[Clutz]

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Originally Posted by usc goose /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well half course work and half apprenticeship, but I know what you mean. I came close to getting an MD/PhD, but then quickly realized I would have become even more insane and suicidal as a lab rat. So I can imagine what you just went through. Good job.

Haha- I was considering an MD/PhD program for a while- but for me the deciding factor was scholarships. I had a really good scholarship for a straight PhD, and relatively less good scholarships for a MD/PhD program. Then part of the way through my PhD I started contemplating going to medical school again- but the school where I was doing my PhD required you to have two full courses in biochemistry (I had 0), and I didn't feel like taking another year of undergrad courses to meet their enrollment requirements, and I couldn't convince my wife (gf at the time) that it would be a good idea for us to move to another province where they didn't have the biochem requirements in order to go to University for another 4+ years (I was considering epidemiology as a specialist) so I gave up on that.

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Originally Posted by Ishcabible /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have at least 12 years to go 'till I get mine! Congrats!

Hahah! good luck!

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Originally Posted by fordgtlover Congratulations. I can only imagine how good you must feel about this.

I feel pretty excited about it, but I also feel a bit disappointed in myself. I took 6 years to complete it instead of the 4.5 that I had planned- but I also ended up being diagnosed as having mixed episode bipolar disorder about half way through- so that sort of put a break on things.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Fuzzy OneThree /img/forum/go_quote.gif How small?

Well, that question remains unresolved.

It depends on the population's growth rate, the mechanism of population regulation, mutation rate, and the amount of environmental variability to name a few things. The short answer though is - a lot more than models that only consider ecological factors - like at least 2-5 times more.

 

[smrtby123]

Fantastic! Another biologist, but not only that, one that is working on evolutionary theory, I love it. Your thesis is very interesting, but beyond my limited scope of entry level chem and bio, and the slew of laymans evo/evo-devo books that I have read (mostly for my interest in a certain "controversy" but thats not for head-fi). Even though I am not the target audience of this paper I can't help but read it and say to myself "Damn I love science".


I am stuck in the spot where a PhD in Mech. Engineering will not do so much for me professionally so getting my EIT cert and working for a while, and eventually going back and getting a PhD seems like the way to go. Who knows though, my senior project seems pretty intense so it may lead me into some graduate work.

 

[Samgotit]

Congratulation Clutz. Hell of an accomplishment!

 

[XXII]

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Originally Posted by usc goose /img/forum/go_quote.gif Congratulations. You are hurting me with this, however. Can we call my MD a professional degree at least? Eh, doesn't matter. Congratulations.

You should feel lucky: at least you are a real doctor! In the UK and a few other places, you don't get "doctorate" degree as a (medical) doctor, only a bachelors degree.


To the OP: Congrats! After my defense (around 1.5 years ago), I thought it would be the turning point of my life. Turns out that nothing changed!

What do you have planned when you graduate?

 

[krmathis]

Congratulations! Thats quite an achievement.

...Cause as you say it is possible to fail the disputation, but very unlikely. May the committee be on your side.

I have been to a few disputations, and know what its all about..

 

[MASantos]

Congrats Clutz! I remember reading your thread about moving and starting the PhD. Great to know that it all went well and you're finishing soon!

What will come next?

 

[Koolpsych]

Hey congrats! Now it's just too bad you can't actually change your name to Dr. Clutz

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MASantos /img/forum/go_quote.gif What will come next?

Post-doc maybe?
Then some years as Associate Professor, while researching and writing papers/articles, before eventually qualifying for the Professor title.

Edit: Seems like he is in medicine, and then I guess its a different route in front of him

 

[Clutz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smrtby123 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Fantastic! Another biologist, but not only that, one that is working on evolutionary theory, I love it. Your thesis is very interesting, but beyond my limited scope of entry level chem and bio, and the slew of laymans evo/evo-devo books that I have read (mostly for my interest in a certain "controversy" but thats not for head-fi). Even though I am not the target audience of this paper I can't help but read it and say to myself "Damn I love science".

Thanks for your kind words. To be honest, at this point- I find my thesis anything but interesting. It's dry, boring and tedious at best at this point. But I suppose that is bound to happen when you spend over a year writing it!


Quote:

I am stuck in the spot where a PhD in Mech. Engineering will not do so much for me professionally so getting my EIT cert and working for a while, and eventually going back and getting a PhD seems like the way to go. Who knows though, my senior project seems pretty intense so it may lead me into some graduate work.

Hahah - in retrospect, I'm not sure what a PhD in Evolutionary Theory will do for me professionally if I become anything other than a University Professor, but time will tell.

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Originally Posted by Samgotit /img/forum/go_quote.gif Congratulation Clutz. Hell of an accomplishment!

Thanks a lot Sam! I appreciate it!

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Originally Posted by XXII /img/forum/go_quote.gif To the OP: Congrats! After my defense (around 1.5 years ago), I thought it would be the turning point of my life. Turns out that nothing changed! What do you have planned when you graduate?

Haha - yeah, I don't expect much to change actually. I already started my postdoc back in September, so I'm already doing what I plan to be doing once I graduate. I'm working in a biochemistry lab now, which is a nice change.

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Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif Congratulations! Thats quite an achievement. ...Cause as you say it is possible to fail the disputation, but very unlikely. May the committee be on your side. I have been to a few disputations, and know what its all about..

Thanks krmathis! It doesn't feel like much of an achievement anymore- but hopefully that'll change after I finish.

 

[Clutz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MASantos /img/forum/go_quote.gif Congrats Clutz! I remember reading your thread about moving and starting the PhD. Great to know that it all went well and you're finishing soon! What will come next?

Haha MASantos! One of the few old-timers still ahnging around long enough to remember that.

As I said in my previous post (That I just posted, so you wouldn't have seen it yet) I'm working in a biochemistry lab. My goal, at this point, is to become a professor some day- but we will see what life has in store for me.

Brad

 

[acidbasement]

Congrats, Clutz. May the Force be with you tomorrow!

I'm stalled in my MSc, but hoping to finish up next fall. I'm not passionate enough about research to do a PhD afterwards, but I'm glad you are!

 

[Clutz]

Thanks acidbasement

1.5 hours until I get started.

I cycle between feeling pretty comfortable to then worrying that I am being overly confident, which causes me to feel nervous, and then I slowly build back up to feeling pretty confident. Repeat.

 

[ka-boom]

Nice man, congrats.

I have an associates, bachelors, and a masters degree but always wished I would have gone the distance and got a PhD.

 

[justhavingfun]

Sincere congratulation Clutz! I know how tough it is to finish Ph.D program. Good luck in your future and be sure to thank your wife also. I know my wife went through a hell just to see me go through my end goal.

 

[Clutz]

Thanks everyone. I successfully defended my thesis this afternoon in about two hours- which seemed to me to be pretty quick! I have almost no changes required to my thesis, so I'm pretty happy. My supervisor said it'd take me about 20 minutes- and even then that's only because Microsoft Office for Macs sucks.