gpantel

Noted. I felt this way as well but felt the need for someone to validate that opinion just in case. Thank you.

To other fellows: Do you think it would be obnoxious to include "NSF Graduate Fellow" on business cards? I like having business cards to easily share contact info with people I meet, and thought that it might help with getting people to take me more seriously. I notice that many professors with special positions include the accompanying title in their e-mail salutations and think this might be a similar situation. Have any of you done this or explicitly not done this? Thanks!

Thanks, I'll keep this in mind in case I feel the need to get fancy. I'll go with Amazon then. I did stop in at University Stationary by MIT and heard that the best time to stock up on this stuff is around September/August when drug stores like CVS slash their prices to try to get people in the door.

It's a method I'm working on implementing that I believe could be used towards topics that are being studied in the lab, so I'm hoping there is some potential for results. I believe you are right in that I should speak with my adviser about this.

Thanks for the suggestion. This sounds great for an every-once-in-a-while thing. Does anyone know a cheap place to get composition and spiral bound notebooks in the Boston area? Like around Boston, Cambridge, Allston, or Sommerville? The prices I've seen at most places are pretty ludicrous so far (~$5 for a composition notebook!)

Oh great! Happy to hear that.

Hi all, There is a side project I've been thinking about that's only very slightly outside of my field that I've done some proof of concept for for already. This is not in the field I plan to pursue for my career per-se, but is closely related and is rclosely elated to something I'd been working on in undergrad. Have any of you in the sciences ever worked on a one-off side project with a professor outside of your department? If so, how did it go? I'd really only be looking for advising in my methodology, reviewing drafts, and publishing with someone who is in the field.

Holy lord that place looks amazing! "Extra coin" indeed. I'll give it a look at the very least.

Hi all, I will be in to Cambridge around Central Square next week. I'll be attending BU. During my time in Boston I'd like do some recreational sports in the area, particularly rock climbing and stuff on the water (sailing, kayaking, etc.) I know BU had some facilities for these activities, but the rock wall is listed as having poor hours, 4 hours a day at most. I've heard that they have sailing and rowing there, but I'm not sure how open these are to students who aren't athletes. To the locals: Do any of you have any experience with these activities? Other suggestions? Thank you!

Thank you both for your responses! I do feel strongly that I've made the best choice for my graduate research. I suppose that the networking is something that I should put extra effort into because of the institution I've chosen.

Over the past couple days I've found that I'm the first student in my department at my school to win the GRFP as an undergrad. Additionally, it seems that I'm the first incoming student in the department I've chosen to attend for graduate studies who is coming in with a graduate fellowship. This is kind of a silly question, and terribly selfish to ask given there are so many who did not recieve the award, but to others: Should I feel bad about wasting my "golden ticket" on a school that isn't top-tier? Will people still see that I've been able to get my own support and give me respect of the same degree as students at top tier schools? I hate the thought that my personal choices for research and adviser-fit could significantly hamper my potential even though I do think that, outside of prestiege, I am making the best choice. Could any previous winners tell me a bit about how the award has shaped the way they interact with researchers outside of their home institution? Or if it has at all?

I made sure the woman who directs the group I work with write one of my letters. I suppose that was the proof.

The most notable of these: I've been volunteering with an afterschool group as a middle school science instructor for minority students in Philadelphia middle schools. I supplied a very small anecdote about this and a sentence or two detailing my work. Additionally, I mentioned that I am a member of a minority group, and worked my motivation for broader impacts about my personal struggles.

E/E E/E E/VG I GOT IT OH MY GOD AAAAAAHHHH! I applied 100% in Chemistry - Chemical Theory, Models and Computational Methods Aside from spending a huge amount of time working on making a very coherent and structurally appealing application through readings sent to 10+ people I know, I belive the tipping point was my broader impacts.

Hi mterabithia, First question: Are your interests more in QM or Molecular Dynamics? Coming from my familiarity with schools that feature strong research using Molecular Dynamics, particularly for investigating topics in Biochemistry, here are just a few off the top of my head: University of California San Francisco Stanford University University of Chicago Stony Brook University University of Pittsburgh Temple University Boston University University of California San Diego