2006 september 1fpereira/ic.ppt1 how to survive as a graduate student

2006 September 1 http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~fpereira/ic.ppt 1

How to Survive as a Graduate Student



• Francisco Pereira• Chris Colohan• Ted Wong• Sean Slattery• Alma Whitten• Rob Deline• Brian Noble• Jay Sipelstein• Jonathan Shewchuk• Benjamin Pierce• David Dill



• Francisco Pereira ?• Chris Colohan Google• Ted Wong IBM• Sean Slattery Credit Suisse First Boston• Alma Whitten Google• Rob Deline Microsoft• Brian Noble University of Michigan• Jay Sipelstein Susquehanna• Jonathan Shewchuk University of Berkeley• Benjamin Pierce University of Pennsylvania• David Dill Stanford University


Why are we here?

• Learn how to survive and thrive

• Hear from the "experts“


Outline

• Getting started

• The early years

• The middle years

• Black Friday

• Fortune cookies


Format

• Question my authority!

• Focus on new students

• No names


Getting started

• Getting here

• Attending the Immigration Course

• Picking your new advisor


Getting here

• You have the ability to graduate


Getting here

• You have the ability to graduate

• You are responsible for graduating


Finding an advisor: step 1

• Go to lots of IC talks!• Learn about what you are interested in• Find out what you may not yet know

you are interested in!• Find out who is leading what research• Find out who is looking for students

• Go to the social events• Get to know the other students• Get to meet faculty in a relaxed setting



Find out more about them• Ask them for a meeting• Talk to their students• Talk to their ex-students• Read some of their papers• Maybe attend a project meeting



Come to an agreement• Tell them you’d like to put them down as

your 1st (2nd, 3rd) choice• Verify that they’ll ask for you too• Fill out your handshake form accordingly



Come to an agreement• Tell them you’d like to put them down as

your 1st (2nd, 3rd) choice• Verify that they’ll ask for you too• Fill out your handshake form accordingly

Don’t try to “game the system”• Almost everyone gets their first choice• Assignments are biased on your favour• Be open to different possibilities


Why is an advisor so important?

• Your advisor is your mentor

• Your advisor is your manager

• Your advisor is your advocate


What do you look for in an advisor?

• Approachability

• Compatibility

• Durability

• History

• Research



• Approachability• Can you talk to them?• Can you have discussions with them?• Can you talk about personal matters if

they affect you or the research?



• Compatibility• Do you have similar working styles?

• Hands-off, hands-on, hands-on-your-throat?

• What do they expect from their students at different stages?

• 40 or 60 hour work week?

• What counts as research?

• How do they react if expectations aren’t met?



• Durability• Will they be here for all of your stay?• Do they often go on leaves of absence?• Do they have a business “on the side”? • Are they near their tenure case decision?• Are they new faculty?• Are they established or a rising start?



• History• Have they graduated other students?• How long did that take?• Are they successful now?• Alive? Embittered? Divorced? Insane?• Have they “lost” a lot of students through

advisor changes or departures?



• Research• Are you interested in their research?• How far along is it

• exploration• implementation• paper writing

• Research group structure• large group working on one problem/system• individuals working on unrelated problems

• Are there more faculty/students involved?


Multiple advisors: more of a good thing?

• Pros:• Span research areas, skills, or styles• Combine strengths of each advisor• Parents v2.0

• Cons:• Must manage several relationships• Must balance demands of each• Must ensure they meet every so often


Changing advisors

• When to do it• If your research interests diverge• If your "styles" truly don't match• No problem, happens often


Changing advisors

• When to do it• If your research interests diverge• If your "styles" truly don't match• No problem, happens often

• What to look out for• Changing frequently• Changing right before Black Friday• Changing more than twice…


Outline

• Getting started

• The early years


• Black Friday

• Fortune cookies


The early years• Building up your advisor relationship

• Taking classes

• Fulfilling requirements

• Doing research

• Avoiding common distractions

• Fear, uncertainty and doubt


Building up your advisor relationship

• Meet regularly with them

• Communicate openly with them

• Manage them

• Accommodate their needs


When advisors go bad



• (S)He doesn’t look at me the way he used to




• (S)He doesn’t spend time with me anymore





• (S)He falls asleep when we’re together





• (S)He falls asleep when we’re together• (S)He never compliments me anymore





• (S)He falls asleep when we’re together• (S)He never compliments me anymore• (S)He never tells me what’s wrong





• (S)He falls asleep when we’re together• (S)He never compliments me anymore• (S)He never tells me what’s wrong• (S)He never answers my calls/emails


Taking classes

• The old way (previous century)• Concentrate on research• Pass your classes (B-), get an A in your area

• The apocryphal new way (this century)• Do well in your classes (A) and your research


Taking classes

• May seem very hard or very easy• Theory folks hate systems classes• Systems folks hate theory classes

• It’s not unusual to fail one,nor is it a big deal

• Always take more time than they should• Don’t forget your research!


Doing research

• Acquiring tools and concepts• Learning how to survey an area• Identifying a problem• Solving it• Dealing with yourself throughout

• Listen to/read Manuel Blum’s advice• More later…


Fulfilling requirements

• Teaching• Teach a basic and an advanced class• Keep close watch on the clock (1/2-

time)

• Writing and speaking• Practice these skills early and often• Get lots of feedback before trying to

pass


Avoiding common distractions• Zephyr is not research!

but it can help you with many practical things(http://zarchive.srv.cs.cmu.edu and also live with

xemacs)

• Don’t mix work and play• Try to work hard at least one hour a day• Make that hour the first hour• If you can’t work, go do something else!

http://zarchive.srv.cs.cmu.edu/


Avoiding common distractions

• Zephyr is not research!but it can help you with many practical things(http://zarchive.srv.cs.cmu.edu and also live with

xemacs)

• Don’t mix work and play• Try to work hard at least one hour a day• Make that hour the first hour• If you can’t work, go do something else!

