dream making

another milestone

2009-11-07T11:28:00.003+08:00

Just presentation a research paper to the department today. So basically I have completed most of the major milestones for the PhD program half-way through the 3rd year in the program:
- qualifiers [checked]
- required coursework [checked]
- two research papers [checked]

All that remain are to conduct a one-semester lecture, and start/work/complete the dissertation. Yeah, all that remain...

paper presentation

2009-08-15T01:32:00.003+08:00

Presented my first paper at a conference. Made a few good connections, received some good comments. Added bonus: paper was the eventual 1st runner up for Best Paper award.

1st acceptance

2009-04-14T03:18:00.003+08:00

2 days after receiving my 1st rejection letter from the journal in March, I received an acceptance letter with nice reviews from a conference for the same paper. Accepted for presentation. A few days ago, I was notified that the paper will go into the conference's Best Paper proceedings.

Not too bad for a 1st year summer, I guess...

A post-3rd-semester recap...

2009-03-12T12:13:00.004+08:00

I've just completed my 3rd semester in Dec 2008, and now finishing up with the 4th semester (i.e. 2nd year).

Significant milestones:

1. Cleared my qualifiers in Jan. 4 long exams in a week (Two 12-hour papers, two 4-hour papers, and 1 full day of pre-reading for 1 of the paper.) My initial plan was to start preparing for the qualifiers in Oct. However due to an urgent research project, I could only really do the readings in mid-Dec. I think I read about 120 papers - that's like 3600 pages. I seriously don't know how I did all these readings...

By God's grace, I managed to clear the qualifiers successfully. If I were to do this again (and thankfully I don't have to), I would really try to prepare much earlier.

2. Submitted a paper to a journal in Jan....

And it just got rejected. We (the other co-authors and I) received a 2-page assessment on a paper that represents 10-months of toil. I always wonder how it would be like to read a rejection letter. Now I know. And I'm beginning to wonder how it would be like to read an acceptance letter.

So basically I'm done with coursework (although I will continue to do more....). And I just have to focus on research and more research. Trying to get a project started for this summer. Hopefully that will work out well.

Useful Things to Know About Ph. D. Thesis Research

2008-11-23T00:50:00.000+08:00

Quick notes on thesis writing.

Writing tips for PhD students

2008-10-09T07:17:00.001+08:00

An interesting read by John Cochrane.

If I were to redo the 1st year....

2008-08-16T09:17:00.000+08:00

Just thinking of what would I have done differently for the 1st year in the program.

1) Use a bibliography software from Day 1. Use it to record each of the readings that I have done. The abstract, theories, hypotheses/propositions, results & findings, AND comments and thoughts. I think this would be very useful when preparing for qualifiers. (Sadly I only started to use it towards the end of the 1st year.)

I heard of people using Endnote. Since I'm a poor grad student, I have looked for some free solutions. One is a web-based, basic bibliography system at www.gradjournal.com. Another is a freeware application JabRef. Take your pick.

2) Get involved in some research groups. Keep myself busy with a two or three group and/or individual projects in hand...

3) For every research idea that I have, I would bounce it with one or two profs early. Research ideas evolve, and time and expertise are of essence. Share with the profs the idea, get their opinions, read more, and fine tune the model, and the cycle continues.

Summer research project

2008-07-05T07:44:00.010+08:00

I'm working on a summer research project, as part of the requirement for PhD program. Very early this year (like in the 1st week of Jan), I managed to connect with a company that was (and, I hope, is still) interested to work on a project together. However, the communication with that contact person was kind of slow... due to his workload, he would take couple of days, sometimes weeks, to respond to my email, etc. Nevertheless, there was some (slow) progress.

My plan was to collect the data through the company during the summer - by June, but not later than July. Give myself 2 good months to do data analysis. A shocker came in late May, just after my final exams, that person whom I have been talking to over the last 5 months was leaving the company. Given that he was my only point of contact in the company, I had to quickly find someone else to liaise with. It took two long weeks of silence before I received the confirmation from the company, that the project would proceed. The communication with the new contact person was going pretty well, and I thought we can do a pre-test in early July (slightly later than my initial plan).

But somehow during the last two weeks (late June), things kind of slow down once again. Early July is now here, but we are still a few steps away from a pre-test. Hopefully, we can pick up steam over the next 2 weeks...

So many ups and downs, so many factors beyond one's control and influence. I have learnt two things through the various periods of waiting. First, always be hopeful. During the 2 weeks of silence in early June (when my 1st contact left, and before the 2nd contact responded), I was stubbornly hopeful that the project would go on. In fact, my advisers were kind of concerned about the possibility of doing the study with the company, and suggested that I think of alternatives. My first response was that I would not give up until I hear a definite "no" from the company. I continued to work on the ideas, etc., albeit at a slower pace.

Second, silence presents opportunities. Even before my advisers asked me to think of alternatives, I already had some thoughts on how else I could get the data, or what else I could examine. The time of waiting allowed me to put more thoughts to develop these ideas, which are possible projects for the future. Also, during the last two weeks, as things slowed down, I managed to enhance the data collection procedure. Had the pre-test have gone on as planned, I might not have been able to realize some possible blind-spots or work on them. Even during the early part of the year, because the communication with the first contact was kind of slow, I had the opportunity to fine-tune my ideas - so much so that the model I have now is quite different from the one then.

Just some learning points, that perhaps could be useful in the situation that you are in. Disclaimer: being stubbornly hopeful involves risks... so calculate your risks properly.

End of Year 1 (unofficially)

2008-05-29T10:10:00.002+08:00

A quick review/reflection. Grade-wise, there is a disappointment for one of the early modules that I've taken. For the other modules (for which the grades have been returned), I guess I did quite alright. Research-wise, I'm kind of focusing on one particular project. Getting some help from some of the profs, but I'm really in the driver's seat. Still ding-donging with the data source - hopefully the data collect can start soon. (Anyway, I'm working on a paper that I was doing last year before the start of the program with another prof. Hoping to get it into a special issue.)

It is kind of pressurizing when you see your colleagues embarking on multiple projects, submitting papers to conferences (and getting accepted) , presenting initial results of data that has been collected - and you don't have much to show expect for a research proposal. Is it a matter of one not working hard enough, not networking wide enough, or not being proactive enough?

Anyway, still have an exams to take (next week).... Hope that my project will bear some fruits during the summer.

1st year grad student: some reflections

2008-03-14T11:47:00.008+08:00

I have completed almost 75% of my first year in the PhD program. Lots of thing to read, think, and write. This would continue till end of Dec 2008, before I take my qualifiers.

Looking at the last 1.5 semesters that I have taken, I must say that the coursework has been really challenging. Some have also been quite interesting and enriching. Thankfully, I think I have done relatively well in terms of the grades. What I realized is that the main "burden" is really on the research. What is the research question? What are the research motivation? What exactly am I trying to study? What has been done before? Why should I do it now? How should I approach it? Where to get the data? Seriously, these things just come naturally to my mind when my mind is not set on other things.

Anyway, I have spent the last week trying to do a preliminary analysis of some data that I have. And I'm a little disappointed and demoralize by the analysis... Before it turns into a "file-away" idea, I would try to see if there are other ways to work the data. I guess this is why it is call research - we just have to keeping search and searching again.

One challenge that I'm facing is having someone to talk and discuss my ideas with. While the profs are pretty brilliant, open and helpful, none of them are exactly doing what I'm intending to do... Sometimes it just seems like I'm isolated on an intellectual island...

Other than these, I'm surviving well for my 1st year. Thank God. -SDG-

improving your chances in PhD application

2008-03-14T11:41:00.004+08:00

Someone asked, what should he do between now and the next round of application? Work on the GMAT and SOP?

Honestly, I think GMAT and SOP are not the key things once you have hit certain cutoffs (slightly below the schools ave GMAT; a well written SOP). The main differentiating factor among PhD applicants, in my opinion, is their research potential. GMAT score is definitely not a relevant proxy for this. Well, you may be able to show your potential in your SOP... but the best ways to indicate your potential are: (1) your research output (# of pubs, and where they got published), (2) your research experience (what's project, what're your involvements), (3) letter of recommendations (what does other profs say about your research potential).

