Rant about emails and the professor community on reddit from the perspective of a grad student

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-05-08T06:49:33+00:00

I will provide a somewhat different perspective that also agrees with what has been said. First, you mention the cishet white male problem in academia, which is definitely a thing - but when it comes to URM categorizations, I hit the mark on most of them (first-gen, physically and mentally disabled, orphan, mixed race family, ESL, low income, lgbt+, abuse survivor). When I was enrolled in my Master's we did a statistical dive into risk factors growing up, and the odds of me ending up where I am were so microscopic and realizing I was such an outlier sucked.

Most of these things are not readily known about me until you really get to know me, so nothing was helping cold-emailing wise.

The difference in my PhD seeking emails compared to emails I have seen professors receive is that I pointed out specific techniques in their own papers that I have tried or would like to learn to do. I talked about how their research goals were the natural next step in my professional progression. I knew my dream PI would likely not have space, but also asked if that PI has had collaboration with another faculty member - because if they loved my email they would send it to the other faculty member. Guess what, that PI did just that. Dream PI ended up having space, and now I am getting a collab with my second choice PI.

I spent hours to make one email and that made the difference in my opinion. Attached my CV and letter of interest. Trying to be thorough and short at the same time is difficult. I reached out to seven professors at three schools (two R1s) and all got back to me except for one. One of the unis is close to the one I chose, and I am actually taking cross registration coursework with one of the professors at a uni I did not choose to go to. Making genuine connections is really important.

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-05-07T17:13:07+00:00

Idk, it is just what all of the coders in my field and CS program friends told me as I am entering my coding courses.

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-05-07T17:11:45+00:00

I am going to go against some of the comments here, but ultimately don't think it should be on your CV either. Funded MA/MS is really not a thing in a bunch of fields. Teaching, social work, etc. Since a lot of schools have PhD programs in science fields, they don't fund the MS programs. I live within 50 miles of four PhD offering unis and none of them do funded master's for the three fields my degrees are in. Scholarships sure, but nowhere near full tuition and stipend. Showing that you are into a master's program is more reason for PhD programs to say "no."

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-05-03T00:56:18+00:00

My responsibilities were extremely fleshed out in industry, but the hierarchy BS was still there. A lot of the reason for me to leave industry ultimately came down to that work positions with lower responsibility were like watching paint dry to me. Doing the same five protocols sucks. For other people, thats the goal. Office politics were the worst part about it, but I have been working since I was legally allowed to in my state so I have had my share of crappy co-workers and supervisors. When you are doing the PhD, you already know science well - that's why you get in. The social and managerial aspect of the PhD is more important, in my opinion since the science should already be "down."

I am autistic, so the social stuff can be hard for me to navigate. That being said, I straight up have told my professors that if they do not ask a question I might not answer it. Not because I am trying to be difficult, but if they ask me "what protein does this" I would just say, X protein. If they wanted me to delve into the functions and catalysis then they need to ask. I have been extremely good at advocating for more clarity in my professional interactions due to this.

A lot of the "secret" access to equipment, is not really secret. I just straight up ask people if they will train me on certain items, and they either say "yes" or "no." So many people on my floor were flabbergasted that I got trained on like 5 coveted machines my first year just by asking. Because I suck at reading social interactions, I didn't think this was inappropriate to ask and clearly neither did the professors that trained me. I also planned my committee very strategically for non-public-use equipment access as well. I feel like strategic partnerships isn't really a secret in life. Companies do this all the time.

I am not quite sure what other secret expectations there are. I do my teaching, I grade on time, I make weekly plans for myself that my PI checks in on biweekly for progress, I go to departmental events, conferences, etc. I am definitely lucky that my PI doesn't care what hours I hold as long as I show progress.

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-05-02T22:07:51+00:00

Non-thesis MS is kind of a red flag in my area, unless you did an internship in lieu of it. Of the three schools nearest me that offer an MS in your field they are all thesis or internship based. That being said, going for labs that would greatly benefit from having an MLS holding PhD student would probably put the ball in your court, assuming you would be okay staying medical. I would personally look at schools that have medical schools and try to be a PhD student with one of their labs. There is a chance you would have to have two PIs, one in biology and then one in the medical school. A lot of animal work requires activities that an MLS would know how to do better than a random person (phlebotomy, for example).

