For a moment I was excited to see the Globe and Mail has added a "Graduate Strudies" section to their education report.http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/graduatestudies/
However, a quick review shows that virtually every story is about MBA students -- ony 6 of 43 posts thus far are about a subject other than MBA programs. And even the 6 non-MBA stories were often more general interest than graduate studies (ie. scandal related to a speech at convocation, kids visit a lab, etc).
It is too bad because there are lots of interesting things to consider about graduate school -- changes to research funding, corporate involvement on granting council boards, research facilities in various universities, the changing demographic of graduate school. Even graduate student unions occasionally do something interesting!
So, if you are an MBA student, I encourage you to have a look.. there is some interesting stuff there. Otherwise, unfortunately, not so much.
Showing posts with label graduate school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label graduate school. Show all posts
Monday, November 14, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Ouch!
It seems everyone is down on grad school these days. Newest commentary comes from the economist.
here is a sample
For my own research (into potential for graduate students to form co-operatives as a service provider) I just obtained the much cited (and also bleak) book , Leaving the Ivory Tower: The Causes and Consequences of Departure from Doctoral Study (by Barbara E. Lovitts).
For me, the hardest departures I see are where the student has made a huge sacrifice, for many years, to attend grad school, but at the end of their program it doesn't work out. In my experience there are usually several factors piling up against the student, many of them also outside the university's control, and little means to help the student find their way through if those external problems cause long delays.
here is a sample
The interests of academics and universities on the one hand and PhD students on the other are not well aligned. The more bright students stay at universities, the better it is for academics. Postgraduate students bring in grants and beef up their supervisors’ publication records. Academics pick bright undergraduate students and groom them as potential graduate students. It isn’t in their interests to turn the smart kids away, at least at the beginning. One female student spoke of being told of glowing opportunities at the outset, but after seven years of hard slog she was fobbed off with a joke about finding a rich husband
For my own research (into potential for graduate students to form co-operatives as a service provider) I just obtained the much cited (and also bleak) book , Leaving the Ivory Tower: The Causes and Consequences of Departure from Doctoral Study (by Barbara E. Lovitts).
For me, the hardest departures I see are where the student has made a huge sacrifice, for many years, to attend grad school, but at the end of their program it doesn't work out. In my experience there are usually several factors piling up against the student, many of them also outside the university's control, and little means to help the student find their way through if those external problems cause long delays.
Monday, April 25, 2011
PhD Comics Movie confirmed
Saturday, January 1, 2011
kick start you writing using online motivational tools
Beyond my life working for graduate students at the gss, I also have a secret life as a graduate student.
This term I am to submit my research proposal. Through my first two terms of graduate school, I have attempted to journal as a means to help my writing process, but with limited success.
Today I embarked on a new effort to ensure I do keep to my writing commitments, partly inspired by Joan Bolker's book, Write your dissertation in 15 minutes per day. (What an inspiring title!) Which advocates keeping a research journal.
But for those, like me, who need some prodding, some online tools may be of interest.
Do you forget to write every day? Oh, Life may be fore you. It is a simple system. you set up an account using your email, and then each evening Oh, Life sends an email asking about your day. You respond, and that is these emails become the substance of your journal. After you build up content, it will send snippets of past entries as reminders/starting points, selected at random. I wish I could choose its question to suit my purpose (not "how was your day" but "how's the research?" or something ... as long as it isn't "are you done your thesis yet?"). However, I can't fault the simplicity of the system, and the fact that an email prompt will likely be helpful for someone like me.
If goals and rewards are what you need, you might like the online journal, 750 words. With this site you are encouraged to login and write 750 words per day, and if you do this for five days in a row you get a little reward (penguin badge), and each month you get a score card with more points the more days you write. The site also assigns moods based on what you write (which unnerves me). There are challenges as well -- you could end up on the wall of awesome (or wall of shame) so think on that before choosing your pen name!
In both cases, the online journal can be downloaded for use elsewhere. Perhaps in your thesis methods section!
