PhDNet Blog - Your Online Graduate Student Community http://phdnet.org/blog Welcome to PhDNet Blog Tue, 01 Mar 2011 02:35:42 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Watch Out For Your Inner Gremlins http://phdnet.org/blog/2011/02/28/watch-out-for-your-inner-gremlins/ http://phdnet.org/blog/2011/02/28/watch-out-for-your-inner-gremlins/#comments Tue, 01 Mar 2011 02:33:48 +0000 Administrator http://phdnet.org/blog/?p=229 Did you ever tell someone about an ambitious goal, and hear them say: “You can’t do that!”? This is a rhetorical question, of course. We have all encountered parents, teachers, and friends who discouraged us from trying out crazy ideas. Sometimes it was for the better. Trying out sky-diving in the third grade is probably not the best idea after all. Other times, a loved one might try to talk you out of a worthwhile cause. A chemist friend of mine, who is a senior scientist in a pharmaceutical company, received little support from his family when he applied for graduate school. When he told his parents he wanted to get a PhD, they shook their heads: “You’ll never make it, son.”

Have you heard about the book “Taming Your Gremlin” by Rick Carson? Gremlins are voices inside your head telling you that you cannot do something. For example, “Who am I kidding in this kick-boxing class?” or “What was I thinking applying to a PhD program?” Negative inner voices might be remnants from well-meaning advice you received as a child, or perhaps they are your own creation. The trouble is that it is much tougher to get rid of your inner critic than real people. You always carry your inner voice with you, and it talks to you all day whether you realize it or not. Carson has a myriad of techniques to deal with gremlins in your head, but for the purpose of this blog, I’ll keep it simple. The first step is to realize that this is just a voice, not reality. “Don’t believe everything you think”, in other words. Second, give it a name, such as “the gremlin” or “the witch”. This way, you distance yourself your inner critic. According to some experts, negative inner voices have evolved to protect us crazy ideas (graduate school, perhaps?). According to Carson, the next step is to play with your options. If you think you’ll never make it through graduate school, it is time to question that critic. “Well, why not?” Is it because you don’t have enough funding? Is project not giving you desired results? Is your supervisor unsupportive? Once you pinpoint the reason that you feel you will not make it, you can actually take action.

Questions, comments, or funny stories about your gremlins? We would love to hear from you! Simply click the orange “Reply” button on this blog. (You just be logged on the see the button).

Wishing you the best,

Wishing you the best,
Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet
Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”
www.phdnet.org
dora@phdnet.org

]]> http://phdnet.org/blog/2011/02/28/watch-out-for-your-inner-gremlins/feed/ 0 Do You Ever Feel Ignored by Your Supervisor? http://phdnet.org/blog/2011/02/06/do-you-ever-feel-ignored-by-your-supervisor/ http://phdnet.org/blog/2011/02/06/do-you-ever-feel-ignored-by-your-supervisor/#comments Mon, 07 Feb 2011 01:16:26 +0000 Administrator http://phdnet.org/blog/?p=223 I recently received a question through http://www.benchfly.com from a graduate student who was desperate because he felt ignored by his PI (PI= principal investigator, another word for advisor). His advisor never spoke to him and acted like he was not there. As a senior student, he was upset because he needed his advisor’s support to graduate, but he felt like his PI gave up on him completely. Although I do not know the situation completely, my guess is that there was a communication gap between this student and his advisor. While many PI’s are too busy to give their students focused attention on a regular basis, they are very interested in seeing their students succeed.

What can you do when you feel like you are not getting enough guidance? One option is to look for guidance elsewhere. More experienced students, post-docs, scientists and professors in your department can probably give you advice on scientific problems. But there comes a point when your advisor’s input becomes crucial. In the early years, you need to discuss the direction of your thesis with your advisor to make sure you are in agreement about your research plan. Later on, when you encounter forks or obstacles in the road, your PI’s advice will come in handy as well. Finally, when you are ready to graduate, your advisor’s support regarding your job search (e.g. letters of recommendation, industry and academic contacts) will be much needed.