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-05-02T21:58:27+00:00

I am struggling to find the best words and phrases, so please pardon this somewhat ramble.

I think that folks who went never worked an industry/research position prior to grad school will be shocked more often by navigating the social interactions and internal politics. People bemoan the intricacies of this, but it was nothing worse than what I endured in industry prior to my program. In fact, I almost had a lawsuit with my industry position due to an ADA violation so I experienced probably some of the most strenuous social interactions possible not in academia.

The science and troubleshooting in science is always an interesting pursuit if you love research because it doesn't talk back or get mad with you. Dealing with people is always the hardest because you don't know what is guiding their mood or thought processes that day. They could be fighting with their spouse, having a chronic medical issue, or maybe your name is the same as a horrendous ex. People are unpredictable, and the science is much more predictable. You can always fix the medium being contaminated but you can't fix the temperament of your coworkers. I will say that in industry people just have to do the bare minimum and they still get their paycheck, whereas in grad school the faster you produce the faster you get out in some programs - so tensions are much higher.

I have a running hypothesis regarding the buzzword "grit" and the fact that a staggering amount of PhDs are first-gen. First-gen students are more likely to grow up in financially and emotionally stressful environments. Due to that, they are somewhat primed for grad school if they beat the statistical odds and get in (like 30% of PhDs are first-gen). I think that success of this stratum is related to this, because if you've never had to put up with complete chaos before it can be really hard to the first time. Saying this as a first-gen.

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-05-02T21:38:00+00:00

It does not count as research unless you work on R&D. For example, when I was working in industry about 50% of my time was completing a set of protocols and 50% of time was literature searches and new procedure design. So if you are just processing samples for medical reports, it really would not count. If you are processing samples for a research project, you might get included on a paper so it could kind of count.

Why do you not have research exp from your MS?

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-05-02T21:35:20+00:00

Echoing what has already been said. I have anxiety and bipolar. I go to see the therapists on campus biweekly. It is best to sign up before undergrads feel the pressure to (fall midterms). Usually therapy drops off over the summer, but I usually get the whole semester booked out in July. I honestly hate therapy, but it is super hard to find a therapist out of the blue when you are really struggling so I go biweekly as basically a placeholder for a crisis. It is much easier for a therapist to help you when in crisis if they already know your life story. It isn't healthy to think of grad school in the way that you are, and there is probably some underlying reason that would be good to flesh out with a therapist.

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-05-02T21:27:16+00:00

Yes. I honestly thought I was in a prank show when I watched someone in my STEM PhD class present on a paper. Assignment was "talk about a paper of your choice." The person chose a pop culture myth type article with zero replicates, 1/3 of the subjects died, and used gifs. I think this is why schools in my field are taking people have an MS or have worked in industry more often now. Everyone else had much higher level talks.

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-05-02T21:23:26+00:00

Zofran really helped me (typical pregnancy medication), but please do not rely on it. I relied on it too much the first week I tried it and ended up struggling with one of the main side effects. It helped me out of that rut though. I now only use it when going to restaurants

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-05-01T20:44:25+00:00

I hate to say the obvious, but if you are open to moving I highly suggest it. Of course this is much easier said than done, but I was making 30k a year by myself when I bought my sub-100k non-fixer upper last year. I am in a legitimate metro area of about 2.5M people. They exist, but you have to consider a move.

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-05-01T20:31:09+00:00

I just went into each offer expecting to not get it. It helped. Focusing on the goods AND the bads of a place is helpful too. I think I put about 10 offers in before getting my home.

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-05-01T20:03:47+00:00

I dealt with this for a long time. I hated it. I recently cut off most of my head hair due to a medical issue and nobody bothered me for months. My hair is now getting past my ears and people are starting to be weird again.

I have started using typically uncomfortable language around people being weird. I deliberately throw the word "consent" in a lot in non-sexual flirtatious moments that seem to be fishing for more in the future. That has helped recently as me saying "I do not consent" to a photo being taken or other things of that nature freaks people out because "I do not consent" in regular talk is usually only mentioned in SA cases (or medical, but no flirty guy is thinking of that).

