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Archives: Advice Posts

Recommendations for Recommendations

How many times is too many times to ask a professor for a letter of recommendation? I often find out about opportunities at the last minute, but don’t want to burden my advisors with creating a letter for me at the drop of a hat. Is it acceptable to re-use a general one that was written for you? Is it an ethical violation to upload your own letter of recommendation? —Anonymous

(This week’s answer is courtesy of Rebecca Aanerud, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Planning)

It is fine to ask for a letter of recommendation as often as needed. Faculty recognize that providing letters of recommendation is part of our job. Most faculty will be able to quickly make any adjustments to a previous letter and so the time commitment is relatively small. That said, it is also completely fine to be direct and simply ask if there are limits or parameters on how many times to request a letter and within what time frame. You should not upload a general one unless you have permission to do so. If someone writes a general one, you should ask at that time if it is acceptable to use for future purposes without further permission.

Ask the Grad School Guide is an advice column for all y’all graduate and professional students. Real questions from real students, answered by real people. If the guide doesn’t know the answer, the guide will seek out experts all across campus to address the issue. (Please note: The guide is not a medical doctor, therapist, lawyer or academic advisor, and all advice offered here is for informational purposes only.) Submit a question for the column →

 

When Is It Time to Move On?

A postdoc experience is often a leap of faith.  You might make decisions about what’s next for you after your doctoral program based on need, opportunity, ambition, passion, interest, or a combination of these factors.  Once you land a postdoc position, you will learn different things about yourself, and certainly you will also learn things about your research group that were not always clear through the interview process. With this newsletter, we pose the question – when is it time to move on? There are numerous factors to consider, but the main thing to know is: it is healthy to ask this question, regardless of your current experience (whether 6 months or 6 years into your postdoc). Is It Time to Change Groups?

  • Are you getting the opportunities for growth and experience that are important for your next career steps? It is not uncommon for a PI to hire a postdoc because of a skillset they bring to the group.  This is a good thing; but, if you are simply reproducing skills and experiences from your graduate research, you are not growing. You are just working.  A postdoc should be both – work and professional growth.
  • Are you in a mentoring or work environment where you can flourish? Postdocs have diverse needs when it comes to mentoring and work environments.  Learn more about your own needs and seek an environment, a mentor, and a research group that provides the experience you need to become your best.
  • What about letters of recommendation? If you truly have a difficult relationship with a PI, you will likely be concerned about the kind of letter of recommendation they will provide. This is among the reasons we often advocate for building a mentoring team, or a deeper bench of supervisors and researchers who can speak for you. Develop your own succinct, dispassionate narrative of what happened with a given faculty advisor if the relationship has truly broken down and you feel you cannot trust a letter from them. You can think about core elements that are useful to share, such as: I wasn’t getting enough independence in this particular lab group and I need to grow further; we had differences of opinion regarding best directions for the work; I learned a considerable amount but we never connected and it made it difficult to sustain the working relationship… You can make it a positive story – one that emphasizes what you are seeking more than what you are not getting. Regardless of your feelings, it doesn’t look good to future employers if you talk badly about your former supervisor.

Is it Time to Leave a Postdoc Position Behind Altogether?

  • Postdoc experiences are great for building your professional network, gaining more skills and experience, and also doing important self-reflection regarding what kind of career is really going to be meaningful for you.
  • When you’ve garnered enough skills and experience to be competitive, move on! Because of imposter syndrome, some of us may never feel truly ready.  Or myths may circulate about what it takes to be competitive in the job market.  Do your own research on what your field needs, and get feedback from several people about your track record. Hiring committees are comprised of many people and it can help to get diverse perspectives about your strengths and where your gaps may be.
  • Or, after more time in an academic research setting, you may now have enough information to know this isn’t the right trajectory for you.  Maybe for what you want to do next, you don’t need more advanced research training, but instead need to cultivate other skills or experiences. A variety of self-assessment tools can help you identify where your particular interests and skill sets are pointing you, and you may be surprised by the answers.

Whatever your situation, handling yourself professionally through the transitions will go a long way. Asking yourself – am I in the right place, am I getting what I need – is a lifelong practice that will serve you well in finding the best fit in work environment, supervision, and portfolio. And taking a proactive approach will help assure you get what you need. You never know until you ask!  If you need help thinking these issues through, or practicing how a conversation could go with your faculty supervisor, please always feel free to sign up for an office hour or make an appointment with the OPA senior faculty advisors. Additional Resources:

