text:
Doing Math Research in a "non-mathematical" environment
I have graduated with a PhD in pure mathematics about 18 months ago and right after my graduation, I started working for a private college, teaching some low level courses such as College Algebra and Calculus. I have not done any research since my graduation but I always feel that my life is incomplete without research level mathematics. My college has a good environment in many ways but not mathematically.
But I still want to pursue my dream of doing some research in mathematics. Here are some facts about my situation:

Changing Job: For personal reasons, I do not want to quit my job, at least for now. I may consider a new job after five or ten years. But I would not mind finding a part-time job.
Funds: My college provides a very small fund for my academic usage, including purchasing books, travelling to conferences, etc.
Personnel: There are only a few mathematics teachers here and none of them is doing any research level mathematics. So I can hardly find any mathematical support in my college.
Motivation: I will not get promoted or receive any salary raise, whether I publish any paper or not. So my motivation will be from love of mathematics and (possibly) another job in the far future.
Resources 1: I do not have access to good data bases such as MathSciNet. My school library carries very limited books in my area but I can go to a good library in another university if needed.
Resources 2: There is a good university within a reasonable driving distance and there are a few mathematicians there in my field.
Time issue: During the semesters my spare time is very limited. I have more free time during the winter and summer break that I am willing to devote to mathematical research.

Any suggestions for me to do my research in this environment will be greatly appreciated.

Any suggestions for me to do my research in this environment will be greatly appreciated. My suggestion is to clarify what you are asking, since as of now there doesn't seem to be an actual question here.

Thanks @DanRomik for your comment. Basically I am asking: What should I do if I want to do mathematical research, giving that I am in this environment?

I think your question is likely to be a duplicate of several other questions on this site. Check out the [tag:independent-researcher] tag. You are essentially in the same situation as any other person with a full-time job outside a research-oriented department who wants to do research in their spare time, so many of the questions in that tag will be applicable.

For example, here  is one question that seems relevant.

@DanRomik, yes, though the asker may not be in an exactly same environment as I, the answers and comments there provides invaluable information for me. Thanks for that!

@DanRomik: Having some affiliation with a post-secondary institution, even if it's not a research-oriented place, can give one significant advantages compared to a completely independent researcher.  So I think that is relevant here.

@NateEldredge, thanks for pointing out this! May I know what are the advantages for this affiliation?

@Zuriel: See my answer, e.g. affiliation may entitle you to library privileges at other institutions.  Also, one concern that I think some people have when encountering unaffiliated mathematicians is that they may be cranks.  Having any sort of academic affiliation will help overcome this.

@NateEldredge good comment and answer, thanks. +1 to both.

It is possible to do some research in mathematics while you are teaching at the College. It may be difficult but possible. It's my personal experience. I have written serveral papers teaching at a high school. After I got my PhD I kept in contact with my advisor and we have written several papers. Of course it is important to keep contact with people in your field. It's difficult to attend meetings because of your work. But probably you'll be able to attend a couple of  them every year. Good luck.

@mfl, thanks for your comment! Just a question out of curiosity: Do your publications make any difference on your job as a high school teacher? Does your high school give you any acknowledgement/award/promotion for your research?

Absolutely not. Just personal satisfaction. Even to attend some meeting I have lost the salary of a week.

Even the university I worked with didn't give an e-mail. But I wouldn't change the time I spent doing it. It was and it is a pleasure. Unfortunately I have less free time now and I almost can do a little reseach. So, if you want to do some reseach you can do it. The answer given by @NateEldredge gives you good advice. Again, good luck.

@BenCrowell, do you have suggestions on where I should seek guidance for my question?

The proximity of a large university can be a big plus.  Here are some things you might find helpful:

Get in touch with the people in your field there, telling them you are in the area and are interested in keeping up with mathematical activities in their department.  Ask to be added to their mailing list for seminar announcements, etc.
Try to arrange your teaching schedule so as to be able to attend seminars at the big university at least occasionally; regularly, if possible.  If there is dinner after the seminar, try to go.  Talk with the faculty (and the visiting speaker) and look for shared interests, that might lead to things you could collaborate on.
See what kind of access you can get to their library.  At minimum, you should be able to walk into their library and use MathSciNet, read books, download papers from their journal subscriptions, etc.  You can probably also arrange borrowing privileges, and possibly remote access, either as a member of the general public (maybe for a fee) or as a professional courtesy based on your affiliation with your own institution.  The university's faculty in your area might be able to help if you run into bureaucratic hurdles with this.

Also, don't discount your own institution's library.  Even if they don't have much in the way of books and subscriptions, it is very likely that you can get almost anything you want via inter-library loan, albeit with some delay.  Get to know your professional librarians.
And a note regarding funding: it's not unusual for conferences to have some travel funding available for participants.  (This is more common for smaller specialized conferences than for big general events like the Joint Math Meetings.)  Fresh PhDs like you usually get first priority for this, so try to take advantage while you can.

Thank you for your answer! It is very helpful and encouraging.

@Zuriel If you want access to MathSciNet (just the database itself) it is possible to pair your computer with it when accessing it through a university network, such as Eduroam. This gives you access when using that computer for 90 days and it can be refreshed whenver you are on such a network.

@TobiasKildetoft: It's true that this works, but the terms of use seems to say this is only allowed to be used by people actually affiliated with the university.

Ahh, I suppose I had not read those that thoroughly (or at least not remembered that part).

Regarding your point #5 (database access), there are alternate online resources which are superior to what is likely available through university subscriptions: I am at an ivy league university with its attendant resources, and when I'm off campus I get my papers and online book pdf's via Ukraine, rather than navigate my library website.
Regarding points #3 and #6, having someone to bounce your ideas off is extremely important. Cultivate that contact, as alternate perspectives are vital for robust ideas. If you have no personal or professional relationship with these people, and your work is outside their direct research interests, be aware of the magnitude of what you're asking. It's quite a significant ask to drop what they're doing to focus on your project, especially as you may not be well situated to notice its flaws.
Good luck and keep going.

Thanks for your advice! May I know what are the examples of "alternate online resources which are superior to what is likely available through university subscriptions"?

@Zuriel Sounds awfully like it translates to 'piracy'.


