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Was the admissions profiles/results topic deleted?


paleoearth

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Can't find the admissions profiles/results topic anymore? Anyone know what happened to it? A lot of valuable information in there...

Also didn't get to read a reply that answered a question I had!

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3 hours ago, paleoearth said:

Can't find the admissions profiles/results topic anymore? Anyone know what happened to it? A lot of valuable information in there...

Also didn't get to read a reply that answered a question I had!

Hi! I answered a question you had about attending A&M if that was the post you were referring to! I'm still around if you have any specific questions, happy to help!

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1 hour ago, paleoatmo said:

Hi! I answered a question you had about attending A&M if that was the post you were referring to! I'm still around if you have any specific questions, happy to help!

I actually posted about what questions I should ask a POI when going on an interview. I didn't have a chance to read the response!

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1 hour ago, fuzzylogician said:

FWIW I am not seeing anything relevant that has been deleted or hidden. Any chance you remember who started this thread or when you last saw it on the board? 

I'm pretty sure I saw it earlier today, probably around 10 or 11 am EST but my history has me visiting it last yesterday (March 5th). It was started by AwayGeologistKid. Here's a cached version of the thread

 

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7 minutes ago, Marshall said:

I'm pretty sure I saw it earlier today, probably around 10 or 11 am EST but my history has me visiting it last yesterday (March 5th). It was started by AwayGeologistKid. Here's a cached version of the thread

 

Thanks for this link. Unfortunately, I can't access the last page. It was really just a few good pointers to ask a PI in my first in-person interview. 

Also, it's a bummer the thread was lost. Some good discussion on there. 

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12 hours ago, fuzzylogician said:

Okay -- indeed, something has gone awry with your thread. I hope we can restore it soon. 

Thanks. I'm curious as to what could have gone wrong to cause the thread to disappear into the night (mid-late afternoon).

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The short version -- it looks like someone accidentally banned AwayGeologistKid's account -- a mistake on the part of the moderating team that is very rare, but it happens, since we're all human.. we've restored the account, but it's more difficult to restore the old posts. We're working on it, apologies for this. 

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20 hours ago, paleoearth said:

I actually posted about what questions I should ask a POI when going on an interview. I didn't have a chance to read the response!

Hey, so I answered that but then the tread went away. Basically the #1 advice I got from post docs was to point blank ask the grad students what the absolute worst part of being in that program/lab was. They're surprisingly open about it!

Otherwise, I've asked mainly about these things during visits:

  • What the ratio of RA to TA is for funding...like will you have to be TAing for 4 years in order to stay funded
  • What classes are required/offered and if there is an opportunity to take classes outside of the university if they lack something you want
  • How hands on/off the PI is and how they feel about when you're in the lab 
    • I prefer to work in the evenings so this was super important to me
  • How collaborative your PI is with other professors - it's awesome if you can use more than just your assigned lab freely
  • Where previous PhD grads have ended up
  • What the graduate student life is like - do people hang out together, are they happy, where do they live, etc...
  • If they have a project in mind for you or if they are open to you creating your own

I'm sure you've thought about or even discussed most of these with you PI but that's just my 2 cents.

Edited by MicroRocks
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32 minutes ago, MicroRocks said:

Hey, so I answered that but then the tread went away. Basically the #1 advice I got from post docs was to point blank ask the grad students what the absolute worst part of being in that program/lab was. They're surprisingly open about it!

Otherwise, I've asked mainly about these things during visits:

  • What the ratio of RA to TA is for funding...like will you have to be TAing for 4 years in order to stay funded
  • What classes are required/offered and if there is an opportunity to take classes outside of the university if they lack something you want
  • How hands on/off the PI is and how they feel about when you're in the lab 
    • I prefer to work in the evenings so this was super important to me
  • How collaborative your PI is with other professors - it's awesome if you can use more than just your assigned lab freely
  • Where previous PhD grads have ended up
  • What the graduate student life is like - do people hang out together, are they happy, where do they live, etc...
  • If they have a project in mind for you or if they are open to you creating your own

I'm sure you've thought about or even discussed most of these with you PI but that's just my 2 cents.

Thanks a bunch for reposting this--I've discussed a few of these points, but some I wouldn't have thought of. I'll be sure to write these down!

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What have you all been wearing to your grad school visits/interviews? When student's visited my school--it was only females, so I couldn't gauge what a male should wear. But, they were dressed somewhat casually I'd say. 

Thoughts?

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http://jezebel.com/the-problem-with-calling-women-females-1683808274

Also: nice jeans and sweater/button-dow or slacks and sweater/button-down, nice shoes that are appropriate for walking (anticipate campus visits, outings for lunch/dinner). Basically, as long as you don't stand out as too under- or over-dressed, no one is going to care.* Most fields aren't too formal, so you don't need a suit, and probably not even a jacket, though if you wanted to, you could wear one and take it off if you seem overdressed compared to the others. It's more important that you're comfortable than anything else.

* As a general rule, the east coast is more formal than the west coast. So on the west coast you might even get away with wearing a T-shirt.

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Geology/earth science departments on the west coast are very informal, based on my experience. Definitely do not wear a suit! 

For men at my school, a polo shirt and khakis or nice* jeans are a great choice for visiting students. Current students dress will vary from t-shirts to polo shirts. When someone comes in a dress shirt, it's probably because they have some event they need to be dressed up for! As a visiting student, I'd aim for a slightly dressier look, so I would recommend a polo shirt (or equivalent in terms of formality). 

(* by nice jeans, I don't necessarily mean those $100+ jeans, just jeans that are clean, fit well, and not ripped)

Another tip: Many earth science visits include a field trip or hike of some sort. Check out your itinerary before leaving and be sure to pack comfortable clothes for that!

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On 3/7/2017 at 0:09 PM, fuzzylogician said:

The short version -- it looks like someone accidentally banned AwayGeologistKid's account -- a mistake on the part of the moderating team that is very rare, but it happens, since we're all human.. we've restored the account, but it's more difficult to restore the old posts. We're working on it, apologies for this. 

Any update on if the thread can be restored?

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