pears
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Posts posted by pears
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Invest in microspikes, & familiarize yourself with the layout of the new locale & public transportation in the area as best you can. REI gear sales are amazing for finding top quality, sturdy winter clothes at a reasonable price. Ditto the websites The Clymb, Evo, & SteepAndCheap! Depending on where you're going & what your housing situation will be like, you could also look into whether there are options for subsidized home-winterizing. I invested in a 10,000 lux "happy lamp" (Seasonal Affective Disorder/SAD "sun" lamp), since I live in a cold & overcast place, & it was totally worth it!
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Traveled, in the US: 29 of the 50 states, but I won't bore you with a list.
I need to make it out to AK, HI, & the middle states.Lived, in the US: Boston, NYC, San Francisco, Missoula; central VA, rural Far NorCal, the East Sierra in CA, suburban NJ.
Traveled, outside the US: Canada, Mexico, St. Kitts, Nevis, Bermuda, Puerto Rico (I guess it's technically the US), Trinidad, Tobago, Grenada, Belize, Guatemala, St. John's, St. Thomas, Virgin Gorda, Spain, France, Italy, Poland, England, Wales.
Lived, outside of the US: Australia.
I'm really lucky to have grown up as an only child with two working parents who love traveling. I still have the travel bug, although I'm perpetually broke & busy these days, which severely limits my traveling opportunities. I'd like to take a long backpacking trip around a parts of northern Europe whenever I have a more stable living situation & income, though, & head back to Australia to visit friends & see Indonesia, New Zealand, & perhaps Thailand, too. I want to see it all! If only I had infinite money..
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Hmmm, so I'm thinking
backpack
printer / ink
tablet (very ambitious, I know)
umbrella ('cause it's Seattle and I'm moving from SoCal)
also the DSM V
I kind of want to throw a few grad school guides in there, any ideas?
Depends on your style, but well made rain boots or waterproof boots (e.g., Tretorn & Sorel boots of varying heights & interior fluffiness) are a good investment. I'm not sure what the worst rainfall to expect in Seattle would be, but having a nice pair of fluffy, short Sorels here in MT has proven to be an awesome decision. Also, again, depends on your style & the details of the weather, but having a couple of different coats can be useful: one for rain & heavy snow, one for less intense weather. I have an insulated, waterproof snow jacket, & a medium weight wool peacoat.
Other investments that were easier for me to order online: coffee maker & filters, metal bed frame that can collapse/be taken apart after being put together, light bulbs, bulk dry foods, pillows, Dirt Devil or other small vacuum. I don't have a car, though, so those were the things that would've been a nuisance to try to haul on a bike!
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I'm an international student, and I'll be moving to Santa Cruz, CA this Fall. Do you believe I could spend about $30-$40 per week? I'm single, and don't eat too much. Although I usually eat about 3 fruits per day. I'll be cooking at home.
Thanks!
Going out to eat can be expensive in that neck of the woods, but when I lived in San Francisco, I was pleasantly surprised by how affordable groceries were, especially produce! Farmers markets are especially awesome if you eat a lot of produce. I don't know if they've got one in SC, but the Safeway I went to in SF was big enough that using my membership card (free) & shopping for sale foods was always good. I miss my enormous, perfectly ripe $1 avocados.. all I have now are small, overripe avocados at $3.50 a pop.
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It depends on your relationship with them, I think. I'm sort of the family oddball on both sides, so my confused relatives have been giving me money in lieu of gifts for years. When I was younger, I saved most of it, so that was what actually allowed me to afford two field schools down the road. When I graduated from college, I didn't send out announcement cards or anything, but my parents (who are separated) were so proud of me they bragged to every relative they could, & as word traveled down the "enormous Irish Catholic family" grapevine, congratulatory cards & checks started arriving. In other words, they asked on my behalf without actually asking, if that makes sense.
That said, when I finish my M.A., I'll probably send out announcement cards. Neither side of my family has many advanced degree holders, & I live so far away now that I likely won't see most of them for months after I graduate, so it's I think a good way to stay in touch & let them all know what I'm up to. If they want to send me money, cool!; if not, cool! More than anything, it's a nice way to keep my families in the loop that I'm mostly out of.
