Calling all PS thesis-tacklers, researchers, and students!

[choro72]

dockman, Woah, those numbers don''t sound like coincidence to me!! I don''t know what they describe, but I know it sounds like a match! I''ll be itching to hear what your PI has to say...Don''t forget to report!!!

 

[Delster]

Date: 7/23/2008 2:32:59 PM
Author: WishfulThinking
Delster- OH NO! I meant that I was a fool to pay approx $100, app, scores, and all, to apply there when it is such a large reach for me! Not that I would be a fool if I didn''t get it, and neither would anyone else! It is darn near impossible.

I''m so sorry if I inadvertantly offended anyone! It was a poor choice of words. Thanks so much for all of your kind words and support, I really appreciate them.

Oh Wishful, please don''t worry, I wasn''t personally offended! I see now what you meant, but I didn''t get that from your post at first. I thought about it before I posted what I did and in the end I decided to mention it because I was nervous that other posters might be too intimidated to come and post on this thread if it seems like we''re all super douper over achievers with no concept of what it''s like to struggle for even a passing grade. Honest to goodness I''ve been at both of those poles so I''m sensitive to it I guess. I''ve rolled my eyes at high achievers moaning about the fear of failing something that they were well prepared for and realistically had no chance of failing, but I also know for a fact I''m guilty of not always thinking before I speak (or type!) and that I''ve made comments of the same type that I''m sure caused others to wince.

In fact, just last night I got told off by FI for asking some of his friends too many questions. I forget that his friends aren''t used to the kind of ruthless debate my law school friends and I engage in (or, in FI''s words, that "they''re not able for it" - I disagree with him on that). Anyway apparently last night I came off as ''intimidating'' and ''aggressive'' when in fact I was just really curious and interested in the points people were making. In my eyes I was just asking engaging questions and I thought they would robustly defend their points and question me back. Eh, no. Seems it looked like they thought they were on the witness stand. Being interrogated by a rottweiler. Oops!

Anyway, is it $100 just to apply to Berkeley at all? Is that their processing fee? And do all the unis do that? I imagine it must really cut down your options in terms of applications because you can''t just apply to everyone (which is what we do here, and there''s a single processing fee for all the applications)... well for what it''s worth, if Berkeley has the programme of your dreams, apply anyway. You won''t miss that $100 when you''re eighty. And at least you won''t always wonder what might have been...

 

[Delster]

Hi elle - welcome on board! Sounds like you're in for a busy year, I hope we can provide some support and enthusiastic cheering for you!!!

Amber - I'm so glad you got to talk to someone at the company who was able to shed some light on what they expect on those tests. They really do sound horrific! Honestly it doesn't sound like you could possibly have a better preparation plan. I am sure you will kick a$$

Sarah - my head goes round in circles reading all about these LSAT scores and applications data. Yikes. All I had to do for law school was aim for over 500 points in my Leaving Cert, et violá! For my postgrads I just sent off my transcript and a one page explanation of why I wanted to go do that particular degree, and that was it. I had it so easy by comparison. I am in awe of both you and Wishful and all the work you're juggling. I really hope it all comes together. We're all rooting for you here!!!

Dockman - yay for that complicated and (to me) incomprehensible piece of mathematics that looks very impressive!!!! I really hope your supervisor confirms your findings! Woohoo!!!

Wishful - thanks for the advice on supervisor handling, you are absolutely right that I should go in there hyper prepared and blow supervisor out of the water with my wonderful. I know that's what I should be doing. The problem with that is that the last four years have just worn me down and I have nothing wonderful to show. Truth is I no longer believe in myself or in the research. It's been a bleak year.


Advice please?

For now, the plan is to go in with an explanation of why the last year has been so bad in terms of productivity (the ways we've let one another down), and then go over my workplan. I want to get supervisor to do certain things that I need from a supervisor (for example, holding me more accountable to deadlines is one of them), and in return I will listen to what is needed from me and pledge to uphold my end of the bargain more enthusiastically. I also need to get some information on what my chances are of submitting by the end of October (slim to none I think) and what the implications are for fees for the coming year. I haven't received my scholarship in eighteen months so I have literally nothing with which to pay any more fees. We'll need to talk that one out, as the reason I haven't received my scholarship is bound up with supervisor...

Sound like a plan? Anyone have any advice? Supervisor is a prickly kind of individual and I'm really quite anxious about the whole thing...

 

[AmberGretchen]

Del - I think your plan sounds like an excellent one. I''ve had some recent practice with prickly individuals, and the only thing I can think of is to practice not pushing back. And by that I mean, using every ounce of self-control to not get upset, offended, or otherwise flustered by what they say. Keep telling yourself that it is their issue, not yours, and keep gently but persistently re-stating what you need. Gently point out flaws in their logic as necessary.

