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Stanford NLP 84

fp90z7

askacademia_train

I feel like an asshole asking, but is it wrong to feel like I shouldn't get MORE work than my colleagues with children just because I haven't got children yet? I feel like a complete asshole asking this, as I know it's an emergency situation and the normal rules go out the window. I'm a lecturer, and it feels like management are giving extra work to those of us who don't have children, or whose children are grown up. I'm not in a stage of my life where children are possible at the moment (hopefully soon), but I feel angry and upset that myself and other colleagues without children are getting all the extra work that is normally shared across all colleagues equally. Obviously I'm aware that colleagues who do have children are having to juggle work and their family situation, so I feel like I'm being unreasonable, but at the same time, this is work that I wouldn't have normally had in the usual non-COVID circumstances. What do you think? I am right to feel annoyed, or am I being a selfish asshole and need to suck it up?

fll4kmp

flk21nx

Not wrong to feel that way. Just to take things out of the academic context, a friend in a medium-sized business told me today he's dumping as much work as he can on his employees without families. (He's married, wife works, two small kids, everyone stuck at home.) "It's not fair to [those employees], but we've got to get our work done or our company doesn't make money. I'm doing as much as I can, but I don't have a choice about whether to spend half my time on parenting and schooling." So at this point it's not a matter of fairness, yet. It's about keeping things running, and work is just going to have to flow to people with fungible time.

I have a toddler at home, both parents working full time, and I don’t think you’re selfish. Nevertheless, I feel like you should suck it up - times are extraordinary, and you never know when you’ll need your colleagues to have your back too. I’m personally working all hours of the day when I’m not looking after my daughter. I have no free time at all, including weekends.

fp90z7

askacademia_train

I feel like an asshole asking, but is it wrong to feel like I shouldn't get MORE work than my colleagues with children just because I haven't got children yet? I feel like a complete asshole asking this, as I know it's an emergency situation and the normal rules go out the window. I'm a lecturer, and it feels like management are giving extra work to those of us who don't have children, or whose children are grown up. I'm not in a stage of my life where children are possible at the moment (hopefully soon), but I feel angry and upset that myself and other colleagues without children are getting all the extra work that is normally shared across all colleagues equally. Obviously I'm aware that colleagues who do have children are having to juggle work and their family situation, so I feel like I'm being unreasonable, but at the same time, this is work that I wouldn't have normally had in the usual non-COVID circumstances. What do you think? I am right to feel annoyed, or am I being a selfish asshole and need to suck it up?

fll4kmp

flk3g5s

Not wrong to feel that way. Just to take things out of the academic context, a friend in a medium-sized business told me today he's dumping as much work as he can on his employees without families. (He's married, wife works, two small kids, everyone stuck at home.) "It's not fair to [those employees], but we've got to get our work done or our company doesn't make money. I'm doing as much as I can, but I don't have a choice about whether to spend half my time on parenting and schooling." So at this point it's not a matter of fairness, yet. It's about keeping things running, and work is just going to have to flow to people with fungible time.

> I'm a lecturer Are you paid as much as your TT colleagues? Do you have benefits? Do you have job security once this semester ends? I think my answer would be different if you were asked to pick up slack after another non-TT colleague who has to juggle childcare as well as not knowing where their next meal is coming from, and if you were asked to pick up the slack of people with job security who also happen to have children. I think people need to ask themselves what they can afford and only ask for help if they really can't afford not to. I don't think people with children blanket need more help than people without children. I don't think this is the time to play identity politics.

fp90z7

askacademia_train

I feel like an asshole asking, but is it wrong to feel like I shouldn't get MORE work than my colleagues with children just because I haven't got children yet? I feel like a complete asshole asking this, as I know it's an emergency situation and the normal rules go out the window. I'm a lecturer, and it feels like management are giving extra work to those of us who don't have children, or whose children are grown up. I'm not in a stage of my life where children are possible at the moment (hopefully soon), but I feel angry and upset that myself and other colleagues without children are getting all the extra work that is normally shared across all colleagues equally. Obviously I'm aware that colleagues who do have children are having to juggle work and their family situation, so I feel like I'm being unreasonable, but at the same time, this is work that I wouldn't have normally had in the usual non-COVID circumstances. What do you think? I am right to feel annoyed, or am I being a selfish asshole and need to suck it up?

fljxvmp

fll4kmp

Just remember, most of the folks who are looking after young kids would love nothing more than to be sitting at their computer working. Most would trade places in a heartbeat.

Not wrong to feel that way. Just to take things out of the academic context, a friend in a medium-sized business told me today he's dumping as much work as he can on his employees without families. (He's married, wife works, two small kids, everyone stuck at home.) "It's not fair to [those employees], but we've got to get our work done or our company doesn't make money. I'm doing as much as I can, but I don't have a choice about whether to spend half my time on parenting and schooling." So at this point it's not a matter of fairness, yet. It's about keeping things running, and work is just going to have to flow to people with fungible time.

fp90z7

askacademia_train

I feel like an asshole asking, but is it wrong to feel like I shouldn't get MORE work than my colleagues with children just because I haven't got children yet? I feel like a complete asshole asking this, as I know it's an emergency situation and the normal rules go out the window. I'm a lecturer, and it feels like management are giving extra work to those of us who don't have children, or whose children are grown up. I'm not in a stage of my life where children are possible at the moment (hopefully soon), but I feel angry and upset that myself and other colleagues without children are getting all the extra work that is normally shared across all colleagues equally. Obviously I'm aware that colleagues who do have children are having to juggle work and their family situation, so I feel like I'm being unreasonable, but at the same time, this is work that I wouldn't have normally had in the usual non-COVID circumstances. What do you think? I am right to feel annoyed, or am I being a selfish asshole and need to suck it up?

flkr32z

fll4kmp

I'm not known for being emphatic. I think you should suck it up. Here's why. When I was a kid with autism in highschool my special ed counselor person told me fair and equal are not the same. She said everyone should be treated fairly. But not necessarily equally. Idk. That has stuck with me my whole life every time I question weather it's "fair" and usually it's not equal but it is fair. If you can't do it tell your boss hey I can't handle this. NBut if you can handle it. Do it. A family member told me "embrace the tension, life doesn't get any easier" it just gets different. I would think you could probably take on even more right now one way or another. P.s. some people have said I don't think your being selfish or selfless but that's kind of a loaded question cuase no one is perfectly selfless or 100 percent selfish. Life just doesn't really work that way. P.s.s when/if you have kids and are in a situation like this how would you like your peers to treat you?

Not wrong to feel that way. Just to take things out of the academic context, a friend in a medium-sized business told me today he's dumping as much work as he can on his employees without families. (He's married, wife works, two small kids, everyone stuck at home.) "It's not fair to [those employees], but we've got to get our work done or our company doesn't make money. I'm doing as much as I can, but I don't have a choice about whether to spend half my time on parenting and schooling." So at this point it's not a matter of fairness, yet. It's about keeping things running, and work is just going to have to flow to people with fungible time.

fp90z7

askacademia_train

I feel like an asshole asking, but is it wrong to feel like I shouldn't get MORE work than my colleagues with children just because I haven't got children yet? I feel like a complete asshole asking this, as I know it's an emergency situation and the normal rules go out the window. I'm a lecturer, and it feels like management are giving extra work to those of us who don't have children, or whose children are grown up. I'm not in a stage of my life where children are possible at the moment (hopefully soon), but I feel angry and upset that myself and other colleagues without children are getting all the extra work that is normally shared across all colleagues equally. Obviously I'm aware that colleagues who do have children are having to juggle work and their family situation, so I feel like I'm being unreasonable, but at the same time, this is work that I wouldn't have normally had in the usual non-COVID circumstances. What do you think? I am right to feel annoyed, or am I being a selfish asshole and need to suck it up?

fljrd5x

flk7sxk

I think it is wrong of them to give you more work. On the other hand, I don't think there's a way out of it - there is very little to be gained by complaining, or worse refusing to do extra work. I suppose you could always lie. If you say "I know I don't have children, but actually I have elderly relatives that depend on me", whether or not that's true, it could get them off your back a bit, and it's pretty impossible to check. There's an obvious moral question there, which I will leave up to you.

I've been in this situation during my PhD. My advisor had to choose between me and a classmate for a semester of TA duty, and he made me do it because "oh, he has children". I'm still bitter about that, over a decade later.

fp90z7

askacademia_train

I feel like an asshole asking, but is it wrong to feel like I shouldn't get MORE work than my colleagues with children just because I haven't got children yet? I feel like a complete asshole asking this, as I know it's an emergency situation and the normal rules go out the window. I'm a lecturer, and it feels like management are giving extra work to those of us who don't have children, or whose children are grown up. I'm not in a stage of my life where children are possible at the moment (hopefully soon), but I feel angry and upset that myself and other colleagues without children are getting all the extra work that is normally shared across all colleagues equally. Obviously I'm aware that colleagues who do have children are having to juggle work and their family situation, so I feel like I'm being unreasonable, but at the same time, this is work that I wouldn't have normally had in the usual non-COVID circumstances. What do you think? I am right to feel annoyed, or am I being a selfish asshole and need to suck it up?

fllaqhp

fljrd5x

I say in normal times it would be unfair and wrong. In this emergency I think you should try to see the bigger picture and step up as much as you can.... AND you should feel GOOD about doing that. This is a scary time for these kids too (I have kids) they need a little more attention. These are little humans that you will be sharing the planet with... helping out here is doing the right thing and doing the right thing feels good. And I dare say it will come back around without you needing to track the extra minutes and reminding people later. Better to be known as someone who steps up. Especially as you plan to have kids and these same people who knows their kids may be older then and shoe will be on other foot. Step up, for the right reasons.

I think it is wrong of them to give you more work. On the other hand, I don't think there's a way out of it - there is very little to be gained by complaining, or worse refusing to do extra work. I suppose you could always lie. If you say "I know I don't have children, but actually I have elderly relatives that depend on me", whether or not that's true, it could get them off your back a bit, and it's pretty impossible to check. There's an obvious moral question there, which I will leave up to you.

fp90z7

askacademia_train

I feel like an asshole asking, but is it wrong to feel like I shouldn't get MORE work than my colleagues with children just because I haven't got children yet? I feel like a complete asshole asking this, as I know it's an emergency situation and the normal rules go out the window. I'm a lecturer, and it feels like management are giving extra work to those of us who don't have children, or whose children are grown up. I'm not in a stage of my life where children are possible at the moment (hopefully soon), but I feel angry and upset that myself and other colleagues without children are getting all the extra work that is normally shared across all colleagues equally. Obviously I'm aware that colleagues who do have children are having to juggle work and their family situation, so I feel like I'm being unreasonable, but at the same time, this is work that I wouldn't have normally had in the usual non-COVID circumstances. What do you think? I am right to feel annoyed, or am I being a selfish asshole and need to suck it up?

fllaqhp

flk7sxk

I say in normal times it would be unfair and wrong. In this emergency I think you should try to see the bigger picture and step up as much as you can.... AND you should feel GOOD about doing that. This is a scary time for these kids too (I have kids) they need a little more attention. These are little humans that you will be sharing the planet with... helping out here is doing the right thing and doing the right thing feels good. And I dare say it will come back around without you needing to track the extra minutes and reminding people later. Better to be known as someone who steps up. Especially as you plan to have kids and these same people who knows their kids may be older then and shoe will be on other foot. Step up, for the right reasons.

