#research assistantships

[acswinburne]

As an ra, have you ever had to deal with any ~weird interactions with your profs? Especially male ones… I’m an ra and I get along real well with my prof. I try to keep things professional though. Recently I keep getting a vibe that he’s trying to come on to me and he is a little bit flirtatious. I’m just at a loss about how to deal with this.

Hi anon!! I have, unfortunately (but what seems to be not _exceptionally_) a lot of experience on that front. It's not something I am particularly comfortable sharing on a public blog, but I'd be happy to talk to you if you feel comfortable PMing me here.

I absolutely believe you should trust your gut, though. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not particularly professional with the people I'm an RA for (nothing romantic/sexual etc., but I would absolutely consider them close friends--which is not great in terms of drawing boundaries). However, there have been moments where I ignored the alarm bells in my head, either because I convinced myself that I'm making a big deal out of nothing, or because "that's just the way things are/maybe the prof does not understand what he's implying [LOL]". 9.9 times out of 10, there _is_ something wrong, and I now know that 0.1 can be risked if it means to keep my well-being in the long run.

What you can do in situations like these:

If you trust your prof enough, I would recommend talking about this to him! It doesn't even have to be directly. Something along the lines of "my friend acswinburne on tumblr (or alternatively, the real Algernon Charles Swinburne, the Victorian poet) has had this weird experience with her prof. I'm glad I'm not in her position and no one is coming on to me!" can work. I imagine there are more eloquent ways of saying it, this could quickly establish a boundary and communicate that you are not interested).

If you feel like he is being a bit more than subtle, or if you cannot trust him with a conversation like the one mentioned above, I would absolutely recommend talking to another professor. If you are on good terms with your advisor, your advisor, if not, anyone who you feel comfortable will do. They might tell you if this is a pattern of behaviour, subtly warn their colleague about professionalism, or guide you to the appropriate body in your university. University staff are often very sensitive to harassment cases (not saying that your situation is necessarily one) and will absolutely take you seriously. They are also supposed to work in utmost confidentiality, so if you want to go to them without asking them to take any action against your prof, they will be more than happy to lend an ear (and give advice, if you ask for it).

Your uni should have an harassment committee that you can write to. I will add my personal experience here, though: if you write to them with something "small" like "I fear my prof is coming onto me", they may either tell you to suck it up, or, pretend like you just accused your professor of assaulting you. Unfortunately, these committees don't always work like they should, and are hard to get under control once you communicate them your troubles. I feel awful as I type this, I really don't want to dissuade people from talking to professionals, but I also feel like I have heard/had enough wayward experiences to put this as a risk. If you can, it would be for the best to check the reputation this committee has amongst feminist groups/RAs in your uni.

What you should _not_ do:

Subtly Very bluntly come out as a lesbian after inventing yourself a girlfriend "who goes to another uni" (in another CONTINENT) and talk about her almost all the time. Magically break up with her six months later when you are no longer an RA. It did work on my first RAship, but I felt like I was twelve and trying to be cool.

In any case, please, please don't keep these anxieties to yourself! It always helps to talk, especially on matters like this. I understand that the power dynamic between you and your prof. makes it extremely challenging to speak out, or to even process moments of unprofessionalism, but _trust me_, silence will not do you any good. Though I cannot help as much as your faculty may be able to, I am more than happy to listen to you. I know how hard this whole thing is, and I hope all gets resolved soon!

[wttcsms]

we are soooo back, bro

[cohendyke]

im going to pay a visit to my beloved psych department tomorrow............ i miss them severely

[cursedmiette]

decided to draw him again

[swan-swanno]

ya allah why is everything due

[the-music-keeper]

So I owe y'all an update.

The applications have been turned in and now I'm waiting on recommendations (UT Austin can be a little delayed but I'm missing one from Indiana AND IT'S DUE IN TWO DAYS HELP I'M PANICKING).

Yes, I only applied to two schools. Long story short, your girl is getting out of DC. When finals are over I'm moving home, and I'll commute for the spring semester. But y'all, I have been so unhappy in DC. So it seemed really silly to apply to a school in College Park -- with the assumption that I'd be there for five years or more -- when I already know that I would feel isolated and sad for those five years. It's not worth it. If I don't get into the other two, fine, I'll wait and reapply. But I'm just not willing to put myself in that position when I know already I'd just be hurting myself.

Anyway. That was long. That intro might even be longer than the actual list!

