strawberries: It's no worse than throwing away audio tapes after you promised the IRB you'd keep them in a locked drawer for 3 years under the protection of a rabid rottweiler and then erase them and bury the erased tapes under a land-fill (hypothetically).
orange ina: A scholar in my field wrote a book chapter where she said that her IRB told her what and how she could teach her qualitative methods class. I totally agree that IRBs should not be in charge of determining what is important/ worth it research and what isn't.
fraud: OMG, we totally need an IRB PTSD support group.
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Posted by thistle to academicsecret at 10/01/2006 01:19:46 AM
Saturday, September 30, 2006
[academicsecret] 10/01/2006 01:15:07 AM
I think I might have had to name this post "Things that make you go homocidal".
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Posted by thistle to academicsecret at 10/01/2006 01:15:07 AM
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Posted by thistle to academicsecret at 10/01/2006 01:15:07 AM
[academicsecret] 9/30/2006 11:50:51 PM
I think that "little" episodes like the one you describe are directly related to your second point.
While I've never been a Pollyanna, I don't think I realized until I took my job that there was this long of a road ahead of us in the quest for gender equality.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/30/2006 11:50:51 PM
While I've never been a Pollyanna, I don't think I realized until I took my job that there was this long of a road ahead of us in the quest for gender equality.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/30/2006 11:50:51 PM
[academicsecret] 9/30/2006 09:14:10 PM
anonymous,
thanks for commenting, and let me clarify what I meant by the following:
when one is entering a grad program, they should have a) done well in undergrad, b) have demonstrated a capacity to conduct effective research, and c) ability to write well.
a) i do not believe that there needs to be a clearcut numerical equivalent between grading in two countries, but usually, one can clearly tell if a student has done well or not in undergrad. And wether a student does well will also be indicated in their letters of reccomendation, as well as in their writing skills and proposed research.
b) by capacity to effectively conduct research, I do not mean have to have already conducted successful research in the field -- of course that is a plus. but in most research related phd programs, one needs to write out what their interests are, a plan of proposed research, and how their skills will be appropriate to sucessfully complete this.
I am sure that your statement of purpose did not only demonstarte your ability to write well, but also your interest in that particular field, and your proposed plan of study/research/purpose, and I am sure that the fact that you did well, as I assume, in undergrad, also played a part.
I personally do not agree with standardized tests as they do not measure many of the important things needed to succeed in grauate school or to effectively carry out research under a grant.
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Posted by strawberries to academicsecret at 9/30/2006 09:14:10 PM
thanks for commenting, and let me clarify what I meant by the following:
when one is entering a grad program, they should have a) done well in undergrad, b) have demonstrated a capacity to conduct effective research, and c) ability to write well.
a) i do not believe that there needs to be a clearcut numerical equivalent between grading in two countries, but usually, one can clearly tell if a student has done well or not in undergrad. And wether a student does well will also be indicated in their letters of reccomendation, as well as in their writing skills and proposed research.
b) by capacity to effectively conduct research, I do not mean have to have already conducted successful research in the field -- of course that is a plus. but in most research related phd programs, one needs to write out what their interests are, a plan of proposed research, and how their skills will be appropriate to sucessfully complete this.
I am sure that your statement of purpose did not only demonstarte your ability to write well, but also your interest in that particular field, and your proposed plan of study/research/purpose, and I am sure that the fact that you did well, as I assume, in undergrad, also played a part.
I personally do not agree with standardized tests as they do not measure many of the important things needed to succeed in grauate school or to effectively carry out research under a grant.
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Posted by strawberries to academicsecret at 9/30/2006 09:14:10 PM
[academicsecret] 9/30/2006 08:53:23 PM
The GRE's are pretty bad, I agree. Two students from my department both applied for NSF grants. The one with really good GRE scores got it, though he was not a promising candidate, and not great at fieldwork. The other was amazing at theory and fieldwork, but bad at tests. Valuing them too highly is definitely a risk.
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/30/2006 08:53:23 PM
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/30/2006 08:53:23 PM
[academicsecret] 9/30/2006 08:50:40 PM
anonymous,
thanks for commenting, and let me clarify what I meant by the following:
when one is entering a grad program, they should have a) done well in undergrad, b) have demonstrated a capacity to conduct effective research, and c) ability to write well.
a) i do not believe that there needs to be a clearcut numerical equivalent between grading in two countries, but usually, one can clearly tell if a student has done well or not in undergrad. And wether a student does well will also be indicated in their letters of reccomendation, as well as in their writing skills and proposed research.
b) by capacity to effectively conduct research, I do not mean have to have already conducted successful research in the field -- of course that is a plus. but in most research related phd programs, one needs to write out what their interests are, a plan of proposed research, and how their skills will be appropriate to sucessfully complete this.
I am sure that your statement of purpose did not only demonstarte your ability to write well, but also your interest in that particular field, and your proposed plan of study/research/purpose, and I am sure that the fact that you did well, as I assume, in undergrad, also played a part.
I personally do not agree with standardized tests as they do not measure many of the important things needed to succeed in grauate school or to effectively carry out research under a grant.
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Posted by anonymous to academicsecret at 9/30/2006 08:50:40 PM
thanks for commenting, and let me clarify what I meant by the following:
when one is entering a grad program, they should have a) done well in undergrad, b) have demonstrated a capacity to conduct effective research, and c) ability to write well.
a) i do not believe that there needs to be a clearcut numerical equivalent between grading in two countries, but usually, one can clearly tell if a student has done well or not in undergrad. And wether a student does well will also be indicated in their letters of reccomendation, as well as in their writing skills and proposed research.
b) by capacity to effectively conduct research, I do not mean have to have already conducted successful research in the field -- of course that is a plus. but in most research related phd programs, one needs to write out what their interests are, a plan of proposed research, and how their skills will be appropriate to sucessfully complete this.
I am sure that your statement of purpose did not only demonstarte your ability to write well, but also your interest in that particular field, and your proposed plan of study/research/purpose, and I am sure that the fact that you did well, as I assume, in undergrad, also played a part.
I personally do not agree with standardized tests as they do not measure many of the important things needed to succeed in grauate school or to effectively carry out research under a grant.
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Posted by anonymous to academicsecret at 9/30/2006 08:50:40 PM
[academicsecret] 9/30/2006 07:47:37 PM
I'm a foreigner (being English), and I found the verbal section of the GRE had questions that didn't make sense to me, for purely cultural reasons. It wasn't quite on the level of the sub-$1000 questions on Who Wants to be a Milliner, which basically test whether you grew up in the US, but it wasn't far off.
That said, my personal experience makes me worry about this (from the original post):
"when one is entering a grad program, they should have a) done well in undergrad, b) have demonstrated a capacity to conduct effective research, and c) ability to write well."
I got taken on despite (a) being untestable (there being no clear equivalence in undergrad grading norms between the US and UK) and (b) being irrelevant to my undergrad (though not the grad course I was applying to). The only thing I could fall back on, really, was writing well, and the only evidence for this was my Statement of Purpose and my GRE score. I fear that using the criteria mentioned here I might have been worse off, as a foreigner, than under the current scheme.
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/30/2006 07:47:37 PM
That said, my personal experience makes me worry about this (from the original post):
"when one is entering a grad program, they should have a) done well in undergrad, b) have demonstrated a capacity to conduct effective research, and c) ability to write well."
I got taken on despite (a) being untestable (there being no clear equivalence in undergrad grading norms between the US and UK) and (b) being irrelevant to my undergrad (though not the grad course I was applying to). The only thing I could fall back on, really, was writing well, and the only evidence for this was my Statement of Purpose and my GRE score. I fear that using the criteria mentioned here I might have been worse off, as a foreigner, than under the current scheme.
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/30/2006 07:47:37 PM
[academicsecret] 9/30/2006 06:28:28 PM
Oh yeah, the ETS is one big evil force. They are completely ridiculous. And yes, Apri put it well, it's a much better measure of class and status than anything else. Oh, and national origin, since no other country I know of tests students in this way so you're adding a significant handicap to foreigners' changes of doing even remotely well.
So yes, it's a BIG money-making machine, completely disgusting and should be taken less and less seriously as far as I'm concerned.
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/30/2006 06:28:28 PM
So yes, it's a BIG money-making machine, completely disgusting and should be taken less and less seriously as far as I'm concerned.
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/30/2006 06:28:28 PM
[academicsecret] 9/30/2006 06:24:51 PM
Fraud, your comment sums up very well the MAJOR problems with IRB. I mean, c'mon, this is nuts! (And I can't believe they killed your project.)
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/30/2006 06:24:51 PM
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/30/2006 06:24:51 PM
Friday, September 29, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/29/2006 08:02:36 PM
Thistle, that is really funny.. and potentially usable so thanks for considering my request.
It's true though, there have been times when I have revised the way I tell stories, because the narrative would've reminded my colleagues that they're my parents' age and I didn't want to take the conversation in that direction.
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/29/2006 08:02:36 PM
It's true though, there have been times when I have revised the way I tell stories, because the narrative would've reminded my colleagues that they're my parents' age and I didn't want to take the conversation in that direction.
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/29/2006 08:02:36 PM
[academicsecret] 9/29/2006 05:15:07 PM
I have had my share of similar IRB frustrations. In fact, the best project I ever formulated (in my humble opinion) died on an IRB conference table. Luckily, that was my old insitution and my new one seems a bit more laid back.
