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> But other schools said, “Um … 100% focused on molecular biology, please. The sheer fact that we’re having this conversation means that you possess communicati

> But other schools said, “Um … 100% focused on molecular biology, please. The sheer fact that we’re having this conversation means that you possess communication skills, upon which we frown." Um, what? > The campus newspaper had just published a little profile of the stand-up-comedy-performing grad student, and my adviser happened to read it. Over the next 10 minutes, I learned that my hobby was an embarrassment to the department, that there was no way I could properly focus on biology, and that every negative lab result I ever produced was a direct result of telling jokes at night. What the...? This doesn't sound remotely like my department, or indeed, any department I have ever heard of. Is this a biology thing? At GMU we would have adored that kind of student. After reading the above two quotes, I got a very strong sense of "there's probably another side to this story". It's so completely alien to my personal experience as a PhD student and later as a professor that I have to wonder if it's really true. And my experience watching other researchers, including, yes, at least one stand-up comic.

stevenbedrick 14y ago
it totally depends on the advisor. I've definitely heard stories similar to the TFA from people in multiple disciplines and from multiple schools. I'd say that it's less common of an attitude than it might have been thirty years ago, but that it is far from extinct.
- SeanLuke 14y ago
  I guess so, but it was the "communications skills" thing that rang the bias alarm bell. Communications skills are extraordinarily valuable to a Ph.D.: you have to be able to write, to present, to defend a thesis, and so on. Absolutely everyone knows this. And yet multiple schools told him communications skills were a negative?
  - sesqu 14y ago
    It was fairly apparent to me that these quotes were exaggerated for comedic effect.
mturmon 14y ago
Agreed. And the idea that you might contact their grad admission committee and get a clear cut idea about whether extracurriculars are a positive, negative, or don't care factor seems nutty also. It's a committee, which means its members will all have biases of various kinds to various activities, and it would be impossible to summarize. I'm dubious any committee member would care to characterize it, and if they did, you'd be silly to put much stock in what they said.

stevenbedrick 14y ago

it totally depends on the advisor. I've definitely heard stories similar to the TFA from people in multiple disciplines and from multiple schools. I'd say that it's less common of an attitude than it might have been thirty years ago, but that it is far from extinct.

SeanLuke 14y ago
I guess so, but it was the "communications skills" thing that rang the bias alarm bell. Communications skills are extraordinarily valuable to a Ph.D.: you have to be able to write, to present, to defend a thesis, and so on. Absolutely everyone knows this. And yet multiple schools told him communications skills were a negative?
- sesqu 14y ago
  It was fairly apparent to me that these quotes were exaggerated for comedic effect.

mturmon 14y ago

Agreed. And the idea that you might contact their grad admission committee and get a clear cut idea about whether extracurriculars are a positive, negative, or don't care factor seems nutty also. It's a committee, which means its members will all have biases of various kinds to various activities, and it would be impossible to summarize. I'm dubious any committee member would care to characterize it, and if they did, you'd be silly to put much stock in what they said.