Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with gradschool

Grad School Career Realignment?

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:51:55 -0800

I'm starting my second year of a Ph.D program and I'm stressed and upset. Help! I am in a small research group within a large department. I like my adviser on a personal level, but project management doesn't seem to happen here (in terms of formal requirements, etc), so I'm always chasing a moving target and have no way to evaluate my own performance, and some of the core assumptions of our work don't make sense to me. In many cases, I feel like we're trying to produce good PR instead of good research. Maybe that's the case everywhere, but it's frustrating me here. Several people I know in this group left at the end of last year, so I know I'm not the only one feeling this way. I stayed, and they liked my work enough that they gave me more funding this year. Unfortunately, I don't like my own work and it's making me crazy to work on it. Were this commercial, I'd stick it out 'til the end of the project and see what comes next, but there is no next project -- I'm supposed to love this thing enough to spend insane hours on it for the next several years, and I don't.

So the question is: how realistic is it to think that I could change advisors/projects a year in? There are other groups doing work I'm interested in, but their faculty are already at a full advising load. I got a lead on one project outside the department that I think I would've been qualified for, but the faculty in charge is affiliated partially with my current dept and I was scared that it was close enough that these people would be angry at me for leaving and make my life even more hellish. I didn't apply, and now that window has closed. I sort of want to go for the next opportunity I see, but I don't want to burn bridges to the point that any new team I find will be haunted by the old team.

I'd also consider trying to get my adviser to put me on a new project, but enough effort has been spent on this one that I think I may be in too deep to get out. Thoughts on this angle?

Caveats: My adviser has spent a fair amount of time and resources on me. I'm worried that any sense of dissent at this point will be greeted with anger and loss of funding/position.

Graduate School: Mixing Literature and Classical Political Philosophy

Outis — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:51:37 -0800

I'm interested in (further) graduate studies combining Political Philosophy/Theory and Literature. Any ideas about finding programs that mesh the two? I have a year left of a MA in Classical - Modern (no Post-modern) Philosophy alongside a mixture of Ancient Greek and British Literature program. Since starting I've developed a major interest in Classical Political Philosophy and its relationship to Literature. More specifically I'm fascinated by Plato's literary style and the art of the modern novel.

I know precisely how I can combine the two, but where can I go to study such? I know it's rather particular, but that's what I'm interested in. I also realize "The Novel" is a bit general, but it's the genre as a whole I study: Don Quixote, Dostoevsky, Joyce, et cetera.

Will I have to pretty much design my curriculum to make it some interdisciplinary studies thing?

I have no interest in Marxist, Post-modern/Post-structuralism theory. I'm familiar with it and that's all I need or care for.

I'm interested in teaching but I have no delusions of grandeur. Actually, I'm currently looking to teach high school English and Government/Civics. No need to tell me about abysmal tenure availability at university level and such. Also, I have no debt and cost isn't too much of an issue either. (Not that I'm looking to pay.)

Oh. My BA is in English.

Thanks.

Chances for ex-lawyer to enter clinical psych PhD?

shivohum — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:58:33 -0800

I'm a lawyer from a top law school with a year of work experience. I want to become an academic clinical psychologist (professor + therapist). After 9 months in a master's program, what will my admissions chances look like? I have no formal psychological background, thus my plan to enroll in a master's degree program before going for the Ph.D. Assuming the masters starts this spring, and I apply to PhD programs in the fall of 2009, how competitive will I be?

Assume:
-my undergrad grades are from a top-25 college and are excellent and my law school grades are only average (though from a top-5 law school)
-that I do very well in my psychology master's courses
-that I do very well on the GRE general and psych subject tests
-that I get some reasonable research experience in my 9 months, but it's limited by the fact that it's only been 9 months
-that I get good letters of recommendation from my psych professors (though again, whom I've only known for 9 months)
-that I have a good personal statement
-that I have maybe some internship experience, though this might happen after during the master's program after I apply and before I actually attend the PhD program

1. Would I be a:

-very strong (>75% admission chance to a top program)
-strong (40-75% chance)
-not so strong (<40% chance)

candidate to clinical psych programs? If I'd be average or below-average, is there anything else I could do to improve my chances?

2. Also, how much does the quality of the master's program influence your chances of admission into doctoral programs? If there's a serious influence, is there any good set of rankings I could use to decide which master's program to attend?

3. If I could attend a master's program which would give me a very strong "pipeline" into the school's doctoral program, would I be a fool not to attend that master's program, even if the school might be somewhat more expensive than alternatives?

4. Are there any good discussion forums where psych students or soon-to-be students talk about this stuff?

Thanks!

Grad school panic

NormandyJack — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:10:54 -0800

I'm panicking right now about the prospects going back to grad school at the end of the summer. I've lost the ability to think straight about my situation. I need some help. I’ve looked through a lot of posts for help, including my own a few months ago, and even contacted some MeFites privately about this (and thank you if you are reading this, I still really appreciate it). But I think its worth posting about.

For the sake of anonymity, I’m in “humanities”, and I’ve been studying with a quantitative bent. Jobs in my field claim to require a master’s degree or 3-5yrs experience as a minimum (neither of which I have unless you count grad school and undergrad as “experience”), but I think this could be circumvented. I’m the typical age for someone who went straight to grad school.

This will run long (sorry), but “key points” and “questions” are identified at the end.

so...

