aginath
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Posts posted by aginath
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You might get a more directed answer in http://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/28-life-sciences/
However, I can speak having done my undergraduate and master's at a university that has Biological Science programs and offers M.S. degrees in almost every discipline therein. A quick check of U.S. News & World Reports shows Stanford to be the current #1 in Sciences. A google for Stanford biomedical science led me to the Stanford School of Medicine, where I found this: http://med.stanford.edu/ms/
Perhaps that will help you in your journey for information. Good luck!
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Take any advice you get with a grain of salt as every program and every university is different.
Is a stipend tax free
No, all stipends are subject to state and federal tax.
Do any PhD's include Housing
If there are, I've not encountered one. A better question would be do any assistantships include housing. In which case the answer is yes. Assistantships with housing tend to include an on campus apartment in exchange for serving as a Resident Director of a dorm or coordinator of Family Housing. Some of those also include reduced or free meal plans on campus as well.
I am currently working as an RA for a lecturer at the moment, I will enter a PhD with 18 months RA experience
Would the Uni where I would hopefully take up a PhD employee me as an RA or what is the possibility for lecture hours
This depends heavily on the school and program. I have experience as both a research and a teaching assistant from my Masters. I also have experience as a lecturer for a regional college. However, my department has only 4 teaching assistantships in the entire department (and it is the largest department in the college -- and the college is the largest in the university). Therefore, teaching slots are extremely competitive. If I were in a hard science discipline, like say Biology, I'd probably have no problem getting a lab teaching position given the sheer number of students and classes offered.
FWIW, my assistantship is with the graduate school itself and is "somewhat" an RA (I manage the website). My stipend is about 20K a year before taxes. If I were single and lived in an apartment, I could manage on just my stipend after taxes. It would be tight and I wouldn't go out much, but it could be done. However, I am married and my husband makes a student's salary. Combined, we make enough to make ends meet and still have a few luxuries.
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Have you considered a DrPH instead? Or do you not want a doctorate?
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I did my B.S. and M.S. back to back. I didn't really start to get involved until my senior year of undergrad. So, I continued that during my master's. I served as my department's rep on the Graduate Student Council. I looked across campus for organizations that were in need of volunteers and found an annual conference that's held in the summer to help non-traditional and graduate students adjust to campus life and learn the school traditions. I served as publicity co-chair for the conference. I stayed somewhat active with one of my undergraduate groups, because it wasn't solely for undergrads and I liked working with the Horticulture Department doing outreach.
I took an 8 year break to work in industry after graduation. Now that I'm back, one of the first things I did was seek out organizations. There is a Graduate Student Association, but I have not gotten active in it. Instead, I've chosen to get active in my department's organization and my program's organization. I also work outside of school with an area group who share the same philosophical and religious beliefs as I do. Next fall, I'm helping coordinate an annual festival with them.
There are many, many ways to get active and stay active.
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Differences in time commitment and effort vary by program and even university. Some programs require 12 hours of clocked work outside of teaching and others require as many as 20. Non-teaching assistantships can also have varying degrees of responsibility. Mine is non-teaching and I'm required to work 16 hours a week. However, I have colleagues who assist with grading and research and only work 12 hours a week.
If you can get a TA, take it. My field is educational technology. We're in the Ed Psych department. However, I have a classmate who teaches Japanese over in the Comp Lit department, because he's fluent. Another student teaches freshman Psych, because her B.A. is in Psychology. In a time where funding cutbacks are affecting every program, don't limit your options. Shop around.
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Does anyone here know when our student loans will start being deferred because we'll be enrolled in school? I'm TECHNICALLY already enrolled after all!
I learned last summer that the University of Georgia doesn't consider you "enrolled" until you're registered for classes. It would seem that many other schools use this same ruling. As for when you start deferring, if the school participates int he Clearing House, they send automatic reports of enrolled students and lenders reference this list monthly. My consolidation is through AES and they work through the CH. Since UGA is a participant, my name was included in the August 09 (I registered for class the first week of August) end of month report and my payments from September on forward are deferred.