Given how busy advisors are, however, it can be very frustrating to wait for him or her to approach you. The reality is that it is up to you to initiate conversations, and if your advisor is very busy, you might need to be quite persistent. The preferred way of communication is, of course, in person. Approach your advisor with your questions, or request a time to meet. If you have a busy advisor, there is a good chance that at the appointed time he will be preoccupied with something else. A young professor recently said to me: ‘I never understood why professors were so busy until I became one too. I am literally triple-booking myself most of the time.”

Be sure that you are thoroughly prepared for your meeting, so even if your PI can only give you 5 minutes it will be productive. As an example, consider the case of a student who put a collaborating professor’s name on a poster. When he approached her to get her approval for the abstract submission, she said:” Sorry, I do not have time to read all your data right now.” Fortunately, the student was prepared and replied: “That’s okay I already summarized the data in the abstract so you just need to read that.” She replied: “Oh, it is just your abstract? Yeah I can look over that right now.”

If you have a micromanaging or overbearing PI, you might feel envious of students who feel ignored. But there is a good chance that at one point your PI will be too busy to hold your hand. When that time comes (if it has not already), be sure to take charge of your thesis. After all, the purpose of graduate school is to teach you to be an independent researcher. When you need your advisor’s support, however, be sure to ask for it assertively, and prepare thoroughly for your meetings.

Wishing you the best,

Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet

Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”

www.phdnet.org

dora@phdnet.org

]]> http://phdnet.org/blog/2011/02/06/do-you-ever-feel-ignored-by-your-supervisor/feed/ 0 Snow Day: Blessing or Curse in Disguise? http://phdnet.org/blog/2011/01/21/snow-day-blessing-or-curse-in-disguise/ http://phdnet.org/blog/2011/01/21/snow-day-blessing-or-curse-in-disguise/#comments Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:48:25 +0000 Administrator http://phdnet.org/blog/?p=220 If you are from the Northeast, you probably have your own repertoire of inside jokes about snow days already, even though it is only January. My favorite, “If it snows anymore, I’ll have to shovel it inside my house, because there is no more room to put it.” (It did snow, another 8 inches – I hope she has a big living room). Another one: “I hope it will be a snow day tomorrow, because it is my birthday.” (It was a snow day, with lots of shoveling involved. Careful what you wish for, perhaps?)
n elementary school, snow days were the best. They were an unexpected break from school, a time for sleeping, TV and playing in the snow. If you are in graduate school or have a job, a snow day can be either a blessing or a big inconvenience. I am using the term “snow day” is a relaxed manner, referring to any event that keeps you at home, but that does incapacitate you. Examples would include minor injuries, your children being ill, school closings, and waiting for the plumber to fix your sink. In a fast-paced world where many deadlines are “yesterday” at best, how do keep your progress up in spite of unforeseen “snow days”?

In graduate school you may or may not have strict deadlines. But you will once you get close to graduation, and you will certainly have them in your job, whether you will work in academia or industry. One of the most important components of continuous productivity is to always be able to use “down-time” effectively. If a class or meeting gets cancelled, are you prepared to use that time wisely, or are you more likely to spend that time on Facebook or surfing the net?

Now that I have a job in industry, I always bring my laptop home. Sometimes it is just symbolic, but it gives me reassurance that a snow storm will not prevent me from falling behind on my deadlines (lately that has been quite useful). But, having a laptop at home does not necessarily translate into measurable progress, if one does not know exactly what they need to do. Another habit I picked up in graduate school (when I literally had 3 weeks between my last committee meeting and my defense) was a running to-do list. I had a small spiral notebook with a long list of small tasks that I could do anytime I had a free 5-10 minutes. Examples included proofreading parts of my thesis, submitting paperwork for graduation, and taking care of personal errands. Whenever I had some free time (like waiting for a slow computer to start up, or when I finished something earlier than expected), I had a list to turn to so I could use my time wisely.

