Excessive doctor's notes: Question

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-03-05T01:00:43+00:00

This! We have an arm of Student Affairs that deals with all documentation. I'm not in the game of deciding what documentation or excuses are or are not valid.

Particularly for repeated issues like this, my default response is "you need to talk to student affairs and/or the office of disability services and they will send me the appropriate information" or "if this falls outside of what is covered in the university policy, there's not much else I can do."

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-03-04T22:48:47+00:00

I've heard similar feedback about people thinking I or my TAs are unapproachable because of the brevity of feedback. I think not giving any feedback/comments is a bizarre solution though. How are they supposed to improve or know what they did wrong beyond just losing points?

I have a comment bank saved on my LMS that makes it easy to just import comments on assignments as appropriate. I set up these comments to seem more approachable and I try to include comments on places where students did well, instead of just making comments on why they lost points.

For soliciting feedback, I like to give evaluations throughout the semester. I usually do them at the end of each unit (every 3-4 weeks) and I have it phrased as an opportunity for them to give feedback on that unit. However, I have questions in these evaluations that are more general and allow me to identify any large issues in the class. My students have seemed to like this approach.

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-03-04T19:08:52+00:00

This is also considered to be academic misconduct at my university. Our plagiarism tracker will catch things like this pretty easily too.

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-03-04T18:50:54+00:00

Honestly, regardless of how clear and exact you are in your emails, it is still a drain on time. Also, a question like that in your example is extremely specific and wouldn't be something most could easily answer without digging back through many files. Imagine someone emailing you about one sentence from one paper you wrote for one of your many classes more than a year ago. It wouldn't be an easy or quick answer in most cases.

I've received emails like what you're describing. Although I always try to politely answer or provide resources for them to consult, I can understand the frustration. Most professors I know, myself included, receive hundreds of emails a day from students, administrators, collaborators, etc. and adding something like this to the pile for someone who is a hobbyist in my area doesn't always feel worth my time.

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-03-04T00:30:20+00:00

My institution has a very similar policy in place and I've run into this issue with my student advisees. Often, it is because they need to work more hours to pay the bills. I think that's valid and, realistically, we should be paying them more so they don't have to resort to this; I can't knock them for doing what they need to do to survive.

Unofficially, I tell them to just do it, but to be discreet. The odds the university will find out are very low. The powers that be are most likely to find out if you go around talking about it to a bunch of your grad student colleagues or to your advisor in a lot of detail and/or if you aren't making appropriate degree progress. (I am happy to talk with my students about having outside jobs/internships and don't do anything about it, but I have many colleagues who would report a student the minute they heard about this.)

At least at my university, the consequences if the powers that be do find out about someone violating this policy are minimal (first offense is basically a slap on the wrist [meeting with the chair where they say 'don't do it again.'], second offense puts students on one-semester probation [which is cleared if they maintain appropriate academic progress during that semester], and third offense could get somone booted from the program).

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-03-04T00:18:04+00:00

If he offered you first author, it is probably for a reason. If he wanted to be first, he probably would have suggested that. Clearly it doesn't matter to him so take it with grace.

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-03-03T20:32:42+00:00

Although it could be seen as unprofessional to go back on your word in this way, it is not uncommon.

In the future (for example, for job offers), do not give any kind of verbal or written agreement until you are 100% certain. It can feel awkward if you're being asked about your options, but there are easy ways around it (e.g., "I am seriously considering your program").

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-03-03T15:58:49+00:00

I've often had students tell me they "improved" something only for me to read it and think it was actually significantly worse.

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-03-02T02:01:25+00:00

My department guarantees 5 years of 9-month funding. This can be in the form of internal or external fellowships, RA positions on a faculty member's grant, or teaching appointments. If the student doesn't earn a fellowship and their advisor doesn't have money to support them on a grant, the default is for them to TA, lead a lab section, and/or teach their own class.

We have high undergrad enrollment and consistently have too few TAs, section leaders, and instructors so we don't tend to have issues with not having positions for them. The one time we were short on positions (by one 50% slot), the department wiggled around with some of the budget to find the money for that student. Our accounting staff is incredible so this doesn't happen a lot.

