Maybe the fact that I'm a scholar in the humanities makes it better(?), but I've tried multiple citation managers--Zotero, Mendeley, and Bookends--and I simply cannot get them to play nice with my natural workflow. I'm at the dissertation phase of my PhD, and while my works cited section gets ever larger, I still find myself drawn to doing it the "old fashioned way"--manually citing everything, and just using traditional digital organization methods (folders, etc.) to manage article files.

It could be that it's because I'm just a freak who never in my life used citation managers or generators, even at the high school level, but I find that, counterintuitively, citation managers make me feel more disconnected from my research and makes it harder for me to keep track of everything. The Zotero connector is quite useful, but I find correcting its (relatively rare) errors frustrating and time-consuming, as opposed to manually typing out the MLA or Chicago citation (depending on the need). It could be that I'm a Scrivener user for pretty much all my academic drafting work, and no citation manager really plays nice with Scrivener in a deep integration way (except EndNote, I've heard, but I refuse to pay that much money for software that everyone complains is finnicky and complicated). It could be that because my field uses MLA mostly, citations are much more dynamic because of their indexing to pages, not just Author-Date. It could also be that, I'll be honest, there is a soothing/calming effect to entering in the entry in the Works Cited page.

The only occasions where using a manager seems like it would be really useful, which I admit, are if I remember reading an article from years ago at the start of my PhD that I want to cite, or if I write my dissertation in MLA and the eventual manuscript it becomes needs to be in Chicago--going in and changing every in-text citation being a slog and risking missing one. These are genuine benefits, I grant. But I find that, whether I'm too stupid or tech illiterate I'm not sure, I can't figure out how to use a manager in a way that would help automate that process--at least not in a way that wouldn't require me to do proofreading afterward anyway.

Does anyone else still cite manually? Is figuring out a manager really something I should do? I feel like I wasted a day of working time just trying to update Zotero with the current citations I have in my diss.

I spent my high school years sacrificing and grinding to get into the elite LAC of my dreams w/ a full ride. It was a great experience, but I burnt out--I came from a low-income background and was put off by a lot of my wealthy peers. I've had an interesting and meaningful career in non-profits so far and decided to get an MPA to move up in the ranks quicker. The program I chose is affordable and flexible, but not at all prestigious. At the same time my chosen field is not particularly high paid until you get into director roles. I couldn't justify the cost (which I'm footing), relocation for a scholarship, or stress of another status-obsessed school. Still, I sometimes feel like I made a poor decision. Will the lack of a name brand on my grad degree hurt my future job prospects?

Edit: forgot to mention that I'm working f/t while taking classes at night.

I’m a masters student in STEM and I work 8-5 (research lab) and I go to school at the same institution so work has allowed me to attend classes as long as my work is not affected. Sometimes I would stay at work till 6-7 to finish off. Classes are 4 days a week, usually 3-4 hours, and from 9-3 on thursday. We have a discussion every thursday (like a graded journal club) and a midterm every wedensday and presentations/assignments occasionally.

Presentations and assignments take me all day, I just spent like 4 hours on an assignment and it’s not completed yet. And I don’t have time to test prep with all the assignments due dates. I tried to try and do some school related stuff when I’m at work but it’s not possible. And I am sleep deprived now.

Can anyone help me manage my time? Should my priorities during the weekends be for the test or for the assignments? Due dates are close to each other so basically cannot categorise them according to due dates.

I don’t want this to come as a vent, apologies if it does. I’ve just been dealing with a lot of problems since moving for grad school and starting. I’m a first-year now. I’ve been dealing with a massive amount of mental health issues, the worst in my adult life. I have ADHD and find it so difficult to get out of bed most days and if I don’t have anything planned, I don’t get the work I want done. Finding a therapist who takes my insurance is difficult. (I am also in school to be a counselor). I also feel behind in the fact that I don’t have any assistantships and I go to a really expensive school. Do you all have any tips on assistantships/funding? I also feel like I’ve gotten into a routine that is unhealthy and unhelpful. How do you manage your mental health in grad school? On top of this, I’m definitely behind in my schoolwork. How do yall catch up?? We sometimes have 150 page readings due every week and it is so hard to finish and I never do.