Junior year, I start to question the major I had switched into, and see a career counselor at the college about it. My confidence is renewed. I continue to maintain a very high GPA. My advisors strongly encourage me to go to grad school and strongly discourage all fields but this one. I comply. Since I’m rejected by my first choice, I end up committing to my second choice, one of the top programs in my field and actually better than my top choice. Before I start, I begin to question my decision. I tell some friends about my concerns, and they put a professional career counselor in touch with me (yeah, they actually had her call me). She offers her services for free and insists I come in for one session. I leave the session no more confident but I believe I should “give it a try” for a year or two, then leave with a masters if my concerns are confirmed.

The first academic year of grad school goes by just fine. I’m so incredibly busy I forget about my worries. The stress of being busy never gets me down. I’m pretty bored in classes, but that’s nothing new. At the end of the academic year, I feel ok with the thought of going on. The program is wonderful, the people are a delight, and I feel respected as an individual and a researcher. Summer, isn’t busy since I’m only doing research. By the end of summer, I’m questioning everything again. The school year starts, I’m busy, and forget about my concerns. Then winter break rolls along, my research isn’t doing too well. My concerns turn into distaste. I realize I can’t distinguish between being disappointed with my research and a general distaste for the field. Winter break ends and I’m back in classes. Being busy doesn’t disguise my misgivings anymore. I’m constantly bored in classes, talks, and meetings. I apply for a fellowship anyway and wait to hear. I talk to one of my close friends in the program about my concerns. He feels the same way, which I suspected was the case. I’m glad that I’m not alone. He is and will be the only person I tell that is involved with the program.

By the end of the academic year, I’m drained. Work is a chore like never before. I’m bored out of my mind just thinking about it. I need to push hard just to work on each assignment. Everything else about the program is still great. I love my colleagues as friends and enjoy the professors as people. We all get along. I can’t imagine a better grad school environment; this never changes. But I don’t care about what I’m doing anymore, I can’t picture a happy future for myself in this field and it seems I don’t like academia in general. I don’t want to continue. But, I’ve got nothing to show for the work I’ve done, and that scares me. I decide I should just wait and see, maybe getting a masters and leaving is a good idea. Time ends up making matters worse. I really don’t want to go back. All of a sudden everyone is saying “congratulations”, while I’m thinking “oh s**t”. That fellowship I applied for, I got. People had my back on this one, wrote me letters of recommendation, and went to bat for me when necessary and it worked. I decide to commit to the fellowship; I’d get more money, more recognition, more freedom. What other “more”s could I want? Oh wait, more work? No, I don’t want it, but I’ll get it.

Back to summer research. It still sucks, I’m ashamed of my work, but acknowledge it’s not all my fault. Despite the lack of success I still feel I am respected. My stress levels go up anyway and guilt enters the picture over the fellowship. This is a special fellowship, in house--or in university anyway. My friends were competing for it too and were turned down. I feel undeserving because I do not deserve. By awarding this fellowship to me, people I know and people I don’t are betting on my success as an academic and researcher. I assume because of this, a leave of absence is no longer an option. I worry that if I do leave early, future recommendations may not be so glowing. The feelings I’ve been having become very confused.

My research has a sudden success, results are good. I don’t feel good about it though. Maybe it’s because I still don’t care about my work, and dislike it at this point. Then I find a stupid mistake. Turns out it was a false alarm my research isn’t going well as I thought it was. While good results didn’t make me feel better, finding out the good results weren’t real, that sure makes me feel a whole lot worse. My willingness to grin and abide has been dashed. I don’t feel like I can go on in this program any more. The academic year is fast approaching and I want to dodge it.

You are now up to date.

Thank you if you actually read all that. If not please at least read the key points:

--I’ve had misgivings about my presence in the field since junior year as an undergrad
--I’ve seen two career counselors about my concerns.
--I don’t care about the work I do anymore. I’ve lost interest in the field. I don’t think I want to be in academia.
--I’ve had a tendency to be dishonest with myself and others over my feelings about the field (I say I like it when I don’t, I think I’m in it for the wrong reasons)
--The program is great academically and socially; I actually like the environment and the people.
--I’m good at the coursework.
--I’ve been unsuccessful with, but not necessarily “bad” at, the research.
--Even when the research appears to be going well my feelings don’t change.
--I’ve been offered and accepted a fellowship that others worked to make sure I get. My classmates (who are my friends) wanted it but didn’t get offers. This fellowship actually gives some people (potential recommenders for future applications) a stake in my success.
--I’m feeling fear, apprehension, guilt, panic, anxiety, and shame over the situation
--I think I want out, now.

So here are my questions.

Do I suck it up and continue, or is spending your time in intellectual and emotional misery not worth the payoff?

If I can’t get a master’s, which I believe is the case if I left now, am I shooting myself in the foot by leaving. Will the skills I’ve gained go completely unrecognized and will the hole in my resume damage my future prospects either in the job market or another graduate program? Would getting a master’s actually add so much to make it worth it?

Can I quit without alienating a) the friends who wanted but didn’t get the fellowship, b) the professors who recommended me c) the “program” that now has a stake in my success because of that fellowship? If so, how?

Am I just letting the panic I’m feeling right now get the better of me?

Oh, and I should also say. Despite my last post on the topic, I’m not very clear on what I would want to do or could do instead. Though I do wish I had a more marketable degree.

What's the worst part of being an archivist?

Roman Graves — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:02:53 -0800

I'm thinking of going back to school to study public history, but I'm not sure what angle yet. Tell me all the juicy (read: horrible) details about being an archivist. The stuff I'm not likely to get from schools or job descriptions.