I know that sounds a bit unclear, but maybe you could get your FI to practice with you. One of the things we did at this recruitment weekend were mock work situations where the people from the company played people from a "pretend" client that we were supposed to be interacting with. As part of that, they were sometimes extremely difficult and even aggressive. We had to figure out how to cope with that without losing our cool and still get what we needed out of the interaction. The practice was very valuable, and I think it might serve you well if you could get FI and/or some of your friends to practice with you in the role of supervisor and help you brainstorm some of the possible things supervisor could say that would make it difficult for you to get what you need, and then you could practice how you''d deal with those.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Del: I think that sounds like a plan to me! Thank you for your kind words and welcoming! I also read the section you posted to Wishful and I have to say I know someone verrrrrry close to me that sounds like their personality is just like yours...*cough*FI*cough*. Haha! When I first started dating him I thought he was like..questioning me all the time. Every time I told him something he''d ask all these questions..and I responded to that by wondering if he didn''t believe me? My parents had the same response (unfortunately), so I finally talked to him about it. He was aghast to learn that we thought he didn''t believe us, he said he just wanted to learn more. As a result, he asked a ton of questions! Sounds like what you said happened to you essentially. So I understand 100%!

And yeah..the fees really are that high. You pay the fee to apply, then the LSAC fee to send scores. Not to mention if you want to join in order to send scores it''s another $100. I think I am looking at over $500 in application fees. BLEGH!

Better start saving now I guess, right?

 

[dockman3]

Choro and Del - Thanks for the comments! Turns out that I just calculated our number in a very convoluted way, but in reality no differently than we had before. I still think its really close and that I''m on to something, so I''m going to continue along this line and see where it leads. But he was still very happy with the progress and told me to push on.

Del-

As for your situation, I think you''ve got a great game plan. Just lay out for your supervisor exactly what you think and what''s going on in your head. Just like in any relationship, honest, open communication is best here and it is a relationship you have with supervisor. The whole money thing is always kind of a sore subject, but if supervisor is the one holding up your money, you need to talk to supervisor and get this straightened out right away.

 

[WishfulThinking]

Date: 7/24/2008 6:31:20 AM
Author: Delster

Date: 7/23/2008 2:32:59 PM

Author: WishfulThinking

Delster- OH NO! I meant that I was a fool to pay approx $100, app, scores, and all, to apply there when it is such a large reach for me! Not that I would be a fool if I didn''t get it, and neither would anyone else! It is darn near impossible.


I''m so sorry if I inadvertantly offended anyone! It was a poor choice of words. Thanks so much for all of your kind words and support, I really appreciate them.

Oh Wishful, please don''t worry, I wasn''t personally offended! I see now what you meant, but I didn''t get that from your post at first. I thought about it before I posted what I did and in the end I decided to mention it because I was nervous that other posters might be too intimidated to come and post on this thread if it seems like we''re all super douper over achievers with no concept of what it''s like to struggle for even a passing grade. Honest to goodness I''ve been at both of those poles so I''m sensitive to it I guess. I''ve rolled my eyes at high achievers moaning about the fear of failing something that they were well prepared for and realistically had no chance of failing, but I also know for a fact I''m guilty of not always thinking before I speak (or type!) and that I''ve made comments of the same type that I''m sure caused others to wince.


In fact, just last night I got told off by FI for asking some of his friends too many questions. I forget that his friends aren''t used to the kind of ruthless debate my law school friends and I engage in (or, in FI''s words, that ''they''re not able for it'' - I disagree with him on that). Anyway apparently last night I came off as ''intimidating'' and ''aggressive'' when in fact I was just really curious and interested in the points people were making. In my eyes I was just asking engaging questions and I thought they would robustly defend their points and question me back. Eh, no. Seems it looked like they thought they were on the witness stand. Being interrogated by a rottweiler. Oops!

Anyway, is it $100 just to apply to Berkeley at all? Is that their processing fee? And do all the unis do that? I imagine it must really cut down your options in terms of applications because you can''t just apply to everyone (which is what we do here, and there''s a single processing fee for all the applications)... well for what it''s worth, if Berkeley has the programme of your dreams, apply anyway. You won''t miss that $100 when you''re eighty. And at least you won''t always wonder what might have been...

Thanks for being so sweet, Delster. I felt awful when I realizedhow my post had come across. I am definitely a super douper over achiever, but I had always noticed throughout my life [and other people have told me this as well, even though I personally thought it wasn''t a very nice thing to say...] that I struggle VERY hard to get the grades I do, and that I am not actually very smart.

I''ll take that one with a grain of salt, because I realize now that I am in fact intelligent, and I have motivation, but not everything I do will ever be perfect, and I need to calm myself the heck down.