I've been in this situation during my PhD. My advisor had to choose between me and a classmate for a semester of TA duty, and he made me do it because "oh, he has children". I'm still bitter about that, over a decade later.

fp90z7

askacademia_train

I feel like an asshole asking, but is it wrong to feel like I shouldn't get MORE work than my colleagues with children just because I haven't got children yet? I feel like a complete asshole asking this, as I know it's an emergency situation and the normal rules go out the window. I'm a lecturer, and it feels like management are giving extra work to those of us who don't have children, or whose children are grown up. I'm not in a stage of my life where children are possible at the moment (hopefully soon), but I feel angry and upset that myself and other colleagues without children are getting all the extra work that is normally shared across all colleagues equally. Obviously I'm aware that colleagues who do have children are having to juggle work and their family situation, so I feel like I'm being unreasonable, but at the same time, this is work that I wouldn't have normally had in the usual non-COVID circumstances. What do you think? I am right to feel annoyed, or am I being a selfish asshole and need to suck it up?

flk21nx

flk7sxk

I have a toddler at home, both parents working full time, and I don’t think you’re selfish. Nevertheless, I feel like you should suck it up - times are extraordinary, and you never know when you’ll need your colleagues to have your back too. I’m personally working all hours of the day when I’m not looking after my daughter. I have no free time at all, including weekends.

I've been in this situation during my PhD. My advisor had to choose between me and a classmate for a semester of TA duty, and he made me do it because "oh, he has children". I'm still bitter about that, over a decade later.

fp90z7

askacademia_train

I feel like an asshole asking, but is it wrong to feel like I shouldn't get MORE work than my colleagues with children just because I haven't got children yet? I feel like a complete asshole asking this, as I know it's an emergency situation and the normal rules go out the window. I'm a lecturer, and it feels like management are giving extra work to those of us who don't have children, or whose children are grown up. I'm not in a stage of my life where children are possible at the moment (hopefully soon), but I feel angry and upset that myself and other colleagues without children are getting all the extra work that is normally shared across all colleagues equally. Obviously I'm aware that colleagues who do have children are having to juggle work and their family situation, so I feel like I'm being unreasonable, but at the same time, this is work that I wouldn't have normally had in the usual non-COVID circumstances. What do you think? I am right to feel annoyed, or am I being a selfish asshole and need to suck it up?

flk3g5s

flk7sxk

> I'm a lecturer Are you paid as much as your TT colleagues? Do you have benefits? Do you have job security once this semester ends? I think my answer would be different if you were asked to pick up slack after another non-TT colleague who has to juggle childcare as well as not knowing where their next meal is coming from, and if you were asked to pick up the slack of people with job security who also happen to have children. I think people need to ask themselves what they can afford and only ask for help if they really can't afford not to. I don't think people with children blanket need more help than people without children. I don't think this is the time to play identity politics.

I've been in this situation during my PhD. My advisor had to choose between me and a classmate for a semester of TA duty, and he made me do it because "oh, he has children". I'm still bitter about that, over a decade later.

fp90z7

askacademia_train

I feel like an asshole asking, but is it wrong to feel like I shouldn't get MORE work than my colleagues with children just because I haven't got children yet? I feel like a complete asshole asking this, as I know it's an emergency situation and the normal rules go out the window. I'm a lecturer, and it feels like management are giving extra work to those of us who don't have children, or whose children are grown up. I'm not in a stage of my life where children are possible at the moment (hopefully soon), but I feel angry and upset that myself and other colleagues without children are getting all the extra work that is normally shared across all colleagues equally. Obviously I'm aware that colleagues who do have children are having to juggle work and their family situation, so I feel like I'm being unreasonable, but at the same time, this is work that I wouldn't have normally had in the usual non-COVID circumstances. What do you think? I am right to feel annoyed, or am I being a selfish asshole and need to suck it up?

flk7sxk

fljxvmp

I've been in this situation during my PhD. My advisor had to choose between me and a classmate for a semester of TA duty, and he made me do it because "oh, he has children". I'm still bitter about that, over a decade later.

Just remember, most of the folks who are looking after young kids would love nothing more than to be sitting at their computer working. Most would trade places in a heartbeat.

fp90z7

askacademia_train

I feel like an asshole asking, but is it wrong to feel like I shouldn't get MORE work than my colleagues with children just because I haven't got children yet? I feel like a complete asshole asking this, as I know it's an emergency situation and the normal rules go out the window. I'm a lecturer, and it feels like management are giving extra work to those of us who don't have children, or whose children are grown up. I'm not in a stage of my life where children are possible at the moment (hopefully soon), but I feel angry and upset that myself and other colleagues without children are getting all the extra work that is normally shared across all colleagues equally. Obviously I'm aware that colleagues who do have children are having to juggle work and their family situation, so I feel like I'm being unreasonable, but at the same time, this is work that I wouldn't have normally had in the usual non-COVID circumstances. What do you think? I am right to feel annoyed, or am I being a selfish asshole and need to suck it up?

fllaqhp

flk21nx

I say in normal times it would be unfair and wrong. In this emergency I think you should try to see the bigger picture and step up as much as you can.... AND you should feel GOOD about doing that. This is a scary time for these kids too (I have kids) they need a little more attention. These are little humans that you will be sharing the planet with... helping out here is doing the right thing and doing the right thing feels good. And I dare say it will come back around without you needing to track the extra minutes and reminding people later. Better to be known as someone who steps up. Especially as you plan to have kids and these same people who knows their kids may be older then and shoe will be on other foot. Step up, for the right reasons.

I have a toddler at home, both parents working full time, and I don’t think you’re selfish. Nevertheless, I feel like you should suck it up - times are extraordinary, and you never know when you’ll need your colleagues to have your back too. I’m personally working all hours of the day when I’m not looking after my daughter. I have no free time at all, including weekends.

fp90z7

askacademia_train

I feel like an asshole asking, but is it wrong to feel like I shouldn't get MORE work than my colleagues with children just because I haven't got children yet? I feel like a complete asshole asking this, as I know it's an emergency situation and the normal rules go out the window. I'm a lecturer, and it feels like management are giving extra work to those of us who don't have children, or whose children are grown up. I'm not in a stage of my life where children are possible at the moment (hopefully soon), but I feel angry and upset that myself and other colleagues without children are getting all the extra work that is normally shared across all colleagues equally. Obviously I'm aware that colleagues who do have children are having to juggle work and their family situation, so I feel like I'm being unreasonable, but at the same time, this is work that I wouldn't have normally had in the usual non-COVID circumstances. What do you think? I am right to feel annoyed, or am I being a selfish asshole and need to suck it up?

flk3g5s

fllaqhp

> I'm a lecturer Are you paid as much as your TT colleagues? Do you have benefits? Do you have job security once this semester ends? I think my answer would be different if you were asked to pick up slack after another non-TT colleague who has to juggle childcare as well as not knowing where their next meal is coming from, and if you were asked to pick up the slack of people with job security who also happen to have children. I think people need to ask themselves what they can afford and only ask for help if they really can't afford not to. I don't think people with children blanket need more help than people without children. I don't think this is the time to play identity politics.

I say in normal times it would be unfair and wrong. In this emergency I think you should try to see the bigger picture and step up as much as you can.... AND you should feel GOOD about doing that. This is a scary time for these kids too (I have kids) they need a little more attention. These are little humans that you will be sharing the planet with... helping out here is doing the right thing and doing the right thing feels good. And I dare say it will come back around without you needing to track the extra minutes and reminding people later. Better to be known as someone who steps up. Especially as you plan to have kids and these same people who knows their kids may be older then and shoe will be on other foot. Step up, for the right reasons.

fp90z7

askacademia_train

I feel like an asshole asking, but is it wrong to feel like I shouldn't get MORE work than my colleagues with children just because I haven't got children yet? I feel like a complete asshole asking this, as I know it's an emergency situation and the normal rules go out the window. I'm a lecturer, and it feels like management are giving extra work to those of us who don't have children, or whose children are grown up. I'm not in a stage of my life where children are possible at the moment (hopefully soon), but I feel angry and upset that myself and other colleagues without children are getting all the extra work that is normally shared across all colleagues equally. Obviously I'm aware that colleagues who do have children are having to juggle work and their family situation, so I feel like I'm being unreasonable, but at the same time, this is work that I wouldn't have normally had in the usual non-COVID circumstances. What do you think? I am right to feel annoyed, or am I being a selfish asshole and need to suck it up?

fllaqhp

fljxvmp

I say in normal times it would be unfair and wrong. In this emergency I think you should try to see the bigger picture and step up as much as you can.... AND you should feel GOOD about doing that. This is a scary time for these kids too (I have kids) they need a little more attention. These are little humans that you will be sharing the planet with... helping out here is doing the right thing and doing the right thing feels good. And I dare say it will come back around without you needing to track the extra minutes and reminding people later. Better to be known as someone who steps up. Especially as you plan to have kids and these same people who knows their kids may be older then and shoe will be on other foot. Step up, for the right reasons.

Just remember, most of the folks who are looking after young kids would love nothing more than to be sitting at their computer working. Most would trade places in a heartbeat.

fp90z7

askacademia_train

I feel like an asshole asking, but is it wrong to feel like I shouldn't get MORE work than my colleagues with children just because I haven't got children yet? I feel like a complete asshole asking this, as I know it's an emergency situation and the normal rules go out the window. I'm a lecturer, and it feels like management are giving extra work to those of us who don't have children, or whose children are grown up. I'm not in a stage of my life where children are possible at the moment (hopefully soon), but I feel angry and upset that myself and other colleagues without children are getting all the extra work that is normally shared across all colleagues equally. Obviously I'm aware that colleagues who do have children are having to juggle work and their family situation, so I feel like I'm being unreasonable, but at the same time, this is work that I wouldn't have normally had in the usual non-COVID circumstances. What do you think? I am right to feel annoyed, or am I being a selfish asshole and need to suck it up?

flkr32z

fllaqhp

I'm not known for being emphatic. I think you should suck it up. Here's why. When I was a kid with autism in highschool my special ed counselor person told me fair and equal are not the same. She said everyone should be treated fairly. But not necessarily equally. Idk. That has stuck with me my whole life every time I question weather it's "fair" and usually it's not equal but it is fair. If you can't do it tell your boss hey I can't handle this. NBut if you can handle it. Do it. A family member told me "embrace the tension, life doesn't get any easier" it just gets different. I would think you could probably take on even more right now one way or another. P.s. some people have said I don't think your being selfish or selfless but that's kind of a loaded question cuase no one is perfectly selfless or 100 percent selfish. Life just doesn't really work that way. P.s.s when/if you have kids and are in a situation like this how would you like your peers to treat you?

