Got a question about grad school, IMSSA, or anything in between? Use the askIMSSA function to ask any and all of your questions anonymously! Our team will ensure that your questions are answered in a timely fashion! Also, check here for other questions that your colleagues have asked previously!
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Questions
Hi askIMSSA team,
I work in a small lab and I’ve had trouble finding a support system so far in my program. My PI is very busy and is never physically in the lab, so it feels like they don’t know/care what’s actually happening in the lab. I’m concerned about my dynamic with another lab colleague in particular (they’re my senior, not a student). They were impatient and condescending when training me, has constantly pushed their project’s work onto me, and has consistently demonstrated that they have no respect for my boundaries/work schedule (including volunteering me to come in on a Sunday evening to prep for *their* experiment because I “live in town”). It also feels like they’re always “keeping tabs” on me, asking what I’m doing/how I’m doing it. I’ve approached my PI about my concerns before and it was kind of brushed off.
Most recently, they have *suddenly* taken up a lot of work for some manuscript revisions, including rushing to do the same experiment as me, and I have a feeling it’s because they want to climb ahead of me on the author list. The worst part is they will make others (including myself and the lab manager!) do most of the time-consuming “dirty work”/prep and essentially make us give them the samples, so they can run final, figure-producing experiments (that require much less time) — and it’s passed off as completely their work. This has also been happening for the manuscript revisions, so while I feel like I have contributed a fair amount, I can’t shake the feeling that my position on the paper is being undermined during this last stretch. I don’t know how to approach my PI about this (again). I’m worried I’ll be seen as “whiny” and “dramatic” if I bring this up again and am overall just feeling defeated about all of this.
Any recommendations on how to approach this? Thank you!
Hello,
Firstly, we are sorry to hear about your experiences in the lab so far. A positive working environment is key for any position no matter the field and we can only imagine how difficult things have been.
The best resource that we can offer is the contact information to the graduate coordinators. Their primary role is to support students through their graduate studies, and they are experts in navigating difficult situations like this. We would strongly recommend you set up an appointment with them so that steps are taken to address this situation and support you.
From our student perspective, we can offer the following advice. Setting expectations is very important, thus having a conversation to re-outline what is expected may reset the dynamics in the lab. Additionally, having this conversation in a team setting i.e your PI and the senior lab member present, will also increase the likelihood that those expectations are followed through. The same principle can be applied for the authorship and any disputes can be appealed at a higher level; however, this may sour group dynamics so trying to resolve it internally or with the guidance of the graduate coordinators may be more beneficial.
The Centre for Graduate Mentorship and Supervision at the School of Graduate Studies is also a fantastic resource. They offer student workshops such as “Having difficult conversations” and “Understanding conflict” as well as individual solution-centred support. We recommend that you check out their website to see if they can help you with your problem.
In summary, the best course of action would be to have a conversation with the graduate coordinators where you can share your experiences and have their expert input on how to move forward!
Hope this helps!
Contact Info: https://ims.utoronto.ca/core-team
Centre for Graduate Mentorship and Supervision: https://www.cgms.utoronto.ca/
I would like to advertise an academic event to the IMS student community. Who should I contact to have the announcement posted in the weekly IMS email newsletters and social media platforms?
Great question! You can submit items to the IMS Weekly Digest newsletter using this form. Please note that submissions made by Fridays at 9:00 am will be included in the following Monday’s newsletter.
For IMS social media promotion, please contact Sarah Topa, IMS Senior Partnerships & Communications Officer at int.medscience@utoronto.ca
For the IMSSA email and social media, please contact commims@gmail.com
I want to do a PhD with IMS, but one that is separate from my master’s. Does IMS have any resources for this kind of internal transition that is separate from an MSc-to-PhD transition?
UofT doesn’t have an internal transition apart from the MSc-to-PhD transfer option. Those interested in completing a Master’s and doing a PhD with IMS will have to re-apply to the program, following the PhD Admission requirements. https://ims.utoronto.ca/how-apply-0
If I need to take a third year for my master’s degree, is my stipend still guaranteed? Do you have advice for discussing this with my supervisor?