I am making some major mental preparations for law school, and I almost feel like I won''t be nearly as hard on myself there, but the mental work hasn''t transferred at all into my final year of undergrad preps yet. I really hope it does because I am starting to feel terrible and stressed, and I need to believe in myself.

I''m sorry about the issue with FI''s friends. I am the same way, always wanting to debate and have what I consider to be exciting and informative rounds of spirited discussion. Unfortunately, even when the people I am having "at it" with seem to be enjoying themselves, people often tell me afterwards that it makes me no fun to hang out with because I am "confrontational" and "intense." FI and I joke that one of the reasons we love each other so much is because we''re the two most "intense" people on the planet and both consider it to be a desirable trait! My mom practically has a seizure every time I open my mouth to ask someone a question about something at a social gathering. She thinks I am inappropriate. You are anything but a Rottweiler, dear, and I would really kill to be able to have one of those spirited discussions with you in person!!

As for the $100, Berkeley has a $75 application fee, which is pretty standard for private law schools, and I have to pay to get my transcripts from 3 schools [total $26] and my LSAT scores sent over, which makes it a little over $100 total. Realistically, and in order to enter the program I want, I would also be applying to their PhD program, which is another $75, but they use the same transcripts and scores. I know in the long run almost $200 will seem like nothing [at least I hope so!], but it feels like a very large dent in the amount of money I have to spend on applying to schools I actually have a shot at getting in to. It is my dream, and I have now set a bar for myself which I think is realistic: if I get above a certain LSAT score that will make it even remotely possible for me to have a [very reaching] shot I will. Motivation!

 

[WishfulThinking]

dockman- I have absolutely NO idea what that means [reference my question about what "percentiles" mean for evidence of lack of math skills

], but it sounds SO promising to me! Convoluted or not, it sounds like you are getting closer, and it's great that your advisor thinks so as well.

Delster- I am so, so, so, so sad to hear you say you don't believe in yourself or your research anymore and feel you have nothing to show. That must be a really horrible feeling, and stressful when you have a less-than-supportive supervisor. Just remember it's not true! It really can't be: you are a hard worker. Maybe make yourself a list of your accomplishments since the beginning of your work to remind yourself? Record anything, even things that seem "small" because they are all valuable. Money is a hard topic, and I can imagine there must be frustration and resentment bound up in your relationship if supervisor has been part of your financial problems.

I think communication sounds like the way to go here. Maybe if you can clear up some of the issues that have been hanging over your relationship with your supervisor AND your life and research, you will both be better off. You need answers from the supervisor, but you are willing to provide answers as well. I hope your supervisor realizes that your approach is a very mature one to take.

Sarah- I feel you on the saving thing. I am applying to I think 6 schools, maybe 5, at somewhere between $50 and $75 a piece, plus another $50-$75 for the masters/phd programs, plus sending 3 sets of transcripts to each, plus my scores and other fees....

I do not have that kind of money. It's something like twice as much as I would pay to just apply to law schools. It is *almost* making me rethink applying outright to the dual degree programs, but then if I apply after first year [which I can do], and don't get accepted, then I will be stuck someplace with no program. I have some tough decisions to make, because financially this isn't going to happen.



As for me... Blech. I feel terrible today. I got the online portion of my LSAT Kaplan course thing working sometime around midnight, and in a moment of panic I went ahead and did the short demo practice test and did very, VERY poorly on it. Not just poorly by my standards, either... it's actually terrible. I was expecting to need a lot of practice, but I wasn't expecting to start out this badly, either. I keep reminding myself that it was after 3am when I finished the darn thing, that I was exhausted and stressed out from other factors, it was late, I was in a crazy hyper mood, and it was a bad time for me to have attempted it. I have a real diagnostic test that I will take the 7th of September, the first day of my class, and will give me a more realistic idea about what my skills are. It doesn't meet at 3am, so maybe that will help.

I cried even though I told myself not to. I promise everyone this isn't even a case of me being hard on myself. It's so bad I am afraid that the Kaplan people will be able to see my score online and think I am hopeless and that my target range is a joke.

I am SURE I am not the worst person they have ever had. I need to remember that. I am there because I need help and practice and they are allegedly good at giving students those things [for a steep fee, of course

].

Somehow this will all work out, and if it doesn't... well, there is no other option. I am going to score in my target range even if I have to kill myself studying for the rest of the summer. As soon as my books get here I am going to get ready to kick some @$$.

Oy.

 

[JSM]

This thread is huge and I can''t keep up!

