Overview of monkia

@tru, thanks for saving many students, I wish I trusted my gut feelings instead of spending on year on a useless project, so I totally agree with your comment. Most importantly is how to make sure this PhD is going to enhance your vision and academic career. I am looking to young researcher of Open AI company for instance and how they speak about their supervisor Geoffry Hinton, I was pondering: is that luck is to find an exceptional supervisor and you just do real science and discoveries. I am applying to many positions, and none of the projects seems interesting, the advice I can give to anyone don't spend more than one year in a useless project, just run away, make sure you made the good selection as the real good selection takes time and I think that important instead of wasting couples of years with clueless supervisor and program.

Hi @Keziapuvvula, your story is absolutely inspiring and I can imagine how is your character after going through the challenge, I am happy that in the end figured out your goal in the life and finding the right people to support you.


In the end, I think it isn't about gender, it is more about mentality, however, I think the most important is having the right people and environment that could recorrect you in your path. Currently, I am still perceiving and discovering myself, although I am teaching at the university, I think I can do more than that, I am still missing this piece of passion, so I wish every man or woman can find the right people, opportunities.

Wishing for you all the good luck.

@pm133, I respect your experience, but you have to filter very well our intention because it seems you don't trust anyone. First off, both sides of the argument could be heard when they have the same power balance and rights, we all know that students are cheap labour, of course, there are different reasons to stop your program whether academic misconduct, personal behaviour, you did not meet your supervisor expectations.

In the end, all I want to say there is a grey area where the good and bad are mixed, and we cannot sort out the truth as it has never been resolved in the light.

Each anonymous account posting here, what do you think the intention behind writing his/her story, nothing, you did not help me how to figure the long days with money and figuring out how to get out of this mess that my supervisor made! He just feels happily relaxed and doesn't care about this poor student. In the end, I am like yours I don't trust anyone, but who really deserve help, I will do

@pm133 I do agree with you of course. However, we need regulations that protect the prospective students as you may know the contract is temporary in Europe for students and this contract can be violated easily! I spent one year and it was lonely, a research in itself makes you isolated from social life, which I think a big sacrifice and thats leads to mental diseases, so I wish there is an neutral accredited organization that could investigate and help many students of course if they are victim to toxic supervisors.

BTW, all the complains are anonymous, you dont know who I am or who is the supervisor is, of course, I agree that rate my supervisor is not acceptable, because the cases must be treated in the light and hearing both sides, but the problem inside the campus there a game of power inequality, that what faced in our home universities and even after travelling. I wish again to understand that cases in the future must be handled in fair, and not wasting time of the student as well. Thank you once again.

@rewt, just final words before leaving this platform, I am assistant lecturer and I left my country to do real science, I sacrificed alot! I am not supposed to say that, but I helped my students along the five years ago, they loved me so much till that moment, I do all I can because I believe in them even after leaving! So, dont consider I am not teacher, I teach, I superviser, I learn from them, I am compassionate. I am writing that and tears in my eye, because my ex-supervisor blamed you, you dont have to believe, but you cannot imagine how I struggle to achieve my goal and be in the right track again! Of course, I wish every one have a good experience, I have never been in my life envious, but the idea in my masters, my supervisor for me and colleague was awful, and who helped the external supervisor, I owe for him till my death. There are many supervisor I consider them like father, but when you leave every thing behind, struggling alone, and working hard, crying nights, getting grants and be in the end telling me I doubt this work because it wasnot his experience, it is hard..... I spent two months figure out what I can do, a girl alone, it isnot easy at all, I am just crying because it is hard feelings, but this doesnot mean, I am not ambitious, I am very ambitious and hard working and I need the success more. Thats why we need to bring the both bad and good to give lesson to other who leave their countries and get out of comfort zone! In the end, from my heart indeed wishing every one can make a good selection and fulfilling their goals.

Can the admin of the website delete my account! I don't find the setting of deleting it.

I say that because I wished before starting, I read those posts to consider my proper selection instead of going blindly and dont weigh those factors! So, I think your comments is way off ! For @trys11, of course there still good part, but you need to make sure you made the good selection.

@pm133, I dont know if you imply I give a negative advice! Actually, I didnot give advice, I want this mess stop, of course, every one experience is different and I wish as I said to find a good advisor, but the percentage isnot high as expected.

@trys11, indeed I am thinking about collecting all the cases from here and in academia stack exchange since I have the same issue, I think what @eng77 have mentioned in his latest post is really a good idea. I am really pissed off of the increasing number of the complains and different stories that will never end, if we can just report the name of the university and institute so that people can hear us. My ex-supervisor is protected by his institute, they didn't help me. Now, I am struggling to find a good supervisor, I am just sceptical about the integrity of academia.

Dear @AlpaOmega, I read your answer with passion and indeed we seem to be twins! Of course, finding a good psychiatric is important and avoiding medication as some people recommend me this! But I will not hide bipolar and OCD is spoiling my life sometimes and steal a huge amount of time even in learning or repeating many times something I knew for many years! I know it sounds horrible, but I am fighting as much as I can.


According to your decision to stop and start while you have a family! I don't know as I am still single and caring my family remotely! However, I do think recently, the most important thing is finding another good professor where I can restore my passion! I do like the voluntary works so much! I feel happy! However, I am stuck to the current meaningless position to afford money for my living in the recent moment!


I think the best thing is training our mind to be positive! But as I mentioned having some mental diseases and some events in the past sometimes do attacks, but indeed really to find the right track again.

I am so happy for you that you have the life you want! I am wishing for you the peace of mind and happiness as well. Thanks so much for your advice indeed it made cheer up.

Yes, I had, but I didn't get a prescription, I just went to a psychoanalyst, and because I left the country because of my ex-PI, I stopped. Actually, this is because unpleasant events in our family I have witnessed when I was young and it affected me occasionally. I hope things getting better and for sure, I will go to psychiatric again.

@pm133, thanks so much for your advice! Actually, I think one of the problems I had is bipolar disorder and OCD, and getting bad-tempered because of that mental health. Sometimes, I feel so much energetic and ambitious, I think the only solution after settling down my situation is looking for a psychiatric counsellor.

@pm133, I totally agree with you, and I dont know how to get out of this, yes I think my attitude is a bad, I am thinking I am cursed although I am very ambitious. What is the solution?

Sounds impressive, I wish I had enough courage to do that and free myself from the pain and the stress and do what I want to do. Up to the moment, I feel I am inside a cage and didn't find the place where I belong to. I wish for you the success and peace of mind for your next steps.