text:
What is the best way to go about doing research as an undergrad (pointed question inside)?
I am a 19 year old sophomore at a well-regarded state university.  I currently have a double major in the arts/humanities and public policy, with a minor in linguistics.  I just took the intro to PoliSci course, and I think I've done pretty well in it (practically guaranteed a 4.0).
Anyways, onto the question.  So I emailed my professor (as it was an entirely online course), and sent this....
"Professor ----,
[insert some stuff about grades, course]
Lastly, are you aware of any research/volunteer opportunities in the PoliSci department at ---?  I am aware of the [insert name of local policy network], but was wondering if you knew about any other interesting things going on.  I'm really interested in public policy (my additional major is in it!), but the international relations section in the course also interested me.  I'm particularly interested in humanitarian/human rights work.  I haven't taken many PoliSci courses yet, but I would be interested in getting involved in the PoliSci Department in any capacity.
Thanks,
Corjine"
He responded a few days later with this:
"Hi Corjine,
[stuff about courses/grade]
In terms of research work, most professors are happy to work with students as both research assistants (i.e., you help a faculty member on their work) or as research advisors (i.e., you work on your own research project and a faculty member provides oversight). I'd recommend looking at our bios online and directly contacting anyone that who's work look interesting or related to what you're wanting to research on your own. If you need additional help, you can also ask me and I'll do my best to refer you to the most appropriate person (I can also send an email introduction to that faculty member to help grease the wheels)." [emphasis mine]
thanks,
Professor ---"
I haven't taken many PoliSci courses yet.  The meat of my courses for this upcoming year will be my arts/humanities and linguistics courses, as that is how my degree is designed.  The majority of my junior and senior level classes being PoliSci and upper level courses.  So for the next year or so, I'm not going to have much formal polisci experience.  I'll only be taking public policy analysis and a methods of analysis class (read: statistics for PoliSci students).
What I'm worried about is how I'll go about getting research experience without much of an academic background in it.  I've had a passion/enthusiasm for politics for a long time, and the intro class was a breeze for me (barring a few theoretical concepts).  I'm just afraid about how it will pan out if I take shots in the dark without having the proper background, so to speak.  I'd love to get a jumpstart on research/volunteering/engagement if possible, but would it be more valuable for me to wait until junior year?  And would that reduce my chance of a good recommendation from the professor?
I really am at a loss here.  I haven't had any formal research experience before, and I'm working my first, true job this summer.  I'm winging it the best I can, but I want to make sure I'm not totally shooting myself in the foot at the starting gate.  Any suggestions/advice would be helpful!
tl;dr Is enthusiasm/willing to learn a good substitute for formal academic experience, or should I just hang tight for a year and wait to do some research?
Also, if this isn't an appropriate question for SE (I'm still pretty new here), let me know and I'll post elsewhere.  Thanks!

I think the professor gave you the answer you seek already. Ask and you will be told :). Btw., let me congratulate on having so helpful faculty in your institution. I certainly know professors with whom this mail exchange would have been significantly less fruitful.

There is no harm in asking.
To answer your tl;dr question, it depends.  "Research" is not a monolithic thing.  Some professors may be working on projects that would be accessible to someone without a strong background in the subject, or would be willing to work with you to bring you up to speed.  Other projects may need someone who already has a strong background in a particular area and can jump right in.
Clearly you would be looking for a project of the first kind, and the only way to know whether anyone has one to suggest is to ask.  If you hear of something promising, talk to the professor; try to get a sense of whether it seems like something that would be interesting and accessible to you.  Be honest with the professor about what background you do or don't have.  (Don't try to present yourself as knowing more than you do; if you end up working on a project that you aren't prepared for, the result will only be frustration for everyone.)
If you find something that seems to be a good fit for you, great; if not, try again next year, with more courses under your belt.

Many schools have a program specifically to allow professors to list openings for undergraduate assistants. Whether any of those openings will be in your department, and whether any of them will be able to use you before you've gotten some basic grounding in the fields, is an open question... but that's where I'd start looking.

We do have research assistantships, but their availability is very much geared towards honors college students.  If you aren't in the honors college, you actively have to seek them out.

It's okay if you don't have all the "prerequisite" knowledge. I think undergrad research is primarily supposed to be a learning experience. At least, that's what my experience has been.
To give an anecdote, I switched majors to computer science last semester. I expressed interest in AI to a professor, and soon enough I was doing undergrad research on AI. I obviously didn't know anything about it at the time, but I have nonetheless been one of the biggest contributors to the project.
Computer science may be different from your field, but I think the general idea should still stand. If you're willing to put in the effort to learn what you don't yet know, why should anyone else be bothered that you didn't know it in the first place?

source: Stack Exchange

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

authors: คือว่า จั่งสั้นล่ะ

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

sort: votes


text:
Speech disabilites for PhD admission for international applicants
One of my Iranian friends wants to apply for a PhD program in computer science to a US university. He can't speak fluently even in our native language at all, but in the other side he has a relatively strong background:

Good GPA in both MSc. and BSc. (> 18 out of 20)
First rank in BSc.
Graduated from most prominent university in Iran (Sharif Univ. of Tech.)

Question: is there any chance for his application to be approved and for him to get funded?
Note that my question is a little general. I'm not considering a particular university. What I am looking for is how much is it possible for a PhD student to not participate in presentations, lectures, team works, typically all works in which he should speak.
In the other hand, I've listed below what he can do perfectly.

Teacher assistant for lower level students (designing exams, assignments, marking exams/quizzes papers, but not presenting at classroom)
Review scholarly articles/papers
Generally all regular jobs that a normal PhD student can do (excluding speech presentations and such assignments)

I guess one issue would be that many U.S. universities require the TOEFL; he'll have to make sure that they actually read his application and don't summarily reject him for low/missing TOEFL scores. I wonder how best to achieve this?

@NateEldredge Thanks for your comment, Yes you're right, he should pass TOEFL, but I as far as I know ETS organization have some options for disability accommodations. Maybe it's possible to customize his TOEFL test.

Provided he is fluent in written English, I cannot see how his application could legitimately (or legally) be discriminated against. If he can listen to a spoken conversation without problems, that will hugely decrease the concessions needed to accommodate his disability.
Provided he can listen to spoken English without a problem, I do not see why even giving presentations is an unreasonable expectation either. Why not do so in the style of Stephen Hawking, setting to the presentation slides a pre-prepared monologue that is read out by a speech synthesizer? If he is a reasonably fast typist, responding to questions should not be a significant problem either.
This style of communication could even be extended to taking tutorial classes, networking at conferences, etc. Sure, it's a bit awkward and people may take a little while to adjust. But it certainly seems doable.
Perhaps this is relevant reading: Is it possible for people with a stutter to have a career in academia?

Thanks for your answer!, I've already read that question you've pointed to, but I think my question is a bit more specific than that one. Yes his listening skill, in my opinion, is very good.

Stephen Hawking is a very well known cosmologist, who suffers from motor neurone disease. He lost his ability to speak a few decades ago, and now communicates with one cheek muscle.

I cannot see how his application could legitimately (or legally) be discriminated against — I can.  My university requires a TOEFL speaking score of 24 for any international student to be a teaching assistant, and my department requires all PhD students to hold a TAship before they graduate.  As a result, we very rarely admit anyone with a TOEFL speaking score below 20, and all such students are expected to raise their score to at least 24 within their first year. (1/2)

All that said, if the applicant revealed their speech disability and their record was otherwise strong, I assume we would admit them and provide accommodation. (The department where I got my PhD, which also had a TA requirement, made similar accommodations for a fellow PhD student with severe cerebral palsy.) (2/2)

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/


text:
Strategies to strengthen self-discipline as a PhD student
The main troubles in my academic experience can be summarized in two popular (if somewhat cheesy) sayings:

"Careful what you wish for" and
"With great power comes great responsibility"

