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[opticalmace]

I think these are my work trips from my phd (not in this order, and my phd is in Canada for reference)...

Netherlands
Netherlands
Netherlands
Swiss alps/France
Hawaii
Maryland
California
California
California

 

[Hypron]

Damn, I'm jealous of some of you guys, those are some pretty awesome lists. Do your universities pay for all the trips or do you need to apply for travel grants and stuff?

That trip ate more than half of my PhD funding. I might be able to go to one other conference (maybe 2 if I stay in NZ/Aussie) if I manage my money properly.

Otherwise, I sat my provisional review this morning and passed it The assessors seemed quite pleased with my progress/presentation. The Q&A part of the review took more than an hour and I got a ton of super useful feedback; I wasn't really expecting it to be that useful, I thought it'd just be a formality. Now I only have a little bit of paperwork left before I'm officially a Doctoral Candidate. It's quite exciting, I'll get to start actually working on stuff again instead of reading papers and writing stuff like I've been doing for the past few months.

 

[Chaplain]

Yup. I had approximately 1500 pages of reading a week for my classes.

Enjoy Fuller! Have a lot of friends from there and know a few of the faculty pretty well!

Sorry for the late response.

You were right, 1500 pages per class. This means I have read an average of 3000 pages per semester. I still don't understand how they expect anyone to remember that much information with all of the other responsibilities we have in life. lol

So far, I have completed four classes and have 26 more to go (two start tomorrow) with a 3.7 average. I hope to do a three month residency sometime next year at Cedar's childrens hospital. I appreciate what you said because it was spot on. ^_^

 

[Dennis]

United States
Sweden
Netherlands
Spain

 

[dofry]

Rome
Barcelona (sick)
Taipei (sick)
Tokyo
St.Etienne
Arkangelsk (teaching trip)

I manage to get sick on my trips. Sucks when those are great cities.
Everywhere it's been nice people, good food, interesting presentations and nice lodging. Last day is usually some casual program day but usually I don't have time for sightseeing so 90% business. Would be great to extend but some Japanese organisations do not allow extension of trips without official meetings on those days.

All were funded by projects or my lab/uni.
Finnish uni pays one trip per year.
Japanese pay any trip if the have the money.
If not, travel grants but never needed one.
Daily allowance is included.

 

[Leopold]

I'm beginning my PhD in Israel, Ben Gurion University of the Negev. The program is fairly new (Israel Studies International Program) so it is quite good. Pity that my hebrew is
lacking and I feel a bit lagging behind sometimes.

 

[RumblingRosco]

Got an interview this week for a post doc position which seems promising, but it is maybe not totally ideal. It is a position that works between a few professors on a team for a joint project in an area I'm interested in, but it seems like the main professor I will work with has fewer publications and citations than I do over the last five years. That's five years while I was a Ph.D. candidate and the professor was, well, a professor.

That just gives me a bad feeling going in about the productivity of the lab in general. I've got good questions to ask during the interview and I'm not afraid to turn down their offer if I'm not feeling it. I'm just not any where near the point of needing to settle for a non-ideal post doc.

 

[Tom_Cody]

Question: Doesn't anyone have any experience or thoughts on graduate assistant positions?

I'm doing my MBA and I have been offered a graduate position for a database course this fall. Would it be a good thing to have on my resume? My immediate goal is to get an MBA associate/internship position for next summer. My area of concentration is Business Analytics.

 

[RumblingRosco]

Question: Doesn't anyone have any experience or thoughts on graduate assistant positions?

I'm doing my MBA and I have been offered a graduate position for a database course this fall. Would it be a good thing to have on my resume? My immediate goal is to get an MBA associate/internship position for next summer. My area of concentration is Business Analytics.

Does it cover tuition costs? If you get paid, or especially if you get a full tuition waiver, that alone may make it with your time.

 

[hateradio]

So glad to be done with class. [ :

 

[Fou-Lu]

I've been offered a TA buy out scholarship I didn't even know existed. What am I going to do with all of my time?

 

[Dedication Through Light]

What kind of cool places have you guys visited when going to conferences?

