Overview of Otto

Recent Posts

Shooting in Virginia
O

I wonder if they also have already set up an advertisement for a replacement professor?

Shooting in Virginia
O

Here a different link as his department has already deleted his other website, only two days later!

http://www.sbes.vt.edu/Faculty/VT/granata.htm

Shooting in Virginia
O

the sleepless enigma...

Shooting in Virginia
O

did what?

Shooting in Virginia
O

?

Shooting in Virginia
O

Nobody deserves to die like that, so let's just hope something horrible like this will never happen again. And all the other massacres which happen every day in the world will stop soon. Sometimes I really wonder why humanity is so stupid. People kill each other every day for ridiculuous reasons.

Shooting in Virginia
O

I'm not saying some people life's are more valuable than other's. That's definitely not the case, it doesn't matter if someone is a construction worker or a rocket scientist, every life is invaluable. Was just trying to put myself in the position of this Professor who spent so many hours accumulating his 67 publications and academic merits. Maybe he thought that this was his mission, do to research etc.

Unfortunately, I cannot identify with such a position.

Shooting in Virginia
O

Here is the link of the faculty information:

http://www.esm.vt.edu/php/person.php?id=10012

Shooting in Virginia
O

Just read somewhere that one of the guys who died in the massacre was Professor Kevin P. Granata. He was 46 years old, received his Ph.D in 1993, when he was 32 years old.

I think it's shocking, the guy obviously worked all his life extremely hard to get where he was. He probably didn't have a private life like so many academics. Then, some arsehole walks into the lecture hall and shoots him in the forehead and that's it.

We really live in a crazy world. Makes me ask myself if we are not wasting valuable life time doing the things we are doing in this "great" world called "academia". I'm not so sure.

I'm very close to quitting
O

Dear All

thank you for your advice and support.
Today I'm feeling much better, I really just needed a break and might take the weekend off completely. I wont quit anymore but yesterday I almost send an email to my advisor saying something like:

"Dear Dr Smith (it's not his real name)

after long consideration I decided that a PhD is not for me and I hereby tender my resignation.

Thanks for your support and my apologies for the inconvenience.

Kind regards

Otto"

Good job I did not send it!

I'm very close to quitting
O

Thanks 404. Yes, I better take a break.

Any idea how many students fail in a Phd!!!??? :(
O

that figure was a joke. Probably 50% don't make it.

I'm very close to quitting
O

I'm close to a nervous breakdown. PhD wise, things seemed to go well recently but I just can't stand it anymore. I have almost thrown out my PC monitor out of the window today as I'm fed up with sitting in front of this stupid thing day in day out trying to complete this stupid PhD which I really hate by now. I have 12 more months to go until completion but I have no life anymore. It's making me depressed, grumpy and grey and I just want to leave it all behind.

I hate PhD research !



Ok. I'll calm down now and come back here tomorrow with a (hopefully) fresh mind.

Any idea how many students fail in a Phd!!!??? :(
O

About 9 out of 10 quit or fail. You might be one of them if you are worried about that before you even started

Is this childish?
O

did the secretary reply to your email?