Overview of pm133 on PostgraduateForum.com

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Signup date: 08 Jan 2016 at 12:02am

Last login: 30 Mar 2021 at 8:40pm

Post count: 1246

pm133 1246 posts
8 years ago

Quote From Teaddict:
So, here's a conundrum for you and I'm sure we've all been there.

We do reading. We make notes. We underline and highlight. We add some linkages to other work. We then do this for other articles and books. Months later we come back to this article and completely forget what is in it, what it's about, and much of the content.

How do you avoid this?

Unless you are using the article on a regular basis there probably isnt a way to avoid it. I staple my notes to the back of a copy of the paper. Fortunately I write papers fairly often so I get the chance to write it up properly. From a year out from submitting I started writing the intro chapter and put it in there too. Many lost weekends but now I have completed most of the thesis I am grateful I did it.

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pm133 1246 posts
9 years ago

Quote From iwan:
Hi im in a big dilemma here. I hope you guys can give me an advise/opinion on this matter.

I am 5 months into a phd program in a biology field. The program is designed for 4 years. The beginning of my phd has been quite a struggle for some reasons. And i will state those briefly below.

Firstly, i am the only gender and racial minority in the lab. These has led me to be ostracized to some extent in lab as my lab members would form social circles and speak in languages i could not understand. Apart from not being able to colborate(doesnt hurt as much if my main focus is just to finish own project) but that would mean me generating less papers. Also generally the first gear is the formative years of a grad student. I find it hard to approach seniors for advise or to teach me certain lab techniques. It doesnt help that my lab do not practice mentorships,ie you have to take initiative to form bonds with people such that they are willing to impart knowledge to you. There is no assigned trainer on this. While my seniors did not have problem learning, i am faced with this barrier because of being isolated.

The social isolation doesnt only involve alienation but also microaggression as well. I did once ask for technical advise once but when i didnt get technique right on the first try, i was shouted at. This incident has affected my confidence greatly and often feel anxious being in the lab itself while doing my experiments.

My PI is very nice butbshe is very hands off. When i came in,i was told to read up and up with a research question which can be anything under the sun. I felt very aimless.

Is switching lab advisable at this point?

I hear this type of story a lot.
Personally I dont understand the need to develop friendships within your working environment. It is nice when it happens but more often than not the working environment is about getting work done. I think you are looking for too much from your lab colleagues.
It might be better for you to remain completely professional at work amd seek friendships outside that group. In that way, social problems dont pollute your immediate working environment. To be honest I dont see how people have time to develop genuine friendships during a PhD anyway but having a few people outside the lab to meet up with from time to time might be your way forwards.

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pm133 1246 posts
9 years ago

There is another way to think about this. If you are trying to differentiate yourself from the hundreds of other PhD qualified people applying for the same academic posts you will need something to help you stand out. I am not sure that playing it safe is either exciting or strategically a good move in a crowded market place.

I can only give you a feel for what I would do. I wish when I had been younger I had taken more risks. I played a lot of stuff pretty safe. I had solid challenges along the way, a good career and plenty of money but somewhere along the line the excitement disappeared. I had to start again. Now I am more motivated towards bigger risks and I feel more alive. There are huge bouts of self doubt and panic though so it is not all plain sailing.

So there you have it. Pretty much both scales of the argument have been presented. The only thing that matters is how much risk you want to take on? There are no guarantees with either of the pieces of advice you have been given.

Good luck with your decision.

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pm133 1246 posts
9 years ago

Yeah I am not persuaded of the value of any of these types of Masters degree.
Just apply to companies and organisations wanting these types of employees.
They will soon tell you if you lack a ceratin qualification and then you will know exactly what you need.

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pm133 1246 posts
9 years ago

A PhD is not necessarily about doing small tweaks. Dont be afraid of doing something totally new. I would however suggest that your area of interest is probably not as untrodden as you think. There may well be things others have not thoght of but its unlikely you have discovered a vast plain of totally uncharted territory. If you HAVE discovered something totally uncharted then you have the chance to do something truly great and I would absolutely encourage you to do it if its what you want.

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pm133 1246 posts
9 years ago

Is there any particular reason why you feel the need to tell your new employer any of this?

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pm133 1246 posts
9 years ago

Quote From Tudor_Queen:
I am happy with my arrangement of meeting mine monthly, but the "on a couple of occasions I've gone away and solved problems he's been working on. At his prompting, one of my solutions is going to turn into a research paper in my name only" appeals to me!

I think that would appeal to a lot of people in fairness. Personally I would prefer to be solving my own problems and not those of somebody else. At the end of this process, which is close now, I want to be as independent as possible, Like I said, its interesting how different people like different approaches.

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pm133 1246 posts
9 years ago

Quote From riemann:
I have an upper second class honours bachelor degree and a first class honours master in applied mathematics and I am 28 yrs old. I got my master in May. I have made two applications so far at two centers for doctoral training. The deadling for one of them was on 19th of september. The thing is that they have not answered me yet. On top of that I am suspecting that there are multiple reasons for not answering: 1. the fact that I was late for about 2 years to complete my bachelor 2. I am too old now , 3. My statement of purpose was a disappointment , 4. I haven't taken an ielts test (though I emailed them and they answered me that it can be done without it but I will have to get it if I get accepted). And now I am wondering whether or not I have any chance at all. Thanks for any answer that will ease my mind!

