Academia Ghetto Thread

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Roughly how much could an author of a paper expect to receive from publishing a paper? I was under the impression that the vast majority of the cost of obtaining a paper goes to the publisher rather than the authors.

In my field, authors get a pack on the back and a line in their CV.

[Suu]

Roughly how much could an author of a paper expect to receive from publishing a paper? I was under the impression that the vast majority of the cost of obtaining a paper goes to the publisher rather than the authors.

In my field, authors get a pack on the back and a line in their CV.

"Just think of the grant money you can get when they see you've been published! Here, eat this exposure!" 

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Roughly how much could an author of a paper expect to receive from publishing a paper? I was under the impression that the vast majority of the cost of obtaining a paper goes to the publisher rather than the authors.

In my field, authors get a pack on the back and a line in their CV.

"Just think of the grant money you can get when they see you've been published! Here, eat this exposure!"

To be fair, in my field grad students are paid.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Speaking of which, academic bureaucracy has found a novel way of making my life more frustrating this term! This is a good one, too. I have a scholarship, but they need my official transcript that shows I've graduated and am admitted into the graduate program. Final grades for my thesis posted on August 12th and my degrees posted August 13th. Billing for Fall term also posted August 13th. There is a hold on my transcript until I pay my bill, which is just under $5k.

It gets better. I get a $6000/quarter teaching stipend and full tuition remission. But, I don't get paid until October 31st, and my tuition bill is due October 6th. The way tuition remission works is, you pay the bill, then they reimburse you.

I also am eligible for a Perkins loan that would cover tuition, but my scholarship is tied to my financial aid and since my scholarship is waiting for my transcript, they can't disburse my financial aid until all requirements are fulfilled.

This would be hilarious if I wasn't so fucked.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I honestly cannot for the life of me figure out whether I get my scholarship funding ON TOP OF my stipend and tuition remission, but if I do, that is going to be completely awesome. It would be enough to actually support a family on. I'll be paying taxes for the first time in five years!

[Suu]

My Academia.edu page is fluctuating between the top 2-3% of profiles. Some of my papers up there aren't that great, so I'm surprised they're getting hits at all.

The Crusades have been a hot topic lately, though. My short paper on Geoffrey de Villehardouin is my most popular piece, and it's being downloaded a lot by students back at UNH, so I ran a search on this semester's courses, and shonuff, one of my former profs and thesis committee Russian Judge is teaching the Crusades this semester. My guess is that he just hit the 4th Crusade. Last year at this time, we had a student in the colloquium use my paper for his piece on Villehardouin, so I at least hope I'm being cited (I BETTER be cited) and that the prof gets to see my name as a source.  He's a great instructor though, really, he's just tough as nails. I wonder if there's a sense of pride, or dread, in seeing former students' work being used by current students. It certainly was hilarious sitting in the colloquium last year and listening to the undergrad present his paper.

I was asked to present my thesis research at the International Congress of Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo next May. I'm flattered and terrified, because this is basically Medievalpalooza, including the live music. Some of my academic heroes will be there, and you can't really fangirl out when it comes to Peter Frankopan like you can with a comic artist.

In other, more sad news, I've lost library and database access through UNH. I can get it back with an alumni library card, but they require me to physically go to the library on campus to apply for one, probably for identification purposes. Why the hell didn't they tell us this before we left? It's a bummer, really, because there's a few things I'm working on right now, including a paper on cotton cultivation in Medieval Anatolia, and a short article on purple dye.  That, and work, is why I haven't been posting on the boards as much. I can get some database access through CSU, but not the ILL privileges like I had at UNH. Ugh, time to get cozy with the San Diego Public Library.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I got nothin' but that I was on campus 82 hours last week.

At least it appears that my students are improving, which was the goal.

[Suu]

I got nothin' but that I was on campus 82 hours last week.

At least it appears that my students are improving, which was the goal.

I know that feel.

Did the financial aid situation work itself out?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I got nothin' but that I was on campus 82 hours last week.

At least it appears that my students are improving, which was the goal.

I know that feel.

Did the financial aid situation work itself out?

Yes, very nicely, in fact. It was tough in the interim, but now I should be all set even during the inevitable period next term when they fuck it up again.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Today is the first time since the start of the term when I actually feel like I can probably get all this shit done. I should be grading or something right this second, actually, but I'm taking a moment to have a cup of tea and relax. I dropped five hours from my mentoring job, so that opened up my Monday and Wednesday midafternoons, plus I've started grading papers during lab section when my students are engaged in doing what they are supposed to do (getting them to do what they are supposed to do is a whole other hurdle: apparently they will not take notes while I explain simple step-by-step procedures, but instead ignore everything I say and then call me over to hold their hand through it when they get to the procedure).

I am epically behind on reading for my research, but I am fairly confident that I can catch up reasonably quickly now that I have time.

My data analysis clicked for me today, and I was R scripting like a boss; the professor caught up on his lecture from Monday and what was opaque is made clear.

Now I just have to rewrite my scoping statement and specific aims, find a non-mammalian deiodinase immunohistochemistry protocol, grade 37 lab reports, and read 2 papers a day this week, and I'm golden. I feel like these are doable goals. Until a wrench gets thrown into the works, then I will be back to shitting bricks.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Oh and

A bunch of students got busted copy and pasting answers from Coursehero on their lab reports.

All the answers are IN THE LAB MANUAL. On the first two pages of the lab section for the week. Which they should have read before doing the lab, and can use for reference while writing their lab report. We literally hand them the answers, all they have to do is look.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I am thoroughly uninterested in my graduate research project.

I didn't realize how uninterested I am until today.

Fuck.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

OK, so in a follow-up to my last post, my interest has picked back up, even though it's still not as interesting as the effects of prenatal stress on brain development.

But that aside, one of my students is driving me fucking crazy. He keeps fucking asking me how he can get better grades, and I told him answer all the fucking questions on your fucking homework. He cornered me after class on Tuesday and was like "But how can I get better grades tho?" and once again, I told him that the main two areas he loses points are A. not following the directions and B. not answering all the questions. I gave him detailed directions on how best to use the lab addendum to make sure he doesn't miss any questions and follows all the directions, and stayed with him for half an hour after class discussing study strategies.

Lo and behold, I am grading his fucking lab report and he has only answered three out of nine questions. I probably don't need to tell you whether he followed the directions.

[MMIX]

I love students . . . but I couldn't eat a whole one

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I love students . . . but I couldn't eat a whole one

My god, I had no idea. I had one email me today to complain about receiving a zero grade on an assignment she never turned in.