Sitting in the comfort of my home in the midst of this furious snowstorm, I glance at my to-do list. Yes, the January newsletter about strategic goal setting is scheduled to go out at the end of the last week this month, and now would be a good time to write it. (Hint: If you have not signed up for my newsletters yet, visit my website www.phdnet.org).

Of course, work is not the only option on snow days (although it feels like it when deadlines loom by.) What do you do when you get stuck at home? We would love to hear your stories! Simply click on the orange “Reply” button to share ideas (you need to be logged in to see the “Reply” button). We look forward to your ideas.

Wishing you the best,
Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet
Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”
www.phdnet.org
dora@phdnet.org

]]> http://phdnet.org/blog/2011/01/21/snow-day-blessing-or-curse-in-disguise/feed/ 0 New Year’s Resolutions and Solutions http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/12/22/new-year%e2%80%99s-resolutions-and-solutions/ http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/12/22/new-year%e2%80%99s-resolutions-and-solutions/#comments Thu, 23 Dec 2010 02:09:54 +0000 Administrator http://phdnet.org/blog/?p=217 Did you ever make a New Year’s Resolution, thinking that a year would be plenty of time to reach your goal, and then find yourself making the same resolution a year later? The three primary reasons that many resolutions do not become reality are 1) lack of clarity about your goals, 2) lack of a plan of how you will achieve your goals, and 3) not following through with your plan.

As an example, let’s take one of the favorite resolutions for graduate students: “I will graduate next year.” Did you ever meet graduate students who said that year after year? I know I have, and every year I was a little saddened that they were still in school. As a former graduate student, I know how challenging it is to finish your thesis. There were times when I thought I would never finish and, honestly, I did not even know what I needed to do to graduate. I had collected a lot of data, but I could not make a coherent research study out of it.

The turning point of my graduate school experience came one day, when I had an epiphany. All of a sudden, I had an image in my mind with the Table of Contents for my thesis. I did not have data for all the sections, but I now had a vision for what my thesis would be about. Finally, after many years of trying to bring my data together, I had a story to tell. Not all the pieces of the puzzle were there, but I knew what was missing. On this day, I completed the first part of a resolution: setting a clear goal. I knew what I needed to do to finish. (Some minor changes had to be made after discussing it with my advisor, but the basic blueprint was there).

If your goal is to lose weight, to make more money, or to spend more time with your family, how specific are you? How much weight do you want to lose? How much more money do you want to make? How much more time do you want to spend with your family? The more specific you are, the more likely it is that your dreams will become reality.

The second part of turning a dream into reality is to develop a plan. In the case of my thesis, I worked out this part with my supervisor. There was still a large chunk of my thesis missing, and I had to learn new skills to acquire the necessary data. Furthermore, I set milestones and deadlines for many smaller goals.

Finally, it is essential to have the perseverance to follow through. Although I had a plan, obstacles came my way nearly every day. Experiments did not turn out the way we wanted them to, reagents were backordered, machines broke down, and computers crashed (yep, I lost an entire chapter of my thesis and the automatic backup system did not work either– I had to retype it!). Yet, every day (the key here is every day), I made an effort, a small dent in finishing my thesis. Many days you will not feel like working on your goal. But, if you commit to 15 minutes a day, you will find that by the end of the 15 minutes you will be motivated to keep working. This is especially a great technique for overcoming writing blocks.

Need some discipline to follow through? Support groups for thesis writing, weight loss, and exercises are probably the best way to get a little inspiration every week. It is hard to slack off when others check in with you every week or multiple times a week.
Now, think about the goal that you would like to become a reality in 1 year. If you had a clear plan of action, and committed time to this goal every day for a year, where do you think you would be by the end of 2011? What about 2012?

Wishing you the best,
Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet
Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”
www.phdnet.org
dora@phdnet.org

]]> http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/12/22/new-year%e2%80%99s-resolutions-and-solutions/feed/ 0 The Dual-Career Problem in Academia http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/12/12/the-dual-career-problem-in-academia/ http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/12/12/the-dual-career-problem-in-academia/#comments Mon, 13 Dec 2010 03:09:28 +0000 Administrator http://phdnet.org/blog/?p=213 I recently received a question from a postdoc through Benchfly.com, which I think most dual-career couples face at some point in their lives. Lydia (not her real name) had been a postdoc for three years when her husband received a job offer in another city. At that point, Lydia had no first author papers although she was planning on publishing one in the coming year. Lydia was now faced with a difficult choice: cope with a long-distance marriage or leave her post-doc without publishing.

