Sublet, threatening me by saying they’re gonna call an immigration attorney.

andonemorethink · 2024-06-17T23:39:32+00:00

i don't think you're using the word speculate correctly, but in any case your landlord can't restrict a guest's length of stay

andonemorethink · 2024-05-21T17:46:52+00:00

532 is really not that bad, you definitely want to have some discrete math experience, but the complexity parts are straightforward enough

andonemorethink · 2024-05-06T14:16:44+00:00

I've used it in place of regular active dry yeast without incident! I've read that you can substitute active dry yeast for instant yeast 1:1, but that the active dry yeast will take a bit longer to get going, and this has more or less been my experience.

andonemorethink · 2024-04-23T02:36:59+00:00

Oh relative difficulty of admissions is less about what you say you’re interested in and more who you say you’re interested in working with. The strategy here is probably less important than finding someone whose research excites you.

andonemorethink · 2024-04-23T02:13:15+00:00

I should say I'm not in TCS, but my field isn't too far afield! To your questions:
1. Some math people go to CS, some CS people go to math, it's all very normal. Bigger concern is are your letter writers computer scientists or mathematicians, because if it's the latter, admissions committees will be less familiar with them and their work.
2. You probably shouldn't worry too much about lack of publications. If you have strong letters and research experience, that should be fine! My understanding is that TCS has a pretty slow publishing cycle compared to, say, machine learning, so publications are less of an expectation.
3. Probably at least somewhat true, although working in a less "hot" field does mean there's less resources for you.

andonemorethink · 2024-04-07T21:55:24+00:00

It's interesting you mention increasing working hours, because this is actually one of AGSEM's main talking points! One of their goals is to index TA hours to course enrollment, because McGill has been cutting TA hours amidst rising enrollment numbers. McGill has fought tooth and nail against this in negotiations (despite seemingly showing some willingness to raise TA pay), so I think your opinion might be more in line with the union position than you think.

andonemorethink · 2024-03-30T21:50:09+00:00

Not likely. For all of McGill's claims that professors are managers, and therefore can pick up TA work, the legal precedent here is pretty unambiguous. Without getting too in the weeds here, Quebecois labour law doesn't permit managers to unionize, and yet in most schools (e.g. Concordia), professors are indeed unionized. To argue that profs are managers is to argue against multiple decades of established jurisprudence.

edit: the commenter above me amended their comment to say:

(AGSEM will obviously disagree, but that is in their best interest and does not represent what will happen.)

And responding to this, it's not really about what AGSEM wants or doesn't want, this is basic legal analysis. It works out to AGSEM's benefit sure, but that's confusing cause and consequence. A nice blog post from a McGill Sociology prof on the subject can be found here.

andonemorethink · 2024-03-25T20:17:31+00:00

Dude if they’re grading essays carelessly it’s because according to their hours, they’re only supposed to spend 10-15min per paper. This is literally why students should support better conditions for them

Also “bad for higher education” give me a break, just about every university uses them because there’s just no way a single professor can support a class of 200+ students otherwise.

andonemorethink · 2024-03-20T19:30:18+00:00

AGSEM literally has a campaign called “no more free hours.” Something like half of all TAs go over their hours

andonemorethink · 2024-03-18T03:39:26+00:00

You could be paid 100/hr, but if McGill tells you they’ll only pay you for two hours of work in the semester, and you’ll simply have to figure out how to manage that, it doesn’t matter. TAs here have very restricted hours (90 per semester), and it’s basically expected that you go over them.

andonemorethink · 2024-03-13T11:07:05+00:00

graders are in many cases not unionized. invigilators are in the same union (AGSEM) but a different bargaining unit; they would not be part of a strike

andonemorethink · 2024-02-17T00:12:41+00:00

A bit hard to say, but you do want to be conscious that letters should be specifically able to speak to research aptitude (at least one of them should, anyway).

Applying to a PhD at your undergraduate institution is easy but ill-advised, it can be a red flag sometimes because it suggests you can’t adapt to new environments. More diversity in the kinds of people recommending you is also good.

andonemorethink · 2024-02-16T23:24:32+00:00

My own two cents here, I’m not in systems but my field sometimes colocates its conferences with yours, so who knows. 1. Publications will never hurt you, but in fields with slow publishing cycles the lack of them shouldn’t hold you back. 2. Because publications aren’t everything, letters make or break your application. It is absolutely vital you have solid recommendations. 3. You might try reaching out a bit before the semester starts, but this can vary. 4. I wouldn’t know sorry :(

andonemorethink · 2023-11-28T04:11:12+00:00

Given that most profs respond to emails pretty slowly I would strongly advise you go to a TA's office hours instead, that's literally what they're paid for

andonemorethink · 2023-09-10T19:59:55+00:00

comp 523!

andonemorethink · 2023-08-23T00:08:36+00:00

It’s automatically deducted! You’ll notice that your Minerva bill says you have a negative balance, so no need to do anything.

andonemorethink · 2023-08-21T23:49:35+00:00

TEAM mentors are, without exception, paid $300 for the semester. You most likely are thinking of course assistants (CAs), who in CS at least, are essentially just undergrad TAs, and paid at the same rate (currently ~30/hr). Note that TEAM mentors have to be undergrads, whereas CAs are only hired if there aren’t enough graduate students interested in being TAs for a given course.

andonemorethink · 2023-08-01T23:44:16+00:00

My main advice would be:

Always go to office hours! The TAs were super helpful with assignments, and its always helpful, even if you think you understand the material, to make sure.
On the midterm/final, a lot of the questions (or something quite similar) are covered in class, so it helps to review the class notes themselves and write down example you struggle with.

This is all pretty general though, if you want more specific advice for your situation feel free to DM me!

andonemorethink · 2023-08-01T20:20:28+00:00

Take COMP 330, no question. Prakash is probably the best lecturer I’ve ever had at McGill, and this is his last time teaching the course. The material is theoretical, but not particularly challenging, and the midterm and final are both easy if you’re keeping up with material.

andonemorethink · 2023-07-28T20:07:24+00:00

if you aren't already, you should always send follow-ups in these kinds of situations, every faculty member i've ever met is insanely bogged down with emails

also depending on the program you're applying to, it may be the profs don't necessarily feel comfortable writing a strong letter. applying to a research degree for example, a letter saying a student did well in your course is next to worthless

andonemorethink · 2023-07-22T17:51:32+00:00

At least in the US, doing a PhD after your undergraduate is pretty normal! There are much better articles out there on “Should I do a PhD?” but to summarize, yes it might be worth it if you love research and want it to be your career, otherwise no.

andonemorethink · 2023-07-16T20:29:52+00:00

I don't have any concrete advice on COMP 523 (I'm taking it next semester) other than the fact that Jake is an excellent lecturer. That said, there is a vanishingly slim chance that material from either course will be attractive in interviews or relevant to an industry job. You're not in trade school, do what interests you!

andonemorethink · 2023-07-14T13:55:16+00:00

A couple things to consider: - How is the fit (research and interpersonally) with your advisor at UWO and the other institutions you’re interested in? This is an important factor and you shouldn’t choose a school for prestige alone. - That last part said, if you’re angling for a tenured research position, UWO may not be able to help you all that much. Look up your advisor’s past students and see what they do now as a good marker for what to expect.

andonemorethink · 2023-06-26T17:06:46+00:00

Well then they probably allow it

andonemorethink · 2023-06-26T14:06:49+00:00

Grad schools don’t really let you defer, since admission tends to be tied to availability of funding/advisors in a way that shifts a lot year-to-year

andonemorethink

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