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OCD affected my undergrad grades for the first two years but I picked up later, what are my chances at a good graduate school?
I am from India and I have a bachelor's in Electrical Engineering. I had bad grades for the first two years of my undergrad when I was struggling with OCD, specifically around 2.66/4.0. I learnt to deal with the OCD and improved my grades from the third year onwards with a cumulative of 3.1/4.0 at the end.The grades have a straight upward trajectory with 3.7/4.0 in the last semester.
Also I had taken two elective courses for computer science in which I scored 4.0/4.0
I am planning to apply for a master's in computer science program. I also have 4 years of work experience as a data engineer.
Do I have a chance at good schools? How do I inform that admission committee that my first two years were an exception due to a medical issue and ask them to focus on later grades.

Can you define "good schools"?

I am not sure, what would be the best school I can aim for?

In the US, at least, the focus will automatically be on your later grades. It is recognized that people can struggle early, for many reasons, and improve later. The later, advanced, courses are also generally more important for grad study and for prediction of success there. And a trending toward perfect late record is pretty good evidence.
However, in the US, grades are only one factor, with letters of recommendation being especially important. Get good letters from faculty who know you well. And, if a very supportive letter writer mentions, simply, that you overcame OCD and left it behind, it would probably be better than if you mention it yourself.
If you do mention it, don't give it more than a sentence, such as to state that you overcame it and moved on.
You might not need to mention OCD specifically in any written materials, but be prepared to discuss it if asked in any interview.


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Who should I ask for a LoR (Chemistry PhD programs)?
I'm applying to Chemistry PhD programs with two strong letters from my previous PIs. However, I'm having trouble choosing a recommender for my third letter.
I'm thinking about asking a professor in a completely unrelated field, as the class was project based and we had a great relationship. The projects were pretty technical and required a lot of coding. Alternatively, I could ask a Chemistry professor whose class I did well in. This professor doesn't know me as well, and there were essentially no larger projects.
The way I see it is that the professor in an unrelated field could comment on my critical thinking, work ethic, and ability to follow though on larger projects. I'm a little worried about asking for a letter from someone in an unrelated field. Please let me know what you think!

How unrelated is that field? Sounds like CS or a science.

It's complicated... the class is actually listed as a studio arts course, but the professor has a computer science degree. It's like a combination of art and code. The course itself didn't require that our projects were technical – it was up to the student.

What do you plan on doing in chemistry? It sounds like this letter writer could speak to your creativity (always a plus) and coding ability, which could be very helpful if you're going in a computational/theoretical direction but perhaps less so if you want to focus on wet lab research. (Always useful for data analysis, of course.)

Thanks for the advice. I'm strictly interested in labs that label themselves as multidisciplinary. This generally means a great deal of synthesis work, but could include DFT and other computational work. I guess I really just need to decide how much risk I'm willing to take.

https://academia.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/5492/canonical-question-for-guidance-on-letters-of-recommendation?cb=1 Its not finished yet, but have a look at the draft for a canonical answer here.

I have served on chemistry admissions committees for years. We are not as closeminded or subdiscipline focused as other areas. Students with backgrounds in materials science, chemical, mechanical, and environmental engineering, biology, and physics frequently apply and join our programs. So there would not be negative stigma for out-of-field LoRs.
What is important is what that LoR will tell me.
"alex has good work ethic and is a critical thinker" is kind of meaningless. Most letters are filled with this generic fluff. Every student is a great thinker, is able to work alone or with others, is both a leader and a great team mate, etc....
What has most value in a letter is if the faculty who wrote it holds a position that will allow them to make an appropriate assessment of your potential to be successful in graduate school. This is harder if your writers are at PUIs, but not impossible. As a rule of thumb I would look at faculty who are permanent (not lecturers or adjuncts) and have a research profile (a PhD in chemistry is a very intense research degree).
If you already have letters from people you have worked for, they can speak to your specific research skills with more insight based on prolonged interactions. If a third can offer a strong (and educated) opinion as to your potential success in graduate school, then that is who I would go with.

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What does diversity of letter writers mean and is it important?
I am reapplying for grad school in the US. In the last cycle, I got interviewed at a top school of my choice but eventually did not make it. Upon inquiring into what the reasons might be, I got the feedback from a committee member that I should work on having greater diversity of letter writers and continue working in other countries.
Last year, I had 3 recommenders, 2 from my native country and one from Europe.
All of these professors worked in fields similar to what I wanted to pursue. I had worked with an American professor (then postdoc) early in my undergraduate studies but since then my interests have moved in a completely different direction. Also, since I worked with them as a very inexperienced young student in a very limited capacity, I don't think their letter will reflect my abilities as well as the ones I submitted in the last cycle. They also let me know that the letter will possibly not be as personalised as ideal.
Other aspects of my application have evolved including conferences and posters but this aspects remains more or less the same. Would it be better to stick to the previous letter writers or replace one with the new recommendation to act on the feedback?

The question in the title and given in the body are very different. The one in the title seems good, whereas the one that closes the body asks for an opinion which is less well-suited for the Q&A format.

I got interviewed at a top school of my choice but eventually did not make it

Nice work! Once you get to the interview stage, you've basically passed the application. At that point, you could destroy your chances if you're a real jerk in person, but otherwise it's mostly a dice roll: they're going to invite people to interviews that they want to accept, but ultimately they have to draw a line somewhere and accept only some number based on slots available.
You probably should have applied more broadly if you only had one interview, especially if it was at a top school. That gives you more chances to get to the interview stage and more chances to beat the dice roll once you get there. With only one interview, it's not really possible to say you've done anything wrong. You're up against other good candidates like yourself.

I got the feedback from a committee member that I should work on having greater diversity of letter writers and continue working in other countries. Last year, I had 3 recommenders, 2 from my native country and one from Europe.

I think this is slightly weird advice, given you made it to the interview stage. However, ultimately they're going to have to make a choice between otherwise similar candidates. I think reading between the lines, unfortunately they probably mean "I/we don't trust recommendations from your native country".
If it comes down to comparing two candidates who are otherwise promising, if one has letters written from institutions that they don't recognize, it's hard to know what value those letters have. Maybe you're only the best student they've ever seen because most of the students at that institution aren't any good. That's not really fair, but I think that's what they mean.

Abstractly the comment 'more diversity of letter writers' could also mean something like 'we would prefer if not all letter writers are white-cis-males'. However, from context OP seems to be from a country outside North America/ Western Europe and have letter writers from their home country. Therefore this interpretation seems very unlikely and the interpretation in this answer seems way more likely.

@quarague - sadly my interpretation would be "we don't really care about letters from your irrelevant country", so not sexism but still bigotry.

Thank you for your insights. I did apply for and get into 2 other institutes in the last cycle but they somehow did not have any interviews. I was not able to attend any of these schools last cycle due to personal reasons. Since I am applying again, I'd prefer to apply to this place again but this comment really confused me especially because there's an upper limit of 3 letters only. I have no idea how to go about this limitation.

@DazedAndConfused I see. If you've continued to do useful things since your last application (conferences and posters would count), I think you have a good chance; if not, you may have missed your chance when you chose not to attend programs that admitted you. Remember that even if your profile improves, you compete against a new batch of applicants each year, and the difference between "admit" or "not admit" can be just one person who they end up ranking above you. I would definitely apply to more than just the schools you applied to last time.

I don't think they are asking for more letters, I think they're trying to communicate that some of your letters are unconvincing because they're coming from sources that are not seen as impressive. I can't tell you whether to replace any of your letter writers, all these things are judged by individuals who each have their own intentional or unintentional criteria. I agree that reaching back to an advisor with different interests for an impersonal letter does not seem like an upgrade, but who knows.

@quarague and what exactly would be the motivation for rejecting students because their recommenders are male? And do you expect the committee to call the recommenders and ask them if they are trans? Because they are not going to write that in the letter.

This comment about "diversity" may be only one person's opinion, but I read it as a suggestion that on some scale your letter writers are too similar to one another. Even more likely, is that they are all saying the same thing about you, meaning that there is, in effect, only one letter.
Alternatively, since you have changed fields, it might be a (poorly worded) suggestion that you need letter writers from that or a closely aligned field in order to have them have more impact.
I can't promise that, of course,
The "other countries" comment is even harder to parse, but might depend on your field.
And, as the answer of Bryan Krause notes, cast a wide net for applications to graduate study, not just "top" schools, but a fairly wide range. That might be the key, especially if you are applying with only an undergraduate degree.

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Why can't professors request tips for prompt service as many other jobs?
In many countries, hotel and restaurant waiters, hairdressers, taxi drivers request tips for their service. I am wondering why university professors cannot request tips for their extra time and effort on the prompt service?
For example, when the class finishes at the scheduled time, the professor is not supposed to do extra (is it?), but oftentimes he/she has to answer students' questions. It is often that students make appointments to ask questions for free. But this costs extra time and effort. (Imagine, can I make an appointment with a waiter for free, even if I have paid for the meal?)
Also, it is said that writing recommendation letters is the professor's duty. But serving customers is also the waiters and drivers' duty. The professor still can charge tips for the prompt service sending letters and so on.
Please don't get me wrong. I think not only the professors, but also doctors, lawyers, engineers, managers, every worker should have the right to request tips from their customers in addition to their regular charges, as long as it meets the definition of tips. When I was in America, it was said that tips are for "prompt services". What's wrong with that?