Working With Our Global UW Community

At UW, we are a global community.  Our graduate students are engaged in global health, global affairs, diplomatic relations, cultural exploration, and more.  And 20% of our graduate student population are international students!  Our international students and collaborators are key to our innovative, impactful university.  In this Core Programs newsletter, we wanted to focus on particular needs that members of our university community may be experiencing.  Whether you are yourself an international graduate student or work alongside an international peer, we hope there is something here for you. For International Graduate Students: Funding.  We know it can be challenging to find funding sources for your education and research when coming from outside the country. Our Graduate Funding Information Service has compiled a starting list of fellowships and funding sources that are not limited to U.S. citizens. Also, sign up for the GFIS blog. Work and Internships. Similarly to funding, it can be difficult to know if you are eligible for certain internship, practicum, or work opportunities.  The International Student Services office is of course a great resource, but so is our Career and Internship Center.  The Career and Internship Center has created an online information guide with tips for students on F-1 status who meet certain eligibility criteria for internships. Working with Faculty. It can be difficult for any student, but particularly if you come from a different culture than the dominant one here, to know how to approach faculty and engage them in your research and future interests.  Check out the upcoming workshop Core Programs is hosting.  The workshop includes a panel of faculty who will discuss effective skills for communicating with faculty. Self-Care. Like many graduate students who have moved to Seattle to attend graduate school, you may be out of your element and miss family, friends, and the comfort of a familiar “go-to” place.  Be gentle with yourself.  Graduate school is demanding and it is a marathon (not a sprint, though it feels like it at times).  Do what you need to do to recharge and restore your energy. Connect with Community. Self-care is critical, and part of that is connecting with your community.  Whether it is through a student organization, connecting with family members on Skype, or spending time with friends, classmates, colleagues–find and build your support network. It also often helps to connect with people who share similar life experiences with you. Hearing from others who are in the same situation helps normalize yours and eases the anxiety you may have. For Non-International Grad Student Peers, Faculty, and Staff: Check in. If you are faculty or an instructor who advises, mentors, or teaches international graduate students, including Muslim students, be mindful that recent immigration orders have caused undue stress, anxiety, and a very palpable fear of being sent home or being harassed.  Reach out to your students, or peers if you are a fellow student, by simply checking in and seeing how they’re doing. Not everyone will want to talk about their experience, but students often appreciate just being asked and acknowledged. Challenge preconceived notions.  In different ways, and to varying degrees over time, we are all socialized to learn and internalize misconceptions about communities we did not grow up with or have rarely interacted with in real life—if at all.  Regardless of the background we have, we can learn to debunk and challenge stereotypes about any group of people. We are always looking to grow our resources and programming for international graduate students so let us know if you have something good to share, or a need we at Core Programs in the Graduate School can work towards addressing. Best, Kelly, Jaye, and Ziyan Core Programs Team

Additional Campus and Self-Care Resources

The Postdoc Experience Revisited

The University of Washington, along with many peer institutions, is working to integrate the recommendations for revisiting the postdoctoral experience made by the National Academies of Sciences in 2014. We will keep you posted on progress as we move forward, and we invite you — postdocs, leaders within your units, faculty champions — to advocate for and adopt these changes locally. The following are excerpts from the primary recommendations of the report:

1. Limited Period of Service: The committee endorses the recommended practice, put forward by the NIH, the NSF, and the National Postdoctoral Association in 2007, that postdoctoral research training is and should be a “temporary and defined period.” Postdoctoral appointments for a given researcher should total no more than 5 years in duration, barring extraordinary circumstances.

2. Title and Role: In many instances, positions currently occupied by postdoctoral researchers are more appropriately filled by permanent staff scientists (e.g., technicians, research assistant professors, staff scientists, laboratory managers). The title of “postdoctoral researcher” should be applied only to those people who are receiving advanced training in research. When the appointment period is completed, postdoctoral researchers should move on to a permanent position externally or be transitioned internally to a staff position with appropriate…salary.

3. Career Development: Host institutions and mentors should, beginning at the first year of graduate school, make graduate students aware of the wide variety of career paths available for Ph.D. recipients, and explain that postdoctoral positions are intended only for those seeking advanced research training. Career guidance should include, where feasible, the provision of internships and other practical experiences. The postdoctoral position should not be viewed by graduate students or principal investigators as the default step after the completion of doctoral training.

3.3 Mentors, in addition to providing guidance based on their own experience, should become familiar with and disseminate information about all forms of career development opportunities available either at the host institution or through their professional society.

4. Mentoring: Mentoring is an essential component of the postdoctoral experience and entails more than simply supervision. Mentoring should not be solely a responsibility of the principal investigator, although he or she should be actively engaged in mentoring. Host institutions should create provisions that encourage postdoctoral researchers to seek advice, either formally or informally, from multiple advisors, in addition to their immediate supervisor. Host institutions and funding agencies should take responsibility for ensuring the quality of mentoring through evaluation of, and training programs for, the mentors.

5. Data Collection: Current data on the postdoctoral population, in terms of demographics, career aspirations, and career outcomes are neither adequate nor timely. Every institution that employs postdoctoral researchers should collect data on the number of currently employed postdoctoral researchers and where they go after completion of their research training, and should make this information publicly available.

