pears

good day (sunshine, badoodoodoo)

tuck: okay, you can't go full soap opera on us. i'm going to spend tomorrow (read: second sick day in a row. bummer!) digging up that registry.

boblet: i always got my secondhand "big" items from housemates (read: closest friends) and other students at my school. if you get desks or chairs, make sure they don't have any fabric on them, and give them a good wipe down with bleach before you use them. you should be fine!

my plan is to work part-time and be a student full-time my first 2 or 3 semesters, then be a student part-time and work full-time (or close to it) in my last semester or 2. it's extremely daunting, but my loans and rent aren't going to pay themselves off... if anything, i'm hoping it will make me a great time manager, although i'll have to trade many hours of sleep and sanity for that.

the four horsemen, of course: jack, jim, jameson, and johnny. equal parts, all together, because apocalyptic levels of bummed-out-itude call for apocalyptic measures.

moon boots (oh nooo why)

expectations: "i'll be overjoyed if i get in anywhere" reality: 1 rejection, 4 acceptances (including my top 2 choices), 2 withdrawals (1 was after committing to my top choice; the other was after getting fed up with an endless load of hooey) i had a very weak GPA and no concept of whether my LoRs, SoP, writing sample, GRE scores, etc. were strong at all. i felt good about them, but i didn't know what kinds of applicants i'd be up against. everything turned out better than expected!

i avoid bedbugs with a completely ridiculous system, but considering i've never had a single bite or infestation in all my college years of bouncing between boston, nyc, australia, and farms and dig sites in various locations... well, something has to be working, right? i set aside everything i want to pack first. smaller items like books, socks and undies, little stuffed animals, laptop cases, bags, etc. get put in big ziploc bags, and left in the freezer for a while. medium sized things like stacks of clothes and bedding are put in a cold place like a garage or basement for a few days- if no cold place is available, i'll send it all through the wash 2 or 3 times, then leave it in the bag for a few days. large items are put in those zip-up bedbug mattress cover things; refer to medium sized stuff for treatment. everything stays in its bag until i've slept in my new place for two nights bug-free.

i don't know if it applies for grad students, but i remember target having really great sales at the end of august and start of september when i was an undergrad. they teamed up with the university to provide shuttles for freshies (who aren't allowed to have cars on campus) to make trips to and from the store if they needed to get lots of heavy or bulky items, and they had free samples and swag and coupons of all sorts, plus sales on basics (chairs, lamps, crates, etc.). might be worth seeing if there's a target near your school that does the same for grad students.

"why are you paying for an MA?" and related comments. argh. i have a totally oddball niche interest, even within an already-niche-ridden field of study; there aren't even that many schools that offer what i'm looking for at any grad level, and i've decided that an MA is the right plan for me right now, since i'm not committed enough to a research topic or career path to pursue a PhD right off the bat. i've been getting a lot of lectures from friends, past classmates, coworkers, etc. about how it's ridiculous for me to take on loan debt to go to the only place i can really study and research what i want in full at the right degree level. the worst is when they start to ramble about how there are oh-so-many funded MAs out there, or that i should've done a PhD then bail after finishing the MA portion so i could save money, as if i hadn't done tons of research on my own about programs that suit my wants and needs, and how to fund my studies. gee, i'm sorry, i forgot that everyone else and the entire peanut gallery of people i talk to grad school about is an expert in my small, unusual field of study/interest and knows everything about every program out there. and, of course, i haven't put in, y'know, literal hours upon hours of work to ensure i'm doing the right thing to meet my goals.

personally, i do my best work under pressure, but i learned by the end of my undergrad classes that it's a lot healthier for my mind and body if i create self-imposed pressure, rather than truly waiting until the last minute. i constantly set small but doable deadlines for myself: e.g., getting 5 more pages written daily, even if the deadline seems far away, or getting a smaller assignment finished and turned in at least 24 hours before its deadline. the longest i've stayed up was 40 or so hours, and i was completely out of my skull by then. i can pull off 25-30 with a power nap here and there, but i always crash after all's said and done. but, that's just me.