I just got back from my first overseas conference two days ago. It was located in Arlington, VA (in a hotel right next to the Potomac river, going to Washington DC was super easy). It was pretty fun and interesting (I got to meet some people working on similar topics to mine, and even got a couple of contacts).

That also gave me an excuse/opportunity to visit DC (which was a great city to visit, a pretty massive change compared to Auckland. Everything was expensive as fuck though). It was also my first time in the US (or on the American continent for that matter), so it was pretty interesting seeing the differences compared to the places where I lived before.

People didn't clap when my plane landed, though, which I found fairly disappointing. You lied to me, GAF D:

On another note, I'm sitting my provisional year review tomorrow morning (gotta finish those presentation slides). Wish me luck haha

Always surprised to hear peoples thoughts on DC when theyre not from the country. I hope you went around the whole monument area.

Ive only been to places in the US

Charlotte NC
Durham NC
Richmond VA
Chevy Chase MD
San Jose CA
Seattle WA

 

[RumblingRosco]

I've been offered a TA buy out scholarship I didn't even know existed. What am I going to do with all of my time?

What does a TA "buy out" scholarship mean?

 

[Necrovex]

Going to take the GRE in September (god help me). So I have started to take applying to schools more seriously. I am still considering Epidemiology, but I have begun to flirt with a Masters in Public Administration. Does anyone on here have any experience with the latter? Any advice would be great.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Going to take the GRE in September (god help me). So I have started to take applying to schools more seriously. I am still considering Epidemiology, but I have begun to flirt with a Masters in Public Administration. Does anyone on here have any experience with the latter? Any advice would be great.

Have you consider a masters in public health?

 

[Tom_Cody]

Does it cover tuition costs? If you get paid, or especially if you get a full tuition waiver, that alone may make it with your time.

To be honest I didn't ask about the compensation. My greater interest is the extent to which it would look good on my resume.

 

[tokkun]

To be honest I didn't ask about the compensation. My greater interest is the extent to which it would look good on my resume.

An assistantship is not really a prestige position in-and-of itself because so many grad students get them. Between teaching and research, I'm sure I had more than ten in the process of getting my PhD. Whether it is better on a resume than other work experience depends on the nature of the assistantship and whether it involves skills that your future employer will care about.

Teaching assistantships look good if you want a job in teaching or a related field.

Research / project assistantships look good if they lead to a publication that you get authorship on, you learn some in-demand skill, or the project itself is sexy in some way. I had some assistantships that involved working with CERN on the LHC, and it was pretty valuable on my CV because it was a pretty hyped project back then.

 

[Necrovex]

Have you consider a masters in public health?

I have thought about it but I decided if I entered Public Health, I wanted hard skills thus Epi won in the end. I am currently working in the public health international field, so that's why I looked at Public Health and the ROI in the field.

 

[Tom_Cody]

An assistantship is not really a prestige position in-and-of itself because so many grad students get them. Between teaching and research, I'm sure I had more than ten in the process of getting my PhD. Whether it is better on a resume than other work experience depends on the nature of the assistantship and whether it involves skills that your future employer will care about.

Teaching assistantships look good if you want a job in teaching or a related field.

Research / project assistantships look good if they lead to a publication that you get authorship on, you learn some in-demand skill, or the project itself is sexy in some way. I had some assistantships that involved working with CERN on the LHC, and it was pretty valuable on my CV because it was a pretty hyped project back then.

Very helpful, thanks.

 

[Fou-Lu]

What does a TA "buy out" scholarship mean?

I was offered a certain amount of money to TA for the semester, the scholarship replaces that and just gives me the money instead.

 

[opticalmace]

Submitting my thesis in 3 weeks... eek! I'm trying to make sure I meet all the regulations for the thesis format. They don't spell it out very well so it's a little nerve wracking.

 

[EverythingShiny]

Have any of you moved across the country for an internship? I was offered (waiting for the formal offer from HR to see all the details) an internship position in a research division at a prestigious hospital on the East Coast. It'd only be 4 months long so I'm not really sure what to do about housing. There are a bunch of complicating factors (I live with my boyfriend who doesn't make a lot of money and wouldn't be able to afford the lease on his own, we have cats, he doesn't want to move to the East Coast, etc.) but this opportunity sounds amazing and it'd give me some much-needed experience in my field.

 

[cheezcake]

We got any engineering phd's on GAF? I did a new course at my uni so I'm graduating with my bachelor's and master's at the same time at the end of this year, one of my lecturers this semester has expressed interest in me doing a PhD under him but I'm not really sure whether the advantages are worth the time spent. The field is also quite niche and doesn't have a place in industry yet outside of some top tier research facilities.

 

[tokkun]

We got any engineering phd's on GAF? I did a new course at my uni so I'm graduating with my bachelor's and master's at the same time at the end of this year, one of my lecturers this semester has expressed interest in me doing a PhD under him but I'm not really sure whether the advantages are worth the time spent. The field is also quite niche and doesn't have a place in industry yet outside of some top tier research facilities.

Electrical / Computer Engineering here. What is the engineering field and what country are you in?

 

[cheezcake]

Electrical / Computer Engineering here. What is the engineering field and what country are you in?

Electrical engineering. More specifically the PhD would be in the field of quantum solid state devices. Australia.

 

[mernst23]

I graduated with a low GPA of 2.67 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. So what are my chances of getting accepted into a decent M.S. program, assuming I apply after getting 3-4 years of experience and I get great GRE scores?

Is there anything else I can do in order to improve my chances?

Thanks.

Well, for reference, I was able to get into Kelley's MBA program with a 2.52 in electrical engineering after I scored a 690 on my GMAT first try. They even gave me a scholarship. I had 5.5 years of professional experience at that time. I also then parlayed it into a dual masters program and also go for an m.s. in finance.

 

[Shagwell]

Well, for reference, I was able to get into Kelley's MBA program with a 2.52 in electrical engineering after I scored a 690 on my GMAT first try. They even gave me a scholarship. I had 5.5 years of professional experience at that time. I also then parlayed it into a dual masters program and also go for an m.s. in finance.

Not quite the same field, but should I be worried about getting into an MBA program with a 2.7 GPA? My degree was unrelated to business administration but my professional experience has been high-level business administration for 3+ years. With a good GMAT, is it feasible that a decent enough school would ignore the undergraduate subpar GPA?

 

[blackjaw]

Not quite the same field, but should I be worried about getting into an MBA program with a 2.7 GPA? My degree was unrelated to business administration but my professional experience has been high-level business administration for 3+ years. With a good GMAT, is it feasible that a decent enough school would ignore the undergraduate subpar GPA?

Good GMAT, personal letter with explanation for grades (showing upward progress or how you've matured) and letter of recommendation, should probably be fine depending on how competitive the program is. Good luck.

 

[Laevateinn]

We got any engineering phd's on GAF? I did a new course at my uni so I'm graduating with my bachelor's and master's at the same time at the end of this year, one of my lecturers this semester has expressed interest in me doing a PhD under him but I'm not really sure whether the advantages are worth the time spent. The field is also quite niche and doesn't have a place in industry yet outside of some top tier research facilities.

EE here. I did mine on computational electromagnetics and metamaterials. I got a job that pays well with a lot of growth potential but the only relation to the work I did is that it involves high performance computing. On the other hand, one of the post-docs in my lab has had a lot of trouble finding permanent work because he overspecialized.

By all means go for the PhD but I would recommend keeping in mind that you will either have to be well-connected and well-published so that you can parlay it into a job at one of the research facilities or try to do your work in a way that builds more generic skills so that you can use your experience to move into something different.

 

[tokkun]

Electrical engineering. More specifically the PhD would be in the field of quantum solid state devices. Australia.

