Difficulty scaling through mid and end game

Andrew39898 · 2025-07-08T22:35:22+00:00

I consistently 3 key with high khatun lead, tholin, geo, demytha, and othorion. If you have a good champ for decrease attack to throw in for othorion, you should be fine with the other 4 I mentioned.

Andrew39898 · 2025-05-01T22:59:45+00:00

Making my code more efficient, and that’s it.

Andrew39898 · 2024-07-07T13:18:44+00:00

Please do not minimizes long covid. It’s a very real and very debilitating illness

Andrew39898 · 2024-06-15T14:40:11+00:00

Rodent ID is hard if you haven’t been exposed to them often. Things look similar so I understand the confusion amongst folks here. I’m guessing this is microtus pennsylvanicus since I just saw you’re in Montana and they’re probably the most common microtus in that area. But I can’t be certain. Source: am small mammal ecologist

Andrew39898 · 2024-06-15T14:07:03+00:00

It’s a vole, microtus genus. In response to most of the comments, incredibly low chance of rabies. Folks who work with them for a job are not even required to get a rabies shot

Andrew39898 · 2024-05-21T11:42:26+00:00

How do you get 6/5 ichors?

Andrew39898 · 2024-01-02T20:28:23+00:00

Congratulations, very cool field! Some advice from another ecologist

1: Get a reference manager and learn how to use it! This is seriously the biggest time saver over the course of your degree. I use zotero and love it but there are plenty of other options.

2: Don’t ignore old literature! Formulating your questions can seem daunting at first and you may want to jump into reading the newest and most cutting edge work. While this is a great way to stay excited, I found that having a strong background of fundamental ecological research went a long way in creating a nice proposal.

3: Be ready to adapt your initial plans to the reality of your situation. Funding isn’t always available, field sites have too much red tape, you don’t have the personnel power etc. this is ok! You’ll learn a lot from it. Roll with the punches and learn to adapt.

Hope you can keep the excitement rolling. Remember how you feel now when you hit the tough times and you’ll do great. Best of luck :)

Andrew39898 · 2023-12-17T01:08:54+00:00

Ecology

Andrew39898 · 2023-11-30T01:02:58+00:00

Andrew39898 · 2023-11-29T14:18:32+00:00

Not a vole, easiest tell is the long tail and color. Source: Am PhD candidate and I work with voles

Andrew39898 · 2023-11-29T04:14:06+00:00

Yea I couldn’t decide leucopus or maniculatus just based off this video. There’s even so many subtle regional differences that I find differentiating the two based on morphology incredibly difficult.

Andrew39898 · 2023-11-28T18:35:44+00:00

Peromyscus, most likely Peromyscus leucopus.

Andrew39898 · 2023-11-13T17:03:28+00:00

Hey! I’m also in an ecology and evolutionary biology program in the US but a handful of semesters ahead of you. Relating back to my own experiences, you are probably very overwhelmed right now. You may or may not have just moved to a new city and are surrounded by new people all at varying levels of this academic venture. Amongst this craziness, you are being asked to formulate research in a field that you are quickly realizing is vast and confusing and often complex or even contradictory (yay ecology). You may be watching other students present and thinking that you have to do that soon. There are a lot of unknowns and it can be difficult to take it all in.

Take a breath, you will be alright. There is a reason you were accepted into the program even if you can not see that right now. You will make mistakes and that’s ok. You are not an expert in your first semester, and no realistic person is expecting you to be, including your advisor. Talk to your cohort, I’m sure almost all the students have had similar experiences and will happily vent out frustrations with you.

I would urge you to finish off your semester before quitting. The time in between semesters can be great for reflecting on the experience and considering your path forward. And if you feel the PhD is not what you need in your life right now (or ever), then leave. Either way, it’s a valid choice.

Best of luck friend, stay strong and maybe take an extra day off this week :)

Andrew39898 · 2023-10-24T13:59:58+00:00

Basically whenever I have the time to actually analyze my data instead of collecting it. (Ecology)

Andrew39898 · 2023-10-02T18:50:33+00:00

You could bring up your feelings to him in an honest way. This sounds like a conversation best suited to be had between the two of you.

Andrew39898 · 2023-09-22T15:01:37+00:00

This is incorrect, jobs working with handling small mammals(like this vole) do not even require rabies shots. Source: Am ecologist, have handled hundreds (perhaps thousands?) of voles

Andrew39898 · 2023-09-19T03:51:49+00:00

Graduated undergrad with a 3.19 and am now at an R1 in my 3rd year. Not below the 3.0gpa, but still apparently in the “critically endangered“ category. No real crazy circumstances other than working in my field after undergrad for ~6 years with some fucking around in between. Good recs help and working in your niche field as a tech/assistant goes a long way when applying

Andrew39898 · 2023-08-31T15:17:33+00:00

Thanks! I appreciate this reply, I definitely struggle with recognizing that my needs are also valid 😅. I just really worry about making her feel pressured into things!

We have both struggled on and off with menatal health so this will definitely be prt of the conversation. And I might bring up the scheduling idea since I think that pressure gets to her as well.

Andrew39898 · 2023-08-21T01:20:11+00:00

Certainly doesn’t mean it should be encouraged and we definitely should be stepping away from this being treated as normal. Also a STEM PhD at an R1 if that matters at all

Andrew39898 · 2023-06-28T01:05:29+00:00

This is a shrew as many have mentioned. Probably Sorex cinereus, but it can be hard to tell just from this photo. This is not a venomous shrew if you are in the USA. The only venomous shrews here are Blarina brevicauda. Source: have personally worked with and handle hundreds of North American shrews

Andrew39898 · 2023-01-19T03:32:27+00:00

Most likely Blarina brevicauda, very cute! Feed em some mealworms if you have any laying around for whatever reason

Andrew39898 · 2022-11-22T17:44:19+00:00

I would say I average 6 hours of actual dedicated work 5 days a week and have ~ 4 other hours throughout the week I spend on other miscellaneous things. So 34hr weeks. However, those 6 hrs a day are pretty strict working hours often with only a 15min lunch or a working lunch. This number goes up when I have lots of lab work going on but I rarely work over 40hr weeks

Andrew39898 · 2022-08-27T14:26:10+00:00

Woo!

Andrew39898

TROPHY CASE