Theory

1. Part writing assignment. (This did get done on time, by the way.)

Thesis

2. Keep gathering sources. (Well, I didn't have a bibliography of over 100 entries, but I got pretty darn close.)

Research Assistantship

3. Watch my lecture video. (Why am I so CRINGE)

Piano Practice

4. Practice at least a little bit. (Our concert is on Sunday!)

Adulting

5. Take out my trash. (Done!)

6. Pack for this weekend's visit from my parents. (Done!)

7. Send an email to my landladies. (Two weeks' notice sent.)

8. Send an email to the chorus HR people. (This is one of the two big cons about leaving.)

9. Course evaluations. (Done!)

No German this week! It's all in-class practice exams from here on out -- works for me.

[meteorherd]

oh ew four required classes for my first semester in august....its 9 hours instead of the usual 12 for four classes though so it shouldnt be too bad...?

[returntotheground]

found my lanolin-based lip balm i thought i had lost forever so at least 1 halfway decent thing has come out of this hellish fucking week

[honey-crypt]

more elliott hcs while i finish up my literature review for my research assistantship <3

fav dessert is red velvet cake with chocolate frosting

broke his toe while moving his piano into the cabin

gifts the farmer a fresh bouquet of flowers on the first day of each season after they get married

can sing very well but only sings when he's drunk (he has stage fright when it comes to performing)

takes his kids to the cabin during the summer season so the farmer can work uninterrupted and he can spend more quality time with the kids

his mom has red hair and his kids with the farmer also have red hair (the recessive gene is fighting for its life); the kids do inherit the farmer's eyes and smile, though

has a small cut on his lip from the time a tea cup broke while he was drinking from it

not the best at farming but he does a lovely job when it comes to caring for the orchard, which happens to be his favorite spot on the farm

wins the ice fishing competition by a small margin one year because willy accidentally drops his rod in the water (many tears are shed that day)

once in a blue moon, he can be found at the altar of yoba; he only prays in dire circumstances, such as the times the farmer was rushed to the clinic after a bad encounter in the mines or skull carven

he gifts the farmer a journal on their first wedding anniversary, it's filled with poems and journal entries from the day they got married to the present

curses like a sailor, thanks to willy

asks leah to be the aunt to his kids after the birth of his first kid (she immediately says yes)

he has been pinched by crabs on multiple occasions, the worst time was on ginger island and a crab pinched his nipple (he wears a rash guard to the next 3 or so outings to the island)

[soleilapproves]

catalyst - chapter 1

Life has many twists and turns- yours included getting rejected from med school and ending up as a manager for your burnt-out pro boxer ex-boyfriend. (Sukuna x reader)

Notes: fem!reader

fanfic masterlist / main masterlist

Gravel crunched underneath your sneakers as you dragged them along the pavement. You had been running around the city with tired limbs and a resume in hand, trying to get a job after getting your last rejection letter from one of the medical schools you applied to.

Thank you for expressing interest in our medical program. Upon evaluating your transcripts, credentials, and extracurriculars, we regret to inform you that you are not eligible to join this year’s class. We will gladly consider your application for next year’s class if you wish to reapply. You may contact the admissions department for questions regarding the next application cycle.

Tears threatened to fall from your eyes again. You had been crying about your future for the past week. With all the hard work that went into all those volunteering hours, internships, and research assistantships, you were sure to get in.

But no, not in the system set up in this day and age. There will always be someone more qualified and well-connected than you. And even if they aren’t, they will always benefit from nepotism. 

Your feet dragged themselves till you couldn’t take it anymore. You broke down, ass landing on the curb in front of a random convenience store in the middle of some no-name neighborhood. Tears spilled down the apples of your cheeks as they drenched your chin and neck. The sky roared, and rain began to pour down. 

You wailed harder and tried to drown out the noise by yelling curses at the sky. You thought of all the tests you studied for, all the diagrams taped up on your walls, and all the money you spent on your applications. You had spent so much time and effort preparing for medical school that you couldn’t invest in a plan B. You needed a job to fund yourself, at least until you could get back up on your feet and figure out what you wanted to do, but to your misfortune, no one was hiring.

There was nothing more agonizing than being led astray from your original path. You began to question your abilities. Maybe if you had just paid attention in that class, you’d have an A instead of an A minus, or if you had just volunteered more, you’d seem more competitive. 

But it was all useless. What’s done is done. You groaned into your pruned hands. 

Then, all of a sudden, you could hear the muffled sounds of raindrops hitting canvas. “Funny, you seem different from how he described you.” You looked up to see a white-haired figure holding an umbrella over your head. “Uraume. No last name. Please come with me.”

You looked behind the figure and saw a sleek black Range Rover with tinted windows. It looked like it didn’t belong in this neck of the woods. Great, you were rejected from almost all the vacant positions in the city, and you were about to be trafficked for the benefit of wealthy people.