Why on earth would youthink you were too old?

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pm133 1246 posts
9 years ago

Quote From Tudor_Queen:
pf329, that sounds ideal! Sigh...!

This would be my idea of absolute hell. Each to their own I suppose.

Once every 2 to 3 months for about an hour just to update him and now that I am writing up these meetings will be shorter I expect.

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pm133 1246 posts
9 years ago

Nothing that these students published at Masters level matters so my advice is to ignore them. Unless you particularly want to get bogged down in side jobs which take you away from your PhD research I would forget that too. If you have industrial experience you will be much more employable at the end than any of the others so get your head down, get the PhD and dont get involved in this nonsense.
What is your research area?

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pm133 1246 posts
9 years ago

Quote From TreeofLife:
Generally I'd say most biology students don't start writing til 4th year, and for many of us, this is unfunded. Supervisors want their money's worth so want experiments to continue throughout third year, which makes it difficult to write as well.

I used my weekends for writing up from about 15 months from the end of my PhD. I started with the theory and introduction chapter.
No way would I wait until my finding had run out. I would be pressing my supervisor for a date to start writing up outside the lab well before the end of funding.

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pm133 1246 posts
9 years ago

Quote From Zutterfly:
Just wanting to hear everyone's experiences (for those who are nearing the end or have finished) on how long your supervisor took to get your full draft back to you with feedback? I have been waiting quite a while, but this may be the norm(?)

A friend of mine waited 3 months but I dont know how common that is.
When I hand mine in I will talk to him about expected dates etc. He has a track record of being pretty quick though and I would expect feedback within a few weeks. Agreeing dates in advance might help.

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pm133 1246 posts
9 years ago

Quote From EmmaDreams:

Quote From pm133:

Quote From EmmaDreams:
[quote]Quote From pm133:
[quote]

You are right with regards to age and career prospects (in Science at least) I know of two recent Research Technicians hired in my former department aged 49 and 55 both with BSc degrees and years of experience only. Luckily, I have no interest in the unstable Post Doc job market

Yeah, I feel the same way about postdocs. I will probably also return to my previous career although I strongly suspect that I will run my own business. The thought of working for someone else makes me physically recoil in horror. I have tried to make sure I am as attractive as possible to employers though should I go down that route.

Your story about those technicians is not an exception either. You'll see it happening in a lot of places. Ageism in a time of skills shortages is a "luxury" businesses simply cannot afford. Some people (usually younger people) have very firm biased views on what older people are like. Their views are very old fashioned. Ironic.

Definitely, some of the things the younger students used to say made me laugh and shake my head, really old fashioned views. I know what you mean about working for others. If I was a millionaire I would just have my own private lab in my house and do all the research I want..................actually that sounds a little Dr Frankenstein-ish, but you get my point.

Now funnily enough that is my exact dream too. I am actually trying to think about how to do exactly that.

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pm133 1246 posts
9 years ago

Quote From EmmaDreams:
[quote]Quote From pm133:
[quote]

You are right with regards to age and career prospects (in Science at least) I know of two recent Research Technicians hired in my former department aged 49 and 55 both with BSc degrees and years of experience only. Luckily, I have no interest in the unstable Post Doc job market

Yeah, I feel the same way about postdocs. I will probably also return to my previous career although I strongly suspect that I will run my own business. The thought of working for someone else makes me physically recoil in horror. I have tried to make sure I am as attractive as possible to employers though should I go down that route.

Your story about those technicians is not an exception either. You'll see it happening in a lot of places. Ageism in a time of skills shortages is a "luxury" businesses simply cannot afford. Some people (usually younger people) have very firm biased views on what older people are like. Their views are very old fashioned. Ironic.

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pm133 1246 posts
9 years ago

Quote From iwan:
hi i think many here would know me as the phd student who ran into a brickwall 4 months into her PhD program. I tried in vain to differentiate a cell line for 3 months without any success. My professor has agreed to let me buy a new cell line but it wont come until late january.

in the meantime i have come up with a side project that requires me to use 'normal' kind of cells, those that are not difficulty to deal with. And the techniques im using are generally microscopy imaging rather than those biochemical assays(western blot etc) and have been getting my first few data quite fast. My thesis advisory commitee is in 4 months time and my qualifying examination is in 14 months time.

i was thinking of clearing my leave for this year, for which i am entitled to 7 days. i cant bring forward to next year but at the same time i dont feel like i deserve a break and also im getting panicky and the thought of me presenting to my thesis advisors with not much data to show with is hunting me. Am i being too panicky. should i take leave?

I am coming to the end of my thesis writeup.
I have to admit that for the duration of the 5 years of my undergraduate degree and the 3 years of the PhD I have not really taken much of a holiday in the traditional sense. During holidays I usually read technical books not related to my PhD in order to boost what I have to sell to employers or I have worked in research labs.
On the positive side, I have a nice breadth of stuff to sell to employers.
On the negative side I have absolutely burned myself to a screeching halt right at the end and I'm now struggling with my final chapter. When this thesis is done (by the end of the year I hope), I will probably need a few months off to recover.
If you work this Christmas, know that you won't be alone.

Overview of pm133

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To go on leave or no