Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Preface

Acknowledgments

1: Preparing for Entering Academia

The Hard Truth About the Academic Life

Getting a Head Start as an Undergraduate Volunteer

The Undergraduate CV

Finding Your Research Interests

Summary

2: Applying for Graduate School

The Hard Truth About Applying to Grad Schools

Master's Degree versus Ph.D.

Apply to People not Programs; and Finding a Good Fit

Contacting Professors

The Graduate Application

Statement Letter

Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

Write a CV

Reference Letters

Get a Website/Cards

Recruitment Weekend

Summary

3: Graduate School

The Hard Truth About Grad School

Seminars

Tool Up Early

The Notebook and the Pencil

Different Kinds of Advisors

Candidacy

Working with Other Graduate Students

Classes

Publications

Being a Teaching Assistant (TA)

Tips on Managing Your Time

Picking a Dissertation Topic and Writing Your Thesis

Choosing a Committee

Grants and Thesis Proposals

Meetings/Societies

Knowing When to Finish

Summary

4: Finding a Postdoctoral Position

The Hard Truth About Finding a Postdoc

Types of Postdocs

What a Postdoc Does

A Postdoc That's Not a Postdoc

Summary

5: Postdoctoral Positions

The Hard Truth About Postdocs

Being the New Guy or Gal in the Lab

Advisors

Running Out of Time

Summary

6: Applying for Jobs

Applying for Jobs

Applications

Job Interviews

Research Presentations

Typical Questions You Are Asked in a Job Interview

Not Getting the Interview/Job

Getting an Offer

Summary

7: Assistant Professor

The Hard Truth of Being an Assistant Professor

Negotiating Start-Up

Other Considerations Before You Actually Start Your New Job

How to Spend Your Money and What to Expect

The First Year

Hiring People (Technicians, Students)

Finding Graduate Students

Making a New Course

Service

Getting Your First Grant

Getting Papers Out

Mentoring Committees, Reviews

Tenure Package and Reviews

Summary

8: Special Considerations for Women and Minorities, and Balancing Work and Family

The Hard Truth About Being a Minority in Science

The Hard Truth About Being a Woman in Science

The Two-Body Problem

Balancing Work and Family

Appendices

Appendix 1: Example Undergraduate Curriculum Vitae

Education

Research Interests

Research Appointments

Scholarships

Awards and Honors

Popular Articles

Research Skills/Experience

Service

Important Courses Taken

Appendix 2: Example Graduate Student CV

Education

Publications

Published Presentation Abstract

Popular Articles

Web Articles

Professional Societies

Field Experience

Research Experience

Contributed and Invited Talks at Conferences *Presenter **Poster

Non-Conference Talks

Major Awards & Honors

Grants and Fellowship

Teaching Experience

Workshops/Symposia Attended

Contributions/Synergistic Activities

Research Interests

Appendix 3: Example Thesis Proposal

Progress Report

Progress Report

Time Line for Thesis Completion

Possible Appendices Chapters

Budget

Appendix 4: Example Job Cover Letter

References

Appendix 5: Example Research Interests for Job Application

Systematics of Deep-Sea Fishes

Historical Biogeography

Geometric Morphometrics And Analyses of Disparity

Appendix 6: Example C.V. for Job Application

Appendix 7: Example Teaching Statement and Philosophy for Job Application

Teaching Philosophy

Appendix 8: Example Extra Statement for Job Application (Curatorial Statement)

Appendix 9: Example Chalk Talk for Job Interview

Appendix 10: Example Start-Up Wish List

Appendix 11: Review Package Summary Presentation

Glossary

Index

This edition first published 2012 © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Chakrabarty, Prosanta.

A guide to academia : getting into and surviving grad school, postdocs, and a research job / Prosanta Chakrabarty, Ph.D.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-470-96041-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. Universities and colleges–Graduate work–Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title.

LB2371.C47 2012

378.1′55–dc23

2011048156

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

Dedication

To those students who want to continue learning and giving back...

Preface

I've tried to write the most straightforward guide to the academic life as possible, without the frills of first-hand accounts. (Except in those few cases where these accounts can help clarify the advice.) This book is certainly not a memoir, but it is my singular vision as it was shaped by my experience and the advice I've received over the years. As I've gone through the academic process, I've made mistakes, and this book is my attempt to help budding academics make the right decisions in order to efficiently reach their goals without making those same mistakes.

