What is the protocol regarding asking for academic recommendations? [more inside]
posted by crazylegs on Nov 17, 2009 - 20 answers

Should I apply to the same academic position twice? I was a finalist and they ended up not hiring anyone after everyone had interviewed (the job wasn't cut because of budget issues or something like that). They just decided not to fill it and passed on me. [more inside]
posted by jkl345 on Nov 12, 2009 - 25 answers

Where can I find personal stories of popular scholars on their life as students, phd candidates and/or professors? [more inside]
posted by jfricke on Nov 12, 2009 - 12 answers

How to choose a grad school? [more inside]
posted by 1024x768 on Nov 3, 2009 - 20 answers

Where can I get affordable online access to many academic journals? Generally only large university libraries have paid the expensive subscriptions for electronic access to academic journals. Sometimes these libraries let users access the journals online. But I am not affiliated with any university. Are there any libraries I can join by paying a fee, that would give me online access to many online journals? I need journals in biological and physical sciences.
posted by algal on Oct 25, 2009 - 21 answers

How does one apply for a postdoctoral position/fellowship/job? [more inside]
posted by Busoni on Oct 18, 2009 - 12 answers

Tell me why you decided NOT to pursue a PhD. [more inside]
posted by ms.codex on Oct 13, 2009 - 67 answers

What should the relation between academic research and commercial interests be? [more inside]
posted by fcummins on Sep 30, 2009 - 12 answers

How stringent are SSHRC's GPA requirements? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 20, 2009 - 10 answers

Advice for going on the academic job market? [more inside]
posted by k8t on Sep 16, 2009 - 16 answers

I want to develop a strong technical background in environmental issues, but don't want to leave the social sciences - my first passion and the thing in which I know I have actual talent - behind. What are some grad programs that will suit me? [more inside]
posted by geneva uswazi on Aug 24, 2009 - 7 answers

Anyone have career or life suggestions for a would-be “trailing spouse”? [more inside]
posted by Diagonalize on Aug 19, 2009 - 25 answers

looking for a career advisor that specializes in helping people find their area of academic research. [more inside]
posted by ThiefOfSweets on Jul 30, 2009 - 2 answers

What can I do to get a researcher position? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 29, 2009 - 2 answers

Canadian academic position, what goes in each of the cover letter, CV, research and teaching statements? [more inside]
posted by biffa on Jul 28, 2009 - 6 answers

Is completing my MBA a logical step towards a career in academia? [more inside]
posted by howiamdifferent on Jul 6, 2009 - 7 answers

Academic Resumefilter: The proceedings of a conference I presented a paper to were published in a special issue of a journal (and the papers under went an additional refereeing process). Should I include these under "journal articles" or must these be listed as "conference proceedings"?
posted by pseudonick on Jun 27, 2009 - 14 answers

Please, help me deal with a justified last-minute anxiety, regarding a Very Important oral presentation (end of the year research presentation), that will introduce a more than average research (due to personal problems, which interfered with academic work). Also, help me think about the right attitude to adopt towards my teachers on D-day. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 24, 2009 - 3 answers

I want a PhD in Mathematics, but I do not want to stay in academia. Is it worth it? [more inside]
posted by alligatorman on Jun 14, 2009 - 11 answers

I'd like to study about Comparative Literature, but as I've looked around at CompLit university departments it appears that there isn't really anything like an introductory course or textbook. [more inside]
posted by elfgirl on Jun 11, 2009 - 5 answers

I am getting a PhD in two years from a top research university. What I can I do now to help me get a job outside academia when I graduate? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 10, 2009 - 12 answers

I'm desperately bored working in the legal information sector and want to go back to university/get into academia, but I'm not quite sure how to get there. Very long winded background below. [more inside]
posted by shewhoeats on Jun 7, 2009 - 7 answers

Student/former professor romance. Personal experiences and anecdotes are welcome. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 30, 2009 - 29 answers

What are the chances that I will be able to get a job outside of my discipline following completion of the PhD? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 22, 2009 - 13 answers

I'm at that point in my PhD where my experiment is (almost) up and running, so I have more free time to do other stuff. I've decided that writing a general introduction to my thesis will be less beneficial than trying to get a review article published. How do I go about writing a review article, from the perspective of an unpublished graduate student? [more inside]
posted by doctor.dan on May 16, 2009 - 12 answers

What are more commonly found in US middle and high schools- PC or Mac? [more inside]
posted by Kellydamnit on May 13, 2009 - 26 answers

Academia must have discovered the Internets by now... right? I'm interested in finding some academic, long-form journalism, or just generally "high-thought" articles about "low" Internet culture, from memes to 4chan to Anonymous to Second Life. Halp?! [more inside]
posted by Keter on May 6, 2009 - 16 answers

What's the new, strange and exciting writing in the humanities? [more inside]
posted by Kattullus on Apr 19, 2009 - 16 answers

