Author Archives: almosttruetales

About almosttruetales

The stories contained herein are entirely fictional. Any resemblances to persons living or dead are entirely coincidental. Anyway, what seems like a unique story probably plays out dozens of times in other academic departments each year. I don't know if that's consoling or depressing.

Very touching

Posted on January 23, 2011 by almosttruetales

Behind his back, our advisor’s nickname was Dr. Hugsy. He was a little too hands-on with all of us – male or female, good-looking or not. His standard greeting was to put an arm around your shoulder, usually leaving it … Continue reading →

Posted in grad school | Leave a comment

Not quite Camelot

Posted on January 17, 2011 by almosttruetales

When I moved to “Excalibur University” to be department chair, it didn’t take me long to figure out that something was seriously wrong with our graduate program. The first sign should have been on my visit in the spring, when … Continue reading →

Posted in tenured life | Leave a comment

The colleague

Posted on January 8, 2011 by almosttruetales

My colleague hates me. If you ask him, naturally he says he doesn’t hate me, not personally. He just thinks I’m unqualified: The search committee never should have hired me. My research shouldn’t earn me tenure. I’m taking up, in … Continue reading →

Posted in tenure track | Leave a comment

Lead into gold

Posted on January 1, 2011 by almosttruetales

If you look hard enough, you’ll see a pattern to who drops out in every graduate program. In programs that allow part-time study, it’s usually the part-timers. Sometimes it’s the foreign students or minority students that are the most likely … Continue reading →

Posted in grad school | Leave a comment