I started thinking about writing this book around my third year in graduate school. This was about the halfway point of my Ph.D., and I was right in the middle of older graduate students who were too busy writing up their work, and “newbies” still getting their footing. I was in a position to give advice for the first time, having advanced to candidacy and having already seen others pass and fail. Initially, this text was going to be a guide for graduate students, but alas, the science came calling and there was no time for extras. I am now an assistant professor, and even though there is even less time for extras, I've picked up on this idea again, expanding it over several professional levels with a heavy focus still on the graduate stage. This book can help the inquisitive undergraduate who is considering graduate work, but this text will also help the newly hired assistant professor struggling with the pressures of tenure. By seeing the entire academic landscape laid out before you, the reader can gain a sense of perspective no matter the current point of your career.

I know I've had some luck along the way (some would say a lot of luck), but I've learned some things that I think will help others traverse the academic wilderness. As with all advice, the reader will need to tailor it to fit his or her own particular circumstances.

Each stage of your academic career is about getting to the next stage. You should realize that you are always being judged. The judges are your academic advisors, colleagues, and peers. This book will help you through the process of knowing what is expected of you and how to excel during the process. I've written this guidebook to focus on those who wish to have research academic careers. Engineering students and medical students have their own set of particular loopholes, and they perhaps will not get as much out of this guidebook as others.

Each person will have a different graduate experience; this guide is one that will help you through the general process and to learn what to expect. You should also talk to other students and professors and see how they got to where they are to fine-tune your guidance. Everyone ultimately has to pay their dues to get to where they want to be. There is no easy road to your goal; if there is, your goal is not ambitious enough. As you struggle through those rough patches, keep in mind what still needs to be accomplished to reach your destination. It may seem daunting, but hopefully with the help of this book, the steps you need to reach your academic goal won't come as a surprise.

During every step of the way, you should make time to talk to people and get their advice about moving along in the process. One of my favorite words of encouragement about the academic process was, “Everyone eventually ends up in the right place.” Remember those little words of wisdom and encouragement. I did, and that is largely what makes up this book.

This book is what I wish I had been handed when I first started thinking of becoming a scientist, and I hope it can save the reader some heartache and growing pains as you start on your own path to your ideal career. Good luck to you, and happy reading.

Prosanta Chakrabarty
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
November 2011

Acknowledgments

To my many academic mentors—Melanie Stiassny, Bill Fink, John Sparks, Ellen Pikitch, Jerry Smith, Chris Austin, Robb Brumfield, James Albert, Bryan Carstens, Ron Oldfield, Deborah Goldberg, Doug Futuyma, Ian Harrison, John McCormack, Marc Ammerlann, Scott Schaefer, and countless others—thank you for showing me through your experience and shared wisdom what it is to be a scientist and academic. I hope you see your many lessons retold in these pages.

To my parents, Chitta and Anurupa Chakrabarty, who always told me to do what I love—thank you for being the first to teach me how to teach and to learn. To my wife, Annemarie Noël, whose support and understanding allow me to accomplish everything in my life from getting dressed in the morning to writing this book. As they say, “behind every great man there is a great women,” but of course there is a surplus of great women so sometimes a regular dope like me gets lucky and snags a great woman, too. My twin daughters Chaya and Anjali were born between the first and second drafts of this book, and their arrival gave me the courage to write the last chapter, which I dedicate to them. I hope by the time they choose their career path, they won't have to worry about gender inequality.

Many thanks to the Wiley-Blackwell team. I especially would like to thank Justin Jeffryes who sought me out, signed me up, encouraged me, and fought on my behalf. I would like to thank Shikha Sharma for her tireless efforts in the copyediting and proofreading of this book. I must also thank those who reviewed different sections of the manuscript and provided valuable comments, including numerous anonymous reviewers but also Parker House, Elizabeth Derryberry, Jahi Chappell, and Jeremy Wright. I must also thank my lab—Caleb McMahan, Wilfredo Matamoros, Matthew Davis, and Valerie Derouen—who (without their knowledge or consent) I have been secretly reading this book to under the guise of giving advice.

1

Preparing for Entering Academia

The Hard Truth About the Academic Life

Getting a Head Start as an Undergraduate Volunteer

The Undergraduate CV

Finding Your Research Interests

Summary

The Hard Truth About the Academic Life

Choosing the academic life is not an easy choice to make. But, if you feel it is the right choice for you and you are a hard, smart worker, then it can lead to a permanent position in a job that is intellectually fulfilling, stable, and rewarding. The hurdles to obtaining an academic research job (a professorship or equivalent) include getting the following: a bachelor's degree, research experience, possibly a master's degree, a doctoral degree (Ph.D.), maybe 2–5 years of postdoctoral research experience, an academic job (e.g., assistant professorship), and tenure ().

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!

Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!