Throughout my high school and undergraduate education I kept (naively, I now reckon) chasing the dream of ultimate academic freedom, where I would be able to study freely and learn at will, unencumbered by artificial constraints like scheduled classes, deadlines, curricula, etc. So I went after it, first getting a master's and now a pursuing PhD, but now that the classes and assignments are finally over, I find myself unable to handle the freedom I wished for. It wasn't even a sudden change: at each step, as the external support/control structures grew thinner, I had to rely more and more in self-discipline, but I failed to recognize my ineptitude on time.
Now, I'll be the first to admit that this issue isn't new or unique (indeed, the two most voted questions on this site deal with this kind of problem), but here's why I'm still asking this question: what I'm aiming for isn't tools or best practices;
todo lists, well-defined schedules, website blockers, I've tried pretty much all of those, and I've also read a lot about procrastination, motivation, flow, etc. I've been battling these issues for several years now, and I've been through this cycle many times, attempting new tools and techniques that work for a while, only to find myself back in a self-defeating loop of procrastination. I recently decided to seek psychological counseling precisely because I recognized I wasn't able to deal with this alone.
Essentially, I recognize my dependence on a structured environment to be productive, but also (due to attempting and failing many times) my inability to create and maintain such external structures. I'm therefore looking for strategies to improve my ability to motivate myself to actually follow the rules I try to impose on myself. So rather than creating friction in trying to control my behavior, I'm seeking strategies that make it the path of least resistance to be productive and organized. My hopes, since all else has failed so far, is to use the fake it till you make it approach to eventually become an actual organized and self-disciplined person.
As an example, I have suppressed all sorts of notifications (a common advice), and don't keep my email or any such pages open in the background, to minimize the chance of interruptions. I also changed the chair in my desk to one that makes it less easy to slouch, based on the principle that body posture affects mental state. Setting defaults such as these essentially "outsources" decisions I would otherwise have to make consciously, thus depleting my willpower. I also use Beeminder to "outsource motivation", but it doesn't fit perfectly to every case. I'm interested in hearing how others dealt with the need to gradually develop the ability to self-regulate, particularly in the context of academia.

EDIT: I think my question was a little more pessimistic than it should (and definitely too verbose, sorry!). To be clear, my previous attempts did lead to some long-term improvement, but in a rather slow, two-steps-forward-one-step-backward kind of way. I'm not claiming those techniques don't work, but I believe it would be useful for many people to have a compiled list of environmental changes that "outsource" the need to make small decisions that otherwise have to be made each time, since most productivity advice focuses on the latter.

Grad school isn't the party that undergrad was.  Read lots of papers in your discipline (once you've found your niche).  Talk to lots of people.  Network (as opposed to notwork).  Stay curious.  Ask questions if you're confused.  And most of all, remember, at the end of the day, it's all on you.

I've been hoping you'd get a good answer on this one since you posted it. However, on reflection, I don't think you're going to get much out of this. From what you've covered it sounds like what you're trying to do is avoid grit, and that's going to be more fundamental than anything else. As a former Beeminder user, I realized that at some point it becomes a useless crutch -- it's great for establishing a habit, but internalizing it is the key. It seems you need to start internalizing your self-regulation, but in the end, that's on you!

Thanks for the comments. I am generally a pretty stubborn person and don't give up easily on projects (personal, academic or otherwise). But that perceived ability has been fed by the nature of my past endeavors, which usually provide progress indicators reasonably often. With the PhD I've realized how weak my ability to self-regulate actually is, without such indicators, and I am precisely trying to improve it, not avoid it :) I'm not seeking exclusively environmental changes (as opposed to internal ones), but I chose to focus this question on those, as they may (hopefully) work faster.

I recently finished High School and I'm about to start University. I had a similar problem when studying for my final exams. This really helped me so take it or leave it, here's what helped for me:
1) Don't commit to doing huge mountains of work, you will only find procrastinating easier. Only plan to do a small bit and if you don't get into the rhythm of things then that's all you have to do.
2) Go for a jog/run. I would go at a regular pace until I really wanted to stop, then I would go just a bit more, to the post ahead, then to the next post and so on, forcing myself to keep going. Then, with the same attitude in mind, I would study just doing one more paragraph, and the next, and so on. Little Victories.
3) Remember: Every time you fail or feel like stopping, somebody else just gave up and each time you keep on trying, you do better and better than the people who gave up when you didn't.
I hope this helps.

Thanks, the suggestions (especially #1) are really good. In the spirit of correctness, though, since your post doesn't technically answer the question (one-off, environmental changes that "outsource" the need to make small decisions that otherwise have to be made each time), I will upvote, but not mark it as accepted. Hope you agree!

In order to increase your mental toughness and resilience, a routine is necessary, and it takes time to get used to a higher level of work, some things that may help you out:

a walk every day(to clean the melatonin from the bloodstream, it
slows down thinking)
a gym membership helps a lot ( you get a good night of sleep and it helps you stay motivated)
2 (coffee/tea) pauses, one in the morning and in the evening
a time tracker app or notebook to track time and see how you handle yourself every day, and a timesheet ( i find that more then 40 hours makes you burn out long term )
a weekend routine to destress (hobby, meeting friends, ...)
a todo list of tasks/shores home related, daily things
a community to join so you can help people in your related field, and get motivated doing so, or maybe a personal project

There are still some days you will find your self unmotivated, I try to push through and listen to podcast/show or work in library or outside of home.

I have only one advice, which was and is the only working solution for me: change your environment drastically.
It looks like you tried hard to work in your office, and that you decided to suppress any things that can distract you from work. It also seems that it does not work at all. The problem can be the place instead of the furniture, or the potential distractions.
For me the solution was quite simple, and worked and still work very well : I NEVER work in my office. I think while walking or cycling or doing manual work. I wrote stuff on papers at home, in a bar, in a starbuck, in a public park, etc. And finally, I am going back to the office only for the things that need a computer (e.g. writing papers, grant proposals, and slides for the lectures).
After a while, you will probably have a routine : a walk in the morning, then a coffee in a place where you draft your ideas, then the rest of the day in the office, for the boring stuff.

I'm going to provide a different perspective: don't worry about it.
Feeling productive, efficient or organized doesn't really matter in the end. You graduate by producing creative work.
Unfortunately doing creative work meant

making far less progress than you expected given your effort
chasing lots of dead ends because no one knows the answer
spending lots of time iterating on ideas or writing with little guidance (your advisor isn't responsible for the paper or your graduation, you are!)

I believe the above is far worse for other creative endeavors (e.g., math) than my field (CS).
You just need to stay motivated by recognizing that it's not meant to feel a certain way, and grind.
You almost always need some luck. You get lucky by staying in the game. Then you will finally produce something worthy after a long grind. You will feel rewarded. And the cycle starts again, until you graduate.
In fact, if you are doing creative work (e.g., research) in your jobs, it's the same.
You simply get over worrying about things. The reward of creative work will keep you going.


text:
Should recommendation letters be from the home university of a student?

Possible Duplicate:
Does a recommendation have to be from a professor from your university?

I am applying to an applied math graduate program in the US. I frequently interact with professors from other institutions. Some are from math departments and others are from other departments. Could they write letters of recommendation for me?

