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My advisor has only met with me twice in the past year. Is this enough cause for me to change advisors?
Social Science PhD student (in the US) here. My advisor does not meet with me (met twice in a year, did not meet the entire summer, took 2 months to reply to email). I feel extremely demotivated. I see other students in my program meeting with their advisors weekly, working out a dissertation topic, finding datasets and co-authoring. Should I change advisors? I am concerned because that would mean I'd need to change my research area and faculty can always put the blame on me and question my performance. I am 2 years into the PhD program, about to take comprehensive exams.

Yes. You are early on in the program and you should begin to work on changing advisors if you are not thriving under this advisor. When talking to new potential advisors, you can ask how they would handle the question of evaluating your performance given the switch. They can help to “go to bat” for you with their colleagues if questions come up about your performance. They may ask you to wait until after comps to officially switch if there is a chance that the switch could affect your passing. Usually, provided you pass comps, your performance is evaluated mainly by your advisor so this should not be a big issue.

Hi @Dawn. Thanks, this is very helpful. I will definitely ask the potential new advisor about rating my performance. The catch is that I need to change before comps because comps list is prepared in consultation with the advisor and my current advisor thinks they cannot create a reading list for what I am proposing to do although I do not see the topic to be too much outside what they do. However, I understand if they are not up for advising me on that topic but given their track record of (not) providing any guidance so far, I think it is best to change. Thanks again for helping.

This is hard to answer. Some people do well under such a system. Others actually need more frequent advice. It depends on how much progress you are making. But if you are still yet to take comprehensives, I don't see a particular issue as your dissertation research is still, I suspect, mostly ahead of you.
But this may also be the right time to switch if you think someone else will be better for you. Ask around.
In the US, it is pretty often the case that an "advisor" is assigned at entry to give advice on coursework and such as you go along. But also pretty common to switch at the point of starting comps. I chose my own dissertation advisor after finishing comprehensives and asking around for a bit to get ideas about who would be good. I didn't have to change sub-fields, however, as I had a few choices.
If this is the US, don't feel like you need to stick with an assigned advisor. Other places, I can't say, maybe it also works out.

Thanks @Buffy, for your quick reply. When did you change to the new advisor?

Some time in the sixth year, I think. But my old advisor was very unhelpful and I got very unmotivated causing initial problems with comps. He was untenured and so involved with this own stuff. I actually switched institutions as well. I finished in about six and a half years overall. The new advisor was very senior and a bit gruff, but very helpful with guidance.

Hi @Buffy, thanks for sharing this. I am an international student which adds to the complexity in terms of finishing and finding a job in my home country within a reasonable amount of time so this situation has become the ONLY reason of anxiety resulting in my inability to be productive. Thank you for sharing your story. It is good to know that there is still hope of changing advisors or institutions even in the sixth year. Also, for context, I am in the US.

Meeting only twice a year is sparse but perhaps plausible for a highly independent student. But neglecting an email for two months is just dropping the ball. I don't think this one's hard to answer at all.

Thanks @Max. Any advice on how to discuss expectations with the potential advisor?

I would focus on what you want the new advisor to do, rather than on what the previous adviser failed to do, as the latter could be perceived as bitter and come back to bite you. Returning emails within a reasonable amount of time (unless your advisor is Donald Knuth) and meeting with you regularly is such a standard expectation that you don't necessarily need to mention it explicitly. But you could try an open-ended conversation along the lines of "How frequently do you typically meet with your advisees? How often, and in what form, would you like me to give you updates on my progress?"

This gently establishes expectations while also making it clear that you are going to pull your own weight.

@Max, thank you so much for this example conversation. Half the times I'm confused how to frame a sentence. There have been times when I had to tell faculty that english was not my mother tongue and so my statements didn't always convey what I tried to say, which I never thought would be required. I will update how it goes.


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How to proceed when a professor's timekeeping error hurts my course grade?
My professor had said the midterm was 2.5 hours. This was told by all the students for weeks. The midterm comes, and there is no countdown for when submission is required, thus meaning the midterm is unlimited. I followed academic integrity and submitted at 2.5 hours; however, many students were submitted at 3+ up to 4 hours. I did not have enough time to finish 2 questions (10 marks total), because I submitted them at the correct time. This caused me to fail the course by 0.28%, meaning I would have needed 1.5 marks on the midterm to pass. This will result in me being held back a year and retake the course. My professor had not made a bell curve, neither a grade adjustment for the error she had made because there was "statistically no significant difference between students who submitted early and those who had extra time."
My question is, what are some reasonable courses of action in this situation?

IMO asking readers of this forum their opinion is not useful. More useful would be to ask for concrete recommendations about what to do in this situation. Have you already contacted the professor with a respectful, appropriately detailed e-mail? Do you have an "ombudsman" or "ombudsperson" at your university (a neutral party in charge of handling complaints)? Are there academic advisors at your university you could speak to?

If the professor cut it off at 2.5 hrs, how would that have helped you? It might punish other students, but how would it help you? What do you think should be changed and why?

Actually, I'm wondering if there were other factors that led to the course failure. The mid term seems to have been a while ago, but the failure only shows up now? Perhaps you were close to failing in any case.

In case you don't know, I wanted to point out that you are allowed (indeed, encouraged!) to edit your question to make it more on-topic. (If you deleted the last two sentences and replaced them with "What are some reasonable courses of action in this situation?" (or whatever) - and possibly responded to some of the other questions that people have asked in the comment - I would reverse my downvote and post an answer.)

Welcome to Academia.SE. I edited your question a bit for the reasons described by the commenters above -- we don't take questions asking for opinions, but we can perhaps suggest possible next steps (and this is probably more productive for you in any case; an endorsement that we agree with you will count for little). Good luck.

Let me restate what happened:

The professor informed students of the exam rules.
You followed the rules and failed the course.
Other students did not follow the rules.
The professor, as far as you know, has not punished the students who did not follow the rules.

Certainly, the professor should have punished students who did not follow the rules.  I would expect that students who turn in an exam late would get a grade of zero.  However, punishing other students will do nothing about the fact that you have failed the course.
Your reasonable course of action, as the student, is to retake the course.

Perhaps it’s better that you first ask yourself what is it that you want from this situation. Imagine a world where your every academic wish regarding this situation is fulfilled; what would you ask for? Is it achievable or realistic? Do you want to retake the test? Get 2/5/15 extra points on the test? Get a passing mark? Get the professor fired? Get your fellow students disciplined for breaking the rules? If you think about your goal here (and make sure it’s not just vindictive/abstract justice you’re after) it’ll be much easier to understand what you need to do.
I think your best case scenario is a passing final mark, but I don’t know what’s the norm in your school.
With this desirable outcome in mind, think what you can do to fulfill it.
If you have proof that students submitted late with no good reason (eg internet connectivity issues), then you could certainly contact the professor and complain. They may offer you a chance at extra credit. They may ignore you.
The situation you describe is precisely why some professors rarely accommodate requests for extensions from my students. It’s not very fair to the other students who don’t ask for one.
If you can show that some students got a massive unjustified extension but you didn’t there’s a chance that the professor will be forced to resolve the issue somehow, especially if your university has a strong culture of backing students. However, I imagine that it’ll be difficult to find evidence for such behavior.  You could escalate your complaint through whatever channels the university offers, but it’s going to be tedious and may not lead to a good outcome.
Finally, it’s quite possible that you simply don’t have all the facts. Maybe your fellow students had accommodations. Maybe their internet disconnected; maybe they started late for whatever reason.