I say in normal times it would be unfair and wrong. In this emergency I think you should try to see the bigger picture and step up as much as you can.... AND you should feel GOOD about doing that. This is a scary time for these kids too (I have kids) they need a little more attention. These are little humans that you will be sharing the planet with... helping out here is doing the right thing and doing the right thing feels good. And I dare say it will come back around without you needing to track the extra minutes and reminding people later. Better to be known as someone who steps up. Especially as you plan to have kids and these same people who knows their kids may be older then and shoe will be on other foot. Step up, for the right reasons.

fp90z7

askacademia_train

I feel like an asshole asking, but is it wrong to feel like I shouldn't get MORE work than my colleagues with children just because I haven't got children yet? I feel like a complete asshole asking this, as I know it's an emergency situation and the normal rules go out the window. I'm a lecturer, and it feels like management are giving extra work to those of us who don't have children, or whose children are grown up. I'm not in a stage of my life where children are possible at the moment (hopefully soon), but I feel angry and upset that myself and other colleagues without children are getting all the extra work that is normally shared across all colleagues equally. Obviously I'm aware that colleagues who do have children are having to juggle work and their family situation, so I feel like I'm being unreasonable, but at the same time, this is work that I wouldn't have normally had in the usual non-COVID circumstances. What do you think? I am right to feel annoyed, or am I being a selfish asshole and need to suck it up?

fllaqhp

fll7idd

I say in normal times it would be unfair and wrong. In this emergency I think you should try to see the bigger picture and step up as much as you can.... AND you should feel GOOD about doing that. This is a scary time for these kids too (I have kids) they need a little more attention. These are little humans that you will be sharing the planet with... helping out here is doing the right thing and doing the right thing feels good. And I dare say it will come back around without you needing to track the extra minutes and reminding people later. Better to be known as someone who steps up. Especially as you plan to have kids and these same people who knows their kids may be older then and shoe will be on other foot. Step up, for the right reasons.

Both! You’re not selfish for realizing this is increasing your workload relative to your coworkers. But it makes sense that the work is being distributed as it is. I really hope your colleagues are grateful for what you’re doing. I really hope that if you get to a point where it’s too much you can reach out to whoever is in charge and let them know it’s become too much and that they’ll respond accordingly. You are taking on extra work and that is stressful! Don’t underestimate what your colleagues are going through, but don’t let yourself get talked into believing you’re not incurring extra stress on their behalf either.

fp90z7

askacademia_train

I feel like an asshole asking, but is it wrong to feel like I shouldn't get MORE work than my colleagues with children just because I haven't got children yet? I feel like a complete asshole asking this, as I know it's an emergency situation and the normal rules go out the window. I'm a lecturer, and it feels like management are giving extra work to those of us who don't have children, or whose children are grown up. I'm not in a stage of my life where children are possible at the moment (hopefully soon), but I feel angry and upset that myself and other colleagues without children are getting all the extra work that is normally shared across all colleagues equally. Obviously I'm aware that colleagues who do have children are having to juggle work and their family situation, so I feel like I'm being unreasonable, but at the same time, this is work that I wouldn't have normally had in the usual non-COVID circumstances. What do you think? I am right to feel annoyed, or am I being a selfish asshole and need to suck it up?

fljxvmp

flk21nx

Just remember, most of the folks who are looking after young kids would love nothing more than to be sitting at their computer working. Most would trade places in a heartbeat.

I have a toddler at home, both parents working full time, and I don’t think you’re selfish. Nevertheless, I feel like you should suck it up - times are extraordinary, and you never know when you’ll need your colleagues to have your back too. I’m personally working all hours of the day when I’m not looking after my daughter. I have no free time at all, including weekends.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmr7t31

hmqw90l

My syllabus has the line, "if you need to miss lab for medical reasons, please notify me ahead of time via email. Do not include descriptions or pictures of your symptoms in this email." You can probably imagine why.

That is actually hilarious. Considering how mischievous the science gods are, it will probably sail right through. But then you can send the $4000 bill to the student.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmr7t31

hmr4nwl

My syllabus has the line, "if you need to miss lab for medical reasons, please notify me ahead of time via email. Do not include descriptions or pictures of your symptoms in this email." You can probably imagine why.

Syllabus: You cannot submit drafts after the final essay is due and receive credit for those drafts under any circumstances. Had to write this in the syllabus because students skipped the drafting assignments, submitted the "Final Essay," and then went back to old assignment links and submitted chunks of their essay as if they had drafted it. The timestamps always made me laugh, but students pushing for credit did not.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmr7t31

hmqu4ku

My syllabus has the line, "if you need to miss lab for medical reasons, please notify me ahead of time via email. Do not include descriptions or pictures of your symptoms in this email." You can probably imagine why.

Wait... so what happened?! Was the student able to publish the paper? I need to know! :P

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmr7ssp

hmr7t31

Not really in the syllabus, but... When I was undergrad, we had to take written tests at the end of the semester for each class. There was one professor who would collect all the tests and then order them alphabetically, by surname (I don't remember the reason, but it was something reasonable, like students could go to discuss the results of the tests in his office and in this way it was easier for him to find them). Every year he had to say this disclaimer in class: "In your test, on the top left corner, please write your surname and name. Your surname is your family name, the one you have in common with your father, your paternal grandfather, etc... Your name is what your friends call you. I am telling you this because every year, inevitably, there is always someone who write Name, Surname instead of Surname, Name (like, John, Smith instead of Smith, John), and then it's a pain in the ass to order the tests alphabetically, so please try to be careful"

My syllabus has the line, "if you need to miss lab for medical reasons, please notify me ahead of time via email. Do not include descriptions or pictures of your symptoms in this email." You can probably imagine why.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmr7t31

hmqpnyx

My syllabus has the line, "if you need to miss lab for medical reasons, please notify me ahead of time via email. Do not include descriptions or pictures of your symptoms in this email." You can probably imagine why.

Yikes lol. HOW

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmr7t31

hmr3bdj

My syllabus has the line, "if you need to miss lab for medical reasons, please notify me ahead of time via email. Do not include descriptions or pictures of your symptoms in this email." You can probably imagine why.

I’d love to know the rationale the student had for doing that.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmrdkx7

hmqw90l

Last year more than one of my colleagues literally had to add a line to their syllabi explicitly requiring students be "fully clothed" when appearing on camera for class. Apparently several men thought it fine to Zoom in from bed, shirtless, and at least one student was zooming from her dorm room when her semi-naked roommate walked behind her on camera. Neither of these would have occurred to any of us before spring 2020.

That is actually hilarious. Considering how mischievous the science gods are, it will probably sail right through. But then you can send the $4000 bill to the student.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmr4nwl

hmrdkx7

Syllabus: You cannot submit drafts after the final essay is due and receive credit for those drafts under any circumstances. Had to write this in the syllabus because students skipped the drafting assignments, submitted the "Final Essay," and then went back to old assignment links and submitted chunks of their essay as if they had drafted it. The timestamps always made me laugh, but students pushing for credit did not.

Last year more than one of my colleagues literally had to add a line to their syllabi explicitly requiring students be "fully clothed" when appearing on camera for class. Apparently several men thought it fine to Zoom in from bed, shirtless, and at least one student was zooming from her dorm room when her semi-naked roommate walked behind her on camera. Neither of these would have occurred to any of us before spring 2020.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmrdkx7

hmramj8

Last year more than one of my colleagues literally had to add a line to their syllabi explicitly requiring students be "fully clothed" when appearing on camera for class. Apparently several men thought it fine to Zoom in from bed, shirtless, and at least one student was zooming from her dorm room when her semi-naked roommate walked behind her on camera. Neither of these would have occurred to any of us before spring 2020.

"Please move the giant marijuana plant from behind you before appearing on camera."

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmqu4ku

hmrdkx7

Wait... so what happened?! Was the student able to publish the paper? I need to know! :P

Last year more than one of my colleagues literally had to add a line to their syllabi explicitly requiring students be "fully clothed" when appearing on camera for class. Apparently several men thought it fine to Zoom in from bed, shirtless, and at least one student was zooming from her dorm room when her semi-naked roommate walked behind her on camera. Neither of these would have occurred to any of us before spring 2020.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmr7ssp

hmrdkx7

Not really in the syllabus, but... When I was undergrad, we had to take written tests at the end of the semester for each class. There was one professor who would collect all the tests and then order them alphabetically, by surname (I don't remember the reason, but it was something reasonable, like students could go to discuss the results of the tests in his office and in this way it was easier for him to find them). Every year he had to say this disclaimer in class: "In your test, on the top left corner, please write your surname and name. Your surname is your family name, the one you have in common with your father, your paternal grandfather, etc... Your name is what your friends call you. I am telling you this because every year, inevitably, there is always someone who write Name, Surname instead of Surname, Name (like, John, Smith instead of Smith, John), and then it's a pain in the ass to order the tests alphabetically, so please try to be careful"

Last year more than one of my colleagues literally had to add a line to their syllabi explicitly requiring students be "fully clothed" when appearing on camera for class. Apparently several men thought it fine to Zoom in from bed, shirtless, and at least one student was zooming from her dorm room when her semi-naked roommate walked behind her on camera. Neither of these would have occurred to any of us before spring 2020.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmqpnyx

hmrdkx7

Yikes lol. HOW

Last year more than one of my colleagues literally had to add a line to their syllabi explicitly requiring students be "fully clothed" when appearing on camera for class. Apparently several men thought it fine to Zoom in from bed, shirtless, and at least one student was zooming from her dorm room when her semi-naked roommate walked behind her on camera. Neither of these would have occurred to any of us before spring 2020.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmrdkx7

hmr3bdj

Last year more than one of my colleagues literally had to add a line to their syllabi explicitly requiring students be "fully clothed" when appearing on camera for class. Apparently several men thought it fine to Zoom in from bed, shirtless, and at least one student was zooming from her dorm room when her semi-naked roommate walked behind her on camera. Neither of these would have occurred to any of us before spring 2020.

I’d love to know the rationale the student had for doing that.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmqu4ku

hmqw90l

Wait... so what happened?! Was the student able to publish the paper? I need to know! :P

That is actually hilarious. Considering how mischievous the science gods are, it will probably sail right through. But then you can send the $4000 bill to the student.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmqw90l

hmqpnyx

That is actually hilarious. Considering how mischievous the science gods are, it will probably sail right through. But then you can send the $4000 bill to the student.

Yikes lol. HOW

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmr4nwl

hmqu4ku

Syllabus: You cannot submit drafts after the final essay is due and receive credit for those drafts under any circumstances. Had to write this in the syllabus because students skipped the drafting assignments, submitted the "Final Essay," and then went back to old assignment links and submitted chunks of their essay as if they had drafted it. The timestamps always made me laugh, but students pushing for credit did not.

