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The
Graduate Student Corner
Hello again, everyone.
Here's hoping that this issue of the DivisioNews
finds you all in good spirits and ready for
the end of the semester! Before spring fever
grabs a hold of you too tightly, though, please
take a minute and check out this latest edition
of the Graduate Student Corner. Thanks to our
esteemed colleagues who took time out of their
busy schedules, grad students once again have
expert answers to more of their burning questions.
For their contribution to this column, I would
like to extend my sincere thanks to: Becky
Block, Ellen Cohn, Christina DeJong,
Amy D'Unger, Nancy Hogan, Joanne
Kaufman, and Amanda Robinson.
If you have questions
that you would like answered, or if you are
interested in responding to grad students' questions,
please e-mail me at burges26@msu.edu.
Thanks again to
all of you who helped with this column. A happy,
healthy spring to each of you…see you in the
summer!
Regards,
Amanda
QUESTION 1
What is one thing you did while in grad school
that you believe gave you an edge when you began
the job search? Conversely, what is the biggest
mistake you made while in grad school and what
could you have done differently to prevent it
from happening?
ANSWER 1
"I responded to an email (sent to the entire
school) from a faculty member who was forwarding
a request from a police department looking for
someone to evaluate a new program implemented
under the COPS scheme. I was the only one who
responded to the email and therefore got the
opportunity to conduct a research project during
my first year as a Ph.D. student. This enabled
me to have my own dataset, which in turn led
to several publications that made me competitive
when I entered the job market. Another thing
I should mention is that I chose to collaborate
on these articles with one of my peers. This
made the experience of writing not only more
enjoyable and a greater learning experience,
but it also enabled us to do together what might
not have been possible on our own. As for mistakes,
I have found that inebriation dulls regret.
J "
ANSWER 2
"There were two things I did in grad school
that helped me immensely in the job search.
The first was to get some teaching experience.
My program did not use students in teaching
positions, so I had to get a bit creative, but
I felt that it would be good for me to get some
time in front of a class while still in grad
school (and while I still had my professors
around to ask for help!). Even so, I was told
by a member of the search committee at the university
that eventually hired me that they were concerned
about the limited amount of teaching experience
I had. The second key thing was to get published.
By the time I got my Ph.D. I had several articles
in good journals - one co-authored with my dissertation
advisor and some solo articles as well.
The reason these
two things are important is because mentoring
is becoming less and less common in our field.
As a result, search committees are looking for
candidates who will not need much mentoring.
If you already have some teaching experience,
you won't need much help with your courses during
that first year. Similarly, if you already have
articles published, you already know how to
play the publishing game and will not need much
guidance when preparing and submitting your
next manuscripts.
The biggest mistake
I made was not taking more statistics courses!"
ANSWER 3
"I believe that writing an article and getting
it published while in grad school gave me an
edge. It is with deep appreciation that I look
back to two professors who allowed me to deviate
from the expected research papers in their classes
in order to write my first peer-reviewed article.
Their guidance and suggestions were invaluable.
I think the biggest mistake I made was not being
proactive my first year and talking to the cohorts
above me about what courses to take. If I could
do it all over, I would have concentrated more
heavily on statistics."
ANSWER 4
"The best thing I did was to have a solid grounding
in statistics, quantitative methods, and research
design. These are the basic tools of the trade,
and will come in useful no matter what you end
up doing. It makes you salable.
My biggest mistake
was to assume the collegiality of my professors.
I naively thought that, if my dissertation was
really good and a contribution to the literature,
it would find an audience by itself. I was wrong.
Because they had their own issues, none of my
committee paid any attention to 'promoting'
my work, and no one told me how to do it myself.
I didn't even realize that such promotion was
necessary. I shouldn't have been so silly."
QUESTION 2
Do you have any tips for grad students on how
to avoid departmental politics? What words of
advice do you have for students who believe
that they may have been treated unfairly by
a mentor, professor, or other faculty member?
ANSWER 1
"This certainly is a loaded question. I suggest
that grad students be friendly and cooperative
to all faculty and not get involved in any departmental
politics. What may appear to be a good decision
at the moment, unfortunately, can have far reaching
consequences once you are in the field. I have
heard horror stories where paybacks came years
later to students who supported one professor
over another.
As for being treated
unfairly, never say anything when you are upset.
I would first discuss the situation with someone
outside your cohort to see if you are over-reacting.
For example, I had and still have a very good
relationship with my professors at the college
where I received my masters degree. Try to present
the situation as neutrally as possible and get
the person's input. Then, I would professionally
approach the person you believe is being unfair.
