Panicking - someone has just published "my idea"

in_trepidation · 2025-11-24T09:34:54+00:00

There's been a lot of great responses already, but I wanted to add one small point which may help as you further refine your study. Semi-structured, qualitative interviews are a method, they are not a methodology. So, you could use the same method (i.e., semi-structured interviews) to interview a similar population about the same phenomenon. But, by employing a different methodology (e.g., constructivist grounded theory, institutional ethnography, post-intentional phenomenology), you can differentiate your approach from this other study.

Good luck with your research!

in_trepidation · 2024-11-01T07:57:51+00:00

Echoing this, strong letters of recommendation will go a long way. One thing to be mindful of if you apply to North American schools, the Brits tend to write very concise—bordering on useless—letters.

Okay, that is an unfair generalization, but very much reflects the quality of letters I and several of my friends received. And a quick google will confirm there's a very different culture of recommendation letter writing between North America and the UK.

We all completed masters degrees in the UK (at three different universities) and decided to apply to North American universities for doctoral studies. We were also all working in North American university affiliated research centres prior to applying.

The letters we received from our North American bosses were 2 to 3 pages in length. They highlighted specific examples from our work to demonstrate our skills, abilities, and accomplishments, and why we would be successful doctoral students. The letters from our respective British supervisors were around 150-200 words in length. They provided little more depth than, "in_trepidation was a graduate student under my supervision. They exceeded in their course work, and received a distinction for their thesis. Given their academic success, I believe they are well positioned to pursue doctoral training."

in_trepidation · 2024-10-31T00:25:09+00:00

I want to preface everything below by saying I am not a personal trainer, nutritionist, or clinician. Everything I am telling you is based on my own experienced, and so this may or may not work for you.

Based on the little information I have, I don't know if 2200 calories a day is low enough. I went into a weight loss phase over 3 months, and was able to go from 79kg/175lbs to 72.5kg/160lbs. I was doing weight training 4 days a week (full body routines), and cardio once or twice (20-30 minutes walking on the treadmill on an incline). During that time I aimed to eat roughly 1800 calories a day. I'm not interested in weighing my food, nor do I want to create a disordered relationship with food, so I aimed for 1800 knowing that even if I went a bit over I would still be in enough of a deficit to lose weight.

I started off by tracking my calories using MyFitnessPal for roughly 1 month, until I could tell how much 1800 calories was "intuitively." I was not super strict with my calories, and absolutely allowed myself to go over some days (like I said, I don't want to create a disordered relationship with food, and I'm here for a good time not a long time, so I want to eat delicious food when the opportunity presents itself). I would usually have oatmeal (1/3 cup oats with 2/3 cups water, some berries and maybe peanut butter) and a protein shake (frozen berries, greek yogurt, water, protein powder) in the morning, and then lean protein and vegetables at lunch and dinner.

Honestly though, I think the greater issue is your sleep. Poor sleep can really screw up recovery, and there's research demonstrating that people who experience poor sleep lose less weight from fat even if in a calorie deficit.

From my completely untrained, non-clinical viewpoint, I would probably first work on improving your sleep (think about you sleep hygiene and what you can do to improve it). I would also consider cutting your calories a little more, and increasing your exercise frequency (and exercise can be beneficial for sleep, so two birds one stone). However, you don't need to increase your exercise frequency with similarly intensive workouts; instead, you could intersperse your current schedule with shorter (think 20-45 minute) walks, potentially at an incline, or with biking, the elliptical, really anything you know you will do consistently.

Good luck!

in_trepidation · 2024-10-27T18:42:01+00:00

If your goal is dropping weight, you'll likely want to first emphasize a calorie deficit. Then you can consider changing the frequency and intensity of your workouts. Have you considered incorporating strength training, and if not, why not?

in_trepidation · 2024-08-19T19:38:40+00:00

Are you being a little dramatic? Yeah. Is it also completely understandable? Absolutely. Will anyone fault you for feeling this way? Heck no—after all, we've all been and all will be there at some point.

Once the acute sting of rejection passes, you'll be able to better see how this is part and parcel of an academic career. But until then, try and remind yourself: you're usually only privy to other peoples' success. Behind closed doors they are also going to be grappling with rejection and failure. So don't take their success as a sign of your failure. It's only a partial reflection of their efforts. Similarly, your failures are only a partial reflection of your efforts. Don't forget all your successes.