Wait... so what happened?! Was the student able to publish the paper? I need to know! :P

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmqpnyx

hmr4nwl

Yikes lol. HOW

Syllabus: You cannot submit drafts after the final essay is due and receive credit for those drafts under any circumstances. Had to write this in the syllabus because students skipped the drafting assignments, submitted the "Final Essay," and then went back to old assignment links and submitted chunks of their essay as if they had drafted it. The timestamps always made me laugh, but students pushing for credit did not.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmr4nwl

hmr3bdj

Syllabus: You cannot submit drafts after the final essay is due and receive credit for those drafts under any circumstances. Had to write this in the syllabus because students skipped the drafting assignments, submitted the "Final Essay," and then went back to old assignment links and submitted chunks of their essay as if they had drafted it. The timestamps always made me laugh, but students pushing for credit did not.

I’d love to know the rationale the student had for doing that.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmramj8

hmrs34x

"Please move the giant marijuana plant from behind you before appearing on camera."

If you extend teaching.to lab supervisions so many stories. The heart stopping moment when a PhD student decided to very violently shake a Dewar of liquid nitrogen in front of her face to "demonstrate how to ensure samples are frozen" was a classic. Words and my voice failed me and I seem to recall making several panicked high pitched squawks which were supposed to be "what are you doing" and "don't do that" but were mostly a fair impersonation of an upset macaw. My favourite though was the student who came to me to ask if we had another microfuge in the lab (we had three so a capacity of about 70 tubes). Confused I asked him why he needed another centrifuge. He'd found some protocol which said "spin for 1 min per ml of culture" he'd interpreted it as spin 1ml aliquots of your culture for 1min so had very carefully divided 200ml of culture into 1ml aliquots, using a fresh pipette tip for each ml. His face when I explained he should have just put it in 4 50ml falcons and spun for 5 mins was hilarious. He was holding all 200 tubes with the mountain of discarded pipette tips behind him as we were talking which made it even better.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmrs34x

hmqu4ku

If you extend teaching.to lab supervisions so many stories. The heart stopping moment when a PhD student decided to very violently shake a Dewar of liquid nitrogen in front of her face to "demonstrate how to ensure samples are frozen" was a classic. Words and my voice failed me and I seem to recall making several panicked high pitched squawks which were supposed to be "what are you doing" and "don't do that" but were mostly a fair impersonation of an upset macaw. My favourite though was the student who came to me to ask if we had another microfuge in the lab (we had three so a capacity of about 70 tubes). Confused I asked him why he needed another centrifuge. He'd found some protocol which said "spin for 1 min per ml of culture" he'd interpreted it as spin 1ml aliquots of your culture for 1min so had very carefully divided 200ml of culture into 1ml aliquots, using a fresh pipette tip for each ml. His face when I explained he should have just put it in 4 50ml falcons and spun for 5 mins was hilarious. He was holding all 200 tubes with the mountain of discarded pipette tips behind him as we were talking which made it even better.

Wait... so what happened?! Was the student able to publish the paper? I need to know! :P

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmr7ssp

hmrs34x

Not really in the syllabus, but... When I was undergrad, we had to take written tests at the end of the semester for each class. There was one professor who would collect all the tests and then order them alphabetically, by surname (I don't remember the reason, but it was something reasonable, like students could go to discuss the results of the tests in his office and in this way it was easier for him to find them). Every year he had to say this disclaimer in class: "In your test, on the top left corner, please write your surname and name. Your surname is your family name, the one you have in common with your father, your paternal grandfather, etc... Your name is what your friends call you. I am telling you this because every year, inevitably, there is always someone who write Name, Surname instead of Surname, Name (like, John, Smith instead of Smith, John), and then it's a pain in the ass to order the tests alphabetically, so please try to be careful"

If you extend teaching.to lab supervisions so many stories. The heart stopping moment when a PhD student decided to very violently shake a Dewar of liquid nitrogen in front of her face to "demonstrate how to ensure samples are frozen" was a classic. Words and my voice failed me and I seem to recall making several panicked high pitched squawks which were supposed to be "what are you doing" and "don't do that" but were mostly a fair impersonation of an upset macaw. My favourite though was the student who came to me to ask if we had another microfuge in the lab (we had three so a capacity of about 70 tubes). Confused I asked him why he needed another centrifuge. He'd found some protocol which said "spin for 1 min per ml of culture" he'd interpreted it as spin 1ml aliquots of your culture for 1min so had very carefully divided 200ml of culture into 1ml aliquots, using a fresh pipette tip for each ml. His face when I explained he should have just put it in 4 50ml falcons and spun for 5 mins was hilarious. He was holding all 200 tubes with the mountain of discarded pipette tips behind him as we were talking which made it even better.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmrs34x

hmrl6zh

If you extend teaching.to lab supervisions so many stories. The heart stopping moment when a PhD student decided to very violently shake a Dewar of liquid nitrogen in front of her face to "demonstrate how to ensure samples are frozen" was a classic. Words and my voice failed me and I seem to recall making several panicked high pitched squawks which were supposed to be "what are you doing" and "don't do that" but were mostly a fair impersonation of an upset macaw. My favourite though was the student who came to me to ask if we had another microfuge in the lab (we had three so a capacity of about 70 tubes). Confused I asked him why he needed another centrifuge. He'd found some protocol which said "spin for 1 min per ml of culture" he'd interpreted it as spin 1ml aliquots of your culture for 1min so had very carefully divided 200ml of culture into 1ml aliquots, using a fresh pipette tip for each ml. His face when I explained he should have just put it in 4 50ml falcons and spun for 5 mins was hilarious. He was holding all 200 tubes with the mountain of discarded pipette tips behind him as we were talking which made it even better.

I mean, my friend is the Dean of English at a community college and had a kid sh*t his pants in the middle of class twice in one semester. And we're not talking discreetly. Like, loud sounds and running out while screaming "oh no"! But I don't think he had to put it in his syllabus to: either use the bathroom before class starts, or don't come to class if you're not feeling well.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmqpnyx

hmrs34x

Yikes lol. HOW

If you extend teaching.to lab supervisions so many stories. The heart stopping moment when a PhD student decided to very violently shake a Dewar of liquid nitrogen in front of her face to "demonstrate how to ensure samples are frozen" was a classic. Words and my voice failed me and I seem to recall making several panicked high pitched squawks which were supposed to be "what are you doing" and "don't do that" but were mostly a fair impersonation of an upset macaw. My favourite though was the student who came to me to ask if we had another microfuge in the lab (we had three so a capacity of about 70 tubes). Confused I asked him why he needed another centrifuge. He'd found some protocol which said "spin for 1 min per ml of culture" he'd interpreted it as spin 1ml aliquots of your culture for 1min so had very carefully divided 200ml of culture into 1ml aliquots, using a fresh pipette tip for each ml. His face when I explained he should have just put it in 4 50ml falcons and spun for 5 mins was hilarious. He was holding all 200 tubes with the mountain of discarded pipette tips behind him as we were talking which made it even better.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmr3bdj

hmrs34x

I’d love to know the rationale the student had for doing that.

If you extend teaching.to lab supervisions so many stories. The heart stopping moment when a PhD student decided to very violently shake a Dewar of liquid nitrogen in front of her face to "demonstrate how to ensure samples are frozen" was a classic. Words and my voice failed me and I seem to recall making several panicked high pitched squawks which were supposed to be "what are you doing" and "don't do that" but were mostly a fair impersonation of an upset macaw. My favourite though was the student who came to me to ask if we had another microfuge in the lab (we had three so a capacity of about 70 tubes). Confused I asked him why he needed another centrifuge. He'd found some protocol which said "spin for 1 min per ml of culture" he'd interpreted it as spin 1ml aliquots of your culture for 1min so had very carefully divided 200ml of culture into 1ml aliquots, using a fresh pipette tip for each ml. His face when I explained he should have just put it in 4 50ml falcons and spun for 5 mins was hilarious. He was holding all 200 tubes with the mountain of discarded pipette tips behind him as we were talking which made it even better.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmramj8

hmqu4ku

"Please move the giant marijuana plant from behind you before appearing on camera."

Wait... so what happened?! Was the student able to publish the paper? I need to know! :P

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmramj8

hmr7ssp

"Please move the giant marijuana plant from behind you before appearing on camera."

Not really in the syllabus, but... When I was undergrad, we had to take written tests at the end of the semester for each class. There was one professor who would collect all the tests and then order them alphabetically, by surname (I don't remember the reason, but it was something reasonable, like students could go to discuss the results of the tests in his office and in this way it was easier for him to find them). Every year he had to say this disclaimer in class: "In your test, on the top left corner, please write your surname and name. Your surname is your family name, the one you have in common with your father, your paternal grandfather, etc... Your name is what your friends call you. I am telling you this because every year, inevitably, there is always someone who write Name, Surname instead of Surname, Name (like, John, Smith instead of Smith, John), and then it's a pain in the ass to order the tests alphabetically, so please try to be careful"

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmramj8

hmqpnyx

"Please move the giant marijuana plant from behind you before appearing on camera."

Yikes lol. HOW

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmramj8

hmr3bdj

"Please move the giant marijuana plant from behind you before appearing on camera."

I’d love to know the rationale the student had for doing that.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmsc1tn

hmrzicu

> Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. Not going to lie, I'm genuinely impressed - submitting a paper correctly in some journals' portals is hard enough when you're actually _intending_ to submit a paper. Ask them who they suggested as reviewers!

Not the craziest on here, but I’m going to have to add “Do not use text speak in emails”. I’ve got students emailing me with stuff like “yo”, “yah”, “yea”, “u (instead of you)”, “r (instead of are)”, “tryna”, “btw”, “GOAT”, etc. It probably wouldn’t irk me as much if they at least included a subject line, but seemingly none of them know to put something in the subject line. Or address their emails with something other than “Hey”. An email I got today: “When are finals” No punctuation, no greeting, no subject line, no closing remark. Just three words. Like texting a friend. Except I’m the professor, and not their friend. 🙃 Edit: I teach English, and I continually stress the importance and professionalism of grammar in academia, so you can imagine my frustration.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmqu4ku

hmsc1tn

Wait... so what happened?! Was the student able to publish the paper? I need to know! :P

> Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. Not going to lie, I'm genuinely impressed - submitting a paper correctly in some journals' portals is hard enough when you're actually _intending_ to submit a paper. Ask them who they suggested as reviewers!

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmsc1tn

hmr7ssp

> Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. Not going to lie, I'm genuinely impressed - submitting a paper correctly in some journals' portals is hard enough when you're actually _intending_ to submit a paper. Ask them who they suggested as reviewers!

Not really in the syllabus, but... When I was undergrad, we had to take written tests at the end of the semester for each class. There was one professor who would collect all the tests and then order them alphabetically, by surname (I don't remember the reason, but it was something reasonable, like students could go to discuss the results of the tests in his office and in this way it was easier for him to find them). Every year he had to say this disclaimer in class: "In your test, on the top left corner, please write your surname and name. Your surname is your family name, the one you have in common with your father, your paternal grandfather, etc... Your name is what your friends call you. I am telling you this because every year, inevitably, there is always someone who write Name, Surname instead of Surname, Name (like, John, Smith instead of Smith, John), and then it's a pain in the ass to order the tests alphabetically, so please try to be careful"

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmrl6zh

hmsc1tn

I mean, my friend is the Dean of English at a community college and had a kid sh*t his pants in the middle of class twice in one semester. And we're not talking discreetly. Like, loud sounds and running out while screaming "oh no"! But I don't think he had to put it in his syllabus to: either use the bathroom before class starts, or don't come to class if you're not feeling well.

> Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. Not going to lie, I'm genuinely impressed - submitting a paper correctly in some journals' portals is hard enough when you're actually _intending_ to submit a paper. Ask them who they suggested as reviewers!

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmqpnyx

hmsc1tn

Yikes lol. HOW

> Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. Not going to lie, I'm genuinely impressed - submitting a paper correctly in some journals' portals is hard enough when you're actually _intending_ to submit a paper. Ask them who they suggested as reviewers!

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmsc1tn

hmr3bdj

> Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. Not going to lie, I'm genuinely impressed - submitting a paper correctly in some journals' portals is hard enough when you're actually _intending_ to submit a paper. Ask them who they suggested as reviewers!

I’d love to know the rationale the student had for doing that.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmsc1tn

hms8x7a

> Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. Not going to lie, I'm genuinely impressed - submitting a paper correctly in some journals' portals is hard enough when you're actually _intending_ to submit a paper. Ask them who they suggested as reviewers!

Not the craziest by any means, but I remember the exact student that led me to write: “You will receive a zero if I or a member of the instructional even thinks you are playing video games in class.” Before that semester, I thought video game addiction was a joke. I now think otherwise after seeing too many students fail out of college bc literally all they do is play video games and sleep.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmsc1tn

hmrx28e

> Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. Not going to lie, I'm genuinely impressed - submitting a paper correctly in some journals' portals is hard enough when you're actually _intending_ to submit a paper. Ask them who they suggested as reviewers!

If a student gets a paper accepted maybe you should ask the publisher to change the name to the student's name. It's quite an achievement to get something published and it would look good on the CV of the student. S/he has been proactive, taking initiative, and can write a decent paper it seems if it gets through peer review.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmrzicu

hmqu4ku

Not the craziest on here, but I’m going to have to add “Do not use text speak in emails”. I’ve got students emailing me with stuff like “yo”, “yah”, “yea”, “u (instead of you)”, “r (instead of are)”, “tryna”, “btw”, “GOAT”, etc. It probably wouldn’t irk me as much if they at least included a subject line, but seemingly none of them know to put something in the subject line. Or address their emails with something other than “Hey”. An email I got today: “When are finals” No punctuation, no greeting, no subject line, no closing remark. Just three words. Like texting a friend. Except I’m the professor, and not their friend. 🙃 Edit: I teach English, and I continually stress the importance and professionalism of grammar in academia, so you can imagine my frustration.

Wait... so what happened?! Was the student able to publish the paper? I need to know! :P

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmrzicu

hmr7ssp

Not the craziest on here, but I’m going to have to add “Do not use text speak in emails”. I’ve got students emailing me with stuff like “yo”, “yah”, “yea”, “u (instead of you)”, “r (instead of are)”, “tryna”, “btw”, “GOAT”, etc. It probably wouldn’t irk me as much if they at least included a subject line, but seemingly none of them know to put something in the subject line. Or address their emails with something other than “Hey”. An email I got today: “When are finals” No punctuation, no greeting, no subject line, no closing remark. Just three words. Like texting a friend. Except I’m the professor, and not their friend. 🙃 Edit: I teach English, and I continually stress the importance and professionalism of grammar in academia, so you can imagine my frustration.

Not really in the syllabus, but... When I was undergrad, we had to take written tests at the end of the semester for each class. There was one professor who would collect all the tests and then order them alphabetically, by surname (I don't remember the reason, but it was something reasonable, like students could go to discuss the results of the tests in his office and in this way it was easier for him to find them). Every year he had to say this disclaimer in class: "In your test, on the top left corner, please write your surname and name. Your surname is your family name, the one you have in common with your father, your paternal grandfather, etc... Your name is what your friends call you. I am telling you this because every year, inevitably, there is always someone who write Name, Surname instead of Surname, Name (like, John, Smith instead of Smith, John), and then it's a pain in the ass to order the tests alphabetically, so please try to be careful"

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmrzicu

hmrl6zh

Not the craziest on here, but I’m going to have to add “Do not use text speak in emails”. I’ve got students emailing me with stuff like “yo”, “yah”, “yea”, “u (instead of you)”, “r (instead of are)”, “tryna”, “btw”, “GOAT”, etc. It probably wouldn’t irk me as much if they at least included a subject line, but seemingly none of them know to put something in the subject line. Or address their emails with something other than “Hey”. An email I got today: “When are finals” No punctuation, no greeting, no subject line, no closing remark. Just three words. Like texting a friend. Except I’m the professor, and not their friend. 🙃 Edit: I teach English, and I continually stress the importance and professionalism of grammar in academia, so you can imagine my frustration.

I mean, my friend is the Dean of English at a community college and had a kid sh*t his pants in the middle of class twice in one semester. And we're not talking discreetly. Like, loud sounds and running out while screaming "oh no"! But I don't think he had to put it in his syllabus to: either use the bathroom before class starts, or don't come to class if you're not feeling well.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmrzicu

hmqpnyx

Not the craziest on here, but I’m going to have to add “Do not use text speak in emails”. I’ve got students emailing me with stuff like “yo”, “yah”, “yea”, “u (instead of you)”, “r (instead of are)”, “tryna”, “btw”, “GOAT”, etc. It probably wouldn’t irk me as much if they at least included a subject line, but seemingly none of them know to put something in the subject line. Or address their emails with something other than “Hey”. An email I got today: “When are finals” No punctuation, no greeting, no subject line, no closing remark. Just three words. Like texting a friend. Except I’m the professor, and not their friend. 🙃 Edit: I teach English, and I continually stress the importance and professionalism of grammar in academia, so you can imagine my frustration.

Yikes lol. HOW

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmrzicu

hmr3bdj

Not the craziest on here, but I’m going to have to add “Do not use text speak in emails”. I’ve got students emailing me with stuff like “yo”, “yah”, “yea”, “u (instead of you)”, “r (instead of are)”, “tryna”, “btw”, “GOAT”, etc. It probably wouldn’t irk me as much if they at least included a subject line, but seemingly none of them know to put something in the subject line. Or address their emails with something other than “Hey”. An email I got today: “When are finals” No punctuation, no greeting, no subject line, no closing remark. Just three words. Like texting a friend. Except I’m the professor, and not their friend. 🙃 Edit: I teach English, and I continually stress the importance and professionalism of grammar in academia, so you can imagine my frustration.

I’d love to know the rationale the student had for doing that.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmrx28e

hmrzicu

If a student gets a paper accepted maybe you should ask the publisher to change the name to the student's name. It's quite an achievement to get something published and it would look good on the CV of the student. S/he has been proactive, taking initiative, and can write a decent paper it seems if it gets through peer review.

Not the craziest on here, but I’m going to have to add “Do not use text speak in emails”. I’ve got students emailing me with stuff like “yo”, “yah”, “yea”, “u (instead of you)”, “r (instead of are)”, “tryna”, “btw”, “GOAT”, etc. It probably wouldn’t irk me as much if they at least included a subject line, but seemingly none of them know to put something in the subject line. Or address their emails with something other than “Hey”. An email I got today: “When are finals” No punctuation, no greeting, no subject line, no closing remark. Just three words. Like texting a friend. Except I’m the professor, and not their friend. 🙃 Edit: I teach English, and I continually stress the importance and professionalism of grammar in academia, so you can imagine my frustration.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmqu4ku

hmqpnyx

Wait... so what happened?! Was the student able to publish the paper? I need to know! :P

Yikes lol. HOW

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmr7ssp

hmqpnyx

Not really in the syllabus, but... When I was undergrad, we had to take written tests at the end of the semester for each class. There was one professor who would collect all the tests and then order them alphabetically, by surname (I don't remember the reason, but it was something reasonable, like students could go to discuss the results of the tests in his office and in this way it was easier for him to find them). Every year he had to say this disclaimer in class: "In your test, on the top left corner, please write your surname and name. Your surname is your family name, the one you have in common with your father, your paternal grandfather, etc... Your name is what your friends call you. I am telling you this because every year, inevitably, there is always someone who write Name, Surname instead of Surname, Name (like, John, Smith instead of Smith, John), and then it's a pain in the ass to order the tests alphabetically, so please try to be careful"

Yikes lol. HOW

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmr3bdj

hmr7ssp

I’d love to know the rationale the student had for doing that.

Not really in the syllabus, but... When I was undergrad, we had to take written tests at the end of the semester for each class. There was one professor who would collect all the tests and then order them alphabetically, by surname (I don't remember the reason, but it was something reasonable, like students could go to discuss the results of the tests in his office and in this way it was easier for him to find them). Every year he had to say this disclaimer in class: "In your test, on the top left corner, please write your surname and name. Your surname is your family name, the one you have in common with your father, your paternal grandfather, etc... Your name is what your friends call you. I am telling you this because every year, inevitably, there is always someone who write Name, Surname instead of Surname, Name (like, John, Smith instead of Smith, John), and then it's a pain in the ass to order the tests alphabetically, so please try to be careful"

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmrl6zh

hmqpnyx

I mean, my friend is the Dean of English at a community college and had a kid sh*t his pants in the middle of class twice in one semester. And we're not talking discreetly. Like, loud sounds and running out while screaming "oh no"! But I don't think he had to put it in his syllabus to: either use the bathroom before class starts, or don't come to class if you're not feeling well.

Yikes lol. HOW

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmr3bdj

hmrl6zh

I’d love to know the rationale the student had for doing that.

I mean, my friend is the Dean of English at a community college and had a kid sh*t his pants in the middle of class twice in one semester. And we're not talking discreetly. Like, loud sounds and running out while screaming "oh no"! But I don't think he had to put it in his syllabus to: either use the bathroom before class starts, or don't come to class if you're not feeling well.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hms8x7a

hmskb01

Not the craziest by any means, but I remember the exact student that led me to write: “You will receive a zero if I or a member of the instructional even thinks you are playing video games in class.” Before that semester, I thought video game addiction was a joke. I now think otherwise after seeing too many students fail out of college bc literally all they do is play video games and sleep.

Our student manual in college included a “no hot tubs in dorm rooms” line, so, like, someone did that and got caught.

r62weh

askacademia_train

What are the wildest hijinks you never though you’d have to write a syllabus disclaimer about (and yet here we are)? This morning I woke up to an email from a top journal in my field confirming my submission. I definitely did not submit anything there. Eventually I realized that instead of submitting their term paper to Canvas, one of my students had somehow managed to submit it as a manuscript to a journal, under my name and identity. I can’t believe I have to put “do not submit your class papers as journal manuscripts under my name” in my syllabi. I just keep thinking about it and bursting into laughter. So, what are some of your “I can’t believe that just happened” teaching stories? This is not a thread for student bashing - just some good natured, end of the semester stress relief!

hmskb01

hmrx28e

Our student manual in college included a “no hot tubs in dorm rooms” line, so, like, someone did that and got caught.

