pears

two fish

i may or may not have slightly judged my acceptances by the quality and variety of items in their bookstores..! when i make my final decision, i'm treating myself to a new sweatshirt from my school-to-be and a tattoo of my alma mater's motto.

CONGRATS!!!! i'm not even the least bit sorry for the caps lock and annoying font, haha!

(at ridgemont high! ) good times (bad times, you know i've had my share..)

guys. guuuuuys. guys. i just found the most wonderful thing ever. sorry if i'm way behind on this, but even if it's old news to yall, i had to share it with a crowd that would understand: archaeology major dog!

i'm sure this depends on many factors, but i have a few friends in my field of study who are (or were) in unfunded MA programs who had professors help out with and/or cover their costs of attendance. a lot of events will have volunteer or scholarship options, as do many professional organizations, to cover travel and attendance expenses.

sweetpearl: nothing wrong with a year off! i don't know if you took time off before beginning your MA, but i'm going on to month 10 of job-hopping, and i don't regret a second of it. i've learned a lot more about myself: where my real interests and priorities lie (everything from research and "dream careers" to where i want to live), my strenghts and weaknesses, my limitations.. the list goes on, but you get the idea. i think i would've been unhappy and really stressed if i'd tried to go right into my first round of grad school while i was still a student, if only because my interests have crystallized more and i've matured in ways that only work experience could make happen. your heart and your gut tend to guide you in the right direction— no need to rush.

double whammy

you have to be persistent about it, but try to participate in as many psych studies and focus groups as you can. local universities' psych and med school department websites are good resources, as are focusgroup.com and findfocusgroups.com. i wouldn't rely on it, but i started doing various studies and focus groups when i was an undergrad and struggling to cover my rent; i usually made an extra $150-$200 per month, as long as i stayed on top of new postings. i also picked up occasional babysitting and pet care jobs when i could. same deal: not a lot of money, but it helps when you're in a really tight spot, and persistence is rewarded. edit (more thoughts): also, it really depends on what your field of work is, but the pathways program sets up current and incoming students with federal jobs. might be past the app deadline but i've got a lot of interest calls rolling in for jobs that pay $15/hr or more, some of which are in locations with extremely low-rent on/near-site work housing. if i nab one of those jobs, i could make a semester or more's worth of tuition in a solid 12-16 weeks of work. if you're in enviro sci or social sci, poke around on usajobs.gov for a while.

bumping with practical advice and wonderful grumpy cat gold: if you're stressed out, consider a walk, run, or bike ride if it's nice out. you might glare into the sun and generally look like a total grumpus, but just because your expression is cold doesn't mean the fresh air and sun aren't warming your heart!

pears = favorite soap brand, favorite poached fruit, and an aesthetically (aurally and visually) pleasing word, i think. also, pears are notorious among fruit trees for being particularly bad at successfully growing and making pearbabies on their own; they're dependent on the support of others who think they're worth helping along, and their own ability to survive through various weather extremes. the payoff is tasty, though! so, i suppose it's an odd metaphor for my studies: don't be afraid to accept help, savor collaboration, be perseverant (even when things get super tough), and reward yourself and others well for all the work in the end. as for my avatar, well, it's grumpy cat in monty python trimmings. i don't think i really need to explain or justify myself there.

i applied to 7 MA programs: withdrew from 1, rejected from 1, unofficial waitlist at 1, haven't heard from 1, accepted at 3. woof! i regret wasting my time and effort on the one i withdrew my application from, so i'll call it 6 applications, which i think it average-bordering-on-many for my field.

triple jump

my fingers and toes are crossed for you, jmarti!

alternatively, the lack of omens or good signs could mean you've been having a lot of hallucinations lately, haha! sure you're not dreaming?

i've wanted to be an archaeologist since kindergarten. 19-odd years later, i still love dirt and old things and what i jokingly refer to as "mental masturbation" (aka learning for the sake of learning), but my academic and work experience in recent years have made me see the field in a completely new way. in short, i can keep mentally masturbating and make peoples' lives better, but i need to go to grad school to get all the know-how and the piece of paper that seem to be prerequisites for doing that.

i had a vivid dream about receiving an acceptance from my sort-of-first-sort-of-second-choice program the night before i got an email containing "I am please to inform you" from the department head. maybe it's just a long buildup to some good news for you, too..!

dilated peoples

i'm really surprised by how many people consider rank. it doesn't matter too much in my field of study, though, and it barely matters to me; i have such odd interests that research fit is priority numero uno for me, followed by cost, lab resources, and "mesh" with the place and people.

yknow, i'm always freezing, and i used to hate cold weather, be it snowy or windy or damp or whatever. i always thought i'd end up doing my undergrad somewhere warm (most of the schools i applied to were in california, texas, and the mid-atlantic), but i ended up in boston. turns out "cold" isn't so awful once you're thoroughly clothed and find a hobby that's dependent on snow or ice that suits you! then again, i discovered my inner adrenaline junkie thanks to snow sports, so i might be a biased source. mostly, you just need to get used to layering up your clothes, and planning out travel routes to maximize warmth and safety.

nohika, you should totally get some pet hissing cockroaches, just for spite/giggles! i made the mistake of telling my mom (we're quite close; my father and i, less so) early on in the process that one program was my top choice. what i really meant was it was the best research fit— this was before i'd realized that they literally have no funding for MA students, are more expensive by $9000 or so annually compared to my second choice program after rent etc., and has fewer lab resources than my second choice. unfortunately, my second choice program (which, as you've probably gathered, is switching places with my once-top choice) is much closer to where my S.O. and his family live, so now my mom is convinced that i'm just trying to be closer to him. i mean, obviously, it's a perk to be closer to him and my coworkers/friends/family in a state i'm already familiar with, but really, it's coming down to money, research fit, PhD options down the road, and the availability of labs and whatnot for my research. i really value her opinion and i want her support, but it's so hard to convince her that i'm still putting myself first!

i'm deciding between university of montana and csu - chico, although i'm leaning towards the latter, mostly because it's more affordable (and i've spoken to some profs and students this weekend; so far, so good!). so daunting! updates to come soon..

pet rock

queen bee