Similar question: http://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/2596/does-a-recommendation-have-to-be-from-a-professor-from-your-university

Yes, they could write letters for you.  In fact, strong letters from faculty outside your home department or university will likely help your application.
One caveat, though: A strong recommendation letter must praise your potential for research in applied mathematics, not just in the writer's native discipline, in specific and credible detail.  Moreover, it must be clear that the writer has the expertise to judge that potential; that expertise may not be clear from their departmental affiliation alone.  So you should consider asking your references to include a short paragraph in their letter, explaining their own applied math background (either as a researcher themselves or as a reference for past successful grad students).


text:
Will an internship in biology benefit me when my major is not biology?
I'm an undergraduate majoring in chemistry. But I'm very much interested in the field of biology too.
Will an internship in biology benefit me, say when I apply for graduate school? I don't yet know what I'll be specialising in later on. If I decide to specialise in biology, then all's good. But what if I stick with something primarily chemistry? Then will it look like I don't have enough experience in chemistry?
Also, can I ask my department's HOD or any other chemistry professor for a recommendation letter while applying for the internship in biology? Since he's a chemistry professor, even if I did ask and he did write me one, will that count for much? After all, it's going to talk about my skills, etc. in chemistry, and not biology.
On the other hand, if I didn't ask him for a recommendation letter and I asked only some of the Life Sciences professors for it, will it be unethical, or would he take offence? ( I have no idea about etiquette regarding these things)
I don't want to do something that's going to get me in his bad books.

As to your last question, it's perfectly fine to ask, or not ask, for a letter from whoever you choose. Nobody will be offended at being asked, or not asked. On the other hand, if there are several people who can write you good letters, you might as well ask all of them (up to any limit set by the organization to which  you are applying).

I completed undergraduate summer internships in biology although I ultimately wound up applying (and attending) graduate school in psychology. Although the internship did not directly align with my current career path, at the time it helped me narrow down my professional interests. In applying for jobs and graduate school, my internships, regardless of discipline, were seen as evidence that I was motivated, organized, and had some experience in professional settings.
At the undergraduate level many skills (including solid record keeping, attention to detail, and proper lab technique) are transferable across scientific disciplines. Further, completing one internship outside your discipline shouldn't significantly stunt your ability to prepare for graduate school in chemistry.
Having a letter of support from any professor should be acceptable, provided it is a strong letter. In all likelihood, your advisor will know you the best and be able to write the most supportive letter. However, if a life sciences professor knows you well, a second letter or co-written letter might be helpful.

The thing is, I don't have anyone called an advisor. While applying for the internship in Biology, would it be better to ask for letters from Biology professors or Chemistry ones? (Assuming both know me equally well and I could get a strong letter from either)

If that's the case, and you feel both can speak equally well to your abilities and experience, then the letter from the biology professor may be preferable. However, I think either should be fine.


text:
Focusing on GRE, subject GRE, TOEFLS, IELTS before applying?
Applying to the US:
I just finished my master's in mathematical finance. I want to apply for a PhD in math (but not in mathematical finance).
Can I start applying this year while studying and taking exams (GRE, subject GRE, IELTS, TOEFLS), or might my time be better spent on the latter?
I'm fluent in English, it's my only language, and I have a master's in math so I don't expect the GRE, IELTS or TOEFLS to be too difficult, but I may have to spend a lot of time studying for the Math GRE, which appears to be the equivalent of an LSAT/MCAT for master's or PhD and a bar exam/USMLE for bachelor's or master's.
What is the common practice in this matter? Do graduate school applicants first focus on studying and taking GRE, subject GRE, IELTS, TOEFLS, etc and then worry about applications after?
Suppose a graduate school applicant intends to study for one of those. On average how long does it take to study for, apply for, take one of those exams once (for the sake of example) and get the test (just one, for example) score?

Some applicants spend time studying for those exams, because if they didn't, they wouldn't score high enough to get into the programs they're interested in. Some don't study because they get good scores without studying.

@ff524 Sorry for being unclear. I edited my post. Thank you

Your English seems fine to me. Just do a TOEFL sample test, that's it, and you should be fine. Just tell them that you have a hearing problem and they'll sit you next to the tape player. When I took the test, it was just one tape player for a giant auditorium, I was sitting near it, but I really felt sorry for the people that were sitting far away from it as I am sure they could hardly hear anything.

Are you Indian?

For grad school, the GREs and TOEFL are treated more as thresholds. Once you cross the target score it may not have much of a bearing on your admission. For the general GRE, do some of the sample exams provided by ETS and see how far your score is from the prescribed targets. You can count on improving at about 5 points per week (so if you score 310 and your university needs 325, plan to study for three weeks). The TOEFL shouldn't be an issue for you based on your other Academia posts. The subject GRE requires at least 2 months of serious preparation. Again, try to see where you stand.
Try to do the exams at least a month before the application deadline, as that is how long it could take for the scores to reach their destination. If you are applying for a competitive program, you will need all your scores in place. Since it is only June, you have enough time to apply this year (to join next Fall).

Thank you for answering and checking out my other posts Jedi! :) Wait in your opinion, if I start studying for GRE, TOEFL, IELTS and subject GRE and applying for universities right now, I can start my PhD in 2017-2018 if I get accepted in a PhD program? Are you speaking from personal experience? What was your subject GRE?

"For grad school, the GREs and TOEFL are treated more as thresholds. Once you cross the target score it may not have much of a bearing on your admission."
But if you don't cross the target score, it has huge bearing on your non-admission?

I'm Computer Science (years ago). Most application deadlines are early December; so yes, esp. if you can study full-time, giving the exams by mid-Nov should not be a problem for a native English speaker. I read this PhD guide from faculty here before I decided. And yes, admission committees at competitive programs which take in ~10-30 students every year out of 1000+ applicants look for any excuse (e.g. below cutoff TOEFL/GRE) to not have to read your pile. LORs and where you're from matter a lot for PhDs

You'd like an 80 percentile score to be safe. Greater than 95 percentile and it actually boosts your application (quant and subject GREs).

Jedi, what's quant GRE? the regular one?

Yep. The general GRE has 2 main components-- verbal and quantitative reasoning.

You mean that the general GRE quant component may have more impact or relevance on my application than the verbal component?

I mean that the threshold for an acceptable quant score may be in the 90th percentile whereas you may be okay with a score in the 70th percentile in verbal reasoning.

IELTS and TOEFL are equivalent English proficiency test. As such, you normally take one or the other. It is strange you have to take either of these tests if English is your only language. This implies that you may originate from a country were English is not the mother tongue.
I would advise studying diligently for the IELTS/TOEFL even if English is your only language. I have seen too many people who only know English do poorly on the IELTS/TOEFL because they took it for granted. They did not even study how the test was setup and were unprepared. In addition, many people possess native speaking ability by their mastery of the language is unconventional for an academic setting. This has left many students frustrated as they understand everything in English but still score poorly. Familiarizing yourself with the test should significantly reduce the risk of being surprised. You don't want to miss out on a dream because of poor assumptions.
I think you already know you need to study for the GRE. Again you must be familiar with the content and expectations of the exam in order to do even better.
English proficiency is more important than GRE. If you cannot demonstrate English proficiency your GRE score will mean very little. After basic English  proficiency comes a closer look at your GRE score.

I'm not sure you answered my question, but sorry for the confusion about the IETLS/TOEFLS/GRE. I plan to study those, but not to the extent I plan to study for the Math GRE

I think some schools require an English proficiency test for any student who was educated outside the USA. Others do not require it if you were educated in an English-speaking country.


text:
Does one need a master's in math before taking a PhD in pure math?
I finished bachelor's in mathematical finance and am nearly finished with master's in mathematical finance (I am already done with thesis), and I plan to pursue a PhD not in mathematical finance but in pure mathematics particularly stochastic analysis.
Is getting into a PhD in pure mathematics possible without a master's in pure mathematics? If so, how can I best prepare for it what difficulties may I encounter?
I have two concerns in particular:

I feel I do not have enough training in mathematical research. In undergraduate studies, we did not have many mathematical research projects. Some of our projects included researching on particular topics involving applications of mathematics we learned (since we were an applied mathematics course) and problem sets, but I don't know for how much they count towards mathematical research experience. We had some statistics and finance projects, but obviously they don't count.

