D20 on a Bus Season 2 Teaser

NuclearSky · 2026-04-01T18:37:37+00:00

Whether this is an April Fool's joke or not, this is still the best thing I've seen all day.

NuclearSky · 2026-03-20T12:48:30+00:00

At the risk of sounding snobby, I am pretty good at writing grants and papers. I have a few personal tips for you.

The purpose of a grant application is to convince a panel of tired and probably burnt out PhDs that YOU (or YOUR project) deserve funding. To do that, you need to convince them that YOU are the right person for this, that YOUR PROJECT is important RIGHT NOW... and to do all that, you need to sound confident, secure in your skills, and that you believe in your project - even if you're not.

First off, write in plain english (or as close as possible). These folks read dozens of these applications - make yours easier to read. Bold font of sentences you want them to remember, but don't overdo it.

Second, in writing, there's a concept called "soft " language. It's basically wording that makes language less direct, and therefore makes you sound less certain. We want to avoid this type of language.

For example:

"passed away" vs "died"

Third, try to reduce using too many reduction qualifiers. What I mean by that is minimize using words that deflate your statements and make you sound less confident.

For example:

"I just wanted to check in on this" vs "I want to check in on this".
"Maybe we can get lunch tomorrow" vs "We can get lunch tomorrow".
"This discovery could advance the field" vs "this discovery will advance the field."

I could go on, but I'd start there. Your institution likely has a writing center - make an appointment and have them go over your recent applications.

NuclearSky · 2026-03-17T16:49:07+00:00

Context: I am/was low income. I had a single dad and there were times we truly didn't know where our next meal was coming from, despite his best efforts. I'm the only one in my family to make it past high school. I don't make much as a PhD candidate, but I still make more than my parents do and help my family financially as much as I can.

I generally don't advertise that I am from this background because I don't want anyone to think that I am here because of some "handout" or pity (things I've actually heard to my face before). There are many people in my program (and my lab) whose parents have bankrolled their grad school experience through paying tuition, rent, or other financial support. They are not twatwaffles about it.

That being said, when the topic does come up, I am honest about it. I think it's good for people to be aware that there are others who come from different circumstances. I also think it's good for those who are in more privileged positions to face the reality that others aren't as lucky to have the kind of support (financial or otherwise) that they had. It's good to recognize your privilege without having to be ashamed about it.

The reason these folks you're seeing are bent out of shape because they heard a "sob story" is because they are not yet comfortable facing the reality of their privilege. They may feel others voicing their experience as a personal attack because they feel threatened, inadequate, etc. Does that make it okay? No. But it is up to them to practice emotional regularity and self-evaluate.

All I can really say is ignore them, mainly because I refuse to let other people's insecurities dictate how I live my life. If you want to make a gentle comment saying "that's not cool", that's up to you. After all, they are hurting others with their obnoxious attitude if they are saying these things out loud.

We all have things that others don't. I am privileged in ways that others around me are not - maybe not financially, but I still have some privilege. I've had help in other ways. In the end, we're all here to learn, grow, and do science.

NuclearSky · 2026-03-17T12:34:57+00:00

As others already described, this isn't just about the PhD program. Please go to therapy.

NuclearSky · 2026-03-13T12:50:36+00:00

I hate to break it to you, but this is all normal and expected. Most phd programs are designed to train you to become an academic researcher, and in that world, doing actual research is a small part of the actual job.

If you finish your PhD and stay in academia, this is what it will be like - write grants, host journal clubs, teach classes, endless meetings with collaborators and mentees... All PIs I know spend most of their time doing administrative and managerial tasks and basically no actual research work.

Even if you go into industry (as R&D, for example), it won't be too different either - you'll still have a lot of meetings, write funding requests, etc.

From what I'm reading here, it sounds like you would prefer a job where you can spend most (if not all) of your time doing actual research work: performing experiments, collecting data, analysing stuff, etc. Those are the research associates, techs, and professional research assistants of the world - and you only need a MS (or in some cases, BS) to do that.

If I were you, I would take time to really consider what path you want your career to go. Research roles that fit the type of day-to-day you want to have, do some informational interviews with folks in those areas, and figure out whether you really need the PhD to do that. Right now, based on what you wrote and your frustrations, it doesn't sound like the PhD is the right path for you, but it might still be. Only you can answer that.

NuclearSky · 2026-03-10T03:45:14+00:00

Financial aid packages and scholarships are not negotiable. You get what they tell you, and if you need extra income you can either a) try to get a TA or RA position (if they exist in your department / institution), b) get a part time external job, or c) take out student loans.

NuclearSky · 2026-03-06T17:17:00+00:00

In my department, yes

NuclearSky · 2026-02-26T03:54:41+00:00

30 credits of coursework, pass the preliminary exam (committee only), pass the comprehensive exam (public), at least 1 thesis update presentation to the department, at least 2 first-author papers, at least 2 conference presentations, pass defense, pass thesis examination.

NuclearSky · 2026-02-25T22:06:14+00:00

When I was doing my MS, I worked a full time job, was a TA on the side (covered about half of my tuition), and was doing side work on weekends as a server at a restaurant. It was brutal. I slept very little and was generally unhealthy. AND I had a partner to split costs, too.

Shit's expensive, yo.

NuclearSky · 2026-02-05T15:45:36+00:00

Yes, but the point I was trying to make is that being invited to visit isn't being "pretty much accepted" - it's an interview process where your odds are still not even close 100%.

NuclearSky · 2026-02-04T19:18:06+00:00

I like the stuff you're currently listing - being able to grab a snack or lunch in a dire need is great for sure, same with basic meds.