If a student gets a paper accepted maybe you should ask the publisher to change the name to the student's name. It's quite an achievement to get something published and it would look good on the CV of the student. S/he has been proactive, taking initiative, and can write a decent paper it seems if it gets through peer review.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm52k2t

gm52yzo

When I’ve gotten professors to really talk about the weird/extreme hours my favorite thought is that while there’s an “expectation” to work late or on weekends you got the freedom to disappear for random hours during weekdays during work hours. Like taking off a random Wednesday afternoon for a family thing is a lot easier than anywhere else, but that’s because “they” assume you’ll still hit deadlines by doing a couple late hours or weekends

I worked for 60 hours per week for my first 2 years. I was burning out and decided to not do that anymore. I didn't tell my professor, I just stopped. I guess my advisor could have fired me, but that would've cost him years of work and training. Now as faculty, I still work just 40 hours. Partly because I learned to get a lot done in 40 hours, partly because I turned down the offers from departments where I could tell they expected more regardless of productivity, and partly because I'm in engineering and good faculty are hard to find, so they'll pretty much put up with whatever I feel like doing. Moreover, I worked 6 hours total in my 4 week winter break. I worked zero hours fall break. I expect to work for 12 hours this week long spring break, simply because I'm behind on grading. My work-life balance is superb. Beyond just bragging, my point is it's possible. Admittedly, If you want to land a TT gig at a top 20 school, then it's probably not possible.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm4y3cm

gm52yzo

I think it’s not fair. But, yea, I think it is expected. And, if you don’t, you probably won’t be competitive in the job market (unless your productivity is so high that you can compete with people that work all the time). Even if you work weekend and holidays, I still don’t think you are guarantee a job. I am not a PhD yet, so take it with a grain of salt.

I worked for 60 hours per week for my first 2 years. I was burning out and decided to not do that anymore. I didn't tell my professor, I just stopped. I guess my advisor could have fired me, but that would've cost him years of work and training. Now as faculty, I still work just 40 hours. Partly because I learned to get a lot done in 40 hours, partly because I turned down the offers from departments where I could tell they expected more regardless of productivity, and partly because I'm in engineering and good faculty are hard to find, so they'll pretty much put up with whatever I feel like doing. Moreover, I worked 6 hours total in my 4 week winter break. I worked zero hours fall break. I expect to work for 12 hours this week long spring break, simply because I'm behind on grading. My work-life balance is superb. Beyond just bragging, my point is it's possible. Admittedly, If you want to land a TT gig at a top 20 school, then it's probably not possible.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm52k2t

gm53tat

When I’ve gotten professors to really talk about the weird/extreme hours my favorite thought is that while there’s an “expectation” to work late or on weekends you got the freedom to disappear for random hours during weekdays during work hours. Like taking off a random Wednesday afternoon for a family thing is a lot easier than anywhere else, but that’s because “they” assume you’ll still hit deadlines by doing a couple late hours or weekends

That is a toxic as fuck response, and I hope the chair of that meeting stepped in, and then took that prof aside. If they didn't the organisation has big issues. I make it very clear to my PGRs that working 40 hours a week effectively is in itself a good achievement. Being at work for 70 hours is meaningless if they're not productive, and it's unhealthy and unfair in any case. Academia demands enough of you already without sacrificing your evenings and weekends for a lacklustre income and no guarantees of jobs. Fuck that. It's perfectly possible to be productive and successful at 40 hours a week with a bit of discipline. I treated my PhD like an 8-5 and I encourage my PhD students to do the same. My most recent graduated student did that, has 4 awesome 1st author papers including big name journals, won awards, and got a great job. Weekends should be taken and the work will still be there on Monday. Will I ever be written about in the history textbooks? Almost certainly not. But neither will 99.99% of the rest of the academics I deal with, so frankly I will take this one life I have and live it. And I expect those around me to do the same. Expecting other people to fuck their lives up because you have a misguided sense of what is reasonable is not cool. Don't enable that kind of fuckery. Get the job done, and draw your own lines in the sand at what is achievable. Don't become the sausage meat in someone elses grinder. You want to know why the mental health stats in gradschool are so terrifying? It's because it's a black hole of shitty expectations that students have on them - both from themselves, and from bad supervisors. A PhD is taxing enough without also making it a physical and mental marathon with no downtime. Work 40 hours well. Hell, work 30 hours well. If you're working 70 hours I'll put money on half of them being unproductive.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm4y3cm

gm53tat

I think it’s not fair. But, yea, I think it is expected. And, if you don’t, you probably won’t be competitive in the job market (unless your productivity is so high that you can compete with people that work all the time). Even if you work weekend and holidays, I still don’t think you are guarantee a job. I am not a PhD yet, so take it with a grain of salt.

That is a toxic as fuck response, and I hope the chair of that meeting stepped in, and then took that prof aside. If they didn't the organisation has big issues. I make it very clear to my PGRs that working 40 hours a week effectively is in itself a good achievement. Being at work for 70 hours is meaningless if they're not productive, and it's unhealthy and unfair in any case. Academia demands enough of you already without sacrificing your evenings and weekends for a lacklustre income and no guarantees of jobs. Fuck that. It's perfectly possible to be productive and successful at 40 hours a week with a bit of discipline. I treated my PhD like an 8-5 and I encourage my PhD students to do the same. My most recent graduated student did that, has 4 awesome 1st author papers including big name journals, won awards, and got a great job. Weekends should be taken and the work will still be there on Monday. Will I ever be written about in the history textbooks? Almost certainly not. But neither will 99.99% of the rest of the academics I deal with, so frankly I will take this one life I have and live it. And I expect those around me to do the same. Expecting other people to fuck their lives up because you have a misguided sense of what is reasonable is not cool. Don't enable that kind of fuckery. Get the job done, and draw your own lines in the sand at what is achievable. Don't become the sausage meat in someone elses grinder. You want to know why the mental health stats in gradschool are so terrifying? It's because it's a black hole of shitty expectations that students have on them - both from themselves, and from bad supervisors. A PhD is taxing enough without also making it a physical and mental marathon with no downtime. Work 40 hours well. Hell, work 30 hours well. If you're working 70 hours I'll put money on half of them being unproductive.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm4y3cm

gm52k2t

I think it’s not fair. But, yea, I think it is expected. And, if you don’t, you probably won’t be competitive in the job market (unless your productivity is so high that you can compete with people that work all the time). Even if you work weekend and holidays, I still don’t think you are guarantee a job. I am not a PhD yet, so take it with a grain of salt.

When I’ve gotten professors to really talk about the weird/extreme hours my favorite thought is that while there’s an “expectation” to work late or on weekends you got the freedom to disappear for random hours during weekdays during work hours. Like taking off a random Wednesday afternoon for a family thing is a lot easier than anywhere else, but that’s because “they” assume you’ll still hit deadlines by doing a couple late hours or weekends

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm54k78

gm4y3cm

In my experience, in EU, no it is not expected at all. Sometimes you need to work a lot for some experiments, but no, a healthy work-life balance is much more efficient than 60-70h/week. Also, most of the time when you hear that people is working more than 50 hours per week constantly you can be rather sure that many of those hours are used on non-productive stuff, they include lunches and breaks etc Remeber to work for yourself, not for someone else with no recognition, your time is much more valuable than anything else.

I think it’s not fair. But, yea, I think it is expected. And, if you don’t, you probably won’t be competitive in the job market (unless your productivity is so high that you can compete with people that work all the time). Even if you work weekend and holidays, I still don’t think you are guarantee a job. I am not a PhD yet, so take it with a grain of salt.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm57lqo

gm5iw0g

That prof is a shithead. You need to work whatever amount of hours you require to finish the job. For me that works out to 40 hours on some weeks and more on others. > I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. You're not really putting in extra hours if you're not getting work done in the original hours. Like, I get it: I struggle to concentrate for long periods of time, so I need to work in short bursts with frequent breaks, which means that I usually work into the evenings. But I don't consider myself to have worked 14 hours if what I actually did was work an hour on, an hour off.

Yes and no. It's an outdated mindset that's still pretty much what academic culture is. There's a reason why studies show again and again that mental health problems are extremely common in academia, far more common than in other fields. Even when your PI is chill you still most likely encounter this mindset from colleagues or collaborators. It's possible to be successful with overworking and especially if you manage to actually organise your work well you are pretty much guaranteed to get more work done then your tired and overworking colleagues.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm5hwwf

gm5iw0g

I think you should swing by that professor's lab on Sunday at 3pm is see if the jerk is there. I'd bet not. If you're feeling very brave, leave a note on the lab door asking if he doesn't love science enough to be there at Sunday at 3pm!

Yes and no. It's an outdated mindset that's still pretty much what academic culture is. There's a reason why studies show again and again that mental health problems are extremely common in academia, far more common than in other fields. Even when your PI is chill you still most likely encounter this mindset from colleagues or collaborators. It's possible to be successful with overworking and especially if you manage to actually organise your work well you are pretty much guaranteed to get more work done then your tired and overworking colleagues.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm4y3cm

gm5iw0g

I think it’s not fair. But, yea, I think it is expected. And, if you don’t, you probably won’t be competitive in the job market (unless your productivity is so high that you can compete with people that work all the time). Even if you work weekend and holidays, I still don’t think you are guarantee a job. I am not a PhD yet, so take it with a grain of salt.

Yes and no. It's an outdated mindset that's still pretty much what academic culture is. There's a reason why studies show again and again that mental health problems are extremely common in academia, far more common than in other fields. Even when your PI is chill you still most likely encounter this mindset from colleagues or collaborators. It's possible to be successful with overworking and especially if you manage to actually organise your work well you are pretty much guaranteed to get more work done then your tired and overworking colleagues.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm5w54h

gm5hwwf

I try to tell all of my PhD candidates: hours of work is an input. At the end of the day, no one cares about your input, the world cares about your output. Focus on creating quality outputs efficiently, and then you won't have to give up years of your life the way I did when I was a PhD student and post doc.

I think you should swing by that professor's lab on Sunday at 3pm is see if the jerk is there. I'd bet not. If you're feeling very brave, leave a note on the lab door asking if he doesn't love science enough to be there at Sunday at 3pm!

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm5uix1

gm5w54h

I am a 9-5er because my family is more important to me than my career, and fortunately I very rarely feel under pressure to work more. A colleague once called me a "part-timer", half-jokingly, which did irritate me, but ultimately I don't envy her lifestyle of spending her nights alone working on grants. I've made peace with the fact that many of my peers will get more papers, grants and jobs than I will because they've sacrificed other things, but I'm also inspired by people who I've seen be very successful while strictly maintaining a healthy work/life balance. I don't get the impression that the majority of my colleagues really 'love the science'. I think they feel happy to have a job where they are valued intellectually, but it's still just a job for most people. And at least those people can hold a conversation about something other than science.

