The coffee is never good (and other conference tips)
Our sixth and seventh book winners are Enas Albasiri and Andrea Scardina, current PhD students! Be sure to enter the book giveaway for your chance to win a copy of A Field Guide to Grad School! More details below (at the end of the post). Now, onto the good stuff!
Conferences can be funny things. For me, they are both exciting and anxiety inducing. They are also opportunities to connect with old and new friends, get glimpses of new research and research trends, and even procure (sometimes) useful free swag. In general, I look forward to conferences, but this wasn’t always the case. Indeed, I used to lament having to attend them and hid in my room for as long as possible and flew home as quickly as I could. Over time, I learned some tips and tricks that I now regularly implement to help me make the most of my conferences. Below, I share just a few that helped me settle into the (pre-pandemic) conference groove as a doctoral student. Note that here I’m focusing on attending, not presenting, at conferences.
Finances. After securing a conference poster or presentation, the next step is figuring out how to get to the conference itself. I quickly learned how to apply for my yearly internal conference funding and did so shortly after receiving notice of my conference acceptance. However, not everyone is going to have internal conference funds available and even if they do, these funds are often inadequate. For these reasons, be sure to talk with other students in your program to get a sense of how they’re financially managing conferences and always apply for conference travel funding1 when eligible (even if your program offers internal conference funding). A few other important things:
Students are often expected to pay for conference flights, hotels, etc. up front and then seek reimbursement. I am not a fan of this model because it often requires students to carry a balance on their credit cards or leaves them in a precarious financial position for an indeterminate amount of time while waiting for reimbursement. If possible, check in with your advisor to see whether they have funding for conference travel and whether they’re able to pay for your conference travel with an institutional credit card (i.e., a credit card linked to an account they have with your institution which requires them to submit receipts). In many cases, this may not be possible, but it’s worth checking on.
To help offset conference costs, some professional organizations allow students to volunteer in exchange for free conference registration. These volunteer spots can be hard to get, so be sure to check conference sites early for funding and volunteering opportunities.
To save money during the conference, I pack breakfast bars, coffee, and my travel mug. This covers breakfast and late night snacking. Once at the conference location, I will often go to the grocery store to buy water and other more substantial food items to cover some (but not all) additional meals. Whenever possible, I use public transportation especially to/from airports and use Google Flight alerts to monitor plane ticket prices.
Conference sessions. I do not expect myself to attend sessions all day each day of the conference. Instead, I review the program ahead of time and map out which sessions I would like to attend and where they are. To do this, I search for specific people and keywords and go from there. Many conferences now have associated apps that will help you track your schedule. Some even suggest related sessions, which is awesome! Whenever possible, I attend sessions during which my friends are speaking so I can cheer them on and be a good head nodder (head nodders are great to have in the audience — this simple act is so reassuring as a speaker). A few other important things:
Know that you do not have to remain in a session if you don’t want to. However, try to avoid leaving while someone is actively presenting. Instead, plan to leave during an intermediate Q&A between session speakers or while the next speaker is setting up. You may even know ahead of time that you want to leave partway through a session because you would like to join a different session. It always happens that there are multiple concurrent sessions that interest me.
Ask questions if you have them! Students are often reluctant to ask questions for a variety of reasons. I was initially reluctant because I didn’t want to ask a “stupid” question. However, by not asking my questions, I have missed out on learning opportunities and even connecting with speakers. At the same time, this isn’t to suggest that you should ask every question you have (knowing when to ask questions will take some practice, so don’t worry if you initially miss the mark). If you’re feeling nervous, write your question down. If you’re not ready to ask questions in front of strangers, practice doing so at your home institution.
Make time for poster sessions. These sessions are great opportunities to connect with other early career researchers and find out about exciting new work. Poster sessions are also good opportunities to check out work unrelated to your interests because individual posters are meant to be digested in shorter periods than individual talks. Some of my most interesting conversations have been with researchers studying things that have nothing to do with my own work.