There's evidence, though, that I suffer PTSD from those previous experiences: the other day, when I learned that I had cleared my most recent IRB hurdle, I was happier than learning a recent manuscript was accepted for publication. That's really, really sad.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/29/2006 05:15:07 PM
There's evidence, though, that I suffer PTSD from those previous experiences: the other day, when I learned that I had cleared my most recent IRB hurdle, I was happier than learning a recent manuscript was accepted for publication. That's really, really sad.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/29/2006 05:15:07 PM
[academicsecret] 9/29/2006 03:45:50 PM
At the time, I made a comment about not teaching that day. A colleague, to whom the comment was also addressed, went with the stare-of-death. I'm not actually sure that there _is_ anything we could have said. I _do_ look young, so it's not an unusual comment, but I've never had it repeated like that.
As to the latter incident, we've mentioned it to several people, and when I have coffee with the Dean later, I'll tell him, too.
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Posted by Chartreuse Circe to academicsecret at 9/29/2006 03:45:50 PM
As to the latter incident, we've mentioned it to several people, and when I have coffee with the Dean later, I'll tell him, too.
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Posted by Chartreuse Circe to academicsecret at 9/29/2006 03:45:50 PM
[academicsecret] 9/29/2006 03:04:45 PM
I think we could start a whole separate blog about IRB issues. I'm thinking that you're not at my institution if your exempt forms only add up to about 10 pages. OUCH. Yeah, that's my plight. I think ours is more around 15-20. On the one hand, I can see how they would want to check about exemption to some extent, but you're absolutely right to ridicule the issues associated with exemption being linked to an elaborate process of approval.
One point about your proposed alternate questions. While I can see how they can be seen as funny, if you want to hear the absolutely ridiculous IRB twist on them, here ya go. An IRB that considers itself qualified to determine the scientific value of whatever project to which they have no professional ties and so can actually deny you the right to run a project because they happen to think that it's not worth subjects' time. This hasn't happened to me, but the mere idea that I have to justify in fifty thousand ways why my project matters to people who don't have PhDs in my field really annoys me.
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Posted by Orange Ina to academicsecret at 9/29/2006 03:04:45 PM
One point about your proposed alternate questions. While I can see how they can be seen as funny, if you want to hear the absolutely ridiculous IRB twist on them, here ya go. An IRB that considers itself qualified to determine the scientific value of whatever project to which they have no professional ties and so can actually deny you the right to run a project because they happen to think that it's not worth subjects' time. This hasn't happened to me, but the mere idea that I have to justify in fifty thousand ways why my project matters to people who don't have PhDs in my field really annoys me.
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Posted by Orange Ina to academicsecret at 9/29/2006 03:04:45 PM
[academicsecret] 9/29/2006 08:49:22 AM
is it bad that i usually don't give out the information sheet but explain it instead?
even though i say that i give it out? when you work with the ppl i work with, the last thing they want to see is an official looking paper. b/c then there is no reason to trust you...
by the way, this is all hypotheical and not really true, and please don't tell on me.
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Posted by strawberries to academicsecret at 9/29/2006 08:49:22 AM
even though i say that i give it out? when you work with the ppl i work with, the last thing they want to see is an official looking paper. b/c then there is no reason to trust you...
by the way, this is all hypotheical and not really true, and please don't tell on me.
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Posted by strawberries to academicsecret at 9/29/2006 08:49:22 AM
Thursday, September 28, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/28/2006 11:09:17 PM
Sorry you experienced this.
So here is a question, to take this in a pro-active direction (not that there's anything wrong with your post!).
I'm wondering, what - if anything - would be a good reaction in such a situation? I'm happy to read humorous responses, but I would love to read some that are realistic, if available.
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/28/2006 11:09:17 PM
So here is a question, to take this in a pro-active direction (not that there's anything wrong with your post!).
I'm wondering, what - if anything - would be a good reaction in such a situation? I'm happy to read humorous responses, but I would love to read some that are realistic, if available.
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/28/2006 11:09:17 PM
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/27/2006 11:58:55 PM
Yup, every time somebody tells me that feminism isn't needed any more, that we can do away with affirmative action and keep the numbers of women and minorities growing, I want to hit them. Hard.
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Posted by Chartreuse Circe to academicsecret at 9/27/2006 11:58:55 PM
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Posted by Chartreuse Circe to academicsecret at 9/27/2006 11:58:55 PM
[academicsecret] 9/27/2006 09:17:34 AM
OMG. I am so angry at this. And then at all the people who say that we are beyond sexism and racism.
I am sorry for you and your institution.
maybe we can send them an anonymous hey you are living in the 50's note to scare them into reality? after all, isn't this like a secret society? kidding of course...maybe.
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Posted by strawberries to academicsecret at 9/27/2006 09:17:34 AM
I am sorry for you and your institution.
maybe we can send them an anonymous hey you are living in the 50's note to scare them into reality? after all, isn't this like a secret society? kidding of course...maybe.
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Posted by strawberries to academicsecret at 9/27/2006 09:17:34 AM
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/26/2006 10:01:10 PM
I think you're spot-on, Kodachrome. We have some pretty major climate problems at my home institutation, and that's absolutely going to outweight the salary.
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Posted by Chartreuse Circe to academicsecret at 9/26/2006 10:01:10 PM
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Posted by Chartreuse Circe to academicsecret at 9/26/2006 10:01:10 PM
[academicsecret] 9/26/2006 08:57:38 AM
Those exams are a more reliable measure of class and status than actual ability.
i couldn't agree more!
and i can't believe they made you retake HS english...
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Posted by strawberries to academicsecret at 9/26/2006 08:57:38 AM
i couldn't agree more!
and i can't believe they made you retake HS english...
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Posted by strawberries to academicsecret at 9/26/2006 08:57:38 AM
Monday, September 25, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/26/2006 03:44:51 AM
I completely agree. Those exams are a more reliable measure of class and status than actual ability.
I remember transferring schools, a month after a few short stories of mine got published. When I took the all-essay English competency test, I failed.
Now, I'm not smug enough to think that publishing a couple dippy short stories in a couple dippy journals makes me the king of all language. But you'd think I would have at least passed out of remedial English at that point. But no, according to this school, I had to retake high school English. It's been a billion years since that, and I'm still puzzled.
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Posted by Apricot to academicsecret at 9/26/2006 03:44:51 AM
I remember transferring schools, a month after a few short stories of mine got published. When I took the all-essay English competency test, I failed.
Now, I'm not smug enough to think that publishing a couple dippy short stories in a couple dippy journals makes me the king of all language. But you'd think I would have at least passed out of remedial English at that point. But no, according to this school, I had to retake high school English. It's been a billion years since that, and I'm still puzzled.
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Posted by Apricot to academicsecret at 9/26/2006 03:44:51 AM
Saturday, September 23, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/23/2006 08:44:27 PM
fraud,(and i use fraud only in a nice, friendly way, and not to intimidate).
i agree, i think its gender. when i was in european ctry, I was called Miss Strawberries several times. In the language we were speaking, there is no Ms. But hello, here everyone is called dr. after they graduate with a BA. I think its sex and age.
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Posted by strawberries to academicsecret at 9/23/2006 08:44:27 PM
i agree, i think its gender. when i was in european ctry, I was called Miss Strawberries several times. In the language we were speaking, there is no Ms. But hello, here everyone is called dr. after they graduate with a BA. I think its sex and age.
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Posted by strawberries to academicsecret at 9/23/2006 08:44:27 PM
Friday, September 22, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/22/2006 07:26:15 PM
As someone with online dating experience, rejection outright is better, although I would lie and use one of the stock ways of saying it isn't them even if it is about them.
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/22/2006 07:26:15 PM
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/22/2006 07:26:15 PM
[academicsecret] 9/22/2006 07:24:55 PM
I am a male faculty member of several years' experience and I have certainly and repeatedly been called Mr. Anonymous by students, although I agree it's probably more likely for female faculty than male faculty.
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/22/2006 07:24:55 PM
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/22/2006 07:24:55 PM
Thursday, September 21, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/22/2006 02:34:22 AM
I think that's exactly right - I can always tell when the first name use is being friendly vs. to intimidate. Interestingly enough, it's often the most pushy of my students who use it in exactly the tone you described - they never use "Prof" or "Dr" in those instances!
(and yes, I am anon #1 and #3... I really need to pick a color if I'm going to keep commenting on a.secret so often)
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/22/2006 02:34:22 AM
(and yes, I am anon #1 and #3... I really need to pick a color if I'm going to keep commenting on a.secret so often)
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/22/2006 02:34:22 AM
[academicsecret] 9/22/2006 12:12:50 AM
Thanks for the CT link, Anon #2. I knew I'd read about the trend on blogs before, but I hadn't seen this particular post.
Anon #3 (who's Anon #1, right?), I think you're right. My knee-jerk reaction today was that this student was trying to talk me on a certain level about something we'd been talking about it class, specifically that she could relate to an experience I discussed and wanted to share something with me. But, the whole situation brought back memories of a male student last year (when I was still a grad student) who used my first name all the time in conversations with me, particularly when arguing over grades. "But Fraud..." "No Fraud, you don't understand..." "Fraud, that's not what I was saying..." "God Fraud!" and I always felt like it was to put me in my place as someone inferior in some way.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/22/2006 12:12:50 AM
Anon #3 (who's Anon #1, right?), I think you're right. My knee-jerk reaction today was that this student was trying to talk me on a certain level about something we'd been talking about it class, specifically that she could relate to an experience I discussed and wanted to share something with me. But, the whole situation brought back memories of a male student last year (when I was still a grad student) who used my first name all the time in conversations with me, particularly when arguing over grades. "But Fraud..." "No Fraud, you don't understand..." "Fraud, that's not what I was saying..." "God Fraud!" and I always felt like it was to put me in my place as someone inferior in some way.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/22/2006 12:12:50 AM
[academicsecret] 9/21/2006 10:03:05 PM
Fraud, I certainly understand how being called by your first name isn't as annoying. I think alot of it depends on how you see the teacher-student relationship; being on a first-name basis can imply a level of openness that is useful for generating a good dialogue with your students. I know many faculty who encourage use of first names.
