1 / 20

Studying and Socializing in the US

Studying and Socializing in the US. Jeanine Skorinko, Ph.D. Post-Grad In US. Many schools offer M.A., M.S., & Ph.D degrees How to find a school: Look up schools that interest you Location Reputation Look at the research interests of possible advisors!!!!!!. Postdocs: How To Find One?.

huy
Télécharger la présentation

Studying and Socializing in the US

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Studying and Socializing in the US Jeanine Skorinko, Ph.D

  2. Post-Grad In US • Many schools offer M.A., M.S., & Ph.D degrees • How to find a school: • Look up schools that interest you • Location • Reputation • Look at the research interests of possible advisors!!!!!! Worcester Polytechnic Institute

  3. Postdocs: How To Find One? • Best resource = networking • Talk with PIs whose research you like • Talk with people at conferences • Ask your advisors/colleagues

  4. Postdocs: How To Find One? • Major funding agency websites • NSF,NIH, NOAA, DOE, NIJ, etc. • Professional Societies • Websites, listserves, conferences • Individual University Websites • Research Organizations • RAND, Los Alamos National Laboratories, etc.

  5. Postdocs: How To Find One? • Online Resources • www.findapostdoc.com (Europe only) • www.postdocjobs.com • http://www7.nationalacademies.org/postdoc/ • http://nextwave.sciencemag.org • http://www.naturejobs.com • http://www.chronicle.com(Chronicle of Higher Education)

  6. What to look for in your mentor? • Is this person active in their field • Publications, Grants, etc. • What are his/her grad students, postdocs working on? • Will this person be a good colleague? • What is the funding situation?

  7. Studying In US • Classroom Environment • Be on-time • Classrooms are usually active • Professors ask questions, do demonstrations, many do not just lecture • Want to see you think outside box  not just memorize

  8. Research In US • Ultimate Goal = develop as an independent researcher • Mentor’s Expectation = work a lot & work hard • One big difference from HK = the value of taking initiatives & self-promotion

  9. Research in US • Common Misperception = if do whatever Mentor tells you  Succeed • Problem #1: Mentor will not always tell you what you need to do • Problem #2: Mentor is looking for evidence that you are able to think and do things on your own

  10. Research in US • Advise: • Do not be arrogant • Discuss plans with the mentor how to manage various responsibilities. • Be ready to negotiate with Mentor and others (e.g., authorship, work load, etc)

  11. Socializing in US • Living in US = Big Adjustment • Culture Adjustment Stages: • Honeymoon Stage • Excited and fascinated early on • Hostility Stage • Initial excitement replaced with frustration with differences and language barriers • Acceptance/Home Stage • Feel at home in US, but also at home in HK • Takes time

  12. Socializing & Making Friends the US

  13. Socializing in US • Have realistic expectation about social life • Don't expect to have many American friends in a week, or even a month • At times you may feel lonely or misunderstood. • It is normal eventually you will find friends and a comfort zone. • As any major life transition, it takes time.

  14. Socializing in US • Cross-cultural interaction is hard • Communication styles differ: • Americans keep about 3 feet of personal space • “How’s It Going” is a greeting, not an actual question. • “Stop by sometime” or “Let’s get together soon” is a way to say “goodbye” • You can still call someone to arrange a get-together at a later date

  15. Socializing in US • Topics of conversation: • current events, politics, hobbies, sports, classes, research.. . • Personal matters are not brought up in casual conversation • E.g., financial or family problems.

  16. How Do I Make Friends? Proximity and Repeated Exposure

  17. How Do I Make Friends? • More you see and interact with people more likely they are to become your friends • Familiarity leads to liking

  18. How Do I Make Friends? • Get Active! • Join, seek out, and "show up" for activities • Join clubs, exercise classes, hobby groups • Take advantage of social offerings: • mixers, movie screenings, happy hours, dances, parties • Online venue = meetup.com

  19. How Do I Make Friends? • Initiate Contact & Activities • Ask people to coffee/tea, lunch, dinner, to get drinks • Invite people to show you around or join you on an activity • (a hike, daytrip, shopping, etc)

  20. How Do I Make Friends? • Find Individuals Similar to You: • Introduce yourself to other International Students • Going through similar things • Find people who share your interests

More Related