AboveTheRim

At a previous job of mine, they were really into Steven Covey's planners and his ideas about planning. First thing's first, I would definitely get a planner. It doesn't have to be a Steven Covey planner, but you need a visual daily reminder of what's up next. Then, the thing that I learned that helped me out the most was the idea of "Big rocks vs. Little rocks". Basically, each day (or week, depending on your preference), you plan your day (or week) according to the things most important. So, let's say you have a paper due next Friday. One of your "Big rocks" next week would be to do research, determine a thesis, start an introduction... so on and so forth. This is why daily planning is better, because Sunday could be your research and thesis day, Monday your intro day.......... Now, the "Little rocks" are things that need to be done eventually, but aren't pressing issues. Let's say your rent is due on the 1st. Well, today is the 25th, so you want to get the check to your landlord soon, but it doesn't need to be done today (unless you have to mail it). I got so reliant on planning this way, that soon I was planning calls to my parents, lunches, and even naps! Hope this helps somewhat.

My personal opinion is that he doesn't get it, or he's too shy to ask you out. If I were you, I wouldn't ask him out on a date. It's waaayyyy too formal and might freak him out. Instead, go grab lunch or coffee or take a walk... Something informal like that. But DON'T talk about research. In fact, once you two are out, make a pinky swear or something "cute" like that to not talk about academics. Maybe mention in passing that he seems like an awesome person but he's "mysterious" or something, and you want to get to know him better. Of course, I would still use research to get him to come to the coffee/lunch/walk thing, because he seems passionate about it. I'm a male, by the way. I don't know if I carry more or less weight on this subject lol

Ahhhhhhh!!!! I know EXACTLY how you feel!! I haven't moved to the new city yet, but I'm counting down the days until I do. On a side note: It's weird saying Goodbye's....

Credit cards and car loans.. I would say no, your student loans wouldn't affect your ability to get them. Student loan debt is viewed differently in your debt to income ratio by these lenders. HOWEVER, I would say that it would affect your mortgage approval rate, because those lenders take EVERYTHING into account. But like rising_star said, I would wait, unless you have a guaranteed way of paying that debt off. And we all know there are no guarantees.

I personally have my Facebook secured to the T, and I have two Twitter profiles.... One for professional and one for personal. Like nehs said, I do have my LinkedIn integrated to everything though.. and I also integrate both my FB and professional Twitter.

I'm going to do some clicking to help out everyone! Please return the favor.... Cheers! http://db.tt/3oplTyRF

The answer to your question is going to strongly depend on your credit score, which I'm not asking you to share publicly, but just know that if it's under 650, it's best to go with a credit union credit card. The rates are low, but as someone else said you won't get many perks. If you have a score better than 650, you should definitely shop around. You can get a credit card with no annual fee, cash back options, low APRs, etc. Personally, I shopped credit cards by opening an account at www.creditkarma.com . They give you a breakdown of your credit and of credit cards that you're likely to get approved for based on your credit. Best of all, it's free.

Absolute great idea! Thank you very much.

Hello all, I'll be moving about 9 hours from my current city for grad school, and unfortunately I won't be getting a TA/RA/GA, so my next option for employment is a part-time gig as a server or something akin to that, or an entry-level job in my field. Obviously I would want to work in my field while going to grad school, but my question is HOW to land a job in a city before moving there? I can't go for a face-to-face interview until I move, and while I do have savings, I don't want to wait until I move to land a job, thereby digging into my savings. When should I start looking? Where should I be looking? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm sure I'm not the first person to go through this.......

Working during school is going to pay the bills, and you'll graduate with experience in your field, which puts you ahead of most. I say do it, and invest in a planner. Even look at some Stephen Covey time management training. You will need to master the art of the managing your time, but if you take night classes and work part-time hours, you will be a much more attractive candidate after graduating.

Unfortunately, you have two options: 1) Take out loans and pay it back later, or 2) Work your a** off while in school, and pay your own rent. I chose #1, because you must have a decent paying full-time job to pay room and board or any off campus rent. As a masters student, it is going to be REALLY difficult to get any kind of assistantship with a stipend large enough to pay rent. I wish the best of luck though.

