0
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Can One Poorly Written Research Paper Derail Your Academic Future? [duplicate]
I experienced a lot of stress and an episode of depression during my last undergraduate semester. The stress was caused by constant moving and housing insecurity for half the semester (giving me a ...
user124395
39
votes
8
answers
9k
views
Is Relocating Necessary in Academia?
Despite experiencing a lot of drama and negativity at my university, I love my city and hate the idea of relocating. Sometimes I even think of reapplying there just so I could stay in this city (this ...
user124395
5
votes
1
answer
398
views
Stress and anxiety related to competition
Regarding stress in mathematical research, I saw posts like
Is Mathematical Research Stressful?
But it seems that most answers there don't stress what I mainly feel, that much of my stress (even as ...
3
votes
4
answers
5k
views
How can I salvage my relationship with a professor whom I lashed out against during a mental health episode? [closed]
After experiencing a lot of stress during my last undergraduate semester (and an episode of depression), I lashed out at a professor. I had made several rather foolish attempts to impress her and then ...
user124395
0
votes
1
answer
240
views
Heavy imposter syndrome [duplicate]
What are best ways/resources to deal with imposter syndrome or runaway thoughts? I recently published a paper (only my 2nd first author) and was excited about it for about 2 mins before I got very bad ...
- 81
0
votes
1
answer
323
views
Improving motivation in qualitative research motivation [closed]
My PhD project has evolved into a very qualitative methodology and approach. As my training and background is very positivist and focused on outcomes, I am really struggling with this shift into a ...
- 3,393