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Should I pay for the postdoc position move in flight ticket sweden
I have a postdoc position in Sweden starting soon and the PI so far haven’t arranged for flight ticket. Is it common for postdoc to buy their own ticket for postdoc in Sweden ?

Have you asked your boss? Though I think it's unlikely anywhere in the world that they will pay for this kind of thing unless it was part of your contract/appointment letter/etc.

Do ask your boss. Even if the position comes with relocation assistance, it may be assumed that you buy the ticket and get refunded later.

I didn’t ask them. Because the position ad didn’t mention any relocation assistance while my previous postdoc also didn’t mention anything about relocation they did buy me flight ticket

Did you ask? Like, a simple "I fint know how moving works. Do you offer any relocation assistance?" Will probably answer all your questions. If the answer is "no" then you're no worse off than before asking, assuming you're polite and not entitled. (That's usually a good idea at any time!)

I don't know about Sweden specifically, but the idea that the PI would arrange the flights of an incoming postdoc strikes me as very, very unsual. Thus, if this is how a particular postdoc works, I would expect this to be pointed out very explicitly.
There could be some relocation support available, but that would be reimbursing you for tickets you have bought (up to some value, subject to constraints). Moreover, you'd probably have to actively seek this out. Relocation support could be either based on your individual funding source, or on overall university policy.
But as long as you don't learn anything concrete about relocation support, you should assume that it is entirely your own responsibility to arrange and fund your move to Sweden.

My US  postdoc did pay for my flight ticket that’s why I was wondering if it’s the case for Sweden

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Senior faculty in my department have been spreading unfounded rumors about me, and I am concerned that it will affect my tenure case. What can I do?
I am a new tenure-track faculty (just completed my first year).  Recently, I realized that two groups of senior faculty members have been spreading rumors about me: one group walked around saying that I lied about the PhD program I graduated from (I never said such a thing); the other group walked around saying that I spoke very negatively about my colleagues to them (a faculty member in the group asked me to do very unreasonable things (cook for her, take care of her plants, book a restaurant for her) and so I had distanced myself from her).
I talked with my division chair.  The advice is to "let all go" because there is nothing I can do; I can submit a petition in case I fail in my reappointment or tenure review because of the rumors.
However, I now understand why my chair and colleagues were very tough to me when I interacted with them.  Any advice will be really appreciated.
By the way, I am in a very huge department — about 40 professors. From the first group — a person started the rumors; and from the other group — two people started them. However, as I heard, almost all professors in my department heard about them, especially since these three professors are very active and influential in my department.

How big are these "two groups"? A few people in a large faculty or most of the department?

Did you speak negatively of the second group?

@cag51 In the UK "Professors" are a subset of "Faculty Members" BTW :-)

At some universities there will be a faculty ombudsman or ombuds, whom you might consider talking to. Their job is to listen to faculty concerns, discuss your options with you, and offer advice.
Generally speaking, they don't have any formal authority, they maintain confidentiality, and they don't intervene in conflicts. In your situation, you might expect the ombuds to: listen sympathetically; let you know how common your situation is; make you aware of any relevant formal processes you could consider, and discuss what the outcome might be; offer advice on how to "let it go" in practice, if you choose to go that route.

I can make a few suggestions. One or the other might be worth considering.
If it is only a few people in a large department then you can probably safely ignore it, especially if they form a clique and if you have the support of the head.
If it is worse than that, they consider moving to a different position. It isn't necessary to make a panic search, but keep your eyes open for opportunities and try to meet people who might turn in to collaborators at conferences and such. Make a few discrete inquiries. Hostile environment is a valid reason for moving.
If neither of the above seem right then spend some effort making allies/friends/collaborators within the department so that many people have a more positive view of you and your work. A few jerks in the department isn't necessarily a serious problem, though the gossip can be problematic. But if you have a circle of friendly voices to quiet the jerks you can do ok.
Building a circle of "friendly relations" in a department is always a good idea in any case.
Note a possible issue. I've been places where the opinions and suggestions of the new person are definitely not welcome. They have their ways of doing things and resent any suggestion that change would be good. You may need to "keep your head down" if you detect that attitude.

Good advice regarding the "we don't want to change" attitude. But such an attitude would be a reason to let me feel uncomfortable.

What relief are you hoping for here? You don't claim to have suffered any tangible harm yet. Unless you work in an unusually restrictive society or department, gossip alone is probably not against any laws or employment rules that the administration can enforce. You can document it in case it becomes relevant later.
Advancement at most universities is supposed to be based on performance, not on whether some faculty like or dislike you as a person. If/when you fail to achieve advancement (salary raises, promotion, etc.) while having met or exceeded performance standards, then you can appeal to the chair or other administration for relief.
In the meantime, you can try to make friends with those or other faculty to reduce their motivation to gossip about you. This should not be necessary though; performance alone should be sufficient for advancement at your university or being hired at other departments.

Most places that I know of, tenure is granted by vote of a committee of tenured faculty, with the possibility that administration can say no for financial reasons. But a negative vote of the committee would probably be the end. What is "supposed to be" and what "is" might be quite different. Likewise, moving usually requires favorable letters from colleagues when tenure fails. You make the answer too facile.

@Buffy Yes, I agree that is the normal tenure process. It's possible for the dean to override when tenure is denied due to politics or other dislike (I've seen it happen to my friend), which is why I suggested an appeal after having been denied advancement. As for "favorable letters", why would OP ask gossipers to be references instead of more favorable colleagues? Anyways, OP can control their own behaviors but not the others' choices. I prefer to advise them to perform well (which they control) instead of convincing others to like them (which they don't control).

Far too much “should” and “is supposed to be”. The OP (and the rest of us) inhabit the world as it is, not as it is supposed to be.


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Invited a speaker to talk at a conference which is part of a bigger conference and the parent organizers rejected their participation. What to do now?
I am organizing a volunteer academic conference as a part of a larger conference at a top university (let's call it X). Organizers are required to invite speakers to talk about their research in a certain field and then send their agendas to the organizers of the parent conference at X for review. I asked the speakers to give me a rough description of their talks for review. And it happened that the parent organizers disapproved of one of the speakers I invited (gave me an unexpected final no, saying that the speaker's topic is out of the conference scope).
So I had to apologize to the invited speaker but, they were deeply offended and told me that their abstract was general and that I should have told them to provide more details, in the same email they provided me with more details about the talk then, I contacted the parent organizers at X again and they apologized and approved them.
My question is how to apologize to them for this horrible mistake. The speaker is an esteemed professor and I am a student.
I thought of saying:

Dear Professor ...
Thank you very much for your clarification and for sending us more details about your talk.
X often reviews the agendas/content of the smaller events associated with them. We contacted them for the unexpected mistake in their feedback to us and they apologized for interpreting your talk's content as out of the defined scope. We hope you accept their apology and ours too.
And we would be very happy and honored if you are still interested in giving a talk at our conference.
Best regards,
...