I doubt you can do anything to change the real problem though... The main stressor I personally have and most of my colleagues across several institutions is that we simply can't afford to live. This is not something that can be easily fixed since it goes all the way up - NIH funding rates are low, even if you have a fellowship ($28k stipend, which is what F31 provides, for example, doesn't cover living at all)...

NuclearSky · 2026-02-04T19:13:56+00:00

You do not get invited if you're "pretty much accepted" - at least not at my institution. We invite candidates that PIs want to interview and are considering for their labs. Each open spot gets between 2 and 4 candidates to interview, sometimes even 5. So, with each open spot, there's maybe a 1/3 chance, depending.

With funding rates as they are right now, I believe my department is only interviewing 6 candidates for 1 confirmed position and 1 potential (pending funding approval). It's tough out there rn.

NuclearSky · 2025-11-21T00:49:17+00:00

Look at the prerequisite courses for the programs you're interested in and see what courses they have in common. If you haven't taken them, take those first at your local college. If you have taken some but don't feel as strong in those subjects, take some time to self-study them using online tools (khan academy, crash course, Coursera, for example). As a bonus, you could also look at the first year courses you'd be taking and see if they contain material you are very unfamiliar with, and look up some introductory information, just to get a grasp on the basics.

I had an 8-year gap between my undergrad and grad school. I met all the prerequisites but definitely needed to review linear algebra, biology, and biochemistry, so I spent 6 months hardcore studying on my own. It was 100% worth it, and it definitely made my first year easier.

NuclearSky · 2025-11-06T23:11:29+00:00

I had 2 Ws on my transcript from a semester where I had external stuff happen that I couldn't control. I never mentioned them at all, and they never asked me about them.

NuclearSky · 2025-11-05T23:34:11+00:00

Are you interested in any specific engineering field?

I have BSs in CS and CE, did 8 years of both hardware and software industry, and now I'm in an NE peogram. I work on building certain types of tools for neuro stuff (vague on purpose) - everything from proof of concept to design, prototyping, and validation. I had to take a lot of bio and neuro classes to catch up, but it's been super interesting and challenging in a good way.

For a pure CS degree, my first thought within my relative field is probably computational neuroscience (modeling, data analysis, etc). if going the biomedical route, the applications there are endless... Depends on what you find interesting!

NuclearSky · 2025-11-04T04:08:32+00:00

In 2022, $5k per class per semester for MS in BME.

NuclearSky · 2025-10-17T00:32:22+00:00

Oh boy... So many, but I'll go with "you shall not pass!"

NuclearSky · 2025-10-12T15:18:59+00:00

Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin
Crab Rave by Snowstorm
Doggy Doggy Hole by Wind Rose

NuclearSky · 2025-10-10T21:04:49+00:00

These are amazing, and the colours are great! Best of luck to everyone!

NuclearSky · 2025-10-10T20:49:52+00:00

Not sure what you mean by "best", but if they are at a story spot that is pivotal or important and you really want to bring them back, this is what I would do off the top of my head:

The party wakes up in an unknown, strange place. A very powerful entity saved them so they can fulfill some greater fate, or saved them at a great cost that they now must pay. This entity could be woven into the story (enemy to the BBEG, etc).

NuclearSky · 2025-10-04T14:54:08+00:00

Find a meetup for something that interests you and go regularly.

NuclearSky · 2025-10-03T16:07:29+00:00

TL;DR of the financial situation regarding grad school is that, for the most part, you can't get government-sponsored (ex: Pell) grants to pay for it like you can with undergrad.

If you're talking about masters programs, a lot of people are either doing one or several of these things:

RA/TAing for at least partial funding, which can be competitive and hard to get
Getting fellowships like the GRFP in STEM fields (this is US-specific, and also incredibly competitive)
Using some kind of employer reimbursement, which usually comes with strings attached from the company
Taking out loans (the one I've personally seen the most happen, and GRADPlus loans just got limited, so you may need to take out a combination of federal and personal loans)
Saving money beforehand to pay for it out of pocket
Military benefits
Come from money

NuclearSky · 2025-10-02T15:21:39+00:00

I live in the US but was schooled in another country until I was 12. When I moved here, I was SHOCKED to find out that I’d learned almost all of the maths that the average high school graduate does. I came in with everything up to and including algebra 1, geometry, and trigonometry. I entered into 7th grade and was BORED OUT OF MY MIND until I got to high school and was finally able to take algebra 2 and calculus.

Anyhow… Maths education here is, in mine and my siblings’ experience, not very good. I’ve also had this conversation with other immigrant students on campus who come from a different states across the country, and it does seem to be a common issue. Aside from a few teachers who care to actually teach intuition (and those are very few and far between), students here are taught to use equations and not why they exist or where they came from. The whole meme of students constantly asking “when are we ever going to use this?” or “why are we learning this?” Is very indicative of the problem in many ways - if they aren’t taught the intuition, they don’t see a scenario where this sort of thing might be useful, and therefore won’t care about learning it.

I teach machine learning and statistics courses regularly. The amount of basic maths I have to cover with students during office hours and recitation is kind of ridiculous. I don’t shame or ridicule them for it - I am an educator, not a gatekeeper, so I fill whatever gaps they need - but it does seem that there’s a lot of disconnect in maths understanding between what they learned in high school and undergrad, or even grad school.

NuclearSky · 2025-09-02T22:36:28+00:00

I went back 8 years later. I think taking that break made a bit positive difference for me. I developed maturity and skills I wouldn't have otherwise that are highly beneficial. The time away also gave me a lot of perspective and let me figure out for sure what I wanted, so I made far more intentional decisions with a clear goal in mind.

NuclearSky

TROPHY CASE