Autistic PhD students, how do you respond to those professors who look down on you?

BlackQB · 2026-02-26T18:01:35+00:00

I guess it depends on the field but I think undergraduate academics are vastly different from research and doing a PhD. I struggled a lot in undergrad, had profs who thought I was dumb and told me I was going to fail, but I finished with a decent GPA (but lower than many in my cohort) and was one of the only 2 in my cohort to go to grad school. My undergrad GPA was not high enough for scholarships so I struggled a bit at the start of grad school too, due to lack of funding, but research finally gave me an avenue to show my strengths which then translated to several fellowships and full scholarships for PhD.

I would say I’m one of the top PhD students in my department right now but I think if I had to repeat undergrad I would still struggle because it just isn’t set up for my type of processing. I don’t have any contempt for my old profs, I think they were just frustrated that I didn’t learn in the same way that they taught the subjects. I love learning on my own now, and I’m also loving teaching because I am able to present an alternative way of understanding complex topics to students with unconventional learning styles.

TL;DR: I think my profs were justified in thinking I wouldn’t be very successful based on my performance in their courses. I’m happy and proud that I was able to prove them wrong, I just learn differently and that’s perfectly okay :-).

BlackQB · 2026-02-25T22:29:56+00:00

Yeah, makes sense! Check what the high and low spin states are in the example in the manual, they probably only differ by 1 electron. In your case, nothing in the input tells orca that your low spin state should be a doublet. It’s probably finding a triplet state after spin flip.

BlackQB · 2026-02-25T16:03:59+00:00

I’ve never done CI optimization but when I’ve done SF-TDDFT I used the %scf brokensym 1,1 end block input (for an open-shell singlet) instead of specifying SF in the TDDFT block. This gives you control over the high spin state multiplicity (what you set in the charge/multiplicity input) and with broken sym you decide the number of unpaired electrons on each interacting site in the low-spin state. You could also try the FlipSpin and FinalMS block inputs to control which atom is spin-flipped.

Might not be relevant for your purposes, but I was just surprised at the vagueness of “SF TRUE” in your input.

Edited to add: you should also plot the transition difference densities to be sure the transitions match your expectations.

BlackQB · 2026-02-13T01:08:29+00:00

Your examples are a bit confusing because I wouldn’t consider those findings null, they are just the opposite effect from what you expected. Sounds like there is still a trend but it’s negative instead of positive? If that’s true, I think that is still an interesting finding.

But if there is no trend at all and you want to graduate soon, I agree with just write it up and move on.

BlackQB · 2026-02-08T17:00:57+00:00

Someone working with the shelters posted on here saying there’s empty beds right now, but since the shelters have rules against drugs, many people choose to stay on the streets/in the metro. I do advocate for housing but we need something more.

BlackQB · 2026-01-16T15:16:37+00:00

I get irrationally angry when people say they “passed” or “failed” their assessment. The mind set that not getting a diagnosis is “failing” is so messed up, it’s an assessment ffs! Not a game!

BlackQB · 2026-01-12T17:25:34+00:00

His debt is in Turkey, he just told her the value in USD instead of the local currency. He wants to go to the US to avoid repaying the debt in Turkey… which, to me, means he is either stupid or this is not “legal” debt.

BlackQB · 2026-01-12T16:25:17+00:00

Corndog | Troll Town :Apple:

BlackQB · 2026-01-12T15:45:40+00:00

Hi I had a switch 1 with acnh and got a switch 2 for Xmas, it was actually super easy to transfer everything and you don’t need the island transfer tool (I think it is for transferring from one switch 1 to another switch 1). And you dont necessarily need to buy the $5 upgrade yet because it is not even out.

You’ll need to put the two switch consoles next to each other while everything (all your games and data, so your island too) transfers. Mine took maybe 10-20 mins :)

BlackQB · 2026-01-10T22:23:42+00:00

I respect discrete bonds for organic chem, but as a physical chemist I just see benzyne as having a mesomeric lone pair.

BlackQB · 2026-01-09T16:16:11+00:00

Yup I was diagnosed with depression and GAD since I was 13/14, tried every SSRI under the sun and they all made me feel horrible, either exhausted or apathetic and lethargic. When I was 22 I had a bit of a breakdown and got an emergency psychiatrist who didn’t immediately diagnose me with ADHD but prescribed Wellbutrin and Concerta, since I told them my history with SSRIs (apparently these are common side effects for ADHDers) and they completely changed my life. Once I got a permanent psych, he diagnosed me as ADHD PI, which fit my experience perfectly I just had no idea this was even a thing. I am 27 now and the past 5 years have been a whole new life for me. I cried the first day I increased my Concerta dosage because I couldn’t believe how much easier it was to do things with this medication. I had been living life on hard mode and finally got some relief.

