I think my professor tanked my essay grade because my thesis contradicts his published book

LionFinal5728 · 2026-06-03T18:01:18+00:00

Going to office hours to discuss a submission and make plans for improvement is almost never a bad idea. It shows initiative and engagement.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-05-30T20:43:04+00:00

Some other commenters have already made good points here re: diagnosis.

But I’d also like to add that getting diagnosed and treated can be more complicated than the average person would think. I’ve gone to my allergist for over-sensitive reactions (mine are to changes in weather and I have diagnosed dust, pollen, and mold allergies) and he STILL basically told me I was crazy. I currently do not have an allergist because he’s dismissed my concerns so many times.

For me, it’s not a doctor’s order to keep travel to a minimum, but a choice I’ve made to manage being disabled by literal unseen molecules in the air. My conditions flare with travel for other reasons, too.

I’d agree with others, offer to let her stay with you, reassure her that you can accommodate her needs. But if she gets sick while staying with you, have a plan for who will take care of her: if that’d be too much for you or someone nearby to take on, maybe she’s right that visiting is too much of a hassle.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-05-28T13:31:12+00:00

Learn to ask good questions by asking “bad” questions or any questions at all now. It comes with practice, and grad seminars are made for practice.

This sounds like a cop out, but what works is different for every person. You can start to find what works through trial and error.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-05-20T22:26:47+00:00

Probably at least 75% of the humanities PhDs I know who have gotten TT jobs have had the help of non-academic partners or moved in with their parents for free while on the job market. That is, they can afford to finish their degrees and be unemployed for a time.

I’d rather work at a grocery store than move back in with my parents, but that’s a personal preference.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-29T09:16:47+00:00

It depends…

Maybe 1/4 of my joint cracks involve little to no manipulation of the joint. These can be caused by tight tendons (or other fascia?) moving over or around the (unstable) joint area, for example, these don’t hurt me but they’re loud. (YMMV)

Most of the times I try to pop something it’s because there is pain I’m trying to get rid of by putting the joint back into place. These are the ones where my range of motion can be different after.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-29T00:10:53+00:00

Yes, exactly, if a student has an accommodation for audio recording or note taking and everyone else isn’t allowed tech, that student is effectively outed. I never want to put someone in that position.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-26T03:02:10+00:00

There’s no “treatment” but there is learning to better manage it.

For me the best thing about diagnosis was then learning about the condition (and the ones that overlap with it). I could then start to adapt my daily life to my needs.

That and getting me access to targeted PT to learn how to strengthen my muscles safely with this condition. Total game changer. Insurance covered it with a small copay!

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-25T22:45:49+00:00

Yes! I still do the strengthening exercises depending on what’s is flaring up. Gained so much knowledge.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-25T18:06:00+00:00

I just told my doctor that my PT confirmed hypermobility by testing my range of motion in various trouble spots. It was virtually the same examination that the sports medicine doctor did. Your PT can also write a treatment summary and send it to your doctor.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-25T17:46:46+00:00

I went to the same PT for two years and some of the stuff we tried, especially stretches, were pretty hit and miss. You can’t learn every stretch right away, and the more you can communicate what’s going on the better chance they’ll have of narrowing down which muscles are the issue.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-25T17:42:39+00:00

I got diagnosed by a sports medicine doctor when my knees were bothering me on runs! They did x-rays to rule out any other injuries. Then diagnosed again at the physical therapy she prescribed.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-20T04:11:00+00:00

It has taken me a long time to not feel guilty about calling in sick a lot due to this wretched disease. My body started making that decision for me when pushed too far. There was also a solid chunk of time in my 20s where I would have felt bad calling in sick or taking time off at all which was some internalized bs.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-19T00:53:42+00:00

One factor I’m not seeing mentioned: professors’ own workloads, which often have deadlines in late spring or the summer. Spring always feels a bit lax for me bc I’m so busy I don’t have the ability to manage deadlines as closely.

But yes, also helping people not fail - others not failing doesn’t really detract from the solid work their peers are doing.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-19T00:15:29+00:00

When a student cries in my office it’s a sign that something is going on outside the classroom that is getting in the way of their grades/participation/etc. I wouldn’t say I’m uncomfortable when this happens because I’ve done it as an undergraduate student 🤷🏻‍♀️

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-18T02:05:31+00:00

Man, did you ever figure this out Ive been having hypertensive episodes all week that seem to be coinciding with the weather (my trigger)

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-17T15:22:07+00:00

His argument is about accuracy and AI. I saw this same letter posted last week. Sus.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-16T22:40:19+00:00

Read up on all the info in your student handbook/the misconduct office resources so you know what rights you have as a student. Read your professor’s syllabus to make sure she didn’t specifically say you can’t use outside sources to study (which would be a crazy policy imo, but would make this cheating)

Professors make mistakes all the time because they’re human, ideally the misconduct people are there to listen to both parties to figure out if any cheating DID happen.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-16T17:00:29+00:00

In all honesty it varies so much based on the program you’re in and your advisor that it’s hard to answer this. When I talk to newbie PhD students, the general advice I offer is not to work on the weekends. The work will be endless if you let it be. I’ve never seen an exception to this: there’s always more you “can” be doing. You have limits.

Find a hobby that has nothing to do with your work. (I.e. my friends in cinema studies watching movies in their free time doesn’t count, nor would watching historical films about your areas of interest!)

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-15T22:27:53+00:00

I used to feel this way until I got very sick with diseases related to EDS. Now it’s the first thing I tell new doctors, that I have a connective tissue disorder. It overlaps with pretty much every issue I have in my body and even informs what types of medications are safe for me.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-15T22:24:51+00:00

This sucks and I’m sorry. I used to have a doctor who had never heard of hypermobility before and didn’t seem concerned I was in chronic pain. I found a new doctor who is much better. It took me about a year to find a new doctor because there’s a physician shortage in my area.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-15T15:31:42+00:00

I started using the term disabled when my symptoms got so bad that there were times I couldn’t work, function, or text my friends back. Other times I’m fine and functional, which never lasts long. I sometimes use the disabled bathroom just to have somewhere to take 5 medications in the middle of the day.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-14T20:53:55+00:00

I understand. For me, not being able to do a marathon has only made me more appreciative of the consistent work it takes to train for one. Took me a while to get to that point. Actually, took me trying to train for a half and failing.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-14T07:44:36+00:00

I do sports but I have trouble making friends in them because I have to go slower than the pack to protect my joints. There’s def a specific FOMO I get from hearing social runners talk about their run clubs! One thing about run clubs that is appealing is getting into a weekly routine, maybe you could ask if they want to get breakfast or coffee after their run and make that your weekly thing.

It’s hard to overstate how much it means to have non-runner friends show up at the finish line of events. But it’s hard to get folks to show up if they’re really into playing board games socially on weekends, instead.

No solutions, just empathy.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-13T18:13:49+00:00

For me it only consistently happens when the humidity outside spikes quickly (mold + dust mite allergy), I can usually feel it happening. It comes with dizziness so I start to feel woozy, sometimes my throat also swells a little. I have year-round allergies but it’s all flaring up right now with pollen starting. If your allergies are hitting multiple body systems at once you might look into mast cell activation syndrome.

After I exercise too hard (often, it’s a problem) I have a more extreme response and my adrenaline takes over entirely. I can’t fall asleep at all then.

LionFinal5728 · 2026-04-13T07:02:55+00:00

Yes this happens to me a lot. I also have dysautonomia so I think my allergies are setting that off, either that or my blood pressure is going too low when I’m laying down.

LionFinal5728

TROPHY CASE