Just sent/gave my dissertation to my committee! I only had to print one copy, as the other two committee members are out of town they got electronic copies. I really should have taken a photo before handing off the printed copy. It's just so pretty. :)
The Queen shocked me and actually read a second chapter! Though why on earth she'd pick the two most boring chapters to read is beyond me (Intro/Background/Significance and Experimental)... Anyway, it's gone to my committee with my advisor's revisions on two chapters! I think that might give me some sort of group record for highest % of dissertation read. My labmate who's traveling with her now says she's actually reading another chapter, too. Astonishing.
I used to be a grad student. And now I'm not (thank goodness). I spent a year as a post doc in industry in Baltimore before starting a "real" job with the same company. These are my tales of science, food, travel, and life.
Showing posts with label advisor management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label advisor management. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
Helpful
The day my dissertation is technically supposed to go to my committee is a good day for my advisor to start reading it, right? Helpful? No. Not so much.
This morning I was more than irritated to discover the only thing she had read over an entire weekend of travel was the 350 word abstract that she's already read. And the only comments she made were ones she could have and should have made the first time she read the damn thing. I got Chapter 1 from her this afternoon.
I decided last week that I was giving my dissertation to my committee on Wednesday regardless of how much she's read or not read or how many corrections I've managed to get through.
As punishment for The Queen aggravating me I decided to work from a printed copy (at her expense of course) of her revisions rather than juggling multiple documents on my screen. I really should have printed them in color...
This morning I was more than irritated to discover the only thing she had read over an entire weekend of travel was the 350 word abstract that she's already read. And the only comments she made were ones she could have and should have made the first time she read the damn thing. I got Chapter 1 from her this afternoon.
I decided last week that I was giving my dissertation to my committee on Wednesday regardless of how much she's read or not read or how many corrections I've managed to get through.
As punishment for The Queen aggravating me I decided to work from a printed copy (at her expense of course) of her revisions rather than juggling multiple documents on my screen. I really should have printed them in color...
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
When is a "good" time to give bad news?
So The Queen made her big announcement Friday afternoon, approximately 3 1/2 months before she leaves. Graduate students who are moving with our advisor theoretically don't have to go at exactly the same time she does (although that would certainly make the most sense for most situations). Theoretically and practically speaking, people probably have about 2 months to decide what they're doing. While there isn't a particular hurry for grad students to decide if they're staying or going, the longer they take to decide the more time is "wasted" towards getting their degrees.
Some people think she should have told students sooner. But I'm not sure there really is a good, or even better time to give news that is inevitably going to flip people's lives upside down. Does having four, or six months, rather than two make that sort of decision any easier? I'm not remotely convinced that it does, though at the same time, all the reasons for not telling people, especially students, sooner mostly sound pretty selfish.
Obviously for students who are going to switch groups, the sooner they find out, they sooner they can make the change and continue making progress towards their degrees. Although for students who are going to drop out, delaying the announcement means they have more work done, and have more research done that could go into a masters thesis (assuming the previous couple of months have been "good" lab months).
The sooner students know, students who are going to move are much more likely to make sure they're not going to be in a situation of breaking a lease. Breaking a lease can be super expensive. More expensive than most grad students can really afford.
I definitely agree with an advisor not saying anything until the decision is definite. (Although in this case I'm quite sure that The Queen was sure about this a LONG time ago.) There's no reason to throw people into upheaval and angst if it may not turn out to be necessary after all.
From an advisor's perspective, it's easy to see why one might put off such an announcement as long as possible. They're facing a "lame duck" period no matter what. It's awkward to tell your colleagues and superiors that you're leaving, especially when many people will be upset by such an announcement, and then hang around for any longer than absolutely necessary. Not to mention you'd only be extending the lab's inevitable down time. In an ideal world, the lab can be packed up, moved across the country, unpacked, and sensitive/delicate instruments up and running within 2-3 weeks. In reality, it's probably going to be longer than that. Productivity will also decline in general well before the lab is packed. Students who switch groups will do that as soon as possible, and that could mean a substantial percentage of the lab's "workforce." Anybody who is moving with the lab, but unhappy about it, is unlikely to be productive. Happy grad student is much more likely to equal productive grad student than an unhappy one is.
I don't know what the "right" time for such an announcement is. It's all going to be a giant mess no matter what.
Some people think she should have told students sooner. But I'm not sure there really is a good, or even better time to give news that is inevitably going to flip people's lives upside down. Does having four, or six months, rather than two make that sort of decision any easier? I'm not remotely convinced that it does, though at the same time, all the reasons for not telling people, especially students, sooner mostly sound pretty selfish.
Obviously for students who are going to switch groups, the sooner they find out, they sooner they can make the change and continue making progress towards their degrees. Although for students who are going to drop out, delaying the announcement means they have more work done, and have more research done that could go into a masters thesis (assuming the previous couple of months have been "good" lab months).
The sooner students know, students who are going to move are much more likely to make sure they're not going to be in a situation of breaking a lease. Breaking a lease can be super expensive. More expensive than most grad students can really afford.
I definitely agree with an advisor not saying anything until the decision is definite. (Although in this case I'm quite sure that The Queen was sure about this a LONG time ago.) There's no reason to throw people into upheaval and angst if it may not turn out to be necessary after all.
