A lot happened in my MSc: I won several scholarships, my Dad died, I submitted my thesis work to a major conference, annnd there was the pandemic.
I’ve had a fantastic MSc experience (almost done!) and have been talking to a lot of incoming or current students. Some topics / questions come up a lot. Here’s what I know!
🧵 Tips for an awesome MSc experience.
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A lot happened in my MSc: I won several scholarships, my Dad died, I submitted my thesis work to a major conference, annnd there was the pandemic.
Choosing a thesis topic: Read read read.
What are you interested? Pick an umbrella topic and start reading. Follow the rabbit holes. Write questions, answers, more questions. When you find questions you cannot answer, you might have a thesis topic.
My first semester a professor said “if your research ideas don’t change, you haven’t learned anything.”
No one is going to pull up your SOP and hold you to whatever you said you were interested in upfront.
What will you do, broadly? One study? Two? A review paper? Meta-analysis? As early as possible, find out what YOU actually need to do to complete your thesis. ESPECIALLY if you’re in a lab with lots going on. What is YOUR requirement?
Make up a timeline with your PI. Consider your goals: do you want to submit to a particular conference? Conduct a follow up study? Work backwards. When do you need data? Ethics? Your proposal done? The best thing I did was set goals and work backwards to time it.
If you do human or animal research you need ethics approval. Look into the process right away. Different schools follow different procedures. Black out dates, differing protocols depending on your sample, etc. could all impact your timeline. Look into this ASAP.
I use Mendeley, others use Zotero. It doesn’t really matter, just use one starting immediately. It will save you HOURS and help you stay organized. Make it a top priority to get comfortable with a referencing software.
I guarantee you that your department has a badass and under utilized librarian. The first time you do a lit review, see the librarian. Writing your first paper? Librarian. Unsure about how to cite/reference? You guessed it. Librarian!
This could be a whole other thread, but in short: apply to everything you are eligible for. Put them on your calendar, get crystal clear on the requirements and START EARLY. I have held 4 scholarships during my MSc worth $45,000.
You’re going to work one-on-one with your PI a lot but there are other people in your department who will make your experience better. Stop in the hall and talk to them. Read their papers. Still online? Invite them for virtual coffee.
You have probably heard that your relationship with your supervisor is important it SO TRUE. If you still have some choice, choose someone who get along with, whose mentorship style works for you, and who supports your goals.
You will need work ethic and a plan, particularly once you no longer have courses and the structure ends. I work in time blocks. Find what works for you and work every day.
Grad school is not a straight line. Things happen. Like I mentioned, I had a major blow: my Dad died. I have learned, though, that the more you work consistently and the more you have a plan, the more you will be buffered against the blows.
Don't just track of your accomplishments; pay attention to what learned to do. Data analysis. Lit review. Grant writing. These are transferable skills into both PhD and industry. Think about this - constantly.
If you ever look at your schedule or consider taking on a project and think “Ok... if I stick to this EXACT schedule... ” then you have over done it. If sleeping through your alarm would make your life fall apart, it's too much.
My friend and I are also hosting a Clubhouse Room tonight at 8PM EST on these topics and more. All are welcome! https://t.co/RJCF2vlNjG
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OK I am going to be tackling this as surveillance/open source intel gathering exercise, because that is my background. I blew away 3 years of my life doing site acquisition/reconnaissance for a certain industry that shall remain unnamed and believe there is significant carryover.
This is NOT going to be zillow "here is how to google school districts and find walmart" we are not concerned with this malarkey, we are homeschooling and planting victory gardens and having gigantic happy families.
With that said, for my frog and frog-adjacent bros and sisters:
CHOICE SITES:
Zillow is obvious one, but there are many good sites like Billy Land, Classic Country Land, Landwatch, etc. and many of these specialize in owner financing (more on that later.) Do NOT treat these as authoritative sources - trust plat maps and parcel viewers.
TARGET IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION:
Okay, everyone knows how to google "raw land in x state" but there are other resources out there, including state Departments of Natural Resources, foreclosure auctions, etc. Finding the land you like is the easy part. Let's do a case study.
I'm going to target using an "off-grid but not" algorithm. This is a good piece in my book - middle of nowhere but still trekkable to civilization.
Note: visible power, power/fiber pedestal, utility corridor, nearby commercial enterprise(s), and utility pole shadows visible.
If I did thred on finding/acquiring decent raw land would that be something pepo are interested in
— Ovcharka (@ouroboros_outis) January 18, 2021
I think I know a bunch of weird tips/tricks for selection at this point that it might help u guys, lemme know
This is NOT going to be zillow "here is how to google school districts and find walmart" we are not concerned with this malarkey, we are homeschooling and planting victory gardens and having gigantic happy families.
With that said, for my frog and frog-adjacent bros and sisters:
CHOICE SITES:
Zillow is obvious one, but there are many good sites like Billy Land, Classic Country Land, Landwatch, etc. and many of these specialize in owner financing (more on that later.) Do NOT treat these as authoritative sources - trust plat maps and parcel viewers.
TARGET IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION:
Okay, everyone knows how to google "raw land in x state" but there are other resources out there, including state Departments of Natural Resources, foreclosure auctions, etc. Finding the land you like is the easy part. Let's do a case study.
I'm going to target using an "off-grid but not" algorithm. This is a good piece in my book - middle of nowhere but still trekkable to civilization.
Note: visible power, power/fiber pedestal, utility corridor, nearby commercial enterprise(s), and utility pole shadows visible.