I might be more sensitive to it because I work in a school where the vast majority of the students and faculty are male, and being taken seriously as a professional expert in this domain is hard for most women. For example, almost all of the women faculty compensate by wearing full business suits to teach, while the guys can go more casual. Insisting on being called professor is one way of trying to get them to take me seriously in the classroom.
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/21/2006 10:03:05 PM
I might be more sensitive to it because I work in a school where the vast majority of the students and faculty are male, and being taken seriously as a professional expert in this domain is hard for most women. For example, almost all of the women faculty compensate by wearing full business suits to teach, while the guys can go more casual. Insisting on being called professor is one way of trying to get them to take me seriously in the classroom.
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/21/2006 10:03:05 PM
[academicsecret] 9/21/2006 09:46:19 PM
Aha, this all reminds me of this post and resulting discussion. It addressed both the Mrs part and the gender aspect. Many of the commenters completely missed the point of the post, however.
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/21/2006 09:46:19 PM
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/21/2006 09:46:19 PM
[academicsecret] 9/21/2006 08:18:02 PM
Actually anonymous, I guess to add insult to injury, I had someone call me by my first name after class today. It didn't both me as much because I'm Fraud, but I'm also Dr. Fraud, so it didn't feel as demeaning as something that implied less. Does that make any sense at all? And, like Salmon, that's how I signed my name in email. Now I sign my emails with my full name; maybe I should switch to Professor Fraud.
I would DIE if someone called me Frauddy, though. Or maybe they would die.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/21/2006 08:18:02 PM
I would DIE if someone called me Frauddy, though. Or maybe they would die.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/21/2006 08:18:02 PM
[academicsecret] 9/21/2006 07:36:48 PM
A male colleague, who intestingly isn't even a Dr. yet, said that he's never been called Mr. Know-It-All. Students always call him Professor or Dr. Know-It-All.
It's probably because he never corrects them.
I've never been called Prof. Ella or Dr. Ella to my face before, but I do get e-mails to Professor Ella (and one the other day to Proffessor Ella), which to me just indicates the students don't really understand what being a professor entails. I don't overtly correct them, but I do sign my name Salmon. If they were speaking to me and called me Prof. or Dr. Ella, I would correct them, but in e-mail it just seems kind of weird.
Re. the gender aspect, that's interesting, and I have more to say, but I have to run be a professor, er, I mean, TA.
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Posted by Salmon Ella to academicsecret at 9/21/2006 07:36:48 PM
It's probably because he never corrects them.
I've never been called Prof. Ella or Dr. Ella to my face before, but I do get e-mails to Professor Ella (and one the other day to Proffessor Ella), which to me just indicates the students don't really understand what being a professor entails. I don't overtly correct them, but I do sign my name Salmon. If they were speaking to me and called me Prof. or Dr. Ella, I would correct them, but in e-mail it just seems kind of weird.
Re. the gender aspect, that's interesting, and I have more to say, but I have to run be a professor, er, I mean, TA.
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Posted by Salmon Ella to academicsecret at 9/21/2006 07:36:48 PM
[academicsecret] 9/21/2006 06:43:33 PM
This is a big pet peeve of mine as well, and I do think it's closely tied to gender. I try to deal with it by signing all emails to students as "Prof. X" and introducing myself on the first day of class as Professor X. It helps some, but not entirely.
At least they're not calling you by your first name - I still get several of those every class. Including one who sent me an email after the first week of class that started "Hey, X'ie" where X'ie is a cutesy nickname for my first name. Sorry, but NO ONE is allowed to call me by cutesy nicknames (except my husband).
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/21/2006 06:43:33 PM
At least they're not calling you by your first name - I still get several of those every class. Including one who sent me an email after the first week of class that started "Hey, X'ie" where X'ie is a cutesy nickname for my first name. Sorry, but NO ONE is allowed to call me by cutesy nicknames (except my husband).
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/21/2006 06:43:33 PM
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/19/2006 10:59:56 AM
Me three. You'd be doing them a real service by writing-- a short note will save them so much time pondering the meaning of your silence.
And good for you for posting about non-academic things, by the way. It helps to remember that everyone else also has other things to think about occasionally!
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Posted by Pumpkin to academicsecret at 9/19/2006 10:59:56 AM
And good for you for posting about non-academic things, by the way. It helps to remember that everyone else also has other things to think about occasionally!
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Posted by Pumpkin to academicsecret at 9/19/2006 10:59:56 AM
Sunday, September 17, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/17/2006 09:05:03 PM
I agree with jj. I did the online dating sites years ago, and can't remember what I did in that particular situation, but I think it's best to just say it so they're not wondering why you're still on there if you haven't written them back.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/17/2006 09:05:03 PM
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/17/2006 09:05:03 PM
[academicsecret] 9/17/2006 06:32:05 PM
i'd rather be rejected outright. otherwise i might be tempted to do something stupid like write the person AGAIN, you know, just to *make sure* they GOT the message, which would only make them like me less.
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Posted by jazzberry jam to academicsecret at 9/17/2006 06:32:05 PM
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Posted by jazzberry jam to academicsecret at 9/17/2006 06:32:05 PM
[academicsecret] 9/17/2006 04:11:00 PM
Strawberries, I'm just glad you're back here in our own little itopia (even if you had chosen to stay there, too). Welcome back.
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/17/2006 04:11:00 PM
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/17/2006 04:11:00 PM
[academicsecret] 9/17/2006 12:23:05 PM
We had a student like that in our department a couple years back (and a few of those advisors) and I think that what finally knocked her into shape was a really crappy year on the market. She got a TON of interviews, but not one offer. I think the experience cut her down to size and she realized that ego might not be the way to go.
I hate ego, and a.somethings, but most of all, I just don't have any respect for those people who just end up mini-mes of their advisors - academically, socially, politically, etc. (While in some disciplines, that might be expected, mine's one that rewards innovation and creativity).
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/17/2006 12:23:05 PM
I hate ego, and a.somethings, but most of all, I just don't have any respect for those people who just end up mini-mes of their advisors - academically, socially, politically, etc. (While in some disciplines, that might be expected, mine's one that rewards innovation and creativity).
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/17/2006 12:23:05 PM
[academicsecret] 9/17/2006 09:11:08 AM
i would think that being around other members of the dept who are not egotistical would demonstrate its futility to these students... that said, i really have no advice to give.
re: advisers and advisors, i was taught in HS, so keep in mind, this data is dated, that adviser was for newspapers, ie the newspaper's adviser, and advisor was for everything else. i have no idea if that's true.
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Posted by strawberries to academicsecret at 9/17/2006 09:11:08 AM
re: advisers and advisors, i was taught in HS, so keep in mind, this data is dated, that adviser was for newspapers, ie the newspaper's adviser, and advisor was for everything else. i have no idea if that's true.
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Posted by strawberries to academicsecret at 9/17/2006 09:11:08 AM
[academicsecret] 9/17/2006 08:58:11 AM
very true... though we have problems, and i for one would much rather be living in europe, we do have many things to be thankful about.
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Posted by strawberries to academicsecret at 9/17/2006 08:58:11 AM
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Posted by strawberries to academicsecret at 9/17/2006 08:58:11 AM
Saturday, September 16, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/17/2006 12:06:21 AM
I'm sorry to hear about the annoying aspects, but glad to know that there were really fun upsides and that you took advantage of them to the fullest extent.
I'm not sure what to say regarding the maleness and hierarchy. It is certainly disgusting. I've observed it for years on that continent and hate it much.
I guess one thought I have on all this is that it's a good reminder about the system in the US. While it has its own issues, and clearly plenty of them, it really is more evolved in some ways than academia is elsewhere. And for that we should be grateful.
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/17/2006 12:06:21 AM
I'm not sure what to say regarding the maleness and hierarchy. It is certainly disgusting. I've observed it for years on that continent and hate it much.
I guess one thought I have on all this is that it's a good reminder about the system in the US. While it has its own issues, and clearly plenty of them, it really is more evolved in some ways than academia is elsewhere. And for that we should be grateful.
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/17/2006 12:06:21 AM
Friday, September 15, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/16/2006 04:13:50 AM
Fraud, I didn't mean to imply that this particular student was acting. I think your descriptions were pretty clear that that wasn't the case. I was just trying to say that in my case this has not happened (yet) and the only experiences I have didn't seem genuine at all. Of course, that made those experiences easier. I'm not sure how I'd react in your case, that's why I said it's tough. You can't afford to spend too much time on the situation, you probably don't have the training to really deal with her crisis, yet you do want to be there for her to some extent. It's hard.
By the way, good post title!
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/16/2006 04:13:50 AM
By the way, good post title!
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/16/2006 04:13:50 AM
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/14/2006 01:27:49 AM
I've definitely seen evidence of the act before, TS, so I believe it exists. This just didn't seem like it.
This student specifically said it wasn't me or my comments or her grade or the assignment that we were going over, and I guess it seems like if she was trying to get something out of me she would have said that she'd slaved away on hours over this or something. Maybe not, though, maybe she thinks pity spreads.
I really think it's the pressure of this competitive school. To make matters worse, half my students are freshamn who are used to being the top of the class. Not everyone can be the top now.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/14/2006 01:27:49 AM
This student specifically said it wasn't me or my comments or her grade or the assignment that we were going over, and I guess it seems like if she was trying to get something out of me she would have said that she'd slaved away on hours over this or something. Maybe not, though, maybe she thinks pity spreads.