Hmmm, do waiters request tips?

As far as I'm aware, doing these things ARE part of the job. The time one spends in class is only a small part of what one is paid for. There's preparation (class lecture preparation, writing of major tests and numerous short quizzes), seeing students during office hours and otherwise as appropriate, grading tests, meeting with colleagues about course content and other issues (this can vary from nonexistent to major, depending on the course and university), and many other tasks.

Or, maybe just maybe, professors like many other people should do their job without wanting, much less expecting, tips. I think every professor I ever worked with would be deeply insulted by anyone offering a tip.

Your phrasing of "requesting tips" suggests you are confusing providing a tip (voluntarily, post-hoc, and for relatively unspecific "good service") with paying a bribe (negotiated upfront, explicitly for some specific help, and involuntary if you actually want to get your stuff done).

@JonCuster I have received small non-monetary presents after classes / graduation on occasion, even that already feels rather icky. And my university agrees - there is nowadays a policy in place that we are not allowed to take presents that exceed the value of a mid-range bar of chocolate from current or former students.

@xLeitix, I've received a gift or two from a cohort of students from a particular culture. The gift had minimal economic value, but was meaningful to those students who wanted me to have something to remember them by. One is still sitting on my tchotchke shelf after many (many) years. It wasn't icky, as it was heartfelt. Maybe the fact that it came from a group makes a difference. One semester I remember a group of students from that culture coming together for office hours and sitting around my feet to ask questions. They told me I was their "guru" and that this was typical in their view.

There are countries where no tips are given. I like that rather than wrangling for tips between now 12.5%-30%, depending on where. Just include all. Professors have enough to think about, so they would not want to burden themselves with the mental load of wondering whether they should answer this one more question or stay this minute more for squeezing out a few more dollars. They have enough to think about the next paper and proposal to submit...

@xLeitix - indeed, any potential conflict of interest ($$$ for grades) is a bad look.

Social customs aren't always explainable by logic.

I believe some years ago there was some sort of scandal in South Korea.  Parents would give financial "gifts" to the teacher, and in return the student would receive a better grade.

I understand this question to be soliciting opinions about a prevalent policy's appropriateness, rather than the top-line question read in a literal sense. StackExchange isn't really the best place for open-ended discussion questions.

"Requesting tips" for doing your actual job as a professor sets up a conflict of interest and is unfair to those who can't pay and advantages the wealthy. It would be an abomination, IMO.
Unlike waiters, professors are (generally) paid a living wage and have expectations, including answering questions and responding to student needs. Waiters, on the other hand, in the US, are often not paid a living wage and this is actually condoned in law. There are many other places where the treatment of waiters is different and tipping other than nominally is rare.
And, there are a few places where professors are greatly under compensated, but those tend to be places with unfair employment systems overall.
I suspect that, in the US, if a professor actually requested tips for what they are paid to do, they would be fired for moral failings. Extortion is not an educational value.
I hope you aren't considering this, either as a professor or as a student hoping to bribe a professor for something.

While, of course, perfectly appropriate, I wonder why the response does not excoriate the necessity of tips in the first place, not just in academia. Effectively, tips are an ill-defined service tax, ironically especially prevalent in a country where even tax-based healthcare are considered as a fundamental ill by many. So, rather than adding "service tax" to a hitherto untaxed profession, the question is why not to instead argue for its removal altogether and for making prices reflect the real cost of a service. Admittedly @Buffy may have read something else less appetizing into the question.

@CaptainEmacs, I limited myself to the question asked, but, yes, a system that requires tips so that service employees can have a living wage is an abomination. OTOH, I am a very high tipper and might be even in a different system. Some of these folks (waiters...) make my life better and easier and I'm more than happy to gift them something in appreciation. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gift_economy.

I realised that you focused on the question which is legit. I just came from a visit in Australia which has a lot of things in common with the US. No tips. Wonderful. And the prices are still slightly elevated, but reasonable. Being nice should live on a separate dimension than money, or else, as long as enough money is paid, one could afford to treat people badly. I still felt something was missing from your response (which I do not disagree with, it was just missing something), but this has been addressed by the response by 'academic'.

I fully agree with Buffy's answer: that there is a huge conflict of interest.
Here is an additional factor. Compare a professor's job to, say, that of a restaurant waiter. If you're a waiter, then the happier the customers are, the better.
But as a professor, you must hold your students to high standards, you must tell some students that their work is inadequate, and at the end of the semester you must give low or failing grades to students who deserve it.
Also, you have a lot of conflicting demands on your time, and so you often must push back against excessive or unreasonable requests. Students might ask for a professor's cell phone number, or expect emails to be answered promptly even on weekends and evenings, but the general consensus is that professors should not give into such demands.
Altogether, professors don't generally have a "customer service" mindset, and often chafe at any notion that they should. So this is another reason why I would consider tipping to be wholly inappropriate, and why I would refuse any tip if offered.

Very important points!

The first point here seems by far the most important: Instructors are in a position of power over their students, due to setting grades, writing recommendation letters, etc.  A tipping system sets up a very clear conflict of interest.  The other points all seem secondary and more debatable; the power-dynamic conflict of interest seems a morally clear-cut and non-negotiable reason not to tip.

The thought of a grown adult making, at least in the US, well into 6 figure salary, taking tips from students, some of whom are legally not even adults, for doing their job "promptly"... especially in situations where the socioeconomic background of students varies wildly from below poverty line to wealthy... frankly it's a really gross thought for lack of better words.

Gross, but probably not entirely unheard-of. Just think of the recent "tipping your landlord" debate on social media.  https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/landlord-thinks-tenants-tip-him-194609266.html

Given this focus on the salary, would you feel different about it if it was an adjunct professor struggling to make ends meet?

@Anyon it would still be wrong. There is still a very big conflict of interest and power dynamic. The power dynamic of a student and an adjunct is far lower compared to a tenured prof, but nonetheless existent. So I suppose, to me, this scenario will range from very inappropriate to extremely inappropriate.

Please don't get me wrong. I think not only the professors, but also doctors, lawyers, engineers, managers, every worker should have the right to request tips from their customers in addition to their regular charges, as long as it meets the definition of tips. When I was in America, it was said that tips are for "prompt services". What's wrong with that?

There is no set definition of what tips "are for." There are legal definitions of what qualifies as a tip, but that's for the purposes of making sure restaurant owners aren't taking their waitstaff's tips.
It would be incredibly unethical for some of the professions you have mentioned to accept money in exchange for "prompt service", even beyond the disgusting notion of paying people who are already making obscene amounts of money even more money to be "prompt." Should you be able to slip a doctor $100  to get moved to the head of the line in the ER to see your sprained ankle, in front of someone who is having chest pains?
It would be beyond unethical for a professor to engage in these practices. Students are not a professor's customers - they are the professor's students (they may be customers of the university, but that's a different issue). Professors are in an extreme position of power over students already. Treating them differently because of socio-economic status is discrimination. Allowing them to take money for doing things "promptly" creates a perverse incentive for them to do things "slowly" until being tipped to do them promptly, and professors do not need yet another factor influencing how/when they are able to answer email/student questions.
A professor would also have to be insane to accept this kind of gratuity, as well. It is really incredibly easy for "this $50 is for answering my questions about material on the upcoming test promptly" to become "this $50 is for giving me an "A".


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Getting PhD opportunities abroad in my thirties
I'm a math student in a Latin American country and I'm 31 years old. Next year I'll be starting my PhD, here, in my country. I have to say that the complete program, equivalent to a Bachelor plus Master, took me 7/8 years to complete. This was partly because I've taught a lot, working as a TA(paid positions won by contest).
My final dissertation included no original work, maybe the exposition of the topics, but no new results nor published work. Nevertheless , I'd call myself a pretty decent student. I usually recieve encouraging feedback from professors and I also have a very high GPA.
Recently, I've been considering the possibility of doing my PhD abroad, in a good school if possible, not necessarily top ranked. I wonder what my chances are of being able to do that. Are my expectations real or am I too weak for such things? Also, I think that it might be possible to get some short research/collaboration stays, say a semester or so, within the context of my PhD here. How possible is this for someone with my background?
One last possibility is switching schools in the middle of the PhD. Like, starting here, doing some progress and then moving elsewhere. I know two students who did that but they had great backgrounds. Is this possible for someone like me? I mean keeping it real, assuming decent PhD work but not assuming an extraordinary output.

