Are We Really Going to Top Summer Schools in Computational Neuroscience?

Successes, ah, they’ve finally arrived. Yet, it’s quite apparent that an employee’s success doesn’t always mirror the boss’s, and vice versa.

For instance, I just got news that I’ve been accepted into not one. But three summer schools (!) In Computational Neuroscience this year—Russia, China, and near Poznań, Poland. 

From my standpoint, this is fantastic news. I have choices, a luxury not everyone enjoys.

There are those who won’t make the cut for any of these schools, given their acceptance rates of 15-25%. I managed to secure admission in 3 out of the 6 schools I applied for, which is pretty decent, considering I aimed for the top-tier ones.

In Negotiations With My Boss: How Could I Skip the Opportunity?

However, it appears my boss wasn’t brimming with enthusiasm. It took a two-hour discussion to fathom why they were so keen on me picking just one school instead of attending more. They mentioned time and money, to which I responded fervently. 

I suggested giving up two weeks of vacation (I’m already maxed out this year), dropping the school in Russia, applying for funding to make it cost-free. Plus, the organizers of the school in China waived almost all expenses except the flight. And the organizers in Poland halved the fee.

Despite that, the boss kept voicing concerns and circled back to an evaluation in November. So, I laid out my case—I work diligently, and these summer schools are investments for the next three years. Both offer unique profiles, and their tutor lists barely overlap. 

Eventually, after a two-hour back-and-forth, I unearthed the real reason: my boss believed I treated summer schools as free vacations, enjoying a free ride at the university’s expense due to my fondness for traveling. According to Pruitt and Lewis (1975) in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, exchanging information about each side’s real underlying concerns is one of the approaches that reliably leads negotiators to more mutually beneficial agreements. This works better than relying on just stated positions. Nothing could be further from the truth, but the challenge lies in teasing out these strange perceptions and tackling them head-on, as if it’s difficult to be forthright.

How the Negotiation Ended

In the end, I triumphed in these negotiations. And my boss had to acknowledge it to my supervisor, giving me immense satisfaction.

Now, I’m embarking on a challenging journey—six weeks of rigorous preparation, an intense exam, finalizing my physics master’s thesis, and devouring articles from all potential summer school tutors. Most importantly, I’ll be conducting research and bravely attempting to write and submit my first doctoral dissertation publication. 

I usually wrap up my work around 1AM in the night, so I’m ready to push my limits. According to van Tienoven et al. (2023), PhD students frequently work these non-standard hours. Such long, irregular schedules get normalized as simply part of the academic calling. Overall, it’s a juggling act. As APA-reviewed research on multitasking notes, what feels like doing several things at once is really rapid task-switching. That switching carries a real cognitive cost. But I’m finding myself growing fonder of the job, perhaps because I’m gradually comprehending its essence.

What Will Tomorrow Bring?

8:00 AM: Set out from home, neat, tidy, well-groomed, and with my hair intact, of course.

9:00 AM: Attend a 3-hour Personal Branding workshop—a lesson in becoming a standout figure in science. Not entirely sure what to expect. But I’m here to absorb whatever I can, as it has the scent of opportunity. 

After that, it’s a quick dash to the science department, printing and putting up the poster on campus. I’ll also submit the travel grant application to the secretary and figure out how to recover the money from coworkers who owe me for gym balls. If possible, I’ll join them for lunch, sporting a smile and feigning interest in their future. 

Following that, I’ll approach the department’s general manager and make my case for using the university logo on my personal business cards, a plan to be distributed at summer schools. I’ll also ensure to apply for the trademark and guard against the PhD student next to me copying my idea. 

Lastly, I’ll create an informative multimedia presentation about the board of doctoral students at the Faculty of Science, ensuring it’s displayed on corridor screens and forwarded to the board. And of course, I need to arrange another meeting of the doctoral student council from my institute, which isn’t the same as the previous one.

2:30 PM: Attend my first meeting with a mentor at the local hospital. This mentor will guide me through the designated project. And it’s a project I haven’t had the chance to see yet.

I’ll provide an update on the project, holding my tongue whenever I’m tempted to criticize it. Naturally, I’ll greet them with a wide smile.

The Afternoon Push

3:00 PM: Rush to the adjacent building for a lecture by a prominent figure in my field. I’ll prepare a smart question to ask in front of the audience, aiming to earn a ‘good question’ from the speaker and a nod of approval from the boss.

4:00 PM: Buckle down and head back to the Faculty of Science. It’s 4:00 PM and I haven’t accomplished anything yet.

If I’m lucky, I’ll squeeze in a quick bite to eat. I’ll consolidate three cups of coffee into one and rely on that to keep me going.

9:00 PM: Skype meeting with my fiancé (I’ll make a last-minute attempt to reduce the bags under my eyes before that).

10:00 PM: It’s time to hit the lab. Why procrastinate? If programming goes well, I’ll reward myself with an episode of Drzyzga.

When my adrenaline and energy levels plummet, I’ll settle down in the bathroom and continue my research. When I’m in a hurry, I won’t bother leaving the lab to use the bathroom.

1:30 AM: Finally emerge from the lab and head home. Of course, I’ll contemplate and solve problems in my head as I walk, because ‘walking isn’t unproductive’. According to Oppezzo and Schwartz (2014), walking measurably boosts creative thinking compared to sitting, both during the walk and shortly afterward. It’s a day much like any other.