Do I buy a new laptop before I know if I need it?

Galt — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 21:28:01 -0800

LaptopFilter: Do I get a new one tomorrow because I'll have the money and it's a good machine, or do I keep on with my trusty older machine that hasn't given me a touch of trouble yet? Much (maybe too much) I’ve got a HP Pavillion dv1000 – I bought it for cheapz, on sale for around $700 and it’s served me well; it’s small, it’s keyboard is amazing, I rarely run into battery/CPU constraints. I’ve also got a 2.33GhZ iMac – I use it for most of my video/media/fun stuff. The HP has been my windows machine for two years now, and it’s got a lot of stuff installed on it – office, flash, adobe cs, two versions of cygwin, multiple versions of visual studio, eclipse, apache, five versions of java, sdks, plugins, the works. I need to have a windows machine, and I'm not spending more than a thousand dollars on a laptop, so the first person who suggests I get a MacBook and put boot camp on it can defenestrate themselves.

I’m starting grad school next week (a one year masters program), and I’m wondering if I should get a new laptop. Specifically, I’m eyeing the Sony Vaio FW, on sale for a shade over a thousand dollars at Best Buy. A part of me says that my 1.5Ghz, 1GB RAM two year old loss-leader laptop won’t survive constant use in software engineering grad classes. That part says that a 16.4” screen will be better than my 14.1” screen, and a Core 2 duo with 2.26GhZ and 3GB of RAM will be great for any needs (not to mention that I might be able to play team fortress 2 without having to reboot my computer every night, something I haven’t even attempted on the HP). And my parents are here, now, helping me move in. Through reimbursing them later, I could most easily get access to the money to buy it - but only tomorrow (because that much is over the limit of my existing credit cards, my checkbook is back at home and without my own internet, I’m hesitant to manage my money online right now. So I could have the money myself…in a week or two, maybe). Given how much I’m into technology and how much I’ll be working on the laptop, I’m not sure that I’ll be able to resist.

The other part of me looks at how much I’ve already spent moving in and looks at how much is installed on the HP. It’s worked fine so far – virus free, defect free, glitch free for two years. The only problem is that the fan introduces a whine into the audio feed, so it’s hard to watch videos or listen to music on it. I have no pressing need to get a new laptop. This part of me says to wait, see what classes are like and maybe try out team fortress 2 on the HP. Be reasonable, it says. And don’t impuse-buy. It’s important to be able to control yourself. Some stuff (Flash) I wouldn’t be able to install on the new computer, and I’m not sure of other’s compatibility with Vista (Adobe CS2?).

But then the first part kicks in and says that I’ve got some money in savings and what’s it for if not fun stuff? Most of the stuff I should be able to get onto a new machine in a week or two, and it’ll be good to clean house.

But then the second part says, “oh, yes, and you’ll make how much money this year? And can’t you clean house by /cleaning/ instead of, to continue this analogy, buidling a new house next door and wrecking the first one?”

And the first part says, “It’s a great deal, it’s a beautiful laptop, and it’ll last! Think of it as an investment. Or a continuing plan to stay on top of technology. You’ll need to be able to work with Vista. You can’t reasonably expect to build software without even having a machine that runs it. And everyone else will have Vista, too.”

And the second part says that it’s not critical and the first part says “you’ll end up buying it anyway” and the part of me that doesn’t war with its self says, “I wish I had some less biased input!”

So, hive mind, some help? Wait and see, or just get it?

What are grad schools looking for?

Anonymous — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:41:55 -0800

I want to get into an excellent CS grad school, but I have no idea what I'm supposed to do, or what they're looking for. I'm currently a computer science major at UC Berkeley (starting junior year), but I don't know what I need to do to get into grad school. I haven't done much in the past 2 years, unforunately - no jobs, no internships, no interesting projets - and I only have a B average in my technical courses. In fact, I feel my only defining characteristic is that I'm double majoring in music.

Aside from improving my grades (which I'll try to do next semester), what should I do to become a more viable candidate for the top CS grad schools (particularly in England), and where can I find more information on this topic? What else will I have to do to get into grad school? (i.e., letters of rec, etc.)

(I feel one of my main problems is that I only started programming a year ago, so I don't really know how to do much yet.)

Yet another grad school advice question

fictionalcara — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:26:42 -0800

How does an aspiring graduate student in English traverse the confusion of the graduate school application process? I am four years removed from my undergraduate career (University of Washington, English, 3.39 overall GPA, closer to 3.6 major GPA) with a bit of a complicated history. I was an all-college honors student, one of the only humanities recipients of an undergraduate research grant from the Mary Gates Foundation and 3.85 overall GPA holder until near the end of my junior year when, according to the un-funniest Hollywood script, things fell apart. I dropped out of the extra honors workload both at the all-college level and within the English Department and barely managed to squeak through my senior year with poor grades to make it to commencement, knowing I had to complete one class within my major the summer after commencement in order to finish the requirements for my degree. As you may guess, I never finished the last class and instead silently drifted away from the University with horrible guilt and disappointment.