The specific details of Lydia’s situation (how far her husband will be, how frequently they can visit, how long it would take her to finish her paper, and her own career plans) will eventually determine her decision, but this is a situation that almost all dual-career couples face. In academia, where the job market is becoming increasingly competitive, many couples have nearly given up the idea of getting positions in the same university or even city. One female professor, who received an offer from a university of Maryland, was happy that her husband got a faculty position in Virginia. At least they were in neighboring states.

While professionals in industry also face this dilemma, it is more common in academia because there are so few positions. Should couples apply as “unit” to a university, and only accept if both of them will be hired? There are different opinions regarding when one should bring up the job situation of their spouse during the interview process. In general, the consensus is that your first priority should be to demonstrate that you are the most qualified person for the position. Some candidates will discuss the situations of their spouses at the end of the interview or at the next round of interviews. (See references at the end of this blog for real stories.) Since positions are so competitive, many couples who are now in academia also applied to industry positions in the same geographical area.

One pattern I noted in the articles is that if the “trailing spouse” was also hired into the same department, he or she was sometimes treated with less respect. Other professors in the department felt that having spouses could create a conflict of interest and disrupt the academic direction of the department. It sounds like the spouse who was hired second needs to work extra hard to establish him or herself. This is less likely to occur if the spouse is in a different department, or if the applicants are still post-docs or graduate students. One student I spoke with noted that she was accepted to a very well-known graduate school, and they asked whether she had a “significant other issue.” She replied that her boyfriend was already a student in another university (in a different field), and they offered to call the department at their school and inquire whether he could transfer.

Couples who end up in the same university or geographical location usually decide before they even apply to jobs that they want to stay together. They look for jobs together and consider commuting time a major factor in their decisions. Sometimes one of them needs to make a “sacrifice” (I put it in quotes because in the end they do not feel like it was a sacrifice) and take an industrial or other alternative career path. See the articles below for stories about how some couples coped with this situation.

http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/2010/100826/full/nj7310-1144a.html

http://www.phds.org/jobs/the-two-body-problem/

http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/careerprep/jobsearch/dualcareer.html

Wishing you the best,
Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet
Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”
www.phdnet.org
dora@phdnet.org

]]> http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/12/12/the-dual-career-problem-in-academia/feed/ 0 Pumpkins: More than Just Pie Fillers http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/12/05/pumpkins-more-than-just-pie-fillers/ http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/12/05/pumpkins-more-than-just-pie-fillers/#comments Sun, 05 Dec 2010 12:03:23 +0000 Administrator http://phdnet.org/blog/?p=205 Thanksgiving has come and gone (too quickly, it seems), but this feast-filled time of year reminds us of delicious foods that are sadly forgotten about the rest of the year. Pumpkin is a prime example a food that is packed with nutrients, but cooked very rarely. While pumpkin season runs from late Summer to early Spring, pumpkins (primarily in the form of pies) seem to occupy the dinner tables almost exclusively on Thanksgiving (except as candle holders on Halloween).

Yet, this bright orange fruit, which is thought to have been cultivated nearly 10,000 years ago in North America, is more than just a pie ingredient. Filled with loads of vitamins, minerals and fiber, pumpkin is literally a super food (see reference book at the end of the post). The most notable nutrients in pumpkins include alpha and beta carotenes, vitamins C and E, and potassium, which are essential for vision, immune function and cardiovascular health.

So, why don’t we cook pumpkins more often? If you have ever tried to make pumpkin soup from scratch, you probably know that pureeing a pumpkin is no picnic. Although you would soon gain impressive biceps from trying mash its tough flesh, it is certainly tempting to just give up all together and reach for a can of Campbells instead.