It is not easy to answer your question, since it is not clear what is your goal (e.g. what you mean by a "good" school), and what is your current situation (e.g. research expertise and area).
If by a "good" school you mean a University in US or Western Europe, then you probably know that there is a really strong competition there. You should carefully evaluate your personal strengths and play on them if you want to be admitted. Your current age will not be seen as disadvantage (but perhaps will not be seen as advantage either). However, you slow progress through your degrees may raise questions. Your potential supervisors want to choose a candidate who is likely to complete the project in time. You had to spend a lot of time doing TA's in your country, which slowed your progress - how can you ensure this will not happen with your PhD program?
Another important factor is your research field and research expertise. You don't have published papers, which is usually a disadvantage for PhD admissions. You will have to provide a sample of your academic writing - do you already have it? What about your research area (educational background) - is it modern and currently developing with a huge demand for specialists, or is it classical, well-established, and producing a lot of unemployed PhD's every year?
Lastly, your consider jumping a ship in a middle of your PhD program. How do you think you current School will like it? They invested resources in someone, who took them and left them for a better place. If the only reason for doing this is your personal comfort, then the decision you consider is (in my opinion) very non-ethical. I would not personally consider hiring someone as a PhD candidate if I am not sure they are committed to work to completion. Please, realise that our resources (time and money) in academia are extremely tight - don't waste them for your own joy.

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How can I develop leadership skills in graduate school?
I am currently in my second year of a PhD program. I have not yet decided on academia, industry, or entrepreneurship for a career, but in all these cases my success will be strongly influenced by my ability to lead and manage a team of students/postdocs, research engineers/technicians, or co-founders/employees.
I have found that graduate school offers no opportunity for practicing the kinds of interpersonal skills most relevant to leadership (delegating tasks, maintaining motivation, creating an inclusive atmosphere, resolving conflicts, etc.). Note that I distinguish leadership from teaching and mentoring. The closest thing I can think of would be to mentor an undergrad in research. The situation will likely be similar if I do a postdoc.
How can I practice or develop these skills while still in graduate school? Or what would be some important surrogate skills I should focus on instead?

If you are part of a research group, you have all kinds of opportunity for practicing what you define as leadership in your second paragraph. Unclear what you are looking for here.

Another kind of leadership is grad student self-governance: Associated Students, grad student unions, whatever the relevant structure is in your university.  These often have elected officers and leaders.  Is that something that would interest you?

I think it's likely you can develop these skills, they're just not taught formally. For example, you could join an extracurricular club, or serve as your class's student representative. From what I've seen these positions tend not to be in high demand, and some student representatives are even paid.
If you don't have even these options, then you could try to initiate something. For example, you could start a weekly meeting with other PhD students to discuss any interesting papers from last week. You could try to invite researchers from other institutions over to give talks (your department might be able to provide you with some funds for this), or join the organizing committee of a conference.
Finally you mention mentoring an undergraduate in research. To do this, talk to your professor and express an interest. If she takes on an Honours student, you could be a co-supervisor, if not in name then at least in practice.


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Terrible undergraduate transcripts. Everything else is good. Is it still worth applying to a Ph.D program in economics in a top 30 U.S. university?
I am an international student who is thinking of applying to a Ph.D program in economics at some top 30 economics departments in the U.S. I have a bachelor's and a master's degree in economics. My GRE, both verbal and quant, puts me well above the 90th percentile. My TOEFL is very high. I have three outstanding recommendations, probably placing me at the top of my master's class and comparing me favorably with former coleagues that were accepted to top universities. My master's disertation will make for a very good writing sample (the paper that grew out of it is serious research, publishable in the best theory journals) and I have two years' work experience at a prestigious job at the public sector. My master's transcripts are almost impeccable, even though I completed a LOT more coursework than what was required to graduate. I have plenty of maths coursework under my belt.
The only "small" wrinkle is: I was the archetype of a wayward student as an undergrad. My undergraduate transcripts are a disaster, as in I flunked 12 of the 70 courses that I enrolled in, simply because I had the terrible habit of abandoning classes when there was something more interesting going on. What I want to know is if this problem destroys my chances of acceptance.

Broadly speaking, your more recent work will matter far more than your past work.  You'll see this as a common theme in the many answers already on Academia SE that relate to this subject.
However, as someone who has been through the economics PhD application process, and knows quite a bit about it, I think you need to temper your "top 30" program cutoff.  To get into top-30 programs you'll often be competing against students who did as well as you in later work, got perfect scores on the GRE quant, AND didn't have problems in past work.
If your math, at a bare minimum covers differential calculus and real analysis, then given the other things you've said I think you might stand a chance at top-30 programs, especially if your private sector job involved any research with your name on it, even if its just an acknowledgment.  So yes, it's worth applying, but I wouldn't suggest setting your expectations on that range.

Yes, my maths courses cover real analysis, analysis on metric spaces, multivariate calculus, linear algebra, linear and nonlinear programming,  complex variables, probability and measure theory, stochastic processes and more. The less advanced subjects I took during my undergrad years though, so my grades are less than stellar. Additionally, I have a paper in the process of submission, but that already received great feedback from professors at top departments. Thanks for the answer, it has helped me a whole deal. Sorry for the duplicate.

Simple answer is: How much does it cost you to apply? Some time to put together an application and some generally-modest application fees. Why not try and see what happens? If you get accepted, celebrate. If not, you gave it your best try.
If your real question is, What are the chances that I will be accepted?, answering that would depend on knowing a lot more detail about what you've done since you "straightened up". (Not saying I could evaluate it if I knew all the details -- I've never been an admissions officer at any college -- but others could.)

The problem is, due to current exchange rates, fees are not all that modest. Also, there's the opportunity cost of giving up my job to consider, but that's a no-brainer if I'm admitted at top 30 departments.

@someguy I don't see why you'd have to give up your job just because you applied but were not accepted. The question of whether you should give up your job to further your education only comes up if you're accepted, which is a totally different question from the one under discussion.

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Should I switch labs, three years in?
I'm in a biology PhD program, and I'm three years into the process. However, my mentor is small minded, unsupportive, and borderline emotionally abusive. I found this out almost a year into my project after TAing his class for him, where he treated the other TA with a lot of deference and respect but was really aggressive and unkind towards me. When I spoke with him about realizing that microbiology wasn't my passion, he told me that I should switch labs because this really wasn't the place for me. At the end of that discussion he said I shouldn't hold him to the mean things he'd said (which is exactly the kind of emotional abuse I'm talking about).
For a long time I've considered switching from wet lab benchwork to computational biology, but am worried that the problem lies within me, and not with the work. Now that I've realized that my mentor isn't going to be of any help, I'm turning towards the internet hivemind. In short, my questions are:
A) What criteria have people used to decide to switch the scope and focus of their PhD projects when faced with an emotionally abusive mentor who has led to the emotional breakdown of at least two, if not more, of his students?
B) what is a good way I can assess if computational work is something I would like/be good at?
This also isn't something I can easily go to the department with, because the last time I tried to speak with someone they launched an investigation into the lab and so it ended up making my experience much, much harder.

However, my mentor is small minded, unsupportive, and borderline emotionally abusive — So fire the jerk. — [I] am worried that the problem lies within me — Yeah, emotional abuse will do that.  Don't walk. Run. If your current department gets in the way, switch departments.

I see that this is an old question so I hope you were able to get into a better lab. Just wanted to say that I was in a similar situation with an unsupportive advisor, experiencing emotional abuse and sexual harassment from my advisor and other students. It killed my confidence and I resisted switching labs for a year because I felt unworthy of graduate school or a new advisor. The problem doesn't lie with you if your mentor is abusive and unsupportive. I hope you were able to get to a better place and realize your passion for computational biology in a supportive environment.

Almost all grad students feel under-appreciated by their mentors at some point.
Your adviser sounds like a top notch A-hole. Unfortunately, to be a successful researcher in academia, most institutions look at (in order): the quantity of grant money being generated, the quantity/quality of research publications, and how many PhD students you generate. In other words, most research faculty consider the needs of their PhD students last.
Therefore almost all grad students feel under-appreciated by their mentors at some point. What keeps most grad students going through the 'tough times' is they enjoy the subject-matter they decided to go to grad school in. What I recommend is:

Have you began work on a thesis paper? If not, I would consider the door wide open to a change of departments / research groups. Especially if you don't have a passion for your work. Any future career path is going to be influenced heavily by your choice of research; why go down a path you know you don't want to pursue?
Finding a major professor who can simultaneously be your academic mentor and best pal is hard. You are going to need to pick a field of research you have a passion for if you plan on making it to the end. If finding someone you get along with is important to you, the easiest way to tell is to rely heavily on the next bullet:
When looking into another graduate course of study / department / laboratory, ask the current graduate students. This is going to be by far the most useful input: if at all possible, ask them about their relationship with faculty. Ask them about their workload. Ask them if they publish. Ask them if they feel supported. Ask them how long it takes.