If you are in this professor's shoes what would you think of my email? and is there a way to make it more polite?
Thanks
EDIT:
The first reviewer decided that the talk's content is out of the defined scope and didn't leave an open door for further discussion. He told me "I am sorry, I am unable to approve them as their talk's content is not in alignment with our requirements. I hope you could host them at another event" then after the professor's reply, I went to someone who is superior to the first reviewer and got the acceptance and the apology.

“We contacted them for the unexpected mistake in their feedback to us” doesn’t sound right grammatically.

Where in the world is the professor located? Norms of what "polite" is vary a lot.

The professor is residing in the US.

Did you make it perfectly clear at the outset that, while you were inviting the professor to give a talk, his final acceptance was not in your hands, and was contingent upon approval of another set of reviewers/organisers? It is very important to be clear about exactly what authority one has in these things.

I don't think this is a horrible mistake -- frankly I think the "deeply offended" professor is playing the diva, if not worse. If there is a mistake it is not adding a qualifier (subject to acceptance of your abstract by reviewers) to the initial invitation.

The e-mail you propose is basically fine; there is no magic incantation for talking to professors or anyone else.
I do propose making it shorter and clearer, like so:

Dear Professor ...
I followed up with X as you suggested and spoke with a more senior reviewer. This person quickly realized that a mistake was made and your talk is indeed in scope for our conference. They have asked me to convey their apologies for the error. I also apologize for my part in this debacle.
We will be very happy and honored for you to give a talk at our conference. Please do let us know if you are still willing to do so.
Best regards, ...

I'm not quite sure, but maybe the conference could or should do more, like have the second reviewer write a short mail saying sorry for the confusion?

That would be a nice gesture, especially since the professor was "deeply offended."


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Are poster sessions worthless for math grad students?
Are poster sessions important in mathematics?
Does being accepted to present a poster at a SIAM conference add something to my CV when I apply to graduate programs or it won't add much?
I am a master's student.

Poster sessions, like any academic activity with a reviewed publication will add something to your CV. Not as much as a full paper, but positive.
Poster sessions are, however, also valuable since they give you the opportunity to meet people and some of those people might be the ones to review an application later. Beyond that, it gives you experience in presenting your ideas to people, which has its own merits.
Even the creation of the poster is a valuable experience if it forces you to focus your ideas. The benefits may be individually small, but there are several to consider.

Amplifying the middle paragraph: keep an eye out for senior members of the community who attend a/the poster session and make an overt effort to engage  the presented research. Senior researchers who are generous with their time, in this way, with younger researchers, are excellent candidates with whom you can try to build further relationships (even if it doesn't click with your own specific poster).


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Should grad students accept yelling by supervisors?
In my opinion, yelling and disrespecting should not be the case between supervisor(s) and their grad students regardless of how well or poor the student is doing. Supervisors are usually holding the highest academic degrees and they should be ideal principals for their students.
My question is, what to do if a supervisor repeatedly yells (whether personally or sounding as such in the emails). Do we have to accept it and do nothing to keep a nice attitude?

Can you give an example of what is being yelled (is it profane, personal insults, normal conversation at a very high volume, etc.)? And what do you mean by "sounding as such in the e-mails"?

That kind of depends on what is the alternative to accepting it, doesn’t it? In a country where supervisors yelling is part of the culture, you may not have a choice but to accept it if you don’t want to emigrate. In a place where yelling is heavily frowned upon and only done by a very small number of supervisors, you will have a lot more choice and consequently more freedom not to “accept” it.

Yelling in what context? If they are about kill or injure themselves and/or others in a lab or workshop, yelling might to be appropriate. Can you clarify in your question? Please respond by editing (changing) your question, not here in comments (without "Edit:", "Update:", or similar - the question should appear as if it was written right now).

Without an example, this question is impossible to answer. For instance, there could be a mismatch between the cultural norms regarding the directness of feedback.

@PeterMortensen  Well obviously the yelling/shouting is justified when someone's life is at risk. The OP clarifies: regardless of how well or poor the student is doing. So, we're talking about performance, grades, participation etc. regardless of how well or poor the student is doing In other words do we keep a stiff upper lip (stoicism "be stoic"), complain to the school authorities, demand to be treated as an equal, write an email to the supervisor politely asking them to not to shout, ask for a 1 to 1 meeting  etc.

@ Avaa Ali understanding tone and mood in emails and texts are difficult to measure. It's an old-age problem, and not everyone is able to convey criticism in such a way that it is not perceived as an insult or being "angry". I would show the email to a native speaker and hear what they say. OR... copy and post the phrase redacting personal or revealing information where necessary.

Because you use "supervisors", a plural: Is "yelling" (in whatever way the word is used) common at your institution? I also note your deadpan statement "supervisors are usually holding the highest academic degrees and they should be ideal principals for their students". That seems to indicate a degree of hierarchy and authority that many Western universities would not subscribe to. In such an authoritarian environment professors may feel entitled to show social superiority in ways that would be inappropriate in the West.

Yelling (as in raising one's voice and shouting or screaming) in an e-mail isn't possible unless the supervisor IS TYPING LIKE THIS!!! If you're the kind of person that thinks an e-mail that isn't written like that can "sound as such" then I question what else you might interpret as yelling when orally spoken in person, including how you might interpret a stern talking to.

Some of the most talented and ultimately successful scientists I've personally known have come from an occasionally-explosive environment like this. The PI challenged thought processes and decisions being made by an individual, sometimes elevating his voice, to increase the intensity of the challenge. Uncomfortable to begin with, but once a student recognized it for the issatsu it is, it became welcome, or at least tolerable.

… yet I’m not saying this would work with today’s students. Maybe they’ll be blessed with some other kind of magic.

That comes to my mind for this question: "A professor giving this s#### lecture just YELLED at me for spilling MY beer on MY textbook and interrupted our video chat. So ####ING UNPROFFESSIONAL. Not going to come to class in person anymore to get yelled for no reason." :)

Minor quibble: the question in the body is somewhat different than the question in the title. The question title asks if they should accept it, and the first couple of sentences at least seems to imply that you think that they shouldn't. Is there some way to edit this to be consistent (without invalidating the existing answers)?

"whether personally or sounding as such in the emails" <- Those are very different things. Please clarify whether your supervisor is doing the former or the latter. And provide more specific factual background generally.

It is not acceptable.  If this is a one-time occurrence the supervisor (or anybody else doing the yelling) should apologize.
When this happens regularly, the supervisor has an anger management problem.  You should report it to the graduate chair.
There is usually some way of resolving this “internally”.  In the cases I heard, the unit apologized, the supervisors were given official warning and some were eventually reprimanded (could not take students for some period) after repeated offenses.  The students were given support to find alternate supervisors if they so wanted.

Note that OP hints their supervisor many not be actually yelling, but rather using language which seems as though they are yelling, in email messages. You may want to qualify your answer for this case.