The good news is that canned pumpkins, which are inexpensive, easy to eat, and just as nutritious as fresh ones, are available year round.

So, what can you do with a can of pumpkin? Here are just a few ideas:

• Pumpkins soup
• Pumpkin hummus
• Pumpkin curry
• Pumpkin chili
• Pumpkin risotto
• Pumpkin bread (really, really good with raisins)
• Pumpkin spice muffins
• Pumpkin cookies
• Pumpkin pie

(see recipe links at the end)

If you do venture to get your own pumpkin, there are ways to simplify the mashing process, such as microwaving it beforehand. If you do get fresh ones, be sure to save to pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas. Just spray them with olive oil and sprinkle some salt on them for a delicious snack.

I love to write about food for graduate students for a few reasons. First, many studies have found a strong correlation between healthy diets and good mental concentration. While we all know this, it is just too easy to skip the whole cooking process and get pizza instead when we are short on money and time. Having been a graduate student for many years (and never liking cafeteria food very much) I had to come up with creative solutions for quick dinners, and I love to share my ideas.

I also like to write about cooking to support students who have picked up cooking as a hobby during graduate school. Yep, that’s right. Many students have claimed that their cooking skills soared when their studies were not going well. Was cooking a form of escapism from the lab or the library? Perhaps, but it is certainly one of the best hobbies one can pick up, especially if on the long run it will help you to become healthier and more productive (not to mention saving money. )

To get more pumpkin recipe ideas go to: improved significantly

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food/healthy/canned-pumpkin-recipe-ideas

http://allrecipes.com//HowTo/baking-with-fresh-pumpkin/Detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com//HowTo/pumpkin-recipes/Detail.aspx

http://www.suite101.com/content/health-benefits-of-pumpkin-a153140#ixzz16yv8l0YE

SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life [Mass Market Paperback]
Steven G. Pratt (Author), Kathy Matthews (Author)

Wishing you the best,
Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet
Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”
www.phdnet.org
dora@phdnet.org

Now Available in Kindle Edition!

]]> http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/12/05/pumpkins-more-than-just-pie-fillers/feed/ 0 Engaging Your Members Through Social Media http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/11/21/engaging-your-members-through-social-media/ http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/11/21/engaging-your-members-through-social-media/#comments Sun, 21 Nov 2010 17:51:59 +0000 Administrator http://phdnet.org/blog/?p=200 Just last Saturday, I had the honor of speaking at the conference of the National Association of Graduate and Professional Students (NAGPS), about engaging members of graduate students associations(GSA’s) through social media. I covered a variety of tips and suggestions, and it was fantastic to have a discussion within the audience, where students talked about how they incorporated social media into their GSA’s, and what were the most successful strategies. If you are, or will be, in a leadership position for your GSA, here are few suggestions for social media experts:

1) Keep content fresh: “Content is king.” Experts agree that the most important element of success for a social media site (such as Facebook page, discussion board, website) is to maintain fresh and entertaining content, so your members will be motivated to keep coming back to your site.
2) Add versatility to your site through photos, provocative discussions, videos, surveys and polls.
3) Add an RSS feed from a relevant site to your social media site
4) Use Facebook or other social media to learn what your members would like to get out of your organization, rather than pushing your agenda
5) Draw in alumni, faculty and members of similar GSA’s at other universities into your discussions
6) Reach out to other graduate student organizations, exchange links and contribute to each others’ sites. This way, you can borrow interesting content from time to time, rather than having to create your own each time.
7) Provide a resource site for your members with links to graduate student and career-related sites. I have graduate student and job-searching related sites on my page at www.phdnet.org/links.html. Feel free to add these to your resources page.

During the discussion, I had the sense that students were comfortable with writing newsletters, blogs, and surveys, but not with putting up videos. It is true that putting a video on your site sounds intimidating at first, but once you do it a few times, it becomes straightforward. In fact, www.benchfly.com (an online community for life scientists) is based on video blogs about laboratory techniques. Benchfly also maintains a very active Facebook community with entertaining content.

