A Guide to Academia Getting into and

A Guide to Academia is a handbook for all those individuals thinking seriously about going to graduate school. Written by an author with extensive experience navigating the academic world, the book explains all the steps and potential bumps in the road that a student might encounter as they take the plunge into academia. Each chapter begins with a section called the "hard truth," which will help students determine if they are on the right path. Starting with an undergraduate student looking for a graduate school, the reader is taken on a journey up the academic ladder through graduate studies, a postdoctoral fellowship and an assistant professorship. Each chapter gives advice on not only how to survive the current stage but how to get to the next stage quickly. Enhanced with material from the author's own job applications and interview presentations, A Guide to Academia provides concrete examples of the tools needed for a successful career in academia.

Prosanta Chakrabarty, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Louisiana State University and Curator of Fishes at the LSU Museum of Natural Science.

Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Preparing for Entering Academia	p. 3
The Hard Truth About the Academic Life	p. 3
Getting a Head Start as an Undergraduate Volunteer	p. 5
The Undergraduate CV	p. 7
Finding Your Research Interests	p. 7
Summary	p. 8
Applying for Graduate School	p. 9
The Hard Truth About Applying to Grad Schools	p. 9
MasterâÇÖs Degree versus Ph.D	p. 11
Apply to People not Programs; and Finding a Good Fit	p. 12
Contacting Professors	p. 14
The Graduate Application	p. 16
Statement Letter	p. 17
Graduate Record Exam (GRE)	p. 19
Write a CV	p. 20
Reference Letters	p. 21
Get aWebsite/Cards	p. 21
Recruitment Weekend	p. 22
Summary	p. 23
Graduate School	p. 25
The Hard Truth About Grad School	p. 25
Seminars	p. 28
Tool Up Early	p. 35
The Notebook and the Pencil	p. 36
Different Kinds of Advisors	p. 36
Candidacy	p. 37
Working with Other Graduate Students	p. 40
Classes	p. 41
Publications	p. 42
Being a Teaching Assistant	p. 45
Tips on Managing Your Time	p. 46
Picking a Dissertation Topic and Writing Your Thesis	p. 51
Choosing a Committee	p. 52
Grants and Thesis Proposals	p. 53
Meetings/Societies	p. 54
Knowing When to Finish	p. 56
Summary	p. 57
Finding a Postdoctoral Position	p. 61
The Hard Truth About Finding a Postdoc	p. 61
Types of Postdocs	p. 63
What a Postdoc Does	p. 65
A Postdoc ThatâÇÖs Not a Postdoc	p. 65
Summary	p. 66
Postdoctoral Positions	p. 67
The Hard Truth About Postdocs	p. 67
Being the New Guy or Gal in the Lab	p. 68
Advisors	p. 69
Running Out of Time	p. 71
Summary	p. 73
Applying for Jobs	p. 75
Applying for Jobs	p. 75
Applications	p. 76
Job Interviews	p. 78
Research Presentations	p. 83
Typical Questions You Are Asked in a Job Interview	p. 85
Not Getting the Interview/Job	p. 86
Getting an Offer	p. 87
Summary	p. 88
Assistant Professor	p. 89
The Hard Truth of Being an Assistant Professor	p. 89
Negotiating Start-Up	p. 90
Other Considerations Before You Actually Start Your New Job	p. 93
How to Spend Your Money and What to Expect	p. 96
The First Year	p. 97
Hiring People (Technicians, Students)	p. 98
Finding Graduate Students	p. 100
Making a New Course	p. 102
Service	p. 105
Getting Your First Grant	p. 106
Getting Papers Out	p. 109
Mentoring Committees, Reviews	p. 110
Tenure Package and Reviews	p. 110
Summary	p. 112
Special Considerations forWomen and Minorities, and Balancing Work and Family	p. 115
The Hard Truth About Being a Minority in Science	p. 115
The Hard Truth About Being aWoman in Science	p. 116
The Two-Body Problem	p. 119
Balancing Work and Family	p. 119
Appendices	p. 121
Example Undergraduate Curriculum Vitae	p. 123
Example Graduate Student CV	p. 126
Example Thesis Proposal	p. 131
Example Job Cover Letter	p. 138
Example Research Interests for Job Application	p. 141
Example C.V. for Job Application	p. 146
Example Teaching Statement and Philosophy for Job Application	p. 154
Example Extra Statement for Job Application (Curatorial Statement)	p. 157
Example Chalk Talk for Job Interview	p. 160
Example Start-UpWish List	p. 162
Review Package Summary Presentation	p. 165
Glossary	p. 167
Index	p. 173
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

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A Guide to Academia Getting into and Surviving Grad School, Postdocs, and a Research Job

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials