ophiolite

Has anyone heard anything about deposits yet? I received all of my insurance-related stuff from my department along with a request for a teaching statement to determine if I would be classified as 'experienced' or 'inexperienced' but nothing about sending in a deposit or when I receive my Wisconsin email address. Any insight? Thanks!

meridionale: If you haven't found a place yet...you may want to try the grad student list server at UNC. I found my roomate my first year of my MS program through it and had no problems. I just posted a little bit about myself, that I prefered to live in Carrboro and found two great possibilities in less than 2 weeks! https://instruct.unc.edu/wcb/schools/5/ ... board.html There is the website...hope you find it useful...or any other prospective for UNC-CH!

ROFL... One reviewer commented in my broader impacts section: "Although the applicant has shown good skill in preparing her proposal, based on other evidence, I don't think she will be a leader in the field compared to others applying for GRF." Whatever...I'll show them...there is more to being a leader in the field than winning a stupid fellowship competition! Now...if he only knew that the "excellent problem to tackle" that I outlined in my research proposal was ALL my idea!

Geez...you'd think they'd put some bandwidth on the server hosting these surveys! Maybe I'll get them...sometime... My main page is very vague and says I was in "the 63rd percentile or below"... I'll see what they say...my guess is its my subdiscipline in addition to only above average grades and lack of sending GRE scores...do they go into that much detail as I wait patiently?

I can't...but I haven't been able to log into FastLane for like the past month anyway...

Geology PhD - University of Wisconisn - Madison

I'm hopefully getting very lucky with my housing search. My fiance and I just applied for an apartment complex that seems really good, but a bit far (~6 miles from my department)...I'll deal with it! Hopefully we will get approved. The complex answered all of our questions via email and telephone and also sent us detailed pictures of the unit and the complex. They only have one unit open and they will be holding it for us until August (this was the only thing that raised red flags to us...), so if he finds a job a bit early, we may be able to move up the lease a few weeks or month early.

There are definately ways to get to Durham from Chapel Hill not going the RTP route (actually that's way out of the way). 15-501 is a straight-shot from Chapel Hill to Durham as is NC751. It's a doable commute, I'm just not sure how parking is on Duke's campus (since I'm at UNC). For the record, my fiance commutes from Carrboro (subarb of Chapel Hill) to Cary (just outside Raleigh) everyday and doesn't have a big problem with it... Rent is probably more expensive in Chapel Hill/Carrboro than in Durham, but the city is much nicer imo...and that's not just me speaking as a long time Tar Heel fan :wink:

Goodness...I have lots of worries! #1 - Finishing my MS thesis in time... I currently am working towards my MS and my research isn't going as well as planned. There have been numerous set-backs and my advisor recently added another portion of my thesis to the docket. The research I'm trying to complete now is going to be tough to schedule...I'm dependant on the Physics department to get it done and the woman helping me out is very pregnant! Makes me worry not only about scheduling around their other commitments, but also that she may go into premature labor and leave me in the dust. My advisor tells me its all very possible for me to get everything done in time...I've already started writing the background sections of my thesis and have set deadlines to complete other sections of my thesis...but I'm definately committed to start my PhD in August, so if I run into anymore major setbacks I don't see my self realistically getting done in time (or at least defending before my lease ends at the end of July). This is probably my biggest worry as of now... #2 - Do I really deserve to be at the school I chose? I am one of three students in my current department that was applying for PhD programs this year. I am also the only one who got into my top choice and most of my other schools (I went 4/5). Also, I'm worried that the only reason I got in was because I've been very dedicated to helping out a retired professor in the department with getting active in research again after a stroke a few years back. He was (is) a very influential person and was a leader in my field in his day, but I'm worried that he has made a mistake taking me under his wings and encouraging me as much as he has... #3 - Will I stay in my program? I didn't worry at all about staying in my MS program here, however, my PhD program is at a much higher ranked school (#3 depending on who you consult) and has much stricter policies. My research group is required to take qualifying exams in your first year in the PhD program. The last student who took quals with my advisor failed and had to leave the program (and she received her MS from him!). This worries me more than a little bit. I am a hard worker, but I know I have deficiencies in my specialty since I didn't go to an undergraduate school with my specialty and my current program is fairly weak in it as well. I haven't had advanced classes in it and my undergraduate course in it focused on other aspects not related to what I want to do. I'm worried I will put in a lot of hard work my first year, fall behind and fail my quals and be kicked out of my program. #4 - Will I survive the adjustment from the Southeast to the Midwest? This is my first time living in the Southeast and I find the attitude very laid back. People don't stroll into school many days until 9:30 or 10am and leave when they please as well. This work style has made me adapt to being able to work efficiently at home and not feeling bad about staying home to complete the reading and writing portions of my research. Don't get me wrong, as an undergraduate in the Northeast I kept up with the pace and was at school early everyday and worked hard late into the night while working 20 hours a week. However, graduate school is different with different stresses and different goals for the degree. At the school I will be attending in the fall, students get to school by 8am and work until 6pm or later. I can deal with the getting up early in the morning, I'm a morning person...but it seems like everyone is frazzled all the time and they don't know whats going on with the outside world. That's what scares me...that I won't have time to keep tabs on the outside world and basic new stories that I think every American should be aware of... I feel moving to the Midwest will be a BIG adjustment from the laid-back get it done when you can lifestyle of the Southeast... Phew...I feel better getting that all off my chest and can now get back to doing what I'm supposed to...reading and writing for my thesis!

I'm currently looking for an apartment on the East Side of Madison with my fiance... We have some requirements such as needing W/D or W/D hookups, need two parking spaces, looking for a nice one or possibly two bedroom place. I've found the Trafalgar Apartments, its near the airport and very close to the East Side Park and Ride. Does anyone know anything positive or negative about this complex or how noise complaints are about living close to the airport? Thanks!

There have been budget cuts to NSF in general, but I have no clue where the cuts are focused or anything like that... I also don't know how many people applied this year... But there is something unsettling to me... In my specialty NOBODY won an award. Geoscience - Geology had no Fellowships awarded to them, and only 14 HMs. The only Geology-type fields represented were 1 award to Geochemistry and 2 to Geophysics. All other Geoscience awards were given to environmental and meterology-type fields. Oh well, doesn't make me feel so bad now that I didn't win (not that I was beating myself up anyway).

Denied - Geosciences Oh well...I'm funded either way, just not going to make as much money...at least I have closure...

This crap is starting to drive me crazy and is taking away from my work I should really be doing right now... *sigh* Maybe I'll get an early birthday present or late birthday present...just hoping its not an early birthday bummer or post-birthday bummer...

Nada...just this one...I didn't find that I was eligible (mainly my research focus and lack of minority status) to apply for any other fellowship. I mainly applied for NSF funding because I was still eligible and decided to give it a shot. As for the amount of coursework remaining...I have much more than a year to go with coursework...I don't believe my PhD school accepts credits gained in a MS program towards the PhD

I'd try anything along the Northbound side of the J-route. The J is an excellent bus line (it is the one I'm currently on) and has service every 15 minutes to campus every morning and afternoon. While school is in session, the J bus service continues until midnight (very rare for the Chapel Hill bus service!). Additionally, when school is in session, on the weekends is a "Saferide" bus that takes (most) of that portion of the J-route to bring the incapacitated back from Franklin Street. There are a few options out that way including but not limited to... Sterling Bluff Apartments (kinda pricey) Rock Creek Apartments University Apartments Highland Hills Apartments The Villages Apartments Kingswood Apartments (on Hwy 54, no Saferide service) Laurel Ridge Apartments (also Hwy 54, no Saferide service) The first stops on campus for this bus route are on the Med school/Health campus side...the second stop on campus is the Health Science Library. It is very convienent and this is my second year living on this route. If I were to stay here for a PhD I'd continue to live on this route. .