Each host has thought about it, some of them still do, but none of the hosts had the guts to do it: Quitting our PhD. With a lot of talk on Twitter and articles documenting the mental health issues of early career academics (see e.g. Hazell, 2020 in "Systematic Reviews", Hazell, 2022 in the LSE blog), the question arises as to why people do or don't quit. So the hosts of the desk reject podcast thought it high time to discuss the topic of quitting: Both in relation to observations they have made over their time as a grad student, as well as to discuss when or why thoughts about quitting became salient for them. One thing that the hosts can agree upon - grad students should be quitting more readily than they are at the moment. Among other things, in this episode the hosts talk about:
- reasons why they have thought about quitting
- why it is so hard for grad students to consider quitting
- ideas on what factors should be part of the decision process of quitting
- the best time (not) to quit
- what the hosts would be doing if they quit their PhD right now
And much more - buckle up, it's a long one.

The summer has come and gone and the hosts have recovered, more or less, from the conference and holiday season. The trees are starting to shed their leaves and doe-eyed students are returning to campus to soak up the knowledge that the desk reject hosts and colleagues across the university will be imparting upon them. As during every October for the past few years, the hosts are adding finishing touches to their kickoff slides and preparing for another semester of lecturing and grading. Hence, it is a good a time as ever to reflect on how the teaching experience has changed since the last episode (which was recorded over 2.5 years ago). Among other things, the hosts reflect on:
- How their teaching style has evolved over the years
- What, if at all, are their tips upon hindsight
- What still excites them about teaching classes
- Which challenges lie ahead in terms of teaching
And much more.

That special time of the year for any researcher- conference season - has come and gone. And for anybody that is doing any kind of research marginally related to management, the Academy of Management Annual Meeting will ring familiar. While opinions to a conference that gathers close to 10.000 people in hotel lobbies and rooms over 5 days polarizes many a scholar (not just in light of the COVID epidemic), the hosts of your favorite podcast were delighted to be part of this year's iteration. While Sophie had her first time experience of AOM, Alexander was thoroughly excited to attend the annual gathering in person again after a 3 year hiatus. Why both hosts fully endorse participating in academic gatherings of this kind, whether it is the AOM or the biggest conference in your field of choice, is the topic of discussion for this episode. The hosts talk about:
- their general impressions of taking part in a huge US conference after over 2 years of isolation
- where they see the benefits of taking part in conferences like AOM
- differences between European and US conferences and scholarship in general
- the benefits (and drawbacks) of in-person vs virtual conferences
- their most important tips and biggest regrets with regards to international conferences
and as usual, much more.
In addition, as a special treat, we have added some feedback from our biggest "fans" that we met at this year's AOM annual meeting. Listen past the credits to learn what others think about our podcasting efforts.

The hosts can hardly believe it, but at least two of them, Dieter and Alexander, are moving into the final quarter of their PhD studies at breakneck speed. At the same time, Philipp is trying to speed up his own timetable to match the formers'. Each phase of the PhD comes with its own set of opportunities and challenges. While the hosts have learned a lot over the last 3-4 years, much of which we shared with our loyal listeners in this podcast, there still is so much more that they have no clue about. Hence, in this episode, the hosts minus Sophie decided to tackle the topic of "late-stage plans", sharing among other things:
- What, if any, of the hosts' perspectives have changed over the years
- What the hosts are planning to accomplish in the final 1-2 years of their graduate studies
- What the hosts definitely plan to avoid
- What the hosts wish that they will be able to look back upon once they have completed their degree
As you may have noticed from the description - we recorded our episode in English once again. We believe there may be more listeners out there that would appreciate what we have to say but don't understand German, as opposed to listeners that don't understand English. But let us know what you think via Instagram, Twitter or good ol' e-mail: deskreject.podcast@gmail.com

Episode 40 is a milestone for the Desk Reject team in 2 respects. 1st, we recorded our entire episode in English - which will be our MO for the near future. 2nd, it's EPISODE 40!! And we have a very special guest, Jacqueline Ng Lane, former Post Doc at the Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard and current Assistant Professor at Harvard Business School. In the first part of the episode, she will be sharing advice for grad students regarding:
- What is a lab in Social Sciences
- visiting abroad in general and the Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard specifically
- what the decision process was around starting a postdoc after her PhD
- how life will change as an Assistant Professor
- Whether you should apply as a visiting researcher or postdoc at one of Harvard's labs
Thereafter, your usual hosts (minus Sophie who couldn't make it) discuss whether our opinion about embarking on a postdoc has changed in light of Jackie's input. Finally, Alexander has a more positive review of his stay abroad after several complaints regarding his last episode's resumé.