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I got married after graduating with my Master's and against the advice of many, I changed my name (First MInitial Maiden Married). It created a few issues early on. I went industry and had a foundation in academia that I was trying to build on and grow with. Four years later, I found myself facing divorce. Given the issues I experienced previously, I figured I'd just keep my married name. It wasn't long afterwards that I found myself experiencing a personal identity crisis. I was sitting with my father, uncle, and great uncle and realized I was the only one there without that name. I resolved then and there to change back, before going back to academia and issues be damned. I'll say now that I should've just gone back to begin with. A legal name change ran me about $400 when it was said and done. Cost aside, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I felt more like me again and I was able to forge forward. Two years ago, I remarried. This time, I never thought twice about changing my name. He never expected it, nor asked me to. Occasionally we have issues where the relationship is questioned (usually financial). For that reason, we each carry a certified copy of our marriage license.
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I have friends (Masters and Doc students) who didn't have a pet (dog or otherwise) going into Grad School and wanted one. The majority of them still don't. Generally, those who do have pets had them prior to starting school and already know the commitment (time and money) it takes before starting this journey. Personally, I have 2 cats and 2 dogs (Siberian Husky and a Husky/Malamute mix), but I also have a husband who shares the responsibilities with me. I'm also not a fan of having dogs (teacup or otherwise) in apartments. Having pets means having to make sacrifices when it comes to searching for places to live, paying extra deposits, and paying for those vet bills. I don't know that taking all of that on when starting school is the best idea.
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I just completed my first year...After I got my initial acceptance letter (in March 09), it instructed me to contact my advisors and arrange an initial meeting. I did and communicated with one of them perhaps twice before I came out in June to look for a place to live and meet with him. After that, we had maybe two or three more email exchanges before classes started in August. I didn't know anyone in my cohort until the week before classes started when I met one person at the Grad Student Orientation. At the end of the first week, we had our first seminar class; all first and second year students are required to take the class. That was when I met the other 7 students in my cohort.
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I'm a pagan white female, so only one of those qualifiers made me stand out in BCS. Still, I have/had friends of many nationalities and ethnicities, but honestly didn't meet them until grad school at A&M 10 years ago. Until then, most of my friends were white. It wasn't that I planned it that way; it's just that the make up of my classes and work were mostly white students/coworkers. That said, no, it's not East Texas in the 1960s. You won't be heckled or harassed walking across campus or dining in any of the awesome local eateries. Your parents won't be stared at if they hold hands while walking with you through the mall.
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As a minority grad student, will I feel uncomfortable spending the next several years there?
That depends upon you as a person. Are you likely to stay holed up in your apartment when you're not in class or working? Then, yeah, you would feel uncomfortable. There are pocket communities spread throughout the cities and there's a little something for everyone. It's just in some cases you have to look a little harder or deeper than the surface.
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I'm trying to figure out why the freak out. There was nothing rude or to be construed as rude. Emailing twice would be annoying and likely apt to get you a delayed response.
As for calling versus emailing, legally, they cannot tell you over the phone (or in email) what the decision was only if a decision has been made. Some schools prefer email communication as it provides a trackable record. You'll get the same information either way and any good program or school has someone dedicated to responding to incoming emails.
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The property looks nice and is in a great location, but @larry83's post about P&A got me to thinking. These reviews on Yahoo! Local are pretty telling. I looked them up in the Better Business Bureau and see only 1 complaint, but it is unresolved due to Parker & Associate's failure to respond (leading the BBB to note the partnership as "out of business," though they are clearly not). That's not a good sign at all. I know these aren't things you really want to hear, but should. If you think you can deal with the management company for up to a year, then take the shortest lease possible and consider finding something else once you get here.
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It's between Lumpkin & Milledge, which is a generally good area. I'm trying to think if I've ever been past there, but honestly don't think I have (and it'd be Thursday before I could swing past there and look in person.
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I see lots of totes on campus, but those are mainly used by friends who have offices in the building or buildings nearby. My assistantship is technically off campus (downtown) and I tried the messenger bag the first few weeks of school last fall. My shoulders and neck were killing me. So, I opted for a backpack. I have a High Sierra that I absolutely love and live out of. When I'm not in class, I have a small Sherpani crossbody bag for my keys and few small items.