@einpoklum “ a supervisor repeatedly yells (whether personally…)” does look to me as actually yelling…

Almost never.
An example of an exigent circumstance would be a chemistry professor yelling at grad students who are in imminent danger of harm b/c of improper lab procedure.
If these exigent events happen regularly then the supervisor graduate student relationship is not working and you need to leave.

"An example of an exigent circumstance would be..." I am not sure if this is a good reason. Chemistry labs need  calm people, especially in difficult situations. In fact, I cannot make up any good reason to yell at people, so generally agree with your answer.

@Snijderfrey: Maybe in the case of a fire, an active shooter in the vicinity, the rapid approach of a tornado, etc. But I had to really stretch to get these (and they're not supervisor-student specific anyway), so I generally agree with your comment (and by transitivity, with emory's answer).

If the supervisor notices a student - or actually, anybody - doing something that will result in immediate harm, yelling "STOP" is the only appropriate reaction. Of course, a closely supervised student shouldn't even get to a point where this is necessary. But if you're experimenting with sodium while talking to one student, see something go up in flames at the other end of the lab, and see another student get a bucket of water, you certainly don't want to walk over, tap the student on the shoulder, and calmly ask them what they learned in class about sodium and water.

@GuntramBlohm, I get the point. Still, I am convinced that it is possible to excert the same kind of authority without yelling. Might be a personal thing. A loud 'Stop' might actually cause some people to do something unthoughtful in a frightened moment. Immediate and decisive action - yes, certainly. But with a cold mindset. Then again, I might have lost an unhealthy amount of fear of sodium, so the situation you describe does not bother me, sitting at my desk, too much.

@GuntramBlohm would the be yelling at someone or just yelling?  and this would presumably not be “repeatedly”, to quote the OP…

@ZeroTheHero You are correct.  Basically, the answer is no, advisers should not yell at students.  There is a 0.001% chance that the first yell was justified.  But the second and third incidents are just plain abuse and should not be tolerated.

@Snijderfrey are you likewise convinced that it's possible to do so without someone else describing what you do as yelling?

@fectin, I am convinced, yes. But I don't know if I am right. In any case, none of the two behaviors would qualify as repeated yelling in the sense of the question.

@Snijderfrey when I read the question, I have no clue what behavior is being described as "yelling." I can read that as anything from full on temper-tantrums to mild rebukes.

There are a few definitions of yelling in colloquial American English.
Definition 1: Screaming with anger. This is never ok in a professional relationship; and if it happens regularly, it is a sign of a toxic work environment. This is not a good advisor.
Definition 2: Criticism. For example, if you do a presentation and the advisor has a lot of professional criticism, this is a good thing. The point of graduate school is to learn, and to have an advisor who wants you to improve is important. This sort of constructive "yelling" is a sign of a good advisor, uncomfortable as it is to have your flaws pointed out.
We all must use wisdom to distinguish between these two situations.

Upvoted. I (German) have often been criticized by my partner (U.S. American) for yelling at her when all I did was informing her of my opinion in a calm and clear manner ;-). Apart from a different perception of tone and a different idea of appropriate behavior there is also a different perception of criticism as such: Some cultures almost always view even the most fact-oriented criticism as personal shame and are very concerned with issues like losing or saving face.

American English speaker—I’ve honestly never heard the second meaning used. It might be regional?

@JoshuaGrossoReinstateCMs  I've seen it...but in that context it was siblings claiming they were being yelled at based on sterness and content of the parents' words rather than the actual act of raising one's voice.

@DKNguyen Exactly.

@DKNguyen Ohhh, I realize what it means now. Thanks!

@JoshuaGrossoReinstateCMs: I wouldn’t quite see it as a separate meaning; but they’re things that often get misunderstood as each other, so what’s called “yelling” can be either. One time I remember well from grad school: the several TA’s on a course had a meeting with the main instructor, which one of the other TA’s later described as “we got shouted at” (or some similar wording). To me, the meeting had seemed like reasonable critical feedback; the instructor spoke forcefully and with feeling, but I wouldn’t have called it shouting or yelling.  The difference can be quite subjective.

Are you sure about definition (2.) ? I'm not native to the US, but never have I ever heard the word used this way. Could that be a regional colloquialism?

@einpoklum Please read the other comments, see if this helps you.

@einpoklum Basically, it's how an overly sensitive person interprets any form of sterness, scolding, or criticism Even if done calmly.

No, it shouldn't be accepted, unless the student has done some serious damage. But that would probably be a rare event.
Solution 1. Find a better advisor (advised)
Solution 2. Yell back (not advised)
Solution 3. Complain to a higher authority (conditionally advised)
Solution 4. If the benefits of working with this idiot advisor outweigh the pain, force yourself to ignore it. (conditionally advised)

Long term. Don't do that when you have an independent career. They are not a good role model.

Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.

You left out the option of having a serious talk with the advisor/supervisor about the yelling. Intentional?

In addition to other good answers...
Let's think calmly about this: in what possible circumstances should any person tolerate abusive behavior?
Ok, well, hopefully, as few as possible.
(Yes, yelling is obviously abusive, if there were any doubt. Duh.)
But, yeah, sometimes a person is stuck in a situation, and for various reasons puts up with abuse.
The point is not whether or not it's abusive to yell (in any sense), because it is. The only remaining operational issue is whether an abused person has sufficient reason to tolerate it for a while, to some better end.

It should not be acceptable, but unless it is really extreme and continuous, I think it's wise to live with it. Some people have anger management problems or a tendency to yell when they are not actually that upset. That's who they are. I see no advantage to being the person who can't handle that.
You don't have to spend that much time with your advisor and you don't have to interact with them forever. If it's that much of a problem, seeking a different advisor is an alternative. If you confront your advisor or complain to HR or whatever, you may stop the yelling, but you will also close certain doors needlessly.
My first boss swore and yelled all the time. At first it was stressful but I decided to just live with it and respond to his requests as if they were given politely. After a year, all the yelling and swearing stopped. It turned out he had been going through a contentious divorce at the time and had been continuously at the end of his rope. We have now worked together very productively for years and I consider him one of my best friends and certainly my closest colleague. Frankly, I think he feels bad about how he was and respects me for having done good work and always been professional despite his faults. If I had gone to HR or confronted him, things would likely not have worked out as well.
Rude or loud people are a fact of life. Being the person who spends a lot of energy trying to change them is frequently not the best use of your time and social capital. This is especially true if you would like to preserve a relationship with the person in question.

Very much disagree. I would disagree even in normal circumstances (anger management can indeed be a problem, but the person who cannot manage their anger is still responsible for their actions). I disagree even more in a relationship with a power differential, where the actions of the person in power impact others even more than usual.