For more interesting tips on successful social media sites, visit the following pages:

http://www.blueglass.com/blog/6-successful-elements-for-social-media-success/
http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/203359
http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/mentoring-graduate-students-through-social-media-or-how-i-made-it-through-the-last-5-years/22731
http://www.socialmediatoday.com/zubinkutar/212318/what-makes-blog-successful

Wishing you the best,
Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet
Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”
www.phdnet.org
dora@phdnet.org

]]> http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/11/21/engaging-your-members-through-social-media/feed/ 0 SMART Job Searching and Goal-Setting http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/11/12/smart-job-searching-and-goal-setting/ http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/11/12/smart-job-searching-and-goal-setting/#comments Sat, 13 Nov 2010 00:06:18 +0000 Administrator http://phdnet.org/blog/?p=195 If you are one of those people who are tired of setting goals, you are in good company. Many of us shudder at the thought of goals, deadlines and New Year’s resolutions because we feel that we are just setting ourselves up for disappointments. Yet, without goals, it is tough to be motivated to finish a thesis, start an exercise plan or get a job.

Goals are not inherently bad. The trouble with many goals is that they are too ambitious or too vague, and people do not even know how to go about to reaching them. Organizations on tight budgets and timelines, particularly in the corporate world, had to find a way to motivate people to reach their professional goals on time. The mnemonic that they came up with was “SMART”, which stands for:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Time-bound

As an example, let us assume that you are on the job market, because you will graduate in six months. In six months, you will no longer receive a stipend, so you will need a job to pay your bills. A statement such as “I really need a job in six months” will put a lot of pressure on you, and might not actually help you figure out how to do it. If you decide to follow the SMART mnemonic, you can ask yourself the following questions:

• What kind of job am I looking for?
• How many jobs do typical candidates apply for?
• What types of positions am I trained for?
• Where do I find resources and support for this job search?
• What is the typical timeline for the job search? What are some shorter milestones that I can set for myself so I can find a job by the time I graduate?

If this sounds like a lot of work, you are right, simply because job searching is time-consuming by nature. (“Finding a job, is a full-time job”) The difference now is that when you begin thinking about these questions, you will actually start formulating a plan and be more motivated to follow through. If you keep up the good work, you might be among the 2% minority who keep their New Year’s Resolutions!

Wishing you the best,
Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet
Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”
www.phdnet.org
dora@phdnet.org

]]> http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/11/12/smart-job-searching-and-goal-setting/feed/ 0 Elements of a Successful Thesis Proposal http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/11/07/elements-of-a-successful-thesis-proposal/ http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/11/07/elements-of-a-successful-thesis-proposal/#comments Mon, 08 Nov 2010 01:34:33 +0000 Administrator http://phdnet.org/blog/?p=193 The first time I went to a thesis defense was before my sophomore year, while I worked in a Chemistry Lab during a summer. Alice (not her real name) defended her thesis after 6 six years in graduate school (average for department), and her defense went so well that no one realized how much hardship she went through just to define her thesis question. In fact, she did not know what direction she would follow until she was at the end of her fifth year. The collection of the data, however, took less than a year.

Why did it take her 5 years to define her thesis? It took a year and a half to pass her courses and exams (average), but she encountered many obstacles when she started working on her thesis. First, it was challenging to find a topic that was novel and realistic for her time-frame. Second, as a young graduate student she was not familiar with many laboratory techniques and she spent a lot of time troubleshooting equipment. Third, even when her experiments went well, the results were not exciting or publishable, so she had to redefine her research.

It seems that with so much uncertainty there is no use in writing a thesis proposal. Quite the contrary, a research proposal will give a framework you can work with as well as backup plans you can turn to when things do not go as planned. Many departments require (or at least suggest) a thesis proposal during your second or third year. Given the uncertain nature of research, how can you write a realistic thesis proposal? After interviewing over 100 PhD’s, I collected the four most important elements:

Choose a research area that you are passionate about. Regardless your field, you will have good days and bad days. On good days you will be enthusiastic and motivated to work. On bad days, you might question whether your research makes any sense, and you might even doubt your ability to graduate. If you pick a meaningful topic, the daily setbacks in your research will not bring you down. You will still be working in an important field, and you will be learning the skills and expertise necessary for your career.