Network. Conferences are great places to network with new and old colleagues and even forge new collaborations! Although I look forward to networking at conferences now, figuring out how to effectively do this took quite a bit of time. And I still struggle, especially at large conferences where networking events include hundreds of people. So, here are a few things I do to make sure I’m always making new connections at conferences:
Share meals with others. Many conferences offer opportunities for graduate students to share meals with faculty. Take advantage of these opportunities to meet one-on-one or one-on-few with scholars you admire. There may also be opportunities to share meals with members of affinity groups to which you belong. For example, I attend a conference that includes an event specifically geared toward increasing the representation of women in the field. The event is open to everyone, but centers the needs and experiences of women. It is a great opportunity to meet with senior scholars in my field and connect with others at similar career stages in a more structured environment. I find having some structure (e.g., prepared discussion questions) imposed on these events is super helpful to me.
Reach out to people you would like to meet with ahead of time. Again, I’m not one to gravitate toward large networking events. I also find it hard to break into post-conference session conversations, especially when I’m not acquainted with the speakers. For this reason, I reach out to one or two researchers I’d like to meet with during the conference a few weeks before the actual event. When doing so, I introduce myself and my interests and ask whether they would be available to meet during the conference to discuss our shared interests (or whatever else I have in mind). The key here is to be specific with your ask and flexible. That is, if someone is willing to make time for me, I try to be as available as possible (even if it means missing a talk I’d like to see) and being as clear as possible about my goals for our conversation (e.g., career advice).
Invite people into conversations. Whenever standing in a group, I try to leave space for others to join. If I see a familiar person walking by, I smile and wave (and even say hello if they’re close). When waiting for sessions to start, I introduce myself to at least one person near me (if possible) and ask them how their conference is going. In short, I try to engage with as many people as possible on different scales—from a simple smile to long conversations about shared interests.
Avoid reading someone’s name tag before engaging. In general, academia is elitist. As a result, some attendees go out of their way to only connect with people at certain institutions. This is an awful practice and one that I quite frankly abhor. It is one thing to want to call someone by their name (and hence, glance at their name tag), it is another to determine whether they are worth your time based on their affiliation. Please don’t engage in this exclusive practice.
Some homework. Make your conference plans! Know which conferences you should be attending according to your advisor and know when abstracts are due. If preparing for a conference, identify your personal and professional goals for yourself. Maybe you want to connect with a scholar you admire. Maybe you want to make it a point to ask at least one question. Whatever your goals are, write them down and walk through how you’re going to see them through. For example, if you’d like to connect with a new scholar, perhaps you have someone in mind and plan to email them ahead of time. Set a reminder for when you should email them and even what you want to say in your message.
SCHOLAR PROFILE #12: DR. JOYHANNA YOO GARZA
The purpose of these profiles is to highlight and connect you to scholars at different career stages doing interesting and important research and service work.
This week, we get to learn about Dr. Joyhanna Yoo Garza, who is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Anthropology at Harvard University.
Now, let’s learn about Dr. Garza’s academic journey.
What are your research interests?
My research interests include: language, race, and gender; semiotics, Korean popular culture, and digital media. More specifically, my work examines the role of language, affect, and the body in mediating flows of popular culture online, traversing the fields of linguistics, anthropology, Asian American studies, and feminist studies. My secondary research area examines the racialization of Asian American students on college campuses.
Where did you earn your PhD and with whom did you work?
I completed my PhD in Linguistics at the University of California, Santa Barbara under the advisement of Dr. Mary Bucholtz.
Why did you choose your PhD institution and advisor(s)?