My standard advice for people in the US is to only do a PhD if you have a specific goal in mind that requires a PhD. Examples would be wanting to be a professor or to work in R&D. Typically you are looking at somewhere between 4-8 years where you are getting paid very little relative to your potential earnings, and you are probably not going to make up for it with your salary after getting the PhD. Your earning are also going to be delayed until your late 20s or early 30s, which can be tough if you would like to do things like buy a house or start a family. You may be making $25K / year when your friends from undergrad are buying nice cars and going on vacations. It can also be psychologically taxing if you get 4 years in and feel like you are not close to graduating, so it is important to actually have an end goal in mind. What I'm getting at is that there is a big opportunity cost, so you need to make sure that you are getting something you value for it.

Now, you may need to recalibrate that advice for Australia. I'm not familiar with what an Engineering PhD means in Australia, but in some European countries their PhD is more akin to a Masters in the US in terms of length and rigour. There may also be better financial support for PhD students. My friend who transferred to a school in Switzerland for instance had > 2X higher salary as a PhD student there than in the US.

 

[Jeels]

GAF is it off base that I don't feel good about online masters programs?

Been looking into grad school, been in the work place for about 2.5 years now and I am ready to grow a bit.

However, I have to keep working to keep supporting myself and my family. That means a full time 8-5 career type job. Most programs in my field and city are not friendly to working people.

I have started looking up online programs and there are some great options, affordable, and you get the same professors/classes as those in the classroom.

Yet I still can't shake the feeling that it is lesser then. That I am somehow not getting the full graduate experience by being on campus, face to face interacting with professors and students, attending student events, networking, and looking into after class resources like study groups, seminars, etc etc.

It's making me super depressed and not wanting to keep pursuing higher education. Wish my situation were different.

 

[RumblingRosco]

GAF is it off base that I don't feel good about online masters programs?

Been looking into grad school, been in the work place for about 2.5 years now and I am ready to grow a bit.

However, I have to keep working to keep supporting myself and my family. That means a full time 8-5 career type job. Most programs in my field and city are not friendly to working people.

I have started looking up online programs and there are some great options, affordable, and you get the same professors/classes as those in the classroom.

Yet I still can't shake the feeling that it is lesser then. That I am somehow not getting the full graduate experience by being on campus, face to face interacting with professors and students, attending student events, networking, and looking into after class resources like study groups, seminars, etc etc.

It's making me super depressed and not wanting to keep pursuing higher education. Wish my situation were different.

What is the specific degree? MBA, an MS in a STEM field, an MS in a social science, or what?

 

[Bubba T]

Have any of you moved across the country for an internship? I was offered (waiting for the formal offer from HR to see all the details) an internship position in a research division at a prestigious hospital on the East Coast. It'd only be 4 months long so I'm not really sure what to do about housing. There are a bunch of complicating factors (I live with my boyfriend who doesn't make a lot of money and wouldn't be able to afford the lease on his own, we have cats, he doesn't want to move to the East Coast, etc.) but this opportunity sounds amazing and it'd give me some much-needed experience in my field.

I am actually in a scholarship program where you were also given the opportunity to take an internship at the sponsoring company's headquarters, which would be halfway across the country for me. I didn't take it, but some of the other scholars did. They provided housing for the duration of the internship. Perhaps you should ask the employer if they do so.

 

[RumblingRosco]

So I'm all done with my Ph.D. (I posted that I passed my defense a month or so ago). Wrapped up a few extra experiments and am now sending my dissertation out for a format check, then depositing it after any necessary changes late next week. Feels great.

Two weeks ago I applied to four potential labs for post-doc positions. Three of them offered me interviews - I've had my first interview for two and was invited for a second interview. I have my first interview with a third lab. The fourth lab said my experience looks excellent but they have no funding - they suggested I contact a few of their colleagues.

Feels great to have such a positive response. At this point, I feel like I am no longer an imposter but an actual strong candidate. I'm going to apply to a few more labs as back-ups, but these first labs are my top choices and I feel confident at least one of them will offer me a position. And, they're solid universities and labs - Nature-level publications at some labs. I don't put a ton of stock in rankings, but they're all top universities in the US.

Feels good. Hoping these second interviews go well and get me a solid offer. I'm ready to dig in for a few years before starting up my own lab.

 

[El Topo]

Oops, top of the page realness.

