The book inches closer to actually existing in the material world (August 4)! It has gotten some lovely blurbs by amazing people, like this one by the inimitable Rebecca Schuman: “If you would like your academic career to begin in … Continue reading
Love the blog? Now get it in handy book form–only $11.40! Available for pre-order now–comes out August 4! Buy it at all these places! It also makes a great gift for all those struggling grad students in your life! For … Continue reading
Grad students tend to veer between two extremes: I know nothing and I know everything. The latter position is an over-compensatory response to fear of the former. As you gain experience you find a middle ground of calm confidence. However, … Continue reading
I’ve worked with a handful of clients applying to project-based postdocs in Europe. We’ve had some bumps in the road, as I had to learn the expectations of these postdocs. A successful reader recently gave me a few pointers, which … Continue reading
Two pet peeves from the world of grants: A grant proposal must not contain the phrase “I need to,” as in “for my revisions of the manuscript I need to pay closer attention to feminist critiques and read more deeply … Continue reading
In the Foolproof Grant Template I ask for an opening sentence or two that quickly engages the reader on the “big topic” of the research. My clients have a terrible time grasping what that opening should look like. They’ve been … Continue reading
In recent work on grant applications this year, I’ve finally identified a problem that has bothered me for a long time. People who use the Foolproof Grant Template construct an argument for the urgency of their research by deploying what … Continue reading
List addiction is an epidemic among academic writers. I have a blog post about the subject (which I knew nothing about prior to my work in TPII), and I refer at least 50% of clients to that blog post at … Continue reading
Do not use the words “unique” or “burgeoning” in any of your job documents. They are painfully overused. The first is just trite. The second is over-dramatic. That is all. … Continue reading
Last week, I was working on a client’s materials. We were on something like draft #4 of her dissertation abstract, following on weeks of work on her c.v. and job letter. She’d been working hard, and her materials showed it. … Continue reading