I really think it's the pressure of this competitive school. To make matters worse, half my students are freshamn who are used to being the top of the class. Not everyone can be the top now.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/14/2006 01:27:49 AM
[academicsecret] 9/14/2006 01:00:52 AM
Yeah, this is tough. I've done my share of crying in the past. For the most part I hate it when I break down that way. But I have always had a hard time controlling it.
Interestingly, however, I have not been affected by students in the way you describe. Granted, I haven't had too many crying in my office. In fact, th eonly such occasions (or maybe just one) I can think of would be one where it was clearly an act (no, you really can tell in some situations). Maybe I'm just a heartless prof. But it's never gotten to me.
Of course, if a student were to come to me with some real life crisis (like the ones you mention Sienna), that would be pretty freaky!
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/14/2006 01:00:52 AM
Interestingly, however, I have not been affected by students in the way you describe. Granted, I haven't had too many crying in my office. In fact, th eonly such occasions (or maybe just one) I can think of would be one where it was clearly an act (no, you really can tell in some situations). Maybe I'm just a heartless prof. But it's never gotten to me.
Of course, if a student were to come to me with some real life crisis (like the ones you mention Sienna), that would be pretty freaky!
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/14/2006 01:00:52 AM
[academicsecret] 9/13/2006 11:21:04 PM
I'm sure I've cried more than once in a professor's office, Dandelion, but the only time that I could remember was this past year, choking back the tears in my department chair's office, as we talked about options after I discovered I wasn't the first choice for a job I'd been hoping for. I think that's what was so hard about today. The student wasn't really crying at first, she was trying desperately not to cry.
The reach for the kleenex box and acknowledging the emotion was like a slow-motion sort of golden moment, Sienna. Maybe it is instinct, or imagining my own child struggling like that (not that I think she's really struggling). I don't know. I'm not looking forward to more of these moments. I'm just entirely socially awkward for these tearful meetings.
Thank you both for chiming in, and I hope you're having a better day, Dandelion.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/13/2006 11:21:04 PM
The reach for the kleenex box and acknowledging the emotion was like a slow-motion sort of golden moment, Sienna. Maybe it is instinct, or imagining my own child struggling like that (not that I think she's really struggling). I don't know. I'm not looking forward to more of these moments. I'm just entirely socially awkward for these tearful meetings.
Thank you both for chiming in, and I hope you're having a better day, Dandelion.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/13/2006 11:21:04 PM
[academicsecret] 9/13/2006 09:16:13 PM
How interesting that it makes you want to cry, too. Other people's tears always activate my... now I'm at a loss for words. Maybe it's a maternal instinct, but that doesn't seem right. I get an involuntary self-calming response that always seems like it's intended to prepare me for some kind of action. I never think I actually do respond properly, but my brain slows down and at least gives me the chance to get it right. I've also learned that tissues, gum cough drops and the like can clear the head and give them a minute to collect themselves. Being a female faculty member, you'll find that papers and grades are the easy part. It's the rapes and other life crises that that really put a dent in your supply of tissues. Joy joy! Do we get extra pay for this?
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Posted by Sienna to academicsecret at 9/13/2006 09:16:13 PM
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Posted by Sienna to academicsecret at 9/13/2006 09:16:13 PM
[academicsecret] 9/13/2006 09:14:49 PM
I've cried in my advisor's office during underad as well as grad school, and may well do so again today, in fact...
In my case, it's a result of feeling cripplingly inadequate and angry at myself for letting my advisor down/making them think I was an idiot etc. Hating myself for being pathetic enough to cry doesn't help, either.
Both times I've felt horrible about making my advisor deal with my patheticness, too, but I don't have any advice for dealing with it from the other side.
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Posted by Dandelion to academicsecret at 9/13/2006 09:14:49 PM
In my case, it's a result of feeling cripplingly inadequate and angry at myself for letting my advisor down/making them think I was an idiot etc. Hating myself for being pathetic enough to cry doesn't help, either.
Both times I've felt horrible about making my advisor deal with my patheticness, too, but I don't have any advice for dealing with it from the other side.
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Posted by Dandelion to academicsecret at 9/13/2006 09:14:49 PM
[academicsecret] 9/13/2006 07:24:43 PM
Oh, sorry to be cryptic, thistle. There's nothing wrong with her graduate students except that they apparently see her as an oasis of sanity.
OI, I swear, I think they show the letters because they want credit for their work.
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/13/2006 07:24:43 PM
OI, I swear, I think they show the letters because they want credit for their work.
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/13/2006 07:24:43 PM
[academicsecret] 9/13/2006 05:23:37 PM
AH, I hate it when profs do that! My understanding is that it's common practice in Europe. It's such BS. It takes the responsbility off the faculty member. And it's also inappropriate, and jeopordizes the value of the system. Of course, some of our fellow secret correspondants could probably save themselves some trouble if they did it this way.
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Posted by Orange Ina to academicsecret at 9/13/2006 05:23:37 PM
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Posted by Orange Ina to academicsecret at 9/13/2006 05:23:37 PM
[academicsecret] 9/13/2006 03:35:10 PM
When I was applying to grad programs a couple of years after getting my BA, I ended up seeing a copy of one of my rec letters from a professor. He had written very positive things about me and my prospects, but had also noted that I asked him to write the letter at the very last minute, which might be indicative of a lack of organization. Definitely a can-miss letter.
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Posted by thistle to academicsecret at 9/13/2006 03:35:10 PM
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Posted by thistle to academicsecret at 9/13/2006 03:35:10 PM
[academicsecret] 9/13/2006 01:11:59 PM
Ouch! Scarlet, I'm seeing a pattern among your graduate students, too. Do you see it?
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/13/2006 01:11:59 PM
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/13/2006 01:11:59 PM
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/12/2006 10:36:45 PM
Yup, the world is definately headed to hell in a handbasket, because clearly all that matters is that assessment score -- really, the students don't need to learn anything, as that might make them question their alien overlords.
Seriously, I am very concerned about the changes in the purpose of higher education, and its new control.
Thanks for posting this, Thistle!
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Posted by Chartreuse Circe to academicsecret at 9/12/2006 10:36:45 PM
Seriously, I am very concerned about the changes in the purpose of higher education, and its new control.
Thanks for posting this, Thistle!
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Posted by Chartreuse Circe to academicsecret at 9/12/2006 10:36:45 PM
[academicsecret] 9/12/2006 12:14:36 PM
WIsteria, Call a friend, and read him or her the first line of the page your supposed to be working on.
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/12/2006 12:14:36 PM
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/12/2006 12:14:36 PM
Monday, September 11, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/12/2006 05:51:01 AM
I just want to be clear (ha! pun!) that I have been an academic for some time and have never once in my life had a latte. Or bought anything from a farmer's market. I don't really listen to NPR. Sometimes I even vote for Republican candidates. Okay, I made that last one up.
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Posted by Clear to academicsecret at 9/12/2006 05:51:01 AM
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Posted by Clear to academicsecret at 9/12/2006 05:51:01 AM
[academicsecret] 9/12/2006 05:47:00 AM
You have no idea how many times my aspirations have been compromised by my having to pee. I am totally going to actively take bathroom location into account when I move offices.
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Posted by Clear to academicsecret at 9/12/2006 05:47:00 AM
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Posted by Clear to academicsecret at 9/12/2006 05:47:00 AM
[academicsecret] 9/11/2006 09:10:22 PM
I meant exogenous...I can't work at home for exogenous reasons. Hello Dr. Freud.
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Posted by wisteria to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 09:10:22 PM
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Posted by wisteria to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 09:10:22 PM
[academicsecret] 9/11/2006 09:08:12 PM
Nicely observed, TS...Unfortunately, the location question is utterly complex for me and my recent attempt to resolve it has been to treat it as fixed. For (endogenous) reasons I won't go into here I can't work at home. I've never been able to work at a place like Starbucks (what do people do with their laptops when they need to go to the bathroom?) or a library (can't eat or drink). So I've decided to work exclusively at the office. So far it hasn't worked out too well. Probably because this just isn't an office job, but maybe (hopefully) because I still need to get used to the fact that I can't switch to another location as I used to do (and still not beef up my productivity, but waste a lot of time).
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Posted by wisteria to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 09:08:12 PM
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Posted by wisteria to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 09:08:12 PM
[academicsecret] 9/11/2006 08:55:02 PM
I hate it when I'm about to be really productive and I realize I have to go to the bathroom. It happens too often. I'm not sure what that means. (I'm afraid it may mean that I'm so crazy busy at times that I don't even realize I need a bathroom break. It's crazy.)
So if you can only get work done behind closed doors and that's what you have to do in the end then is it worth staying around just for "show". That is, this way you're not showing yourself and it sounds like you're probably distracted. Just wondering.
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 08:55:02 PM
So if you can only get work done behind closed doors and that's what you have to do in the end then is it worth staying around just for "show". That is, this way you're not showing yourself and it sounds like you're probably distracted. Just wondering.
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 08:55:02 PM
[academicsecret] 9/11/2006 05:29:57 PM
Hmmm. Blogger seems to be sick. Maybe without the link...
Oh, good point Navy Blue! Thanks so much for the secret decoder ring! (www.radioarchives.org/annie/)
And Wisteria, There's your secret society pin. Just buy one on ebay. Then go to lots of conferences in lots of disciplines and hope for the best!
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 05:29:57 PM
Oh, good point Navy Blue! Thanks so much for the secret decoder ring! (www.radioarchives.org/annie/)
And Wisteria, There's your secret society pin. Just buy one on ebay. Then go to lots of conferences in lots of disciplines and hope for the best!