If you want to use your energy and social capital trying to change people, rather than trying to build your career, I'm not going to say "no." However, I don't think it's good advice to give others. You can't really change people and causing problems at work while trying to do so will not generally help you in your career or life. A supervisor who uses all caps or raises his or her voice is hardly a hill worth dying on.


text:
Is it unethical to ask an unemployed academic to be an unpaid co-author of a book?
This story happened to me over 30 years ago.
I am citizen of the Netherlands. I studied theoretical physics at Leiden university. In 1987 I obtained my PhD. Unfortunately, I was then required to do my military service. There were certain exceptions and tricks to avoid military service, but somehow these did not apply to me. Or perhaps the persons who knew how to avoid military service, saw no reason to inform me. When I got out after 1,5 years I was unemployed. At that time (1988) many academics were unemployed. And of course the military service on my CV was not regarded as something positive, but rather as a disadvantage.
I contacted my two PhD supervisors. I had always had a very good, amicable relationship with them. So I asked them if they could help me find an academic position. They told me they couldn't. But they had this great plan of writing a standard book on their theories. They asked me to participate in writing the book, proof-reading chapters, checking the validity of formulas. I was hesitant but agreed. It then turned out that they had no financial compensation for my participation in mind. They defended their decision by saying the book was merely a "hobby project", that it was an "honor" for me, that it would help my chances for an academic career, and that for me as a young physicist I should not worry about my financial situation.
Of course I did not like what I was told, but had no choice but to accept this ruling. My participation to the book writing lasted about 2,5 to 3 years. By that time I had enough. I quit. I also realized that I had zero chance of getting a job as a physicist, so my interest turned to different fields. Since then I never worked as an academic. Many years later the book of my supervisors appeared in print. I received a free copy. I checked whether there was any appreciation for the work I put in the book. There was one sentence in the preface where I got mentioned, together with all their other PhD students (who of course had not participated at all in writing the book). Very ungrateful.
Looking back after so many years, I think that the book deal that I was offered was unethical. My supervisors had chances to really support me: with avoiding military service, with finding a post-doc position, etc. They had not done that. Instead they offered me a very poor deal, which did not help me at all to start an academic career. On the contrary, in the end it convinced me to leave the academic world.
POSTSCRIPT. Two years ago I filed a complaint about this old case with the Bureau of Integrity for Leiden University. The highest official of the Physics Department (who is a physicist himself) came over to my house. We talked over two hours. His conclusions were: (a) If nowadays a professor intends to write an academic book, he should first ask permission. (b) The financial aspects must be considered and approved. (c) If an external expert is asked to be co-author, he must be payed in accordance with government regulations. (d) The idea of not paying me is therefore illegal, and all the excuses for doing it this way are meaningless and irrelevant. I felt vindicated !

Just to clarify, you say that you "had no choice but to accept this ruling". Do you mean that you were simply unsuccessful in changing their minds about financial compensation or that you were coerced in some way to proceed, or do you mean something else?

What exactly do you mean by "unethical"? "Unethical" spans a wide range: some people consider common practices like assigning expensive textbooks to be unethical, while others reserve the term for serious misconduct that could have professional consequences (e.g., data fabrication).

@JW I went to university administrators and asked them whether there was a financial programme under which I could be paid for my collaboration. There wasn't.

@cag51 "Unethical" in the sense that a person of influence and power uses his influence to request and get a favor from a person who is in a much weaker position. The favor is free because it is implied that there might be future benefits for the weaker side; however these suggested benefits may never materialize.

This is not a question, this is a rant. Much of this could have been avoided if OP asks a simple question of his supervisors before starting the project or in the first few years. Also, very few of us have reliable information about the academic job market in the Netherlands 30 years ago or OPs accomplishments, so it is hard to judge what the professor could have realistically offer. Academics are often asked to work for free left and right - it is up to you if you take the offer, we cannot fix it for you 30 years later.

I understand why you think what they did is unethical, my question is what do you want us to tell you? Do you just want to hear us say "yeah, those guys were unethical jerks, they took advantage of you"? Or are you asking us to assess whether they violated professional ethical standards and you could get them in trouble? As it is, I'm rather inclined to agree with Greg that is more of a rant than a question.

Asking isn't unethical, but coercion is. Even offering you an unpaid participation isn't unethical. Academic books always have an uncertain, but generally very small, financial payback. The exceptions are notable.
But if they held something over you or demanded your participation lest they withhold some required service, then that would be unethical. But you don't indicate that such was the case.
So, I'd guess it was poor etiquette not to share, but not unethical.
An explicit acknowledgement should have been provided within the book, but you are a bit unclear if that happened.

In the Netherlands there is a big difference between working for free as a volunteer (e.g. for a political party, or in an animal shelter), and being asked to do work for free in your own profession. The latter is considered exploitation. This aspect of Labor Law is of course enshrined in the university regulations.

Strictly speaking, I guess I wouldn't say asking is unethical, as they had no power over you (in the sense of approving your thesis, getting you a job), they told you they were offering nothing in return.
However, if they asked you to co-author a book, that to me suggests you at least should receive your name on the cover and royalties. Not affording you those is yes, unethical.

A miljonair has a friend who is an unemployed handyman. The miljonair asks his friend to perform repairs on his mansion. The miljonair proposes that the work is done for free, for tax reasons etc. In my opinion that is an unethical proposal.

@M.Wind What does "unethical" mean here? What are the consequences for someone who makes an unethical ask? Yes, it's rude to ask either the scenario in your question or to ask someone to do their job, but they just say "No." and that's that. As Buffy put it, it's coercion that's unethical. Your question doesn't describe you as being coerced, it describes you agreeing to work on a book for free to bolster your chances of getting a job. I think you should have said no. They probably shouldn't have asked, but all the cards were on the table (that you weren't getting paid), so I'm not sure them

Please read the POSTSCRIPT that I added to my piece. The official from Leiden University had no difficulty understanding what "ethics" and "integrity" mean for a professor at a university in the Netherlands.

@M.Wind Sounds good. What did you ask for, then?

I asked the university for their opinion. The official of the Physics Department agreed with me that the two professors should not have acted in this manner. I accepted his answer and decided not to follow up on the matter.

@AzorAhai-him- I am pleased to see a Freudian typo in oyur answer "asking is unethical. Leaving you off the author list was".
Necessary disclaimer: I like the freudian typo concept, although I think Freud just put altogether a lot of rambling with no scientific basis.

@EarlGrey How is that Freudian? haha

from the other comments, the only way your comment can be consistent is saying "asking is not unethical".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freudian_slip

@EarlGrey Oh, I guess. I deleted it to avoid the confusion.


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What does it mean if the (German) PhD I applied for keeps extending its deadline?
The PhD position I am applying for has extended its deadline (fully funded PhD at a German university). This post has already been extended 4 times, the first deadline was 30 July, then 31 August, then 31 October and now 30 November. I applied in October and I still have no reply (at least not knowing that I have been rejected).
What could be going on? Is it OK to ask about the status of my application?
The other positions offered in the same research project but in different departments already have someone.

How to proceed is to keep looking for other positions, not depending on this one working out.
The usual reason for extending deadlines is an insufficient number of applications (or submissions to conferences) that are considered viable. That may mean you are not being considered seriously, but it may not. If the rules require "fair treatment" of all applications, then they probably can't admit anyone until they close applications.
Yes, you can ask for status, but it might not result in much useful information. You haven't been definitely rejected, however, so there is some hope yet.

