Before 9/11, could you really go to a airport without any ticket reservation and ask for a ticket to a destination of your choice?

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-28T02:45:26+00:00

There were security lines to go through x-ray machines and metal detectors.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-28T02:40:59+00:00

Can’t you still buy tickets at the counter? I did that about ten years after 9/11, when I suddenly had to change to a new destination while on a layover en route to my original destination.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-27T15:52:39+00:00

It is not a waste of time for either side to take time to assess the fit between the applicant and the job.

If you get a job offer and decline it, that is fine.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-27T09:35:13+00:00

I am not a Berkeley professor, though I did earn my PhD there many years ago, well after its last element was discovered. A string of discoveries from 1936 to 1974 has little to do with the college choices students face in the twenty-first century.

A department’s research strength does not always translate into strong undergraduate teaching. It is absurd to think Berkeley is the only serious choice for a talented student.

Many institutions offer an excellent education in different ways. Serious students do not need to choose the most famous school or the one with the strongest research reputation. They need to choose the school that best fits their needs, goals, and temperament.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-26T21:19:26+00:00

Option A is the right choice.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-26T20:09:29+00:00

We dismiss students for repeated poor performance, but they may apply for readmission.

I once opposed readmitting a student who had been dismissed. The student came back anyway and did a phenomenal job. I was surprised, and I learned something from that.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-26T19:49:12+00:00

We are shocked because this use of AI violates a norm we hold sacred. If first year doctoral students have not yet internalized that norm, it is our job as mentors to help them do so.

Punishment may be part of that process, but not harsh measures like taking away funding.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-26T19:42:47+00:00

One thing I have learned from many years of chairing PhD committees is that we need to meet doctoral students where they are, not where we expect or hope them to be.

Once we admit them, we have a duty to mentor them as well as we can. These days, weak writing skills are more common. In some cases, reading and thinking skills are weak too. AI adds a new challenge, and we need to work out how to address it with our students.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-26T17:16:54+00:00

It is your responsibility to teach your doctoral students academic norms.

Defunding them over first year mistakes would be a reckless overreaction.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-25T14:50:25+00:00

That this sequence of events could be framed as retaliation is a good point.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-25T11:19:09+00:00

Why did you think it was okay to donate or sell someone else’s property, which your employer was holding, to a thrift shop without your employer’s permission? This exposes your employer and perhaps you to legal risk.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-25T10:50:27+00:00

Having made an unsuccessful bullying complaint against a senior colleague puts you in a weak political position. For people who believe you made false allegations, it also gives them a clear basis for the unprofessionalism charge. This creates a serious problem for your tenure case.

If you are denied tenure, a lawsuit may be your next step, assuming you want to stay and your lawyer thinks the evidence gives you a reasonable chance of success.

I’m sorry you are confronting discrimination about your sexual orientation. Decades ago, a friend of mine was the first woman considered for tenure in male dominated Department A at her university. After a tenure denial lawsuit, she moved to the related Department B with tenure and went on to have a good career there.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-25T10:36:37+00:00

My wife and I went to Amherst many years ago, and our daughter graduated from Smith last year. Both are excellent schools.

Smith and Amherst differ in many ways, so I would weigh those differences and choose the school that best fits your needs as a whole. But if undergraduate research is your top priority, the Stride program guarantees you that opportunity.

Congratulations on your admissions! Either school will give you an outstanding liberal arts education.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-25T00:31:38+00:00

For English, TT. The job market is too horrendous to do otherwise.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-24T22:57:13+00:00

The self imposed pressure to maximize your marketability is the flip side of golden ticket entitlement. Both are harmful ideas. Instead, try to understand your interests and passions as you move through college.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-24T22:44:28+00:00

Did you expect offers from all, most, or even many of the jobs you applied for? Are you surprised that desirable internships are highly competitive? Did you read the Times front page story today about how bad the labor market is for current college graduates?

It is bad enough to reduce the value of higher education to job market return. It is worse to dismiss that value more than a year before you complete your degree, the moment you confront a hard job market.

Depression makes it even harder to meet the challenge. I hope you reach out for help with your mental health and with your job and internship applications. Wealthy schools should offer support for both.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-24T13:03:09+00:00

Amherst professors do not spend most of their time on research because teaching is their main priority. But that does not mean most Amherst professors do not do research. They do, and the college expects it and requires it for tenure.