“I have a mace, so get away from me,” you said while walking away, not putting away much of a fight.

“Sukuna Ryomen. I’m sure you know him,” Uraume continued. “He needs you.”

Since when did traffickers start doing background checks on their victims? Your stomach churned as you began to walk faster, trying to outrun the chalky white-haired person who was now hot on your heels. However, having not eaten all day, you barely had the energy to pick up your speed, so you pulled your phone out to call the police, which, to your misfortune, was dead. You began to sob as you slowed down, and you noticed that the Range Rover was trying to catch up with you. 

It began to slow down beside you when its window rolled down. “Hey, it’s me, Yuuji!” 

You stopped, and so did the vehicle. Yuuji, your ex-best friend’s little brother, was smiling at you. “Just hear us out.” The boy (well, now a man) said with the most sincere eyes you had ever seen. Uraume walked towards you, covering your now-drenched body with their umbrella. 

-

You couldn’t believe your eyes- the once scrawny little kid you knew was now a tall man. Yuuji’s facial features had changed significantly. His round face was replaced by sharp angles (much like his older brother’s), and he also sported a few new scars (the ones beneath both his eyes being the most noticeable as they looked identical). He walked you through everything that had happened in Sukuna’s life since you both lost touch, while Uarume guided you both through the VIP area of the city’s most prominent hospital. They also casually added that they had a private investigator look into whatever you were up to in the past month, which freaked you out. No one wonder they knew way too much about you. 

It turns out that after you two lost touch, Sukuna became a famous boxing champion. He didn’t bother getting into the details of how it happened, but as far as you know, Sukuna never really expressed any interest in it whenever you were around. Yuuji pulled his phone out to show you his latest fight- the reason why he’s so battered up. 

You winced as you watched the clip, having a hard time trusting your eyes. There were many things you didn’t know about the martial arts world, but it was still shocking that you had no idea your ex was a famous and skilled fighter. It was apparent he had a knack for getting into fights with how he’d defend you whenever a bully charged towards you or a creep so much as to even looked your way. It never occurred to you that his punches were just that precise and had less recoil because he was training to be a professional fighter.

Now, here he was, on Yuuji’s phone screen, being beaten and battered like a piece of rice cake being pounded by a human mallet. “I thought you said he was good.” You mumbled. “He is, but he’s been burnt out and has refused any kind of treatment for it.

You raised your brow as the three of you stopped in front of a large wooden door. “And I’m here because?” 

“We have tried everything. Yuuji has to return to his classes soon, and I have never been able to connect with that man emotionally enough to support him through such a tough time. Even his therapist says he’s a lost cause because he refuses to cooperate.” Uraume says as they open the wooden door to reveal a large, dark hospital room. 

It takes you a while to register what’s going on, with the only source of light being the skyscrapers visible through the floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows on the opposite end of the room. In the middle of the room, against the wall, was a large hospital bed with a few monitors surrounding it. In it, you could see a mop of pink hair. 

Sukuna Ryomen- professional boxer and ex-boyfriend in the flesh. The steady rise and fall of his chest told you that he was asleep. The sight led to an invisible lump forming in your throat. The last time you’d seen him in person was when you both had your biggest fight together. A shiver went down your spine as you remembered all the hurtful words you had spat at each other. In that moment, neither of you could believe you could’ve been that hostile.

You’d only ever seen him sick with a fever, and he was horrible enough to deal with during that time. You couldn’t imagine how he was feeling right now. 

“As his manager, I’d like to hire you as his… well, I’m not sure what I’d call this position, but you’ll be making sure he gets better and is up to date with all his treatments and training,” Uraume said as they took you and Yuuji out the room. 

You sighed. “You want me to be his nanny?” 

“More like a personally involved manager, but we can have Sukuna’s doctor come up with a better name. Something to do with your field of interest. Her name is Dr. Shoko Ieri, and she’ll also be sure to refer you to all the good schools in the country so you can enroll in the next session.”

You didn’t know what to focus on first- the fact that you were offered a job (albeit a nanny for an adult) or that your idol, Shoko Ieri, was ready to refer you for your next applications. You had only ever seen her present at research conferences, all while you both had a common link this entire time. You felt lightheaded- the feeling of hope finally returning after a week of non-stop anxiety fits.

“So, do we have a deal?” Uraume extended their hand. 

But then again, things aren’t so good between you and Sukuna. At least from how you see things. Your relationship with him ended on a sour note, and even if you didn’t want to admit it, you did resent him a little for simply abandoning you and never making an effort to reach out again as you did. What if you failed? What if this whole thing ends up being one giant dumpster fire? 