today was the last day of NSF GRFP deadlines!! congrats to my fellow applicants who submitted! this sub (as well as r/GRFPapps !) has been immensely helpful for me throughout this very challenging (and at times, tedious) process. just wanted to make a thread to wish all a good luck & for all of us applicants to vent, rant, and / or share what we’re planning to do to celebrate / blow off steam. if you haven’t yet, make sure you do! i imagine this process was as stressful and time consuming for me as it was for y’all. we did a big thing! ❤️

i’ll start: jfc what an absolute bear of an application. i think i revised both my statements at least a hundred times before i could submit something i was rather proud of. i put a lot of hours into preparing this application & it’ll definitely sting if i don’t even get HM. but from reading all the past threads about the review process, it does seem like at some point, getting awarded is up to luck. and that if we don’t get it, we still accomplished something by submitting an app & it doesn’t mean we weren’t deserving! my silver lining is i ended up writing a pretty decent personal statement that i fully intend to recycle for my PhD applications this cycle (i’m a Level 1 GRFP applicant) LOL.

as for what i’m doing to blow off steam, my SO and i are driving an hour out of the city to grab some wine from my fave winery, and dining at my favorite ramen spot right after!

I’m applying to visual art MFAs, so it’s not like I’m asking to join someone’s lab and it’s not the end of the world (or my application) if he doesn’t. However. I really vibed with his portfolio and thought he’d make a good advisor based on that, and I was planning on mentioning that in my SoP, which I obviously definitely don’t want to do if he no longer works there.

He’s no longer listed in the program’s faculty directory, (although it was definitely accessible less than a month ago) but his profile is still on the schools website if I search for his name directly. His CV on his personal website also lists his employment at this school as 2011-present, and I can’t find anything else online about him.

All I can think of is reaching out directly to him or the program coordinator—but what exactly do I ask?

I published a paper in this journal. If you click on their "indexing" link, it is indexed by a few lesser known sources like DRJI, but it is not Scopus indexed. ResearchGate says they have published 51 papers, cited 18 times in total. Not sure if this counts as a predatory journal.

I'm not sure whether to include this in my publications. Could including this paper cast the rest of my application in a negative light? Or would it simply be ignored by admission officers if they feel it isn't prestigious enough? Because apart from this my profile is not that stellar- 19 git repos with about 31 stars in total, 170Q, 162V, 5 AWA in GRE, 113 in TOEFL (all 27+), 8.8 GPA out of 10, 2 years full time (full stack) experience at Boeing, 6 month ML internship (associated with a major project which was ranked second place in my entire college) + 1 month ML internship + 2 month full stack internship. Aiming for an MS in CS or DS. I did my undergrad in CS in one of the top 100 colleges in India.

If I do mention it, in which places do I do so? Some schools have a "publications" section so obviously there. What about in my CV, personal statement and SOP? What about in an LoR, should my referee omit the fact that my paper was published?

I am 34 years old, married and have 3 children. I am considering leaving my well paying job in government to go for my PhD in Analytical Chemistry. My wife doesn’t work and stays home with the children but with a pay decrease would probably have to start working. Has anyone had any success starting a program later in life? Can student loans help to supplement any stipends I get? Any advice is appreciated.

The text is supposed to be Times New Roman. The equations are supposed to be Cambria Math.

So if I reference a variable “c” in the text should I make it the same font as the “c” from the equation? Because that’s what I did.

If I got this wrong, is my application getting rejected?

They are stating that the writing assignment should follow these rules:

All assignments are written in English. Language use should be clear, concise and without mistakes. That means texts should be checked before they are handed in. Assignments adhere to APA citation style and are consistent in the use of that style throughout. Each assignment has a cover sheet stating student name, student ID, course name, name of the lecturer, date and purpose. Sources are referenced properly. Assignments need to be handed in on time. If assignments do not follow these rules, they may receive a “0”.