OP, I just purchased a 13" Macbook Pro Retina, and I LOVE it. Like, I'm emotionally invested in this thing. I decided to go with Pro over Air, because I wanted 8gb of RAM, which comes standard with the Pro. If you get 8gb of RAM in the Air then you're up to the Pro price, so it makes sense to go that route. I plan on having this for a few years, so I wanted the extra RAM for future use. If that doesn't matter to you, then I would definitely go Air. Also, don't forget about the educational discount that Apple offers. It's pretty decent. As for Mac or PC, I've had PCs all my life, and now that I'm using a Mac, I don't think I can go back. The OS is awesome, and they are built to last. Apple products tend to stick around, IMO. I've had my iPhone for 2 years with no issues at all. No lag or random freezes.. Nothing. If this laptop is anything like my phone, then I'm one happy camper. And it makes that extra $300-400 so worth it if you're going to get a reliable machine that you can bet on lasting at least 4 years.

Do you need to carry around a laptop?

Sounds like you and I are I'm the same boat. I would REALLLLYYY prefer to live off campus in a real apartment, but moving into an unfurnished place in a new city adds up quickly. The more I weigh the pros and cons, the more it sounds like I'll be relegated to on campus housing my first year. I guess things could be worse.

Biscuits Thanks! I didn't even realize there was such segregation still going on in Chicago. Crazy. I'll actually be in the Loop, so transportation is the least of my concerns at this point.

@Latte I do have a car but I'm not taking it with me. I've heard horror stories about parking in downtown Chicago, and it's so expensive to park your car anywhere for an extended amount of time. Public transportation will definitely save me. @Tie Was it looked down upon? I mean I can care less what people think, but if the "grad housing" is more or less just upperclass undergrads, then thanks but no thanks.

Hello and congratulations to all looking forward to their first semester of grad school! So, I'm moving from Pittsburgh to Chicago this coming fall to begin grad school. I don't know anyone in the city, so it makes sense to stay on campus to build relationships and get to know the city. I feel like if I live off campus I'll be almost quarantined to my apartment. However, I'm 26! The school has dedicated on-campus housing for grad students, but still.... Should I suck it up and just live on campus?

Every grad student qualifies for Unsubsidizied Stafford loans from the government. You get $20,500 per year. The rate is 6.8% and the flexibility is much greater than private loans (i.e. you can go into forbearance, forgiveness, etc). Do not, do not, do not, do not go into private loans for grad school unless it's your LAST OPTION. And if that's your last option, which it doesn't sound like it is, but if it is, RETHINK GRAD SCHOOL!!!

Daydreamer - Really? Sallie Mae did anything but my help my loan situation for undergrad. I think the government has taken them over since then, though. I'll have to look into that. Thanks! Spacezeppelin - Yup I meant being granted a TA/RA/GA position in my second year. I've spoken to some faculty and even current students and it seems to be a consensus that it's easier to land one of those positions just due to your face being known. I know graduate school is an investment (monetary and time-wise) in your future, but it seems a bit ridiculous to take on so much debt. Apparently it's the norm though.

Assuming you're in a Master's program, I would say securing an internship is more vital than securing an RA position over a GA. The conversation completely changes if you're in a PHD program. But a non-funded PHD program isn't one worth attending.

I have a question for my fellow Master's students here. Besides assistantships, what's the best way to pay for your MA or MS without a ton of debt. I will complicate the situation a bit more by saying that my undergrad GPA leaves much to be desired (sub-3.0). Is it best to assume that my first year will be funded by student loans and work my butt off to try and get funding for my second year?

It all depends on your financial responsibilities going into school (car note, phone bill, etc.). Will you be living on campus or off? Ideally, you want to live bare bones for a couple months and get an idea of how much money you need to survive in a month including bills. Then I would save at least six months worth of that amount. Also take into account difference of living expense from where you are now to Berkeley -- if you are moving. (Congrats by the way). I would also pay off all credit card debt. It's really easy to make minimum payments while in school, which just racks up interest.

If it's set to fall in May 2013, and you don't start school until January, I wouldn't worry about it. I've had to deal with this more times than I'd like to admit, so let me tell you why I say this: Your eligibility for the GradPLUS loan is only good for a few months (90 days I think), so you won't want to apply for the loan too early or you'll just have to re-apply for when you actually need it. Since you're not going to school until January, you won't want to apply until around October. By then, it will be off your records and will not affect anything.

Hello all, All of the schools that I've been accepted to wants a personal statement along with the application for a GA. Has anyone had to write a separate personal statement for their GA position aside from the one written for admissions? What is the program looking for? How do the two differ? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!