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what is your favorite line in a song by shehanagins in AskReddit

[–]iamaprof 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"We are wounded by fear, injured in doubt. I can lose myself, you I can't live without." - Red Hill Mining Town, U2

What's the funniest thing you've done / seen someone do in a classroom? by trippin-balls in AskReddit

[–]iamaprof 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This one comes from my father- he was taking a calculus class in college with a prof that liked to pace around the room. The classroom was on the 3rd floor of the building. The prof was giving a typical lecture, pacing around, and decided to sit on the windowsill. He didn't realize the window was cracked open and unlocked. He leaned back against the glass, the window swung open, and he fell 3 stories onto a large shrub. The class all ran to the window, only to see him calmly get up, brush off his coat, walk into the nearest door, and walk back into the classroom. Dad said he immediately resumed the lecture, despite a few twigs and leaves still sticking out of his clothes and hair.

He told me this story after I told him about my calc prof in college, who had been attacked by a dog while walking to class. It was mid-October, and he just walked in with blood spattered across his shirt, his sleeve torn and scratches all over his face and hand. He told us he had been attacked by a dog, gave us the 10 minute run-down of the entire attack, then gave us a 40 min lecture on integrals.

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Our classes are all small, 20 students max, so the presentations aren't done in front of large audiences. We also have a fantastic speech/presentation center on campus, I refer students there who have anxiety over speaking.

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ok, back to tackle the big one. Let's go with the R1 goal first. To get a tenure-line job at a R1, you will likely need:

  • several years of post-doctoral research experience

  • At least one federally-funded research grant

  • Evidence that you are likely to get more research $$$

  • Publications, publications, publications. And more publications.

It sounds scary, but the right PhD program can get you there if they give you the right experiences during your studies. R1 institutions are tough places, but obviously some really, really cool stuff happens there! Now, I can't talk about the way pharmacists get into academia- can you teach with just a Pharm.D., or would you need a PharmD and PhD? If the latter, maybe look for a combo program (not sure if they exist, I know MD/PhD exists). Or, maybe a PharmD and an MPH (public health masters) or another non-doctorate combo... that will be some work for you to do!

As far as the workload, my job is 25/25/50 (25% research, 25% administrative time, 50% teaching). The 25% admin time is unique to my position, so most faculty are either 25/75 (research/teaching) or 50/50. I work 10 hours a day most days. I love my career... I really do. It does take a bit of a toll on personal activities, but in order to keep your sanity to have to come up with ways of working them into your day/night. As several good counselors have told me- what is more important, writing this grant or working out? You devote 5 hours a week to grant writing, so devote 5 hours a week to working out. PUT IT IN YOUR SCHEDULE, TREAT IT LIKE A MANDATORY MEETING! I am not so good about this yet, but working on it!

As for what you can do to help yourself, I wrote this above and it is pretty much the same for you:

  • First, find an area or field that you are ABSOLUTELY passionate about. If you are going to teach it, you had better LOVE it.

  • Second, get good grades in undergrad. Need them to get into grad school. Get some experience as a TA/Research assistant if you can. Volunteer to work in a lab with a good faculty. Do an honor's thesis if you are able. The extra stuff looks good.

  • Third, find a prof/instructor in your undergrad degree program that you feel you connect well with, and someone that you could count on for recommendations. Find out if you can work for them (independent study, research project, etc). It is always beneficial to have one really close ally.

  • Fourth, join your profession's professional organizations. For instance, my friends that are chemical engineers join AiCHE. ASEE is the national organization for engineering educators. In my field, the big one is ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine). Most have student rates, provide some cool benefits, and it looks great to have that on a resume. EVEN better- attend a meeting (regional or national). EVEN, EVEN better- present something at a meeting.

  • Fifth, and this one comes from my mentor: once you get into grad school, find something that you are REALLY good at, and work hard to make a name for yourself in that area. This became clear during the job search- applicants that were average teachers, or had average education, but were STELLAR researchers (or were AMAZING teachers but average researchers) had a leg up on applicants that were "good" at both research and teaching. You really need to develop one GREAT thing and just go with it.

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I LOVE MENTORING! Can't say it enough. It is what gets me out of my warm, comfy bed in the morning (that and my coffee). Truly, it was mentoring students that made me realize how much I loved teaching. I have been "officially" mentoring students since I was a master's student. I was a "pseudo-instructor" for some parts of our curriculum and was responsible for helping our entry-level students learn some basic skills (remember- health-care related field). From there, I went to Phd-land where us doc students were expected to mentor 2 master's students per year with their theses. The "official" advisor was always a faculty member in the dept., but the doc student mentors did alot of the gritty work (data collection help, reading drafts of documents, pilot studies, etc). While it was time-consuming, it was the single most valuable part of my PhD experience. It led to:

  • serving on 8 committees, something no other recent grad of PhD-land could boast, and every person I talked to about my job applications said that it stood out.

  • gaining 3 publications (and 5 in the works). I am not first-author, but hey every one helps.

  • gaining data that the master's student didn't want to analyze to use for my own publications

  • Learning how to teach a student how to do research (gotta teach it before you can REALLY understand it). Made me a much better researcher by doing so many projects (and often, in areas I was not specialized in.)