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We have Founders, Bells, Dark Horse, Shorts, I like Arbor Brewing... New Holland is ok....I'm probably forgetting something...what's in Montana?
Ooh, I like Founders' Centennial! I'm not sure I've had anything from the rest. Montana has a ridiculous amount of breweries; it's on par with Oregon in the Portland & Bend areas. Big Sky is the most famous, but for the most part, there are lots of smaller craft brewers who operate on a local, regional, or state level. In Missoula proper, we've got at least 5 breweries, not including the Big Sky one, which is further out of town anyhow. We have lots of brewfests throughout the year, & even the one in the middle of winter still gets 20+ in-state brewers. It's awesome!
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In Léon: The Professional, I love the end scene where Mathilda (itty bitty Natalie Portman) is planting Léon's beloved houseplant in the school grounds, & addresses it by his name.
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As a Montana resident:
I kid, I kid (well, kind of). Out of curiosities, what breweries are in MI? I'm really only aware of what's around me in MT, plus breweries near places I've lived (mostly northern & central CA).
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At my alma mater, graduates in the Archaeology, Classics, Ancient Greek, & Latin programs — at most, 20 students combined — received a laurel crown in lieu of a traditional cap. Turns out laurels are really sticky & having plant matter on your head will really make you stick out in a crowd. The university also allows students to customize their caps, so people got really creative! Some examples from my friends: one got a burnt out light bulb & made it stick straight up in the center of his cap, another adhered a portable solar panel/charger & charged his phone during all-student ceremonies (held outside), another created a scene with plastic toy trees & dinosaurs… in general, it's really nice that they encourage such creativity & inclusion of meaningful self-expression. I've heard of other schools berating students for things like that, e.g., Native students adding an eagle feather to their cap or wearing beaded medallions in addition to stoles. Meanwhile, I plodded around with a bunch of sticky leaves & a sparkly skull & crossbones.
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Ooh, I like the Excel idea! I usually use color-coded sticky notes alongside a handwritten list (also color-coded), but in my effort to get used to doing everything on my laptop, I think I'll try that for my next lit review.
Although it may seem obvious, if you have a writing center at your disposal, use it! I haven't been able to schedule a full appointment yet, but after a 2-hour lit review workshop with someone from our writing center, complete with 5 or so helpful handouts, I feel way better about my writing. They have staff in every broad field (e.g., social sciences), & they can help with anything from posters to thesis finagling. If nothing else, it's worth stopping by to say hello & see what your writing center offers.
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I'm 23, & I'm not sure whether I want to have kids. I've given some thought to the possibility of being a foster parent (with a partner/spouse) in lieu of adopting or having kids. There's also a possibility that a serious illness I had 4 years ago & its treatments have left me unable to have children, &, even if I can, I'd almost certainly have to get a C-section, which I am not super down with. My "10 year hopes/plan" is very much centered around me, where I'd like to live, the possibility of pursuing a PhD, etc.; I don't even see parenthood as being remotely feasible until I'm in my early or mid-30s.
For those who have definitely decided they never want children: was there something in particular that helped you reach this conclusion? What was your thought process? ("I just don't want kids" is a totally valid answer here, of course)
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Also worth noting: I remember seeing a Cost of Living index of sorts once, & my small city is somewhere around the national average, perhaps a bit lower, in terms of expected food costs. I'm a pescatarian, too, & I have very little dairy in my diet, so I think I save a lot of money by not having beef, poultry, pork, or cheeses (well, besides a wedge of brie per month, because it's a guilty pleasure) in my regular grocery runs.
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I spend around $150 monthly; mostly granola bars for snacks, fresh veggies (& some frozen, but obviously the fresh ones are cooked first), cuts of fish from the butcher counter, & a few Lean Cuisines for when I'm busy. I get some discounts with a membership card to a major chain whose produce I like. At the start of the academic year, I bought dry goods in bulk: red lentils, quinoa, couscous, steel cut & rolled oats, almonds, etc. So, a lot of my diet involves familiar recipes with these base items. When the farmers markets start up again, my cost will remain the same, but I'll be getting a lot more produce with way more variety. Woo, affordable local & organic foods!
I also allocate about, mm, maybe $100 each month for going out to dinner/drinks with friends, as well as getting snacks on campus if I didn't have time to pack a lunch. It seems steep, but I use Mint to keep track of my spending, & I find myself needing midday snacks when I'm on campus longer than expected, & if I don't set money & time aside for dinners/drinks with friends, well.. I get anti-social.