You hesitantly looked at the pale hand in front of you. But then again, there was no way to go from here. What would you do anyway? Your paid internships never led to any full-time positions, and you barely had any money to get by after paying your rent for the next month. You also needed to pay for all the new applications and supplementary courses for your resume. 

“You should do it. They don’t like shaking hands with people, so this is major.” Yuuji whispered in your ears.

You gulped as your heart raced. In different circumstances, you would’ve said no, but you have nothing to look forward to besides getting a part-time job, which you knew wasn’t worth it with an offer like this to compete with it. You placed your hand in Uraume’s cold ones. They quickly shook your hand and pulled away like you had the plague (“They have a small case of germophobia,” Yuuji said later).

“When do I start?” you ask.

“Immediately. Since this job requires a lot of monitoring, I’ll have a few movers get your things and take them to Sukuna’s apartment. You’ll be living with him until he gets better” 

You didn’t know how to feel at that moment, chest still tight with the uneasiness from before. What you did know for sure was that Sukuna probably wouldn't be happy seeing you so at home in his personal space. 

[dear-ao3]

So I'm anon to avoid doxxing myself with job information, but: I work in higher ed and am literally spending so much of my time on graduate education affordability right now. Unfortunately all three of our projects aren't public yet, so:

- master's or PhD? PhDs are often funded through research or teaching assistantships. Masters usually are not.

- are loans off the table, or is all federal funding off the table, e.g. but not limited to for citizenship reasons? There are lots of federal research grants.

- does this degree have a solid career path afterward, or is it a passion project?

- can you do it part-time and work?

-masters

-i’m not taking out any flavor loan of any kind. research grants and everything else are fine, just nothing i need to Pay Back (tho i am a us citizen who will be doing said masters program in another country)

-yes there is a career path (it expands on the current job i am doing, makes me more marketable etc etc)

-the program i’m doing is formulated for people to be able to work part or full time and still do it (but i will be in a different country, there’s limitations on how many hours i can do on a student visa)

[acswinburne]

Where did you do your masters? I want to be a research assistant but kinda lost currently :( can you give me some tips

Hi! I don't have a graduate degree yet--currently in the hellish process of applying for them :'). I began working as a research assistant in the second year of my undergraduate studies (which, tbh, is too early) because I thought it sensible to do one of my internships under a professor whose expertise matches with the sub-sub-sub area I want to pursue in grad school. I had taken two classes from him before I applied (so he knew me & my work quite well by that point), and he was already planning to spend the summer finalizing his monograph, so he did not object to having another set of eyes working on it. I began working as an intern, and after the internship period came to an end, we both found it fruitful to continue & turn it into an actual RA position.

That's essentially how I started working as an RA. Obviously, mine is a bit of an exceptional case considering I'm not in grad school, but I'd be happy to further talk about the process & see if I can give any useful advice if you reach out to me via messages! My one big suggestion without knowing you would be to reach out to profs/assistant profs you've taken classes from before to see if they might be interested in having an RA, or to academic libraries/archives for internships/volunteering positions, which might help if any opportunities arise in that direction. Good luck with everything!

[missys-mansion-of-mistakes]

September 10th, 2024. Tuesday.

What I accomplished today:

5 meetings attended (coach meeting, dr's appt, dr's appt, SMART recovery, team meeting for my research assistantship job)

2 Slowly letters written

3 scholarships drafted and submitted

Total time studied: 10 hours, 6am -> 4pm

🦊 A kind've bad day. The meetings all day really threw me off. Especially the doctor's appointment where they accidentally sent me to the wrong clinic, so I had to drive to another clinic 30 mins away, then they turned me away there because it was too late. Despite the receptionist calling to say I'd be late. So that really threw me off my groove.

🍉 Otherwise, survived the day. Happy I got those scholarship applications done at least. I've been really dreading those lately, so it was a nice change of pace that I was able to get them done!