Discuss calmly your concerns and perceptions
and allow the person to comment. You may have
just misinterpreted their actions. If it cannot
be resolved, then talk to the director of the
program. I write this with much hesitation,
though. Life is unfair. Good people have bad
things happen and bad people have good things
happen. Before opening your own can of worms,
you must consider whether or not it is worth
it. I could give you countless examples of being
treated unfairly as a graduate student, and
I could have complained countless times. Yet,
I knew in the long run that if I rocked the
boat too much, I would be pushed overboard.
Unless it truly is a serious concern, I would
tread lightly!"
ANSWER 2
"Don't go to departments that have bad politics.
If you ignore this advice, you better choose
a side and be prepared to fight to the death."
QUESTION 3
What suggestions do you have for grad students
in terms of selecting a mentor, major professor,
or committee members? What role should this
faculty member (or members) play in a grad student's
academic career?
ANSWER 1
"I think you should choose someone that you
get along with, that you respect and shows you
respect in return, and that shares your substantive
interests. This is an important person who ideally
is involved with you for the duration of your
academic career."
ANSWER 2
"If you can, find at least one person who understands
your goals, likes your work, and will be your
advocate if the committee members begin to fight
among themselves."
ANSWER 3
"For selecting a major professor/mentor, I recommend
picking someone who is tenured (especially for
a dissertation), someone whose interests overlap
with your own, and someone who you can work
effectively on things like setting deadlines
and discussing criticisms. I actually have two
major mentors from graduate school who match
my two major areas of research, so it is not
necessary to have only one person.
I think it is important
for mentors to chair masters and dissertation
committees, provide assistance in meeting departmental
requirements and selecting research topics,
write recommendation letters for additional
fellowships/assistantships and for the job market,
link the graduate student to other researchers
in the field with similar interests at national
meetings, offer advice for the job market, and
provide assistance on preparing materials for
the job market.
The overlapping
interests also help in continuing a working
relationship with mentors after leaving graduate
school. For example, I am still working on papers
with both of my mentors because of some similar
interests. They both helped me initially for
the job market, and continue to provide some
advice on navigating the academic world.
When selecting
committee members, the chair should help the
student select the most appropriate people and
the people s/he is likely to work well with.
While it is important to make sure committee
members have skills that will improve your research,
it is also crucial that the committee members
work well together. That is where the chair
should help in developing a functional committee."
QUESTION 4
Most grad students in CJ know that Criminology
and Justice Quarterly are the "premier" journals
in our field. However, do you have recommendations
for other publications outside of CJ that students
interested in particular subject areas should
investigate (e.g., Gender & Society, American
Sociological Review, etc.)?
ANSWER 1
"All sociology ones are important. It's also
advisable to pick up international CJ journals
(e.g., British Journal of Criminology)."
ANSWER 2
"There is a surprising amount of criminology-related
research published in psychology journals (I
publish in psych journals frequently myself
for various reasons). Some of the good psych
journals include Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology (generally considered to be
the top social psych journal), Journal of Applied
Social Psychology, Environment and Behavior,
and Journal of Environmental Psychology."
ANSWER 3
"The Journal of Homicide Studies has a good
reputation, as do Violence and Victims, Violence
Against Women, and The Journal of Crime and
Delinquency."
QUESTION
5
As a grad student, how did you decide what type
of school you wanted to teach at after graduation
(e.g., Research I university, mid-sized teaching
university, etc.)? At what point in your graduate
career did you reach that decision? What advice
do you have for students who are struggling
with this decision?
ANSWER 1
"This is a biased question. Graduate students
need to decide, first, whether they want to
teach only, conduct research in a practical
setting only, work as a practitioner, or do
a combination of these."
ANSWER 2
"I started thinking about this as I approached
the end of my coursework for the Ph.D. and was
starting to teach my own courses in graduate
school. My department helped by inviting some
faculty from different types of colleges and
universities to come and speak about their experiences.
As I began teaching (usually you need to teach
at least two courses before you start to get
a feel for it), I realized that I did enjoy
teaching as well as research. I started to ask
more questions of my mentors to find out their
perception of how things worked at different
types of institutions. As I approached completing
my dissertation and going on the academic job
market, I had more in-depth discussions with
my mentors and talked to alumni from my program
at different types of universities around the
country. Applying for jobs also was a real eye
opener for me. Once you start to see what different
places ask for in the applications and in what
they expect in their interviews, you start to
get a feel for what you are comfortable with.
I initially applied very widely on the job market
to research I universities, mid-sized teaching
universities, and some smaller places. Once
I started to get interviews, I got a better
sense of what the expectations really are at
different places. Going on my first interview
actually helped solidify my desire to be in
a Research I university, while originally I
was a little bit more flexible. I think it is
important to talk to as many people as possible
(other graduate students, multiple faculty,
faculty at other institutions nearby, alumni
at their new positions, faculty at places you
are applying to etc.) to really start to understand
what different places expect, what you really
want, and what you really can live with. Thus,
it may not be until you are on the job market
that your preferences start to solidify."