Fast-forward 3 years later, after having worked one-too-many restaurant jobs and flitting about with little true responsibility, I woke up and began to rediscover my first true love for academics. I was finally ready to confront my old undergraduate demons and just finish once and for all. Despite having moved to CA, I discovered that I need only take any transferable English course at my local community college in order to satisfy the last remining requirement for my degree. Last semester I did just that, and now I finally have my piece of paper! In addition, my preparation for the graduate school application process has included:

- Refreshing my 7 years of Spanish
- Beginning French (if I am able to start grad school in the Fall of '09 I will have completed two full years of college French)
- Studying for the GRE
- Studying for the GRE Subject Test in Literature (Norton Anthologies, reading some of the Big Names)
- Taking two undergraduate level English courses at UCLA starting in a few weeks, in hopes of showing promising and current university-level work, plus two letters of recommendation

When I originally went to college I wanted to teach. The longer I was in school (before the break-down), the more I realized that I wanted to mold college-aged minds. Truthfully I would like to teach literature at a small, liberal arts university, but since the process of that coming to be is potentially very far off, at this point I am happy with the idea of getting my masters and then considering the possibility of teaching at a community college first.

Ideally I would like to go somewhere that will allow for teaching experience and offer as much funding as possible. From what I can tell, the Cal State system which is local and convenient to me does not fit that mold. However what are the chances that I would be competitive (depending on test scores and recommendations, I realize) as an applicant to higher programs, either masters or doctorate level? The maze of offerings is positively dizzying. Some offer only terminal masters, with or without funding, some offer only doctoral level programs straight from a BA with or without funding, some are big names and others are not, but I need to find ones that are appropriate for me. I am afraid to be so clueless as to apply to schools that are either way out of my league, or overlook the smaller name hidden gem that would have been perfect for me, had I only known about it.

My question is, how do I know where I need to go considering my experience and aspirations? Given my academic record and current status, where should I be concentrating my attentions? Short of manually looking at the website of every degree-granting institution, how do I find the right fit?

If it helps, my interest lies in 19th and 20th century American Literature and Culture, Gender Studies, Transnational Studies and Cinema Studies (my undergraduate research combined women silent film stars, transnational dialogues within literature, popular culture and advertisements with 19th and early 20th century feminist literature).

Personal experiences are also very welcome: fictionalcara@gmail.com

Formal Time Commitment to Hobby + Grad School = ?

Alterscape — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 10:51:43 -0800

I am about to begin my 2nd year as a Ph.D student in a hybrid comp-sci/multimedia/engineering program. I took up soaring this summer for the sake of my mental health (and to fulfill a long-time dream), and I'm loving it. Should I join an organization that will make flying more economical, but will require a firm time commitment? I currently rent a glider from a commercial operation, which affords me scheduling flexibility but is expensive. I am considering joining a club which is much less financially demanding, but requires volunteer service to maintain the airfield/aircraft and for operations. The time commitment is more or less identical (I should be flying once a week to keep my skills up), but the club requires monthly volunteer work (which, because of the distance, amounts to a full day of non-school time).

Part of me says "join the club, because you'll be obligated to fly frequently and spend time around pleasant, wise people who are not in academia. This will keep you sane. There's still six full days in the week to get everything else finished. Besides, you're a poor grad student; any money you can save is good money."

Part of me says "To be a good grad student, you should be ready to work around the clock on projects if need be, even weekends." However, last year has taught me that following this train of thought leads to a burnt out, grumpy me who does things like learning to fly in the interests of mental health.

I'm interested in opinions from both grad students and aviators. Is it realistic to think that as I progress through my Ph.D, if I work diligently during the week, I can take a full day of "me time" one weekend day a week (or even, let's be realistic, every other weekend)?

Adviser Anxiety -- help me get to office hours!

puckish — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:39:39 -0800

How do I stop freaking out about orals advising? Grappling with the age-old problem of adviser anxiety: After much internal debate, I'm working with Professor X on my orals exams (for literature). The problem? I cannot talk to him, and I'm getting dangerously close to the syndrome of "avoiding his office hours until absolutely necessary." It sucks! What can I do to change it?

There is some background here. I did my M.A. with the same adviser, which was a largely disappointing experience -- partly because I feel like I didn't get particularly good feedback, mostly because we just didn't communicate very well. Part of the reason why I chose this graduate program is because I really like his work, and because he is himself a fantastic resource -- really smart, constantly "on," but tends to think aloud in a really inaccessible free associative way. The problem is that I simply *can't talk to this man.* I don't know how to interject into the series of conversations that he's interested in having. I don't know how to link them to the ideas that I'm interested in talking about. I don't know how to kick the overwhelming feeling self-doubt that crashes down *every time* I leave his office hours.

At this point, I'm so anxious and flustered that I can barely hold a conversation with him. Switching advisers is an option, of course, but not a very good one -- for one thing, he's solidly in my field and doing work I'm quite interested in, and for another, it's certainly not so much of a problem that I *wouldn't* work with him (this seems like a really dumb reason to switch advisers). What I want, really, is to be able to figure out how to talk to him - that is, to be less self-conscious, to stop freaking out, and to figure out how to cross this communication gap.

I hate the avoidance thing - there lies the road to self-loathing and shoddy work. How do I get over myself and make this work?

Some background info: My field is 20th c. British literature. The field in question is nationalism and imperialism - mostly 19th c. political theory (Hobson, Mill, Bentham, etc), which I'm fine with, but also a smattering of 20th c. critical theorists (Deleuze, Habermas et al), with whom I am on decidedly shakier ground. Particularly with the more recent theorists I do feel kind of overwhelmed by the weight of everything I don't know. Again - not a new, unique, or particularly interesting neurosis - but obviously less than ideal.

Disaffected grad students, faculty, scholarly mefites -- please help!

