Survivor – Advisor Search

As I mentioned in my previous post, I’m still on the hunt for a research advisor.  I have my eye on one but he (Dr. X) is very sought after.  Although I think my chances are good, I’m nervous!!  

Dr. X wasn’t originally on my radar.  He isn’t listed on the faculty websites and he was out of town when I did my campus visit.  The first years have a seminar every week where each advisor talks about their research, what they are looking for and what you can expect from them.  The talks are always pretty mundane, most advisors don’t like doing it and just show some old slide show from a few years past.  

Dr. X came in and put on a show.  He had an amazing publication go out at the end of August that is generating a lot of talk (and money!)  I decided to make an appointment with him for the following week – not even to talk about the group, more just to make acquaintance with a possible, future Nobel laureate!  Dr. X is not an organic chemist so I didn’t plan to fall into advisor love, but I did. His group does a wide variety of chemistry and he is currently looking for an organic student to work with his organic postdoc.  That’s where I come in… hopefully!  He has had 10 students show interest (out of the 12 first years!)

Here is where you come in… The day after my meeting, he spoke with another organic student.  Dr. X told her she would be better off with one of the straight organic groups and he had no need/want for organic in his group.  I suppose I’m taking this as a good sign?  But this is also the reason I’m so secretive, for now.  

I’ll leave you with a follow up email from Dr. X.  Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated!  I’m glad that you are interested in my group.

“…Don’t worry, based on our short meeting, you already stand out amongst your peers. As the semester winds down, please let me know that you still have an interest and I will place you near or at the top of my selections.”

My Glamorous Life

In celebration of National Chemistry Week, I’ve decided to join a fun, little carnival!  Not the dirty carny type but almost just as fun.  You can check out the carnival at See Arr Oh’s blog.

Your current job.  I’m a first-year grad student in Chemistry.  I’m still working on picking my research advisor so I can’t give you any awesome, gooey details about my research.  I currently TA two general chemistry labs.  I have 46 students and they are all 18!  (Yikes!)  I wasn’t a typical undergrad student – I started college when I was 21, after a failed hair stylist/bartending career, and it makes teaching traditional students very interesting.

What you do in a standard “work day.”  Since I am not yet researching, a typical day includes going to classes, grading the never-ending pile of lab reports, lesson planning and playing my own version of survivor (going after a research advisor that is only taking one student, out of 10 that are actively pursuing him.)

What kind of schooling / training / experience helped you get there?  After high-school, I went to beauty college because I wasn’t college bound.  I barely passed my senior year of high-school.  The guidance counselor and teachers encouraged me to go to tech school because I would never make it in “real” college.     Jerks!  After realizing that those people were full of shit, (how is someone suppose to excel in high-school when the faculty at this small country school are more concerned with Friday’s game than teaching anything) I went to a community college to take random classes.  Long story short, I found chemistry and fell in love.  For the first time in my life,  I was AMAZING at something!  I have a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry & ACS degree certificate.

How does chemistry inform your work?  Chemistry is my work.  And my life.  I’d say it was a life-saver actually!

Thanks for stopping by to check me out!  I love reading these stories – if you haven’t written one yet, you better get on it – NCW is sadly only once a year!

Just Add Ether

Every “mistake” I’ve ever made in chemistry has, in some way or another, involved the separatory funnel.  Quite possibly the easiest task one should encounter in organic chemistry!  Want me to read the complex splitting on your NMR?  No problem!  Synthesize something that literature says “can’t be done”?  Been there, done that.  Use a separatory funnel without fucking something up?  Not going to happen.

At least the solution to most of my mistakes is to just add ether. 

A little about me –

• I’m a first year graduate student working towards my PhD in chemistry.
• I’m a married gal.
• I’m an older than normal entering grad student.  
• I’m still trying to pick an advisor but I do have my eye on one.  
• Forty-six students count on me to referee their lab each week (and I hate it!)
• I have a giant chick hard-on for all things organic.