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I'm a girl (I would hardly call myself a lady!) & I live in a house with 4 guys. When I was in undergrad & living off-campus, I lived in a house with 5 guys & 1 girl. FWIW, I'm cisgender, & I think "queer" is the closest approximation to my orientation. I agree that guys are typically messier in the kitchen, but, besides that, I imagine it's the same as it would be if I were living in an all-girl house where all of the roommates clicked. I don't know how or why I've ended up living with mostly guys, but I'm more concerned about personality & how our lifestyles mesh than gender/sex/whatever else.
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Domino's parmesan bites... & crunchy lava cakes... & pasta... & pizza. The NJ/NYC native in me is so disappointed & the lactose intolerance in me is so angry, but, mmmm, dat garlicky buttery dough. Also, I have a soft spot for Studio Ghibli films, as well as absolutely awful D-list "horror" films the 50s & 60s.
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I started using essential oils for aromatherapy & herbal teas (mostly for relaxation & sleep, but also for my tum when I get stressed out), & I've been pleasantly surprised by how helpful they are! They take minimal effort to find & use, but make a big difference. For example, I have one of those little lavender-scented pellet bags that can be heated up & placed on my neck or over my eyes, & I have a tea for relaxation that I keep a mug of next to me when I'm doing late night work. I also invested in a lavender-bergamot massage oil for when my back gets tense, & I keep jasmine & ylang-ylang essential oils on my nightstand that help me with my sleep anxiety.
I've finally scheduled yoga back into my schedule! &, now that it's warmer, I'll probably be doing more fly fishing, hiking, & whitewater kayaking; I'll probably start leaving aside one afternoon out of the week to spend on the river or on a mountain. Mmm, fresh air therapy.
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CUNY it is!
CUNY Hunter is in the neighborhood that I call home! Send a PM my way if you have any questions.
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You could always email them and ask ways to improve your application or ask what your weaknesses are. Also, do you have a masters? If not you may need to go that route
I agree with both of these pieces of advice! If you intend to try applying again to a particular program next season, it might be helpful to mention that, & suss out the kind of response you get; although it's not necessarily a perfect indicator of what a POI's personality or overall program "culture" is like, you might find that some folks will be more helpful than others. Also, crummy as it may seem, an M.A. as a stepping stone may be worth considering, if there are any programs that appeal to you. I'm really happy I decided to do a terminal M.A. first! It's helped me narrow my interests, & now, in the future, I'll know what kind of work + accomplishments will be expected of me when I apply to PhD programs.
Also, as silly as it may seem, you may want to have some Grad Cafe anthro folks read over your SOP. A lot of people who post regularly, or used to, will be at top-notch programs, so they may be able to offer pointers specific to your SOP, based on their own experiences. I'm of the opinion that the more sets of eyes & opinions you can get on such a critical component of your application, the better, though. I think I had at least 5 people (2 were close friends) read mine, & every single person had something different to say: whether my "hook" was successful, what I didn't include or shouldn't include, the logic flow, & so forth. If you have friends who are editors or literary types, they'd be a great resource for "line editing," i.e., spotting mechanical errors.
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This is good to know, I was thinking about applying there for the fall of 2015. What program are you in there?
I'm technically in the "general" M.A. track. My areas of interest are primarily mortuary archaeology & federal archaeology (NAGPRA, heritage management, etc.), & the program was perfect for me; I have the freedom to take an even mix of archaeology, heritage, & forensic/bioarch classes. I absolutely love the people & the program/department here, & Missoula in general, so let me know if you'd like me to keep you posted on things. Save for the faculty scramble, I have nothing but good things to say!
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I've never donated blood, mostly because of health issues. It's a shame, too, since I'm O-negative, which I think is the so called "universal donor" type.
I'm super needle-phobic & have had blood drawn too many times to count, but I really hope I can donate one day!
Also, I've never tweeted or driven stick. -
Thanks! Well that explains the quick rejection from them. I have a friend who is at Chico actually! I'm just happy I'm going to Mercyhurst, they have great casework there! And I'll be working with the man who helped create FORDISC (Dr. Ousley, which is really cool because I worked with Dr. Richard and Dr. Lee Jantz on my thesis!)
