Thanksgiving has come and gone (too quickly, it seems), but this feast-filled time of year reminds us of delicious foods that are sadly forgotten about the rest of the time. Pumpkin is a prime example a food that is packed with nutrients, but cooked very rarely. While pumpkin season runs from late Summer to early […]
Engaging Your Members Through Social Media
Just last Saturday, I had the honor of speaking at the conference of the National Association of Graduate and Professional Students (NAGPS), about engaging members of graduate students associations(GSA’s) through social media. I covered a variety of tips and suggestions, and it was fantastic to have a discussion within the audience, where students talked about […]
Are You Being Bullied by Your Supervisor?
A reader from Benchfly.com sent me a curious question: “Is it possible to get bullied by your advisor?” The answer is, unfortunately, yes. There are advisors who make the lives of their graduate students very difficult, through poor management or harsh words. Although your PI is your boss, it does not mean that you have […]
Job Searching and Goal-Setting the SMART Way
If you are one of those people who are tired of setting goals, you are in good company. Many of us shudder at the thought of goals, deadlines and New Year’s resolutions because we feel that we are just setting ourselves up for disappointments. Yet, without goals, it is tough to be motivated to finish […]
Elements of a Successful Thesis Proposal
The first time I went to a thesis defense was the summer before my sophomore year, when I worked in a Chemistry lab . Alice (not her real name) defended her thesis after 6 six years in graduate school (average for department), and her defense went so well that no one realized how much hardship […]
Break a Sweat With the Quals?
It’s tough to choose a time to write a blog about qualifying exams (aka “comps” or “quals”) since every school has a different schedule. Some departments have one big exam, other have several spaced throughout the first or second year. My qualifying exam was in January, so I started to get a little worried just […]