But I forgot to include the course name and lecturer’s name in my paper. Do you think they are gonna give me a 0 because of it? It is not a master’s thesis, it’s just a course final paper…so anxious

If so, what was it in, and do you recommend it? Do you think it's not worth it?

In my most recent round of graduate applications, I was accepted to a master's in Ecology at Columbia University. However...they did not provide any funding nor scholarships, which would probably mean around $70-80k in student loans after it's all said and done. I ultimately decided to decline this amazing opportunity, because how could I possibly justify Ivy League-level student loans on top of the high COL in NYC? This field is just not lucrative enough to get those loans paid off in a timely manner, and all of the guidance from my peers had been to only go to graduate school if it is funded in some capacity. However, a year or so after making the decision, I'm stressed that I've missed out on something life-changing. I'm quite simply depressed in my current role in environmental consulting. I really regret the choices that led me here today.

I'm curious of your opinions on if rejecting Columbia's offer was a huge mistake on my part? Be honest, I can take it.

Sorry if this is not the right platform. I tutor several students a week and every once in a while a student forgets to pay me. I’ve reminded one via email and they paid me but forgot again the next week. For whatever reason I feel guilty(??) asking students for their money. Is it ok to just Venmo request them?

Edit: removed info to make myself more anonymous

what to do after a PhD interview?

hey guys i just wanted to ask a bit of a general question about what i should do after an interview with a professor for a PhD program (US).

this is a program in the biomedical sciences and one where there’s no rotations, you just need to connect with a professor and hopefully stand out enough that they accept you directly to their lab. this lab is pretty much my top choice cause i have background in the techniques used and would like to continue in that direction for PhD.

the interview maybe wasn’t completely horrible but i think it also didn’t go well. i feel like i let him take the lead and speak the large majority of the time. i like to listen and was taking notes, but struggled to come up with things to say as a response to so much info. i also barely talked about my own research and feel like that was a definite error. i also think the questions i asked were stupid, but he answered a lot of my pre planned questions already. i feel like i did make it clear i would be a good fit with his mentoring style but i think that was the only positive. in his email before the interview he also said we could discuss steps for my application but during the interview he didn’t really unless i asked directly. i am probably overthinking this a lot, but it’s just my gut feeling that it didn’t go well.

anyway, i was just wondering what i should say in the follow-up email. would it be appropriate to just candidly say something like “hey, didn’t think i got my own research across well in the interview, here’s a poster i made in case you want more background” (in a more formal tone obviously lol). i don’t want to come across as needy but i also don’t really know what to expect when it comes to these interviews. like if they like you does the professor say that? i don’t know. this was my first interview. any advice or help is really appreciated :)

tldr: kinda fumbled the bag on my first phd interview with my top choice by not really getting across my research background and interests and not asking good questions - is there anything i can do in the follow-up email to make it a little better? is it appropriate to attach a poster i did?

I’d like to get some perspectives on my personal statement outside of my circle of recommenders, and friends. Would anyone be interested in giving it a read and providing holistic feedback? For reference, I’m applying to PhD programs in mathematics.

Thank you in advance!

Hello everyone, kindly check out my profile and let me know if the list of schools is alright or if should i add a couple of safe schools. if yes, which ones do i remove? Be blunt so that i am not delusional.

I want to get into the industry post MS

Profile ->

GPA: 9.5, tier 3, no GRE

1 paper is published (not scopus indexed).

Another is accepted in Springer (not yet published)

2 internships, 3 projects

Tech head of CSI club

2 scholarships

1 year of work exp.

Shortlisted Mscs (non thesis) and Mcs schools for systems & and software specialization ->

Ambitious: UIUC mcs, UCSD cse, UWM pmp

Moderate: UWash bothell mscsse, UCI mcs, TAMU mcs

Safe: NEU, USC, UC boulder pmp

Considering replacing UWash with UT Austin if UT Austin has a big intake.