Snowshoe Rentals

Take advantage of the winter chill — students can rent snowshoes from the Gear Garage for $7.50/day ($12.50/weekend).

Writing in Graduate School: Making Sense of Feedback

Core Programs welcomes guest writers to our newsletters – UW students, staff, and faculty.  Since it is the time of year where many of you are working hard on your writing, we invited Dr. Karen Rosenberg, UW alum and director of the UW Bothell Writing and Communication Center, to share some guidance with you.  

Getting feedback on our writing is a key part of graduate school (and, for many of us, life well beyond).  Sometimes that feedback is exactly what we need: it stretches our thinking; it confirms that the path we’re bushwhacking is gorgeous and useful; and it sharpens our tools as we continue the journey.  When we get this feedback, we know how to course correct and how to forge our way ahead.  Thank your professors and study what works about their feedback – hopefully we can use our intellect and spirit to support others down the line.

Sometimes the feedback on our writing isn’t great, but it isn’t terrible either.  It doesn’t rock our world with its insights, but we’ve been muddling along all right for a while now and the feedback serves as a green light to keep going.

But sometimes–whether intentional or not–the feedback hurts. It takes the wind out of our sails. It makes us doubt ourselves.  In one form or another, this has happened to many of us who have gone through graduate school (that is, jumped through all of the hoops we have jumped through to be in our current predicament of getting painful feedback on our writing).  So we might as well talk about it.

First, remember that we are getting feedback on one piece of writing, not on us as writers (and certainly not as whole, beautiful, complex people).  This sounds so utterly obvious, yet it bears a reminder every now and again.  We are not our writing.

Second, in the UW Bothell Writing and Communication Center where I work, we repeat the mantra: writing is never done, it’s just due.  So once we have tended to the sting of the fraught feedback, we can see if we can scavenge any useful bits from it, bits that enable us to revise our work…literally to see it again.

Before we get there, it helps to tend to the sting.  I don’t know what it feels like for you (and often I haven’t known what is has felt like for me, because when I was in graduate school I sought to distance myself from my feelings in a misguided effort to become more ‘academic’).  But during my 8 years directing the Writing and Communication Center, I’ve spent time thinking about what helps and hurts in responding to others’ writing.  Here are some tips to tend to the sting and then use the feedback to move forward:

  1. Read all of the feedback.
  2. Identify what you’re feeling. Shame? Anger? Despair? Nothing?  You don’t have to do anything with these feelings except acknowledge them and, if you can, sit with them.  Over time, this can help us receive the feedback in a less personal way.
  3. Step away for a while. Get some distance.
  4. Find your people. Seek out friends, family, and colleagues who can help you get in touch with your voice, your gifts, and your most vital reasons for being in grad school.
  5. Use your resources.  Schedule a writing tutor appointment at the Bothell, Tacoma, or Seattle campus.  And check out these online writing resources curated by the UWB Writing and Communication Center, UWT Teaching and Learning Center, and UWS Odegaard Writing and Research Center.
  6. Return to the feedback.  What’s useful about it?  What productive questions does it open up? Make a list of questions to discuss with your professor.
  7. Reject feedback that questions your right to be in academia.  For example, Latinx student Tiffany Martinez writes about a professor who circled the word “hence” on her paper with the comment “this is not your word.”  She rejects the feedback, describes the sting, and doesn’t let it derail her from academic path.
  8. Talk to your professor and make sure you have a clear sense of your next steps – ones that feels authentic to your voice and your goals for being in graduate school.


Many thanks and gratitude to Dr. Karen Rosenberg for writing this edition of the Core Programs graduate student newsletter. 

U-Village

University Village, a huge outdoor shopping center just east of the Seattle campus, lists many student discounts, some exclusive to UW.

Professors on Pedestals

Is there a place on campus where I can learn how to address/talk to professors? I have been in the US for about six years now, but I am originally from a culture where one is supposed to show respect to people older than you. I therefore still cannot bring myself to address a professor by name (as my other fellow graduate students do), or write an email to them without putting in multiple “Thank you for your time!” and “Sorry to bother you…”. 

When I read my own emails that I send out to professors, it’s cringeworthy, since I’m so deferential. It’s worse when the professors I address are just a couple of years older than me. I want to learn to get over this. My friend recently pointed out that calling someone “Prof. X”, and writing so many Thank Yous and Sorrys in email skews the power dynamic a bit too much, and that I should treat professors as colleagues if I want them to treat me as one. 

How do I learn this? I hang out with a lot of American friends but somehow this is something I’m unable to learn.  —Anonymous

Hi, there. In order to address your question, I reached out to several campus partners. I hope their multiple perspectives and experiences are helpful.

