tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9818962.post8089542354168936503..comments2024-03-20T13:10:11.477+05:30Comments on nanopolitan: Towards a jerk-free world ...Abihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06790560045313883673noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9818962.post-78345633287798024262008-04-05T11:32:00.000+05:302008-04-05T11:32:00.000+05:30I think grad students can change their labs when t...I think grad students can change their labs when they want, but a person working at a job cant. Also, its unfair that we have to move to doing something else just because our boss is a jerk.Ashwathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09119313850255488157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9818962.post-59553260433730297322007-04-05T00:17:00.000+05:302007-04-05T00:17:00.000+05:30A very good post, Abi. I hope it reaches out to th...A very good post, Abi. I hope it reaches out to the grad students that need it the most. I also have my $0.02 to add- while gossip mills are a source of information, one must be wary about getting very lopsided or prejudiced information from a single source as against a balanced opinion of more than one person.<BR/>Truth be told, there are few perfect student-advisor relationships. But grad students, (Especially international ones) stick to crappy situations thinking they have no way out, which is not true. It takes courage, but there are always other advisors, and one must be really clear- if you begin to see problems you don't think you can deal with, leave right then and seek a better life.The_Girl_From_Ipanemahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14235396580576749154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9818962.post-77857082962866800002007-04-04T22:06:00.000+05:302007-04-04T22:06:00.000+05:30Abi: This is really good advice. One that might se...Abi: This is really good advice. One that might seem obvious to some, but is very important to consider. Thanks for the post.<BR/><BR/>That said, I just have a corollary to what "Anonymous" said. A good teacher and a good researcher are not always the same thing. While a person may be an excellent teacher, they are not always a good researcher and vice versa. This is something you might also want to consider.<BR/><BR/>From personal experience, my adviser is an excellent researcher, but (on his own admission - and mine) a horrible teacher. However, he's a great person to work with in many ways. On the flip-side though, one has to be fairly independent to be able to work with him and that is something not everyone is comfortable with.The Intellectual Masturbaterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13567318985872196536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9818962.post-53708360500262737582007-04-04T16:53:00.000+05:302007-04-04T16:53:00.000+05:30Having seen the horrors myself, I can't possibly e...Having seen the horrors myself, I can't possibly emphasize more on the seriousness of the advice you've posted.<BR/><BR/>Thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9818962.post-12546109685984135422007-04-04T10:26:00.000+05:302007-04-04T10:26:00.000+05:30i have been through this process and actually wast...i have been through this process and actually wasted one year of mine with a person who had no idea what was going on in the research.<BR/><BR/>a piece of advice from me :<BR/>take classes of professors you are considering as your advisers. how good a researcher a person is generally gets reflected in the class. pointer: if a prof can make you understand seemingly obscure ideas with ease, he/she has clarity of thought. chances are, you will get better work done with him.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9818962.post-80131831648214086862007-04-04T09:42:00.000+05:302007-04-04T09:42:00.000+05:30one thing that helps students coming in for a phd ...one thing that helps students coming in for a phd in the sciences (definitely in the greater biological sciences, and usually in chemistry and sometimes physics as well) in the US are "rotations".<BR/><BR/>Students are typically expected to do 3 rotations in three different labs (of their choice)(over the course of 6 months or a year), where they get a feel for the labs and the PI in particular. So, after that, when you choose a lab, you pretty much know what to expect. *Most* of the sensible ones go to a PI that they get along well with. Also, they get more time to know people in the department and hear stuff from "the grapevine".<BR/><BR/>I'm surprised that most engineering departments STILL haven't introduced rotations for grad students.Sunilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07776658071546232685noreply@blogger.com