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 05:29:57 PM
[academicsecret] 9/11/2006 05:25:20 PM
Oh, good point Navy Blue! Thanks so much for the .
And Wisteria, There's your secret society pin. Just go to ebay and buy one. Then go to lots of conferences in lots of disciplines and hope for the best!
(Deleted entry above due to mysterious url typo which didn't appear in the preview. Blogger is makin' me mad.)
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 05:25:20 PM
And Wisteria, There's your secret society pin. Just go to ebay and buy one. Then go to lots of conferences in lots of disciplines and hope for the best!
(Deleted entry above due to mysterious url typo which didn't appear in the preview. Blogger is makin' me mad.)
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 05:25:20 PM
[academicsecret] 9/11/2006 12:56:58 PM
Thistle, could you run down (or up, or over) to washington and tell them that we quit drinking lattes six years ago when we switched to the hard stuff for the election night party that never ended. I won't speak for the rest of 'em, but I can tell you that I've been a worthless alcoholic ever since. (kidding!)
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 12:56:58 PM
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 12:56:58 PM
[academicsecret] 9/11/2006 12:42:56 PM
Oh, good point Navy Blue! Thanks so much for the ! Now I'm trying to figure out whether I instantly recognize the stateside bs cfps in my mailbox or whether I don't get them. I'll bet I just don't even read them because my interest is so low.
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 12:42:56 PM
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 12:42:56 PM
Sunday, September 10, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/11/2006 12:57:54 AM
Wow, this one is harsh. It really does give us profs a bad name, doesn't it? Poor student, I'd feel pretty crappy. for several reasons.
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Posted by Navy Blue Blob to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 12:57:54 AM
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Posted by Navy Blue Blob to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 12:57:54 AM
[academicsecret] 9/11/2006 12:56:40 AM
co-ed naked exams - Hah! I'd never heard of them before, funny!
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Posted by Navy Blue Blob to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 12:56:40 AM
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Posted by Navy Blue Blob to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 12:56:40 AM
[academicsecret] 9/11/2006 12:55:00 AM
I think you're being a bit unfair. BS conference announcements come out of every continent. Maybe this was one of those. (Pay us $500 and we'll include your piece in some publication no one will care about.. that latter part is not in the announcement.)
Of course, perhaps this was one of the legit ones, in which case perhaps it really wasn't detailed enough, but while I've noticed all sorts of continental divides when it comes to academic affairs, this isn't one of them.
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Posted by Navy Blue Blob to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 12:55:00 AM
Of course, perhaps this was one of the legit ones, in which case perhaps it really wasn't detailed enough, but while I've noticed all sorts of continental divides when it comes to academic affairs, this isn't one of them.
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Posted by Navy Blue Blob to academicsecret at 9/11/2006 12:55:00 AM
Saturday, September 09, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/10/2006 06:59:21 AM
Fraud: Although I wish there were some other, more interesting psychological reason, I think what you said pretty much sums it up.
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Posted by thistle to academicsecret at 9/10/2006 06:59:21 AM
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Posted by thistle to academicsecret at 9/10/2006 06:59:21 AM
[academicsecret] 9/10/2006 02:23:11 AM
Five hours of Law and Order sounds reasonable to me, although personally, I'd be more likely to find myself doing this with SVU or Criminal Intent. But I guess you were desperate.:) And hey, if there was even just one episode in there that you hadn't seen before, that's quite a find! Sounds like a great way to spend five hours.:)
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/10/2006 02:23:11 AM
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/10/2006 02:23:11 AM
[academicsecret] 9/09/2006 09:25:22 PM
Oh, Thistle. I think I know what you're getting at.
When I've had Clear's dream and been most stressed out is when it's in the second subject of my double-major (the one I didn't go on to get a PhD in).
Do you feel like you should know something about the subject, because of your dad?
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/09/2006 09:25:22 PM
When I've had Clear's dream and been most stressed out is when it's in the second subject of my double-major (the one I didn't go on to get a PhD in).
Do you feel like you should know something about the subject, because of your dad?
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/09/2006 09:25:22 PM
[academicsecret] 9/09/2006 07:50:02 PM
I sometimes have the dream clear talks about (have to take a final for a course you registered for but never showed up to), with the added twist that the course is in the subject that my Dad is a professor of.
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Posted by thistle to academicsecret at 9/09/2006 07:50:02 PM
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Posted by thistle to academicsecret at 9/09/2006 07:50:02 PM
Friday, September 08, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/08/2006 07:52:26 PM
My nightmares usually involve trying to program something that isn't programable. In general terms, a logical error makes me think I can work out a puzzle that isn't really solvable, and I'll spend all night on it if I don't manage to wake up and see the futility of my efforts. It's like Camus for greeks, I mean geeks.
...but I guess that's better than co-ed naked exams. Dear secret correspondents, you always give me something to be grateful for.
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 07:52:26 PM
...but I guess that's better than co-ed naked exams. Dear secret correspondents, you always give me something to be grateful for.
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 07:52:26 PM
[academicsecret] 9/08/2006 05:42:49 PM
I have NEVER had that dream either.. or even that thought. I wonder what that means.
I also haven't had the dream Clear talks about.
I actually haven't had that many dreams recently (last few years that is). I miss them. They can be fun (although sometimes they're scary).
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 05:42:49 PM
I also haven't had the dream Clear talks about.
I actually haven't had that many dreams recently (last few years that is). I miss them. They can be fun (although sometimes they're scary).
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Posted by Turquoise Stuff to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 05:42:49 PM
[academicsecret] 9/08/2006 03:19:57 PM
...and still sometimes have dreams where I'm a student and it's near the end of the semester and I just realize I'm registered and have to take a test for a course I've never attended.
I have that same dream.
I also have "stress" dreams that stem from all my years waiting tables - the ones where I've got a million people sitting down and tables that aren't set and I can't remember any of their orders and I'm the only one working and... (you get the picture).
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 03:19:57 PM
I have that same dream.
I also have "stress" dreams that stem from all my years waiting tables - the ones where I've got a million people sitting down and tables that aren't set and I can't remember any of their orders and I'm the only one working and... (you get the picture).
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 03:19:57 PM
[academicsecret] 9/08/2006 02:51:36 PM
Strangely, I've never had any variant of that dream, and still sometimes have dreams where I'm a student and it's near the end of the semester and I just realize I'm registered and have to take a test for a course I've never attended.
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Posted by Clear to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 02:51:36 PM
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Posted by Clear to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 02:51:36 PM
[academicsecret] 9/08/2006 02:03:46 PM
Speaking of secrets unveiled, I know it's really highly unlikely, but on the last conference I attended I scrutinized every person I talked to for possible signs of being a secret correspondent. So maybe we should come up with a secret sign, a pin, a handshake, or whatnot. Oh, how exquisitely intriguing secrecy can be!
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Posted by wisteria to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 02:03:46 PM
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Posted by wisteria to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 02:03:46 PM
[academicsecret] 9/08/2006 01:26:26 PM
I'm sure the stress of the last few weeks drives people to over-indulge in vices.
That probably explains my partner's now nightly trek to the television to watch Star Trek: The Next Generation. It's a good thing he's not watching Law & Order, or I'd probably join him on the couch.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 01:26:26 PM
That probably explains my partner's now nightly trek to the television to watch Star Trek: The Next Generation. It's a good thing he's not watching Law & Order, or I'd probably join him on the couch.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 01:26:26 PM
[academicsecret] 9/08/2006 12:29:11 PM
Good to see you lime! And I think the "real job" comment nails it, as does your hangover point, fraud. But, given the date, I'll bet this whole thing started because of a hangover from the September ramp-up.
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 12:29:11 PM
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 12:29:11 PM
[academicsecret] 9/08/2006 12:23:36 PM
pa ha ha ha. Ouch! I just bit my tongue trying not to say all the things I want to say on how one could inquire about a friend's sanity. The bottom line, as you might suspect from a clod like Koda is that I haven't a clue. But I've learned this in the last few months: It was a lot easier to ask Friend A whether s/he is transexual (yes) than it was to ask Friend B whether s/he was losing his/her mind (no answer).
Speaking of elderly colleagues, my department actually has a "checking in" schedule for our most senior member. S/he spends lots of time in the office, so there is a not-so-tacit understanding that we're supposed to stop in and say hello whenever we can.
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 12:23:36 PM
Speaking of elderly colleagues, my department actually has a "checking in" schedule for our most senior member. S/he spends lots of time in the office, so there is a not-so-tacit understanding that we're supposed to stop in and say hello whenever we can.
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 12:23:36 PM
[academicsecret] 9/08/2006 11:58:36 AM
Were the suggestions the same?
Scary.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 11:58:36 AM
Scary.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 11:58:36 AM
[academicsecret] 9/08/2006 11:51:18 AM
An episode of Law & Order (even one you've seen before) is good for the soul. Of course, so is a glass of wine.
Five hours of Law & Order, like five glasses of wine, might give you a hangover.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 11:51:18 AM
Five hours of Law & Order, like five glasses of wine, might give you a hangover.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 11:51:18 AM
[academicsecret] 9/08/2006 10:55:04 AM
I was going to post a sarcastic comment of shock and horror that you spent an entire 5 hours in front of the tube, but I couldn't pull off the tone without sounding like a jackass.
So, instead, I will just note that my parents watched 5 hours of TV every night after their "real" jobs, often on different televisions in different rooms.
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Posted by lime to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 10:55:04 AM
So, instead, I will just note that my parents watched 5 hours of TV every night after their "real" jobs, often on different televisions in different rooms.