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How do I ensure that a search committee won't contact my current colleagues (that are not references) to ask about me?
I once applied to a job (in the US) where the search committee unexpectedly contacted one of my colleagues to ask about my job performance. This individual was not one of my references.
I had never heard of this practice before, and now that I'm considering applying elsewhere (outside of the US), I'm wondering if this is something that I can expect from search committees in Europe.
My question is similar to How do I keep my tenure track job search confidential?, but there's one main addition I'm seeking: how do I ask for confidentiality in the cover letter without sounding as if my colleagues would give them bad news? I worry that asking for confidentiality might give the impression that I'm trying to hide something about my job performance. On the contrary, I know my colleagues would say great things about me; I'm just not ready to let everyone know that I'm applying for jobs outside of the US.

See the AAUP's 1993 policy document "The Ethics of Faculty Recruitment and Appointment": Institutions should respect the confidentiality of candidates for faculty positions. The institution may contact references, including persons who are not identified by the candidate, but it should exercise discretion when doing so. An institution should not make public the names of candidates without having given the candidate the opportunity to withdraw from the search.  (AAUP policies obviously apply only within the United States.)

In the US, any demand for an assurance like this outside of a signed contract would be a violation of the First Amendment.

@JeffE How do you exercise discretion though, impersonate a poll or something? I cannot think of a situation where you (you, search committee member) can assess the performance of a candidate without giving away that said candidate is in fact "trying to escape". Does anyone know of such a way.

In the EU the GDPR may help you (I haven't read it that thoroughly, and I'm not a lawyer), it seems that it may prevent the search commitee from divulging the fact that you are applying for a job, unless you explicitly allow them to do so. In my jurisdiction you could not contact previous or current employers without approval from the applicant prior to GDPR, but that might not be general to the EU.

@Mazura -- this has nothing to do with the First Amendment. The First Amendment limits what the government can do. It does not restrict what individuals can do.

@Mazura There is no general law in any civilized country that prevents person A from phoning person B and asking them a question about person C. (Of course A might be subject to a court order preventing them from contacting B, etc, but that is beside the point.) Equally, there is no law compelling person B to answer the question - but most people are inclined to try to be "helpful" not "obstructive" about such things.

@Mazura How so?  Telling someone not to do something doesn't inherently stop them from doing it.  A demand for something like that outside of a signed contract is just something you could ignore.  I don't see how making demands violates the first amendment.

@alephzero That there's no general law is obvious but not useful. Whether or not it is legal for A to phone B asking a question about C depends very much on the question. For example, it's illegal in most reasonable countries for your doctor to phone me and say, "Hey, did you know alephzero has [medical condition]?" More generally, data protection legislation generally prohibits revealing personal information to third parties and it sounds like somebody asked one of Richard's colleagues a question that was very close to, "Hey, do you know that Richard has applied for a job here?"

@user4052054 How do you exercise discretion though? — For the three years I was search committee chair, the other committee members and I evaluated confidential applicants by reading their papers (gasp!), looking up citation patterns, looking up grant histories, and so on. Without exception, confidential applicants were well beyond the newbie-assistant-professor stage, so their research records had to stand on their own merits. If the committee felt additional references were required, we asked the candidate for permission first.

@user4052054 My committee was further constrained by university policy and State fair-employment laws, under which every applicant to every position is formally confidential.  If an applicant provided a list of references, we were allowed to contact those references (and we did so automatically), but only those references.  In particular, for tenured applicants, we needed the applicants' permission to request the arms-length letters requires for a tenure case.

@alephzero There are certainly questions that are functionally illegal to ask in the US, in the context of an employment reference.  For example: "Is he married?" or "Is she a veteran?" or "What church does he attend?" or (at least in my state) "Is she gay?"

@UKMonkey This is most likely not a company (since this is Academia.SE, and a question about private hiring practices would be off-topic, and given the "search committee" language). And as such, academic jobs are difficult to come by as it is, and withdrawing immediately here might forever put someone out of the running for a TT job.

I used the following language, and I think it had the desired effect.

Because I am hoping to keep this search confidential, I request that
  you contact my references rather than my current colleagues at this
  time. If I were to become a finalist, I would of course expect and
  invite you to speak to my current department.

The way you phrase it, you're putting the idea of contacting undesirable acquaintances into their heads...

@einpoklum sure, but it would be bad faith on their part if they did that having explicitly been asked not to. It could (understandably) lead to the candidate dropping out of the race voluntarily.

@Jules: It doesn't help OP if it happens in bad faith...

I'm not arguing that it would help the OP, just the opposite -- but it's in the committee's best interests not to act in bad faith.

I have seen cover letters like that, here honesty is key. Remember that people on the committee would like to have the best candidate get the job, and that sometimes requires some "poaching".
To paraphrase a good sentence I have previously seen used to that effect:
"I am currently employed at institution X. I am happy with my employment here, but ready to seek new challenges at institution Y. As my employment at institution X is still ongoing, I would appreciate your discretion when inquiring references. Should you need references from my current colleagues at X, please contact me in advance."

I would appreciate your discretion — This might be sufficient, but in this instance it's better to be direct than to be polite.  "Please do not contact anyone at my current institution at this time."  (See Dawn's answer.)

It's a matter of culture, I guess. Where I am from such very direct language could rub members of a search committee the wrong way.

Would you rather risk rubbing the search committee members the wrong way, or risk the search committee exposing your application?

That depends a LOT on details of the concrete situation that I have no idea about.

+1 for "please contact me in advance".  You may not stop it happening, but at least you may have a chance to have a private word with one colleague, or direct them to someone you can ask to keep it confidential.

Over here (Germany) we have an idiomatic phrase that would roughly translate to "Please treat this application confidentially as I'm not under notice at [current position]." (German: in einem ungekündigten Arbeitsverhältnis) that tells the search committee that the current employer has no idea I'm looking for another position. I'd expect this to be sufficient for both industry and academic job applications.

@JeffE The final sentence says (in terms) exactly that.

I don't think there is a way to guarantee it, but I also think the practice is pretty rare. It might occur when someone at the new place knows someone where you currently are, of course.
You also can't expect them to never ask but can request that any contact not come immediately because you don't want to prejudice your current administration against you thinking you are about to leave.
I suspect that it is pretty common to be in your situation, so people receiving the request wouldn't see it as unusual.
If people have the impression that you are happy where you are but exploring possibilities elsewhere and that you'd like things to stay confidential for a while, I think most people would accept that and rely initially on the materials you send them. Later in the process they might want to talk to your current boss, of course.
But you can't actually guarantee that it will stay quiet.

I'm not so sure it's rare. As you say, it might occur when someone at the new place knows someone at your present place, but academia is a small world and that is a very common occurrence. I know that during my job search, people on the search committee did chat with their friends at my original place (fortunately they said nice things), and from what I've seen and heard it's not unusual for that to happen. The verbiage Dawn gives in her answer seems like a nice, polite request.

I would just write that you are applying in confidence as there are other searches in progress or the like.  (If they still blow it off, what can you do.  Other than cross them of your list of course.)  Unfortunately academics tend to be less professional than industry about things like this.  And of course your position is weaker if you are applying out of the blind versus being approached by them, already have tenure, etc.


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Is it good to work in a funded PhD project to complete it within time?
I have enrolled my PhD in a German institute. The project is proposed by the institute and funding is by another agency. Based on my master work, I got selected for PhD. The proposed PhD work is not related to my M.Tech work. The application is different but the fundamentals are same. The project is funded for a limited period. The supervisor there has given me a research paper to follow.
May I know what is the probability to complete it within that time. Moreover, what sort of guidance I should expect expect from him.
Any necessary and advice in this regard would be highly appreciated and acknowledged.
Kind regards,
Manish

May I know what is the probability to complete it within that time. Moreover, what sort of guidance I should expect expect from him.

The answers will differ greatly based upon individual factors. Your primary source of information will be your advisor and your fellow PhD students and other researchers in your institute.
Some general points with respect to your questions, though:

Whether or not you can complete your PhD by the time your funding ends may or may not be relevant. Your advisor may be able and also willing to arrange for or help you get some other funding after your project has ended.
The project itself (i.e. the tasks mandated in the funding contract or similar documents) is probably feasible in time; especially as such documents are often kept a bit vague to allow for enough flexibility to finish things in time and work on your PhD.
It is difficult to say now whether your own research and your project are different, especially if they are somewhat related. They might remain separate, or either of them might become much more aligned with the other than it seems now.
The guidance to expect is very much dependent on the advisor and their resources. Maybe you will have weekly meetings, maybe you will have a hard time catching him to even read manuscripts before submission. Maybe he will advise himself, maybe he will delegate that to his postdocs or senior PhD candidates - or expect you to turn to them on your own.

A point to add is that depending on a country, PhD time may be limited regardless of funding. This is the case, e.g., in the UK and in France and isn't a bad thing by itself.

@AlexeyB.: Ah, true - I did not think of that because in my place and subfield, funded projects often run for 2 to 3 years, whereas the upper doctoral candidacy time limits (both the rule-based ones and the ones imposed by supervisors, who will then start saying things like "You should really look into completing your thesis and do nothing else now.") is somewhere at 5 to 6 years.