Date: 7/24/2008 6:31:20 AM
Author: Delster

In fact, just last night I got told off by FI for asking some of his friends too many questions. I forget that his friends aren''t used to the kind of ruthless debate my law school friends and I engage in (or, in FI''s words, that ''they''re not able for it'' - I disagree with him on that). Anyway apparently last night I came off as ''intimidating'' and ''aggressive'' when in fact I was just really curious and interested in the points people were making. In my eyes I was just asking engaging questions and I thought they would robustly defend their points and question me back. Eh, no. Seems it looked like they thought they were on the witness stand. Being interrogated by a rottweiler. Oops!

I just wanted to respond to this. Delster, I hear the same thing from my FILs and my fiance''s friends. That I come off too blunt and aggressive when I talk. I''m not that way at all - I just choose my words carefully and get straight to the point rather than dilly-dally around the bush! Apparently I unintentionally come across very standoff-ish.

Just wanted to say that you''re not alone!

I hope everyone is doing well.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Just wanted to step in really quick and say Wishful don''t feel bad about where you''re starting! I started with like a 148 (can''t believe I am admitting this)..I don''t remember..but I felt pretty dang bad about it. I got like 6 logic games questions right on my first practice test, lol. FI got a 170 first try.

He was a math minor, so the formal logic stuff just flows to him. Needless to say I spent about an hour crying after my first test..especially after seeing his score. Anyway, before the test my scores for practice tests were averaging around 165. So big difference and that only took a little over a month. So don''t worry! You''ve got almost 3x the amount of time I had. Also, a word of caution the LSAC diagnostic test is A LOT HARDER than the actual test on purpose. Don''t take it and think you did horribly, your score is actually probably awesome! Hope this helps some.

 

[WishfulThinking]

Sarah- I am literally crying right now [volatile emotions, much?]... thank you SO MUCH for admitting you had a 148 to start. I haven''t taken the diagnostic test for real, just the little internet short one, but that is the score I got too.** I have a month to study before I take the real diagnostic test, and I appreciate your insight on all of this more than you could ever imagine. Even hearing things that might sound so simple to other people who know stuff about it, like that the diagnostic test is difficult on purpose, is SO helpful to me because right now I am so clueless. Thank you thank you thank you.

I feel so unprepared for taking this exam right now. I was scheduled to graduate after Fall semester in 2009, due to taking leave from school, but sometime last semester I decided to go for it and graduate in May 2009. That was just months ago, and while it was the BEST decision I could have made and I am happy I am doing it, it has been very stressful trying to get myself together to be a senior next year when I wasn''t expecting it. For loan repayment reasons I have to start graduate school in the Fall of 2009, so I have to apply now! AHHHH! That might explain better why I haven''t been gearing up for the LSAT as much as many other people applying in the same round we are have. However, I think I will more than make up for it in my dedication to getting it right and doing my best! I hope!

Again, Sarah, thank you. Really, really, really, thank you. Knowing how much you have improved makes me a lot more confident that it is possible for me to do the same. You have totally put it into perspective for me here.

**I hope my previous comments about it not being a very good score don''t offend you. Compared to people I know who have taken diagnostics and other score estimators it was far lower than what they had, so I automatically started to freak out about it. I need at least high 150s and realistically speaking as close to 170 as possible to have a chance at the schools I want, so not seeing it in that range was sort of panic-inducing to me. I''m sorry if what I said was out of line.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Wishful, no need to thank me! ((Hugs)) Please stop crying, it really is useless in the end. FI and I actually had an argument over it because I was wasting time crying and in my case whining about how it''s so hard and it shouldn''t be. And all I want to do is help people, why does it have to be so hard? All of that time is time I could have used for positive thinking and gearing myself up. I didn''t start doing that until like the week before the test. You CAN do this..and you WILL do this!

The song I decided was my LSAT theme song was "Ali in the Jungle" check it out..I really like it.

I felt like I had a ton of setbacks, so many times I didn''t do well. To give you more info..I practiced every morning during my internship. So in-between answering phones, making copies, etc...I fell asleep on my LSAT books more than once.

I couldn''t stay awake! Not to mention I didn''t feel like I was making any headway. Then one day it just clicked. All of the sudden I was getting the logic games right! It really just takes practice if you don''t do the whole formal logic/math thing. I personally didn''t..so..I needed the practice! Anyway, you have a ton on your plate and you are working really hard. Don''t get discouraged because you are awesome and you have plenty of time to be successful! It will pay off in some way shape or form. The first test is the best because you get to set your record, you don''t have to try to beat it!

And you totally didn''t offend me because I react the same way.

I called myself a lot of mean names when I got the 148...especially after I did some searches on the internet and found all of these people getting 168s..and 170s. I felt so dumb!