QUESTION 6
In your experience, should grad students aim
to leave their degree program with extensive
knowledge in one subject area, or a general
level of knowledge in several areas? How does
a student's area of expertise affect his or
her desirability as a job candidate? How did
you develop your area of expertise while in
grad school?
ANSWER 1
"By definition, you must have extensive knowledge
in one area in order to write your dissertation.
To make sure that your general knowledge doesn't
wane while you are concentrating on your dissertation,
it helps to teach some general introductory
courses."
ANSWER 2
"My training provided me with expertise in two
major areas, and a general level of knowledge
about other areas. In most of the places I applied
to and interviewed at, good training in a few
areas linked with a broader knowledge was seen
as a strength. Most departments are relatively
small and need people who can teach a variety
of courses within the field. There was only
one place I applied to that said I was not sufficiently
focused on one particular area. But that is
the minority and really only applies to top
institutions that have very large departments.
Those departments can afford to have very specialized
people, while smaller ones cannot. So, I think
it benefits you as a scholar, teacher, and job
candidate to have expertise in more than one
area along with some general knowledge of additional
areas. I gained that knowledge by taking a wide
range of courses in graduate school, working
with faculty on research projects, taking a
research job separate from the university while
I finished my Ph.D., and by switching dissertation
topics a few times. It was also useful for me
to work with my mentors to figure out my major
areas of focus that were both interesting to
me and marketable on the job market. A few of
my professors were quite savvy in steering students
to develop combinations of areas that allowed
for a wider range of job opportunities and provided
for interesting research options."
QUESTION 7
What is the policy at your university regarding
faculty members who supplement their income
by acting as a paid consultant to outside agencies?
Does this occur at your university, and if so,
how frequently? How can those who wish to engage
in consulting do so without compromising their
position as a faculty member?
ANSWER 1
"Our University has strict limits on how often
faculty can work outside the University during
their regular appointment time (the 9 month
academic year for most faculty). While the details
of the University's policy on outside work for
pay are quite detailed, they generally stress
the importance of (1) receiving prior approval
from the department chair, and (2) that outside
work may not exceed 32 hours per month. Unfortunately,
these regulations are frequently violated.
Many faculty members
act as private consultants, and thus outside
work for pay is quite common. The amount that
faculty members engage in this type of work
varies greatly among faculty members. Some faculty
rarely engage in outside work for pay, while
others are working outside the University so
frequently that they are rarely seen on campus.
Balancing your
position as a faculty member and a private consultant
can be difficult. Any time faculty members are
out of the office on a regular basis, students
cannot find them for assistance. And while email
has been a great time saver for faculty, those
who engage in large amounts of outside work
can have a difficult time keeping up with their
email inboxes.
In addition, taking
on too much outside work for pay may cause difficulties
between yourself and other faculty members.
Whether or not you are physically on campus,
students still need advising, committee members,
and mentors. When you take on too much outside
work, the burden of dealing with students falls
on your colleagues who may be easier to locate.
Therefore, you must carefully weigh the opportunities
that make themselves available to you through
private consulting and take care not to (1)
overburden yourself by taking on too much work,
and (2) leave your colleagues to handle a disproportionate
number of students in your absence."
ANSWER 2
"It seems that, increasingly, universities are
cracking down on those who work 'outside' of
their faculty time as consultants to outside
agencies. At my university, it is very difficult
to do anything that is considered 'outside of
faculty time,' as if they owned you 24 hours
a day 7 days a week! However, we all know that
there is generally a lot of money to be made,
as well as good practical 'hands-on' experience
that can result from doing consultant work.
The issues to consider are the appearance of
time committed to the outside work, how it will
affect your departmental work, and the possibility
for a conflict of interest to occur. With regard
to the first concern, try to do the consulting
on your own time (meaning not during work hours)
and definitely in your own space--at home or
the location of the contractor's office--NOT
in your departmental office, unless you can
do it discretely. Bogging down the departmental
server while you run large statistical models
for your outside work is not the way to go!
Second, make sure that the consulting work does
not cut into your teaching, service, and research
work for the department. Some universities/departments
are more focused on teaching, while others on
research. Make sure that this focus remains
your priority, even if it doesn't always pay
the bills as nicely as consulting work does.
Finally, be aware of the potential for a conflict
of interest. Many universities, including my
own, make faculty sign a 'conflict of interest'
statement, particularly those individuals who
may patent a product or serve on the governing
board of an agency from which they receive some
benefit. If you're unsure, make sure to ask
someone in the university. You may even be able
to do this in anonymous way, such that your
consulting remains your own project, not one
you share with everyone at work."
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