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Department chair does not respond to my means of communications
I am an undergraduate student of a fairly small university (around 8,000 undergrads) and I'm not getting any response from my Department chair when I ask for some help with changing around my classes.  Currently, for next semester, I'm registered in a specific class at a certain time (we can call this class A) and I want to move to a different time slot of that same class (class B).
My major is an applied science and so there aren't too many students who require the chair's attention.  At first, I was polite in emailing him.  I said something along the lines of...
"Hi Dr. blah blah
My name is blah blah and I've run into a bit of snag with my schedule next semester and I am unable to take class A because of the time it is offered, can you switch me out of Class A and into class B?
Thanks,
blah"
I understand that he is a very busy guy, especially around this time of the semester but c'mon.  It's been 3 weeks since I first reached out to him and I've sent 1 email per week.  How do I get his attention and also be polite about it, even though it's really beginning to frustrate me?
P.S. I have tried to catch him in his office hours to no avail.
P.S.S first time asking a question on here - any helpful criticism regarding the way it was asked is appreciated as well.

At my institution, students can make the sorts of changes you mention above to their schedule without any advisor involvement; perhaps your school is the same way, and your department head is wondering why you don't just make the change yourself?

"At first I was polite."  You mean you stopped being polite?  That's pretty much guaranteed to get your messages deleted.  You don't say where you are, but in the United States, you almost certainly have an assigned academic advisor.  Start there if you can't make the change yourself.  And get back to being polite.  (If Class B is already full, you may be stuck.)

How do I get his attention and also be polite about it, even though it's really beginning to frustrate me?

You don't need the assistance of the department chair on such a matter. Your department should have administrative staff who could assist you (at my department they will be called undergraduate advisors or Student Services staff) -- talk to them. Only if your problem involves some especially sensitive issues (e.g. related to health or an accusation of misconduct or incompetence on the part of an instructor) will the department chair need to be involved.
If you truly believe you need to urgently meet with the department chair (which as I said does not seem to be the case), I suggest talking to a staff member at the department and requesting an appointment with the chair, and I am confident they will be able to help you arrange it.
[For context: I am a department chair at a large US university.]

Every department is different, but I am not aware of any department or university for which the Department Chair is responsible for scheduling conflicts. While a great chair would respond to your email telling you who to talk to, not everyone will.
The first thing you need to figure out is who the correct person to talk. I would start with your academic advisor if you have one or someone in the department office. Failing that maybe someone in the registrar's office. You may actually be able to make the changes online. Once you know who the person you need to talk to is, you need to stalk them. This likely means spending part of one day sitting outside their office. You can also try emailing them and calling them on the phone.

While a great chair would respond to your email telling you who to talk to, not everyone will. Actually even great chairs will be quite likely to find themselves on occasion (or even very frequently) swamped with such a deluge of emails and other responsibilities that they would be literally unable to respond to all email requests. So not getting a response is not definitive proof that the chair is bad at their job, though of course they may be.

A department chair should have a secretary or assistant - have you tried contacting that person?
Can you do this via the Registrar instead of the department chair?


text:
Sharing articles with your department colleagues
Our group of researchers (~15 people) came to an agreement that it would be a good idea to have a database of journal articles that are worth sharing. Our department is becoming more and more focused on one direction, so it would save a lot of time for us to simply check what others have already read and suggested. In addition, the plan would also be to write a short summary (by the person who has read it) why this paper has been read and what does it offer (sometimes abstract is not enough). The questions I have are:

Is there available tool that would allow us to do so easily?
All of us have access to most of the non-open access journals, but is it okay if the papers are shared (in *.pdf) between our group, especially if the database is in the cloud?
Do you have a similar system in your research group? If no, how do you share 'worth reading' articles?

So far, we were thinking to use Dropbox, OneDrive or other service to store this information and provide access to each of us, but we are not sure if it is safe and how to make it efficient.
Please let me know your opinions about this idea and what do you use yourselves.

Have you thought of using a citation manager? Zotero allows for shared databases, and includes such features as searching content, tagging, etc. Slack might be another useful tool, paired with Google Drive. You can share papers to specific people (or groups) and informally chat about content. All history and shared files are searchable by the group.


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How to evaluate a software implementation for master thesis
I have developed a software to meet a specific requirement in a research field. There is only one such software developed so far, mine is second.
In the thesis, I explain the implementation of the software. However, I feel like I also need a "Results" chapter. Most of the master theseses I have gone through from various disciplines have such a chapter. Looks like it is a must.
My software generates tangible models, storing a specific information, to be manufactured with various methods, such as CNC or 3D printing.
Output of the software should be considered as results. However, I don't want to conduct a cheesy case study with a bunch of people and publish it as a scientific result. An extensive, thorough study is takes more than 6 months and neither I have that much time nor the the knowledge/experience to conduct such a case study.
For example a friend of my implemented a software for twitter clustering and analyzing. The results are quite straightforward with his software. Run the tool, get the results and interpret them. Done.
I am not sure how to evaluate the results. Models are manufactured successfully, whereas that does not look like a result to me.
How would you approach this question for a possible solution? What my alternatives can be?

In computer science, it is indeed typical to have an evaluation/validation section in a master's thesis, but there is no need for this section to be named "Results". You can choose a name that fits best.

The "cheesy case study with a bunch of people", as you call it, is often a valuable part of the thesis in that it shows that you are not only capable of coding, but also of designing the material and setting for such a study. The point is not to generate a full-fledged "scientific result", but to show that you could generate such a result if given sufficient funding and time. Furthermore, while a thorough, statistical analysis is beyond what you can do in a Master thesis, do not underestimate the impact of listing at least some "first impressions" uttered by users other than yourself.

The goal of your thesis was to create a tool that meets certain requirements. Consequently, your evaluation should show that your tool satisfies these requirements.
One way to organize your thesis is to have a section called "Requirements", where you walk through all requirements detailedly. For example, you could have following requirement with sub-requirements:

R1: Generate 3D cat models: the tool can generate 3D models from 2D cat images

R1.1: Brown cats: the model generation works for brown cats
R1.2: Black cats: the model generation works for black cats
R1.3: Checkered cats: the model generation works for checkered cats

Then you have another section called "Validation" where you walk through the requirements a second time, this time discussing for each requirement how you satisfied it.

R1: The cat model generation was implemented in the catgen component of the tool that uses the XYZ algorithm to build the cat models.

R1.1: for 4 sample cats, the tool was able to produce a model (see Fig. 1)
R1.2: for 5 sample cats, the tool was able to produce a model (see Fig. 2)
R1.3: for 3 sample cats, the tool was able to produce a model (see Fig. 3)

Thank you so much. That sounds reasonable and clarifies the questions

If someone asked you: "does your software work"? How would you prove to them that it does? How did you test the software and proved to yourself that the software works as intended? That could be the basis of a results section.

So, manufactured tangibles through software can be considered as results?


text:
Calling a professor regarding an advertised postdoc position
I have sent an email to a professor regarding a postdoc position that I saw advertised in the careers web page of her university. The email was very polite and extensively detailed. However, it has been one week now and I still did not receive any reply from the Professor who advertised the position. Is it acceptable if I call her by phone, since she is making her phone number public on her page, or is it rude to do so? I have no problem waiting longer for her reply, but the position will close in less than one month and I would like to know what documents should I submit with the application as this is not specified in the advertisement.

One week is very little time for these things. The person is busy. She is probably considering several applications as well as doing her normal work. Calling probably will not make the situation better and might make it worse. If she is considering your application, she won't want to make any decision in a phone call, of course.
The required documents are likely posted somewhere and can't be known here. You need to find them. If they aren't listed in the position announcement they may be in general application materials of the institution. Failing that, the common thing is your CV and a Statement of Purpose (SOP). You need to convince her or a committee that you are the right person for this position and that your background indicates you will be a good fit. Address both your past and your future as you see it.

Another week has passed and I still did not receive any feedback from the professor. No wonder academics have the reputation of being the most unprofessional professionals in the world.


text:
Choice of Letter of Rec for PhD
I am applying to chemistry PhD programs to focus on DFT methods. 2 of my applications are due tomorrow, and one of my letter writers (call him Dr. X) has not yet submitted. The letters that I have submitted are from:

A professor I worked with on DFT research as part of a 10-week REU program
A professor I took organic chemistry and upper-level chem courses with and got all As in, who knows me well personally

I am getting worried about this last letter writer, and one of my other professors, Dr. Y, offered to write me a letter in his place, since I need exactly 3. Ignoring the issue of whether he will submit on time, I'm wondering which letter would be better to submit.
I worked with Dr. X for a year on research in organic synthesis, and am taking an upper-level chem course with him right now. I have interacted with him personally a decent amount, although I don't think he is aware of my research focus.
Meanwhile, I did not do research or classes with Dr. Y, and her PhD is in biology. I have been a chemistry tutor at my school for 3 semesters and she was my boss. However, she knows me very well (much more than Dr. X), could speak very positively to my character and abilities, and is aware of my research focus. I know she could write a very strong letter for me, but I am concerned because she's not in my subject and I didn't do research/courses with her.
Which letter would be better for my application?