What can I do to save up as much money as possible as quickly as possible before I begin grad school?

lxs — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:52:17 -0800

How can I make as much money as possible in the month before I move to NYC to begin grad school? I'm moving to NYC in exactly one month to begin grad school. I have a fellowship and will get a part-time job when I get there, but am trying to earn/save up as much money as possible to increase that good ole financial cushion.

I have a 9-5 job already, but am not allowed to work overtime. I scour craigslist gigs but rarely find anything or am chosen for the things I apply for. I've sold all my extra books and CDs, I did find a occasional babysitting gig, do freelance writing when I can (which isn't as often or well-paid as I'd like, c'est la vie), and am on some lists for focus groups that occasionally prove fruitful - none of these have yielded much in the way of income, however. I'd rather not get a retail job evenings just because I like to have a few hours at home (even if I spend them working) and I am going to be moving so soon. I have no waitressing experience.

Is there anything else I can be doing to make money fast?

How to balance my budget and my social life?

cortisol — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:36:02 -0800

I will be starting graduate school in the fall (thanks for the great advice on my previous question!), and going from a quite comfortable salary to a typical grad student's pay. Obviously, in order to keep my budget balanced I will have to cut back considerably on eating out and other costly entertainments. How can I maintain some kind of social life without going broke, and without offending my friends? In the past, when I was worried about my finances, I've turned down invitations to eat out on that basis. I realized, though, that it could look to my friends as though spending time with them was worth less than the ten bucks for lunch. Situations like this, where I feel like I have to choose between spending money I can't afford or offending people I care about, tend to make me very stressed and anxious--which just exacerbates the problem.

Things are going to be particularly difficult because I won't just be socializing with fellow penniless grad students; I already have quite a few good friends in the city where I'll be attending school. This is great, of course, but most of them have Real Jobs and are used to eating at nice restaurants. Am I just going to have to find polite excuses to turn down most of their invitations (I'm sure I'll be busy enough to excuse myself without mentioning money) or is there some other solution?

New England & American Studies Programs - Help Make Me Smart About Them

Miko — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:40:58 -0800

American Studies scholars, please help me compare 2 programs in New England and American Studies and get some general advice. I'm at the very beginning of the exploratory phase of choosing a graduate program in American studies. There are two programs in New England & American Studies that I'm seriously considering, and I'm interested in the reactions or comparisons that people familiar with the field, or the schools in question, can give.

They are:
American and New England Studies at Boston University
American and New England Studies at the University of Southern Maine

I don't have a background in American studies, specifically (I have a BA in English, and a lot of coursework and professional training in literature, public history, Museum Studies, history, and folklore, but need to complete a degree-granting program, preferably MA but with the possibility of a PhD). How do these programs compare? Are you aware of their reputations in the field? What sort of person is suited to which program? From my early perusals, it's clear the BU program is much older and has produced more heavy-hitting graduates and more career academics. I'm likely to have a mixed career that includes teaching college and adminstering public history or cultural heritage nonprofits. I'm looking for anything to help me think more clearly about each of these programs. I'm a bit biased toward the USM one, simply because it would be easy for me to live in Portland, not so easy to live in Boston. USM also seems to have a stronger relationship with the field of folklore, which is important to me. But BU seems to have the more established program.

Also, I'd love any general knowledge, links, or resources about American Studies, as a field. Since it's new to me, I don't know the foundations. Please recommend books, associations, etc. And feel free to let me know of the pros and cons of taking a degree in American Studies.

Thanks in advance!

How does one sort out grad school?

prunes — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:08:00 -0800

I have been trying to figure out what to do for graduate studies for over a year now. Help! I have always been somewhat of a dilettante. I own prep books for no less than three graduate exams (the GRE, GMAT, and LSAT). I have, to date, taken zero exams. This is primarily because I keep bouncing back and forth on what I think I want to do.

For a long time I was set on going into business. I studied economics undergrad and I planned to go to a top 10 business school after I had gotten enough work experience. I ended up working for the financial advisory group of a Big Four firm. Today marks my first-year anniversary, in fact. But working here has allowed me to recognize that business might not be for me. What I most enjoy is working on big deals, designing creative solutions for problems, and, of course, the pay.

But I feel that by working in such a competitive corporate environment I am being forced to forsake my intellectual curiosity. For whatever reason I feel I'm not being true to myself. I see myself being happier as a professor--in what discipline I am unsure. (One of my hesitations, however, is that I lack the obsession for a particular discipline; indeed, my interests are more broad.) And so since graduating I have also considered graduate programs in:

-Economics (I don't have the math skills)
-International Relations/Political Science
-Law

After a year of trying to sort my grad school program out I feel I have made no ground. How can I sort out what to do with myself?

How to get into a bio grad school program after another career?

sherlockt — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:28:51 -0800

How can I improve my chances of getting into a biological sciences grad program 10+ years post-college? Is it even feasible? This may be a bit long. I've always loved the sciences, especially biology and chemistry, did very well in those subjects in high school and started out college a biochemistry major. Due to a lot of pressures I won't go into here I made a boneheaded move and after my first (academically stellar) semester of college I switched my major to psychology. I never was exactly happy with the switch, and toward the end of college took a lot of science classes on the side, so I finished up college with a lot of the basics under my belt (1 year physics, chem, organic chem, anatomy and physiology, etc). I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life when I graduated and felt some financial pressure so I transitioned into work as a software developer, promising myself I'd go to grad school when I figured out my life.