Of course! If I had more info, I'd share it, but all I've heard is that things are rather up in the air for us right now. Dr. Ousley does amazing work! Lucky you.
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Another Jumbo here! Based on the graduate students I met as an undergrad, everyone in a grad program at Tufts seems to be brilliant, but not overbearing, conventional, selfish, or competitive. I'm pretty convinced that the students at Fletcher are going to save the world. Everyone seems to be very passionate about what they do, from incoming freshmen to tenured professors; I sorely miss the positive, engaged learning environment that was fostered on campus. I'm sure that sounds like a line out of a cheesy pamphlet, but it really is a magical place full of wonderful, quirky nerds!
As others have said, TuftsLife is probably the best resource for housing; as an undergrad, I just moved into houses that my friends moved out of, but I'd trust the posts on TL if friends' old houses hadn't been an option. Medford/Somerville can be a really expensive place to live without housemates, but all the people at Tufts are so nice that it's worthwhile to live with at least a couple other students, especially if you go a bit further off campus. I love the areas around Davis, Porter, Harvard, & Central. Pay a visit, if you can. Boston is wonderful & really livens up in the springtime!
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I applied to:
Texas State, Chico, Montana, Mercyhurst, University of Indianapolis and Boston University.
I just got accepted into Mercyhurst!
FWIW, I'm at Montana, & our forensic folks are in a bit of a pickle right now: short on funding, & one of our (super awesome & brilliant) key professors is leaving at the end of this semester. I'm not sure any FA applicants were accepted, although I heard secondhand that the number was something ridiculously low, like 2.
Major bummer. Mercyhurst has an amazing program, though, so congrats on that! & for those I met, the faculty at Chico are really nice. Also, their students do some seriously cool research! -
I was once a master procrastinator. Two years ago, my psych professor said the secret to stop procrastinating...is to stop doing it. ;-) It is a CHOICE. Grad school is definitely not the place for that, especially if you want to do well.
I started to schedule my days...was it easy to follow a schedule? No. But you get drunk off the feeling of having everything done and not losing sleep, time, and the potential for an A by just following that schedule.
Schedule your days out from now on until grad school and get into the habit...either a schedule or a To Do List...find out what works for you. Look at your schedule/To Do list at the end of each day and determine how well you were able to follow it...then keep improving. This did not take me weeks to accomplish but i recognized that I NEEDED to get my act together.
Procrastination can bring down the best of us, but it is not a life skill that we want to keep with us during certain stages of our lives, that's for sure. Hope this helps.
Remember...schedule and give yourself breaks...BREAKS are important or you start to lose attention to what you're doing...and then the procrastination begins. Start to do your BEST to follow a schedule so that you can form the necessary discipline.
Honestly, you may never get rid of your procrastination urges entirely but they will minimize - significantly. You'll have your moments but OVERALL they will minimize SIGNIFICANTLY and THAT is the place you want to aim to get to. For right now.
Very well said! I, too, was a major procrastinator for a long time; it was never an issue, since I did well in classes despite doing most things last minute. I was worried when I started last semester, but grad school has been a great, albeit tough, means of learning how to motivate myself & minimize slacking off. All it took was trying to make a 20 page paper happen in two or three days: I got an 89, which made me angry at myself, & that really lit the fire under me.
My planner has become my best friend, & I've got two monthly calenders pinned to my wall, right near my bed. When I'm really busy, I break apart my tasks, then plan them out for the following week or two; if I have a paper, I set goals in 5 page amounts, & so forth. I also set bite-sized goals, e.g., finishing a certain amount of reading within two hours, & then reward myself, e.g., a snack or spending some time on Facebook. Also, Self Control — the software — is super helpful if you're really struggling to keep yourself from procrastinating on your laptop/computer!
Moving to a new climate.
in The Lobby
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It's not the cheapest, but I swear by CeraVe lotion. I've always got dry, super sensitive skin, & it gets infinitely worse during the winter here, no matter how much tea & water I drink. My dermatologist recommended CeraVe to me after a few weeks of miserable winter skin. Also, organic, milk-based soaps with oatmeal or coffee & minimal perfumes are excellent for exfoliating dry skin without making it worse.