See this discussion at meta for some guidance: https://academia.meta.stackexchange.com/q/5492/75368

Voting to close as it is very person-specific and also not even useful for them after 6 days ago!

An easy call if I were in your situation: go with the one who knows you better and hence more likely to provide a meaningful (hopefully positive) evaluation/recommendation. A formulaic letter that's light on specifics is very unlikely to be to your advantage - and may in fact be to your disadvantage. I'd recommend you ask Dr. Y. Good luck.

Thank you! I decided to go with Dr. Y.


text:
Do infamous criminals and deceased alumni lose FERPA privacy rights?
I am researching privacy laws regarding student records at US universities in cases where the student has gained public notoriety or is deceased. Recently, there has been media coverage of Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old charged in the homicide of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson. As a researcher studying patterns in academic backgrounds, I wonder about the legal framework for accessing student records in such cases. Specifically, I'm interested in understanding how FERPA and similar privacy laws apply to both individuals who have become subjects of major public interest and to deceased former students. For instance, would academic records of notable historical figures like Richard Feynman or J. Robert Oppenheimer still be protected, or is there a point at which such records become part of the public domain? Does the public figure status of an individual affect their FERPA protections?
I've seen some historians cite academic records of long-deceased individuals in their research, but I'm unclear on the legal basis for this. It would be helpful to understand if there's an established time period after death when academic records become accessible for research purposes, and what processes legitimate researchers need to follow to access such records.
Additionally, I am concerned about potential legal liability. How vulnerable would a university or individual researcher be to lawsuits if they mistakenly disclosed protected academic records? Are there any notable cases where universities faced significant legal consequences for unauthorized disclosure of student records, either of living or deceased individuals? I'd appreciate insights from those with experience in university administration or academic research involving historical student records.

This might be better at https://law.stackexchange.com/

I agree with Buffy, but if you want to keep it here you should ask either about current notorious figures or about the historical case

As I understand it ?? The institution is supposed to enforce this, and for any breach the victim can only sue the institution, not the researcher.  But, again, this belongs in the "law" forum.

The records of deceased students are not protected: https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/faq/does-ferpa-protect-education-records-students-are-deceased

@NateEldredge isn't that an answer? Though this question is unfocused, I realize.

I wonder why this was closed. Academia-related laws like FERPA are very much on-topic here; we have had FERPA questions before.

@cag51 I voted to close as two many questions, not as off-topic, since I think "deceased" and "in the news" are two different questions.

@NateEldredge - but, equally, lapsed FERPA protections do not compel an institution to release any records either.

@Azor: That close reason makes slightly more sense. Though personally, I think this could be isomorphically formulated as "are there exceptions to FERPA protections, such as dead students or public figures?", so even that seems like a technicality that should be fixed by editing rather than closing.

And "legal liability" is yet a third question.

@cag51 that’d be fine with me and I’d vote to reopen.

@cag51 this user is one of the many who targets various STEM communities writing posts using gen ai. See this Meta post: Reporting the recent infestation of new users resorting to gen AI targeting STEM communities. This particular user has already been suspended in many communities already.


text:
Do US PhD applicants have flexibility in research area even if they have a Masters Degree?
I have seen other similar questions, but this one is specific to applicants with a Masters degree. Because it seems that US PhD applicants with Masters are held to a higher standard.
Background
I have an Integrated Masters degree (Bachelors + Masters in 4 + 1 years) in Electrical Engineering (EE). My Masters specialization was in area X (part of EE), and I have 2 good publications in X.
I wish to apply to PhD programs in Electrical Engineering (in the US). However, I have two areas of interest: X (main) and Y (possible).
X = Microelectronic devices, Y = Electric grids, Renewable energy integration. They're quite distinct, but do come under EE.
Question 1
It is okay for undergrads to have multiple interests. But I have a Masters in X. If I am admitted to a US PhD program, am I allowed to choose my area (X or Y) at the end of my first year coursework, like those with only an undergrad degree?
Question 2
I ask the above question because I see that most universities reduce the coursework requirements for students who hold a Masters. Although I have a Masters, can I choose to do the full coursework? I think this would give me more opportunity to explore and choose between X and Y.
Question 3
Given that I have a Masters and 2 publications in X, does it look bad that I have an interest in Y as well? I intend to write about my interest in Y in my SoP.
However, I have a reasonable explanation. My underlying theme of interest is energy, which I can realize via either X or Y. They have their own merits and demerits, and I like them for different reasons. I just wish to take a decision after exploring both thoroughly in my coursework.

At most US universities, you need an advisor who is willing to work with you. The problem might come from you or from them, but it needs to be a mutual decision.
I suggest that you find an advisor interested in Y and convince them that you have what it takes to begin research in that area. Your background in X may be helpful or not. If not, the path will be longer, but very likely open.
I doubt that many students are constrained, no matter where they start, to continue in the same specialty. But you need that advisor and mutual agreement on the course of study.
And, for application to a doctoral program, few require that you be very specific on the particular research direction. You may need to convince them that you have the needed skills to begin, but not much more than that (beyond general competence/excellence).

Thanks for the answer. However I'm not yet sure that I want to work in Y.
Are you saying that I need to find a potential advisor before I apply for PhD?

No. But you need to find one before you start dissertation research. Your first task will be to deal with comprehensive/qualifying examinations. That may take some coursework. Naming a field and some specialization within it is all you need (and maybe not even that). But you will have some time to get acquainted with a few faculty members and find something mutually interesting.


text:
Writing about a paper that won't be published (but got accepted) in my resume
(I believe my question is not a duplicate, I've seen all others related to this.)
I'm an undergrad and I need to make a resume to apply for jobs (in industry) including a paper that we submitted to a conference. The paper got accepted, but we weren't able to get a visa. So, the paper will go unpublished. (We plan to submit it elsewhere, but that'll take time)
Is it correct to write (in my resume) that I have an accepted paper? If it is, can I just mention it as "accepted"? In that case is it unethical to not mention that I know it won't be published?
Thank you.

I guess this may depend on the field, but at least from my experience, I would expect the conference to still publish the paper in this situation.  It seems very strange for them to “un-accept” it just because of visa difficulties.

The conference website mentions that papers won't be published on no-show. It's conducted by IEEE, a famous organization in some engineering disciplines.

Yes, we spoke to the conference organizers. They denied a skype talk (also mentioned on their website) and said there's no way they can accommodate.

Contact the session chair, let him know the whole situation. If everything goes well, you need to arrange alternate speaker/presenter who are going to attend the conference. I did same when I was a student and I had to provide the proof for decline of VISA. I saw many such presentation in several flagship IEEE conferences.

Thanks for the comments, I'll talk to my PI and see if that can be done. But I'm still waiting eagerly for answers on how I could explain my situation in the resume.

It should be OK to include the paper in your resume with the annotation "accepted for [name and date of conference] but not presented because of visa denial".

This question was asked a long time ago, but remains on the unanswered queue. The comments are largely about how to still get the paper published in the conference proceedings, but let's suppose this is not possible.
First, this situation sounds totally unfair and stinks from the OP's point of view. The OP did strong research and then can't publish it where it got accepted because of a visa rejection. That's awful. And I hope any readers who found themselves on an editorial board for a conference proceedings would still publish the paper in a situation like this.
As for what the OP can do: I agree with the comment suggesting that it's fine to include this paper on your CV as one that was accepted for this specific conference but not presented because of a visa denial. Note that this does not prevent you from publishing the paper elsewhere, so I'd go ahead and submit it to other conferences to eventually get it published. But, in the short term, on the CV you use for job searches, it would be good to highlight that this paper was already accepted somewhere and only didn't get published because of a fluke, but has been resubmitted elsewhere.
It's important to actually get the paper published somewhere, for the sake of the scientific literature. Getting it published in the end also shows your resilience and ability to bounce back from setbacks.


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In analysing arguments, what are the differences between claims, support and premises?
I've read several books about argument and I have problem in interpretation from English to Bahasa. Is there any difference between claim, support, and premise in argument?

The previous answer is great, but I will give a simpler answer in case your English isn't quite up to that level yet.
Premise = an axiom.  We will assume this is true, right from the start.
Claim = the statement we want to prove.
Support = the reasons why the claim is true.  We will persuade the reader to accept the claim by giving support for it.


text:
Can I do research in Nanomedicine provided I am a sophomore in chemical Engineering?
I want to write a Review Paper on Polymer-Based Nanomedicine, but I’am bit confused weather I should proceed, because much of the terminology used is related to Biology not Engineering.

Welcome to Academia SE. Unfortunately, we cannot possibly answer your question because we do not know your level of knowledge and it’s very unlikely that any user here is familiar with both fields (also see this Meta post). You may ask how to make this decision, but for this purpose, we would need to know more about your motivations to write a review in the first place.