We did not have a thesis in undergraduate studies, and most of our theses in master's did not involve much pure mathematics (which in mathematical finance would be stochastic analysis since as far as I know no other non-statistical math is used in mathematical finance). I have a hunch none of us this batch or in the batches before us ever had to research in mathematics for our/their theses.

I do not have much exposure to other kinds of mathematics. One of my coursemates helped me realize that one of my reasons of choosing stochastic analysis is our limited exposure to other math. I was aware of this but did not think this was a problem.

As far as I know, MS Math programs require Complex Analysis, Real Analysis, Linear Algebra, Abstract Algebra and then some electives and thesis. I don't think the lack of classes is a problem as I guess I can take those during the PhD program. To me, it seems my concern is the lack of a mathematical thesis.
So, is my limited exposure to other math a problem?
Our math classes besides Calculus I, II, III, Linear Algebra and Elementary Probability are:

1 class of each: ODE, PDE, Discrete Mathematics, Numerical Analysis/Scientific Computing, Elementary Real Analysis (the one with Riemann-Stieltjes), Advanced Real Analysis (the one with Lebesgue), Advanced Probability (the one with Measure Theory)
4 Statistics classes. (As I like to put it, "More statistics than I'll ever use in my life.")
NO Complex Analysis, Abstract Algebra, Topology, Graph Theory or Number Theory (though the last 2 are in our discrete mathematics, they weren't taught in our discrete mathematics classes).
2 Stochastic Calculus classes

This comment says I should be "be comfortable with mathematical proof in a variety of areas"

Given that you've just updated this question after three years; have you come any closer to an answer?

@YemonChoi I believe I can get in a pure math PhD program as local applicant in Country A if I study on my own well enough to discuss what professors of a certain research area in any given math department in a statement of purpose/research proposal. As for the credential, I hope to back this up with an improved GRE grade. I'm aiming for improvement in grade from GRE 2 years ago not a high grade when I take GRE this October. This way there's qualitative (SoP/research) as well as quantitative (GRE subject) basis in my application.

@YemonChoi By improved but not higher I mean I will still do the proof-based books instead of Schaum's outlines or the ones here. This is part of an answer I will write to myself over here.

After so many years, have you got your doctor's degree? During your applying to a PhD, what difficulties did you meet, and how did you solve them? Maybe you can write them down as an answer here or somewhere else as a reference for other guys.

It depends on the country.
In the US, it is frequent that students go from undergrad right into their PhD. While there, some do get a Master's, but as a side effect of coursework for the Ph.D. Though, I myself did get a Master's first.
I believe it is more common in Europe to get a Master's first due to the shortened Ph.D. process there.

I believe it is more common in Europe In many european countries, it´s not even allowed/possible to skip the master degree.

Thanks Chris C. Yeah, I found out about the whole US vs Europe thing. Had no idea academia varied so much ( http://meta.academia.stackexchange.com/questions/1203/welcome-to-academia-se/1212#1212 ).

This question depends on many things. Not only does it depend on the country, but it depends on the level of university you plan to attend. I will focus here on the US system. Various programs include the masters program as one moves on to obtain a PhD; however, many universities will expect, as you said "Complex Analysis, Real Analysis, Linear Algebra, Abstract Algebra" and possibly some geometry/topology courses.
Many programs expect a core amount of knowledge of these subjects. If you are looking at places that are typically regarded as top 20 or so, then you will probably run into difficulty in admissions. Otherwise, if you look at a program's website, they will usually tell you the classes that they require.
If you are coming from a small school, then sometimes programs will make an exception if they really like your file and give you extra time to catch up in a program, as you did not have the opportunity to take the required courses and give you a special deal. This is rare.

My experience (in Comp Sci, but on the mathematical side; and doing some engineering work in the 'Hi-Tech' sector while my research was pure theory) suggests the following:

Don't worry about the titles (Master, Doctor etc.) but about what you're trying to accomplish, personally and research-wise.
Don't consider working on doctoral-scale research unless you have a specific subject you're interested in studying (much more specific than stochastic analysis in general). Don't start a 10-mile race when you're not sure where you intend to get to. Yes, I know that some people start graduate programs without a clear research subject, and it's not impossible, but I don't recommend it.
If you don't have a subject, I'd suggest finding other employment, in or out of Academia, and studying a bit on your own, maybe taking a course or two here-and-there, to see if something more specific piques your interest. An alternative to that is doing a Master's (but this kind of depends on the country you're in, like other answers suggest), and sort of dipping your feet in the water. Note: In some countries / academic cultures, Masters' programs are not well-regarded and you're expected to not go through them before doing a Ph.D. (e.g. in the US); in these cases, and if you're into pure math, you might not get reasonable inspiration from working in industry.
Stochastic analysis is hella difficult, or at least that's how I felt when I learned some fundamentals of Ito Calculus. I'd build myself up to it a bit...
If you have a subject, find an advisor. Yes, before beginning. Even if someone doesn't agree automatically, immediately, or at all to be your advisor - they might still give you some solid advice, based on more specific information about your background, regarding which courses you might want to take, books you might need to read, and experience you might need to gather before you're sorta-kinda-ready. Or they might very well say "you've got 4/5/6 years, use the first 1-2 years for catching up." This bring me back to the first point: If you're in synch with an advisor, let him/her worry about arranging the formalities of the process you'll undergo; or at least work out some sort of speculative plan with him/her.

"studying a bit on your own" --> Yup http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/1204999/further-reading-on-stochastic-calculus-analysis
Thanks, einpoklum. I found paragraphs 2 and 5 very helpful.

Actually, starting a pure maths PhD without a specific topic in mind is very common.

I'd strongly agree with @JessicaB that starting a PhD in the U.S. without a specific topic is very common... especially if/when one has too little information to make any sort of informed choice... and most U.S. math programs are designed to accommodate considerable delay in students' deciding on a specialty.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
Does MDPI systematically choose new reviewers after each round in order to speed up the process?
I wrote a detailed and long review on the first round and requested a minor or major revision.
Then after 1 or 2 weeks I got a mail notification that the paper is published. I never had the chance to check if the authors improved the paper or not.
Only after logging in into susy I can see what the authors answered to my original review. No mail, and no request to review the revised version and no opportunity to give my feedback. And usually MDPI does not hold back in sending out emails or requesting reviews.
This happened twice to me and also to a colleague. I even explicitly wrote to the editor that I want to review the revised version also, which was ignored without a comment.
Now my questions:
Is this a common practice of MDPI journals?
How can we be sure that there was even a second review round from real academics? Given that it is hard to get reviewers and I can not see what they wrote?
I think that this is unacceptable and will avoid everything from MDPI in the future.

Yup.   MDPI has dodgy practices.   Once they stole my colleague's list of topics for a special issue and gave it to another person.

Obvious explanation is that there is no second review round, and the editor decided the revisions by the authors are good enough.

@Allure ok, but thats not how i think review should be done, and is not done commonly by other publishers. Also its not transparent and they even ignored my request to review the revision.

