Nanolol

Me! I am a 2nd year PhD student with Multiple Sclerosis. My best advice to you: get registered with Accessibility Services earlier rather than later. They will help you get accommodations in order for you to succeed, such as extended time for exams (including qualifying exams), a notetaker, alternative editions of texts, etc. Additionally, as others have mentioned: feel free to say no. Speak to your medical provider regarding symptom management.

Orientation is on Sept 8th; classes commence on the 10th. Beginning my procrastinating in 3...2...

What about Calgary U? Dr. Melanie Rock is an anthropologist interested in human-animal studies http://www.ucalgary.ca/communityhealthsciences/dr-melanie-rock-supervisor-profile

Forgot to mention, I highly recommend Think Like A Cat by Pam Johnson-Bennett.

Ooooh, a question right up my alley! I'm starting my PhD at a vet college, because I want to become a researcher of pet health. Also, I work in the veterinary industry and have cats of my own. While I have no real opinion in any case (ie not going to tell you one thing or another), I hope the following questions can help the OP! Re: getting a cat as a Master's student - consider: 1) Do you plan on relocating after you complete your studies? If so, how far? Cats tend to not adapt well to changes in their immediate and permanent environments (often manifesting in behaviour and/or physical problems). For this reason, many behaviourists/veterinarians recommend avoiding air travel. 2) Do you foresee yourself spending long hours on campus, including working overnight? While cats tend to be more independent than dogs, some do need to interact with their humans from time to time. As cats are nocturnal animals, this could work well for a student who will be home at night. 3) How much do you plan to budget per month for high-quality food? Initially the higher quality foods appear to cost a lot, but these diets tend to be more nutrient-dense so you need to feed less than the grocery store foods. And bonus, smaller poops. 4) Re: number of cats - by nature, cats have different ways of interacting with other members of their species. Some cats prefer to be singletons, and adding another cat will be a source of stress for the original cat (as well as you). They may fight, or one may protest in other ways by urinating in inappropriate places (a form of territory-marking). Even if they do get along, having more than one cat means you'll also be spending more on food and vet care (even the preventative stuff such as vaccinations and routine bloodwork). Overall: Cats are great companions; I keep saying that they must be the easiest housepet anyone can have. However, when things go wrong, they can go very wrong - not necessarily anyone's fault, but because of how subtle cat body language is. So by the time a sick cat's owner notices problems, the problems may be so far progressed that maintaining the cat's care becomes extremely difficult. For example, we saw a case last week where the cat had lost significant amounts of weight (despite eating excessively). The owners held off on bringing the cat to see one of our vets because they'd assumed that the cat was simply diabetic until it started vomiting. To rule out other conditions, we ran blood and urine tests. The results showed that the cat was suffering from acute kidney failure as well as inflammation of the pancreas. After a few days on intravenous fluids, the cat has been sent home with several medications (a laxative, and an appetite stimulant drug) plus the owners being taught to give fluids under the skin (using a needle and line) to make sure the cat stays hydrated. They will need to do this for their cat for the rest of his life. Additionally, they will need to bring him in periodically for blood tests to assess his kidney function, which will cost them as well. Moral of the story: if you have a pet, get pet insurance

Attending the Ontario Veterinary College for Epi PhD in the Fall.

I had 2 Chihuahuas when I was completing my BSc and living in a townhouse. Whenever I went to class, the dogs stayed in my room and had their own potty area so that they could eliminate even when I wasn't around. Plan to do the same thing for my PhD

Now is not too late!

I've sent gift cards for the LCBO (Canadian liquor store) tucked inside thank you cards. For my MA supervisor, I've gotten him Jelly Belly jellybeans (he loves those) in bulk and Pacific Coffee beans (all the way from Hong Kong)

Also, you might try to hit up veterinary colleges. That's where I'm headed this September to do my PhD project on human attitudes and perspectives on companion animal health.

Dear OP: I just sent you a message about a program you might be interested in

I had this when I started my MA - I was convinced that the only thing that got me in was because I applied.

Goodness, not at all! On the flipside, having a Master's may be more limiting than not having one because many positions may not want to hire you simply because you would appear overqualified. Quite a Catch-22. Besides YorkU and UofT, have you considered nursing programs out of province? My lab partner from UofT has just completed a 2-year BScN at the University of Alberta. Additionally, there are nursing programs available at colleges that are shorter - the one that comes to my mind is the 2 year BScN from George Brown college. Have heart - contact the Career Centre at UofT to explore careers and other options The staff there are very experienced, trained and extremely helpful.

My undergrad GPA was 2.0, Master's GPA 3.7. Will be starting my PhD in September.