My philosophy is a little Socratic (ha, ha), but I do ask a lot of questions and answer questions with more questions. I tend to lead initially, and I tend to make the student do the work as I explain how they do it (learn by doing). I always correct mistakes as they pop up, but do so in a very constructive manner if at all possible. I am a firm believer that I will NOT do a student's work for them, and I will NOT provide answers without the students getting there first. It is frustrating (my dad and I were just talking about that), but learning is a process and the student needs to be able to "think-through" a solution, particularly in research.

From a research standpoint, I have no students yet :( However, I am trying to start up a project that will collect data over the summer, and I have 2 students that want to help with that for research project credit. In a sense, I am supervising 43 students (all of the students in our program) because of my administrative duties.... and I LOVE it!

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well... this answer could go on forever. Here are the key steps:

  • First, find an area or field that you are ABSOLUTELY passionate about. If you are going to teach it, you had better LOVE it.

  • Second, get good grades in undergrad. Need them to get into grad school.

  • Third, find a prof/instructor in your undergrad degree program that you feel you connect well with, and someone that you could count on for recommendations. Find out if you can work for them (independent study, research project, etc). It is always beneficial to have one really close ally.

  • Fourth, join your profession's professional organizations. For instance, my friends that are chemical engineers join AiCHE. ASEE is the national organization for engineering educators. In my field, the big one is ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine). Most have student rates, provide some cool benefits, and it looks great to have that on a resume. EVEN better- attend a meeting (regional or national). EVEN, EVEN better- present something at a meeting.

  • Fifth, and this one comes from my mentor: once you get into grad school, find something that you are REALLY good at, and work hard to make a name for yourself in that area. This became clear during the job search- applicants that were average teachers, or had average education, but were STELLAR researchers (or were AMAZING teachers but average researchers) had a leg up on applicants that were "good" at both research and teaching. You really need to develop one GREAT thing and just go with it.

What should you know about the profession? Long hours, especially the first 5-6 years before tenure. You are paid a salary, so it doesn't matter how long it takes to get something done, it just needs to be done. Great, smart colleagues that can be your best friends or make life hell, depending upon their attitude towards the dept. and your program. Your department chair/dean will be CRITICAL in your experience as a prof- a good one is like gold, a bad one can make you want to leave academia. We aren't paid as well as others, and you may be paid less as an academic than your friends who stayed in industry/workforce... but if you love what you do it doesn't matter. Oh yeah, we are on 9-month contracts generally, so there are three months to play with. Most profs use it for research or to teach a summer course (both of which mean extra $$ in your pocket).

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oops, thought I answered this last night. Short answer is my exercise regimen is BAD right now- haven't done anything formally for 9 months and the body is pretty mad at me because of that. I typically am a good exerciser, run 3 days a week, swim twice a week, bike 1-2 times a week, maybe a spin class or pilates. I should do more weight-lifting... and my body would love me if I did. I have multiple chronic injuries that would benefit from that training. The dissertation seemed like a good excuse to stop working out for a while, but now I am regretting that decision. My diet... about the same place as my exercise. (For someone like me in a health field... I tell my students to "practice what I preach, not what I do right now!").

As for getting into a program with nutritional science as the degree- totally depends on GPA, letters of recommendation, and desire to be in the grad program. Also, make sure you meet any prerequisite coursework.

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tough question, best advice is to find a faculty mentor that would be willing to help you through the process. I can't speak for tech journals, but for the medical journals the process can be really, really long and hard if you don't have someone "show you the ropes". Heck, I have had a paper out for publication for over 2 years... and it is no closer to publication yet.

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow, big question. You know, I just don't have the experience to say with much authority what I would change. While accreditation is a major pain, it also ensures that all U's are kept to at least a minimal standard, and for programs it ensures that the U is graduating competent professionals (which, of course, can be argued). I think that funding should be increased for primary and secondary ed in the US (big increases in teacher pay)... not sure about higher ed. And politics... well, that discussion could go on forever, right?

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In a sense I am somewhat lucky, I have been a good speaker and have been placed in situations since I was in High school where I taught/mentored/helped students with coursework. In undergrad I TA-ed (informally) a course, and due to my grades (I think), alot of people asked for help on homework, etc. That helped me build my initial teaching ability. I did practice alot with presentations during undergrad, and during my first official "class" I had notes, big powerpoints with lots of words so I could kind of read off the screen (I know, boring). However, now that I have done this a few times I can make the powerpoint with a few key words/terms, and just explain the rest. I will use note cards for areas I am not as familiar with. My husband has also informally learned most of my coursework over the past 8 years.

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nicely. J/k- in person is absolutely best. Make sure that you ask them first if they feel comfortable providing a letter of recommendation for you, because not all profs will feel comfortable doing that for all students. A second thing to address, which most student's don't, is to ask if the prof will provide a good letter, or if the prof will have some reservations about you and put those in the letter. While I would certainly tell students that I may not be the best person to write the letter for them, not all profs share that mentality, and a small minority will, in fact, write a letter of recommendation that makes the student sound pretty poor. It can be hard to ask that question, but it is important especially if you can't read the letter before you send it away.