@gogoolplex All the same, reviewers only offer recommendations; the editor is the one who makes the final decision. I don't see why you don't think this is commonly done either, e.g. https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/135326/journal-published-a-paper-ignoring-my-objections-as-a-referee.

Is it in the policy of the journal that the author is required to revise the manuscript if a reviewer recommends it?

The appropriateness of not sending the paper for another review largely depends on the nature of the comments (and the expertise of the editor). In the case of a major revision, it would be very untypical for a serious journal to not send it for another review.

Ok, but I find it still very strange that my request was ignored. Authors even had some additional questions to me which I had no way to answer. Also I can not see what the editor wrote to the authors or on which bases they decided for publication. So maybe its the editor who decided, but still the lack of communication and push for speed is enough to keep me away from MDPI. For a good and open review process see  copernicus publications, for example: https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/2655/2022/tc-16-2655-2022-discussion.html

@Allure Yes, the reviewers offer only a recommendation and the decision is under the editor's hands only but this is not how to acknowledge the voluntary effort of the reviewers and how to improve the quality of publications. I think MDPI (in particular) has some unusual practices compared to other publishers.

@Younes You could argue that, but there is a benefit in that processing times drop a lot which is good for the authors. MDPI definitely have unusual practices (but note "unusual" is not synonymous with "bad"). Have you seen my answer here? https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/5466/is-mdpi-a-reputable-academic-publisher/163462#163462

Previous meta-discussion: https://academia.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/4879/reopening-this-question-on-mdpi

I have reviewed for MDPI several times.  I do not recall any cases where there was a second round of reviews.
Neither authors nor reviewers are entitled to a second round of reviews.
Editorial competence at MDPI is not consistent.

I just did a second round of reviews for one of the better MDPI journals (Symmetry) last night.  They appear to have sent the paper back to all three of the original reviewers.

"Neither authors nor reviewers are entitled to a second round of reviews." I'm not sure I understand the point of this sentence. Professional behaviour is not about "entitlement".

@JochenGlueck One is entitled to have their paper evaluated fairly, and that includes consistently following policies of the journal. If the journal's policy is to require a second round of reviews, as the other answer indicates, then they are entitled to a second round of reviews.


text:
A question about reviewer's comment
I have recieved a comment from a reviewer as
'You had less than 100 cases per division in Table 3, so you should only report with less than three significant " .
I could not understand what she/he wanted me to correct in Table

The reviewer is probably talking about https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Significant_figures
If you are reporting numbers like 3.23436, you likely have far too many significant figures: you are reporting precision that just isn't relevant. Report something like 3.2 instead.
In your table you have percentages. Round numbers like 40.6% to 41% throughout. And be consistent either with number of decimals (round to nearest 1%) or sig digits (12% and 3.5% both have 2 significant digits).


text:
Should I list a submitted but not yet accepted conference paper in my resume for grad school applications?
I'm an undergrad and will be submitting a paper to a conference soon, but it will not be reviewed until after grad school admissions are due. Should I and how would I note this on my resume?
There are similar questions to this but none are in context of grad school admissions as well as not yet accepted papers.

Is it common in your field to submit preprints to arxiv?

I have no idea, so probably not

Yes, you should list it. It's standard practice in academia to list submitted papers on a resume or CV, and graduate applications are no exception.
Your CV should have a section for Publications.  For a paper which is submitted but not accepted, you just provide the authors, title, and the word "Submitted."

M. Howard, L. Fine, J. Howard.  On a novel experiment in plumbing.  Submitted.

In particular, you normally do not list the name of the conference where you submitted.  (If it gets accepted, then you do list the name of the conference, and replace "Submitted" by "Accepted".  After it is published, you include the name of the conference and the volume and page number in the proceedings.)
If the conference allows you to post a public preprint, you should do so.  And if the grad school lets you submit a writing sample or something similar, the paper would be a good choice.
However, more importantly, if this grad school requires letters of recommendation, make sure one of your recommenders discusses the paper.  The mere fact that the paper was submitted doesn't give any evidence that the paper is any good.  So that is where your recommender comes in.  If you had a faculty mentor or collaborator on the paper, they would be a great person to ask for a letter.  If it was a solo effort, then try to find someone who knows you and who is an expert in the field who can evaluate the paper's quality.


text:
Why are academic libraries public?
According to the Global Library Statistics the United States consists of 3793 academic libraries with more than 7 million users. They are visiting their university library like other people the postal service. That means, the users love the library-industrial complex, profit from it and stay there quite often. Most (perhaps all) of the libraries are organized as a non-profit charity organization, that means, the taxpayer is paying the loan of the librarians, the energy costs, the rental fee and the acquisition of new handbooks, journals and CD-Roms, while the students who are reading the information are paying nothing.
Most of the students who are visiting a university library are rich. But they are paying no fee if they are sitting with their notebook in the library and get access to the WLAN connection for browsing in the online-repository. They don't pay a single cent, if they are reading a printed book or if they borrow something. On the other hand, all the libraries are producing large amount of costs. The rooms are provided for masses, the books have to be bought, and the academic journals are subscribed for a special fee. How can it be, that such a large and important business isn't organized as a private company, but is seen as a governmental obligation? Wouldn't it be more efficient, if a capitalistic approach for book lending and local internet-access in the academic library would be used?

"the students who are reading the information are paying nothing," except hefty tuition fees!

"Wouldn't it be more efficient, if a capitalistic approach for book lending and local internet-access in the academic library would be used?": Wouldn't that be a very sad world?

Which university libraries are "non-profit charity organizations"?

"Most of the students who are visiting a university library are rich"? Since when are student commonly rich?

I would recommend using tag such USA as for topic like this America is quite standing apart. In many places the situation could even reverse. Alternatively, why are academic libraries public in U.S. Why they shouldn't be in a public university, for instance?

This seems rather off-topic: several major issues involved (eg the relative efficiency of capitalistic vs. publicly-funded approaches) are not academia-specific, and are also endlessly debated, with no commonly-accepted cut-and-dried answer.  That said, one big part of the answer is looking at marginal revenues/costs: setting up a good library is expensive, but once you have it, keeping it open to the public (not just university members) costs very little extra; and trying to charge the public for access would give very little extra revenue, it would just drive most of the extra users away.

If you need an answer that chimes with your obvious ideological predisposition, consider library services as merit goods; when supplied, they create positive externalities.

Anonymous Physicist's answer raises some good points, but I think the main problem with "a capitalistic approach for book lending" is that it'd incentivize the libraries to mostly stock very cheap and popular books, that they can lend repeatedly. Yet the two primary uses I see in academic libraries are precisely the opposite - making expensive or rare books available to poor students (they're usually not rich!), and providing access to specialized books and research journals. By their very nature these don't exactly have a broad audience. Having such materials somewhere is useful to researchers, students, and the public. Hence the library is usually funded as overhead in universities.

Grocery stores have a capitalistic approach to food.  They no longer stock only cheap and popular food.  Instead, they try to cover every niche food.

@AnonymousPhysicist Well, there's certainly regional foods I can't find anywhere nearby, yet all stores seem to sell Coke... A bookstore might be a fairer comparison, since they don't have to worry about perishing goods. Shelf and alternative costs are certainly a factor there. You're right that the word 'only' is too strong though. I'll change it.

