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Nice new corner! Come and chat!

740 replies

NeverEverAnythingEver · 05/09/2015 09:06

We have our new board! Calling all cademics/aspiring academics/fed-up academics - come and chat!

OP posts:
BuffytheReasonableFeminist · 18/12/2015 11:26

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ComposHatComesBack · 18/12/2015 11:41

Thanks Buffy sorry about your rejection letter too.

Yep, the news about funding must have helped you sleep better at night!

NeverEverAnythingEver · 18/12/2015 12:30

I forgot - I got a rejection email too. Merry Christmas. Hmm

OP posts:
ComposHatComesBack · 18/12/2015 12:45

Ha, a merry Christmas! People assure me that things pick up in the spring. I am treating this with a degree of caution.

prettygirlincrimsonrose · 18/12/2015 15:48

I didn't get the job (went to someone else who already has their PhD and more teaching experience) but got very positive feedback about being appointable and presenting myself well. Annoying, like you said Compo, but I've got some other part-time work coming up so not feeling too bad about it.

murmuration · 18/12/2015 15:59

Commiserations compos, pretty, buffy and never. I suspect things come out about now as people want to 'finish things' before the holidays, and don't really think about what that means for the people on the other end.

Also might be why paper feedback/proofs/etc tend to come right before holidays, too -- I've had several of those right before Xmas and Easter. (Easter one was very annoying - asked for a 48-hr turn-around on the Wed before, and when we rushed to send things back the same day as some people were gone from Thu, we got an autoreply that their whole office was gone until the next Tue! Why ask for a 48-hr turnaround, then??)

I asked for an extension on the paper, and have not yet heard back. So I'll have to keep checking when I meant to be on holiday so I can inform my coauthors how much we have to rush. I will be well pissed off if they don't get back to me until after the holidays.

ComposHatComesBack · 18/12/2015 17:23

Commiserations crimson that's all four of us! Also got a rejection from a conference this afternoon. One of those weeks I guess.

worstofbothworlds · 18/12/2015 20:23

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MultishirkingAgain · 18/12/2015 21:00

Commiserations. I've been on the other side of having to tell people that they were appointable but that they didn't get the job.

Sometimes it is just not possible to pin down the exact reason, in that all appointable applicants were, well, appointable (do not underestimate hgat this means, it's actually important), but that one candidate fulfilled the required criteria more fully, or had the balance of types of research for that post in that department. Or that there is demonstrated capacity to do a particular kind of teaching in a specific area (in my Department that can be critical). And so on. There is usually only one job, so only one appointment can be made.

I know it's frustrating. If there were something tangible that you were lacking and that you could fix, then that might feel more helpful. Sometimes, it's not that you're not right; just that another candidate was righter for that job, at that time, in that department.

When I was hunting for my first job, single, with a mortgage, so I really really needed a job, I really had to earn, the future was a bit frightening as it was in a recession ... anyway, I was gutted not to even be interviewed for one particular job for which I was very well qualified. But thank goodness I didn't get that job! The person who did got stuck, and I did other things and zoomed up. Still, as a professor, I've not gotten a couple of jobs I'd rather liked to have.

MultishirkingAgain · 19/12/2015 07:17

Meanwhile can I just have a bit of a moan? A PhD student of mine did their viva last week. For various complicated reasons to do with tbe External's availability and my student's circumstances (which are difficult) the viva was not on campus, but in a city 2 hours travel away. I went (at my considerable expense - near enough to £80 train fare) to be there for support. Brought a celebration gift and card and took the now Doctor out for lunch.

Have I had a word or email of thanks?

Grrrr. I know its my job, but this candidate had a free ride to several conferences via my research grant, plus other opportunities, plus - well, I'm a good and conscientious supervisor.

Ahhh well, onwards. Work today until Tuesday, and then Out of Office. Oh except for reading the final draft of another PhD student, who's submitting in January first thing.

Lomaamina · 19/12/2015 22:09

You are right to feel upset at the student, but you shouldn't be out of pocket: for goodness sake charge your costs back somehow!

MultishirkingAgain · 19/12/2015 22:22

Thanks, Lomaamina.

I've tried to claim expenses. No go ... or rather, it would come out of my personal research allowance.