[Photos: my desk setup, a postcard from @chibird's etsy]

[transmutationisms]

how does one get graduate history degrees for free and where?

it is absolutely NOT standard practice in anglo universities for graduate students to be asked to pay for history programs. there are certain 'professional' (heavy scare quotes) degrees like the MBA, MD, JD, MSW, &c that are typically unfunded, but for 'academic' fields (again, heavy scare quotes) like sciences and humanities, the department should offer a funding package that includes a full tuition waiver, a living stipend, and usually health insurance if you are in the US. these packages often run for 5 years, after which point you and your advisor are expected to put together the money you need to finish your dissertation, either from outside teaching/research assistantships, internal or external fellowships, adjuncting, or a non-academic job. if a department offers you no funding for a post-bac history degree, you should interpret that as meaning that the department is more interested in taking your money than developing you professionally, and/or that the department is in dire financial straits and is unlikely to be able to provide you with the resources and support you need to succeed professionally.

there are really only three major exceptional cases in which it ever makes sense to pay money for a history degree: one, your application was weak but the department says if you do well in your first semester they can fund you. ONLY do this if you have spoken to multiple other grad students who went through that process in the last 5 or so years, and you are extremely confident the department isn't jerking you around. two, you're looking at terminal master's programs. these are rare in history because only having an MA is not that useful for this field; i would only recommend these programs if you have an extremely specific career goal that explicitly requires this degree, and/or you're looking at dual MA/MLIS programs. three, you're rich and can comfortably afford to pay graduate school tuition yourself. you still probably will not have a good experience at any department not funding you, but that's your own business i guess.

[crazylittlejester]

Daily brainrot and today I've got a load of headcanons I've been mulling over because they won't leave me alone.

I know we've all done a college AU at some point in our lives, but I was up at like 3 am last night debating over which academia aesthetic each Link embodies because I may have spent way too much time on the aesthetics wiki recently. Did I procrastinate for an hour to work on this? Yes. I have no regrets. YOLO and all that.

Sky -- Definitely has light academia vibes. The man does not own a single dark piece of clothing, and everything in his closet is very soft and cozy. He double majored in aviation and environmental science, but he's debating transferring over to the biology department to pursue grad studies in ornithology.

Time -- He is not in charge of his own wardrobe, okay? Malon picks out his outfits. They match. It's always something tasteful and neutral with a little bit of color, but nothing that marks him as belonging to academia. He's part of the philosophy department and a strict teacher, but the students all love him because he genuinely wants them to do well and lets them know. Most of his work is writing for philosophy journals when he isn't teaching.

Legend -- Has more of a general/miscellaneous aesthetic that leans hard into gender non-conformity. He takes his work with him everywhere and whenever someone asks about it, it goes completely over their heads because they have no idea what he's talking about. There's an ongoing bet about whether his dissertation is about linguistics, sociology, or both.

Hyrule -- I don't think there's a word for his aesthetic, he just gives off "outdoors creature" vibes so hard. He's a cryptid and rarely in the classroom because he's always out doing field work. The most human contact he has is outreach programs with the environmental science and biology departments. No one knows exactly what his grad work is supposed to be because it's incomprehensible combinations of wildlife photos half the time and the other half the time he's off the grid.

Twilight -- This is what happens when cowboys and gothic academia have a kid. It's really freaking weird, but somehow he makes it work, so nobody questions it. He technically works for the agricultural department doing research and outreach programs, but he also haunts the English department and occasionally teaches 100 level literature classes online. The freshmen like him because he rounds grades up.

Four -- An unholy combination of academia and his unique color coding system. You don't know what you're getting until he shows up. He generally wears neutral stuff, but his socks and ties are color coded, much to everyone's chagrin. He's got multiple projects going at any given time and helps out the other departments when they get stuck on details. He's really cagey about his dissertation, but he practically lives in the science & engineering building, so he can't exactly deny that he's doing something in STEM.

Wind -- He tried being fashionable, but as soon as he decided to major in oceanography he was swept away by ocean academia. The amount of blue clothing he has is frankly horrifying, and Warriors is trying to get him to branch out into less garish shades of gray and stop wearing almost exclusively rubber boots as footwear. It's a work in progress.

Warriors -- I think he'd fall under general or queer academia because he'd be fashionable in a mostly-normal-but-also-queer sort of way. Stylish, and fruity. Definitely prefers autumn/winter because that's peak scarf season. He's the kind of guy who manages to casually slip representation into any curriculum you hand him and makes it look natural. He got an assistantship with the history department because the professors love him.

Wild -- 100% chaotic academia and doesn't even have to try. Everything is a mess, but it's his mess, he knows exactly where everything is, and to be honest it's not a safety hazard, so it's fine. Besides, he dresses appropriately for department events, and he's the only grad student that Flora hasn't scared off. No one actually knows which department he belongs to, but he knows something about everything.

IM SO FUCKING OBSESSED WITH THIS YOU HAVE NO IDEA

THESE ARE SO PERFECT AND YOU’RE SO RIGHT ABOUT THEM ALL I LOVE THESE SO MUCH IM SHAKIN EM AROUND LIKE A JAR OF MARBLES

[the-music-keeper]

It's not on the to-do list, but I did get my program note revisions done and sent in.