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1500 questions
68
votes
10 answers

Is it appropriate to send an email to a professor at the end of the semester thanking them for their teaching?

I'm aware of very similar questions previously asked - all with good answers. These usually pertain to following up with a professor after a recommendation. My question is specifically about sending a thank you letter to a professor at the end of a…
Adam Pollack
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68
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14 answers

Why are most of the top universities American?

In any ranking system, at least 50% of top universities (top 100, for example) are American. What is special about American higher education?
Jia
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68
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11 answers

Is praising students' aptitude harmful?

As a computer science professor, I have told some talented students one-on-one that they show a real aptitude for computer science and that they should seriously consider taking more classes in it. I'm questioning the wisdom of this now that I'm…
Ellen Spertus
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68
votes
4 answers

Didn't pay attention to rules and created an illegal note card for exam?

For final exam in my university chemistry class, a note sheet, 8 by 11, was allowed. You could put anything on the sheet, however it was to remain 1-sided. Of all things, I forgot about the last rule, and created a 2 sided note sheet for the exam.…
user3211857
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68
votes
7 answers

Is it possible take take part in a research project if I'm not a part of a university?

I graduated with a Masters of Engineering, concentrating in digital signal processing, in particular medical and audio, almost two years ago. I've always been interested in research, but due to personal circumstances I could never commit a lot of…
Phonon
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68
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5 answers

What ratio of PhD graduates in STEM fields ultimately end up as (tenured) professors?

I recently saw this infogram circling around various social networks: It appeared in this Tweet with the following claim: Got a PhD? Your chance of becoming a Professor is 0.45%. Good luck. Being a bit sceptical of the claim and of shiny…
badroit
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68
votes
13 answers

My personal views and my research work kind of collide. What can I do?

Climate change and mass extinctions are happening, so in my private life, I try to be as sustainable as possible. For example, I eat almost exclusively organic vegetarian food, I have no car, buy most stuff used, have a renewable energy contract and…
Sursula
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68
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16 answers

Why did I receive a negative response from a professor when emailing about course content and prerequisites of a course I am considering taking?

I wrote the following email to a professor (I've removed any personal or specific details): Dear Prof. Last name, Hope this email finds you well. I am Name, an undergraduate in the mathematics department. I write to enquire about Course code -…
stoic-santiago
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68
votes
1 answer

Choosing research ideas to include in a statement of purpose

The internet is littered with information on what makes a good SOP, but I would like to ask a specific question regarding mentioning one's research interests in SOP. What points should a student keep in mind while writing her statement of purpose?…
Bravo
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68
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9 answers

I feel I've done enough for a PhD but my supervisor disagrees

I have been working on a PhD for over 6 years, and in that time have published 5 (conference) papers, each of which I intend to convert to journal articles after my PhD. My supervisor has been insisting that I do some experiments which have turned…
JEs9X
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68
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10 answers

I recently started my machine learning PhD and I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing

I started my PhD a few months ago. Seriously, I don't know how I got accepted, but here I am. I am not a computer scientist, but come from a different STEM background. My knowledge in machine learning in general is pretty limited (for now, trying to…
jiggy
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68
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7 answers

Etiquette question: is there such a thing as accepting an offer 'too early'?

TLDR: Got a PhD offer at top choice, all details checked out, and I want to accept now (much earlier than the April 15th deadline). A colleague (at the professor level) I mentioned this to said I should wait as it could look 'too earnest' accepting…
user97709
68
votes
15 answers

As a Head of Department, how can I make my faculty happier?

I am HoD for a department with over 30 members. The dept is socially inactive with only one or two social gatherings per academic year. No politics or "serious personal issues" among members. Just teaching while doing some research. I got a…
seteropere
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68
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11 answers

How to answer questions *honestly* about some professors from Visit Days students?

We are having Visit Days soon, and we (current grads) are expected to have one-on-one conversations with visiting students with research interests closest to ours. One typical question we get, "How is Prof. X? What is it like working with them?".…
user42273
67
votes
8 answers

What is the difference between Abstract, conclusion and summary?

The above question is self explanatory, still I would like to break it into two parts. Q1. What is the difference between abstract and summary/conclusion? Q2. What is the difference between summary and conclusion ? Thanks
cosmicraga
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