From an advisor's perspective, it's easy to see why one might put off such an announcement as long as possible. They're facing a "lame duck" period no matter what. It's awkward to tell your colleagues and superiors that you're leaving, especially when many people will be upset by such an announcement, and then hang around for any longer than absolutely necessary. Not to mention you'd only be extending the lab's inevitable down time. In an ideal world, the lab can be packed up, moved across the country, unpacked, and sensitive/delicate instruments up and running within 2-3 weeks. In reality, it's probably going to be longer than that. Productivity will also decline in general well before the lab is packed. Students who switch groups will do that as soon as possible, and that could mean a substantial percentage of the lab's "workforce." Anybody who is moving with the lab, but unhappy about it, is unlikely to be productive. Happy grad student is much more likely to equal productive grad student than an unhappy one is.
I don't know what the "right" time for such an announcement is. It's all going to be a giant mess no matter what.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Upheaval
Have I told you lately that I'm very, very glad to be graduating soon? Maybe? Well now I have extra reason to be very glad I'm almost done, and extra motivation to finish as fast as possible.
The Queen announced last Friday that she's moving to another university in August. Yikes. We have a really large research group - 18 grad students. That's A LOT of lives to turn upside down. Fifth years and up will graduate ASAP. Fourth years might have the option to stay behind and finish, depending on personal circumstances, project, and actual closeness to graduation. Third years are royally screwed. The second years and first years are early enough in their graduate studies that switching groups (if they decided not to go with The Queen) wouldn't set them back very much (if at all) if they decided not to go.
Third years are really too far from graduation for them to stay behind to finish their research, but they've already made substantial progress towards their dissertation. They could move with The Queen, leaving behind the lives they've been building here (and homes owned!) for the past 3 years much sooner than they were planning. They could conceivably switch groups, but this would likely set them back at least a year, and would require a complete change in project. The only possible exception to this is one student who could possibly switch into his collaborator's group and continue more or less on what he's been doing. They could also drop out. Sadly, it's entirely possible that at least one of them will. They could get MAs, which would only require filing paperwork. Or they could quickly wrap up what they're currently working on, and write up a thesis for an MS.
I'm so incredibly grateful that if this had to happen that it's at this point in my graduate career. But it still sucks watching my friends and labmates struggling with a really, really difficult decision.
The Queen announced last Friday that she's moving to another university in August. Yikes. We have a really large research group - 18 grad students. That's A LOT of lives to turn upside down. Fifth years and up will graduate ASAP. Fourth years might have the option to stay behind and finish, depending on personal circumstances, project, and actual closeness to graduation. Third years are royally screwed. The second years and first years are early enough in their graduate studies that switching groups (if they decided not to go with The Queen) wouldn't set them back very much (if at all) if they decided not to go.
Third years are really too far from graduation for them to stay behind to finish their research, but they've already made substantial progress towards their dissertation. They could move with The Queen, leaving behind the lives they've been building here (and homes owned!) for the past 3 years much sooner than they were planning. They could conceivably switch groups, but this would likely set them back at least a year, and would require a complete change in project. The only possible exception to this is one student who could possibly switch into his collaborator's group and continue more or less on what he's been doing. They could also drop out. Sadly, it's entirely possible that at least one of them will. They could get MAs, which would only require filing paperwork. Or they could quickly wrap up what they're currently working on, and write up a thesis for an MS.
I'm so incredibly grateful that if this had to happen that it's at this point in my graduate career. But it still sucks watching my friends and labmates struggling with a really, really difficult decision.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Attention Getter
I made these cranberry-orange muffins for my committee meeting the other day. It was a short meeting, but a fed and caffeinated committee is usually a happier committee. After the meeting, my advisor took one with her, mentioning that she really loves cranberries.
Later that day I saw my advisor again at subgroup, and I swear she spent the first 15 minutes raving about some bakery on Broadway. Seriously. She went on, and on, and on about this thing they make and that thing they make, and they usually go this day because then they have these cinnamon rolls, and there's this giant case of little cookies, and a giant case of big cookies... It was a bit strange, but actually pretty funny to listen to The Queen go on like this.
Anyways, so the combination of comments made me think of this cranberry "pie" from the Pioneer Woman that I made last year, so I emailed her a link to the recipe. Literally three (3!) minutes later I had a reply. Seriously. She doesn't reply that fast to emails about science or other lab stuff. Heck, sometimes she doesn't ever reply. Man. Maybe I should send a recipe at the beginning of every email when I really need a reply?
Later that day I saw my advisor again at subgroup, and I swear she spent the first 15 minutes raving about some bakery on Broadway. Seriously. She went on, and on, and on about this thing they make and that thing they make, and they usually go this day because then they have these cinnamon rolls, and there's this giant case of little cookies, and a giant case of big cookies... It was a bit strange, but actually pretty funny to listen to The Queen go on like this.
Anyways, so the combination of comments made me think of this cranberry "pie" from the Pioneer Woman that I made last year, so I emailed her a link to the recipe. Literally three (3!) minutes later I had a reply. Seriously. She doesn't reply that fast to emails about science or other lab stuff. Heck, sometimes she doesn't ever reply. Man. Maybe I should send a recipe at the beginning of every email when I really need a reply?
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