measuring tape

i made business cards for my current job, although it's only a short-term (6 month) gig. i printed off 25 for my stay, and i have 7 or 8 left after a conference a few weekends ago. exchanging cards has been a really easy, convenient way for me to stay in touch with other students, professors, and potential future employers or coworkers. having professional-looking cards at the ready says a lot without saying anything, y'know? i agree with what zabius and takeru have said: change your title based on your candidacy status as you chug along, and include a link to your work if possible, as well as any fellowship or scholarship titles. what you include depends on what you think is absolutely essential to know about you; personally, on my card, it goes (from top to bottom; all centered except the last line): company seal my full name (largest font, darker color) my full job title (medium font, darker color) degree received (small font, lighter color) degree-to-be ("") emails on left, phone numbers on right (smallest font, darker color) the color and size differences are pretty subtle so it's not too busy. high quality white cardstock worked nicely. i put a little calvin and hobbes cartoon that reminds me of why i love my field of work so much on the back for a personal touch, but i made sure to leave space in case they asked me to write something extra.

this is the greatest revived thread ever. it really is like catfish for grad schools! i got a much-needed laugh out of it... either way: congrats, jblsmith! very cool to hear that universities make a point of sharing resources. good luck with the rest of your studies!

biscuits and lypiphera are right on the money. i'm from nj/nyc, and i worked on a farm outside of austin for a while. guns are normal, gun violence is not. many people have concealed carry permits, and many people have guns in their car, but they're more like "security blankets" and for "well, just in case my friend wants to go shooting after lunch" situations. going to church on sunday is par for the course, but nobody's going to give you a hard time if you don't go. you'll occasionally hear derogatory terms being used (namely ones related to race and sexuality), but that's less common in the city itself. as long as you're polite, respectful, and kind, people will be the same in return. for all the guns and bible-thumping and name-calling in various degrees, people are most concerned about everyone having the freedom to do what they want, while still respecting everyone else's "you do you" plan. austin and the surrounding areas are more libertarian than conservative, really, although you tend to lean more to the right as you get further from the city. in all, the weather is a big ol' PIA, but i really enjoyed my time there. the city is great, the surrounding areas are beautiful, and the vast majority of people are very kindhearted with a good sense of humor. patience and respect run deep, as long as they're running on a two-way street. you'll probably like it more than you expect to

jumping bean

agreed. it's a rough time to be pursuing a phd with the intention of going into academia. plus -- as cycle said, "sorry to be so blunt," -- not all of us have financial safety nets. personally, i barely have a 5-figure savings account (that's including bonds and various other things, so really, the amount i have readily available is in the 4-figure range), and i've been paid so little that i've been breaking even at best for a couple of years in a row. there is a difference between the "having to hit up my parents to cover my rent once in a while" kind of "poor" and "i need to start selling things or reconsider my degree because i'm down to my last couple hundred bucks and the rent is due in three days" kind of poor. some of us have little to no financial wiggle room.

scooby snacks

cup noodles! (nom nom nom)

i was at work in my lab/office for all of my acceptances, actually.. which is kind of sad, but it was nice to have a bunch of lovely co-workers around to give me high fives. my boss did a happy dance in the kitchen-come-break-room with me when i got into my top choice (now my school-to-be)!

it depends on where you're living, but check ahead of time with your housemates-to-be (if you have any!) to see what kind of kitchen gear there is. i had to move to the other side of the world during my undergrad years, and i kept a daily list of what things i used in the kitchen for a couple of weeks, so i'd have a better sense of what my essential cooking items and foods were. ditto house furnishings. for me, i guess my 5 essentials would include: laptop, regular and work/technical clothes, kitchen stuff, work and outdoor gear (trowels to snowboard), and bedding.

spoken like a true archaeologist. obviously, the latter refers to lithics analysis, right?

check mate