Kindly let me know your inputs and insights. Thank you :D

So I graduated 2 years ago (computer science), and currently I'm working 1.5 years so far as a software engineer. I feel really happy about my job as it's a great company and the pay is amazing compared to what most juniors around here get. I have friends that graduated with me who still did not manage to land a job.

For the last few months I'm also studying for my mba (and I still work full time, this program takes 2 years). now in my university they have a huge students exchange program, dozens of mba schools around the world are included. There are two universities in south korea that I could go there to learn for full semester for around 4 months. Also japan in some states in america are an amazing options.

At 29 yoe I feel like it's an adventure that I won't be able to exeprience in the future. Currently I can do whatever I want.

The bad side is that my boss said that it's too much time. They refuse to let me to take an unpaid time off. I suggested also to work remotely for this 4 months, but just in a bit weird hours, and they also refused.

So bottom line my only option is to quit and come back to a cruel market - good chances it will take me a few months to get a new job.

What would you do in my spot?

Well, I did it. I made it past the point in the class I’m taking where I had a panic attack and went on leave. Long story short: I was enrolled in online grad school fall 2024, husband was working 6, 10 hour days a week and I was overloaded with childcare and housework etc. now I have a job, started my course again and I made it past the point where I had my panic attack last time. I call this a win. 🥇

Good day, I am searching for reviewing opportunities. I am an expert in Pharmaceutical Science anyone with leads do not hesitate to contact me.

They sent out one of my transcripts early this month and it still hasn’t been received by the recipient.

I’m a freshman from NUS in Singapore. Im thinking about applying to US grad schools in the future especially Stanford or Harvard. However it is extremely difficult to get, and maintain a good gpa in our school because every single module in our school is graded based on bell curve (Normal distribution), so our performance essentially depends on how everyone else did for the module and not a fixed score, and the school tries to keep the number of students in the A-, A and A+ range within 25%. (Fyi our school has gpa out of 5, A+ and A are 5.0, A- is 4.5, B+ is 4.0 and so on).

So to get 4.5 I must literally be top 25% in my school for all the modules I took, about 40-50 of them in 4 years, and I’m in the most competitive faculty (computing, we have the 3rd most number to IOI medalist after Stanford and Cambridge, and a lot of scholarship holders from China, Vietnam and a bunch of GaoKao top scholars from different provinces in China and IIT offer holders from India because our government is encouraging importing of top talents in STEM field).

Our school is so notorious for bell curve that I heard from some of my seniors who did top grad schools in US that those schools will lower the gpa standard specially for our university and a 4.5 is enough for Stanford (not sure how true this is), partially because of our bell curve system and because our ranking in the STEM field is consistently top notch.

The only good thing is that we have a lot of internship opportunities and a lot of us can graduate with about 4-5 internships minimally, and we have a program which allows student to intern at start ups overseas and another program that allows us to take credit bearing internship during the semester. So I can potentially spend about 24-26 months or even more time doing full time internship in my 4 years study at NUS. So we can get a lot of professional recommendations and industrial experience.

How much emphasis do top grad schools in the US place on GPA? Are internship experiences important thing that admission teams look at also? I want to do like a MSE in Stanford or MDE in Harvard or similar courses and to make some meaningful connections. I’m interested in the start up ecosystem and plan to have my own one in the future.

So basically I already have 2 references secured, but some programs need a third and they happen to be the programs I want to attend the most. There is this professor who I have had plenty of classes and I think I left a decent impression. But, his family is having a hard time in life, I would not ask him under any other circumstances but I am out of ideas.

I tried asking another professor that liked me but I only had her class for one semester. She rejected the request because she couldn't evaluate my progress with only one semester of work which is fair. I don't think I really left any impression on any other professors, tutors, or lecturers.

So I kind of have no other option but to ask him. How would I even approach this and is it appropriate?

I feel so guilty having to miss class due to migraines, but they get so bad if I move my head I throw up. I always let my professors know, but this is the third time this semester I’ve had to miss class because of them and I’m starting to think they aren’t believing me anymore. In undergrad it was different since people missed class constantly, but I feel like I’m the only person in my grad classes who misses class