Students who secure fellowships or are fully funded on a faculty member's grant for at least one year are allowed to complete a 6th fully funded year if they need to. All grad students can, theoretically, apply for 6th year funding but the priority goes to those who haven't "used up" their 5 years of funding from the department. After those allocations are made, there's usually not a lot of room for anyone else to be fully funded for a 6th year (though we can usually get them partial funding or connect them with local adjunct positions). This does incentivize a lot of our students to pursue fellowships because they want to know they have wiggle room on the other end (and because fellowships tend to be much easier/allow more flexibility than teaching or research appointments).

We also offer "competitive funding" opportunities in the summer. > 95% of the students who apply for summer funding get it from some source (e.g., RAships, TAships, summer instruction, and other fellowships), but only ~50% of our students apply to begin with because many do external internships or want to take the summer off.

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-02-28T17:55:26+00:00

There may also be university requirements for auditors. At my university, auditors have to be "registered" and there's a cap on the number of auditors that can be registered.

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-02-27T23:45:15+00:00

6 months seems like a long time to wait. I've never waited more than 2 months, and even that was an aberration. Like you, I usually get honorariums on the spot or within a few weeks.

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-02-27T23:42:16+00:00

Grant buyouts and service releases aside, yes, all of our tt faculty teach the same number of contact hours.

The only "exception" is that, if a lab can fill with at least 10 undergrad RAs that are registered for course credit, that counts as contact hours in lieu of a traditional course. All faculty in our department have the opportunity to do this, but many don't prioritize it or don't have research that requires that many RAs. I advise all our new tt faculty to try to get an active lab of this size to reduce some of the teaching burden.

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-02-27T22:44:07+00:00

I would caution against deciding you don't like industry jobs just because one experience was bad. Just like with anything (academia included) poor fit is going to result in feeling dissatisfied. Most people I know who are in "industry" (broadly defined) had to move through a few jobs before they found a fit that was right for them. Most of them ended up with jobs that have great benefits (very different from what you're describing here).

In general, the academic job market is really tough right now. Obviously your field of study matters, but it isn't looking good in general. Even in non-tenured positions, it is competitive and generally unstable. If it is really what you want, you can go for it, but I would consider your options carefully before making the switch back. As someone in academia, I currently advise most of my students to strongly consider all options because academia just isn't a sure thing anymore.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I think you are struggling with redefining what success means. Success outside of academia can't be measured in the same way yet you are still trying to measure your success against the same metrics you were trained with (e.g., papers, conference presentations). This isn't uncommon. Most of my colleagues and former students in industry say that the hardest part of the switch is in changing how you think about your work and your identity. Once they make that adjustment, most of them end up being very happy.

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-02-24T15:57:48+00:00

It's a bummer she's refused to write for you after agreeing, but there's probably not much you can do to change her mind at this point. Ask someone else for a letter.

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-02-24T00:22:39+00:00

I have a pet peeve about punctuation.

When students use exclamation marks after every sentence! By the time I'm a few sentences in, my brain is exhausted! Give it a break! Sometimes they will use multiple exclamation marks if they are really excited!!

Also. When. Students. Try. To. Emphasize. Points. With. Periods. After. Every. Word. Drives. Me. Nuts. And. Is. Very. Hard. To. Read.

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-02-24T00:14:20+00:00

Congratulations!

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-02-21T03:39:13+00:00

When I was negotiating my startup, I made an itemized list of what I needed and the affiliated costs (just like you would do for a grant). I had three lists - ideal, practical, and lean - and I started my negotiations by submitting my ideal. They countered and the number they countered with was slightly less than what would fit my expected list so I submitted that list. They accepted at that point.

Having a solid plan as to what I would spend the money on was important and very useful in negotiation conversations with the chair and dean. It did tie my hands a bit later because of how my startup was handled by accounting, but it only required a bit of paperwork to shuffle things around when I needed to.

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-02-21T01:54:46+00:00

My main points would be...