Pick a topic that can be completed with the available resources in a reasonable amount of time.
Some students make the mistake of being too ambitious in their thesis plans. A good rule of thumb is to expect things to take three times longer than they would if everything went smoothly. Talk to your advisor about choosing a topic that is novel, realistic for your time frame, and can be completed given your resources (e.g. equipment, expertise and money).

Look for projects that incorporate marketable skills
Graduate school can seem (and feel) like eternity, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. What will you do after you graduate? It is a good idea to look at job postings in your field to find out what employers are looking for, and then design a thesis that will prepare you for those types of jobs.

Have several backup plans in your thesis proposal in case you reach a dead end.
A former graduate student who finished his thesis in 4 years (when the average for his department was 5-6 years) attributed his success to a long list of backup plans. “I had at least three backup plans for every experiment. There were times when I had to resort to my third backup plan before things I got anything useful.”

Planning is crucial to success in graduate school, and the sooner you start visualizing the progression of your thesis and publications, the sooner you can get your thesis and career on track.
Wishing you the best,
Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet
Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”
Find more information about us on www.phdnet.org
dora@phdnet.org

]]> http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/11/07/elements-of-a-successful-thesis-proposal/feed/ 1 Cover Letters That Get the Call http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/10/31/cover-letters-that-get-the-call/ http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/10/31/cover-letters-that-get-the-call/#comments Sun, 31 Oct 2010 11:14:37 +0000 Administrator http://phdnet.org/blog/?p=185 Cover letters are one of the least favorite parts of the job searching process for most applicants. Cookie-cut cover letters will not get a second glance, and writing a specific letter for each position is time-consuming. Yet, cover letters give you the opportunity to set yourself apart from other candidates. A well-written cover letter will demonstrate to your future employers that you are willing to go the extra mile to research how your background fits their needs. Once you get some practice, writing cover letters will become second nature.

Some cover letter templates will suggest that you tell potential employers how you found out about the position and why you are interested. The truth is, employers do not care much about this. Employers are looking for the person who will solve their problems. The purpose of a cover letter is to convince your employers that you have the ability to meet their needs, and you are willing to go the extra mile to do so.

Let’s begin with the salutation. Which letter would you be more inclined to read if you were hiring manager: One that begins with “Dear Sir or Madam” or “Dear Dr. (Your Last Name)? An applicant who puts your name on top has demonstrated that they have done the research to find out who the hiring manager was. This is not always possible, particularly in the case of Internet job ads, but as an applicant it is a good idea to find out who would be hiring you and what their background is.

Second, you need an eye-catching introductory paragraph. Good ways to start your letter include referrals (e.g. “I got your contact information from XYZ, who suggested that I contact you because…”), or references (e.g. “I read your article about…” or “I saw your presentation about…”, or “I know your organization is looking to grow in the field of …, and with my experience in X I can make significant contribution to your university/company.”)

Next, you need to research the organization and find out more about their areas of growth and how you would fit in. Thus, the bulk of the cover letter should consist of “Here is what I can do for you.” For example, “I know you are looking for someone with mass spectrometry experience, and I have X years working with this technology. Specifically, I optimized the protocols for …., and I was able to decrease the analysis time by half. I also published several peer-reviewed papers in…” Of course you need to insert your own experience, but you need to give very specific examples that will catch the hiring-manager’s eyes. This section should be at least two paragraphs, with examples from your research experience, and leadership/teaching roles.

Finally, give them a way to get in touch with you, such as email and phone number. If they do not call you back, follow-up with an email, or even a phone call. This way

Wishing you the best,
Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet
Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”
www.phdnet.org
dora@phdnet.org

]]> http://phdnet.org/blog/2010/10/31/cover-letters-that-get-the-call/feed/ 0