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Posted by lime to academicsecret at 9/08/2006 10:55:04 AM
Thursday, September 07, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/07/2006 10:17:56 PM
Just so we're clear, we dislike parents thinking about all the "real" jobs we might have because we already spend enough time thinking about that ourselves, right? I mean, I can't tell you how annoying I find it that I'm not a "real" (full) professor, especially when I take note of some of the people who are real professors. And I've sat in on more conversations with academics about the private sector job market than I care to remember. In fact...
Wisteria, I'm trying to think how we can accomplish this anonymously. I figure it'll involve PayPal, and that'll probably get caught in our spam filters. But maybe for a long term plan we should say that if a.secret survives one year, then we'll choose a location for a meet-up five years hence by having Clear* run our colors through an anagram generator until he can get something resembling a destination. After five years we can't possibly have any secrets left anyway, right? (wink). Oh. Nevermind.
*Sorry. Did I just volunteer our houseboy for further duties? I will gladly do any necessary anagramming and play houseboy to the best of my ability for anything that's my idea.
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/07/2006 10:17:56 PM
Wisteria, I'm trying to think how we can accomplish this anonymously. I figure it'll involve PayPal, and that'll probably get caught in our spam filters. But maybe for a long term plan we should say that if a.secret survives one year, then we'll choose a location for a meet-up five years hence by having Clear* run our colors through an anagram generator until he can get something resembling a destination. After five years we can't possibly have any secrets left anyway, right? (wink). Oh. Nevermind.
*Sorry. Did I just volunteer our houseboy for further duties? I will gladly do any necessary anagramming and play houseboy to the best of my ability for anything that's my idea.
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/07/2006 10:17:56 PM
[academicsecret] 9/07/2006 08:51:08 PM
I can totally relate. I've grown very tired recently of explaining to people what I do. Answers to questions such as: "You only teach 6 hours per week? What are they paying you for?" are not going to change that world view, anyway. I, too, get newspaper clippings from my folks with success stories of my former classmates - and tons of suggestions on how to settle for a "real job". Sob! Koda, maybe you have some grant money left for me to accompany you on those cookie-and-sherry conferences overseas, so at least I can enjoy my futile existence to the fullest!
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Posted by wisteria to academicsecret at 9/07/2006 08:51:08 PM
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Posted by wisteria to academicsecret at 9/07/2006 08:51:08 PM
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/06/2006 08:39:04 PM
I agree, Michele. And I think you bring up one of the changes in our profession (feminization, probably) that contributes both to office hiding and to the need to work at home. But the point is, as you say, that people stalk her because she seems to tell them that they can have unfettered access to her. "Here's my cell number. Call me anytime." She'll change her number three months later to get out from under THAT.
I'd like to salvage Sienna's reputation re stalking, but I guess I'll err on the side of anonymity.
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Posted by Sienna to academicsecret at 9/06/2006 08:39:04 PM
I'd like to salvage Sienna's reputation re stalking, but I guess I'll err on the side of anonymity.
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Posted by Sienna to academicsecret at 9/06/2006 08:39:04 PM
[academicsecret] 9/06/2006 03:37:12 PM
There was a time when one was considered "not at home to visitors" and when one's secretary kept people from coming by when it was a bad time. Choosing when to open your door doesn't mean you aren't available and accessible, it means you aren't available every moment of every day.
If someone knocked, then called, then called, then knocked, I would feel stalked.
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Posted by Michelle to academicsecret at 9/06/2006 03:37:12 PM
If someone knocked, then called, then called, then knocked, I would feel stalked.
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Posted by Michelle to academicsecret at 9/06/2006 03:37:12 PM
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/05/2006 08:16:02 PM
Perfect, I'm there! Of course, you'd have to figure that, given my issues with door #3 and my willingness to go out drinking with hair boy, (which I guess you'd have to really know me to understand what a sacrifice that is). All I'm sayin' though, is that somebody needs to send me the codekey so I can figure out which U pub is the one I head for.
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/05/2006 08:16:02 PM
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/05/2006 08:16:02 PM
[academicsecret] 9/05/2006 03:43:03 PM
One of the most charming aspects of the conferences I've attended "across the pond" is the propensity of speakers to conclude their talks with the observation that "These critical matters would certainly be best discussed further at the university pub, where I hope you'll now join me."
Moreover, there actually were really interesting conversations going on at the pub, often late into the night...
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Posted by twilight blue to academicsecret at 9/05/2006 03:43:03 PM
Moreover, there actually were really interesting conversations going on at the pub, often late into the night...
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Posted by twilight blue to academicsecret at 9/05/2006 03:43:03 PM
[academicsecret] 9/05/2006 12:08:43 PM
Sulphur Siren, You're right. The "cowardly" term may be unfortunate. (See below.) Anon, Although I don’t think Angel *is* a flake, she might be in an over-commit-and-then-flake-out cycle.
Scarlet, Plucky nails it. One of the reasons I’m fascinated by this "ability" is that I can't do it. As a small child, I could never resist my mother’s command to unlock my bedroom door, so by the time I was seven, I had stopped bothering to run away at all. Why couldn’t I keep that door locked? (My parents had a strict non-violence policy.) I thought of my childhood bedroom when I learned Angel's secret. Is she stronger than I am, or is she insane?
I'm trying to cultivate a less angelic persona, so I won't have to hide from it (since I'm not plucky enough to hide).
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Posted by Sienna to academicsecret at 9/05/2006 12:08:43 PM
Scarlet, Plucky nails it. One of the reasons I’m fascinated by this "ability" is that I can't do it. As a small child, I could never resist my mother’s command to unlock my bedroom door, so by the time I was seven, I had stopped bothering to run away at all. Why couldn’t I keep that door locked? (My parents had a strict non-violence policy.) I thought of my childhood bedroom when I learned Angel's secret. Is she stronger than I am, or is she insane?
I'm trying to cultivate a less angelic persona, so I won't have to hide from it (since I'm not plucky enough to hide).
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Posted by Sienna to academicsecret at 9/05/2006 12:08:43 PM
Monday, September 04, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/05/2006 04:04:04 AM
I'm a believer in not answering the door if I don't feel like answering the door. And I'm plucky.
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Posted by Scarlet to academicsecret at 9/05/2006 04:04:04 AM
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Posted by Scarlet to academicsecret at 9/05/2006 04:04:04 AM
[academicsecret] 9/05/2006 03:49:29 AM
I have to agree that there are some folks out there who are amazingly generous with their time and make super wonderful and important mentors. Kudos to them! (What's a good way of acknowledging this and letting them know that we appreciate them?)
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/05/2006 03:49:29 AM
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/05/2006 03:49:29 AM
[academicsecret] 9/05/2006 03:47:10 AM
I see what you're saying, Sulphur, but perhaps Sienna's point is that C.A. gets the benefits of seeming like such a giving person when s/he can't come through with that at all. I guess it depends on what the resulting reputation is. Eventaully it could be that C.A. is a flake. But perhaps the point is that said truth never really comes out widely.
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/05/2006 03:47:10 AM
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/05/2006 03:47:10 AM
[academicsecret] 9/05/2006 03:44:38 AM
I just wanted to add myself to the list of those who do not think they are overpaid. Yes, some other people are underpaid, but that doesn't mean I should be paid less as well. Instead, I have to wonder why people doing really mediocre work in corporations and consulting companies make so much more than I do.
And yeah, Scarlet, if you feel you're undeserving, there are numerous charities that will welcome your money, I am sure.
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/05/2006 03:44:38 AM
And yeah, Scarlet, if you feel you're undeserving, there are numerous charities that will welcome your money, I am sure.
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/05/2006 03:44:38 AM
[academicsecret] 9/05/2006 03:14:31 AM
Hi kodachrome! You are right it is a point of reference! One qualm: I'm not looking up. I'm looking over and, in some cases down (education-wise) and, yep, you called it, feeling pissed.
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Posted by Sulphur Siren to academicsecret at 9/05/2006 03:14:31 AM
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Posted by Sulphur Siren to academicsecret at 9/05/2006 03:14:31 AM
[academicsecret] 9/05/2006 03:06:52 AM
Ok...I admit that I don't get it. Maybe the Angel is available MOST of the time. Maybe the Angel would love to be there for everyone all the time but that isn't possible.
So...maybe...just maybe...to get that paper reviewed or written or to make that grant deadline or to read that thesis or just quell that mounting migraine...Angel sits in the dark with the phone off the hook and ignores the knocking at the door...exactly like a good professor should.
Cowardice or common sense? Perhaps that idea of working at home isn't so crazy after all.
(I admit to doing this just to be able to actually eat my lunch!!)
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Posted by Sulphur Siren to academicsecret at 9/05/2006 03:06:52 AM
So...maybe...just maybe...to get that paper reviewed or written or to make that grant deadline or to read that thesis or just quell that mounting migraine...Angel sits in the dark with the phone off the hook and ignores the knocking at the door...exactly like a good professor should.
Cowardice or common sense? Perhaps that idea of working at home isn't so crazy after all.
(I admit to doing this just to be able to actually eat my lunch!!)
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Posted by Sulphur Siren to academicsecret at 9/05/2006 03:06:52 AM
[academicsecret] 9/04/2006 09:12:10 PM
BTW, Scarlet, I forgot to say that I think this was a very nice post. You aren't the first to academic to say you're overpaid, but you put the list together in such a way that it works even better on, for example, dentists. Kudos!
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Posted by Sienna to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 09:12:10 PM
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Posted by Sienna to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 09:12:10 PM
[academicsecret] 9/04/2006 08:47:56 PM
ha ha ha ha ha! Well, we finally found something that gets people more fired-up than the guilt associated with procrastination: making sure we get paid for it, and nicely!
