Mav Grad Blog » Resources

The Ph.D. Makes a Grand Comeback

Ashley Horn — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 15:29:16 +0000

Reputation.Com, headed by CEO Michael Fertik, examined common doctoral degrees and found that persons who hold them have seen their careers accelerate by more than 10% on average in terms of compensation (sadly, with the exception of the humanities and education). This research is discussed in a recent Linked In article by Fertik himself.

According to Fertik, the hard sciences, such as chemistry and physics, along with doctoral degrees in fields such as marketing and economics, all make the cut. These degrees typically lead to higher wages and a greater increase in wages over time.

Granted – nothing is life is for certain, but as of now, the Ph.D. seems like it has made a comeback.

Cover Letters

Ashley Horn — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 15:09:28 +0000

Take it from someone (Karen Kelsky, aka, The Professor) who has read approx 2200 cover letters: YOUR COVER LETTER PROBABLY STINKS! Below, I have highlighted some some errors many students make straight from her amazing and seriously helpful site – The Professor Is In.

-Too long
-Not on letter head
-Doesn’t follow business letter etiquette
-Contains way to much info on your dissertation
-You label yourself as a student (rather than colleague)

Relate to some of these common mistakes? For more reasons your cover letter probably stinks – and HOW to make it BETTER, check out the Professor’s blog article.

Check out the CV Writing workshop coming up at UT Arlington!

June 12 @ 12:30 p.m.

Room 303, Chemistry and Physics Building

Summer Workshop Calendar

Ashley Horn — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:43:26 +0000

Classes are out for the summer. Use this time to address social and professional issues that have been set on the back burner. Gear up for your BIG PAPER (dissertation/thesis) and learn how to format in Microsoft Word like a pro BEFORE you start writing – this prevents delays in mechanical checks and LOTS of frustration.

June 6th 2013:
Managing the Time Trap – Organizational Skills Online Workshop

Wednesday, June 12th 2013:
Composition and Expected Content of a Curriculum Vitae

Tuesday, June 18th 2013:
Word for Dissertations & Theses

Wednesday, June 26th 2013:
Curriculum Vitae & Resume Critiques

DS-PRO Open for New Goals

Ashley Horn — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:13:51 +0000

Doctoral Student Progress Report Online (DS-PRO) is unrolling Mark II, a BRAND NEW version of the on-line tool that allows doctoral students and professors at UT Arlington to collaboratively set, monitor, and report on their progress toward goals. Some functions will be slightly different. The system prompts you with instructions each time you log in – no training necessary!!

This system is important for students and advisors alike! DS-PRO lets you improve accountability on all fronts and track your progress so there is a record of your performance. This is VERY VALUABLE for things like: applying for fellowships and GTA/GRA positions, getting extra time for papers,and getting approval on petitions. Log in to DS-Pro and set new goals! Read an overview of the new DS-PRO Mark II for more information!

RCR Workshop – Last One of the Academic Year!

Ashley Horn — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:32:30 +0000

Monday, May 13th 2013: RCR Workshop – Moral Dilemmas in Research
12:00 pm–1:30 pm
Room 303 Chem & Physics Bldg.

Find out more about the conceptual frameworks used to examine moral dilemmas in the design and completion of research projects. Hear Dr. Maria Martinez-Cosio, Dr. Alexa Smith-Osborne, Dr. Ken Williford, and Dr. Tim Henry speak about their experiences with morality in past research. Then, join in on the discussion, share your opinion, and learn where your peers stand on issues regarding responsible research.

Find out more about UTA’s Responsible Conduct of Research Certification.

MOOC! Wait – Huh?

Ashley Horn — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:22:00 +0000

Massive Open Online Courses - most of which are free – are taking the internet by storm. (sounds like MMOG, no?)

According to The Chronicle – April, 2013, right now the main issues are -

The course crashing
Stigma against online content
Affected quality by increasing educations quantity

Why take em’?

Cheap- sometimes free
Available anytime from your home computer
Easily accessible for non-traditional students

Major players include National Science Foundation (no-brainer), Mozilla (nice!), Harvard, MIT, University of Pennsylvania, Cal Tech, UT Austin (Go UT System!), Google, and the loved (but also hated by test-takers alike) Pearson.

The aggregator of my choice is edX – free classes from leading universities are all packaged nicely via subject, so I can avoid anything computer programming related and skip straight to artificial intelligence and quantitative methods in public health sections. All of the classes aren’t currently running, but many are open for self-paced study.

The top ten sites for MOOCs according to BDPA include UC Berkeley Free Courses and Standford Free Courses.

Peer Educator Positions Available!

Ashley Horn — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:16:02 +0000

Know What to Expect When You Graduate

Ashley Horn — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:11:22 +0000

Graduating with a Ph.D. is difficult enough on its own, without having to worry about paying off student loans and searching for available tenure-tracks across the country. Most of you out there will find adjunct positions to help you along the way to your ultimate career goals. So – know what to expect.

The Adjunct Project helps current and future adjunct faculty get a feel for salaries and what to expect as a cultural “norm” as far as work is concerned. There is even an advice page. Get suggestions and assistance from “near peers,” or colleagues who are a few years ahead of you. They are blazing the path that is closest to your current experience so their advice won’t be outdated.

I-Engage

Ashley Horn — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:09:36 +0000

Info meeting Tuesday March 19th -

Graduate students interested in the I-Engage Mentoring program should attend this workshop. The information session provides graduate and undergraduate students an opportunity to learn more about the program, meet potential mentors and mentees, and get tips on writing a competitive application. Register online through EDGE.

Find out more information on the I-Engage program and see if it is a good fit for you this summer!

What I Discovered in this Article

Ashley Horn — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:18:39 +0000

The Chronicle’s article (March 2013) entitled, Ph.D’s Spend Big Bucks Hunting for Academic Jobs, With No Guaranteed Results is very interesting. What did I learn?

1. Long Titles are no good.

2. How can someone rack up $100,000 in school debt while working AND publishing a chapter in a book?

But most importantly…

3. Whoever the unemployed graduate is that created Interfolio is a GENIUS!

I read so many articles on the difficulty of finding tenure-track positions, the job market slump, the rising cost of education, and the overall economic instability of the American workforce, that the topics are now dull (and depressing). The words blur together and my mind starts to wonder – who has a good job? Well, I have a pretty good job. The guy writing the article may have a good job. The guy IN the article may have a good job at this point, after all the strife. But really, its the employes of the SERVICES that are referenced in the article that have the good life. They took a look at their situation, saw others in it, and developed a solution. Mind blowing, right?