Date: June 29th, 2012 4:48 PM
Author: .,.,.;.,...,..,.,:,,:,..,..,::,..,:,.,.:,..:.,:.:,

That shit was the lulz

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20985210)

Date: June 29th, 2012 4:49 PM
Author: Mike Yanagita

what was he studying?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20985219)

Date: June 29th, 2012 4:50 PM
Author: .,.,....,.,.,.,:,,:,...,:::,....,:,.,.:...,:.::,

Post removed by moderator for violating The Law of The Land.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20985228)

Date: June 29th, 2012 4:52 PM
Author: stinky dicky

robotics

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20985247)

Date: July 1st, 2012 3:08 PM
Author: Megafund #QadirZeusMuhammad

just do master's in robotics at penn, bro

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20996836)

Date: June 30th, 2012 9:58 PM
Author: Saul Goodman (pensive) (He's got to pwn somebody. )

That's not what happened, though. I passed my quals, but I left after 1 year when a Wall Street internship turned into a full-time offer.

I've thought about going back for CS, but it's never made sense, economically speaking. The opportunity cost is enormous.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20993260)

Date: June 30th, 2012 11:24 PM
Author: To be fair (Semi-Retired)

To be fair,

^ EXHIBIT A for anyone dumb enough to ever make the assertion that people actually retire from XOXO.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20993681)

Date: July 1st, 2012 3:13 PM
Author: .,.,.;.,...,..,.,:,,:,..,..,::,..,:,.,.:,..:.,:.:,

(i.e., couldn't hack it in the progra, and was politely asked to leave so funding could go to someone competent. P.S. this wasn't even at a top ten program)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20996860)

Date: June 29th, 2012 4:50 PM
Author: The Mighty Quinn

Is it even possible to fail out of a PhD program?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20985230)

Date: June 29th, 2012 4:52 PM
Author: Mike Yanagita

of course.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20985244)

Date: June 29th, 2012 4:54 PM
Author: .,.,.;.,...,..,.,:,,:,..,..,::,..,:,.,.:,..:.,:.:,

Sure

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20985254)

Date: June 29th, 2012 4:54 PM
Author: Multiple Properties Aspirant

Happens all the time. In my program it was: Fail prelims twice, BAM terminal masters degree. Happened to at least one person per year.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20985256)

Date: June 29th, 2012 4:55 PM
Author: Mike Yanagita

is it stupidity or laziness? Like how can someone at that level not pass their preliminary exams?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20985264)

Date: June 29th, 2012 4:57 PM
Author: Multiple Properties Aspirant

Generally, both. Our prelims were our research proposal (basically a faux RO1 grant) that we had to defend in front of five faculty. I would say it was pretty tough to fail, but like clock work, some one always did.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20985273)

Date: June 29th, 2012 4:58 PM
Author: Mike Yanagita

are most grad students miserable? Do they regret their decision to attend?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20985276)

Date: June 29th, 2012 5:00 PM
Author: Multiple Properties Aspirant

I would say most of us were pretty happy. I loved it, but my PI was cool as fuk and we did really high profile work. It really depends on the lab/PI, if your PI is a dick then life is gonna suck, if your project sucks and nothing works then life will also suck.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20985285)

Date: June 29th, 2012 6:55 PM
Author: :;;.....::..,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,;;;

econ phd programs have very demanding exams that have to be passed.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20986013)

Date: June 30th, 2012 10:00 PM
Author: Saul Goodman (pensive) (He's got to pwn somebody. )

Yes, although most people who leave graduate programs don't flunk out. They just take other opportunities, like I did.

Usually, failing out means losing funding, not actually getting kicked out, so technically people can stick it through. However, if you lose funding, it's a clear signal that you don't have a future in academia, in which case it just doesn't make sense to continue.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20993269)

Date: June 30th, 2012 10:02 PM
Author: " " '' ''

what do you think about carroll and barton flaming out of math

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20993274)

Date: June 30th, 2012 10:05 PM
Author: Saul Goodman (pensive) (He's got to pwn somebody. )

I didn't know they did. What are they up to now? I know that Gabe Carroll was into linguistics (which can be quite technical, since it's connected deeply to CS) for a while.

Having other interests isn't "flaming out". I'm a software engineer now, but I still read math papers on occasion.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20993288)

Date: June 30th, 2012 10:07 PM
Author: " " '' ''

it is when youre the top talent of your generation

carroll took time off then went into econ

barton was in grad school for math and bombed out without getting a phd

thats a pretty shocking lack of mathematical accomplishment considering their pedigrees

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20993301)

Date: June 30th, 2012 10:17 PM
Author: Saul Goodman (pensive) (He's got to pwn somebody. )

Perhaps they became more interested in other things. It happens, and there's no reason to be ashamed of it.

I knew at 23 that I didn't want to become an academic, but some people take longer.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20993341)

Date: June 30th, 2012 10:21 PM
Author: " " '' ''

don't be obtuse

you know more was expected from them

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20993364)

Date: June 30th, 2012 10:32 PM
Author: Saul Goodman (pensive) (He's got to pwn somebody. )

Of course I know that, but why do we assume that being an academic researcher is the best thing that a smart person can be doing? Why is that the only acceptable career for super-smart people? Given what the research world has become over the past couple of decades, it's worth questioning that assumption.

The truth is that we have shortages in political will to fund science and technology, and this is even more severely the case in academia. We don't have a shortage of brilliant people. We have a surplus. This means that some proportion of those people are going to go into finance instead of research, and that's fine.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20993421)

Date: June 30th, 2012 10:19 PM
Author: Judas Jones

Oh Shit, haven't seen Pensive on here in years. Other than running the BooR account, of course.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20993356)

Date: June 30th, 2012 10:29 PM
Author: .,.,;...;.,.,,;.;,..,;.,.,.,;..,..;..;;.,..,,

pensive still trolls for himself under NUMEROUS monikres

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20993395)

Date: June 30th, 2012 10:33 PM
Author: Saul Goodman (pensive) (He's got to pwn somebody. )

Actually, I have Lord Varys sending the little minions out to do that.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20993428)

Date: June 30th, 2012 11:22 PM
Author: Abbot Saxtus (mr)

how do you know pensive is boor?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20993678)

Date: June 30th, 2012 10:33 PM
Author: 140k

Post removed by moderator for violating The Law of The Land.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20993430)

Date: July 1st, 2012 3:19 PM
Author: .,.,.;.,...,..,.,:,,:,..,..,::,..,:,.,.:,..:.,:.:,

The really hilarious part is that pensive couldn't even get into a top ten/top fifteen program to begin with.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1982759&forum_id=2#20996904)