Given that you need to ask this question here I think the answer is no: you are not ready to write a review on this subject.
On the other hand, you are free to learn the "biological terminology" and then write your review, in which case your question would not have been necessary.


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Submitting to a journal as an undergrad but lying about academic status on bio
As an undergraduate I submitted a paper of mine to a reputable journal. Fearing that I would be desk-rejected for simply being an undergraduate, I stated in my submission bio that I was a PhD candidate. It turns out the paper is going to be published and I am curious if there are any long term repercussions or ethical concerns to be worried about on my end. Is it worth issuing a correction or is it statistically unlikely the EIC will even care at this point? Equally as important: would relaying such information result in the paper not being published?

Would you be willing to share your paper with a fellow undergraduate; I would be very interested to see what you have done :)

Congratulation for the writing of the paper. Don't be afraid to admit the error to the editor. Even if this paper will not be published by this journal, you can try another publication venue. The experience gained with this paper worths more that the paper itself. However, for the future I recommend also to find a research group and to collaborate with them. Also, please update with further details regarding to what happened.

one more thing to think about - if you aren't yet in a phd program and plan to apply to one, you'll probably want to mention this paper in your application.  This would lead to uncomfortable problems if anyone on the committee looks at it.

@Joel has a very good point. Publishing the article with a lie attached would put a land mine into your career.

I wouldn't worry about it.

It's maybe too easy to offer advice on such matters when one doesn't have to live with the consequences, but for what it's worth: for your own peace of mind, and to minimize the risk of long term consequences (while possibly increasing the short term risk, though not by much I hope), I think you should send a contrite email to the editor explaining what happened and apologizing. Although there is no telling for sure what the editor would do, considering that your bio status is immaterial to the acceptance decision, I doubt that this will cause them to unaccept the paper. In any case, it's the right thing to do. And if you decide to stay silent and keep your deception a secret, you will have to spend the next few years worrying that it will be discovered, with potentially worse consequences for your career. Nip it in the bud is what I suggest. Good luck!

That is the only acceptable way to pursue. Admit your mistake now, before it has far wider reaching negative consequences.

Stupid question, but does this make any difference for anyone? Whether he admits it or is found out, wouldn't the consequences be the same? With the 0 tolerance people have towards stuff like this, OP could ruin his career early on with this or not ?

@HopefullyHelpful it's not a stupid question at all. I admit that personally I find this a pretty small and forgivable lie, but others may view it less lightly. In any case, admitting the mistake early on shows much more strength of character and is unquestionably the best path towards appeasing those who might view the matter seriously (and the best path for OP's peace of mind and maximizing the personal growth they can derive from the incident). I also think it's very unlikely to be a career-killing mistake either way, but again admitting the error now will make that even less likely.

As a professor who has trained a lot of graduate students (and someone who still recalls what it was like trying to get started in research), I would echo the answers by Dan Romik, Laurent Duval, and Chris John. It might sound like a relatively harmless and justifiable fib, but I guarantee you that if discovered later, it will be seen as a serious blot on your reputation, simply because it suggests that you are prepared to lie to secure a publication. You might never contemplate falsifying results, but people cannot know that and suspicion of your integrity can be fatal to your career.
The good news is, that if you own up before publication, and admit it was an error of judgement, there's a very good chance the editor would be lenient to someone just getting started. Everyone makes mistakes and odds are good he or she was once an eager undergraduate too!

Welcome to the site! Could you edit your answer so it doesn't refer to "the answers above"? Answers here get re-ordered depending on voting and user preferences. As I'm looking at the page today, I see only one answer above yours and I've no idea whether it's one of the answers you're talking about. Probably best to just remove the reference to other answers, since they don't really affect what you're saying.

Scientific conclusions in papers  may turn untrue, models or data can be wrong. But at the heart of research, intellectual honesty seems to me to be a core value. One should not state something he knows is false. @Dan Romik gave the sounder advice.
Lies are "a little" like  bank accounts. Sometimes they get unnoticed in offshore paradise islands for a whole lifetime. Sometimes they get unveiled with compound interests and the necessary prejudice. A little lie at one time turns into tremendous cheating after a few years.
The only situation that could save a little is: would you be a PhD candidate when the paper is published?  I believe as @Dan Romik that a status should not be an acceptance reason. But then your bio would be factually correct. And for the sake of honesty, a footnote under your name stating that:

"the author was an undergrad student at the time of submission"

would be nice addition. Indeed, papers written by undergraduates can get noticed, because it can mean early orientation toward research.

There's no way the OP could manage to become a PhD candidate at the time of publishing. At least not as I understand the term 'candidate.' First he would have to become a PhD student, complete the course work and an examination. Only then he would be a PhD candidate. The whole thing would take him at least 2 years.

Could the term PhD candidate depend on cursus/location? See for instance PhD candidate vs PhD student

There's some variation in the use. But it's not enough to join a PhD program to be a PhD candidate.

@QuoraFeans: At latest when you consider translations from other languages, the use of "PhD candidate" indeed extends to the interpretation that joining a PhD program is what makes you a PhD candidate (see the question linked above by Laurent).

Dishonesty like this, if discovered, will cast immediate doubt on the quality of your research. If you are prepared to lie about this what else have you concealed or fabricated?
I would tend to agree that your best bet is to come clean immediately  and admit that it was an error of judgement which you now regret. Even if this results in the paper not being published it should at least defuse what might otherwise be a ticking time-bomb for your future career and you can at least truthfully say that you acknowledged and corrected your mistake before you gained anything from it.
Having said that it is not a huge deception and not particularly relevant to the content of the paper. As an undergraduate you probably stand a good chance of being forgiven and having it put down to the inexperience and enthusiasm of youth. Especially if you own up before you get caught.

Get it fixed asap. As others have stated just write to the editor. Even if they reject the paper due to the 'error' this will be the end of it and you'll still have an opportunity to publish in a different journal.
But if this is not corrected then it is not only a problem for your career in academia.
You can't go into politics with something like this over your head.
In Germany, as an example of one jurisdiction, it is a serious offence to misrepresent your title or degrees.
And do not forget about visa trouble. You really do not want to try to explain to an immigration officer why you lied about your degrees on a paper 10 or 20 years ago.
If it is not fixed it does not go away. There is a very permanent record of wrongdoing, how small it may seem.

As a starting point:

Dear Dr. Name-of-Editor,
I was thrilled to receive notification that my submission (title of article) has been accepted for publication.  However, I must make one very important correction.  When filling out my submission bio, I described myself as a PhD candidate.  Actually, I am currently a senior [junior] in the Name-of-Field program at Name-of-University, hoping to begin my PhD studies next fall.  I sincerely apologize for the untruth.  I hope this does not compromise my submission.
I have explained the situation to my dean of undergraduate studies, Dr. Name-of-Dean.  If you would like to contact him/her, here is his/her contact information: (email) (phone).

Sincerely,
(name)
Instead of the dean, you could provide the name of a mentoring professor.

What's the point of mentioning a dean or mentor? The first paragraph seems sufficient to me.

@JimConant In case the editor wants someone to vouch for the OP, and confirm his student status at the named program.

@DanRomik Your wiktionary link says "to make a statement that is in error, to say incorrectly, have a slip of the tongue. Implies an unintentional error in speaking rather than an intentional lie."  Contrast that with, for example, Collins: "A misstatement is an incorrect statement, or the giving of false information. [mainly US] ⇒ He finally corrected his misstatement and offered to reduce the fee. [+ of] ⇒ While this booklet has become an official source of information, it is filled with misstatements of fact." (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/misstatement)  Maybe...

..."misrepresentation" would be less prone to different interpretations?  "Untruth"?  I don't think it's necessary to say "lie" in the email.

@DanRomik - I find that describing an approach to drafting an email or a letter is not as effective in getting across what one has in mind as showing some suggested text. Since my draft bothered you so much, I suggest you add a draft or a portion of a draft to your answer. That would make your answer clearer. // Your comment showed me that the word "misstatement" can be taken in different ways -- which I hadn't realized when I wrote it.  Live and learn; I will be editing my answer. // It was not my intention to obfuscate or be crafty.  I did try to convey that the lie wasn't ill-intentioned.

Unless the OP has already been accepted to a grad program, "hoping" seems right.

@DanRomik - If OP were not planning to go to grad school, he probably wouldn't be asking this question.  But "planning" wouldn't be the right word for the email (unless he's already been accepted somewhere). // I'm guessing you don't want to draft an alternative starting point because you think the OP needs to do the whole thing himself.  I will try to give you an idea why I gave him a starting point text.  If I discover that my 5yo has walked out of the grocery store with something stolen in his pocket, I model for him what an appropriate apology to the manager would sound like...

...on our way back into the store. // What I tried to do with the question here was to imagine myself in his shoes, and write a draft assuming that what he wrote in his question here was accurate, with the goal of showing him that this email is doable.  I surmised that he was finding the writing of the email daunting -- otherwise I think he would have written it already, and wouldn't have asked the question here. // You don't have to like the starting point I wrote, or the way I analyzed the question.  We don't have to end up converging on how we view this.


