Grad School Questions and Answers

Over summer 2022, the Summer@ICERM TA’s assembled a document to answer some of the more common questions about grad school. The document can be found here:

Once you have been accepted to a program, here are a few questions to ask the current graduate students about the program as you decide if it would be a good fit for you (list assembled by K. Elder).

• Are you told to avoid certain faculty or staff?
• Is it easy to change advisors or research projects?
• How well does the department handle accommodations?
• Are qualifying exams treated as a threat (ie, you’ll be kicked out if you don’t pass)?
• Is it clear who to report Title IX issues to?
• What about problems with a faculty member?
• Or problems with your advisor?
• Or problems with another grad student, especially one in your research group?
• How difficult are classes in terms of workload and grading?
• Are mental health resources promoted and made available?
• Are mental health concerns discussed openly within the department, or is it a taboo subject?
• If your class does not have a TA assigned to it, do you get graded work returned in a timely manner?

Requesting a Letter of Recommendation

When requesting a letter of recommendation for grad school/a scholarship/an internship/etc., you want to give your letter writer as much information as possible to make the process easier. Consider the list found here as a starting point for this process.

Writing a Letter of Recommendation

One common area in academia where gender bias is a still a problem is letters of recommendation. And by bias, I do mean that in many cases, the difference is entirely unintentional. But it still happens.

Studies have been conducted on this topic for years, and continue to show that the problem is not going away. This problem exists independent of the gender of letter writer. Additionally, women tend to use softer language when writing their own bios and cover letters than men do. Ex: the difference between “I received my degree,” or “I earned my degree.”

How can you help? The handout below from the University of Arizona provides a quick checklist of things to watch out for when writing letters for non-male students. It can also be useful for writing your own profile/cover letter/etc., or to send to your letter writers as a gentle reminder to combat the biased language that can impact your chances of getting that fellowship or job.

FindStat

My current research has led me to working with FindStat, an online database of combinatorial maps and statistics. Becoming a contributor to FindStat is straightforward, and the database is expanding on a daily basis. The link to the database that is built into Sage has proven very useful for experimental data. The database could be missing your favorite combinatorial statistic, so please consider checking out the database and contributing. There is also a list of citations, which include the various publications and preprints that have utilized FindStat.

Erdős Number

My Erdős number is less than or equal to 3:

Jennifer E. Elder	coauthored with	Pamela E. Harris	MR4599079
Pamela E. Harris	coauthored with	William T. Trotter Jr.	MR4038799
William T. Trotter Jr.	coauthored with	Paul1 Erdős	MR1109694

The Downing Planetarium at Fresno State

For 5 years, I was an assistant at the Downing Planetarium, helping out with the school groups that would visit the Planetarium and Museum. While I am not a physicist, I did learn a lot during my tenure there, and could probably still answer questions if you happen to find me during a solar eclipse. This job was my first job in STEM education, and if you find yourself in Fresno I highly recommend looking up their schedule to see a show.

Favorite Advice

“You will always struggle with not feeling productive until you accept that your own joy can be something you produce. It is not the only thing you will make, nor should it be, but it is something valuable and beautiful.” Hank Green