Note that this is the same basic answer given in the Workplace discussion. You're doing a job hunt. Most of the same best practices apply. Including not assuming you have the job until you have a written commitment and start date.


text:
What's the name of this citation style?
I am working on a research paper, and the journal I am submitting to requires a specific citation style for references. However, I am having trouble finding the correct format for one of my references on Zotero.
Here are the references:

[1] Buzdugan, Gh., Izolarea antivibratorie, Ed. Academiei Romane,
Bucuresti, 1993.
[2] Le Roux, J.P., Comparation of sphericity indices as related to the
hydraulic equivalence of setting grains, Journal of Sedimentary
Research, vol. 67, no. 3, 1997, p. 527 – 530.
[3] Murariu, G., Dariescu, C., Dariescu, M. A., Interacting fields - a
complet analytical solution, Proceedings of the VI-th International
Conference “ComTi” Timisoara, Romania, 2003, p. 238-239.
[4] Smith, J., U.S. Patent 8,143,241, 1998.
[5] http://pubs.ub.ro/?pg=revues&rev=mocm&sc=instructions
(25.07.2010).
[6] Stanchev Т., Systema za expresno opredeliane sprotivlenieto na
toplopreminvane na ograjdenia v jibotnovdny sgrady, Selskostopanskaya
Nauka, vol.5, 2008, p. 9-15.

I have tried searching for this citation style on Zotero, but I have not been able to find it. Can someone please help me identify the correct format for this citation?

Despite the trouble you have gone to, there is still not enough information to determine the citation style. The reason is that citation style refers to the combination of both the way the inline citation is done, which might be, for example as "[1]" or as "Buzdugan (1993)" and how the bibliography is formatted. I suggest that in your question you do two extra things. First, give an example sentence showing how the inline citation appears. Second, tell us what journal it is!!!!

@CrimsonDark this is the Journal of Engineering Studies and Research (JESR), the inline citation is done as following [1]

It's somewhat like the IEEE style. You can see an example in MS Word, which is the only place I know to see it.

I used the link on this page on Zotero support to go to this page on citation styles where I used the search by example feature, where I was unable to find any style that matched exactly. (To use the citation style matcher, it doesn't actually matter whether you are using Zotero, Endnote, or something else)
In circumstances where there is no suitable matching style for whatever citation-management-software (CMS) you are using, you have three different options:

Abandon the use of CMS altogether and do your inline citations and referencing manually. This is an extreme choice and I don't recommend it.
Use the closest CMS style that you can find (in your case, IEEE numbered seems to be an approximation) and then edit the references manually once your paper is complete. This method can work well ... but it pays to wait until the very late stages of preparing your paper. I have submitted papers to some journals where I knew that the referencing I had did not quite fit their style ... but I also knew that it wouldn't affect the review process and I could fix the style just before publication if my paper was accepted.
Take the time to use your CMS to edit an existing style so as to fit the style of the new journal. The value of doing this for you, personally, will depend on how much you enjoy hacking (!), and how often you're likely to submit to the particular journal. Others can also benefit from your work if you give your newly created style file to the citation software producer. I know that Zotero has a community upload site but I don't know about other citation managers.

I should say that one of the difficulties you will encounter in producing suitable formatting for the Journal of Engineering Studies and Research (JESR) is that there are only four (!) examples of formatted references in their author-guidelines; in contrast, the
American Psychological Society has dozens.  Fortunately, the JESR does give "default advice" on in the author-guidelines:

For other types of publications, where there is doubt include all bibliographical details.
Web references: As a minimum, the full URL should be given. It is indicated to include the date when the reference was last accessed.


text:
Which software is appropriate for drawing complicated block diagrams in academic papers?
What sort of software can I use to make block diagrams, such as those used in machine learning papers? For example, this graph:

From the paper: https://aclanthology.org/2020.emnlp-main.676.pdf

Note that software recommendations are generally on topic here. I suggested some edits to generalize the question for fields beyond machine learning.

And, there is now a meta discussion here.

Since this question is specifically about deep learning it would make sense to post it on https://ai.stackexchange.com. That graphic was most likely made in powerpoint.

@Taw I posted on the data science site and one advised me to post here.

I'll jump in with a recommendation of how I would create the picture for my paper.  Of course, reasonable people might disagree.
I write my papers in LaTeX, so I generally want a system that works well with the toolflow of LaTeX.  Therefore, I recommend TikZ.  It's a compilation process, where you write source code for the drawing you want and then after compilation you get to see the picture you created.  Then, you get to debug why the picture isn't quite right, fix your source code and repeat.
It isn't for everyone.  There is a steep learning curve.  But, I find there is lots of satisfaction in being able to control every aspect of the drawing.  I want my arrowheads to look like this, and I can get them to look like that, not the way that the Powerpoint developers thought arrowheads should look.  Same argument for colors, paths, shapes, text, shadows, alignment (especially alignment) ... everything.
And, it's free and likely to be supported for the rest of my career.  Not sure I can say the same for pictures drawn in other tools that I might want to use 40 years from now.
Also, there is an excellent StackExchange group (and plenty of others) that will give you quite particular help.  It's a great community!
As for the picture you show, there doesn't appear to be anything special that would make it impossible to draw in TikZ.  I wish I had a bit of free time to crank out the code for it and show you it is possible.

I agree that this isn't for everyone. I think it is infinitely easier to make this kind of diagram in some normal GUI graphics software, where if something is in the wrong position or the wrong size you can just drag it to fix the problem. Colors and alignment are easy in Powerpoint and probably the other things are too. Visio is probably better than Powerpoint.

I do not know how old TikZ is, but postscript is 40 years old already, It will probably outlast TikZ, but I believe it has an even worse learning curve if you want to code yourself.

I have made quite a few figures and graphical abstracts for scientific papers and have two recommendations that are user friendly and do not involve a steep learning curve. The first is Adobe Illustrator, a vector graphics editor with intuitive but powerful tools. It can be purchased for a monthly fee and used on most desktop computers, laptops or iPad. The second is Procreate, a raster graphics editor app made exclusively for the iPad. The app can be acquired through a one-time purchase and is a great option for those with an iPad and Apple pencil.


text:
Is it ethical to start PhD research in one group knowing I am very likely to want to switch to a different group next semester?
I am a PhD student in physics at a US institution. I've worked with a very good and supportive professor last summer in some area of research. The goal was to try a particular research group and see if it is a good fit. I was not committed to that group. The research work in that group is very much focussed on a particular method of computer simulations.
Now, I discovered that I am extremely interested in a different field of physics, which is much more theoretically oriented. I find that I am naturally much more capable of doing pure theory work in that other field of physics. I have to decide on which field I should be doing research on next spring. I found that all professors working on the field I am very interested in are not available next spring. At least one of them will take students next September though, but he still has to decide on which student he would take.
I am still very interested in one of the research questions that I started to think about last summer with the original group. The PI said he is available next spring.
My question: Would it be ethical to continue working with that group even though I know there's a possibility that I will switch fields next Fall? If I join, I intend to work as hard as I can on the project given to me, but I feel much more interested in (and capable in) the other field of research.
Thank you.

I think you should stress US by tag. In my country, doing that might lead a supervisor to remain without PhD students for a few years. Do not suppose that PhD positions are infinite in number, often there is a kind of timetable. I don't know how it works there. In many places it would be wrong, or at least a waste of money, time, effort etc for the leaved group/supervisor.

