135
votes
Accepted
I insulted a professor by using an anti-Semitic slur in a department seminar. How bad is this?
That is very bad. Not because of how anti-Semitism is viewed in the west, or because this person is a professor, but because that is a disrespectful thing to say to anyone.
From the career side (which,...
- 8,105
96
votes
Accepted
How to show special respect to a famous PhD advisor?
I don't know what field you're in, but in mine, writing such a paper would be viewed as unnecessary and perhaps a bit strange. You seem to feel that you don't deserve your place with this supervisor, ...
- 20.1k
83
votes
How to build healthy working relationships with my male colleagues as a young-ish, attractive-ish woman?
I will answer here because it may help to have a female perspective. I will note that most of my points are covered by the male answers. The thing that is missing is a firsthand perspective, which I ...
- 15k
82
votes
How to build healthy working relationships with my male colleagues as a young-ish, attractive-ish woman?
If there are any female faculty that you trust, I would go and talk with them about the situation. This would accomplish a few things.
Documents your concerns if anything ever escalates.
Allows for ...
- 18.6k
78
votes
Why did UK quit Erasmus?
Eramus+ is an EU-funded program. Non-EU countries can join, but need an agreement with the EU. Since the UK is no longer part of the EU, and they've yet to conclude an agreement with the EU, they can'...
- 117k
77
votes
Accepted
In what language do scientists communicate with each other in European research institutions?
From my perspective of working in multiple European universities in different countries:
In a "closed" conversation setting, it will exclusively depend on the people involved in the ...
- 25.2k
75
votes
I insulted a professor by using an anti-Semitic slur in a department seminar. How bad is this?
We can’t say how it will affect your career, but it does sound pretty bad, and not the sort of behavior that will be allowed to pass without any consequences in an academic workplace in France or ...
- 181k
65
votes
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Why are US PhDs different from European PhDs?
First, let me start off with a counter-question:
Why would you expect them to be exactly the same?
Different regions have historically different educational systems on all levels, starting from ...
- 132k
63
votes
Accepted
A potentially trans student is misgendered in university records. What should I do?
If you must do something (an assumption I would encourage you to question), then probably the best way to help the student avoid uncomfortable situations, without actually putting them in exactly the ...
- 181k
62
votes
Accepted
Is it common to drop 50% of PhD students in a program?
I am quite surprised to hear that a serious math grad program in the U.S. still operates in this fashion.
Yes, decades ago, this was somewhat the style, sadly.
Our/my program has not operated this way ...
- 83.8k
55
votes
Teaching the daughter of a lecturer, while being simultaneously enrolled in his course
I’ve had to teach colleagues children, nephews, and even the son & daughter of the Dean.
Be professional. Treat and grade them the same as any other student. They also think “oh sh*t s/he knows ...
- 28.1k
53
votes
I insulted a professor by using an anti-Semitic slur in a department seminar. How bad is this?
Most of the other answers have focussed specifically on the anti-semitism. I want to highlight a wider point.
A key skill for an academic is to be able to handle criticism in a calm and professional ...
- 16.7k
51
votes
Does any country have free college & open admissions?
Here is an overview of the situation in Germany, where there are no tuition fees for Bachelor and Master programs at public universities (though student union fees and public transport fees totaling ...
- 8,359
50
votes
Is education in Europe really this cheap?
Yes European higher education can be fairly cheap for the students, especially in those countries where universities are mainly public, and hence are largely funded by their respective governments. ...
- 2,351
49
votes
Accepted
Do universities prefer not to hire their own PhD graduates in faculty positions?
At my university - or at least in my department - the norm seems to be that they prefer to hire externally for tenure-track jobs (speaking from experience serving on a search committee for a tenure-...
- 2,360
48
votes
How to show special respect to a famous PhD advisor?
I have worked with supervisors who are very humble while successful to those who are extremely egoistic due to their accomplishments. In my personal opinion, it is not wise to give Godly status to any ...
- 2,388
45
votes
I insulted a professor by using an anti-Semitic slur in a department seminar. How bad is this?
At that moment that you realized that you need to leave the seminar, I believe your instinct told you that it is very bad and it is going to affect you and your career.
The most important thing, which ...
- 3,565
45
votes
How should I email quite a few professors for PhD positions while also not 'mass emailing'?
As somebody who has received quite a few of these emails in their lifetime (most clearly mass mailings, but occasionally also from people who seemed genuinely interested in my work), I would say your &...
- 132k
44
votes
Accepted
How do I know how well I am progressing in my PhD?
In my observation over some decades (in mathematics), I think it is nearly impossible for a PhD student to gauge their own progress. Sure, it is possible to know whether one feels discouraged or ...
- 83.8k
42
votes
I insulted a professor by using an anti-Semitic slur in a department seminar. How bad is this?
I live in Israel, am probably older than you are and maybe older than the professor.
We are used to those exchanges and conflicts, online and face to face.
From your description of the way the ...
- 597
41
votes
Accepted
What is the "chalk talk" at job interviews?
I can't comment on how common this is outside of biomedical sciences (my field), but it's becoming quite common in this field.
In terms of what it is, the "Chalk Talk" is a chance for you to talk ...
- 496
41
votes
Why did UK quit Erasmus?
Participation in Erasmus probably requires accepting the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. See Wikipedia for an example of a ECJ decision involving Erasmus. Google Search shows more.
...
- 41.6k
41
votes
A potentially trans student is misgendered in university records. What should I do?
an undergrad student in a course I teach
Your job is teaching this student. The gender in the university records has no relevance to that job that I can think of. Don't do anything unless the ...
- 92.3k
39
votes
Accepted
Could Brexit negatively affect PhD students in the UK who are EU nationals?
Update on 2016-06-28: The UK Government has put out an official statement on this issue.
The short answer is "We don't know yet, but for a PhD program likely not."
The terms of Brexit have ...
- 10.3k
39
votes
Adding a quiz to an application form
Frankly, if I were a good candidate for your position, I might find it insulting and look elsewhere.
Note that if you try to automate the hiring process in some way, even partially, you will get both ...
- 315k
34
votes
Why am I getting rejection in PhD admission after interview?
Don't try to infer anything from such a rejection. The possibilities are too vast. It may be that many good students used this university as their backup plan in case they weren't accepted elsewhere ...
- 315k
33
votes
When do most students publish in a European PhD?
Probably, you have an incorrect picture of European PhDs.
There are significant differences in the paths that lead to a PhD in the US and in Europe. Several of these differences have been already ...
- 55.3k
32
votes
Is a PhD from a developing country worth paying for?
I don't think it's possible to give an answer in the abstract. In general I wouldn't recommend paying a lot for a Ph.D. program anywhere, but it depends on how much they charge and how much money you ...
32
votes
Does any country have free college & open admissions?
Well, it depends how strict you are with the terms "open" and "free":
Open:
Most European countries I am familiar with (Austria, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland) are actually fairly open in terms of ...
- 132k
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