I'm not so much upset (well maybe a little bit) as disappointed and actually, I've realised I'm actually quite irritated. And I think less of my student. I shan't be going overboard to put opportunities their way, although I will write glowing references whenever I'm asked. But I will sigh inwardly.

BuffytheReasonableFeminist · 20/12/2015 00:35

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ComposHatComesBack · 20/12/2015 10:23

Multi I spent the four weeks post graduation in a state of utter misery and shock. I could barely speak to anyone (I passed with minor corrections) and felt I'd let everyone down. It was such a brusing experience that I couldn't face my supervisor and even now I've not been able to think about writing anything academic as it knocked my confidence as a researcher so badly. Not sure if your student might be going through something similar?

MedSchoolRat · 20/12/2015 11:29

MultiSh: are you not named in acknowledgements on the draft PhD? 2 of my supervisory panel are named on it, first line of thanks, even.

About interviews & appointments: we have a scoring sheet and basically the person with highest score almost always gets 1st offer. Our scoring sheet is based on the same questions asked to each candidate, and how useful the answer sounded. Avg score from 2-3 people on the panel.

Friend went for an interview at Elite Uni (S-Lect.) with ~ SEVEN people in the room. I doubt they used scoring sheets. Friend & me suspect they reject any recruit not very much like themselves.

MultishirkingAgain · 20/12/2015 14:35

Oh yes, I'm thanked in the acknowledgements. Maybe I'm being unreasonable (oh no never! Xmas Grin ), but just a simple, "Thanks for everything" at some point over lunch, or as we said goodbye & I dashed for my 2 and a half hour train journey. I stuck my neck out a couple of times for this student - I suppose the fact that they don't realise that tells me I'm doing my job well, but it seems, just ... oh I don't know, disappointing.

The student had other & ongoing difficulties - I think maybe they connect me with those - a kind of pathetic fallacy, iyswim. Not a word of this will pass my lips IRL - just venting here a bit. Will go back to being Pollyanna soon.

MedSchoolRat · 20/12/2015 16:51

You paid for lunch as well, though, if I understand correctly. I don't know anyone that wouldn't pointedly thank an individual who bought them lunch.

NK5BM3 · 21/12/2015 08:43

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BuffytheReasonableFeminist · 21/12/2015 10:26

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Socy · 21/12/2015 10:43

Commiserations to all those who didn't get the job. I just turned down an internal interview as something more interesting has been promised - but has not yet materialised so am on tenterhooks. Really need the extra hours (or at least, the money that goes with them!).

In order to show what a wonderful colleague I am in preparation for the potential new role Wink I volunteered to collate some information from across the department. I set a deadline for people to send their info, then put it together and sent off to the admin people. A couple of hours later another colleague sent his info to me, without any acknowledgement that it was late. I said I would try to include it anyway. I was then slated by him and his colleague for dismissing his work as unimportant. He also said his research work was more important than my admin work, which I found a bit misogynistic. Am I over-reacting?

MultishirkingAgain · 21/12/2015 12:24

Good luck NK5BM3 I worked in Australia in the early part of my career. At two places, one was lovely, but just the wrong country hemisphere for me. Although I had a good 10 years, I ended up not really liking Australia, and desperate to come home. I find the resourcing of UK universities way better, and the culture not so anti-intellectual. Hated the Australian Tall poppy thing. But if it's your home country or near it, then you'll feel differently. Just check out resources, is all I'd advise.

Good luck!

MultishirkingAgain · 21/12/2015 12:26

He also said his research work was more important than my admin work, which I found a bit misogynistic. Am I over-reacting?

No, he is. But academics are to deadlines as, well, snowball's chance in Hell.

ALWAYS always always build in an extra day/week/month/year to any deadline you give an academic. I do, because I know what I do to deadlines myself.

ignore them

NK5BM3 · 21/12/2015 12:44

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Socy · 21/12/2015 13:40

Multi I take your point about deadlines. But I was just astounded at the rudeness of the response I got in merely mentioning that the deadline had passed, whereas if it had been me I would have been grovellingly apologetic Grin

MultishirkingAgain · 21/12/2015 15:13

WEll quite Socy He was v rude and completely overreacted.

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