Many academic libraries have access control.  They do not let people enter without permission.  Some resources are granted free to everyone who requests permission, others are limited to paying students and staff.
Very few people who are not students or staff make use of the resources at academic libraries that are available for free.  Collecting payment from those people would not be cost effective when the resources are already available for purchase from the publisher.
Universities often receive subsidies from governments.  Offering free resources to the public is one way of indicating to the public they are getting value for their tax money.
Also, capitalism is not always efficient.

On "capitalism is not always efficient": It's not even always effective. Reliance on capitalism in the area of science is a bad idea, since it generally tends to lead to neglect of research with no apparent practical use (which could be converted into profit).

“Universities often receive subsidies from governments“: That's correct. I've analyzed the annual report from New York state university (SUNY) and they are financed only with 15% by tuition and fees from students. The rest comes from taxpayer's money. That means, the government is paying most of bills.


text:
How my admission would benefit the university?
One of the main questions in an admission interview for a master’s would be

Why do you want to attend this university?

Reading between the lines, this means:

What makes you and the university perfect for each other?

The benefit of university for the student is clear.
But what benefits does the university gain from the student?

I don't think the question is about how you would benefit the university. I answer this question by appealing to the university's culture and values.

I agree with @Sean. I think interviewers who ask this question are checking that your interests align with the research going on in that department. If they wanted to know about the benefits you may bring, they'd probably ask "what can you bring to this department?".

Reading between the lines, this means...-- [citation needed] Stop overthinking. The question means exactly what it says. If they wanted to ask a different question, they would have.

If the student actively participates in and contributes to classes and department events, the university benefits.
If the student works for the university in a lab or as a TA, and does a good job, the university benefits.
If the student publishes interesting, useful, or important work while still a student, it reflects well on the university, and the university benefits.
If the student goes on to do great things after graduating, it reflects well on the university, and the university benefits.


text:
My thesis advisor is absent in my final stage of completing my Ph.D. programme
I am a mathematics Ph.D. student who are in my final stage of completing my Ph.D. programme. My advisor is visiting an institute for a few months. The institute that he is visiting is in another country; because of the visa requirements and many other practical reasons, I cannot go there with him.
Now my progress is, I have all the main results ready (most of them have been written down) and I need to finish writing my thesis in about three weeks. My advisor has guided my through all the mathematical difficulties; now he left me behind to write the thesis all by my own. Furthermore, he has clearly indicated that he will NOT help me with the writing process.
Now I need to figure out many things all by myself, from LaTeX to the organization, from the usage of languages to drawing pictures, etc. Also I need to verify the correctness and validity of all the results; he mentioned that he will not carefully read my draft. And I do not have much time to finish everything. I am feeling somewhat stressed and overwhelming.
In this situation, should I seek assistance from other professors/lecturers who do research in a similar field, or should I try to figure everything out by myself? Should I hire someone to proofread my thesis when the draft is finished?

What, specially, are you asking for? Also see "Here's my situation, any suggestions?" is not an answerable question Please [edit] your question to clarify what you are asking.

Thank you @ff524 for reminding me! Will edit the question accordingly.

@ff524, have edited my question, trying to make it more specific, as you suggested.

...from LaTeX to the organization, from the usage of languages to drawing pictures. See the theses of previous students for organization and of course supervisors cannot help you with your Latex issues.

@EnergyNumbers, I have written almost every mathematical proof, now need to write an abstract, an acknowledgement, a glossary, a background chapter defining everything that is needed, and organize everything.

@Zuriel all that doesn't sound too bad, nor critical. Your supervisor probably assumes you are perfectly capable of doing a good job by yourself.

@Davidmh, Yes, it is not a desperate situation; but since I have only so little time with so many uncertainties, I would welcome any suggestions and comments.

now he left me behind to write the thesis all by my own. — Good!

You are about to finish a PhD thesis. Somebody who obtained a PhD title is supposed to be able to organize and conduct reasonable projects independently. I think that your adviser is not being unreasonable in his demands.
Part of organization is also arranging to get more time, if your current time frame cannot be kept, or leads to serious degradation in quality and rigorousness. In some cases that might lead to working on your thesis without being funded. Personally, I would still advise to value doing a good job higher than meeting a deadline, but of course I cannot oversee all the consequences.

Now that you have number of weeks left for the submission deadline; you have two options:
Write up and Submit the Thesis: Finish the thesis as soon as possible. At this stage you should be able to write your Ph.D. thesis; without any supervision guidelines. Don't fall into 'what if' scenarios. At the end of the day the thesis and your defense on that day will grant you a Ph.D.
Possible Extension: Don't submit a very poor thesis if your thesis lacks the required material. You will put the examiners at the very difficult and unpleasant situation; because if the required material is not there you be more likely failing your defense. I suggest you to print out your latest version of your thesis and discuss the extension issue with an academic. You can send an email to your supervisor and ask for a name of an academic to discuss this issue.

Thanks for the answer! My supervisor has not moved to another institute; he is only visiting there for a few months; officially he is still a professor of my university and he will come back after a few months. In this case I don't think the university will assign me another supervisor. The deadline for submitting my thesis is only about three weeks away anyway.

@Zuriel great! Just focus on the thesis, and its submission. The management issues are not your problem.

Thanks! Now what I am struggling with is that I need to organize everything into a proper thesis for submission. For general LaTeX and thesis guides, I can find those online; but I find writing the background and introduction, or even the abstract challenging.

Updating my answer now based on this.


text:
What should I do if I have published a paper that I did not write?
To start with, let me confess a sin that I have committed a few years ago. A friend of mine asked me to proofread several of his papers before sending them for publication. After helping him several times without expecting anything in return, he offers to included me as one of the authors of another paper after I proofread it. Being immature and greedy, I have accepted the offer, which is a great mistake. Later the paper was published and I was listed as one of the authors of the paper, and I understand nothing about the paper itself. Now I am facing the mistake that I have made and have decided to do something about it.

Should I always exclude the paper from my resume? Although I was officially listed as one of the authors, I do not feel that I contributed to any part of the paper except proofreading.
Is there anything else that I should do about this situation?

IMHO there's a whole lot of a difference between proofread as in finding typos and proofread as in checking the maths, arguments, conclusions of a paper, pointing out improvements, being the sparrings partner that allowed your friend to formulate their paper concisely, and so on.  So whether or not you deserved that authorship may be open to further discussion.
However, noone forces you to put a particular paper into your resume - at some point you'll anyways transition to listing selected papers. (BTW I list only recent and decidedly good papers in my CV, not the medium ones)

Be sure to never do this again.
I think it's reasonable to remove the paper from your CV and forget about it. Otherwise, people are definitely  going to ask you about it in interviews.
Other than that I don't think there's much you can do to remedy this.

Though it's true that you shouldn't have been an author, please don't be too hard on yourself. As academic sins go, there are many that are far worse! Removing the paper from your CV (and your Google scholar profile, etc.) is a great thing to do. It's very unlikely, given that, that anyone will notice your authorship, and it's therefore very unlikely that you'll benefit in any undeserved way from the paper.


text:
Is it possible to teach two different courses that meet almost at the same time?
Next semester my schedule has two courses that meet at (almost) the same time. One course meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9-10 am and the other one meets from Monday to Wednesday and Friday at 9-10 am. This is a weird arrangement that I have never heard of. I could talk to the administration people requesting a schedule adjustment but I am wondering if I can creatively teach both courses as scheduled.
Here are some ideas:

I will be with course A students for the first half of the hour and will be with course B students for the second half of the hour.
I will record some videos on the material that I do not have the time to cover because of the lost 30 minutes and have my student secretary play the recorded videos while I am not in the classroom.
I will also use the time that I am not in the classroom for tests, quizzes, etc. and my student secretary can help me with this.

