Syllabus for Eric's PhD Students • Hacker News Board

Re: Syllabus for Eric's PhD Students

#91

Post by petemir » Wed, Aug 26, 2020, 1:45 PM UTC

n3ur0n wrote: post #11

supernova87a wrote: post #2

I will just offer some unsolicited advice about PhDs, as it came up a few weeks ago also. And the author touches on this. Of course this mostly applies to empirical sciences, but maybe some theoretical ones too. An effective PhD advisor/thesis isn't wandering the woods to find something. It's a guided coaching exercise, with an outcome in mind. Test whether the PhD advisor you select knows this and has a history of t…

As a rising 5th year PhD in ML -- I could not agree with this advice more! I have very hands-off advisors. I spent the first 3 years "wandering the woods to find something". Last year, I really had to sit down and think about how I can finish up my PhD on time. I pretty much did what you outline here. A lot of tools I used were organization tools I learned from my business school/product manager friends. I honestly t…

Care to point to the specific organization tools you used? May come in handy...

Re: Syllabus for Eric's PhD Students

#92

Post by g_p » Wed, Aug 26, 2020, 2:43 PM UTC

widforss wrote: post #76

Beldin wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not from the UK. The idea of someone becoming an actual PhD in 3 years is rather quaint to me. Perhaps it's just a different approach, or perhaps the PhD system I'm used to produces a level of results that UK PhDs typically only achieve after their first PostDoc. Or, perhaps there is an initial period of a year or so where the student is not yet doing a PhD, but is trying to produce results nevertheless. Saw that…

I don't think US PhD's are required to have a Master's to begin with, no?

You certainly don't need a Masters to do a UK PhD either.

Re: Syllabus for Eric's PhD Students

#93

Post by hpph » Wed, Aug 26, 2020, 3:12 PM UTC

n3ur0n wrote: post #11

supernova87a wrote: post #2

I will just offer some unsolicited advice about PhDs, as it came up a few weeks ago also. And the author touches on this. Of course this mostly applies to empirical sciences, but maybe some theoretical ones too. An effective PhD advisor/thesis isn't wandering the woods to find something. It's a guided coaching exercise, with an outcome in mind. Test whether the PhD advisor you select knows this and has a history of t…

As a rising 5th year PhD in ML -- I could not agree with this advice more! I have very hands-off advisors. I spent the first 3 years "wandering the woods to find something". Last year, I really had to sit down and think about how I can finish up my PhD on time. I pretty much did what you outline here. A lot of tools I used were organization tools I learned from my business school/product manager friends. I honestly t…

Can you share with us your organization tools/methods?

Re: Syllabus for Eric's PhD Students

#94

Post by johntfella » Wed, Aug 26, 2020, 4:29 PM UTC

rleigh wrote: post #88

johntfella wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I preferred wandering the woods. I transferred to a university that was more about wandering than coaching. I'm skeptical of the calls to overhaul. Undergrads and even masters degrees went through this and now we have group projects and less individual learning. Too much focus on team work and collaboration. If anything we need to be teaching more wandering through the woods, more being on the out over the in of the…

Many years ago, I would have disagreed with you about the group projects. Today, I'm more in favour of them. The reason for my change of heart is that the moment you step outside acadaemia, be it industry in the same field, a research organisation, or any company, you'll be working on "group projects" as the default way of working. They are group efforts, and learning to work well in a group context is a valuable ski…

I had to leave the company I was at. Group projects were too confining. Work for myself now. The killing of bad ideas it just creates groupthink and encourages echo chambers. Some need it, some don't need it. I think the more we baby guide people into things without them discovering how to do things themselves the more they require the assistance of groups. The more they work in groups the less capable they are doing things on their own.

Re: Syllabus for Eric's PhD Students

#95

Post by widforss » Wed, Aug 26, 2020, 6:07 PM UTC

g_p wrote: post #92

widforss wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think US PhD's are required to have a Master's to begin with, no?

You certainly don't need a Masters to do a UK PhD either.

Ok, you need in Sweden and Norway unless they make some kind of exception. And that probably wouldn't happen the way universities are governed here.