(3) is outside your control, although you can influence it somewhat. (1) is the most influential in affecting your application outcome; but it is also the most difficult to achieve for a typical applicant. And improving this within 1 year is a tough call.... hey getting 1 pub is 5 years for a PhD student is already so tough....

(2) is something that you can improve on in one year, and in a way it can help you in (3) and potential (1). So I would say try to look for opportunities to be involved in some research project, and get into a position where you can contribute meaningfully.

Having said these, it is important to realize that the whole phd application-admission process is structurally random - there are certain things you should do, must do, or need to to, but doing these things does not necessary mean that you are the applicant whom the school school accept, must accept or need to accept.

Spring 2007 Semester

2008-01-10T07:22:00.000+08:00

The new semester is starting in a few days' time. Apart from the 6 to 8 classes that I have signed up, there are also (1) research papers that I need to start working on, (2) grading jobs that I have taken up (for extra $$$), (3) diagnostic tests that I need to take. It is going to be a rough ride for the next few months...

End of 1st semester

2007-12-18T22:30:00.000+08:00

Just submitted 1 lit review and 2 research proposals. I think I read over 60 or 70 papers over the last 2 or 3 weeks. Thankfully I could position the 3 papers around a similar topic - otherwise I would have had to read more.

Anyway, will take 1 or 2 days off... get some sleep, enjoy the winter, explore the place, remember Christmas. The would have to hit some light readings, and perhaps start on data collection for some of my research idea.

You know the end of semester is approaching when....

2007-12-12T15:20:00.001+08:00

1. You think having a beard and mustache aren't that bad.
2. Your coffee powder is diminishing at a shocking rate.
3. You have so much to do that you don't know what you should do.
4. Your professors provided refreshments during the (last) class.
5. Your professors reminded you to hand in the assignment during the (last) class.
6. You forgot what sleep is.
7. You are glad that there are no more readings to do for the next class.
8. You still a few more readings + another few more readings for your research proposals.
9. You can't wait for the semester to be over.

How long does it take to do a PhD?

2007-12-01T02:58:00.000+08:00

Most schools' FAQ would say 4 to 5 years.

But there is a 3rd year guy who is already on the job market. Amazing... Maybe his two Master degrees help. But nevertheless, it is really amazing.

1st mini semester report

2007-10-20T07:17:00.000+08:00

Just completed the first half of my first semester in the doctoral program. Time really flies when you are overwhelmed with the assignments and readings. I would say that I have enjoyed most of the readings thus far.

Had my mid-term this week. 2 writing assignments and 1 sit-in exams. It felt weird to sit in class for the exams - the last time I sat for an exam was more than 5 years ago. Anyway I think I messed up that paper. Just hope that it doesn't end up being too bad. Although everyone is saying that grades doesn't matter at the doctoral level, I just want to do and give my best.

For the next half, I will be taking 3 seminar courses. I think there will be at least 10 papers to read per week... In the meantime, I hope to get some rest over the next 2 days - clocked 5 hours of sleep max per day for the last 10 days or so. And maybe will try to catch some of the Fall colors. Yet there are 4 papers to read for Tuesday's class....

2 weeks in

2007-09-06T11:26:00.000+08:00

I'm almost 2 weeks into the program. The short story is that the program and demand are more intensive than I have thought. I have 18 hours of classroom time per week. I estimate that for each hour of classroom time, I need to put in at least 3 hours of work... doing the readings, working on the problem sets, preparing the discussions etc. That's makes a total of 72 hours of work per week.

Thus far, the work has been very challenging, especially for the microeconomics and econometrics classes that I'm in. The lack of rigorous mathematically background is making it really tough for me in these courses... (P.S. I'm not even doing a econs phd. Just that my program requires me to take these graduate econs courses.)

Sweat. Persevere. Just do it.

States and state

2007-08-17T01:40:00.000+08:00

I have been in the States for about 15 days now. My family is more or less settled... though we are still trying to do up the apartment and explore the places around. I have gone to the campus a few times - it is a pretty nice place.

Although the semester will only start in 2 weeks' time, but I'm in a state of feeling the pressure being turned up a notch. I have printed the readings for one of my seminar course (about 4 articles per week) - they add up to a few inches thick. I have also spoken to the academic advisor on the modules to take for Fall - I may be doing 4 modules (which according to a senior PhD student "is manageable but you must be prepared to work very hard"). Then there is the weather issue to tackle - I have heard that the winter (between December to April) here could be quite harsh.