I try to tell all of my PhD candidates: hours of work is an input. At the end of the day, no one cares about your input, the world cares about your output. Focus on creating quality outputs efficiently, and then you won't have to give up years of your life the way I did when I was a PhD student and post doc.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm5lwl6

gm5w54h

Were the questions and answers done anonymously or just the questions? I wonder if the "expert" who gave that response is the student's supervisor. I absolutely LOVE my job. I love teaching, I love research, I love mentoring students, the works. I don't love being forced in to a corner where I'm forced to work more than I can for my mental or physical well-being. That has absolutely nothing to do with how much I love science and love my job. From my understanding, it's considered quite healthy to have hobbies outside of work - and if work is taking up 60-70 hours per week, that doesn't give much time for those, let alone a family or any relationships outside of work. There is this great organization called the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity that really emphasizes work-life balance. I know several faculty members who follow their programs and are quite successful (have a life outside of work and are making research waves, while remaining excellent instructors), so it definitely can be done.

I try to tell all of my PhD candidates: hours of work is an input. At the end of the day, no one cares about your input, the world cares about your output. Focus on creating quality outputs efficiently, and then you won't have to give up years of your life the way I did when I was a PhD student and post doc.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm5w54h

gm5k8t5

I try to tell all of my PhD candidates: hours of work is an input. At the end of the day, no one cares about your input, the world cares about your output. Focus on creating quality outputs efficiently, and then you won't have to give up years of your life the way I did when I was a PhD student and post doc.

The problem is that you're expected to finish too much work all the time. Even though you have a contract and it tells 45 hours work, there is no way to finish what you're asked to in that period. PIs don't officially tell that since they might face some problems with the administration. They just overcome it by pushing you more and more in each time. In my opinion it is best to have boundaries from the beginning. I don't and can't work that much for a long period, it would burn me out.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm5w54h

gm5l5yj

I try to tell all of my PhD candidates: hours of work is an input. At the end of the day, no one cares about your input, the world cares about your output. Focus on creating quality outputs efficiently, and then you won't have to give up years of your life the way I did when I was a PhD student and post doc.

Simple fact is, job searches in academia are competitive to an utterly dysfunctional degree. If you don't put in those hours, you will be stacking up against a handful to dozens/hundreds of other applicants whose qualifications match or exceed your own, and have put in that extra time. Who do you think is going to win out 999 times out of 1,000?

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm5qe44

gm5w54h

You don't have to work 60-70 hours a week but a lot of your peers will. When it is time to look for jobs you may not be as competitive as your peers who put in the extra hours.

I try to tell all of my PhD candidates: hours of work is an input. At the end of the day, no one cares about your input, the world cares about your output. Focus on creating quality outputs efficiently, and then you won't have to give up years of your life the way I did when I was a PhD student and post doc.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm4y3cm

gm5w54h

I think it’s not fair. But, yea, I think it is expected. And, if you don’t, you probably won’t be competitive in the job market (unless your productivity is so high that you can compete with people that work all the time). Even if you work weekend and holidays, I still don’t think you are guarantee a job. I am not a PhD yet, so take it with a grain of salt.

I try to tell all of my PhD candidates: hours of work is an input. At the end of the day, no one cares about your input, the world cares about your output. Focus on creating quality outputs efficiently, and then you won't have to give up years of your life the way I did when I was a PhD student and post doc.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm4y3cm

gm57lqo

I think it’s not fair. But, yea, I think it is expected. And, if you don’t, you probably won’t be competitive in the job market (unless your productivity is so high that you can compete with people that work all the time). Even if you work weekend and holidays, I still don’t think you are guarantee a job. I am not a PhD yet, so take it with a grain of salt.

That prof is a shithead. You need to work whatever amount of hours you require to finish the job. For me that works out to 40 hours on some weeks and more on others. > I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. You're not really putting in extra hours if you're not getting work done in the original hours. Like, I get it: I struggle to concentrate for long periods of time, so I need to work in short bursts with frequent breaks, which means that I usually work into the evenings. But I don't consider myself to have worked 14 hours if what I actually did was work an hour on, an hour off.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm4y3cm

gm5hwwf

I think it’s not fair. But, yea, I think it is expected. And, if you don’t, you probably won’t be competitive in the job market (unless your productivity is so high that you can compete with people that work all the time). Even if you work weekend and holidays, I still don’t think you are guarantee a job. I am not a PhD yet, so take it with a grain of salt.

I think you should swing by that professor's lab on Sunday at 3pm is see if the jerk is there. I'd bet not. If you're feeling very brave, leave a note on the lab door asking if he doesn't love science enough to be there at Sunday at 3pm!

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm5lwl6

gm5uix1

Were the questions and answers done anonymously or just the questions? I wonder if the "expert" who gave that response is the student's supervisor. I absolutely LOVE my job. I love teaching, I love research, I love mentoring students, the works. I don't love being forced in to a corner where I'm forced to work more than I can for my mental or physical well-being. That has absolutely nothing to do with how much I love science and love my job. From my understanding, it's considered quite healthy to have hobbies outside of work - and if work is taking up 60-70 hours per week, that doesn't give much time for those, let alone a family or any relationships outside of work. There is this great organization called the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity that really emphasizes work-life balance. I know several faculty members who follow their programs and are quite successful (have a life outside of work and are making research waves, while remaining excellent instructors), so it definitely can be done.

I am a 9-5er because my family is more important to me than my career, and fortunately I very rarely feel under pressure to work more. A colleague once called me a "part-timer", half-jokingly, which did irritate me, but ultimately I don't envy her lifestyle of spending her nights alone working on grants. I've made peace with the fact that many of my peers will get more papers, grants and jobs than I will because they've sacrificed other things, but I'm also inspired by people who I've seen be very successful while strictly maintaining a healthy work/life balance. I don't get the impression that the majority of my colleagues really 'love the science'. I think they feel happy to have a job where they are valued intellectually, but it's still just a job for most people. And at least those people can hold a conversation about something other than science.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm5k8t5

gm5uix1

The problem is that you're expected to finish too much work all the time. Even though you have a contract and it tells 45 hours work, there is no way to finish what you're asked to in that period. PIs don't officially tell that since they might face some problems with the administration. They just overcome it by pushing you more and more in each time. In my opinion it is best to have boundaries from the beginning. I don't and can't work that much for a long period, it would burn me out.

I am a 9-5er because my family is more important to me than my career, and fortunately I very rarely feel under pressure to work more. A colleague once called me a "part-timer", half-jokingly, which did irritate me, but ultimately I don't envy her lifestyle of spending her nights alone working on grants. I've made peace with the fact that many of my peers will get more papers, grants and jobs than I will because they've sacrificed other things, but I'm also inspired by people who I've seen be very successful while strictly maintaining a healthy work/life balance. I don't get the impression that the majority of my colleagues really 'love the science'. I think they feel happy to have a job where they are valued intellectually, but it's still just a job for most people. And at least those people can hold a conversation about something other than science.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm5uix1

gm5l5yj

I am a 9-5er because my family is more important to me than my career, and fortunately I very rarely feel under pressure to work more. A colleague once called me a "part-timer", half-jokingly, which did irritate me, but ultimately I don't envy her lifestyle of spending her nights alone working on grants. I've made peace with the fact that many of my peers will get more papers, grants and jobs than I will because they've sacrificed other things, but I'm also inspired by people who I've seen be very successful while strictly maintaining a healthy work/life balance. I don't get the impression that the majority of my colleagues really 'love the science'. I think they feel happy to have a job where they are valued intellectually, but it's still just a job for most people. And at least those people can hold a conversation about something other than science.

Simple fact is, job searches in academia are competitive to an utterly dysfunctional degree. If you don't put in those hours, you will be stacking up against a handful to dozens/hundreds of other applicants whose qualifications match or exceed your own, and have put in that extra time. Who do you think is going to win out 999 times out of 1,000?

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm5qe44

gm5uix1

You don't have to work 60-70 hours a week but a lot of your peers will. When it is time to look for jobs you may not be as competitive as your peers who put in the extra hours.

I am a 9-5er because my family is more important to me than my career, and fortunately I very rarely feel under pressure to work more. A colleague once called me a "part-timer", half-jokingly, which did irritate me, but ultimately I don't envy her lifestyle of spending her nights alone working on grants. I've made peace with the fact that many of my peers will get more papers, grants and jobs than I will because they've sacrificed other things, but I'm also inspired by people who I've seen be very successful while strictly maintaining a healthy work/life balance. I don't get the impression that the majority of my colleagues really 'love the science'. I think they feel happy to have a job where they are valued intellectually, but it's still just a job for most people. And at least those people can hold a conversation about something other than science.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm5uix1

gm4y3cm

I am a 9-5er because my family is more important to me than my career, and fortunately I very rarely feel under pressure to work more. A colleague once called me a "part-timer", half-jokingly, which did irritate me, but ultimately I don't envy her lifestyle of spending her nights alone working on grants. I've made peace with the fact that many of my peers will get more papers, grants and jobs than I will because they've sacrificed other things, but I'm also inspired by people who I've seen be very successful while strictly maintaining a healthy work/life balance. I don't get the impression that the majority of my colleagues really 'love the science'. I think they feel happy to have a job where they are valued intellectually, but it's still just a job for most people. And at least those people can hold a conversation about something other than science.

I think it’s not fair. But, yea, I think it is expected. And, if you don’t, you probably won’t be competitive in the job market (unless your productivity is so high that you can compete with people that work all the time). Even if you work weekend and holidays, I still don’t think you are guarantee a job. I am not a PhD yet, so take it with a grain of salt.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm5x9eb

gm5lwl6

"We are in this because we love God. If you don't want to work weekends perhaps you don't love God enough. If that is the case you should leave". Yup, still sounds fucked up. Science isn't all-consuming and your life--your life is your life, science is your job. My old man once told me, "if you ever have something you really enjoy doing, never make it your job", and that is true. When I was in grad school we only did weekends when we had to, deadlines, sampling timepoints, travel, etc. Other than that, nobody was going in to prove their love for the cult of science. This person is a loon, and probably super hateful.

Were the questions and answers done anonymously or just the questions? I wonder if the "expert" who gave that response is the student's supervisor. I absolutely LOVE my job. I love teaching, I love research, I love mentoring students, the works. I don't love being forced in to a corner where I'm forced to work more than I can for my mental or physical well-being. That has absolutely nothing to do with how much I love science and love my job. From my understanding, it's considered quite healthy to have hobbies outside of work - and if work is taking up 60-70 hours per week, that doesn't give much time for those, let alone a family or any relationships outside of work. There is this great organization called the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity that really emphasizes work-life balance. I know several faculty members who follow their programs and are quite successful (have a life outside of work and are making research waves, while remaining excellent instructors), so it definitely can be done.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm5k8t5

gm5x9eb

The problem is that you're expected to finish too much work all the time. Even though you have a contract and it tells 45 hours work, there is no way to finish what you're asked to in that period. PIs don't officially tell that since they might face some problems with the administration. They just overcome it by pushing you more and more in each time. In my opinion it is best to have boundaries from the beginning. I don't and can't work that much for a long period, it would burn me out.