In the past ten years since college I've done well for myself as a software developer, and four years ago I started a technology company with two other partners. The company is doing really well, but I'm. . .bored. I loved the first two years of building the technical infrastructure of the company, but now work is more about sales and marketing than it is about working on interesting problems. I'm also not really a manager at heart, which is what my role is becoming, and I'm also a bit burned out on programming and looking for something else to stimulate my intellect. What really turns me on is the space and time to work on and tackle hard problems.

In my free time I love to listen to medical lectures, read books on genetics, etc, etc. I think that I would really enjoy a grad program in biochemistry or molecular biology or physiology. The problem is that I haven't touched a test tube or been in a lab for ten years. There are still a few basic classes I'd need to take at the undergrad level. All my contacts from college that I might have used as references have long since forgotten about me. And I will need probably two years at least to make a graceful exit from my business and into grad school, putting me at about 34 years old before I could even start a program.

So have any of you found yourselves in similar situation as an older applicant to a rigorous science grad program? What are some good "next steps" for applying to one? Who should I be talking to, what qualifying exams should I be taking, etc? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Help me learn math!

btkuhn — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:01:38 -0800

What are some good sources to teach myself advanced math in preparation for an econ/finance phd? I graduated last year from a well-regarded university and was lucky enough to get a great job in investment banking. I am genuinely interested in finance and really enjoy what I do. However, the hours are pretty crappy and I have too many other interests to spend my entire life at work.

I'm seriously considering going for a Phd in Business or Economics and pursuing a career in academia. I had a very high undergrad GPA, was Phi Beta Kappa, etc. and I do very well on standardized tests. However, my degree was in Biology/History so I don't have anywhere near the math required to get admitted to a good business school (I don't think - acceptance rates to business programs are very low). I haven't taken any math courses since senior year in high school (Calculus BC).

I'm really not sure what is the best way to proceed to improve my profile for admissions - I could get a master's in finance or math, then apply, but I really don't want to go into debt to fund a master's program and I don't know if most master's programs in finance/math are funded (I doubt it). An alternative would be to take math classes at a community college, and hope that that is sufficient.

At this point, though, I simply want to make sure that I "have what it takes" to do an econ/finance PhD. I've always been good at math and did well in calculus, but I know that finance is very math-intensive and I don't know much about how difficult higher-level math is as compared to calculus. Also, I want to see if I "enjoy" higher-level math, or can at least tolerate it. I don't want to enroll in a PhD program if I end up hating the math. I don't remember particularly liking or disliking calculus; I was kind of indifferent to it.

So after all that buildup, here's my question. Please recommend good sources to teach myself math, so that I can see whether I can do it and like it. With most subjects I would just buy a textbook or something and self-teach, but math seems to be the one subject where it really helps to have things spelled out by someone (or something) who knows what they're talking about, since math has it's own language that isn't always easy to pick up. Free online sources preferred, but book recs are appreciated also.

Thanks!

180 change of fields as a grad student

NormandyJack — Sat, 31 May 2008 09:16:16 -0800

I have a humanities undergraduate degree with a minor in computer science. I’m currently in a grad program in the same humanities field. However, I’d like to change directions and pursue a graduate degree in engineering, but I don’t have a math/science/engineering background. What is it going to take to do this? Sorry if this isn’t quite right, it’s my first question to Ask MeFi. I did some searching and didn’t find much about this.

A little more background.... I'm currently on track for a PhD in the same humanities field as my undergrad degree, with a computational focus, but have totally lost confidence that this is the right choice for me. Ideally, I'll leave within the next year with a master’s. I’d then like to pursue a master’s in something along the lines of mechanical engineering. If I enjoy it as much as I’m imagining I will I’d like to eventually pursue a PhD, but I figure that’s some time off in the future.

The problem is I just don’t know how to do this is. My background in math and hard science is very limited. But, I do have a strong drive to learn and an aptitude for that stuff though. My academic record is very strong, even if it doesn't have much math and hard science. I've seen people make the change in the other direction, but I get the feeling that's a lot easier.

I had a few ideas of how I might proceed:
1. Go for a second baccalaureate. (To be avoided if at all possible)
2. Apply to master’s programs, hope one lets me in and take 1 year of intensive classes to fill in my missing background (is this even possible?)
3. Audit a class or two next semester to start filling the holes in my background (then goto 2)
4. Find a staff position at some university that allows me to take classes for free and spend a year filling in the gaps in my background. (then goto 2)
5. Try to connect with a potential advisor before applying (then goto 2).

I want to get this done as fast as possible, and without crippling myself financially.

Does anyone have any stories or advice to relate about making this sort of change? Am I correct in assuming that my missing background is a major hurdle? Would it be easier to get into a so-so engineering program, do really well there, then try to go to a good engineering program? Any other advice?

Finding the Walls to Breakthrough

Rubbstone — Tue, 06 May 2008 00:31:51 -0800

What are the modern fields in science currently under crisis? I've been reading Thomas Kuhn, I am really curious as to if there are any areas in modern science where the models simply don't work any more. I'm mostly looking to see where I can fit my self into an emerging breakthrough

Grad school choice.

Anonymous — Sun, 04 May 2008 07:53:59 -0800

GradSchoolDecisionFilter: Help me choose between NYU and the University of Washington! So I'm a grad student in English, doing work mostly with science fiction and media theory. I've already accepted an offer from the University of Washington's English department, after angsting over the decision for weeks. What drove this decision was:

* The UW's strong Geography department (much of my work has overlaps with Geography, and there's already grad students in the English department there doing work with professors from over there)
* One fairly big name professor doing cybercultures stuff in the English department, who would most likely be my advisor.
* A reasonable teaching load (fellowship with no teaching first and fifth year, one class a quarter in the years between, chance to teach upper-division courses)
* The public school ethos at the UW is much more attractive to me than the private school/corporate university meanness I've heard about NYU.