But the truth is..the LSAT isn''t about intelligence, it''s about knowing the test and knowing how to analyze it just right. You CAN and WILL learn the test, don''t worry. And I guess I should go ahead and admit my score since I am in a confession mode..

. I got a 160 even. I was pretty upset because I didn''t expect to get any lower than a 165. It was lower than my diagnostics because the reading comprehension section was harder than usual for me for some reason. Kind of a fluke and a mix of bad and good luck I suppose.

But I only missed 2 logic games questions..which considering I started with only 6 correct..I consider that to be a HUGE accomplishment! I don''t think I could match that logic game luck and performance (hence why I don''t want to take it again). So anyway, that''s my score. It''s not what I needed, but it''s good enough for somewhere! Just not really top-20 material unless they are in a good mood or something. And they essentially told me I need to come up at least 7 points for it to make a difference at the top 20. Annnd I was also told that that is a very large jump and atypical, but not impossible. So this is the true source of my hesitation about taking it again. On a side note, Yale took 6 people with that LSAT score! Woohooooo!

One can dream, right?

Anyway, enough of smiley overload. Hope that helps some! I will come back tomorrow and write more. I know I keep saying that, but I really need to take my take-home test when Colbert goes off! Yay for mid-terms!

This is my last chance to bring my GPA up some more, yaaay..that''s not pressure.

 

[WishfulThinking]

*Hugs* I will stop crying now, I promise. It was a huge moment of relief and stress all combined, and I think I have built some sort of bridge and climbed out of the water now.

I agree about helping people. In the back of my mind all I can think about is how I want to do what is essentially the lowest-paid law there is [because, ya know, helping people is so worthless and all that it should be paid less

] and how it doesn''t seem like it''s fair to have to kill myself every step of the way to do that. I guess I should keep in mind I don''t have to go to Berkeley to do that. That doesn''t mean I want it any less, though!

I will look up "Ali in the Jungle" tonight and give it a listen. Maybe I can mooch off your zen.

It sounds like you worked really hard and did everything right to prepare and it really paid off. I am terrible at math, and I really have no formal logic training whatsoever, but I KNOW I am good at learning things, especially if I don''t think of it as math. So I am approaching it as a set of skills and rules I need to know, and therefore something I can learn if I put my mind to it. I am only moderately fast at learning things, but once I get the hang of it I think I will do much better. I do have a lot of time, but I think that time will dwindle once classes start and I have to start writing The Thesis(TM). I can''t wait to finally set my record instead of just having done this mini practice thing. I just want to start to move ahead. I got my prep stuff, though! I haven''t been home to look at it, but I will get to tomorrow night and I am jazzed.

I definitely do feel dumb compared with some people. I just have to remember there are lots of things I am good at. I''m sure it''s the same way for you! We are just not logic games gals. But we do have strengths and are smart in many different ways. I know, personally, that I have a ton of strengths that I don''t get to fully display on the LSAT, and that really disappoints me. Yay for schools who think my soft factors matter. It does make me feel better to think of the LSAT as a test that can be learned rather than a marker of intelligence. I keep feeling as if law schools correlate LSAT with intelligence, so I tend to do the same. I know from experience that it probably will help not one single bit, but a 160 is a really great score, and will get you in to many awesome schools, including some of the ones at the top of your list. It might require a little bit of luck for the tippy top ones, but it''s a reach rather than a dream, if you know what I mean. It definitely must have been a shock to score lower than the expected scores, and even worse when you trip up on something you are usually good at. Take the great logic games score as a sign of some sort that it was meant to be and move on. It takes a lot of effort to be able to walk away from it, but if you decide to that is a perfectly reasonable choice to make.

Thanks again for everything, and good luck tonight on your take-home test. I know how nerve wracking it is to be doing that final GPA thing. My summer classes didn''t even count for it! It felt like such a waste of energy for me to do well, so at least you have that to motivate you!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Good luck with your supervisor meeting Delster - I can''t remember if it was today or not, but I know its coming up and I''m sending you good thoughts!!

I am still trying to study for the evil test, which is coming up in (ack) less than two weeks now

Still not feeling very confident, but at least a little bit more resigned to my fate. But I will be such a happier person when this is over - the stress feels like it is eating up my insides

 

[Elegant]

Wow - lots going on here - it figures, when I can get on the computer there is hardly anything going on in this thread, but when I am in over my head and can''t get on this site, tons happens. Just my luck is all.

My apologies but I did not read the above posts, and I hope all is well with everyone. I remember glancing on this section one day and dockman posted some mathematical post and I was like, what the heck? He is way beyond where I am...I am still working on my problem statement that my chair needs by the end of the day - okay, when I say I am still working on it I mean that I still need to start it

. So after I post I am on it...plus I have been fighting a headache that I was hoping to cure by going to Starbucks to get a new favorite - Venti Iced Macchiato - you need to try it if you are into cold coffee drinks and haven''t tried it before - yummy. But, go figure, it didn''t help my headache, I fell asleep, and I finally decided to take two Advil - two hours later my head feels better...