"We are in this because we love God. If you don't want to work weekends perhaps you don't love God enough. If that is the case you should leave". Yup, still sounds fucked up. Science isn't all-consuming and your life--your life is your life, science is your job. My old man once told me, "if you ever have something you really enjoy doing, never make it your job", and that is true. When I was in grad school we only did weekends when we had to, deadlines, sampling timepoints, travel, etc. Other than that, nobody was going in to prove their love for the cult of science. This person is a loon, and probably super hateful.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm5l5yj

gm5x9eb

Simple fact is, job searches in academia are competitive to an utterly dysfunctional degree. If you don't put in those hours, you will be stacking up against a handful to dozens/hundreds of other applicants whose qualifications match or exceed your own, and have put in that extra time. Who do you think is going to win out 999 times out of 1,000?

"We are in this because we love God. If you don't want to work weekends perhaps you don't love God enough. If that is the case you should leave". Yup, still sounds fucked up. Science isn't all-consuming and your life--your life is your life, science is your job. My old man once told me, "if you ever have something you really enjoy doing, never make it your job", and that is true. When I was in grad school we only did weekends when we had to, deadlines, sampling timepoints, travel, etc. Other than that, nobody was going in to prove their love for the cult of science. This person is a loon, and probably super hateful.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm5qe44

gm5x9eb

You don't have to work 60-70 hours a week but a lot of your peers will. When it is time to look for jobs you may not be as competitive as your peers who put in the extra hours.

"We are in this because we love God. If you don't want to work weekends perhaps you don't love God enough. If that is the case you should leave". Yup, still sounds fucked up. Science isn't all-consuming and your life--your life is your life, science is your job. My old man once told me, "if you ever have something you really enjoy doing, never make it your job", and that is true. When I was in grad school we only did weekends when we had to, deadlines, sampling timepoints, travel, etc. Other than that, nobody was going in to prove their love for the cult of science. This person is a loon, and probably super hateful.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm4y3cm

gm5x9eb

I think it’s not fair. But, yea, I think it is expected. And, if you don’t, you probably won’t be competitive in the job market (unless your productivity is so high that you can compete with people that work all the time). Even if you work weekend and holidays, I still don’t think you are guarantee a job. I am not a PhD yet, so take it with a grain of salt.

"We are in this because we love God. If you don't want to work weekends perhaps you don't love God enough. If that is the case you should leave". Yup, still sounds fucked up. Science isn't all-consuming and your life--your life is your life, science is your job. My old man once told me, "if you ever have something you really enjoy doing, never make it your job", and that is true. When I was in grad school we only did weekends when we had to, deadlines, sampling timepoints, travel, etc. Other than that, nobody was going in to prove their love for the cult of science. This person is a loon, and probably super hateful.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm66pdz

gm5lwl6

This perspective is so frustrating. The hours you work are honestly kind of arbitrary. In academia and other fields, people love to act like martyrs by bragging about how they have no work-life balance and how they work longer than others. I do not know why this is a goal anyone would want to strive for. If you plan your goals for the week/ month/ year and you’re meeting them, you’re working enough hours. If you aren’t, maybe you need to work more hours. If you’re working excessive amounts of time and outputting little, you’re probably burnt out and could benefit from working less. I feel you on this. The worst.

Were the questions and answers done anonymously or just the questions? I wonder if the "expert" who gave that response is the student's supervisor. I absolutely LOVE my job. I love teaching, I love research, I love mentoring students, the works. I don't love being forced in to a corner where I'm forced to work more than I can for my mental or physical well-being. That has absolutely nothing to do with how much I love science and love my job. From my understanding, it's considered quite healthy to have hobbies outside of work - and if work is taking up 60-70 hours per week, that doesn't give much time for those, let alone a family or any relationships outside of work. There is this great organization called the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity that really emphasizes work-life balance. I know several faculty members who follow their programs and are quite successful (have a life outside of work and are making research waves, while remaining excellent instructors), so it definitely can be done.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm5k8t5

gm66pdz

The problem is that you're expected to finish too much work all the time. Even though you have a contract and it tells 45 hours work, there is no way to finish what you're asked to in that period. PIs don't officially tell that since they might face some problems with the administration. They just overcome it by pushing you more and more in each time. In my opinion it is best to have boundaries from the beginning. I don't and can't work that much for a long period, it would burn me out.

This perspective is so frustrating. The hours you work are honestly kind of arbitrary. In academia and other fields, people love to act like martyrs by bragging about how they have no work-life balance and how they work longer than others. I do not know why this is a goal anyone would want to strive for. If you plan your goals for the week/ month/ year and you’re meeting them, you’re working enough hours. If you aren’t, maybe you need to work more hours. If you’re working excessive amounts of time and outputting little, you’re probably burnt out and could benefit from working less. I feel you on this. The worst.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm5l5yj

gm66pdz

Simple fact is, job searches in academia are competitive to an utterly dysfunctional degree. If you don't put in those hours, you will be stacking up against a handful to dozens/hundreds of other applicants whose qualifications match or exceed your own, and have put in that extra time. Who do you think is going to win out 999 times out of 1,000?

This perspective is so frustrating. The hours you work are honestly kind of arbitrary. In academia and other fields, people love to act like martyrs by bragging about how they have no work-life balance and how they work longer than others. I do not know why this is a goal anyone would want to strive for. If you plan your goals for the week/ month/ year and you’re meeting them, you’re working enough hours. If you aren’t, maybe you need to work more hours. If you’re working excessive amounts of time and outputting little, you’re probably burnt out and could benefit from working less. I feel you on this. The worst.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm61yj6

gm66pdz

Yes. It is utterly toxic. I thought it was just my field until I got to know more people around academia and realized that it's even worse in the sciences because they really treat their students and post-docs like employees, except without the protections and mutual consent that ought to entail. It is a good thing to get a clear warning sign early on that researchers in many fields expect to exploit their students and employees and to talk and behave as if it's perfectly justified, and any objections are just a sign of some flaw. Obviously people who are thinking well realize that this mis-locates the flaws entirely. (Even knowing all this, it still has shocked me that throughout this pandemic, I have not gotten the impression that academics generally expect anything less from people lower in the hierarchy in terms of output- obviously an out-of-place notion in a well-functioning academy- than they would under normal circumstances. I know many people who were rightly barred from going to campus because of the virus but whose supervisors expressed judgment and disappointment that they had gotten less lab work done this past year...) To be clear, none of this is compulsory or mandatory, and in fact we all may have some sort of obligation to resist these pressures, but you should recognize that the expectation is there and it will not be easy to carve out a more healthy life for yourself. Edited to add: I'm in the U.S and am speaking mostly about my experience with people in the English-speaking world.

This perspective is so frustrating. The hours you work are honestly kind of arbitrary. In academia and other fields, people love to act like martyrs by bragging about how they have no work-life balance and how they work longer than others. I do not know why this is a goal anyone would want to strive for. If you plan your goals for the week/ month/ year and you’re meeting them, you’re working enough hours. If you aren’t, maybe you need to work more hours. If you’re working excessive amounts of time and outputting little, you’re probably burnt out and could benefit from working less. I feel you on this. The worst.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm66pdz

gm5qe44

This perspective is so frustrating. The hours you work are honestly kind of arbitrary. In academia and other fields, people love to act like martyrs by bragging about how they have no work-life balance and how they work longer than others. I do not know why this is a goal anyone would want to strive for. If you plan your goals for the week/ month/ year and you’re meeting them, you’re working enough hours. If you aren’t, maybe you need to work more hours. If you’re working excessive amounts of time and outputting little, you’re probably burnt out and could benefit from working less. I feel you on this. The worst.

You don't have to work 60-70 hours a week but a lot of your peers will. When it is time to look for jobs you may not be as competitive as your peers who put in the extra hours.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm66pdz

gm4y3cm

This perspective is so frustrating. The hours you work are honestly kind of arbitrary. In academia and other fields, people love to act like martyrs by bragging about how they have no work-life balance and how they work longer than others. I do not know why this is a goal anyone would want to strive for. If you plan your goals for the week/ month/ year and you’re meeting them, you’re working enough hours. If you aren’t, maybe you need to work more hours. If you’re working excessive amounts of time and outputting little, you’re probably burnt out and could benefit from working less. I feel you on this. The worst.

I think it’s not fair. But, yea, I think it is expected. And, if you don’t, you probably won’t be competitive in the job market (unless your productivity is so high that you can compete with people that work all the time). Even if you work weekend and holidays, I still don’t think you are guarantee a job. I am not a PhD yet, so take it with a grain of salt.

ldc0to

askacademia_train

Are you expected to work 60-70 hours a week in the academia? This is part rant and part question. I had an introductory meeting with about 15-16 other PhD students who had just started and the session included a question answer session with professors where anonymous questions could be asked. One individual, whose supervisor expected him to work weekends as well, asked the professors how he can politely tell his supervisor that this isnt right. The response of one of the professors was: "We are in this because we love science. If you don't want to work weekends, perhaps you do not love science and you do not belong here. If that is the case, you should leave." I was rather shocked. I admit that I do put in extra hours because I want to and have to because of my horrible productivity throughout the day. However, what was suggested by the "expert" was that it is basically compulsory to do this. Is that really what is expected in the Academia? Why is it like that? Why isn't mental and physical health given their due importance? Burn out is a thing.

gm68mr4

gm6iqvv

It depends on your goals. To be the #1 student in your program? Maybe. To get an R1 job? Maybe. To get a PhD? Hell no. To be moderately successful in your PhD? Probably not. Source: I got deeply depressed in year 2-3 of my program and worked about 10-15 hours a week for 8-12 months. My advisor didn't like it (I was unreliable as hell), but I'm still in the program. I still have 5ish publications, and teaching awards and stuff. I'm doing well. If I had just showed up and worked 40 hours a week every week, I'd be doing great right now. I don't think people work as hard as they pretend to. A lot of work, imo, boils down to "actual work" + hours of the emotional work of psyching yourself up to keep working. The upshot: Just really track your hours. Track what you do during those hours. Set boundaries, both for yourself and others. So have a target average, but also max hours and a min hours per week. When you're working, be present. When you're not working, don't be working.

You've gotten so many good comments on this post, but I'll also add this: most of the people who *think* they are working 60-80 hours a week really aren't. They're just spending that time *at* work (in their office, at their desk, etc.) There are studies that show that productivity drops sharply after about 50 hours a week, and after about 55 hours drops so sharply that it's kind of pointless to work additional hours (here). There's a reason why we moved away from that during the Industrial Revolution. Moreover, you're also more prone to making mistakes when you're exhausted and overworked. If you think about it, 70 hours a week would be 10 hours every day of the week, or 14 hours 5 days a week. That's just not a sustainable level of work. I left academia for industry a few years ago, and one of the things I learned is that when my work hours are *constrained* to 8/9 to 5, I get a lot more done in that period of time than I did when I was in academia and I theoretically had all day to do things. (It's also confounded by the fact that I grew up, though - I went to grad school straight from undergrad.) It's not that I was working more then, though; it's that I simply wasn't disciplined about. When I wrote my dissertation I got *very* disciplined - I wrote (or did dissertation-related things like analyzing data) from 10 to 6 every day and put in a few hours on Saturday as well, but I didn't get anywhere near 60 hours, and I finished my dissertation in 11 months. That professor doesn't necessarily love science more than you; he's just inefficient and is willing to sacrifice his personal time on the altar of science. Which is fine for him, I guess.