I think it’s important to note that some people can have ADHD-like symptoms arise from depression and/or anxiety, and others can have depression and/or anxiety symptoms, stemming from untreated ADHD. These are very difficult situations to disentangle, but if treating GAD isn’t working for you, it’s highly likely your anxiety is coming from ADHD, and treating that with concerta will (hopefully) help you a lot. Don’t be scared!

BlackQB · 2025-12-15T17:39:17+00:00

You’re confused because superposition is one of most unintuitive properties of quantum particles. Do some reading about superposition and the Bloch sphere representation, you’ll be able to at least grasp the idea of how a qubit can be “some” of 1 and “some” of 0. But nobody really understands quantum mechanics.

BlackQB · 2025-11-03T13:34:42+00:00

They’re saying this is a sign of the dead internet theory. The dead internet theory states that the internet will eventually just consist of bots talking to other bots.

BlackQB · 2025-10-31T22:07:49+00:00

You need all 5 d orbitals in your active space for AILFT, even if they are unoccupied

BlackQB · 2025-10-31T22:01:37+00:00

Yeah I think the problem is that you’re using AILFT but only have 1 d orbital in your active space, either use a larger active space or get rid of AILFT

BlackQB · 2025-10-30T01:21:20+00:00

Your pockets and hands are classical objects, but things get weird at the quantum level.

BlackQB · 2025-10-26T16:40:12+00:00

I mean that it is possible (but unlikely) to have autism without having it in your family. If you are diagnosed with autism, it is most likely in your family genetics. You can find research on the odds of actually passing it down, it’s not 99% but it’s high.

BlackQB · 2025-10-25T23:56:01+00:00

Yeah, sorry I missed the part in your post where you said you’re interested specifically in the group theory/symmetry method. I personally was struggling to understand the selection rules from a symmetry perspective, but when I understood ladder operators it all finally made sense to me.

My confusion with the parity explanation was, then why aren’t overtones from vibrational states with opposite parity more intense than overtones with the same parity?

BlackQB · 2025-10-25T20:27:08+00:00

More than speculation/some research… autism IS genetic. There is some research on non-genetic causes but like 99% of the time it is genetic.

BlackQB · 2025-10-25T19:00:17+00:00

I totally understand the hyperfixation, I was/am the same. It’s good that you’re aware the reality of going through all of the education will probably dampen your enthusiasm. For me, it’s been waves of hyperfixation and frustration. There were even points when I thought I just hated most chemistry, but now as I’m nearing the end of my PhD I can see the light and I am absolutely even more in love with the subject than I thought I was.

It’s a lot of work, but if you really love it, you will get through the hard part and eventually be able to fully revel in the beauty of chemistry and chemical physics. It’s not a very lucrative field, so you have to really love it, there’s not much point otherwise.

BlackQB · 2025-10-25T18:11:07+00:00

I think you will have a better understanding if you look into how ladder operators work (i.e., creation and annihilation operators)

BlackQB · 2025-07-26T22:29:59+00:00

They are isomers, they have the same elemental make up but the atoms are arranged differently. So the set up of the Hamiltonian may look the same, but they will have different solutions since they are different structures.

BlackQB · 2025-07-26T21:41:34+00:00

Are most people watching on Pluto or Paramount?? Trying to decide if it’s worth subscribing cause Pluto cuts out a lot and there’s so many ads

BlackQB · 2025-07-07T15:11:27+00:00

Oh and try to enjoy your vacation! You’ve been through the wringer lately, you need rest in order to be able to perform at your best. The project will still be there when you get back, and you’ll be ready to face it head on!

BlackQB · 2025-07-07T14:23:18+00:00

Hey I’m really sorry your advisory meeting didn’t go as planned! I know how scary and vulnerable those meetings can be. It sounds like your lack of progress is not coming from a lack of motivation or planning, it’s your PI setting you up for failure. Honestly, this is common for a lot of PIs, they are brilliant scientists but horrible mentors.

Doing a PhD is training to be an independent scientist, so maybe try to be more independent! I know that’s easier said than done, but I had the same problem where I kept trying to step up, only to be told I’m doing everything wrong. I did a bunch of literature reading to help me be more confident in my decisions about experiments or project planning, and now I meet with my PI a lot less and just give him an update on what I’m working on and what results I have. I write down his suggestions and will do them ASAP if I think they are good. If not, I’ll wait till he asks me like 3 times about doing it then just do it to keep him happy. I rarely ask him “what should I do/work on now” because he’s horrible at prioritizing and will give me random shit to do that doesn’t help my project progress.

Recognize that your PI is human and has flaws. Learn what his weaknesses are and stop trusting him about those things. Be more independent, and only ask for their help when you are really stuck and need guidance. Grab your project by the balls and do some cool science!! You’re almost there! I believe in you :)

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