That's what mine is like. (I'm on first year PhD). They give you the facilities, equipment, participants and budget and let you choose your own path for how to spend your time. After all, once you're at PhD level, it would be a bit insulting to be told what to study or given assignments. I know I have three (now about 2.5 really) years to produce a 70,000 word thesis. It's up to me what to do when.
In my experience as a doctoral student and now having grad students of my own, I think a collaboration model works best. As a grad student, you get the benefit of professors' greater experience, both in a substantive way (how to do your work) and a more superficial way (being "seen" with them). I've seen a number of grad student flounder and end up nowhere because they just kind of did their own thing. It's also a great benefit to the professors, because they get people to work with who want to suck up to them.
I've seen a number of grad student flounder and end up nowhere because they just kind of did their own thing. It's also a great benefit to the professors, because they get people to work with who want to suck up to them.
Why would you want to have a grad student "suck up" to you? You must be a professor of literature or... maybe doing string theory "physics".
You want grad students to do their own thing, to become your "colleagues" as soon as possible and to be able to challenge you in the subject matter. That's when your can do some great science!
Why would you want to have a grad student "suck up" to you? You must be a professor of literature or... maybe doing string theory "physics".
You want grad students to do their own thing, to become your "colleagues" as soon as possible and to be able to challenge you in the subject matter. That's when your can do some great science!
I've seen a number of grad student flounder and end up nowhere because they just kind of did their own thing. It's also a great benefit to the professors, because they get people to work with who want to suck up to them.
When I passed my exams and became ABD, my dissertation director pulled me aside and said something like "This is the part that 60% of PhD students in our discipline don't finish." I always assumed that she said that because of the isolation of working on the diss.
Lot's of time to hone yourself... have great parties... work a lot and party a lot!
A word of advice... don't go for the school. Go for a professor and a research group you want to work with. That's all that matters as far as your work in grad school is concerned because most of the time you'll working with a tight group of people.
Are you interested in theoretical or experimental particle physics?
String theory or quantum field theory?
I will either do neutrino physics or dark matter searches. I will probably be part of an experimental group but I also like theory.
So how did you guys actually write those 300 page dissertations-- besides one page at a time... Just sit down and say "im going to write 15 pages today?"
When I passed my exams and became ABD, my dissertation director pulled me aside and said something like "This is the part that 60% of PhD students in our discipline don't finish." I always assumed that she said that because of the isolation of working on the diss.
I had a good experience with the dissertation, partially because my advisors didn't see it as some big test or learning experience and instead just saw it as an opportunity for a publication for me, and partially because the data actually weren't that bad unlike most of the other stuff I did in grad school. Most of our people who didn't make it dropped out before qualifying exams. Actually I can't think of anyone who didn't finish after passing exams in my field.
I had a good experience with the dissertation, partially because my advisors didn't see it as some big test or learning experience and instead just saw it as an opportunity for a publication for me, and partially because the data actually weren't that bad unlike most of the other stuff I did in grad school. Most of our people who didn't make it dropped out before qualifying exams. Actually I can't think of anyone who didn't finish after passing exams in my field.
Man. We had several in my class. Of course, our research methods class washed out about 10 people. Then about 10 more dropped over the course of study. But I know several people (various schools) who got to the diss and just couldn't finish. They either didn't work well in an unstructured environment (i.e. no syllabus telling them what to do) or they got jobs and just never finished.
Comments
ph.d:
Midwinter
BRussell
Kickaha
pfflam (of course!)
ph.d. cand.
Amorya
hardeeharhar
segovius (if he ever decides to finish it)
Soulcrusher (starting in the fall)
j.d.
OBJRA10 (LL.M too?)
ShawnJ (to be)
Guybrush (starting in the fall)
Aquatic (starting in the fall?)
masters
Towel
+justin maybe? and probably others.
That's what mine is like. (I'm on first year PhD). They give you the facilities, equipment, participants and budget and let you choose your own path for how to spend your time. After all, once you're at PhD level, it would be a bit insulting to be told what to study or given assignments. I know I have three (now about 2.5 really) years to produce a 70,000 word thesis. It's up to me what to do when.
In my experience as a doctoral student and now having grad students of my own, I think a collaboration model works best. As a grad student, you get the benefit of professors' greater experience, both in a substantive way (how to do your work) and a more superficial way (being "seen" with them). I've seen a number of grad student flounder and end up nowhere because they just kind of did their own thing. It's also a great benefit to the professors, because they get people to work with who want to suck up to them.
I've seen a number of grad student flounder and end up nowhere because they just kind of did their own thing. It's also a great benefit to the professors, because they get people to work with who want to suck up to them.
Why would you want to have a grad student "suck up" to you? You must be a professor of literature or... maybe doing string theory "physics".
You want grad students to do their own thing, to become your "colleagues" as soon as possible and to be able to challenge you in the subject matter. That's when your can do some great science!
Why would you want to have a grad student "suck up" to you? You must be a professor of literature or... maybe doing string theory "physics".
You want grad students to do their own thing, to become your "colleagues" as soon as possible and to be able to challenge you in the subject matter. That's when your can do some great science!
I've seen a number of grad student flounder and end up nowhere because they just kind of did their own thing. It's also a great benefit to the professors, because they get people to work with who want to suck up to them.
When I passed my exams and became ABD, my dissertation director pulled me aside and said something like "This is the part that 60% of PhD students in our discipline don't finish." I always assumed that she said that because of the isolation of working on the diss.
Congrats.
Graduate school is a great experience.
Lot's of time to hone yourself... have great parties... work a lot and party a lot!
A word of advice... don't go for the school. Go for a professor and a research group you want to work with. That's all that matters as far as your work in grad school is concerned because most of the time you'll working with a tight group of people.
Are you interested in theoretical or experimental particle physics?
String theory or quantum field theory?
I will either do neutrino physics or dark matter searches. I will probably be part of an experimental group but I also like theory.
I will either do neutrino physics or dark matter searches. I will probably be part of an experimental group but I also like theory.
I just hope you don't find out that it's all a snipe hunt trick played on all of physics by Zwicky.
When I passed my exams and became ABD, my dissertation director pulled me aside and said something like "This is the part that 60% of PhD students in our discipline don't finish." I always assumed that she said that because of the isolation of working on the diss.
I had a good experience with the dissertation, partially because my advisors didn't see it as some big test or learning experience and instead just saw it as an opportunity for a publication for me, and partially because the data actually weren't that bad unlike most of the other stuff I did in grad school.
I had a good experience with the dissertation, partially because my advisors didn't see it as some big test or learning experience and instead just saw it as an opportunity for a publication for me, and partially because the data actually weren't that bad unlike most of the other stuff I did in grad school.
Man. We had several in my class. Of course, our research methods class washed out about 10 people. Then about 10 more dropped over the course of study. But I know several people (various schools) who got to the diss and just couldn't finish. They either didn't work well in an unstructured environment (i.e. no syllabus telling them what to do) or they got jobs and just never finished.
Are you guys iced-in in Philly too?
I got into MIT.
That's great. Congrats.
Have you picked any profs at the schools you got into whose research interests you?
The group that attracts me the most right now is:
http://hepwww.physics.yale.edu/nup/
But there are many others I've been looking into.
I got into MIT.
For English?
i do not get it.
MIT for graduate school in English. Totally reasonable assumption to make!
I got into Princeton and U. of Illinois.
I am happy.