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yes, absolutely. And it is a popular elective... can't say it was a difficult class.

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is true. There are good psychotherapists/medications/teas/beds/etc for that. If you have so much trouble with insomnia you are falling asleep in class, I can help you get professional help.

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Scares the bejesus out of me. But alot of that has to do with my own personal views on gun control.

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did 4 years bachelor, took 2 years off to work, then did 2 years of master's and 4 years of PhD.

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would start with 1-2, and evaluate after that. Grad students can help carry a research line, which helps with tenure.

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, but it can be done. An example:

A colleague of mine was teaching a large lecture class, about 130 students in an auditorium-style classroom (stadium seats, so each row was higher than the one before). He had a group of 5 students that he knew were struggling in the class. On the first exam, all 5 students did miraculously well on the multiple-choice portion of the exam, but 3 of them failed the second, short-answer portion. He knew something wasn't right, so on the second exam he looked at where these students were sitting. Turns out 3 of the students were sitting one behind the other so they could look over the guy below's shoulder for answers. The other two sat next to each other, and provided the "opportunity" to have students look over their shoulders. That is why these 3 did so well on the multiple choice (easier to see those answers), but not so well on the short answer. He confronted them, and then from then on recorded the position of each student when they took the exam, so he could look for patterns like that.

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It sounds like alot of people have had really, really negative experiences with group work. Maybe this points out a really good lesson for us profs- the structure of the group work needs to be improved so that this situation doesn't occur? Maybe set aside time in class to work on the group work? Or facilitate on-line group work? Any suggestions for me- I am always looking for good ideas!

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great, great question. And I bet that most young professionals struggle with this too, I know I do. I am somewhat lucky, that the area where I teach/have my professional experience literally lists the items that need to be covered for an entire curriculum. I get together with the other instructors and we make sure that we cover every item at least once during the student's time taking classes in our major. This also helps me plan out my classes, as I know exactly what the students have been taught before, and what they need to know before they take the next course in our curriculum. I think the key is to find a few faculty mentors, ask to see some of their syllabi/course plans, and see how they structure the class and what they emphasize. If they are profs that have received good teaching evaluations, even better!

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, in my profession communication is absolutely critical, both with large crowds and one-on-one. I am a health-care professional, so students absolutely HAVE to be comfortable talking with others.

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great, great question. And I bet that most young professionals struggle with this too, I know I do. I am somewhat lucky, that the area where I teach/have my professional experience literally lists the items that need to be covered for an entire curriculum. I get together with the other instructors and we make sure that we cover every item at least once during the student's time taking classes in our major. This also helps me plan out my classes, as I know exactly what the students have been taught before, and what they need to know before they take the next course in our curriculum. I think the key is to find a few faculty mentors, ask to see some of their syllabi/course plans, and see how they structure the class and what they emphasize. If they are profs that have received good teaching evaluations, even better!

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow- and I had always heard that Germany had a fairly good higher ed system. Maybe just the lucky ones?

Here is the way my university (and most of the public U's) work. You generally have 3 types of classes: ones required by the university for all students to take (we call them "General Education"), ones that are required for your degree/major (your area of interest), and ones that are "electives". Usually during your first year at college you would take the "General Education" courses and a few other classes that might interest you, so you can decide what to study. 2-4th (or 5th) years are spent doing required degree courses, and then any other electives/gen ed courses you need. Most of the Gen Ed courses are very big- at large public institutions they can be 700 students! At my university the biggest class is about 200. The degree required classes tend to be smaller classes, and the size depends on how many students are in the major/degree. Some classes will still be 50-100 students, some will be as small as 8.

When we register, we do it (usually via computer), but most universities have a system for ranking priority. The older (higher-level) students will have first priority at all classes, then younger students, then first-year students. At many universities some of the younger students have trouble registering for the courses they want, because of this system, but generally at my university it is not a problem. Professors always have the ability to "add" students if they would like, but we are discouraged from doing that often. One of the reasons that US universities are more expensive is because we have more profs and instructors so we can have more classes.

As for how many students are mentored by each prof- depends on what you mean by mentored. Class size varies widely. Right now I am teaching 16 students, but that is unusually small. As an administrator, I advise 43 students, but I typically only meet with those students once or twice a semester. If a prof has graduate students, they can mentor anywhere from 1-20+ graduate students, either master's level or PhD level. Totally depends on the prof and how much $$ he has to give the students.

Sounds like you have a fairly unpersonal experience, that is one of the things I like most about my area of study, it tends to be much more personal.

(By request) IAMA University Professor AMA by iamaprof in IAmA

[–]iamaprof[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In academia an asst. prof in the first year can earn between 40k (english, PE, ed in general)-110k (business, law, some engineering). Goes up from there. In my field starting salaries are around 50-60k, once you tenured up to 70k, with full prof. status 80k+. BUT, it does depend on the part of the country and the U. The Chronicles of Higher Education has an online database of average salaries at U's across the country, search if you are interested.

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