My main motivations were location and funding. I knew I wanted to be close to family, which meant staying in California. I was also offered a funding package [by UCSB] that guaranteed relative financial stability for at least five years. As far as choosing an advisor, I had already taken courses with this person and she had mentored me through various projects (including the term paper that would become my first publication). We have a lot of research areas in common such as questions of language as it relates to identity formation, race, and gender, but more importantly, I knew I needed an advisor who would advocate for me, my goals, and political investments. I never felt like I had to hide my interests or involvements that were not explicitly tied to my research or even academia.
Please share more about your academic journey.
I’m a proud first-generation, community college graduate of LA Pierce College. Following my graduation from LA Pierce College, I transferred to UCLA, where I studied Political Science (with minors in Spanish and Latin American studies, which were a consistent thread for me). Before returning to CSU Long Beach to complete an MA in Spanish Literature, I took two gap years in South Korea. I then completed an MA and PhD in Linguistics at UCSB and am now a Postdoctoral Fellow in a Department of Anthropology. So, as you can see, my academic trajectory has been far from straightforward.
How did you navigate the PhD application process?
Other than the usual info, I had at least three readers (all professors) for my application materials and I emailed current graduate students in the departments I was interested in about their experiences. I tried to ask specific questions and to get a sense of not only the “fit” (based on my research interests) but the overall rapport and support within a department.
What is one bit of advice you'd like to give new (first-year) PhD students?
My advice would be to make time for the people, activities, communities that ground you and really matter to you because the academy has a way of warping values and especially attaching your self-worth to narrow definitions of productivity. Surround yourself with people who love you for you, not what you can do for them. I would also say: read rigorously and get familiar with a reference manager.
Is there anything else about you or your journey that you’d like to share?
I’ve never considered myself the smartest person in the room, and while that has crept up as imposter syndrome at times, it has also kept me on my toes, reading widely, and overall open to growth. I’ve also never been one to shy away from finding (dare I say, demanding) resources I need but may not exist in obvious places. I’m really proud of creating spaces of belonging for minoritized students as well as courses/training I wanted but didn’t exist during my PhD training.
Many thanks to Dr. Garza for sharing more about her academic journey!
RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT
In this section, I highlight resources you may find helpful as you navigate the PhD application process as well as the PhD itself. This week, I’m sharing two Twitter threads and a link to an article on how to approach reading in the PhD.
If you’d like to see a specific resource appear here, please share the relevant information via this survey. And remember, I maintain a running list of resources here.
Twitter Threads: Twitter can be a great place to connect with other folks folks in academia via #AcademicTwitter. I’ve had wonderful experiences meeting up with Twitter connections at conferences and have even formed some new friendships! It can also be a difficult place (think back to my post about social comparison). So, jump in when you’re ready, but never hesitate to take a break or even mute certain words and phrases!
Productivity tools to get through the PhD from @AkshikaW
Money and funding terms in academia from @JSchleiderPhD
Article: Here, Dr. Pat Thomson writes about getting started with reading in the PhD, a daunting task we must all undertake and master as we evolve as scholars.
How to reach me: You are always welcome to email me (letstalkgradschool@gmail.com) or find me on Twitter @tweetsbymidge.
Let’s give away some books: Readers located in the United States and Canada are eligible to enter the book giveaway to receive a copy of A Field Guide to Grad School by Dr. Jessica Calarco. To do so, complete this survey and note that you only have to complete it once to be entered in all subsequent giveaways! I do hope to expand the reach of the giveaway; however, at the moment, the shipping costs are too great to scale. If you’d like to talk about ways your institution could secure an electronic (or hard) copy, please let me know (sign up for a 1-on-1 meeting below!).
1-on-1 sessions: Interested in some additional mentorship? Sign up for 1-on-1 sessions to discuss your questions regarding the social science PhD application process and/or completing a social science PhD more generally! Sign-ups will happen via Calendly and you can check periodically for updated openings. Sign up here!
Until next time!
Margaret
Many professional organizations offer travel funding to conferences for students. Securing these funds is often competitive and usually some sort of application is required. Be sure to check conference websites early for funding opportunities.