In the 39th iteration of our Desk Reject Podcast, you will not be hearing from the usual Desk Reject team and you will not be hearing our usual German conversation about the plights and trepidations of PhDs. This episode is very near and dear to the Desk Reject teams' hearts as we have managed to get the hosts of the "This IS Research" Podcast into our virtual studio to share some of their wisdom with us and our listeners. Nick Berente, Full Professor of IT at the Mendoza College of Business, and Jan Recker, Nucleus Professor for Information Systems and Digital Innovation at the University of Hamburg, will use this hour to share a cornucopia filled with valuable insights for any aspiring or current PhD students. No matter what field you are (planning on) pursuing your graduate degree in, Nick and Jan provide you with insightful answers to our burning questions on:
- What makes a good or great PhD candidate
- How to choose your PhD program
- How to think about your researcher identity
- Why you should aim for a community of support rather than the envy trap
and much more

Zu Hause ist es zwar am schönsten, trotz dessen zieht es immer wieder DoktroandInnen im Laufe ihrer Promotionszeit ins Ausland. Der so genannte "Research Stay Abroad" wird oft als wertvolle Erfahrung von Kollegen und manchmal auch dem Doktorvater empfohlen, um über den Tellerrand des eigenen Lehrstuhls hinauszublicken. Ein Handbuch zur Empfehlung wird jedoch selten mitgeliefert, weswegen man als von Haus aus überforderte DoktorandIn oft nicht weiß wie man überhaupt anfangen soll sich zu informieren. Einer der Hosts, Alexander, befindet sich derzeit in Boston und auch die anderen 3 Hosts haben sich bereits längere Zeit mit dem Thema beschäftigt. Daher gibt es in dieser Folge durchaus unüblich brauchbare Ratschläge und Erfahrungsberichte der Hosts.

Zwar nicht immer aber oft bestreitet man die PhD Reise nicht alleine, sondern zumindest zu zweit. Die Hosts von Desk Reject habe sich inzwischen schon seit über 2 Jahren ausschließlich mit sich selbst beschäftigt, ohne ihren besseren Hälften auch nur in einem Nebensatz zu erwähnen. Deswegen wird den Partnern und Partnerinnen diesmal eine gesamte Folge gewidmet. Natürlich kommen sie nicht selbst zu Wort, sondern die Hosts unterhalten sich darüber, wie es ist in einer Beziehung einem PhD nachzugehen. Unter anderem wird sich unterhalten über:
- Was die Rolle des Partners während des PhDs ist
- Warum man sich (nicht) mit dem Partner über die Arbeit unterhält
- Wie offen man für Feedback vom Partner ist
- Ob man nicht doch lieber single wäre ...
- ... oder gleich mit einer Kollegin / einem Kollegen zusammen sein möchte
und noch viel mehr.

Vor allem in den Wirtschaftswissenschaften, wo sich die Hosts besonders heimisch fühlen, kommt zwangsläufig die multiple choice Frage auf - an was für ein Paper schreibst du gerade? Man darf daraufhin aus den folgenden Optionen wählen: Quantitativ, qualitativ, conceptual oder literature review. Die traditionelle kumulative PhD Kandidatin setzt den Ablauf: Literature Review, conceptual, empirical (quant or qual), voraus. Die Monographie verpackt alles in ein Buch und optimalerweise schaut eine empirische Arbeit als Publikation heraus. Die Herausforderung für angehende PhDs dabei ist im Kern, dass einem die Chancen und Risiken die mit den verschieden Optionen einhergehen, erst klar werden, nachdem man bereits mitten im Projekt feststeckt. Deshalb haben sich die Hosts in dieser Folge das triviale Ziel gesteckt, die verschiedenen Forschungsansätze aus eigener Erfahrung zu erörtern. Ob es ihnen gelungen ist, müssen die Zuhörer bewerten. In jedem Fall diskutieren wir darüber:
○ Welche Erfahrungen die Hosts bis jetzt mit conceptual und quantitativen Forschungsprojekten machen durften
○ Was die besonderen Herausforderungen in den Sozialwissenschaften sind
○ Was die Vor- und Nachteile der verschiedenen Optionen sind
Und wie immer, noch viel mehr Halbwahrheiten.

Als Doktorandin geht man nicht nur im Dissertationsprozess durch unterschiedliche Phasen, sondern auch im Umgang mit den Eltern. Am Anfang herrscht bei Mutter und Vater oft eine Mischung aus Stolz darauf, dass das Kind bald Doktor sein wird, und Zweifel darüber, ob das Kind denn noch länger studieren sollte, vor. Über die Zeit hinweg und basierend auf dem akademischen Hintergrund der Eltern, wandelt sich dann Stolz und Neugierde in Sorge und Unverständnis. Wo am Anfang noch von beiden Seiten das Gespräch über die Tätigkeit gesucht wird, löst bei dem 4. Weihnachtsessen seit Promotionsstart die Frage "wie siehts aus, wann bist du denn fertig" bei den meisten alle Gefühle nur nicht Freude aus. Da die Hosts in unterschiedlichen Elternhäusern aufgewachsen sind, wollten sie sich in dieser Folge deshalb dem Thema widmen, wie man als Promovierende mit den Eltern umgeht. Unter anderem wird besprochen:
- Welche Fragen den Eltern noch heute auf der Zunge brennen, wenn die Kinder auf Besuch kommen
- Wie hat sich das Interesse von Mama am Forschungsvorhaben von Sohn oder Tochter entwickelt?
- Welche Gesprächsthemen dominieren im familiären Austausch?
-Warum man (nicht mehr) gerne zuhause über die Arbeit spricht

Und noch einiges mehr.