• Community service is not a "distraction"!

http://zarchive.srv.cs.cmu.edu/



• Community service:• Traditionally students run many services• Helps you meet many more people• Gives a warm fuzzy feeling

• Faculty know who you are…

http://www.grad.cs.cmu.edu



• What can I do?• Coke Machine (service+coke@cs)• Espresso Machine (service+espresso@cs)• Software Collections (help@cs)• DEC/5,The Guide To Living in Pittsburgh

(decfive@cs)• Student Seminar Series (sss@cs)• Tea (freecsd-tea@cs)

• IC/open house• Admissions Committee


Outline

• Getting started

• The early years


• Black Friday

• Fortune cookies


Research: How’s Your Ego?

Undergraduate work• given a task, complete it well, get cookie

Graduate work• Find a problem you want to solve• Get grudging support for working on it• Have to justify why your work is worthwhile

Do it because you want to


Staying Sane

• Don’t get isolated• spend time with people• talk to people about your work

• Remember • there’s life after CMU• there’s life outside CMU• you do this because you want to


Staying Sane: Maladies



Impostor syndrome• You think you’ve been successfully faking being

good enough to be here, but one day you’ll fail and everyone will scorn you

• Is very, very, very common

Best cure• Talk to other students, admit feeling that way



Spiraling perfectionism• You think your work is too trivial for anyone to

care about and you spend a lot of energy improving it ortrying to avoid presenting it

Best cure• Read papers, go to talks, go to conferences,

recalibrate• Derive satisfaction from what you do,

not from comparison with others



Trouble and panic• Failed exam or course• Research stalls or doesn’t pan out• Fight with advisor

Best Cure• Remember it happens to everyone sometime• Help is available:

• Older colleagues• Student ombudsperson• Frank Pfenning/Sharon Burks



Depression• Loss of energy and interest• Unhappiness• Change in sleeping or appetite• Fuzzy thinking

Best Cure• CMU counseling center• Many grad students encounter this


Beating pre-proposal FUD

• "I'm not cut out for research."• It takes time to transition to self-direction• It takes time to find thesis topic• It is hard to figure out how to do research, let

alone do it…

• "I want to leave."• It is OK to leave (and you get a MS)• Leaving is NOT failure!• Staying out of stubbornness often leads to

failure


Sort-of-current Survival Rates

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Got Ph.D.

Gone

Absentia

On Leave

Still Here

52 http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~fpereira/ic.ppt 2006 September 1

Black Friday

53 http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~fpereira/ic.ppt 2006 September 1

Black Friday

• Don't panic!

• Ensure that you have an advocate

• Talk to your advocate before BF• What have you (not) done• What do you expect to do (be

reasonable)


Black Friday: how it works

• You fill out a form for your advisor• You go to the Black Friday TG!

Meanwhile…


Black Friday: how it works

• You fill out a form for your advisor• You go to the Black Friday TG!

Meanwhile…• The faculty meet and discuss each

student • Key questions:

• are you progressing• do the faculty believe you will finish

eventually?


Black Friday: how it works• You fill out a form for your advisor• You go to the Black Friday TG! Meanwhile…• The faculty meet and discuss each student • Key questions:

• are you progressing• do the faculty believe you will finish eventually?

• Your advisor writes a letter giving you feedback and setting goals for next semester

• Frank signs the letter


Black Friday: why?

Black Friday is a good thing:

• Gives you official feedback• From more than just your advisor!

• Gives your advisor official feedback• Helps them (learn how to) advise


Black Friday: the letter

• "We are pleased. Next semester:“• Keep up the good work!• Making satisfactory progress• Try to reach suggested goals• Alternatively, reach equivalent goals

• "To remain in good standing, you must:"• Reach required goals• No, really reach required goals


Black Friday: more why

• Lack of communicationAdvisor might not be able to express

disappointment…Certain advisors may be less patient.Language issues.

• Lack of fundsIn our socialist funding system we arethe means of production, not just the People…

• Lack of directionOnce classes and TAing are over, fewer excuses…


Useful information


Wrap up

Things we wish we had believed a few years ago.


Fortune cookies

Never surprise or be surprised by your advisor.


Fortune cookies

Once an advisor, always an advisor.


Fortune cookies

Talk with other students and faculty to get an outside perspective on your research


Fortune cookies

There is more than one partner in a marriage.

Being concerned with only one of them is a BIG problem.


Fortune cookies

You probably cannot write or speak as well as you can hack. Practice early and often.


Fortune cookies

Hacking is not research.


Fortune cookies

If you want to work, work.

If you want to play, play.


Fortune cookies

Work at least an hour a day.Make that hour the first hour.


Fortune cookies

Keep outside interests and activities.


Fortune cookies

Be honest to yourselfabout your abilities and limits.


Fortune cookies

Your thesis has less to dowith your career than you think.

What you can say about your thesis has more to do with your career than you think.


Final fortune cookie

Have fun!


Saga of Student X: Part 1



Now

Now faculty at a famous university!


Historical Survival Rates

05

10152025303540

Got Ph.D.

Gone

Absentia

On Leave

Still Here

2006 september 1fpereira/ic.ppt1 how to survive as a graduate student

Documents