What's driving the regret, though, is:

* NYU's the bigger name, with substantially (but not overwhelmingly) better placement.
* NYU is on a hiring spree (including one big name in media studies/print culture coming over this year), while the UW is perennially facing budget cuts.
* I could pretty easily put together a solid committee for media studies work there, involving mostly people who work outside my period, but whose theoretical bent matches mine.
* NYU's teaching schedule is almost unbelievably light -- five years of funding, two years of teaching a section of a large lecture class led by a professor. Seems strange to think about going on the market with only my two years teaching while working on my MA as real teaching experience, but... well, it sounds pretty cushy, would give me more time to get more stuff published, and the job market in English does seem to privilege research over teaching.
* Hey, living in NYC seems like something this particular West Coast boy should do at some time in his life.
but that brings us to the main thing:

* I went to the UW for my BA. It's been five years and an MA between then and now, but going back home for my PhD seems way weird. Also, I have not heard very, very mixed things about what doing BA and PhD at the same school does to one's prospects on the job market. FWIW, most of the actual people I worked with when I was there for my BA are at other schools now -- the department now is quite different from the one back then.

I've found out that NYU didn't hit their wait list this year -- which means that likely the funding for me is still available -- and that there's a chance they'd still let me in. So: should I ask NYU if it's possible to slink back in? At this point (two weeks after the official deadline), I wouldn't ask if I wasn't going to accept a re-opened offer -- it would be too much of a "screw you!" gesture to ask them to jump through the required hoops to get reapproved. So, um, should I?

[Note: This one isn't actually from me, but from my best friend sans MeFi account. Just a'sos you know, even though this part is probably irrelevant.]

How can I view my graduate applications' recommendation letters?

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:51:30 -0800

Is the university wrong about my right to view graduate application recommendation letters? I applied to graduate school at a well-known university in December and did not waive my right to view my recommendation letters. I was rejected and I want to see the letters to decide if I should ask these professors again in my next year applications. There are many websites that say if you don't waive your right to view the letters, you can request them from the school. They mention the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) but I don't see the clause in there regarding your right to view recommendation letters.

I contacted the school and they said the FERPA guidelines say the recommendations are university property and can only be viewed by matriculated students. I don't understand what's the point of having the right to view the recommendation letters if this is true. Also, there is no other mention of this anywhere else.

The web seems to only give me articles about why you should waive your right to view your letters, but nothing about actually viewing them if you don't sign the waiver.

Posting anonymously because I don't want admissions to trace my email/application to my metafilter account, in case I follow someone's specific advice.

How can I work through this bad data?

Anonymous — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:18:35 -0800

I'm a graduate student. My advisor asked me to do a favor for a researcher and clean his data for him and put it into SPSS from Excel. Upon looking at the data, I realized that it was totally screwed up. What can I do now? Specifcally, I realized that the undergrad research assistants misnumbered the questionnaires either on the paper questionnaires or when entering them into the computer (he had them enter them into SurveyMonkey instead of directly into SPSS for some odd reason) and now I am quite certain that the pre- and post-test results for particular ID numbers DO NOT imply that the same person answered.
Additionally there are hundreds of "doubles" (i.e. 2-3 different pre-tests or post-tests for 1 ID number and not always the same number of pre-tests and post-tests) and dozens of IDs with either a pre-test or a post-test but not both. Also, as a secondary problem, there is no consistency in the data entry (some RAs entered 0 for a blank, others put n/a, others put nothing) and LOTS of typos.

I've explained in a dozen different ways why the data is screwed up over the past few months. I've also recommended that the original questionnaires get RE-ENTERED directly into SPSS. The researcher is adamant that the data isn't screwed up (no matter how many ways I show him, like lists of doubles and lists of IDs with only 1 or the other test). He just wants me to "fix" it NOW.

I've already worked way more hours than I've gotten paid for. I have given him an SPSS file with all of the IDs which only had 1 pre-test and 1 post-test and a list of all of the IDs that have multiple pre-tests and post-tests and/or missing pre-tests and post-tests. He could do something with that, if he wanted to.

I have no reason to work with the researcher (not a professor mind you) again, except possibly as a TA (and TAing for this person is pretty terrible). I do like to be in people's good graces generally though and wouldn't want the faculty thinking that I bail on projects. I have tried to explain to my advisor that this situation really stinks, but he doesn't want to get involved. Also the original grad students that worked on this project have all abandoned ship because this person is tough to work with.

What can I do now? Should I send a final e-mail like this: "I've done all that I think that I can do with this data. Perhaps you can use the SPSS file that I gave you, get rid of all of the data, set SPSS to "label" mode and have some RAs re-enter the data? I realize that this is more RA time than you wanted, but with all of this great data in here, it is worthwhile to get it right."

I just don't know how to proceed. Please help.

When grad school funding doesn't materialize

Anonymous — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:26:57 -0800

I'm a grad student who was promised some funding this year that has yet to materialize. What can I do? I was promised this funding in writing ("should you become my student, I will provide an additional $8000 in funding for your second year"). The second year started 8 months ago. I reminded my advisor then, and he said he had forgotten about it but would scrape the money together for me, but it might be a little while.

Now he says he has found the money but can't figure out a way to get it to me. I have a government scholarship, and my advisor's grant comes from the same government funding agency. Since I am already funded by this agency, I cannot receive any additional money from his grant.