I'm in a humanities field and I will likely need to learn multiple languages. As a Master's student, I'm scheduled to take around 3-4 courses each semester, with much of my second year devoted to research and writing a master's dissertation. My question concerns foreign language prep....when is the optimal time to do that? Do I travel abroad this summer and shore up on what I know? Or do I take care of the problem during my first few semesters? What are the pros and cons of traveling abroad vis a vis taking care of the problem domestically (e.g., either at my school or some other program in the states, unaffiliated with my school)? [more inside]
posted by Genco_Olive_Oil on Apr 8, 2009 - 8 answers

I'm putting together a writing guide for my undergraduate philosophy course. What information should I put in the guide? [more inside]
posted by philosophygeek on Apr 1, 2009 - 14 answers

Applying for AHRC funding for an Art PhD. Any advice? [more inside]
posted by 0bvious on Mar 30, 2009 - 0 answers

Hey all, I'm an incoming master's student with plans to apply to my institution's PhD program after my master's. As the first person in my family to go to college (let alone graduate school), I am quite green in many respects. What I'm really worried about is the professor(s) I want to work with in the future--how do I go about developing a professional relationship with them? I'm afraid of creating a negative impression about myself if I keep badgering them during office hours and blatantly trying to ingratiate myself with them. Also, any advice you could give me would be really helpful--especially with regards to a master's student in the humanities field. What should be my main focus and what common errors should I avoid?
posted by Genco_Olive_Oil on Mar 28, 2009 - 12 answers

Help me find a (Virginia Woolf?) quote about the "Poor School." [more inside]
posted by toomuchkatherine on Mar 5, 2009 - 4 answers

If you're a grad student or academic, how do you read new articles and books? Do you take notes/marginalia? Do you read some parts systematically and skim/ignore the rest? Read each piece multiple times? Do you find you learn more from reading than from talking with others or attending presentations? Please indicate what field you're in.
posted by shivohum on Mar 3, 2009 - 22 answers

Are there any academics who specialize in criticizing/studying academia? What are their names? [more inside]
posted by Dr. Send on Feb 25, 2009 - 27 answers

Is a masters in Political Science worth it? Or should I look at other two year options like Urban and Regional Planning? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 11, 2009 - 10 answers

Where are some places that a social scientist with a PhD can go to work? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 22, 2009 - 11 answers

I'm 21 years old, about to graduate college, and the recession is freaking me out. I know there's no right or wrong answer to which course my life should take, but I need help focusing on realistic skills and places to live that I should be considering. [more inside]
posted by Muffpub on Jan 7, 2009 - 20 answers

I'm going to be entering a research-oriented doctoral program in clinical or counseling psychology this fall. Any tips on how to be a student who gets the most out of graduate school and prepares optimally for a successful academic career?
posted by shivohum on Jan 5, 2009 - 13 answers

Comment on the current academic job market, and the likelihood of scoring a tenure-track position in the Earth Sciences. [more inside]
posted by capitalist.pig on Dec 5, 2008 - 13 answers

Is there any truth to the stereotype of the absent-minded and/or mad professor? [more inside]
posted by [ixia] on Dec 1, 2008 - 14 answers

As a senior-level science PhD student, how do I find an academic conference to go to? And how do I know if a conference is going to be suitable, both it for me and vice versa? [more inside]
posted by shelleycat on Nov 26, 2008 - 9 answers

I have fucked up yet another academic semester. This is the third time--I fucked up as a freshman, took time off, came back, fucked up again, took more time off, and came back and have repeated the cycle. Only now, now that I've realized I've shot myself in the foot again, I desperately want to recover my academic career somehow. Is it possible? Is it over? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 19, 2008 - 34 answers

Wanting to leave academia after astrophysics PhD (oscillations in atmospheres of rotating starts, planets and discs). Need some feedback, tags, hints, keywords, that I should search in google and some suggestions of where my skills (look in the extended explanation) would be appreciated. [more inside]
posted by gradstu1980 on Nov 9, 2008 - 11 answers

How can I accompany my unmarried non-same-sex partner who has been offered a job in the UK? [more inside]
posted by tractorfeed on Nov 3, 2008 - 13 answers

What are some awesome Twitter feeds - cool people or information I need to know? [more inside]
posted by l33tpolicywonk on Nov 3, 2008 - 15 answers

Should I get a Ph.D.? [more inside]
posted by valkyryn on Nov 2, 2008 - 43 answers

How do I get published in policy and trade magazines? [more inside]
posted by Spurious on Oct 30, 2008 - 4 answers

Those of you doing [post]graduate degrees...what exactly are you doing? [more inside]
posted by divabat on Oct 22, 2008 - 14 answers

Seeking a field that blends radical left-wing politics and sustainability with technology without diluting any of them. [more inside]
posted by youcancallmeal on Oct 16, 2008 - 14 answers