#student dissertation

[awoefulstudent]

Hello everyone!

My name is Amina and I am a BSc Psychology with Honours student at the University of Hertfordshire. I am also the principal researcher of a study that aims to investigate whether judging category relatedness within semantic memory can be influenced by the level of typicality the items have alongside whether high versus low autistic traits have any effect on the performance of different types of processing.

I am currently taking volunteers for this online study. Any adults aged 18 to 65 can volunteer and you do not need an official Autism diagnosis to take part.

In the study, you will be given an item/ definition/ scenario at the top of your screen and will have to decide which of two following words match best to that using your keyboard. After that is completed you will be given the RAADS-14 questionnaire to complete.

It will take roughly 15 minutes to complete. However, a maximum of 30 minutes is given for the entire study to be completed including the information sheet, consent form, debrief sheet, and the “breaks” given (which are just for momentarily resting your eyes and hands), otherwise I cannot use your data. Please note that this study cannot be completed on a mobile phone or tablet, it must be done on a computer/laptop as the keyboard is required for the study’s completion.

You can completed this study at anytime until 23:59 GMT on Friday 1st of March here:

https://research.sc/participant/login/dynamic/0D915D45-8D85-44F9-9B63-376AF0C70573

This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee at the University of Hertfordshire and is also being conducted under the supervision of Dr. Nicholas Shipp.

Your participation is very important for this study and is very much appreciated.

Thank you for your time!

Many Thanks

Amina

EDIT: Study is now no longer taking participants!!! Thank you all who took part and spread the word of my study, it definitely means a lot to me 💟

[cuubism]

i feel like dream in human aus is usually characterized as being more stoic and stern while hob is more easygoing, but i think it would be funny to have a university au where hob is the professor who's like "no work is deserving of 100%. find 27 more sources and do it again" while dream is just like "they put their dreams into it, hob 🥺 A+! A+! A+! A+!"

[fatehbaz]

weekly navel-gazing update: this week is most consequential event in long time. keyword search: "scared" "is it ok to be scared" "beaten and tortured by the ogre"

[aquietplacetostudy]

days of october 🍂

aka coffee, daily walks and never-ending thesis work

[magpiecollectingknowledge]

Dissertation prep is scary but exciting! I can’t believe I’m already having to start this; it feels like I started uni yesterday.

[padthaifan]

Thinking about Jotaro as a PhD candidate… what classes did he TA? What did his students think of him? How many students did he mentor in lab… did he hate writing? Who was on his committee? Much to imagine…

[lovesodeepandwideandwell]

Elderly medieval studies professor: brings up Diana Wynne Jones

Elegant male doctoral student: "Just in terms of fantasy studies, I find her Tough Guide to Fantasyland a wonderful tropic examination."

Professor: "I read them in the bath!"

[saintcirce]

Please do a whole post about phd applications, funding applications, fellowships, TAships etc. Would love your take on it. Thanks

I'm chronically horrible at responding to asks, so this is coming later than you probably expected!

For context, I'm now a second year PhD art history student about to take her doctoral (comprehensive) exams in April. I applied for PhD programs during the last semester of my master's program, which was a terminal degree through a different university than the one I currently attend.

I applied to two PhD programs in the United States and two in the United Kingdom: the processes are different, particularly when it comes to funding. The former will automatically consider you for funding and it's expected, at least in the humanities, that they will grant you tuition remission and a stipend for at least four years (potentially more, depending on your particular program). It's also possible to win additional fellowships, either through your university or a third party. For example, I have departmental funding (ie. a stipend that I receive for being a Graduate Assistant) and an outside fellowship from my university's Graduate School. My department applied for that fellowship on my behalf before I even enrolled. The other American university to which I applied also offered me tuition remission and a stipend, but it was less than the university I currently attend.

Two general notes about funding in the United States: (1) it often changes to account for rising cost of living but that does not necessarily mean you will be making a living wage, and (2) it often changes depending on whether your school has a Union. Graduate workers at my university are currently working to unionize, which would not only guarantee a living wage for union members but also offer protections for international students and student parents. There are a lot of benefits but the TLDR for funding is that unionizing often means the difference between $28,000 and $45,000 yearly stipend (see this article from the Boston Herald about BU's graduate student union). Graduate Assistants are often not allowed to hold a second job outside of the university and it's also difficult to do so when you are (a) working, (b) completing coursework, and (c) independently researching. My museum fellowship, which I'm due to begin in a couple days, jeopardized my funding status and I had to fight my university for them not to take away my fellowship. It ultimately worked out because I had my department chair's support but not all students are similarly supported—and not all departments are willing to advocate for their students.

Pivoting to UK schools: the TLDR is that they offer very little funding for international students and the funding that is available, either through the institutions themselves or outside organizations, is often not enough to cover the cost of living. Tuition is largely cheaper than in America but the difference was not significant enough for it to factor into my decision. If you're interested in more detail, I'd recommend reaching out to @therepublicofletters who actually attends a UK institution. She can also tell you more about how their programs are structured. Unlike American PhD programs—which involve at least two years of coursework, doctoral exams, and graduate assistantships before defending your prospectus and beginning dissertation research—UK programs ask you to apply with a prospectus that you will use as the basis for dissertation research that you begin immediately upon entry. The difference is that American programs typically take 5-7 years to complete whereas UK ones are only 3-4 years. While this may seem convenient in the short term, I was advised that American institutions (museums, universities, etc) often prefer PhDs from American institutions because of the extra work completed.