I have a good relationship with my advisor. I am certain he did not mislead me or anything like that; like many profs he is simply busy. I have a feeling that I will not see this money unless I really lean on him, especially since I am hoping to finish in August; but what can I say except "make it happen"? That's not very helpful. He does seem to be genuinely stuck. I guess I could also go to his boss, but I don't want to make things difficult for him; his tenure review is coming up soon and I don't want to damage his reputation.

I don't really need this money; I am getting by just fine. But I have had to live pretty frugally these past 8 months and hell, it's $8000. If it were less money I would let it drop, but this would be huge for me. What should I do?

(anonymous to protect my advisor's privacy)

Know this grad program?

scribbler — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:36:31 -0800

Has anyone had any experience, first- or second-hand, with the Communication and Culture MA program jointly offered by York and Ryerson Universities? I'm also interested in graduate study experiences at both schools in general. I'm interested in doing a program that combines theory and practice - and not necessarily interested in a long-term career in academe. But having looked at this thread I sort of get the impression an MA at Ryerson would not be a wise use of resources (financial or otherwise)? Or not?

Is there such a thing as rehab for depression?

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:54:38 -0800

Is there such a thing as rehab for depression? Details:
Just finished my Ph.D. Struggled a lot through the last few years of grad school, including serious bouts of depression, hence was just trying to pull through finishing my degree, and didn’t line up a postdoc or other job immediately following. Currently “employed” by thesis advisor in same laboratory, but feel like I have royally screwed this up by falling insanely behind on a major project (and covering as if I wasn’t, hoping I would get it together in the past few days. I haven’t.) I’ve also been intermittently sick over the past few months, and missing more work due to that. I’ve been told that I am probably burnt out. Really thought things would get better, but I’m feeling back at square one (except that I have my degree. Square two, then.) Tempted to quit current semi-job, since this is going so poorly, and I feel like I have overstayed my welcome since I’m burning out/getting depressed on my advisor’s dime. Admittedly, its all made worse by the fact that I feel immense pressure every time friends, family, and colleagues ask me "What are you doing now/next?"

Then what? Throughout the entire course of school, I’ve seen doctors for both med management and therapy. I’ll have catastrophic coverage until September, but the mental health services/prescription coverage runs out shortly.
I’m almost afraid to start a job in this state, especially using my connections/network, because I fear falling into this state (missing work, etc) in another job, again.
Unfortunately, I have no savings, and not-working can only last so long. I feel flippant going on vacation in the middle of not having my life together at all.

I have often thought that I wish there was some sort of rehab for depression which would be a few weeks of hardcore motivation/revitalization, and then I’d be “better.” Is there such a thing? Would it be worth going into debt for? I know this is black/white, catastrophic thinking, but I feel like if had HAD a chemical addiction, at least I’d know what to do with myself right now. (I’ve been close in the past, but have so far successfully veered away. Except for my not-working/surfing-the-web addiction, I’m doing decently, addictionwise)

Sorry this is so long. I feel like I’m out of ideas here, and feeling very stuck, as I dread working/talking to my advisor tomorrow/contemplating leaving my current "job". Thanks in advance for any advice. throwaway email at: FeelingStuck at gmail.com

Should I go to grad school next year?

lxs — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:42:21 -0800

Please help me make the right decision about graduate school. I applied to seven grad schools this year and was rejected by all of them but one (the CUNY Graduate Center, FWIW). I was admitted with no funding my first year. Contrary to what this may imply, I really feel like I had a lot going for me on my application - I have five publications, have presented at four conferences, have a good job in my field (unfortunately one which is contracted and ending in July), language skills, a decent GRE score, and a MA (where I had a 4.0 GPA). I had multiple faculty members/advisers/professional contacts read all my essays/SOP/etc and everything sounded like it was good. I have spent several years preparing for grad school and I feel like I have a good variety of experiences/accomplishments on my cv so I'm not sure what I would add in a year's time that would make much of a difference if I applied again next year. It seems like the top programs in my field - ones that offer tuition plus a fat stipend - admit two or three people a year, whereas programs with less prestige don't necessarily fund all students. So, if I apply again next year, I could easily be in the same boat.

The school I did get accepted to has THE best potential adviser for me to work with. I work in an unpopular sub-field, and she is a real expert on it, so I would have the opportunity to take courses that are specifically on my interests. Also, this school is the only one I applied to which is willing to accept some of my MA credits. They have said (tentatively) that I would enter with about 21 of the 45 credits required to complete my course work. Because of this head start, I could conceivably take fewer classes during the first year I'm paying out of state tuition. Also, even though I did not receive a fellowship, my MA qualifies me to adjunct in the CUNY system so I would receive tuition remission if I were to do that.

The downside is that I (somewhat stupidly) paid for most of my MA. I now have about $45,000 in student loan debt. It is consolidated at what I think is a decent rate (4.5%). To start work toward my PhD next year, I would have to take out a loan my first semester of about $4000 to pay for my classes. I'm pretty sure that by my second semester I could handle an adjunct job, which would pay my tuition. I am also planning on getting a part-time job/doing freelance work, which I think I can handle since I will be a part-time student my first year. I worked almost full time while I was getting my MA and it didn't kill me.

My questions are this: can I make this work? Is this additional loan a big deal? This program is a great fit for my research interests and I want to go grad school NOW, while I'm enthusiastic and ready, but I don't want to do the "wrong thing." FWIW, I'm in the humanities (art history).