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Cost of living in Houston seems to be pretty good, and I'm liking other things I'm finding out as well (shopping, weather, schools for kids, job market for husband).
Without reading anything else you posted, there's a huge red flag. Houston? Texas is in Austin. I believe PH has campuses in Dallas and San Antonio along with one or two out west/down in the valley.
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Before any student considers spending money out of their own pocket, they should check with their school. Many offer VC applications at no cost to the student as part of the learning management system solution they have installed; i.e. Wimba. As for document collaboration and file storage, I have had multiple group projects in graduate school that make full use of Google Docs, also free.
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Many Master's programs look at your last 60 hours. That means knocking out your first 30 hours of basics at a CC for cheaper tuition before transferring to a four-year school is perfectly acceptable.
(edited for clarity)
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It also depends upon the postal service. I know that many of our international students in China had to wait up to five or six weeks before the post arrived.
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Did your acceptance include your proposed advisor?
https://www.civil.tamu.edu/people/index.aspx
Assistantships are (or were) departmental based. So, you need to ask the program coordinator, admin assistant, or your advisor about those possibilities.
Otherwise, the OGS listing about funding is here http://ogs.tamu.edu/prospective/financial/fellowship.html
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It's happening all too frequently.
This year at the University of Toronto http://www.lfpress.com/news/canada/2010/04/13/13570526.html
A few years ago at the University of Missouri http://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2007/1017-graduate-school-email.php
Last year at Ottawa, applications were "misplaced." http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2009/07/14/hundreds-of-uottawa-law-applicants-overlooked/
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Rabid is quite possibly the perfect word to describe it. Encompassing and succinct. Most excellent.
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dacey, you should go to a UGA game if you get the chance. Particularly one against one of their SEC opponents. The atmosphere will very much remind you of what you've described in College Station. I absolutely loved home games in Athens and some of the grads in my old dept would get together and tailgate beforehand then attend the games. Super fun.
I was really looking forward to gamedays at UGA, but I can say without a doubt (now) that I'll be skipping campus next season. I've never been more embarrassed for a school in my entire life. Sixteen years of SWC/Big 12 football must have spoiled me. Never have I seen so much underage drinking and general disrespect for fellow man. Kids were strung out on North Campus passed out or close to it. Those that could walk would trip and land in a gutter while their friends just kept walking. Trash was thrown everywhere without any regard. And that was before I got to Sanford. Trying to get into student seating without being puked on or pushed around was a vain effort and I left both games early (Arizona State and LSU). I remember when Texas A&M used to play LSU the first game of every season. While they're not the greatest fans in the world, they certainly weren't that bad in Aggieland (or even in Jacksonville when they were in the NCAA tournament a few years ago; yes, I'm mixing sports). Truth be told, I never want to experience Bulldog football again in person. I'll be content to tailgate with my department OFF campus and watch televised games.
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No, walt526, I DIDN'T commit to this school! I can't believe my post was interpreted that way. I committed to a different school over a month ago. I would NEVER commit to a school without knowing what my project will be, who my advisor will be, or how much funding I will receive!!! Who would? You'd have to be crazy, to do that! That's like moving far from where you live for a job, without knowing what you will do, who your supervisor will be, or how mucy they will pay!
Stranger things have happened.
In the last two years, I've watched multiple programs in my field across the United States have their funding reduced to almost nothing. At least two did not take any new students last year and one of those is facing that situation again this coming year. No new students potentially means no program at all in the coming years. For those that are continuing with just a handful of students, they're scrambling well after Apr 15 to secure funding as they owe it to their current students to continue support before offering funding to new students. What was once viewed from an elitist standpoint of "oh well, serves them right" is turning into an epidemic as the money slowly dries up from one end of the country to the other. It's a time of major change and adaptation as programs start looking to unconventional sources for funding and the students have to be willing to make that leap with them.
Texas A&M
in 2010 Archive
Posted
About the only "dry" time is late December to late February. Moving to Georgia, everyone kept warning me about the humidity. Hah! Athens is a helluva lot drier than College Station. My hair and skin are just now adjusting after almost a year.