Setting aside this technical information, I chose the four programs to which I applied based on vibes. I had a master list of schools and advisors and I contacted each one to see if we fit in terms of academic interests and personalities. I did not want to work with an advisor I didn't like and who didn't like me—or who had so many students that they had no time for me. Aside from speaking with them personally, I also reached out to their current advisees: students will often give you a more honest perspective on faculty and the department as a whole. I would almost lend more weight to what the students say than any of the professors because they are and/or will be your peers. They are also the people who will give you the most honest information about how professors and the department view students of color, women, queer students, etc. Art history and the humanities are fairly white, straight, and male dominated, so it's important to get a read on how non-normative (for lack of a better collective term) individuals are treated. I used this information to narrow down my master list to four schools, each of which I would be happy to attend. Whether I was admitted to one or to all four, I would have a place to go where I would be content and able to find community.

This is a personal note but something to consider when it comes to advisors is gender. That should not be a determining factor but I realized after committing to my current school that this is the first time I've worked with a male advisor. I love him dearly and he is one of the most encouraging scholars I have met but there have been occasions where there is a disconnect based on life experience. That said, I know many people who have had no issues at all!

Throughout this whole process, the name value of the schools was functionally irrelevant. In my experience—and that of the numerous individuals who advised me during the application process—your advisor is far more important than your school. While this will necessarily vary by discipline, you want to work with someone who has connections and/or knows how to network. For example, an older scholar will likely know everyone and their mother whereas a younger scholar will know fewer people but likely be more present at conferences, etc.

In the end, what matters most is your happiness and stability. Will you like working with your chosen advisor? Will you like taking classes in other disciplines within your department? Will you be able to make friends and/or have civil relationships with other graduate students (ie. will people steal books you need because they know you need them, like at Columbia)? Can you afford to live in whatever city in which you school is located? Are they paying you a living wage and/or offering you alternate opportunities to apply for funding?

I chose my school based on the graduate community, my advisors (I now have two), and the funding package. There have been incidental issues that I could not have anticipated, but on the whole, I do not regret my decision because I prioritized my happiness when I was applying and did not make decisions based on what I thought other people would want. This is a huge commitment and you need to be self-motivated, to rely on your love of the subject, to make it through the hard times.

My last bit of advice, which I received from my undergraduate advisor: don't go into debt for art history! If a program isn't paying you and/or isn't paying you enough, then they're not worth your time. Know your worth and ask for what you deserve, never be afraid to negotiate funding.

Let me know if y'all have any other questions! This was a long one but I hope it was helpful.

[thevintagetheologian]

Still proofreading…

[beartitled]

I’m struggling

/silly

Mini announcement

There’s probably going to be less posts? I dunno for sure, most likely will be posting old art or some sketches

Currently concentrated on finishing writing and drawing my diploma project, so need some time to get over with it 💪

[vesperalities]

i have wanted to read something other than philosophy for a while, but today is not that day.

[awoefulstudent]

Hello everyone!

I currently have a study for my psychology undergraduate degree. The study takes about 15 minutes to complete.

Here's a brief description:

Judging category relatedness within semantic memory can be influenced by the level of typicality the items have and autistic traits. The purpose of this study is to understand whether performance on multiple categorization tasks is affected by autistic traits. You don't need a diagnosis to take part. The only requirement is to be in the age range 18 to 65.

Do keep in mind this study cannot be completed on mobile phones, it must be done on a computer/laptop as the keyboard is required for completion. Also, the study has built in breaks but the maximum amount of time you can spend on this is 30 minutes and if you exceed this time I won’t be able to use your results.

[socstudies]

I should be sleeping but I can't stop thinking about my dissertation so I keep getting out of bed and padding across the cold floor to my desk to scribble some ideas down. and I just can't believe lately how lucky I am to have cold feet and goosebumps bc I don't want to forget my ideas before tomorrow.

like so many people around the world now don't have that luxury of a university education, so many people in my own country don't either. and so many people over history have risked everything by protesting or quietly resisting so that young women like me can go to university - go to school ! - and devour the library whole because there is so! much! to learn! and we are ao so sooo blessed to have access to rhe resources we do

[mindofserenity]

I don’t think there is anything more heartbreaking than watching freedom and peace being taken away in the most inhumane and barbaric way to those who, to the very least, deserve it. This feeling did not change in the years becoming aware of what is happening to Palestinians and my hope for humanity is slowly dissolving into bitterness. This is the cruelty of being empathetic watching terror unfold.

But what I find most comforting are the promises that keep me going:

وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَـٰفِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍۢ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ ٤٢

Do not think ˹O Prophet˺ that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them until a Day when ˹their˺ eyes will stare in horror—

Qur’an 14:42

وَسَيَعْلَمُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا أَيَّ مُنقَلَبٍ يَنقَلِبُونَ

And the wrongdoers will soon know at what final place they will end up.

(Sūrat al-Shu‘arā, No 26, Āyat 227)

[magpiecollectingknowledge]

I had a really wonderful January despite being very busy with uni work! We celebrated me and my girlfriend’s anniversary with a lovely meal and a trip away, and i had the best time with my favourite person ever.

Lots of dissertation editing at the moment while waiting for my new semester to begin next week! I’ve applied for a Masters programme so please keep your fingers crossed for me!

[melancholyghoul]

Hello my dudes, been thinking about my dissertation for next year, one idea i have in mind is to do a study comparing results from adhd and/or autism questionnaires between those with a clinical diagnosis and those who are self-diagnosed/speculating - in order to show whether or not going undiagnosed is due to a lack of traits or a lack of resources

I have my hypothesis for what it is of course, but the subject seems interesting regardless

There's a possibility I could get published (i doubt it), if it did it could help push for better resources for the neurodivergent community here in the UK (at least that's my hope)