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 08:47:56 PM
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 08:47:56 PM
[academicsecret] 9/04/2006 08:45:11 PM
Hi Anon, I understand. It's a point of reference debate. You are looking up and feeling pissed, Scarlet is looking down and feeling... er... overpaid.
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 08:45:11 PM
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 08:45:11 PM
[academicsecret] 9/04/2006 06:19:01 PM
I have to agree with anonymous on this one. The major problem with income discrepency is that some people really are making obscene amounts of money and wasting it on disgusting displays of their wealth -- on private jets, for example. I'm pretty sure no one on this blog has a private jet.
Maybe I have a hard time understanding because I'm one of the ones in the other departments Lucy mentions. When I started in my program, I found out that grad students in chemistry made *twice* what students in English did (the school has since raised our stipends to have less of a discrepency, although one certainly still exists). When I found that out, though, I really wasn't angry at all with the chemistry department, and I really didn't want anything taken away from those grad students so that I could get more money. Instead, I honestly thought it was nice that those students were able to get through school without as much debt, because it doesn't seem like it should have to be as difficult as it is. I was truly happy for those students; I just wished my school valued my contributions as much. I think society *should* value intellectual contributions (across disciplines), and it seems to me that other countries do a better job with this than we do here.
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Posted by Poppy Red to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 06:19:01 PM
Maybe I have a hard time understanding because I'm one of the ones in the other departments Lucy mentions. When I started in my program, I found out that grad students in chemistry made *twice* what students in English did (the school has since raised our stipends to have less of a discrepency, although one certainly still exists). When I found that out, though, I really wasn't angry at all with the chemistry department, and I really didn't want anything taken away from those grad students so that I could get more money. Instead, I honestly thought it was nice that those students were able to get through school without as much debt, because it doesn't seem like it should have to be as difficult as it is. I was truly happy for those students; I just wished my school valued my contributions as much. I think society *should* value intellectual contributions (across disciplines), and it seems to me that other countries do a better job with this than we do here.
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Posted by Poppy Red to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 06:19:01 PM
[academicsecret] 9/04/2006 02:41:54 PM
Hey Scarlet...Here's such a deal! When you feel guilty and overpaid, send me whatever extra cash is causing you pain.
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Posted by Sulphur Siren to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 02:41:54 PM
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Posted by Sulphur Siren to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 02:41:54 PM
[academicsecret] 9/04/2006 02:15:45 PM
I should acknowlege chodachromes comment about salaries. I'm not arguing that Ph.D.s don't make more than average...but shouldn't they? The fact that Ph.D.s in academia make typically half what their counterpart in industry make...or what other professionals (M.D.s, dentists, pharmacists, attorneys, M.B.A's) make is my main gripe.
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 02:15:45 PM
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 02:15:45 PM
[academicsecret] 9/04/2006 02:07:04 PM
When talking about productivity at home..does that include all the all-nighters spent writing and revising papers and grant proposals??
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 02:07:04 PM
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 02:07:04 PM
[academicsecret] 9/04/2006 01:54:31 PM
Hmmm. Scarlet, although I wholeheartedly agree on points 1-6, I am trying to think how much your department would have to pay me to maintain a scholarly identity so spectacular that I would consider faking my own death to get out from under it. In other words, there are some things about the "lifestyle" that I don't always consider benefits. Oh, here. I can capture a piece of it by misqoting you. Some days, I am "willing to stand at cocktail parties." And some days I am not.
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Posted by Sienna to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 01:54:31 PM
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Posted by Sienna to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 01:54:31 PM
Sunday, September 03, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/04/2006 01:41:21 AM
I think I'm overpaid as well, in the Scarlet sense.
What I find amazing is that I don't feel like I have any more money now than I did living on grad student stipend and student loan refunds. Maybe it's trying to compensate for living without an income for three months this summer, but by the time my much fatter paycheck comes, I am literally scraping by on pennies. That happened a few times in grad school, but certainly not every month.
Of course my monthly taxes rival my rent plus utilities from grad school, but I'm still not sure how I manage to spend it all. Especially now that happy hours are a thing of the past.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 01:41:21 AM
What I find amazing is that I don't feel like I have any more money now than I did living on grad student stipend and student loan refunds. Maybe it's trying to compensate for living without an income for three months this summer, but by the time my much fatter paycheck comes, I am literally scraping by on pennies. That happened a few times in grad school, but certainly not every month.
Of course my monthly taxes rival my rent plus utilities from grad school, but I'm still not sure how I manage to spend it all. Especially now that happy hours are a thing of the past.
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Posted by fraud, in denim to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 01:41:21 AM
[academicsecret] 9/04/2006 01:23:59 AM
I think I'm overpaid as a grad student, too, by the same logic.
It also seems bizarre to me that I'm earning almost the same (once the currency is converted) as I was at home when I was working full-time, and enough that I have to pay back my student loans.
I think comparing myself to grad students in other departments/institutions would just make me feel undeservedly fortunate, too. Although, I might be willing to take a pay cut to have the 6 weeks holiday a year that my friends in the UK get.
Post-docs, however, are underpaid, I think.
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Posted by Lucy to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 01:23:59 AM
It also seems bizarre to me that I'm earning almost the same (once the currency is converted) as I was at home when I was working full-time, and enough that I have to pay back my student loans.
I think comparing myself to grad students in other departments/institutions would just make me feel undeservedly fortunate, too. Although, I might be willing to take a pay cut to have the 6 weeks holiday a year that my friends in the UK get.
Post-docs, however, are underpaid, I think.
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Posted by Lucy to academicsecret at 9/04/2006 01:23:59 AM
[academicsecret] 9/03/2006 11:56:29 PM
Anon: No problem with being "negative." I like being disagreed with. You raise two distinct and great points for discussion, although I'm so far behind on numerous fronts right now I can't really take up either.
The first is whether academics are overpaid, underpaid, or paid just right. That I would love to write a whole separate post about sometime. I disagree that academics are underpaid because I disagree both that we should be looking for what we could be making at Microsoft for comparison and we should view the time we spent in graduate school--hellish as it might have been--as being a 'sacrifice' compared to what we would have been doing in the private sector during those years. My general belief is that professors, on average, are more than fairly compensated for what their profession offers in terms of lifestyle advantages, but I think the truth of that statement varies considerably across institutions, fields, and even within departments.
The second is about productivity and working at home. I would love to see a systematic study of this overall, especially since what gets done "working at home" is a major mystery and my intuitions about it mainly reflect my own observation of the correlation between office presence and indirect measures of productivity. (That said, it also reflects some particular observations that I'm sure don't apply to your case.)
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Posted by Scarlet to academicsecret at 9/03/2006 11:56:29 PM
The first is whether academics are overpaid, underpaid, or paid just right. That I would love to write a whole separate post about sometime. I disagree that academics are underpaid because I disagree both that we should be looking for what we could be making at Microsoft for comparison and we should view the time we spent in graduate school--hellish as it might have been--as being a 'sacrifice' compared to what we would have been doing in the private sector during those years. My general belief is that professors, on average, are more than fairly compensated for what their profession offers in terms of lifestyle advantages, but I think the truth of that statement varies considerably across institutions, fields, and even within departments.
The second is about productivity and working at home. I would love to see a systematic study of this overall, especially since what gets done "working at home" is a major mystery and my intuitions about it mainly reflect my own observation of the correlation between office presence and indirect measures of productivity. (That said, it also reflects some particular observations that I'm sure don't apply to your case.)
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Posted by Scarlet to academicsecret at 9/03/2006 11:56:29 PM
[academicsecret] 9/03/2006 09:32:38 PM
Anon, as someone who wishes for an intellectual community--or just a couple of drinking buddies in my field. I don't think it's wrong to work at home any more than it's wrong to take a semester's leave from teaching and spend it in a place where it's easier to focus exclusively on research or writing. (One’s office is empty either way.) But I do think there are structural issues in academe that work against intellectual community, such as the desire to limit the number of people in any one subfield.
The main issue you raise is something like flex time, which is well-taken, and less controversial than what's been discussed here. But your main complaint is economic. College profs get paid about twice the median wage in the US, which is about average for a PhD.* When I consider my lot in life, though, I don't just compare it to my friends' lives--that would be at once elitist and waaay too depressing!
Now I'm wondering: if hairboy were in my field and he were an office regular. Could I make him a drinking buddy, given the hair thing? Probably. (But I won’t deny hearing the “George of the Jungle” theme song in my head.)
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*According to a Bureau of Labor Statistic Report (pdf) the median income for people with PhDs in 2001 was $66,000 while the median income for the general population in the same year was $30,300. You can get academic salary figures broken down by rank, discipline, and school at The Chronicle.
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/03/2006 09:32:38 PM
The main issue you raise is something like flex time, which is well-taken, and less controversial than what's been discussed here. But your main complaint is economic. College profs get paid about twice the median wage in the US, which is about average for a PhD.* When I consider my lot in life, though, I don't just compare it to my friends' lives--that would be at once elitist and waaay too depressing!
Now I'm wondering: if hairboy were in my field and he were an office regular. Could I make him a drinking buddy, given the hair thing? Probably. (But I won’t deny hearing the “George of the Jungle” theme song in my head.)
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*According to a Bureau of Labor Statistic Report (pdf) the median income for people with PhDs in 2001 was $66,000 while the median income for the general population in the same year was $30,300. You can get academic salary figures broken down by rank, discipline, and school at The Chronicle.
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/03/2006 09:32:38 PM
Saturday, September 02, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/02/2006 11:50:29 PM
Um...You actually know professors who are 'nicely paid'???
Please tell me this is a joke!