This term I am to submit my research proposal. Through my first two terms of graduate school, I have attempted to journal as a means to help my writing process, but with limited success.
Today I embarked on a new effort to ensure I do keep to my writing commitments, partly inspired by Joan Bolker's book, Write your dissertation in 15 minutes per day. (What an inspiring title!) Which advocates keeping a research journal.
But for those, like me, who need some prodding, some online tools may be of interest.
Do you forget to write every day? Oh, Life may be fore you. It is a simple system. you set up an account using your email, and then each evening Oh, Life sends an email asking about your day. You respond, and that is these emails become the substance of your journal. After you build up content, it will send snippets of past entries as reminders/starting points, selected at random. I wish I could choose its question to suit my purpose (not "how was your day" but "how's the research?" or something ... as long as it isn't "are you done your thesis yet?"). However, I can't fault the simplicity of the system, and the fact that an email prompt will likely be helpful for someone like me.
If goals and rewards are what you need, you might like the online journal, 750 words. With this site you are encouraged to login and write 750 words per day, and if you do this for five days in a row you get a little reward (penguin badge), and each month you get a score card with more points the more days you write. The site also assigns moods based on what you write (which unnerves me). There are challenges as well -- you could end up on the wall of awesome (or wall of shame) so think on that before choosing your pen name!
In both cases, the online journal can be downloaded for use elsewhere. Perhaps in your thesis methods section!
Friday, September 17, 2010
BC graduate tuition above national average
Statistics Canada produced a report yesterday about tuition for Canadian students by province.
According to the report, graduate student tuition is increasing at a rate higher than undergraduate tuition.
Of interest at UVIC is that BC graduate tuition is above the national average by about $1,000 per year. This is particularly daunting given BC's lack of a graduate scholarship program, and high cost of living.
According to the report, graduate student tuition is increasing at a rate higher than undergraduate tuition.
Of interest at UVIC is that BC graduate tuition is above the national average by about $1,000 per year. This is particularly daunting given BC's lack of a graduate scholarship program, and high cost of living.
Obtain the stats can report here.
The UVIC GSS is working with graduate student unions across western canada to advocate for better graduate funding, maintaining tuition caps, and support for students.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
BC September 2009 budget update and graduate students
BC's September budget update makes little mention of graduate school, graduate students or research, although graduate studies is briefly mentioned as one targeted area of expansion in the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour service plan.
Capital spending is discussed in the budget speech, with $500 million for capital expansion on campuses--$86.4 million is going to UBC's pharmaceutical research facility--which is a drug commercialization facility. The ministry must disclose projects over $50 million, sp presumably the rest of the capital spending falls under that amount. Other major projects mentioned focus on environmental technologies or research, including Okanagan College's Centre for Green Building Technologies ($27.6 million), Energy House project at Northern Lights College ($7.8 million) and 21 million for UNBC's project involving turning waste wood into energy. Indeed, the investment in research and development mentioned in the budget speech is in green energy.
The Ministry's service plan shows an increase in funds directed to post-secondary institutions (5% increase). Bear in mind there is a 2% price index increase over last year, and UVIC is slated to have a 14% increase in graduate enrollement this year. Meanhile there's a 15% cut back to Student Aid BC--this is for ministry spending so whether this will result in cuts to bursaries, and exactly how this will be handled, is not yet clear. But earlier this year, the Pacific Leaders graduate funding was put on hold, and other student support focussed on helping disabled students, nursing students and those needing loan forgiveness was quietly cut in July (see Vancouver Sun article).
Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Development service plan
Budget speech
Friday, October 31, 2008
Western creates parental leave for grad students
A graduate student at Western University successfully advocated to change parental leave policy for her university. She is also lobbying the tri-council agencies to ensure they each offer the same leave to parents.
Read about it in the Western. Read Western's leave policy here : grad students with no tri-council funding are granted $1500 parental leave and 12 months leave per child while pursuing their graduate work.
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