Questions tagged [work-life-balance]
Questions that each member of academia may face during his academic careers, because of personal problems, and contradictions between academic life and personal life. These may include marriage, childcare, etc.
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Seeking career advice on transitioning to work/postdoc in a new country after a PhD
Hello Academia community,
I am a soon-to-be holder (next week) of a PhD in zoology (mammalian biomechanics). Following my graduation, I would like to move to the UK. Ideally, I would like to continue ...
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Is single parenting compatible with success in academia?
Good day.
I'm currently a PhD student in computer science. I was married and have a daughter with my former wife. There is a probability that our daughter
will live with me. Could you please tell me ...
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Do researchers study topics outside their field for fun?
This question is partially inspired by this one. Do researchers, who actively publish, even have time for that? They seem to be a busy lot. I am not talking about publishing outside the filed, but ...
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Data collection methods without fieldwork
I am a graduate student in education who recently had a child. I have devised a few plans/topics that would work for my thesis but I keep revisiting them because they require a lot of data collection ...
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How can I manage my time so that I can perform well in my research lab? [closed]
Although this question might be self-explanatory, I wanted to ask your guys' advice on this regardless.
I recently started a new internship, I am also enrolled full time at the university, and I have ...
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Comeback advice: how to return a decade after dropping out, when job schedule makes formal study difficult? [closed]
What helpful advice would you give an age 30-something woman to reach her dream with the following background? She dropped out from college a decade ago despite many hard years of dedicated trying, ...
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Is a routine life achievable? [closed]
I want to have a routine life habit: having lunch at lunchtime, having dinner at dinnertime, going to sleep at 10pm, etc. After all, a healthy brain is in a health body. Moreover, while I can ...
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How much does rigor and time commitment of a math PhD correlate to prestige of the program? [closed]
My question is the extent to which the prestige and rank of a PhD in mathematics correspond to the rigor of the program. I'm absolutely not worried about working hard, but I'm recently married and I ...
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Can one blow the whistle on a professor who excludes students on the basis of their personal life?
This post is an attempt to reformulate this misunderstood question. I (and others) did add clarifying information, taken from the OP's comments, to the question, but I believe the whole Q&A&...
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Is it permitted to not take Ph.D. students who have girlfriends/are married/don't come in weekends...? [closed]
As a professor, are you permitted to prohibit Ph.D. students from joining your research group if you know they have a boy/girlfriend, are married, don't come in on weekends, who don't stay late, etc......
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Tips for work-life balance when doing postdoc with two very young children and a one hour commute
I have a postdoc position in my dream lab with PI, who leads the field and has very cool projects for me. The thing is, I have two small kids (youngest is 3 weeks old) and I live one hour away from my ...
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Location, life and applying for faculty positions [closed]
I am 5 years into my postdoc, which has been up and down but I now have a decent publication record. I like what I am doing, am ready to manage people and can't wait to get out of the lab and no ...
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Balancing short-term academic position and pregnancy
A close friend of mine was offered a three year postdoc position after she finished a previous 3 year postdoc fellowship. She is very excited about the new position but at the same time she is very ...
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Should I inform my bosses that I'm about to start doing a PhD research?
I was recently admitted in a PhD program, I haven't started any research yet and Intended to keep my full day job and try do a research while working.
I think my bosses are unaware of this for now ...
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Why do PIs say no to students working during grad studies?
Professors in my department frown upon students working (part-time or full-time) during their MSc or PhD. Even extra TA hours are looked down upon...
The rent on-campus is ~$950/month and we are paid ...
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How does having baby affect tenure track offer or tenure track success?
I am a PhD candidate with one child (18 months) and one year left in the PhD. My husband and I want at least one more child. I am trying to learn about the relative pros and cons of having a child ...
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GPA dropped due to a death in the family. How do I explain this on graduate applications? [duplicate]
I'm in the process of applying to graduate school. Naturally the University will require transcripts from all coursework. The school doesn't just look at grades, and they place an emphasis on ...
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Why is my mood dictated so much by how well my research is going?
I'm a senior PhD student at an American university. I have found over the course of my degree that my mood has largely been influenced by how well my research is going. If I make a small break-through ...
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Does one invite adviser / cohort / lab to one's wedding?
For a PhD student getting married in the middle of the degree, is there an established etiquette for invited your peers and/or your adviser to the wedding?
Obviously, circumstances of the wedding ...
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Is it a good practise to involve a child in a statement of purpose?
Is it a good practise to involve a child in a statement of purpose to say how my point of view has changed since the birth?
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Getting a pet during a PhD
There are questions on here about getting married, having kids, and other major time commitments during graduate school. But one thing that I haven't seen posted -- but that I've seen come up with ...
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Is it true that PhD students need to work 10-12 hours a day every day to be productive?
I hear a lot of people brag or complain about how many hours they have to work for their PhD. Is this the norm? And if so is this really a wise choice to make? Do students really 'work' during this ...
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Separating academic identity from social identity
I would like to start publishing scientific papers soon. This issue pertains to the name I will use when publishing.
Basically, I would like to keep my personal and academic life separate and my ...
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Profs who have done a full year sabbatical overseas with a family: How did you make it work?
I'm curious to hear from any American professor out there who has successfully done a full-year sabbatical overseas, with his or her family along for the ride. How did you make it work for you ...
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How to efficiently plan holidays in academia?
It is holiday season, so I thought of re-considering my ways of holiday planning.
As a student, holidays in academia are somewhat shaped by the semester breaks and the lecture-free period. Working ...
