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    Kertu

    Kertu Tenso

    Estonian-born former Parisian living in Boston, United States. šŸ’• Feel free to follow me on my quest for infinite travelling. āœŒšŸ»ļø

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    Kertu Tenso | PhD lifestyle
    A weekend of rest and nature! šŸ™šŸ»šŸŒ² BU too A weekend of rest and nature! šŸ™šŸ»šŸŒ² BU took our spring break away (to discourage traveling) but my professors agreed to give us one week when we donā€™t have any homework or deadlines due. That week is next week. So, I decided to take this weekend off. Iā€™ll be driving a few hours out of Boston and staying in a little cabin in the woods (ok saying that reminds me of the horror movie šŸ˜‚). I think it will be a nice break! Away from the city and away from work (Iā€™m not even bringing my laptop). There will only be šŸŒ²and šŸ” around. ā“Do you have a spring break or some other break this semester? I understand discouraging traveling (the pandemic is far from over) but I think that students still need some time to recharge, even if itā€™s done at home.
    I case anyone else needs to hear *see* this today. I case anyone else needs to hear *see* this today. šŸ’•
    Todayā€™s thoughts: how many research projects is Todayā€™s thoughts: how many research projects is too many research projects? I was recently asked to join a new Covid-relate study with really valuable data from IBM Watson Health that only 4 groups nationally (!) have access to. And I could lead one of the papers. Of course I said yes! It matches with the thematic area that Iā€™m interested in and having access to data like that is very tempting. Iā€™m super excited. However, I have a meeting with my advisor/program director today and Iā€™m not sure how he will react to me starting another project. šŸ˜…Because Iā€™m currently on 10(!!!). Most of them donā€™t require much work (Iā€™m not the lead) but nevertheless. Iā€™m also taking 4 classes this semester. ā“Are you a person who devotes entirely to one project or works on many different ones with different groups? How do you balance it? How many projects is too many projects?
    šŸ’ø FULLY FUNDED PHD IN THE U.S. šŸ’ø When I mov šŸ’ø FULLY FUNDED PHD IN THE U.S. šŸ’ø When I moved to the US, I realized that talking about funding - and money in general - is often seen as a taboo. I wanted to put together this very transparent post for the sake of FUTURE PhD students, who need to navigate this tricky topic and share that it IS possible to do a fully funded PhD in the US (even as an international student). I personally would not be able to pursue this degree without full funding. Hereā€™s an overview of my PhD package at Boston University School of Public Health: šŸ’µTuition is waived ($55,000/year) šŸ’µUniversity pays for my basic health insurance package ($2500/year). I would need to pay extra myself if I wanted a better one. šŸ’µNo hidden fees that I have to pay for. šŸ’µ~$37,000/year stipend from my university (distributed across 12 months). I have to pay taxes from this so that leaves me a little over $2300/month. I work 20h/week as an RA for this. šŸ’µFull disclosure: I have an additional fellowship of $12,000/year which is non-taxable. So, the total monthly PhD income after taxes comes to about $3300/month. Now, pay in mind that Boston is EXPENSIVE. Rental prices are the third highest in the United States, and also high globally. So, I donā€™t live luxuriously, but I manage to live quite comfortably. ā“Donā€™t feel like you need to share about your funding mechanisms. I understand that itā€™s a sensitive subject. But if youā€™d like to, Iā€™d love to hear from you as well!
    Taking my Saturdays off must be the brightest idea Taking my Saturdays off must be the brightest idea that Iā€™ve had in a long time! šŸ˜€ I LOVE getting a full rest day. It makes working on Sundays more tolerable as well. Today, I will be working on a class paper and then putting together some figures for my manuscript. Have you been able to rest this weekend? What fun/relaxing thing did you do? For me it was binging Ginny and Georgia on Netflix. šŸ˜…
    Iā€™ve been loving my evening desk setup these day Iā€™ve been loving my evening desk setup these days. It makes studying in the dark kind of fun. āœØ I also just wanted to say: thank god itā€™s Friday! Iā€™m truly EXHAUSTED from this week. šŸ˜– I have to work over the weekend as well but at least I can sleep in and wonā€™t have any classes or work meetings. Howā€™s everyone else feeling this week?
    šŸ’™šŸ–¤šŸ¤Happy 103rd birthday, Estonia! šŸ’™šŸ–¤šŸ¤ I was 23 when I first moved abroad. It was to do my masterā€™s in France. Now, Iā€™m doing my PhD in the US. Itā€™s been 4.5 years. And itā€™s been almost 2 years since Iā€™ve been able to visit and see my family and friends. I must say though, spending time abroad has made me appreciate Estonia even more. Thereā€™s lots that I took for granted, starting from the abundance of nature and clean air and ending with a well-functioning e-society. What I miss most though, is hearing and speaking the language, the hard-working spirit of Estonians, all the pickled herring and best black bread in the world, and of course my blunt and reserved, yet incredibly loyal family. It brings tears to my eyes just writing this now. Loodan, et teil on ilus pƤev! Soovin, et saaksin ka seal teiega olla. šŸ’™ Loodetavasti selle aasta lƵpus saan taas koju tulla. Head iseseisvumispƤeva, armas Eesti! šŸ‡ŖšŸ‡Ŗ
    I made this post last week but I wasnā€™t sure if I made this post last week but I wasnā€™t sure if I was going to post it. I didnā€™t want to appear ungrateful. I mean, I know a lot of us are feeling anxious and lonely these days, itā€™s not just me. But Iā€™ve felt this way a lot. Moving from country to country and leaving friends and family behind is tough. Old relationships wither (which brings me sadness) and with the PhD general lifestyle and the pandemic, I havenā€™t been able to make many close friends in the States. Disclaimer: Iā€™m definitely still privileged to live this life and be where I am now. Iā€™m aware of that. And I havenā€™t faced some struggles than many of you have. But I just wanted to show that everything isnā€™t always as rosy/glamorous as it may seem looking at my profile.
    PhD Myth #6: ā€œJobless PhDs become post-docsā€ā£ ā£ Not true! šŸ™…šŸ¼ā€ā™€ļø While this may sadly be the case for some PhDs, there are many good reasons why newly-graduated PhDs choose to do a post-doc. Some of these are the following:ā£ ā£ 1. Some academic postings require a post-doctoral training. ā£ ā£ 2. Doing a post-doc can enhance your chances of getting a good tenure-track position. For example, it gives additional time to get papers out. ā£ ā£ 3. Doing a post-doc gives valuable experience in securing your own research funding, mentorship, and even being the corresponding author. ā£ ā£ ā“Do you plan to do a post-doc after your PhD? Why or why not?
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