Now, on to what I was going to post before I started rambling...if you are just beginning to work on a dissertation, I just found this site and it is helping me:
Dissertation paper help

I need to go now and start typing this bad boy up. Have a fulfilled weekend!

 

[WishfulThinking]

Amber- I hope you feel less stressed soon. Perhaps resigned isn''t quite the approach to take, though.

You are doing everything right, studying hard, and really, really want it. If that doesn''t impress them, nothing can! Good luck studying.

Elegant- Good luck finishing up your problem statement! It must be nerve wracking to have to give it to your chair so soon, especially with the headache

, but I know you can do it. Hang in there! I am going to check out the link you posted. I figure even though I''m not working on a dissertation, I need all the help I can get.


I hope everyone else had a productive week, and for those working through the weekend as well [aka: me], good luck! We can do it!!

 

[choro72]

Wishful, I''ve been following your LSAT story, had nothing to contribute, but wanted to say hi before we check out for the weekend. We''re all going to finish this darn thing, we''re going to look back at this in the future, and say "Yeah, I got through that muck! Beat THAT everyone!!" So here''s to a good productive weekend! If not, there is always next week!

Vent for the night. Has anyone seen the Futurama episode where they gather the chronotons from the universe, but it caused time to keep skipping? I wish the bad parts of life will skip like that. Yeah, yeah, we need to embrace the bad parts to appreciate the good parts of life, blah blah blah. I''ll say that once I reach the good part

 

[WishfulThinking]

Hi choro! Sorry to have been clogging up the thread with all of my babbling. I am doing much better today! I have finally decided to buckle down to business and see what I can do rather than worrying about what I can''t do. I can''t *wait* until we''re able to look back on this as stressed but fond memories. That is such a good attitude to have about it, actually.

Your Futurama thing cracked me up, though! I totally understand what you mean about the skipping. I wish sometimes I could skip all of this, but I try to think that it will somehow make me a better person. Or something. Character building?

Good luck with everything!

 

[princesss]

Okay, so I haven''t posted in here because I just finished my undergrad thesis and needed a break, but I had something thesis-related today that only other students would appreciate. (Just for background info, I did my thesis on bachelorette parties in American culture.)

I went into a bookstore today and saw a book on weddings that looked fascinating. I was really excited and decided to buy it, thinking that now I could just sit back and enjoy it.

I got home tonight, opened the book...and realized I''d used it for my thesis! I may keep it and re-read, since I only used a few chapters as reference...but dang. I was so excited, too!



Anyways, I guess my next book purchase should really be GMAT prep books. I really need to ace that thing and it''s going to take a lot of time to figure out. Does anybody have any tips?

 

[Selkie]

Hi guys-PS is so full of smart, research-obsessed people and it''s nice to see a thread where we can all commiserate and support each other. I''m not a student right now nor am I tackling a thesis (though I''m thinking about going for my PhD...sometime in the next decade

) but I am a researcher and I''m FFFFFREAKING out right now because I''m giving my first talk at a conference (and my first real talk since finishing my M.S. thesis 8 years ago) next week. I love the research and data exploration aspects of science, but publication and presentation are the hardest parts for me. I loathe speaking in public, but in order for my boss to pay me to attend this conference, which is HUGE for my field, he strongly suggested I present. I''m looking forward to it in some respects, and I really like the topic and have some exciting data, but it''s been stressing me out for about a month! I also have been procrastinating, and still have to finish my slides and script for the talk by Wednesday. But I got a good chunk done today, and feel like I''m back on track. Just wanted to vent a little!

 

[dockman3]

Selkie-

That''s great that you get to present at a conference! I personally love going to conferences and presenting. I just went to one in May and had a great time and met some great people too. My advice to you is not to get too worried about the talk. Just remember that YOU are the expert on your topic. You know more about it than anyone else in the audience. As long as you know your work inside and out, which it sounds like you do, you have nothing to worry about. Think of the talk as a way to brag about how great your research is. That always helps me relax a little bit before the talk. If you''re a little out of practice of giving talks, then give it to a friend or coworker and see what they have to say. Good luck in your talk!

 

[Elegant]

Selkie - I know that when I have to do a big speech I make sure I know my topic front and back (like dockman3 said). You know your topic...now, just talk to the group of people as if you are having a conversation. I find that I am very calm after I have been speaking for about a minute or so, but when I know my topic well, I feel more at ease. And in you ppt, just make sure you have enough clue words for yourself.