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"Taking summers off" and the impact on tenure decisions
Assume there is a young tenure-track professor on a 9-month salary who is a good instructor and manages to get research published at an appropriate pace during the school year for tenure consideration....
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Is it normal for professors to not have families or not spend time with their families over the holidays, due to pressure of work?
My sister is a professor. I was visiting her over Thanksgiving break and my father (who is also a professor) told me not to hang out with her because she had a grant proposal due. Is this normal for ...
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Does the personal life of a researcher interfere with their work? [closed]
I came across this, this, this and this.
This professor at IIT is very well known for his books on physics in India. I can't find the exact link on Quora, but the answer said that he didn't marry ...
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What are some good ways to take a break during the academic workday? [closed]
Solving research problems is hard. After a while I feel mentally spent. I want to be as productive as possible but I don't know of many good ways to "recharge my batteries" after I have been thinking ...
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Is it common in any other first world countries besides the US to work while attending university?
I have an old family friend in Japan (born and raised). We were recently talking about academics as he is in his 2nd year of Uni and I have 1 B.S and soon to have another with the goal of moving on to ...
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Should marital status and its international characteristics be included in a CV/cover letter?
This post is somehow related to a previous post on
extra-curricular activities.
My question is this.
Beside standard extra academic activities (previous work, particular sport achievements, ...
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How do I deal with my family which doesn't respect science and math while I am doing a double science and math major? [closed]
How do I deal with two parents who don't see the utility of science and mathematics while pursuing an education in science and math (while depending on their income to fund my tuition?). They come ...
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Is it possible to accrue vacation hours during graduate study as a research assistant (GRA)?
I currently work full-time for the Department of Defense. I usually get three-weeks worth of paid time off every year. This has been helpful because I like to go back home to visit family for about ...
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Developing a work ethic, or learning/doing things you aren't interested in (prelim topics)
Short version: Graduate prelims include lots of topics which are only distantly related to your particular research area. How does one motivate oneself to learn and do this stuff?
Long version with ...
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Mathematical creativity: better a high profile or a "laid back" department?
It seems that high profile universities are not the most enjoyable work environment to be in.
Even though big institutions attract big names and grant money, it seems to me that the pressure to ...
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How to balance trying hard in a Master's program with stress of working too hard and not having a life?
I have a nice problem but it's making me miserable.
My background is in visual communication and I'm used to getting regular feedback as well as seeing what my classmates are up to. Also, the grades ...
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Developing meta-cognitive and emotional skills during PhD?
I am convinced that I possess sufficient "cognitive skills" to succeed doing my PhD. Reflection on myself, however, confronts me with the fact that my "meta-cognitive" (time management, mental ...
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Part-time PhD workload compared to part-time undergrad workload
Does a part-time PhD workload differ significantly from part-time undergrad studies?
I'm intending to go on to postgraduate studies next year. I'd prefer to go straight to a PhD if possible, but ...
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At what stage in academia are you most likely to suffer a mental breakdown? [closed]
Let's see, just in this week alone I got the news that I have failed four of my midterms (out of five courses in total, the last course doesn't have a midterm), achieving around 40% in each, quite ...
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Is it common for people in academia to experience prolonged lack of sleep and how to deal with it?
Stuck in the lab again, for the third night in a row. I have never done three in a row I think I might just break a record. I cannot sleep, because the lab is super crammed and uncomfortable and I am ...
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How common is it for women to drop out of graduate school because they have children?
I am a 29 year old female. I want to go back to school. I have been told that I have a very good chance at getting into a very good graduate computer science program (machine learning, AI, robotics, ...
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How to handle pressure from collaborators when life circumstances make it impossible to get work done?
I am looking for a bit of advice on how to handle the workload in a PhD while juggling several collaborative projects plus family pressures.
I am in the final year of my PhD which, overall, has been ...
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Can I slack off and get a PhD?
I am not a genius but I am a good test taker and a very practical person. I went through undergraduate school without studying much (skipping classes, doing homework, reading the books and doing some ...
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How much involvement should my advisor have in deciding my availability and actions for me? [closed]
I worked in the industry for a few years before starting my PhD and learned many do's and don'ts in the workplace for how you guide subordinates to attend meetings and do things you want them to do. I'...
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Should academic CVs include reviewing, non-academic service, hobbies and languages?
Do you suggest adding these to an academic CV?
Review journals/conferences. Can adding such information creates negative issues or it would only have positive impression?
Non-academic service: ...
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Is it reasonable to worry about lack of potential for dating in postdoc positions?
I am 25 years old, and in a few months' time I will have to decide whether to get a job in London or apply for a postdoc somewhere.
Apart from all of the usual pros and cons (eg. job security, ...
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4th year phd in BiomedEngineering - How do I maximize my chances of getting an assistant professorship in my hometown?
Preface: I know
how how difficult is to get any professorship
that i should write really good research papers etc...
that its not smart to plan on this and only this
My hometown is middle of the ...
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Helping spouse adjust when relocating for an academic position?
I am moving to a new place to take a new academic position. Now that we have committed to it, what can I do to help my spouse adjust to or enjoy the new location? We are both academics.
Edit: ...
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How to explain a life as a researcher to friends, family and partners who aren't?
My friends, family, and partner often mention that they worry about my life as an researcher/academic mentioning how I work too much (I love my job!) am never satisfied (I want to go great work, and ...
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Teaching timetable conflict
My wife and I teach at different universities. This is the first year that we have run into a timetabling conflict that makes dropping our son off at school difficult. The conflict involves wife's 200+...
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