Has anyone had any similar experience? Is it even possible to teach both courses at the same time?
Edit
Hypothetically if I do not report this schedule conflict, who will likely bear the blame? I, or the dean, or the department chair, or the one who made the schedule?

Do both  courses last for the entire semester? or is it one in the first trimester and one in the second trimester?

What's the required travel time between the two classrooms?

@AN, about a 3-4 minutes walk.

@EarlGrey, yes. Thus I suspect that it is a mistake.

If you're aware of the conflict and don't report it, you deserve blame even if it's not originally your fault. Why would you think to not report something like this? Why play that game?

@BryanKrause, I don't think there is anything on our employee's manual regarding reporting a schedule conflict. Perhaps not reporting constitutes the so-called "malicious compliance"?

@Zuriel "Malicious compliance" as a meme is used to describe a situation where some authority is being unreasonable. In this case, you're just being a jerk if you decide not to report the issue. If you're not capable of acting like a moderately compassionate human with respect to your students unless the behavior is specifically outlined in your employee's manual as forbidden that would be sufficient for me to say you should not be teaching. Or, alternatively: "AITA"? YTA.

@BryanKrause, the authority is being unreasonable by giving me two courses that conflict. I am literally following the rule "teach your courses as scheduled". Why isn't this "malicious compliance"?

There may not be anything in the manual about reporting a schedule conflict, but there presumably is something in the manual/contract (or just an implied understanding based on the normal professional practices expected of an instructor; not everything is in the manual) that you be present for your scheduled courses unless there's an appropriate reason for your absence. To be crass, the instructor showing up to teach—not running back and forth between two simultaneous classes—is one of the basic services for which students are paying the big bucks.

@Zuriel The "authority" has likely made a scheduling error, because universities are made up of humans who have to deal with the complex scheduling task of matching up large numbers of students, instructors, courses, and classrooms, and mistakes inevitably occur. That's not anyone being unreasonable; it's just an error that needs to be fixed, and chances are good that you're the only one who's aware of it. It doesn't sound like that's at all your fault, since you presumably didn't do anything to cause this mistake, but it is something you need to report promptly before the problem gets worse.

@Zuriel I would be unreasonable if they found no problem with this and insisted that you make it work. If they aren't even aware of the problem, they are not unreasonable. If you try to make it "their fault" by hiding this issue from them, you're the one causing the problem. I don't know how else to say this: you need to grow up and act like an adult here rather than pretending you don't have any influence or agency. You've been given some role of respect and responsibility in society as an educator, and this is how you approach it?

@Zuriel Malicious compliance only "works" if your compliance "harms" the people responsible. Your students didn't (accidentally or intentionally) schedule you to teach two classes at the same time, and don't deserve the consequences of you failing to push back on what is likely an unintentional mistake.

I'm not really sure how anyone is supposed to answer this question given that the OP is unclear on whether this is an administrative mistake, whether these classes are even offered during the same semester or time frame, and whether this is even the same class but different sections.

I take it both classes are located in the same time zone?

@Zuriel in case you didn't know, malicious compliance is usually used for authority which is known to not be open to discussion, so there is no other way to convey to them that their demand is unreasonable other than to prove it doesn't work by doing it. So it's a last resort thing, or it could be out of spite because of historical reasons. You should always start with a proper discussion first. Most people don't deserve being treated with malicious compliance, especially if you don't have a negative relation with them. In short, it's something you do only to people you dislike.

No.  Just, no.
With a scheduled course, students are entitled to your undivided attention during the class meeting time.  This may even be an accreditation requirement.  There is no way you can teach two different classes at the same time.
Here are possible explanations I can think of (incorporating some from comments):

It is just a mistake.

One of the courses is planned to be cancelled or rescheduled, and the official schedule has not yet been updated to reflect it.

The two courses are actually the same course, cross-listed under two different numbers.  Students registered for either one would all attend the same lectures, except one set of them would also come on Tuesdays while the others wouldn't (possibly a lab or something like that?).  This is possible, for instance, if the two courses are on identical topics but are listed under different departments, or at different undergraduate/graduate levels.

They actually meet during different ranges of dates, which may be listed somewhere that you didn't notice.

One or both courses are asynchronous online courses or something of the kind, whose "meeting times" are fictitious and may just be assigned for some technical reason.

Either way, you should immediately contact the people responsible for scheduling.  If there's a mistake, it needs to be fixed ASAP before more confusion results.  And in any case, you need to know what you will actually be teaching.

(University schedules, though they look very precise and formalized, are often created with more human effort and fewer automated checks than most people might guess. Funny story: My first semester at my current job, there was another faculty member with a similar name to mine, and due to an autocomplete mistake, they assigned all of his classes to me, on top of the ones I was actually supposed to teach.  So I was pretty startled when I checked the schedule and found my teaching load was more than double what I had been told - and most of them not even in my subject area!  But of course it was obvious that it was a mistake, and it was fixed quickly when I reported it.)

Hypothetically if I do not report this schedule conflict, who will likely bear the blame? I, or the dean, or the department chair, or the one who made the schedule?

All of you - there's plenty of blame to go around.  And in general, every employee of an organization has a duty to respond to potential problems that come to their attention, by reporting them through appropriate channels.
But for you in particular, I will bet a lot that if you search your email inbox, you'll find that at some point you received an email from a superior saying "Here is the proposed schedule for next semester; please check the courses assigned to you and report any issues right away".  So if you deliberately fail to report the error you discovered, you've disobeyed a direct instruction.  In some settings that could be a firing offense.
This is your responsibility and you can't evade it.  I really hope that question is purely hypothetical, and not something that you seriously considered for even a moment.

Another possible explanation: At our school within a term there may be different staggered date windows for different sections. So e.g., sometimes people get confused by one course running March to June, and one June to July, both of which show up in the spring semester listing. OP should check the dates carefully.

And another: Say the two courses are meant to be delivered hybrid-asynchronous (i.e., prepackaged lectures with no actual joint meetings), and the times indicated are just dummy placeholders. But OP would surely be made aware if they weren't actually teaching in person.

@DanielR.Collins Similar, but just for completeness, my wife's program interleaves weeks.

A much simpler example why this is so. What if you have a class twice the size? We're not even talking about a DIFFERENT course, we're just talking double the number of students. Even this very basic arrangement wouldn't work well simply due to the significantly increased workload, never mind having an entirely different course...

Another (related) possible explanation: two groups that are listed as different groups because of administrative reasons are in fact two halves of the group taking the same course in the same room. That happened once to me.

The two courses are actually the same course, cross-listed under two different numbers. I've seen this with a lab course that counted for more credits for some students than others (on closely related but differently named degrees).  The course titles weren't identical; the 80% that both cohorts did was.

On the student side when I was pursuing a master's degree, there were several courses that were cross listed for graduate and undergraduate credit. The actual instruction was identical but the grad students were given an additional project that the undergrads didn't have to do.