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Can I do research at a different college than the one I am attending?
I will be general here so as to help others searching for the same question and to conceal my identity.
I am a freshman at a top liberal arts college, and I would like to do chemistry research over the summer. I could pretty easily do research at my own college, but it is very far away from home and I'd like to at least spend my freshman summer closer to my family/friends back home.
Would it be normal to contact professors at local colleges and say that I am interested in doing research over the summer? Is there a normal procedure (if any) in getting research opportunities at a college that I do not attend?
Thanks

There is nothing wrong with asking and nothing wrong with doing what you propose. However, your regular college may not accept any "credit toward graduation" from the other place, and the other college may require some sort of official attendance, even as a part-time student.
Depending on how the professor is funded, this may be easier or harder. If he/she has external funding for the research it is probably easier as they have a bit (at least) more control over how it is carried out. Likewise if the professor is on an "academic year" contract then summer month activities may not be considered part of employment. But you will have to explore locally to know what rules apply.
Your regular college won't have any problems with you doing this unless  you want them to accept credits. Then, rules will apply.


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Advice on optimal way to learn more math
I live in the US, I'm in my early 50's, worked in Wall Street for 25 years and retired from that life early this year, with no intention to go back. My dream is to dedicate the rest of my life to learn as much mathematics as I can. I have a BA in economics and an MBA. My BA involved a decent amount of math. Early this year I was admitted to an MA in Mathematics from an OK institution, their math program ranks in the middle in the US.Beauty of this MA is you can do it 100% online and I live in the countryside. So far I have taken three courses, differential equations, history of math and analysis. Straight As in all three. I know my question is very generic but any advice would be highly appreciated. Should my goal be getting a PhD? I think I'm a great math teacher because I love them so much and particularly love teaching students who don't like them or think they are too boring or too hard, but who wants a novice math teacher in their late 50s? Should I just finish my MA and go for an MSc? Thanks and all the best.

Teaching is much more than knowing the material. Life experience, together with many other skills and qualities, can be just as important. Just because you may not be as experienced in teaching mathematics as some of your colleagues, this doesn't mean you can't be a good teacher.

Do you want to teach or do research?  A phd is not strictly necessary to teach.  If you want to do research, then it's worth thinking about.
Fwiw, I'm 40, and a first year phd student in pure math at a top 40ish US program.  Like you, I had a career on wall street and moved to the mountains a few years ago, decided I wanted to do math, so moved to a university town and started taking classes.  I think spending time at a university (not online) could help you decide if being a student suits you (it's not for everyone, and has plenty of aggravations).

I don't think we can tell you what your goal should be. If you just want to learn math, like you said, then you can figure out yourself how you learn best, whether it's enrolling in a degree program, buying some books and working through them, using free online classes, etc. If you want to do something besides for learning math, you'll have to tell us what that is.

One of the best math teachers I had went back to school when her children were grown. // It's too soon right now for you to know how far you want to go; you can see how it goes as you go along. // So glad to hear you're enjoying yourself.  Have fun!

@Blue-FootedBooby'sBlueFeet: Even at Math Educators Stack Exchange, this question would probably be put on hold for the same reason it has been here.

Thank you all. I wasn't aware of the rigidity of what is appropriate or not to ask on this exchange. For what is worth, some of the answers above are already helping me, so if helping is they the goal, perhaps less rigid rules, or rule  interpreters, would give participants a better chance to be helped. Bamboo, good luck with your PhD, unfortunately right now physically moving to a university is not a possibility for family reasons. The university I am attending is a large state university, it just offers some of their courses and programs online. And thanks aparente001, that's encouraging.

Hi, I'm 17 and my advice: Read a book, or if you just want to do recreational for fun, try this: http://math.stackexchange.com/questions


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How do departments determine the optimal quantity of elective offerings?
In my department, we have a problem in trying to determine how many credits of electives we should offer.  At first, it seems that it should be a simple equation to take the number of students enrolled at the department multiplied by the elective credits they will take on average that semester, and then divide by the minimum student enrollment for a course to help estimate how many credits to offer.  The problem is that not only is the average elective credits to be taken not known in advance, but also that students often take electives outside the department, and students from other departments will sometimes take our department's courses.
As a result, the department makes no effort to estimate elective credits, and often offers more credits than could reasonably be filled.  This results in under-enrollment of the electives, which means that many do not meet their minimum enrollment numbers, and are cancelled before the semester even starts.
Does anyone have a tool their department uses that works well to mitigate this problem?

What are the minimum enrollment numbers at your uni/dept? Are we talking 5, 10, 15 students?

under-enrollment of the electives — So, not computer science, then.

There are about 30 students per year, in a 2-year master's program.  There are no undergrads, and a handful of PhDs taking courses.  It is also complicated by the fact that the Master's program requirements have been shifting lately, so previous year data isn't as applicable to next year.  We also have a lot of newly offered electives each semester as teachers propose them.

I should also add that our university requires a minimum of 8 students enrolled or a course must be cancelled.

Gradually converge to a number that works well, and adapt as things change, by adjusting upward or downward each semester if there were too few/too many the previous semester.
Most classes, including electives, are on a fixed schedule (e.g. "this class is taught in the Spring semester every other year") that is determined and then adjusted by the method described above.
Demand is not spread evenly across all electives; a course that is consistently underenrolled when offered every year might be moved to every two years, while a course that is overenrolled when offered once a year might change to every semester.
Demand does not usually change dramatically from one year to the next, so this works pretty well.


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What does it imply if my PhD supervisor is not a referee for my postdoc applications?
I feel that the communication between me and my supervisor is not clear enough to discuss my future career plans with him. Also, while discussing my progress in half-yearly meetings, he expresses subtle dissatisfaction with my work and efforts. Now that I am applying for postdoc positions, I have put his contact as a referee for my applications but I don't feel the trust in him that he will be completely just to my active efforts and skills.
So I would like to know what does it imply to a potential employer if they see that the primary supervisor of the applicant is not a referee for the application.

The absence of a letter of reference from your current supervisor will almost certainly lead to questions with a hiring committee, leaving them to wonder why no such letter was provided. Of course, there  can be a number of legitimate reasons for the absences of such a letter and therefore a committee cannot conclude anything from it. But what they will fear is that the letter is absent because your supervisor is dissatisfied with you.
Moreover, typically for fresh PhDs the committee is expecting the letter of the PhD supervisor to be the most useful because they are expected to be in the best position to judge your qualities as a researcher. So unless somebody else can provide an equally significant reference for you, the absence of a letter from your PhD supervisor is going to hurt your application simply because the committee may find that they simply do not have enough information to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses.


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Sharing with research team about being affected by a natural disaster
Is it professional enough to share personal worries with your research team and your supervisor where you are pursuing doctoral studies away from home and your hometown has been affected by a natural disaster like a tornado or a super cyclone in the context of your reduced productivity and lesser focus? What would be the recommended mode of sharing such information - in person or over emails?
If they do not react to your statement, does that mean that they see such a case as an excuse only and fail to understand the effect it has had on the doctoral student?

How long do you expect this will impact you? How flexible (or not) is your work at that time?

If these are people you must work closely with then it is wise to let them know. But everyone will react differently. Most, but not all, people recognize the impact of such things on productivity. Most, but not all, will give you some "room" to recover.
But it is better that you inform them, to avoid their making assumptions that might be incorrect.
Perhaps you can think about informing different people differently, depending on your assessment of them and your relationship. For some, an email is enough. But for your advisor, a meeting might be better if it can be arranged.
And don't worry if they don't react. Some people just have an impoverished emotional life and don't connect to others. Some people just have poor people skills. That can even be for medical reasons.


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Accepted behaviour while working in international collaborations
How is getting-job-done outlook perceived in different parts of the academic world? In some parts of physics, I know a person who goes forward and suggests times and dates for meeting up for the workgroup and some improvements will be very welcome do to so since it is viewed as a responsible and active act. However, I noticed that in some research areas (which even might be the nature of the subject or the people involved) this might be seen as an imposing behaviour where they believe in suggesting a meeting and not stating any times/dates to give space to the other people involved.
My question is there any international standard or accepted etiquette in this regard?

While certainly there are some cultural tendencies, I expect that the perception of work attitudes depends primarily on the individuals involved.

There is no international standard of etiquette. Cultures differ so much between countries (and within countries) that I think it would be impossible to agree on the details of such a thing. What you are discovering is part of the fun of collaborating with other people from different countries: you get to indirectly learn about the cultures and working practices of those countries.
In situations like this, my advice is to take it on a case-by-case basis. Ask your collaborators early on whether they prefer you to take the lead on suggesting meeting times and related goals, or whether they would prefer to communicate with you as and when they make progress. That way you can ensure that everyone is happy as the collaboration goes on, and you can always check in with them later on to see that the arrangement is still working for everyone.