Mostly, it is. However, like the previous answer suggested, there is no problem in leaving a group for another if the particular subject that you're not working on is interesting enough. But it is important to be upfront about it with your supervisor, especially since you say that they are very supportive.
I had a friend who did this- he got an opportunity in another (better) institute, but as he was looking for this opportunity, he had told his supervisor that he may not stay in the group for long, because the topics didn't interest him. They had a good relationship, and the supervisor was supportive of this decision. Moreover, during this period, he completed all his pending work and published two or so papers with the supervisor. Now he is in another group, and they still occasionally collaborate together.
At the end of the day, you do not want to spoil your relationship with your current supervisor, since they can always be helpful in providing recommendations in the future. Be honest with them and tell that even though you love working with them, you feel you'd be better suited in another field of work, and that you want to start trying to look for other opportunities. Ask if you could stay longer to finish all the pending works, and if they agree, you can continue until you find yourself a new position. And when you apply for the new position, you again want to be upfront about already having a position, and the reasons for you to leave that.

The only ethical issue I see is if you were to abandon work that others depend on, leaving it unfinished. That might be a minor or a major issue, depending on circumstances.
But, it seems to me that you are leaving a sure thing for a possibility that might not work out. Perhaps you need a discussion with your supervisor about your direction. They might be amenable to a more theoretical turn (or not).
Your doctoral work doesn't set your career direction for life. It has an effect on what is open in your first positions afterwards, but you can always switch directions at some future point, especially if you attain tenure in academia.
So, I encourage you to look at all options and think long term.
There is a saying "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." Perhaps it is that, and notice that the saying may still be true if you cross the fence.

I think I have been focussed on a particular research field from the start. It's just that I discovered there are also interesting problems in other areas of physics as well. There's another problem that I'm not as good in computer work as I am in mathematics. This might change since programming can be seen as just another area of maths. But now, I feel much more interested in pursuing a certain kind of theoretical physics problems.


text:
How to respond to subtle racism in the lab?
I am a PhD student entering my fourth year, in a US institution. I have experienced subtle racism in the lab. My professor is Indian. In my lab, I work day and night to uplift the agenda, as a result I have more than 6 first-authored articles published in very reputable journals. My paper numbers and quality are superior to all the other grad students combined in my lab.  This didn't come for free. I never went to my home country and worked tirelessly for 3 years (never took a vacation).
However, in my lab, if there are any freebees, he loves to give them to the students from his home country or to the students of his religion. He likes to put other people's names on my papers and when it comes to their papers he tries to not put me there. Moreover, one time he made me do all the work and put me as a fourth author in a journal article, that time I protested. He looks the other way around for his other Indian students and Hindu students. However, whenever it comes to cutting salaries he is very enthusiastic about putting my name first.
In multiple cases, he has expressed his bigoted views about Muslims and my countrypersons. I can see that other students getting an easier pass with 1/10th of my work ethic. I was raised in an environment where this Hindu-Muslim conflict is considered a rural thing of uneducated people, however, I was shocked to see the subtle racism displayed by my own advisor (a father-like figure) towards me. I am shocked and sad at the same time. Also, my PhD is almost done, and it would be hard to prove the discrimination, I'm sure he could come up with "justifications." This is frustrating.
How do I navigate through this situation? Should I leave - or bear the burn? I have two objectives:

I have to make him realize that what he did was unfair.
Put me in second author papers to even the odds

I guess I never thought of my advisor as a father-like figure. They were not a father-like figure, they were my advisor with their own personality. But, use those first author papers and get out asap and move on.

What you're describing doesn't sound "subtle" at all (a fact which, while disturbing and sad, may actually make it easier to document the behavior and hold the professor accountable, should you choose to do so). But I agree with @CaptainEmacs, it's unclear what the question is. "How do I navigate the situation?" sounds too vague to be answerable.

@Robin Those are short-term goals, but what about longer term? Maybe you want more papers to increase the odds of finding a good position later, but then an alternate path to such a good position might also be ok for you? Or is obtaining satisfaction on this issue more important to you than your future career, maybe because you want to make the world a better place for those who will come after you? You say you are starting your 4th year, any idea how long it is until the end?

@Robin Have you spoken, even informally, to any other staff at your institution and if so, what was their take on this ?

What is your ethnicity? Is there any evidence of bias directed towards racialized minorities? This doesn't sound like an instance of racism per se so much as it is a simple case of implicit bias. Perhaps your professor is more comfortable and familiar around his Hindu students and less so around you, which is natural if he himself is Hindu (which is a racialized minority). That being said, with regards to his opinions on Muslims, that is highly unprofessional in a lab setting. You could gently advise against political discussion unless immediately relevant to the subject of the lab.

Please do not provide answers in the comments. The answer box is mere inches away, and short answers are OK so long as they answer the question. Also: various clarifications have been edited into the main post.

"I have more than 6 first-authored articles published". How many? 7? It doesn't really matter for this question, but I'd have a go at this language in anything i was reviewing!

I don't understand why people are voting that this is off-topic...

@Flyto you are going off-topic. the point of the topic is subtle racism. that is the professor putting people who don't deserve to be in the paper—moreover, putting other students above me when I have done the bulk of the work. I am just pointing out to the fact that I am not someone who doesn't do work and whining and complaining. Metrics are less susceptible to lies

Though religiopolitical views have no place in the lab, you haven't provided enough details with which to indict your professor as a racist. If anything, given the evasiveness of your replies as well as assumptions that your Indian (and specifically Hindu) colleagues aren't contributing enough, I would actually infer that the reverse is true.

I think you have two options. The best, I'd guess, is to try to expedite completion of your degree and get your career started, even if you have to completely ignore the treatment. You've invested a lot in it already and seem to have made progress. Getting fourth authorship is, I think, a short term problem. Don't let things like that interfere with your long term goals.
The other option is to leave for a better place and a more humane supervisor. This seems extremely costly in time, but many people have had to do it to succeed. Even staying in the same place and changing advisors would cost time and might require a change in direction.
You aren't likely to change attitudes of your supervisor. But if you have a path to graduation, take it and expedite anything you can. Once you are free to set your own goals you can also choose the people you work with. Good luck.

With 6 first-authored papers one hopes it won't be much longer...

Should I leave - or bear the burn?

Given that you've had multiple publications and have put in 3 years, I would say: Don't quit now. Whether you act or not, I believe it is in your best interest to close up your Ph.D. - based on your publications. I would expedite it rather than maximize the potential for more work; and while doing so, look for a position as a post-doctoral researcher or outside academia, depending on your plans.
If you were in your first year, I would have suggested trying to get a co-advisor, switching advisors, or otherwise "not staying".

This is frustrating.

It sounds infuriating! But beyond the personal frustration - which of course matters - there is the wider issue of the treatment other researchers are getting at that lab and from that professor. The Muslim (or wider/narrower discriminated group) members are, and will likely continue to be, mistreated - while all lab members, including the more 'privileged' ones, get a mis-education, inculcated with poor ethics and morals.
I believe you should do something about it. It's obviously a tricky balance with wanting to wrap up your Ph.D. and leave, but still. If the junior academic research staff at your institute is unionized - that seems like the best vehicle for tackling this problem: Talk to your departmental union rep about this, try to understand if this is an isolated case or if it happens elsewhere, consult with them, or with the union leadership, about avenues for applying pressure which do not put you at the forefront...
Otherwise, consider discreetly consulting groups/circles of faculty or even students at your university, whom you believe may be supportive, and are active on anti-discrimination etc.
Finally, if you're all alone - at the very least consider authoring an open letter, to be published as you leave.