As far as a salary 'far, far about the median for a full-time worker'...what the heck are you talking about? Are you really trying to compare someone who walked through hell to get a Ph.D. with a minimum-wage job? I've worked both ends of the spectrum and let me tell you there is no comparison. Just remember all the potential income forsaken for that stupid degree!! Academics are grossly underpaid by any economic analysis.
One of the reasons I chose academia (as opposed to joining my other friends who didn't bother finishing their undergrads but are all extremely overpaid managers at Microsoft - talk about socioeconomic injustice) was the free work schedule. I am a single mom. The ability to work at home is a life savor for me and my son. Besides which, I actually do get a lot more done without students and colleagues dropping by to 'chat' every five seconds. I accepted half the starting pay I could have garnered in industry. Over the next 20 years the gap between what I will earn in academia and what I would have earned in industry with triple (without stock options).
I think the important question is how productive are these people? Do they have grants and students? If the answer is no...I applaud you calling them on a gross abuse of the system. Noone should get paid for not doing their job. However, if the answer is yes, they are productive...then are you really complaining that you have noone to talk to?
Sorry to be negative but this one hit a nerve.
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/02/2006 11:50:29 PM
Please tell me this is a joke!
As far as a salary 'far, far about the median for a full-time worker'...what the heck are you talking about? Are you really trying to compare someone who walked through hell to get a Ph.D. with a minimum-wage job? I've worked both ends of the spectrum and let me tell you there is no comparison. Just remember all the potential income forsaken for that stupid degree!! Academics are grossly underpaid by any economic analysis.
One of the reasons I chose academia (as opposed to joining my other friends who didn't bother finishing their undergrads but are all extremely overpaid managers at Microsoft - talk about socioeconomic injustice) was the free work schedule. I am a single mom. The ability to work at home is a life savor for me and my son. Besides which, I actually do get a lot more done without students and colleagues dropping by to 'chat' every five seconds. I accepted half the starting pay I could have garnered in industry. Over the next 20 years the gap between what I will earn in academia and what I would have earned in industry with triple (without stock options).
I think the important question is how productive are these people? Do they have grants and students? If the answer is no...I applaud you calling them on a gross abuse of the system. Noone should get paid for not doing their job. However, if the answer is yes, they are productive...then are you really complaining that you have noone to talk to?
Sorry to be negative but this one hit a nerve.
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/02/2006 11:50:29 PM
Friday, September 01, 2006
[academicsecret] 9/02/2006 06:56:18 AM
I love my advisor, too, and definitely use her approval as a motivational tool.
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Posted by thistle to academicsecret at 9/02/2006 06:56:18 AM
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Posted by thistle to academicsecret at 9/02/2006 06:56:18 AM
[academicsecret] 9/02/2006 01:13:33 AM
I know several of these guys. We always called them "golden boys". I could go on and on about the wonderful things that have happened to them career-wise (without any publications, no less) but it just gets me too depressed.
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/02/2006 01:13:33 AM
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Posted by Anonymous to academicsecret at 9/02/2006 01:13:33 AM
[academicsecret] 9/01/2006 11:57:00 PM
I have no complaints about my advisor. More accurately, I have numerous complaints, but I also think it's very possible (even probable?) that I wouldn't have finished grad school without him, which makes my complaints ultimately rather carpy.
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Posted by Clear to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 11:57:00 PM
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Posted by Clear to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 11:57:00 PM
[academicsecret] 9/01/2006 06:29:09 PM
When my advisor was chewing me out this summer, one of the things he mentioned was that graduate school often requires that we put in upwards of 80 hours a week in the lab, and that even when I finish, I should still expect 60 hour weeks and blah blah blah. So what I want to know is: If I am so lazy and non-committed compared to everyone else, why is it that when I go in during the evenings and on the weekends, I am often the only person in whole building?! Somehow I doubt everyone has mass specs and whatnot in their home offices, so the 'working at home' excuse doesn't cut it for me. Not that I think everyone should be working 60-80 hour weeks, but don't tell they are just to guilt trip me when clearly it isn't true!
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Posted by Salmon Ella to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 06:29:09 PM
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Posted by Salmon Ella to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 06:29:09 PM
[academicsecret] 9/01/2006 05:36:27 PM
My very social department is quite the opposite. On the days that I am in my office, various folks drop by to say "hi" throughout the day. I really like most of my colleagues and am happy to spend time talking with them. Indeed, I have an electronic teapot in my office, which not only provides me with requisite caffeine but also facilitates the occasional office tea party.
That said, I do hide out at home several days a week, as it is the only place where I get enough uninterrupted time to do article-length thinking. Of course, that I am able to be productive at home says nothing about the number of days during which said productivity occurs while I am wearing my pajamas well into the afternoon...
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Posted by twilight blue to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 05:36:27 PM
That said, I do hide out at home several days a week, as it is the only place where I get enough uninterrupted time to do article-length thinking. Of course, that I am able to be productive at home says nothing about the number of days during which said productivity occurs while I am wearing my pajamas well into the afternoon...
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Posted by twilight blue to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 05:36:27 PM
[academicsecret] 9/01/2006 05:15:55 PM
Scarlet, you must be in a department full of people with whom it would be nice to hang out, if only they were there. I have to say that I have had some colleagues in my lifetime whose work-at-home habits have been on *my* list of things to be grateful for.
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Posted by Sienna to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 05:15:55 PM
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Posted by Sienna to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 05:15:55 PM
[academicsecret] 9/01/2006 05:06:07 PM
I guess Sienna is about as "clear" as mud, but Thistle and Scarlet seem to have figured it out—to my rolling on the floor delight, I might add! The door numbers would be a series of entertaining caricatures.
I guess I should admit that I’m not really the type to “take” Conscious Pig behavior. So I did manage to make it stop, though I wasn’t especially witty about it. Now, though, I’m wishing I had addressed the underlying Conscious Pig thing, rather than merely training him not to pull that cr*p on me. Hmm. witty. He doesn’t seem deserving.
Thistle, I don’t let people get away with telling me that feminists are sensitive, either. I’m not offended; I’m pissed.
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Posted by Sienna to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 05:06:07 PM
I guess I should admit that I’m not really the type to “take” Conscious Pig behavior. So I did manage to make it stop, though I wasn’t especially witty about it. Now, though, I’m wishing I had addressed the underlying Conscious Pig thing, rather than merely training him not to pull that cr*p on me. Hmm. witty. He doesn’t seem deserving.
Thistle, I don’t let people get away with telling me that feminists are sensitive, either. I’m not offended; I’m pissed.
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Posted by Sienna to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 05:06:07 PM
[academicsecret] 9/01/2006 04:47:50 PM
Oh look! Something to be greatful for. I can't wait for thanksgiving. I think I'll invite all my colleagues over for dinner and collect these (the ones not represented in my department) and put them into a "Things to be Thankful For" toast.
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 04:47:50 PM
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 04:47:50 PM
[academicsecret] 9/01/2006 04:45:13 PM
>soon you'll need to wear sunglasses...
LMAO!!!
Scarlet, I would pay good money, on top of the plane ticket, to hear you or anyone in our position say (let alone scream) a thing like that. I naively said it many years ago when I interviewed at [place where nobody actually lives in the same city as the university]. I think that didn't go over very well. Come to think of it, I may have toured the country asking embarrasing questions about each department's intellectual community, not really knowing that I shouldn't expect to find that at my new job. But the other thing I like about your sunglasses critique is the way it reveals the head-in-the-sand social engineering that universities so often attempt. They just can't seem to admit to (or dare I say, ADDRESS) the basic problems of academic life before they start. So, because of your searing critique, I won't be mad that you snagged my door# from me!
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 04:45:13 PM
LMAO!!!
Scarlet, I would pay good money, on top of the plane ticket, to hear you or anyone in our position say (let alone scream) a thing like that. I naively said it many years ago when I interviewed at [place where nobody actually lives in the same city as the university]. I think that didn't go over very well. Come to think of it, I may have toured the country asking embarrasing questions about each department's intellectual community, not really knowing that I shouldn't expect to find that at my new job. But the other thing I like about your sunglasses critique is the way it reveals the head-in-the-sand social engineering that universities so often attempt. They just can't seem to admit to (or dare I say, ADDRESS) the basic problems of academic life before they start. So, because of your searing critique, I won't be mad that you snagged my door# from me!
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Posted by kodachrome to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 04:45:13 PM
[academicsecret] 9/01/2006 04:18:55 PM
Thanks for the references, Fraud. Your story is inspiring :)
Thistle, I see I might have some competition after all. I was going to try to do some more work, given that I have a lot of scary deadlines approaching, but now I'm worried about losing my slacker standing.
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Posted by Dandelion to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 04:18:55 PM
Thistle, I see I might have some competition after all. I was going to try to do some more work, given that I have a lot of scary deadlines approaching, but now I'm worried about losing my slacker standing.
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Posted by Dandelion to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 04:18:55 PM
[academicsecret] 9/01/2006 04:03:12 PM
I tried the "working at home" excuse once and the post-doc I was talking to totally called me on the fact that everyone knows "working at home" is just a euphemism for lounging around in your pajamas.
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Posted by Dandelion to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 04:03:12 PM
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Posted by Dandelion to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 04:03:12 PM
[academicsecret] 9/01/2006 10:48:10 AM
Okay, now I'm wondering if thistle is a colleague of mine...
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Posted by lime to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 10:48:10 AM
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Posted by lime to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 10:48:10 AM
[academicsecret] 9/01/2006 10:25:46 AM
Junior faculty members can use their looks to get out of teaching service courses? No way!
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Posted by Clear to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 10:25:46 AM
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Posted by Clear to academicsecret at 9/01/2006 10:25:46 AM
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