
The AAAI Doctoral Consortium put me in touch with several other PhD students, with whom I enjoyed conversations both on research and academia in general. From observing the others’ presentations, I got a better idea on how to properly present my research to people of different research backgrounds. Furthermore, we were taught (through trial-and-error) how to pitch a new research idea in a succinct, well-motivated way, which is vital in the academic world. In general, I felt the consortium was well organized; it was not just a long sequence of presentations, but it included a small workshop on pitching a research idea, and a panel session on academic careers. Kudos to the organizers.