Independent Study offer by Professor

[soliloquy]

I have a professor in grad school that I initially thought was very difficult this semester. Actually, everyone thinks he's difficult. He's a hard grader and our "final" is not on the computer. It has to be hand-written and he said that the last A's he gave in his class on the final were hand written and 5 sheets of paper with the use of a proctor at a local test site which we must arrange. The first thing he sent out before class started was an email that said if we value our GPA, we shouldn't take his course. milelol: That was intimidating but I figured I'm up for the challenge. Once when I asked him how I could improve on a score that was near 100%, his response was "improve on your score? I don't know what to tell you." On another occasion I asked him to clarify a point and included an apology if he had already addressed it. His response was "you are forgiven." hahaha

So anyway, I was totally stunned when he asked to talk to me on Skype which we use frequently in this course for group assignments, etc. Anyway, he asked me if I was interested in doing an independent study. He said this would be a lot of work but it would possibly be in lieu of one of my other courses (depending upon my department head's agreement) and would be worth 3 credits. He said his intention is to have the study published. He hasn't gone into a lot of detail about the topic but says it will be law-related. He's a former attorney turned professor and knows about my legal background.

So anyway, can you think of any reason why I shouldn't consider this?

I'm a little intimidated but I will say that his high expectations has really made me want to prove myself. My classmates complains frequently about how unfair he is and I'm silent because I have actually been getting 100% on my last several assignments (which I've been putting a ton of effort into). Anyway...just blabbing now. Thoughts?

[NAP]

I'm not sure how often this type of opportunity presents itself in a distance program. If it would not interfere with your other coursework and priorities, it is definitely worth considering. Either way, congratulations on your stand out work so far, which has brought about this interesting offer!

[UptonSinclair]

I am with NAP on this one. Research opportunities are rare in distance education. It will look great on your CV.

[KayV]

It will not only look great on your CV, it will also give you a fabulous academic reference if you decide to pursue a doctorate. Congratulations!

[rebel100]

Do it, worthwhile things are usually difficult one way or another.

[soliloquy]

Oh, I didn't even consider how common it might be. I will take advantage. I guess I'm worried that since he's been rather vague in his directions before, that might not change with an independent study and chat concerns me a bit.

[soliloquy]

I am moving forward with this and I was able to talk to another student who worked with this professor. I'm going to do it this fall. I'm excited about it.

[Prloko]

I am moving forward with this and I was able to talk to another student who worked with this professor. I'm going to do it this fall. I'm excited about it.

I think your answer was in your signature block!

[cookderosa]

I have a professor in grad school that I initially thought was very difficult this semester. Actually, everyone thinks he's difficult. He's a hard grader and our "final" is not on the computer. It has to be hand-written and he said that the last A's he gave in his class on the final were hand written and 5 sheets of paper with the use of a proctor at a local test site which we must arrange. The first thing he sent out before class started was an email that said if we value our GPA, we shouldn't take his course. milelol: That was intimidating but I figured I'm up for the challenge. Once when I asked him how I could improve on a score that was near 100%, his response was "improve on your score? I don't know what to tell you." On another occasion I asked him to clarify a point and included an apology if he had already addressed it. His response was "you are forgiven." hahaha

So anyway, I was totally stunned when he asked to talk to me on Skype which we use frequently in this course for group assignments, etc. Anyway, he asked me if I was interested in doing an independent study. He said this would be a lot of work but it would possibly be in lieu of one of my other courses (depending upon my department head's agreement) and would be worth 3 credits. He said his intention is to have the study published. He hasn't gone into a lot of detail about the topic but says it will be law-related. He's a former attorney turned professor and knows about my legal background.

So anyway, can you think of any reason why I shouldn't consider this?

I'm a little intimidated but I will say that his high expectations has really made me want to prove myself. My classmates complains frequently about how unfair he is and I'm silent because I have actually been getting 100% on my last several assignments (which I've been putting a ton of effort into). Anyway...just blabbing now. Thoughts?

I did my thesis under an advisor whose only goal was for my research to get published.
First- has HE published? A lot? It matters, because journals require format changes that will make you want to stab yourself in the eye. The work has to be modified for each of them (word count, etc.) and this is more about the finished product rather than the content. It freaked me out, and -as it turns out- my advisor was clueless.
Second- will the people in your field recognize this as something? Are you sure? I have one foot in nutrition and one in culinary arts, and believe it or not- there's not much common ground. What about in your industry?
Third- is this a path to an internship somewhere? Might be.
Lastly, will this guy's expectations take over your time to the point that this could slow down or impede your regular degree process?

I'd be inclined to do it, good luck!!

EDIT: I see you decided, congratulations!

[soliloquy]

I did my thesis under an advisor whose only goal was for my research to get published.
First- has HE published? A lot? It matters, because journals require format changes that will make you want to stab yourself in the eye. The work has to be modified for each of them (word count, etc.) and this is more about the finished product rather than the content. It freaked me out, and -as it turns out- my advisor was clueless.
Second- will the people in your field recognize this as something? Are you sure? I have one foot in nutrition and one in culinary arts, and believe it or not- there's not much common ground. What about in your industry?
Third- is this a path to an internship somewhere? Might be.
Lastly, will this guy's expectations take over your time to the point that this could slow down or impede your regular degree process?

I'd be inclined to do it, good luck!!

EDIT: I see you decided, congratulations!

It's not lost on me that there's a bit of mutual benefit here. Yes, this was my major concern not just how difficult it might be. That's what I wanted to speak to the previous student about. She said they both researched but he prepared the final draft and sent it to her for changes and it went back and forth several times. She said she felt like the work was truly 50/50 and had used the publication to help with her law school application. She said it took approximately the same amount of time or less as other classes she had taken which is fine with me especially since there is not the additional pressure of studying for mid-terms or finals. He's been published 7 times so far in legal periodicals.

Great points you are bringing up that I definitely considered before making my decision. She also stated that there are no tests or exams so frankly to me that's a plus. My final grade will be based upon research and scholarly writing and I'm no stranger to formatting and other issues with regards to publications. We have to deal with a lot of that whenever we file briefs with SCOTUS.

If you think of anything else I should be asking, please let me know!