Ziyan Bai is a graduate student assistant with the Graduate School’s Core Programs and Office of Postdoctoral Affairs:

“In Winter 2016, I organized a workshop on “Communicating with Faculty” for international grad students. At the workshop, a panel of 3 faculty members and 4 advanced international graduate students from social science, science, engineering, and humanities shared commination tips and strategies including communicating in person or via email.

I also got this question many times during my 1-on-1 mentoring with new international grad students. This is not an uncommon situation. The bottom line: find a middle ground that students find comfortable with the degree of reverence they show in the email or talking in person. Usually international students find it uncomfortable if they try to “get rid of” their home culture in order to fit in. There is no universal standard in communication, so staying connected with home culture and being open to learn new culture at the same time is recommended.” 

Note: Workshop will be offered again in Winter 2017. Details will be announced in the Graduate School Digest and on the Graduate School’s events calendar.

Era Schrepfer is the executive director of the Foundation for International Understanding Through Students (FIUTS), which offers a wealth of support and programs for international students at UW:

“We hear this question pretty frequently. I usually suggest visiting the professor during office hours and being totally honest about this with them directly. Just say, ‘I’m from XXX and in my country we are taught from an early age to treat teachers much more formally, so the culture in the classroom here is hard for me to get used to. I want to be successful in your class and for you to feel comfortable.  What do you suggest to help me with this?’

Usually, they really don’t mind being treated more formally by international students, but it helps to start off the quarter with a conversation. Sometimes, it’s easier to feel comfortable with a professor when you know them a little bit on a personal level, and it’s meaningful to the professor as well. So ask them questions about themselves. Have they ever been to your country? How long have they been teaching? Where did they go to school? It’s helpful to find some common ground with them and see them as people just like you. 

Power distance is one of the most challenging cultural elements! I know a lot of alumni who still struggle with it many years after coming to the US!”

Elloise Kim is the president of the Graduate and Professional Student Senate, and an international student herself:

“As someone who is from a similar culture, I totally understand why you are hesitant to freely communicate with people like faculty members. In my home culture, a respectful manner for people who are older or hold a higher position is obligatory. Yet, if people here can interpret your attitude not necessarily as carefulness but as cultural clumsiness, you may want to question for whom you insist to keep such manners.

I’d like to suggest to learn American cultural manners in the way you have learned English. In other words, think of it as a foreign language. Its syntax and phonetics would be very different from those of your original language. But, you have to learn and practice it in the way the language is spoken by native speakers. You do not become a totally different person while speaking English – rather, you are speaking another language still being yourself. Likewise, ways of communication need to be learned and adjusted. You can be very polite in a different way!”

Katie Malcolm is an instructional consultant for the Center for Teaching and Learning and specializes in working with international, multilingual and first-generation college teachers and students:

“This is a great question, and one that many grad students have. The resource ‘Communication Strategies for International Graduate Students‘ has some specific strategies for students about communicating with advisors.”

>>If you’d like the full manual, you can request a free copy. <<

Ask the Grad School Guide is an advice column for all y’all graduate and professional students. Real questions from real students, answered by real people. If the guide doesn’t know the answer, the guide will seek out experts all across campus to address the issue. (Please note: The guide is not a medical doctor, therapist, lawyer or academic advisor, and all advice offered here is for informational purposes only.) Submit a question for the column →

Health Sciences Labyrinth

Any tips or tricks for finding my way around the gigantic Health Services/Medical building? It’s been the hardest part of school so far. — Anonymous

Ha! Yes, the Health Sciences Building is infamous for swallowing up unsuspecting students. A couple of tips are to stick to the third floor to navigate horizontally until you get close, and then to navigate vertically. If all else fails, sometimes it’s easier to just go outside and orient yourself and come back in through a different entrance.

The Guide also reached out to Lucas Calderón, the building services supervisor. He said, “You are indeed correct that the Health Sciences Building (HSB) can be a bit of a maze. Here are a few suggestions that I think would help students who are not familiar with our building:

  • HSB is open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday (closed weekends and holidays)
  • Many of the School of Medicine classrooms are located on the 5th floor of T-Wing (one floor up from the 4th floor T-Wing overpass entrance)
  • The Health Sciences Lobby enters into C-Wing
  • Floors 3, 4 and 5 provide access to all wings in HSB, as well as the UW Medical Center
  • HSB is accessible from the interior to the UW Medical Center between 6 .m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday (not accessible weekends and holidays)
  • The Health Sciences Library has two T-Wing entrances (one each on the 2nd and 3rd floor)
Ask the Grad School Guide is an advice column for all y’all graduate and professional students. Real questions from real students, answered by real people. If the guide doesn’t know the answer, the guide will seek out experts all across campus to address the issue. (Please note: The guide is not a medical doctor, therapist, lawyer or academic advisor, and all advice offered here is for informational purposes only.) Submit a question for the column →