Guess I will just take one step at a time and see what comes along. So the application is just a prelude... the show is really starting now.....

a relevant blog

2007-07-04T00:46:00.000+08:00

Someone blogged her MIS PhD dissertation journey.
http://shuzou.blogspot.com/

be notified of new posts in this blog

2007-07-03T11:02:00.000+08:00

You can now receive email notifications of new postings in this blog - just submit your email address through my FeedBurner email subscription service.

one year of blogging

2007-07-01T05:34:00.001+08:00

I just realized that it has been a year since I started this blog. Last year this time I was in the process of getting my applications in place. Now I'm in the process of moving over and getting ready for school. How things have changed and how time has flown!

Obviously the pace of blogging has slowed somewhat. And I'm sure it will be even slower once the course start. I'm not sure if I should (or could) continue with this blog - whether it is adding value to anyone.

Que sera, sera.

getting ready for school

2007-06-29T20:34:00.000+08:00

It is getting exciting. In just about a month's time, I will be moving to a new place to start my PhD pursuit. In the meantime, I'm trying to do some prep works. Although my field of interest in IS, I have to select a reference track as the foundation of my research methodology. Since my interview in March, I have been debating with myself which research reference track to take - OB or Econs? Econs or OB? Even though my undergraduate background is in economics, it is somehow insufficient for me to do economics at a graduate level. (And I still remember how dry a subject econometrics was to me.) So I thought I would take the OB track and started to read up on OB stuff (e.g. ANOVA, etc).

Subsequently, however, there were some changes among the faculty in the department that I would be joining. And as I spoke to some current students and advisors, all fingers seem to point to economics. So few days ago, I bought the "bible" for microeconomic theory (by MWG). As I flipped through the first few pages, I can see the challenges that lie ahead... Now, I'm trying to brush up on calculus and see if I can learn anything about real analysis before school start. (And no, GMAT's maths/quant is really just for GMAT.)

Actually, I don't know if the econs department would even allow me to take econs as my reference track, much less if I can clear the econs requirements. I'm just going by faith, trusting that God will continue to lead me in this long journey.

Some updates....

2007-05-24T15:48:00.001+08:00

It has been a while since I last posted, so I guess it is time for an update. My wife and I are in the midst of preparing to relocate to US - will be there for the next 4 to 5 years. Thus far, we are quite on track with most of the things that we need to do... sell the house... sell the car... apply for visa... get the air tickets.... The packing is killing us - we really have no idea where to start. Hopefully, we will be more disciplined in the packing.

Looking back, God has opened many wonderful doors and answered all my prayers. I'm especially thankful that most of the prayers have been answered in ways that are pretty much my heart's desires. However, in a couple of issues, it seems like God has other plans for me. For instance, in the arrangement of my work and involvements in my start-up, it pretty much goes the other way that I have hoped for. My wife also couldn't continue helping out in the business - the extra income would have been very handy when I begin my grad studies. Well, man propose, God dispose. I'm sure He will provide for us...

Beside having to take care of the stuff and arrangements here at home, we also have to start on the stuff there in the US. We have got ourselves a car. Still looking for accommodation - we have visited many online classifieds, but guess we will go there and scout around before deciding. For the academic stuff, I have managed to connect with a handful of students there - and they are extremely helpful. The sad thing is that many of the faculty members seem to be leaving - I'm wondering how it would affect my research... I also heard some rumors regarding the future of the department, and I'm hoping that they stay as rumors.

All in all, we are quite excited about the move. At the same time, we are pretty nervous about the uncertainties of the move, the studies, the next few years. Just have to hold on to the comforting words and assurance that "the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)

4th ding

2007-04-17T12:00:00.000+08:00

@ University of Maryland

Left with final outcomes from Texas @ Austin (Waitlisted) and GSU.

3rd ding

2007-04-12T08:49:00.000+08:00

@ NYU.

So I have 1 offer and 3 dings from my Tier-A group. All the schools in the Tier-B group have not reached a decision on me yet....