Del - I hope your plan worked out well for you and that your talk with your supervisor came out with good results! Sorry I haven't been on this board for a while...so much going on.

 

[Delster]

Wishful, Sarah, and everyone else taking LSATs, when are these tests? Were they this past weekend, did I miss that they were so soon??? Oh gosh I hope I didn't omit to wish you all the best if they were!

Amber, hope you are doing OK, slow and steady wins the race remember, just keep practising and you'll ace that test

Elegant, how did it go with the problem statement?

choro you made me smile

princesss what was the book? Was it good?

Selkie welcome on board! I find conferences nerve-wracking too and I am trained in public speaking. I actually, in a way, have a degree in it

For me, I find having a 'roadmap' of sorts really helps, but I would avoid writing out an actual script. My reason for that is that people who read straight from a script are harder to listen to and your audience may tune out and then end up asking you questions that are either (a) so basic that you end up frustrated or (b) way off the mark and confusing to both you and everyone else. So what I would do is, make up a number of bullet points that you want to address per slide, and work your way through them, talking naturally about each topic. Put in as many bullet points as you need to remind yourself of the points you want to make (even if it's 50! seriously!), just don't write full sentences

Remember you would not have been accepted to present if your work wasn't top notch. And those people wouldn't be there to listen to you if they weren't interested. Everyone will be excited and wanting to learn more. Take dockman's fantastic advice to heart and view it as an opportunity to show off, and I promise by the end you will be delighted and you will realise you actually enjoyed it

OK so back to me

The meeting with supervisor was decidedly odd. Supervisor, it turns out, has been seriously ill. Like, almost died kind of ill (the fact that I didn't know this shows you how incognito of a supervisor this supervisor actually is). Obviously this is awful and I was shocked and we ended up talking about that, and about my recent health problems, for quite a while. We also talked about my engagement - supervisor clocked the ring straight away, and ogled it in great detail

The thing is, it appears that the recent illness has made supervisor kind of lovey-dovey (do you say that in the States?). Supervisor has banned me from working this week, or next week. I am to 'reflect' on my work to date. Then we will meet again and talk about our present status. Eventually, in about three months' time, we will talk about making a thesis plan. This is an old theme and it frustrates me - supervisor insists I must not look past what I am doing today, and I am not to plan my thesis as apparently no-one knows what a thesis may wind up being and the process is best left to be organic. I see some of the logic in that, given that it's a creative process and all, but it makes me anxious. And supervisor insists I am not to even contemplate submitting before May. I wanted to submit in September, or December at the latest. Not submitting until May puts some serious dinks in other plans I have made, but I can't tell supervisor about those other plans due to a rather complicated private situation I can't divulge here. All of this is born out of an 'I want the best for you and you must be gentle with yourself' kind of motivation on supervisor's part, so it is hard to argue wtih. Supervisor also swears the money situation was sorted out last February. Funding body swears blind it was not. I don't know who to believe.

I can't figure out whether to feel better or worse about everything. I think I was numb all weekend (we had a family wedding and had to put on the happy faces) but today I've just been crying and crying. FI is away today and unreachable. There are a couple of people I'm going to ring tonight to talk it over with and I hope that'll make me feel better. The meeting was very nice and there were a lot of positive outcomes (basically supervisor respected everything I said and agreed that everything I asked for was sensible and that we'd start doing all those things) but I still feel very shaky about it all. Ugh. My peeps, I need some hugs...

On a more positive note, to everyone who took it on themselves to reassure me I'm not a rottweiler, thank you! I know I can be seriously intimidating when I take the humour but I honestly can't remember ever pulling the rottweiler out on a friend or social acquantaince!

I just love to dig deeper into what people are thinking and why they are making certain arguments, and I guess after six years of law school and three years of law PhD I forget that not everyone is used to defending their arguments! Anyway, if I am a rottweiler, I promise I am on an average day no more intimidating than this wee cutie!

 

[bee*]

That definitely sounds like it was a strange meeting. I''m sorry to hear that you''re upset after it. I can understand though that you kind of wanted to know when the end was near, and wanted some guidance towards that end and it''s very irritating, although nice at the same time, that she wants you to take time-out and reflect. Take her advice maybe for this week and get back to it next week. Sorry to hear that there are others issues too.

