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m.raynal
m.raynal
12:55
@Discretelizard I did not suggest that the candidature should be rejected (or maybe my understanding of "red flag" is wrong). My point was more to point that several comments were somehow considering that one should not be expected to produce a standard PhD application,
m.raynal
m.raynal
13:15
And by the way, if I was to receive such an application, I would surely consider it anyway, and give some feedback to the student about how to improve and adapt.

What surprises me though, is that my comments are very much extrapolated and answers targeted towards me ("don't stereotype religious people", "you should", "major red flag for your suitability") despite me having merely pointed, maybe harshly, that this is imho a lack of deductive capabilities.

As a matter of fact, none of my family had higher education, half of it is from Algeria, so please don't start judging me personally fr…
Discrete lizard
Discrete lizard
@m.raynal Indeed, I was under the impression that you suggested to reject the application, mostly due to "that this may not be a problem" (seems to imply the student application is a problem.) and "You must gather information on your own already if you want to become a researcher." (seems to imply that showing they have not found this particular information disqualifies the applicant from becoming a researcher, and therefore from becoming a PhD student)
m.raynal
m.raynal
13:50
So it was a misunderstanding.
But I stand about expecting a graduated student that wishes to go for a very educated and international career in science to have a basic understanding of some world's facts and people's expectations.
But as I said, my first reflex would be to point it to the student, explaining the context and giving hints. Not wishing them away for ever from the research world like I would for a violent person.

Really, what I reacted mostly was that some were defending the applicant like a kid almost. I'm from some "minority groups" in my own country, and what I hate most is…
Discrete lizard
Discrete lizard
14:34
@m.raynal Yes. Interpreting what people mean can be difficult in this text-based format. My reaction was almost opposite to yours: what I read in various comments (by you and others) sounded like defaulting to harsh punishment for mistakes, rather than using the mistake as an opportunity to learn. I certainly do not approve of ignoring the mistakes. I also think I understand your sentiment: you do not want people to ignore your (social) missteps but rather educate you on the social norms.
This reminds me of a button that some expats wear to request people speak Dutch with them (the local language), rather than defaulting to English when they hear the other is struggling with the language. Because, well, how are they going to learn, otherwise?

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