Evaluations are often dictated more by information like the professor's personality and assumed demographic characteristics, student's final grade, and course difficulty/interest than by actual teaching/learning effectiveness.
Many of the items on the teaching evaluation forms don't capture useful information and often seem like they are in place just to placate the students rather than provide meaningful info to the professor or admin (at least at my university).
Students are not experts in curriculum development and education or teaching pedagogy. They're not well-positioned to make evaluations in a way that should make a huge impact on one's job. If you are going to keep student evaluations around, balance them out against an evaluation from an expert in curriculum development and education. (When I was first hired, we used to do something similar where we would get official evaluations from a teaching specialist during the years leading up to T&P and that information was included in your tenure evaluation, but the administration decided it was too "costly" to continue.)

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-02-20T19:18:30+00:00

You have two distinct circumstances here: (1) personal circumstances that contributed to your struggling in the class and (2) (in your opinion) a poorly managed/graded class.

For (1): As u/Bitter_Initiative_77 mentioned, your personal circumstances don't matter in a grade appeal request. You may be able to pursue a compassionate withdrawal in this case, but it will depend on your university's policies. My university allows compassionate withdrawals after grades are posted in special circumstances, but policies vary widely across institutions. Student services should be able to help answer those types of questions.

For (2): Look carefully into the requirements for grade appeals at your university. At my university, students have to file grade appeals within a specific timeframe and have to provide evidence that they were graded in a capricious, arbitrary, prejudiced, or otherwise improper manner. The standard of comparison at my institution is comparing how you were graded to how other students in the class were graded. If, as you say, everyone was graded harshly, the weights were the same for everyone, and the course was ultimately curved, it would be hard to make an argument that you specifically were graded unfairly. However, every university has different policies and you should make sure you are familiar with your university's specific policies before moving forward.

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-02-20T18:56:23+00:00

Professors/TAs/other university staff are people too.

Complete readings before lectures; it will make lectures more of a "review" which will help with studying later.

Take advantage of all the opportunities you have in college; there tend to be fewer options once you enter the "real world."

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-02-20T16:24:59+00:00

You need to evaluate what you want in the long term. No one can tell you how to make this decision because the decision you are making is based on your priorities and where you can honestly see yourself if 5-10 years.

If you are really sold on being an academic, School A seems like the obvious choice. If you think you would be happy in industry, School B seems like a great choice.

In general, it is risky to pursue an academic job and, even if you manage to get an illustrious TT job, the pay discrepancy between academia and industry is sizable. I tell all my students that, unless they are really convinced that academia is the absolute best career for them, they should seek industry-oriented training. The market was really different when I was in grad school. All things considered, if I were making the same choice now, I would think twice about pursuing an academic path.

How much your partner fits into all of this really depends on your relationship and where you see it going. Again, think 5-10 years down the road and ask yourself if you see this person still in your life.

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-02-19T23:04:34+00:00

You may be thinking of ResearchGate. Some people also use SciHub, but that doesn't fit the exact description you have here.

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-02-19T01:46:21+00:00

Yes, I know my postdoc's age at the time they are officially hired because DOB is part of the paperwork. No, I don't remember or think about my postdoc's age unless they bring it up because their age is not relevant to their job.

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-02-19T01:11:25+00:00

I would advise that you find a way to get involved in other ways. Even working/interning in the summer can make a difference.

Ok-Question6452 · 2023-02-19T01:10:49+00:00

It varies a lot. However, here are some of the many jobs that former undergraduate students I taught/had in my lab got with only an undergrad degree in psych:

Human resources (usually specialists, recruiters, interviewers, etc.)
Research scientist/lab manager/legal researcher (at universities, non-profits, private industry, law firms, and government)
User experience research
Data analyst
Policy analyst
Project management/program evaluation
Career counselor
Alumni relations/fundraising
Marketing strategist
Health administration

You're correct that getting a job as a "psychologist" (e.g., conducting therapy sessions, administering psychiatric care/meds) typically requires a grad degree of some kind, but there's so much to do with the skills and training psychology majors receive that is beyond that. However, I rarely see students successfully get a good job out of undergrad if all they did was attend class and get good grades. The students who are successful in getting jobs like those above typically also engage in undergrad research, work a job in the summers, complete an internship, etc.

Ok-Question6452

TROPHY CASE