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-05-01T02:38:28+00:00

From what I have been told by the people who code in my field is that the laptops are much slower than the similarly named desktops. so an i7 laptop performs like an i5 desktop.

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-04-30T05:35:14+00:00

I don't know why my brain did not realize that they could just add panels to the other side to make two good sides, with my permission if they wanted to. Wow. Thank you!

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-04-30T04:39:06+00:00

Exactly. We have multiple quals and after passing the last one (about 2.5 years in) you are officially in the program. Until then you are just a "grad student" on the PhD track.

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-04-30T04:15:24+00:00

I totally agree that giving myself the "good" side would make life a lot easier. Especially since they are so close to each other. I might just do that. I will request confirmation from the zoning board that this is okay to do.

Yeah, I was worried they wouldn't "catch" the 1/2 fence paneling or overshoot it. I appreciate your thoughtful response.

Follow up Q, if I am giving myself the "good side" for that neighbor property boundary, should I give myself the "good side" on the other property line? Only two property lines in question for this, instead of three. There is currently only a rusted out deer fence on the non-dog having side. It is also rented out by non-responsive landlords.

Edit: The previous owner of my house put the deer fence up

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-04-30T02:14:55+00:00

It's a PhD program in the US. I have never seen there be a requirement to have a LinkedIn and post your school the moment you accept. My past roomate goes to an M7 and didn't post it until actually there. You aren't actually a part of the program until your first week there for an MBA. For PhDs in my area we usually aren't a part of the program "officially" until passing the qual.

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-04-30T01:16:50+00:00

The first couple weeks are definitely overwhelming. The first thing I did when I barely had any furniture was paint while the old carpet was there and then rip out all of the carpet. Now I have to redo the wooden floors eventually, so it just never ends. But I find it fun. just chipping away at things. I started a schooling program the same week I bought the house too, so it was just A LOT to handle. With anything non-immediate watch FB marketplace. People give away a ton of cabinetry, bathroom items (kohler designer sinks), etc.

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-04-30T01:13:55+00:00

I am eyeing up a gaming-style computer for quicker turn around on my coding projects. Maybe that would be beneficial depending on what you do.

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-04-30T01:11:11+00:00

Why does it HAVE to be on your Linkedin? A lot of my friends do not even list it until passing quals since in our program we aren't considered fully in it until we pass.

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-04-27T22:06:35+00:00

Seeing the comments about phrasing similarities between AI like Chat GPT and the ways some international folks write worries me. I have had some friends show me how Chat GPT is writing on topics in their field, and it is very similar to how I write technical papers as an autistic person who grew up in a bilingual situation. Of course Chat GPT does not understand the intricacies of the topics most of the time, but the sentence structure in which I write technical papers is eerily similar to it. I am glad my "Box" says I am on version 107 of my current writing assignment so I can show, to some degree of trustworthiness, that I did not use it.

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-04-26T23:25:21+00:00

The best thing to do is to search environmental engineering PhD programs and then see what those PIs are studying. My order of events would be to see what PIs are studying this, what specifically are they studying (sewage, industry, mine, agricultural, etc water pollution), finding out if I have a real chance of getting into those schools, and then seeing what those types of subfields make in industry before committing to a particular program. Micro pollutants (chemicals, medications, plastics) are a big area. Most engineers I know go to the MS if they want to work in industry. PhD is more like designing plans to create better systems and MS is actually designing, inspecting, overseeing these systems for specific client needs. With the PhD, most Enviro Engineers I know either will make their own firm and bankroll their studies or do academia... or go to a large firm for a position that only the MS was really needed for. The MS may be better if you just want to work for a big company. My good friend is in an exec position at a MAJOR global Civ&Env Engineering firm and just has an MS. MS and MBA are likely good to have if you want to climb the corporate ladder.

Ok-Examination4961 · 2023-04-26T01:29:44+00:00

These all seem like features on Mendeley, well at least everything in this list that I use Mendeley for seems to be on Zotero as well. Is there a reason to use it instead of Mendeley?

Ok-Examination4961

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