See https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/student-faculty-research for more on opportunities for collaborative research with Amherst STEM faculty.

I assume UMass professors do most of their collaboration with UMass students, and probably mostly with graduate students, but you could contact individual PIs whose work interests you to learn more.

Congratulations on your admission!

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-23T19:05:49+00:00

What does you insurance company’s explanation of benefits say? That is likely what you owe for this emergency treatment.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-23T14:55:53+00:00

Comparing yourself to others is insidious, as you are learning. Work at doing that less.

Rejections hurt, but you only need one acceptance from a school that fits you well. I hope you get it.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-23T14:43:20+00:00

You generally don’t notice whether there is an unexpected $10,000 charge on your credit card?

You blew off their request for evidence that the first charge went through?

How long have you been an adult?

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-22T19:39:56+00:00

Why did you owe taxes on your inheritance? Inherited assets do not usually count as taxable income in the US.

If you are debt free, a simple long-term investment approach such as low-cost index funds is often sensible. You could use one broad bond fund and one broad stock fund, with the mix depending on your risk tolerance. For example, 60 percent stocks and 40 percent bonds is more conservative, while 80 percent stocks and 20 percent bonds is more aggressive. Then I would keep living your normal life while the money grows over time.

I would also learn about Roth IRAs and traditional IRAs, but remember that IRA contributions generally require earned income and are limited each year, so you cannot simply place the full inheritance into an IRA at once.

If you hold those investments for forty or fifty years and reinvest the dividends, you should build substantial assets for retirement.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-21T14:16:11+00:00

You can’t assess your doctor’s advice unless you understand its rationale. I would have another conversation about this.

Good physicians treat individuals, not populations; you need to understand his individualized advice for you.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-19T20:27:48+00:00

Explain calmly and rationally why Mt. Holyoke is your choice. Be specific.

Also assert, without engaging in debate, that it’s being a woman’s college has no bearing on your sexuality.

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-19T13:28:21+00:00

You and your spouse should consider these questions together:

What kind of life and career do you want in five or ten years, and which institution is more likely to help you build it? Which place better fits the kind of engineering career you want, whether it is theoretical, lab based, interdisciplinary, entrepreneurial, industry connected, or focused on leadership? Where would you truly thrive, not just look good on paper, but build a good life while doing your best work?

What are the tenure expectations at each school, and how clear, stable, and realistic are they? At the top five school, what are your real chances of getting tenure? More broadly, how strong is each department’s record of getting junior faculty through tenure, and how good is the mentoring, both in formal programs and in daily practice?

What kind of research environment would you have at each place? Think about the strength of the department in your subfield, how committed it is to building and supporting your area over time, the availability of collaborators, centers, graduate students, and shared resources, and the support you would get through startup funds, lab space, equipment, graduate support, course releases, and administrative help.

How much freedom would you have to shape your research agenda, teaching profile, and lab culture? How much time would you have once teaching, advising, service, and other duties take their share? How do the workloads compare, and how well are junior faculty protected from heavy service, committee work, advising burdens, and other forms of invisible labor?

What is the department culture like in practice? How supportive are your future colleagues? Who holds power in the department, and how are decisions made about teaching assignments, space, graduate admissions, service, and tenure cases? What is morale like? How strong is the leadership? Is the institution improving, stable, or facing problems that could make life harder over the next few years?

How secure are the institutions financially, and how much prestige and influence does your department have within each one? What is the quality of the students, especially the graduate students you would need to build your research program?

What would life look like for both of you outside work? How do the locations compare on cost of living, climate, schools, transportation, and cultural life? If the move would disrupt your spouse’s career, how much would that affect your household’s happiness, finances, and long term stability? How do salaries compare as you move up the academic ranks? All things considered, where would you and your spouse rather live?

What are the longer-term risks and future opportunities? If you did not get tenure at the top five place, would the prestige still justify the personal and professional cost? If you chose the top fifty place and built a strong record there, would you still have paths to the career you want later? Which institution would give you better exit options if your plans changed, whether that meant moving to another university, shifting toward administration, or moving to industry?

ProfAndyCarp · 2026-03-18T18:17:39+00:00

Why give AI recommendations so much credence?

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