ion_exchanger

I second buying your paper at target. I had no idea how much money I was wasting by going to staples and Office Depot, you think you are supposed to just go to the standard office supply stores and they would have the best deals.

I also second checking the cost of ink. I had my handy Canon printer all through undergrad until it finally died, and I bought a newer one. This new ink system requires one large black cartridge, one small black one, a yellow one, blue one, and magenta one. My old canon would still print if there was only color ink and the black ran out. This one will not print, I don't know why, maybe because the colors are separate. They are not sold individually, you either have to buy only blacks or one black and all colors. Because they all run out at different times, this can be annoying. I have no idea if my printer can print double sided on it's own, I have never tried. I usually do it manually, and only manage to not screw it up sometimes. These new printers load paper from the bottom and it slides in differently, not the top feed that oldies like me are used to.

For what it's worth, my math score was comparable to yours, and I was accepted into a pretty good biophysics program :-)

Studied super hard for a test that I thought would be killer. Put off 2nd test until 1st test was over. Did a great job on test 1, which wasn't as difficult as I had anticipated, bombed test two. -___-

You bring up excellent points. I did not think about it from that point of view. It's just my natural reaction to tense up and shy away from study groups. I'll give it a shot.

I assume the majority of us posters have begun taking classes. I'm two weeks in and my first test is 3 weeks away. People are talking about forming study groups already. I stayed away from study groups in undergrad due to my bad luck with them. In my experience, study groups were where a few people who were not studying tried to get with people who were studying to learn the material that they would have learned if they had studied themselves. I know that this is not the case with all groups, but this was my experience. I know that being able to teach someone else demonstrates understanding, but I am not interested in using study time to be a tutor. My idea of a study group is where you discuss the material with a deeper level of understanding, quiz each other, and try to anticipate test questions. When my friend and I studied together, we each designed a test for the other to take test our understanding of the material. Also, if I am weak in one area and strong in another, I would give help where I could, and receive help when I needed. Are you joining or have you joined a study group? Will you study alone? Thoughts?

At my undergrad institution, which was pretty small, there was grad housing available in the on campus apartments. Undergrads had preference, but if there was space available, grad students were allowed to live in there, although I think there were very few, if any. Most grad students lived off campus. Usually graduate students who lived on campus were graduate assistant RA's who assisted the general RA with their duties. In other institutions that I applied to, there was separate housing for graduate students, so I see both sides. I'm surprised that they put you with all undergrads, especially if there was a possibility of other grad students seeking housing. This is an unfortunate situation for you, I hope that everything works out.

It's weird. I feel just fine in my classes, but in labs I have bad imposter syndrome.

Everything was great the first week. I love my classes, at least the ones that have started. Everyone seems super nice. The only thing dampening my spirits is the little bit of drama that has developed regarding my fall rotation, which I have not started yet. The situation is frustrating, and if it weren't for that, I would be on cloud 9. Let's say I'm currently on cloud 7

There are a few ways to do it. The first way, which is the way I did, is apply directly to the program and the host university, and be accepted that way. They have partnerships with Hopkins, GW, Georgetown, Brown, Boston, and Oxford. You take classes at the host university and perform your research at NIH. The second way is through an individual partnership. You will already have to be enrolled in a graduate program. You will have to identify a prospective mentor at NIH who will agree to host you throughout your graduate education.

Have you considered applying to the NIH Graduate Partnership Program? The National Institute of Aging sounds like a place where you might be a good fit. They have PIs doing research in different areas of aging, including a division of aging biology.

Congratulations on your wedding! Yay! Hopefully the wedding is great, and you get accepted this year, and you can get your great life going!

Pulling for you this year! Hope that you are successful!

Also, PLEASE do not feel dumb about asking your LORs for ivy league letters of recommendation. They should be happy to write them and encourage you for fill them out. Initially when I went to my mentors with my list, they asked why I didn't include any ivy league schools, and I ended up adding UPenn per their suggestion. Guess what? I was accepted! Don't sell yourself short. Apply to the ivy schools that match your interest and you could see yourself attending.

I was told to apply to ten schools as a general rule of thumb. I applied to seven (two programs at the same school), interviewed at three and accepted at three. I believe that, just the same with most things in life, quality is better than quantity. You have to do your research and identify schools that are the best fit for you, increasing the chances that you will be accepted. This includes research interests, average stats of students (even though this is secondary to research experience), and if you could see yourself living in that area. You should apply to a few reaches which match your research interests, and schools where you are a great research fit. The three schools that I was accepted to were ironically my biggest reach, my best fit, and my "safety", even though there is no such thing as a safety grad school. I ended up attending my best fit. I think that around 10 is a good number as well. Your LOR writers expect you to apply to a good number of schools. My direct research mentors wrote all seven of mine, and then I had a couple of people write some and not others. I prioritized based on the school. For example, for my Ivy application, I had my NIH mentors write all of the letters. Consider breaking it up that way. Good luck to you!

Have you checked to see if your POI's have joint appointments in both departments?

Thanks everyone, there are so many good suggestions here, keep them coming. I would just like to agree with the poster above me, about anyone keeping their subject relevant books. I have piles of old editions of biology and chemistry related books, and I'm keeping them forever. I also have piles of sociology, psychology, geography, and other elective books that will do me do good. Thanks again everyone.

1. I am a big fan of dry erase boards. I have a huge one in my room as a monthly calendar, and it gives me just a quick visual reference when I am up so that I can keep track of things. Everything goes there, deadlines, basketball games, and general to-do's. It has a slot for monthly goals, which I fill in. Also, on Sundays I always write a small achievable weekly goal that I can get through. 2. I love to make lists as well. Breaking things up into small easy tasks really helps keep me moving, and I am one of the biggest procrastinators ever. 3. I love love love my day planner. It has a monthly calendar to jot quick notes, as well as a daily calendar with plenty of room to make notes. I crack it open a couple of times a day to make sure that I am top of things. It also has a large section for notes. It's small and light, so it's easy to take around with me. My planner doubles as my notebook for non lab meetings and seminars.