50PPP? You need to work on that, my friend. Joke aside, best of luck to you regarding the M.A., hopefully you'll accomplish your goals.

 

[Slo]

Starting my M.A. in August and I hope to slay queens hard.

Had a 3.78 in my B.A. which is basic as fuck because of my repeated flops in my early semesters. A hot mess.

Excited to finally be done with the B.A.

Oops, top of the page realness.

50 per page? I'm not sure you're MBA material...

 

[NyMartin90]

So I've been working on my history MA for 2 years now. I've been writing my thesis and I sent 3 of my chapters to my prof a month ago. She said she'd get back to me but haven't heard anything. I'm about to finish my 4th out of 6 chapters should I send it and see what she says? Each of my chapters has been averaging around 40 - 50 pages

 

[Lexad]

Just took my GMAT and got a 660 with a 7 in the Integrative reasoning and 5.5 on the writing section.

Hoping to apply to a night MBA program next year since my company will pay for it. Both programs in the area are top night programs for an MBA.

 

[EverythingShiny]

I am actually in a scholarship program where you were also given the opportunity to take an internship at the sponsoring company's headquarters, which would be halfway across the country for me. I didn't take it, but some of the other scholars did. They provided housing for the duration of the internship. Perhaps you should ask the employer if they do so.

Thanks. I'm still waiting to hear the official details but I'll ask. It's a huge hospital in Boston so I don't think they provide housing as they have tons of interns there and probably not enough funding to house all of them, so I have a feeling I'll be on my own to work out those details. Which sucks, because housing in Boston is $$$$$ and I have a feeling the internship is going to pay next to nothing.

 

[opticalmace]

So I've been working on my history MA for 2 years now. I've been writing my thesis and I sent 3 of my chapters to my prof a month ago. She said she'd get back to me but haven't heard anything. I'm about to finish my 4th out of 6 chapters should I send it and see what she says? Each of my chapters has been averaging around 40 - 50 pages

Do you not see her much/regularly? I would send a reminder about comments on the first few chapters, or see where she's at.

 

[dream]

So I've been working on my history MA for 2 years now. I've been writing my thesis and I sent 3 of my chapters to my prof a month ago. She said she'd get back to me but haven't heard anything. I'm about to finish my 4th out of 6 chapters should I send it and see what she says? Each of my chapters has been averaging around 40 - 50 pages

As someone who had a, uh, less than responsive supervisor, I would probably send the 4th chapter and hope it serves as a reminder for her to read the first 3.

 

[FelixOrion]

Working on figuring out what to do for my second big oral exam this fall (original research proposal). Have a couple ideas I'm critiquing, review literature on, but gotta get settled on a good one and plow ahead.

Research is kinda stalling though, but my advisor is loading me up with a bunch of different projects to try to headway on something. Kinda losing my mind, lol. But I got that sweet federal funding for a second year of research, so I've got that going for me, which is good.

 

[CanUKlehead]

I have an MA in psychology, focus on social psych. Couldn't really hack it enough to do a PhD in that field, but considering doing one in another area of psych in a year or two.

The MA still has a tiny bit of cachet in the workplace, though my job doesn't let me use me use it directly. Good in the sense of it's quite a robust degree (still a conversation starter anyway), bad in that it was still a ball ache to get a career going.

 

[Jeels]

What is the specific degree? MBA, an MS in a STEM field, an MS in a social science, or what?

Compsci MS

 

[Tedesco!]

So I have to write my first lit review and I am again questioning why the hell I am pursuing my masters. Ugh.

 

[Kaji AF16]

Sociologist, Master in Social Research, and soon-to-be Doctor of Social Sciences here (Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina).

 

[opticalmace]

Submitted my PhD thesis! Finally I can catch up on sleep.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Trying to get my paper written but digging through files for diagrams and reanalyzing them and putting them together is so tedious.

 

[wumster3000]

Working on my Masters in Computer Science from...



<-----

 

[RumblingRosco]

Submitted my PhD thesis! Finally I can catch up on sleep.

Did you already complete all the format checking, or is that still to come?