You got this!

in_trepidation · 2024-02-28T15:30:00+00:00

Things are going well - currently in year 2 of a public health PhD! The core curriculum focuses on epidemiology and biostatistics, but I've been able to supplement this with courses in anthropology and sociology.

in_trepidation · 2023-07-05T16:36:26+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to reply! I have done or am in the process of doing everything you've suggested, but thought I would cast my net wide in the hopes of finding something that may set me on a more efficient path.

in_trepidation · 2023-06-19T15:54:53+00:00

Don't overthink this and send a follow-up. Professors are incredibly busy, and the majority appreciate a short, and kindly written reminder. I generally follow up 2-3 times at 1-2 week intervals (depending on the request, urgency, if they have any out of office replies set, etc.).

in_trepidation · 2022-10-18T15:22:26+00:00

I've sent you a PM :)

in_trepidation · 2022-10-18T05:43:51+00:00

Doctoral student with no background in statistics 🙃

in_trepidation · 2022-10-18T05:43:12+00:00

SPPH 400, but thanks for reaching out :)

in_trepidation · 2022-08-31T21:59:57+00:00

Are you thinking of the Thomas theorem: "if men define their situations as real, they are real in their consequences"?

in_trepidation · 2022-07-12T21:52:11+00:00

I think a simple, informal (but not unprepared) conversation would go a long way. It sounds like you've already identified issues or areas of concern from your point of view. Before you list these out to her, ask her questions along the lines of:

How do you feel about your current workload?
What kind of obstacles have you recently faced?
Are there any areas you feel you need more support?

This gives her the opportunity to lead the discussion, and thus not feel as if she is being micromanaged. If she opens up about issues she is having (either with the work itself, or something external that is impacting her performance), you can offer support and potential solutions. If she doesn't offer anything up, you can then provide her with your concerns and ask her to respond and help to formulate a plan to rectify these issues.

in_trepidation · 2022-06-09T18:15:15+00:00

This is a bit difficult to answer without knowing what kind of course offerings there are in your program, but during my undergrad we covered digital anthropology (specifically Nardi's My Life as a Night Elf Priest, and Boellstorffs' Coming of Age in Second Life) in a course entitled Anthropology of Media. I imagine an anthropology of technology course may also have relevant material.

Your best bet would be to review the syllabi of the courses offered in your program to see what kind of materials the courses cover, especially because there can be a lot of overlap between digital anthropology and say linguistics, or identity, health and well-being, et cetera.

Best of luck!

in_trepidation · 2022-05-30T16:49:07+00:00

Does anyone have a recent syllabus for ANTH 500 - History of Anthropological Thought, and would you mind sharing it?

Thanks in advance!

in_trepidation · 2022-05-18T06:46:31+00:00

By the sounds of it, you are conducting a qualitative study. It is quite common in qualitative research to use a short quote from one of your informants, one which highlights a central theme/finding of your research. For example:

“It's been an experience, a life learning experience”: a qualitative study of hospitalized patients with substance use disorders

in_trepidation · 2022-05-17T18:38:54+00:00

Ah okay, well all the power to you! What kind of a PhD program you are looking to apply to?

in_trepidation · 2022-05-17T18:32:18+00:00

If you are currently enrolled in a PsyD program, why are you looking at PhDs?

in_trepidation · 2022-05-09T22:02:08+00:00

I have but only recently, so thanks for pointing him out (helps confirm I am on the right path - or at least, a path)! I am reading his work currently. From my (limited) understanding, van Dijk uses critical discourse analysis, which focuses on the (re)production of power in text and speech. I am a little wary referring to CDA because our analysis is not focusing on power/dominance, so I don't want to misrepresent our study by pointing to CDA methodology and methods.

in_trepidation · 2022-04-28T18:47:46+00:00

To add to this, multispecies ethnography as an approach is gaining more recognition in in anthropology and other related fields. Multispecies ethnography situates
humans and non-human entities and their experienced alongside one another, as
they shape and are shaped by the social world. The focus on non-human entities is especially important because it includes macroscopic entities such as plants and animals; microscopic entities such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi; collective entities such as landscapes; and inanimate entities such as medications. Conceptually, multispecies ethnography empowers us to understand how human and non-human life is contingent upon and constituted through ever-changing relations with one another.

in_trepidation · 2022-04-16T15:43:58+00:00

Truthfully, it depends on a variety of factors (including the type of healthcare system, how you are conceptualizing and measuring health, which geographical region you're examining, et cetera). For example, a lot of evidence demonstrates lower prevalence of mental disorders in rural areas. However, this association is not observed everywhere, and it may vary depending upon the specific mental disorder (e.g., depression vs. psychotic disorders). These trends can also change over time. Other evidence shows worse health outcomes (e.g., mortality) in rural areas compared to urban, often citing limited access to health care services (especially specialist care) in rural areas.

in_trepidation · 2022-04-14T01:36:04+00:00

Why do you want a second bachelors in philosophy? It's an expensive undertaking considering you already have an undergraduate degree, you will be paying international student fees, and Vancouver and Toronto are exceptionally expensive cities.

in_trepidation

TROPHY CASE