 

[Elegant]

Delster - Yeah, I agree with bee* - that meeting did sound very strange. It reminds me of a meeting I once had with a counselor at the university I attended. I told them I wanted to take as many units as I could to get my Master''s degree completed in one year - they on the other hand had a different idea - for me to fully appreciate and comprehend the program, they wanted me to complete it in 2 years - NO THANKS!!! That''s an extra year of tuition they would have gotten from me too. You know what is best for yourself. Set your own time line and get things done...I know sometimes people think they know what is better for you, but they might not know about other obligations you have and may not understand or care your reasoning behind things. You know, take matters into your own hands and be firm. Surprise her with some completed work...I agree somewhat with her in that you never know what your thesis will eventually turn out to be because my chair said the same thing to me, but you have to start somewhere and it will eventually be about a very focused part of the general topic you want anyways. I wanted to submit in September or December too, and I had that opportunity too, and my chair felt it wasn''t going to happen because the time frame with setting approval meetings with everyone on the committee, presenting findings, IRB approval for research takes forever, etc. And with me moving and my priority changed to FIND A JOB, my finish date was screwed.

Delster - How can we help you? Can we be your supervisor? You can throw some ideas/topics our way and maybe we can help you prove her wrong!!!

Me - I am excited because I am actually excited about working on my dissertation finally! When my chair set a deadline FOR me (7/25/0 for the Statement of the Problem, Purpose of the Study, and Research Questions sections, I busted my rear to get it done by Friday. Well, I emailed her my Ch.1 section drafts Friday night at about 7:30pm - and she actually emailed me back Sunday afternoon and had feedback for me for each of the sections - she even explained to me what the Introduction and Background section should have and the Significance of the Study should be about - so now all I have to do is revise and expand. I think starting with the lit review section really weighed me down - I HATE lit reviews with a passion. So, here I am with revisions to make and I feel really good - FINALLY!

So - this week''s goal - finish revisions, work on part of my lit review, and work on some other sections of my Ch. 1!!!

I hope all is well with everyone else - I need to address some other people''s posts in this thread right now...

 

[Elegant]

Date: 7/10/2008 8:16:00 PM
Author: kcoursolle
I''m probably going to put together my dissertation proposal soon after these papers are in review and hopefully pass my orals by mid-year. Any tips on getting the proposal ready?



Good luck with your papers!!

kcoursolle - Hey there! Did someone already address this for you? How far are you into the proposal? This is an outline of mine (I am in an Organizational Leadership doctoral program):

Ch. 1 Introduction
Background
Statement of the problem
Purpose of the study
Research questions
Definition of terms
Importance of the study
Limitations and assumptions

Ch. 2 Review of Literature (YUCK!!!!!

)
Introduction
Review of literature
Summary

Ch. 3 Methods
Restatement of the research questions
Research design
Population, sample and analysis unit
Human subjects
Characteristics studied
Data collection procedures
Instrument
Analytical techniques

References

 

[Elegant]

Date: 7/18/2008 3:34:53 PM
Author: choro72

Date: 7/18/2008 2:01:45 AM

Author: Elegant

You know what used to help me? I used to get a timer (I am a teacher so I bought this cute little chicken timer that sqwuaked whe the time was up)and set it for an hour and sit and do work for an hour. It worked! Where the heck is my freaking timer? Have you ever tried that?

Oh gosh, I have, but not since I was in grade school! Thanks, I should start on that again.

Have you tried it? I just got my timer back...little ol'' chicken timer...so I will try that this week as well!

 

[Elegant]

Date: 7/20/2008 11:05:00 PM
Author: WishfulThinking
Elegant- Another congrats from me about getting ''life stuff'' done. As weird as it seems, you''ve motivated me to do some of my own life stuff that I have been procrastinating on... along with everything else I have been supposed to be doing. I have to register for an LSAT prep course so I don''t flunk out the logic games section

, call the state park about reservations for a day-pass to have the wedding

, schedule an eye doctor appointment, etc. Ugh. Sorry, you probably didn''t want a list and accompanying emotes, but maybe I just organized myself sufficiently? I should try the timer thing, it sounds like it might be helpful.

Elegant: Congrats on getting all the life-stuff taken care of. That is a great accomplishment in itself! I always take "life days" or "life couple-days" here and there, because academics do have to be humans, too! And, working out is so hard for me in the summer (I hate heat!), so I am totally jealous you have been sticking to your walking routine. You have motivated me to go to the gym (tomorrow, of course).

Thank you! I am so happy I could help and motivate!!! Motivation is good...

I say yes WishfulThinking, try the timer - it really does help keep focused!! The key is getting off of PS to actually use the timer for my work - or should I use the timer on PS too?

 

[Elegant]

I wouldn''t think so...maybe under an Associations, Scholarships, and Honors section of the resume...

 

[Elegant]

Date: 7/22/2008 3:51:57 PM
Author: choro72

Last weekend FI helped me finish the first version of my program! Weee! I''ve promised that he will be acknowledged on my thesis

I''m about to call my PI and see what he thinks. Most likely it will be ''Oh, how nice. Carry on.''

That''s fantastic! Nicely done!!! Moving on and getting things done, that''s great news!