Talk to your university's diversity team.
Your university almost definitely has a diversity team within its HR staff dedicated to things like preventing discrimination against women, people with disabilities, and other minorities. You're in the US, so this is literally a legal requirement. Religious discrimination against Muslims would definitely count.
At the very least, I'd inquire with them to find out what the process for making a complaint is.


text:
Is it possible to apply to grad school in the US with only subject GRE, not general GRE?
I have 3.94 GPA on 4.0 scale but I've really trouble in terms of time to prepare for both tests general and subject.
I prefer to prepare for only math subject test.
Could I apply to schools with only the math subject test, or is the general test a nearly-universal requirement?

It doesn't take that long to be reasonably prepared for the General. Mostly you just need to familiarize yourself with the format.

Every university is different. The GRE is less used than in the past, but some universities still ask for it or even require it. COVID, along with a general realization of its limitations has resulted in some schools dropping it.
So, you need to explore the specific requirements of any university you plan on applying to. But you need to do that in any case. Good luck.


text:
What's worse, failing or be approved with a bad grade?
I am in a very bad situation and would like some advise and claryfy a doubt.
I had a very troubled semester and I will probably fail most of the classes. It was an exception, but I can't save this semester anymore, it's already over, but I have the option to do a special exam for some classes. In my university, the special exam is a test including all semester content, of a given subject, that I can do at the end the semester if I reached 40% during the semester, the end score is an aritimetical average of the special test and my score during the semester.
I'm not sure if I try approval in the special exam, even if I don't learn so much and my grade became low, or if I do the semester again learning it right, since the problems that I had in the last semester no longer exists. What would you advise in this case?
One question I have is this: to get a scholarship or enter a master's program at a university, which would be worse, failing or low grades on the academic record?

In your institution, what happens if you retake the exact same class? In some, your old grade is replaced completely.

Agree, I think this really depends on your institution's policies. Some schools allow you to retake only failed classes (not classes you passed but did poorly in) but the original grade won't affect your GPA if you retake and pass. Others have no such policy.

Welcome to Academia.SE! You may want to check out our [help]; we're a little different from some other sites. In particular, we don't take "survey questions" like "how does X work at your school?" Also, we try not to change (or delete) the question after people have answered it, since this would invalidate their answers. Instead, you can just leave this post as it is and post new questions in a new post (but do check out our [help] first to see what kinds of questions we can help with). Cheers!

Both are bad, but if you can list and document reasons for the bad semester you can recover. Passing will enable you to move forward more quickly, however, rather than repeating a semester, which might delay you a year.
A lot of students have had trouble due to COVID. Others due to personal and family issues. Exceptional things can be explained and none of us need to think we need to be perfect.
Which courses give you trouble might be a deciding issue. Some are more important than others for your progress and it might be necessary to do something to assure you have the required knowledge. You need to decide whether you can let some things go (low grades) or really need to get needed instruction (repeating).
You might also consider whether your institution will allow you to re-take courses that you have technically passed in order to get a better grade. Some places replace the older grade with the newer. That can change your analysis. If so, take the special exam and then decide how to proceed.


text:
Acceptance requirements for PhD
I am a European student accepted for a PhD at an Ivy league University with scholarship. Extremely happy about that, but I have now become very stressed that the admission might be withdrawn.
In the admission letter there is a general requirement to send transcripts from prior institutions. I have a bachelor degree, and with transcripts sent in as part of the application. I am in the process of finalising a Master's degree, but I will not be awarded the degree before the PhD program starts. This is due to an administrative issue: the university had told me that my class schedule would meet the requirements for a master's, but then changed their mind after classes had begun.
When looking at the admission requirements of the university the minimum requirements are Bachelor's degree and language requirements so I feel that it will not be a problem. But I have written in my application that I am doing a Master's.
Will a missed Master's affect my admission to the university or is the Bachelor degree sufficient?

What does it mean that the university made an error when registering your courses?

They told me that taking a set of courses would make me eligible for a master's degree, but later changed their mind. The important thing is not if they will give me the master (which they won't), but if it is required that I complete it before starting the PhD

It's entirely up to the program you applied to.

You'll find that the US is in general much less bureaucratic and attached to formal requirements than Europe.  You might find this maddening or a breathe of fresh air or both.

Basically, it seems you are asking if your matriculation is conditional on the acceptable completion of your Masters, successful completion of the courses in which you are currently enrolled, or neither. We current faculty can tell you what our individual department policies on this would be and our general sense of what would be reasonable, but we can't speak for the institution where you are accepted. It seems this is best answered by them.

No, most doctoral programs in the US don't require a masters to start, though some offer one along the way. If the program you have been accepted for says that a bachelors is sufficient then it meets this common practice. There are some exceptions to this rule, as the US doesn't have a uniform system of higher education other than in broad outline.
But you still need to send the masters-level transcripts, which give courses and such, though it won't show (and doesn't need to show) completion of the degree. Transcripts of all prior higher education is also a normal requirement in the US.
The reason that an offer might be withdrawn would normally be based on some academic misconduct of the candidate that occurs and comes to light. But that isn't what you describe.

Thank you, I can sleep a little lighter tonight. This means that the normal process after I accept a offer is that I need to ask my university to send my bachelor's degree, and my grades from the master courses I took (likely around april/may), and that universities don't usually ask you to resend proof of master's degree after that is accepted in june/july?

@pulsesc If you said you'd have a master's degree when you applied, it'd be perfectly reasonable for them to expect to see that you have a master's degree.

I did not say I had a master's degree, but I registered that I was in the process of obtaining it, including adding my grades.

@BryanKrause, the OP has said they are "doing a MS", not that they possess one. Ergo, no issue.

@Buffy I assumed that OP meant that they would have completed their masters before starting the PhD, otherwise why would they be concerned now that they will not complete that degree?

@pulsesc Not that you have one, but presumably you indicated you would have one.

@BryanKrause, nobody could guarantee the truth of such a statement.

@Buffy I'm not sure that I follow. It's normal for applicants to graduate school to have degrees in-progress, since the admissions process usually occurs (at least in the US) in the middle of the school year. That's why final transcripts are not required at the time of application but some time later, instead. A student should be able to predict what degree they will have by the time they matriculate.

I think the crux here is that the OP will be short one or two courses and will not receive the masters degree by the time they matriculate. I would guess most PhD programs would not be upset about this, but the OP should be candid about this with director of the program to get an official “this is fine” email.

I agree, this seems like a question that should be closed rather than answered. It may be that OP was admitted specifically because they were on track to complete a master's; in this case, the lack of a master's may well be a problem (especially if it seems likely that similar problems will recur during the PhD). Or it may be that OP was admitted because of their undergraduate work, and no one cares about the master's at all. Only the program in question can answer.