Master’s students are only guaranteed funding for 2 years. First, I would talk with your supervisor to see if funding you beyond the 2 years is a possibility. Otherwise, Master’s students may be eligible to apply for the Master’s Completion Bursary through SGS. Please note that the funds are only granted after a student has successfully completed their defense. https://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/awards/masters-completion-bursary-mcb/
Hi IMSSA, for PAC meetings, is it a stringent guideline that we need to have it between 6-8 months, or is there any leniency to this ? Thank you!
To remain in good academic standing, registered students should be holding PAC meetings at regular intervals, roughly every 6-8months. This guideline is in place to make sure that you get regular input from your PAC members to help move your project along toward completion.
What’s the protocol for taking vacation days as a PhD student? What’s a normal amount of days to take off.
As a general rule, students might reasonably expect up to three weeks (15 working days) per year in personal time off, plus statutory holidays.
Link to guidelines:
IMS: https://ims.utoronto.ca/leave-absence
SGS: https://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/policies-guidelines/personal-time-off-policy/
GLSE https://glse.utoronto.ca/faculty-medicine-guidelines-graduate-student-personal-time
I feel like my supervisor is setting me up for failure. I don’t have a lot of familiarity with the background of my thesis, and my project (as mentioned by another PAC member) may not have significant/note-worthy results. Additionally, my supervisor encouraged me to try to convince that my objectives are feasible by approaching another professor … I have the feeling that he may not know the certainty that they are. I am worried about my MSc extending past the two-year mark (currently a first year). How do I navigate this without offending my PI and starting from scratch? One option would be to go through with it and see what the outcomes are. It’s just hard finding motivation if I know the results/outcome may be 0. I don’t expect nor want to have some sort of novel/impactful outcome, but just something I can defend at the end of this degree and move on
– anon
Hello,
We are sorry to hear about the difficulties you’ve faced so far.
The best resource that we can offer is the contact information to the graduate coordinators. Their primary role is to support students through their graduate studies, and they are experts in navigating situations like this. We would strongly recommend you set up an appointment with them so that steps are taken to address this situation and support you.
An additional resource that we can direct you towards is the P2P Mentorship program. They can set you up with a student mentor who has likely gone through a similar situation and provide you more in-depth support and strategies to overcome these challenges.
Many students start with projects where the outcome is unclear, so you are not alone! If you don’t already know, try and uncover why your supervisor finds this work meaningful. What is the potential impact of some expected results? Additionally, turning to you PAC committee (as you have already) is a great step. If they don’t see the same vision as your supervisor, they may provide an alternative and novel perspective or approach which could lead to a shift in your project! Finally, make a timeline! If you want to graduate withing 2 years, create clear milestones and share this with your professor. Keeping one another accountable with a schedule is a great way to keep on track!
Hope this helps!
Contact Info Graduate Coordinators: https://ims.utoronto.ca/core-team
P2P Mentorship: https://ims.utoronto.ca/ims-p2p-mentorship
I’m unsure where to go for help utilizing a particular statistical software. My supervisor has limited time to help, and I can’t find many helpful online videos. Are there services, or people on campus to help with this? I’m in a small lab so there is no one outside of my supervisor to turn to
Hello!
UofT has Statistics Aid Centers that students can attend when they have questions (https://www.statistics.utoronto.ca/undergraduate-student-resources/statistics-aid-centres) note though that it appears they do not run during the summer. Also consider asking your supervisor if they have any resources or know anyone they can put you in contact (perhaps a previous student in the lab who has used this software before)? Might also be a good idea to reach out to your PAC committee, as they too may also be able to connect you to the right people!
Goodluck!
Hey IMSSA,
I’m thinking about applying to your director and representative positions in the fall. Where could I find details about what these roles entail?
Thank you!
Hello!
You can take a look at our constitution for what these roles entail (https://rss.utm.mybluehost.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/imssa-constitution-2019-20-1.pdf or click on the “Read our Constitution” box on the website homepage below our latest Instagram posts). Also, if you have specific questions about director positions, you can send our current directors an email (https://imssa.ca/contact/). Elections for director and representative roles will be held in September, so more information will also be provided then on how to go about nominating yourself for these positions.
Hope to see you with IMSSA next year!