rising_star

Some of it will depend on what your undergrad was in, what you want to study in grad school, and the story/narrative you provide in your SOP about your interests and how you've excelled since college.

In the humanities, I don't think doing a poster is a very big deal. If it was competitive to get one, that's great. Since it's in your local area, I would probably go ahead and do it. You can make a poster fairly easily using PowerPoint (adjust the size of the slide to match the poster parameters) and you can get it printed for <$50. If you don't have any other presentations or publications on your CV, you should definitely do it.

It's funny you would say this, shadowclaw. I lived on $16K throughout my PhD and it was just fine for myself. The cost of living in Gainesville is fairly low and Florida has no state income tax, both of which would make that UF stipend go further than it would in other places. I don't know that you always need to ask directly about stipends since that information is often available on the department's website. Then, you can plug it into a cost of living calculator to see how the stipends compare to one another and how they compare to what you're making and used to living on now. The cost of living is as important (if not more) than just the stipend since $25K at UIUC goes much further than $25K at UCSF, just to give an example. In addition, when investigating, you'll also want to look on the Graduate School's website to see what is covered and what isn't. For example, while tuition is typically waived, fees may not be. In that case, you'll want to know what the approximate fees are each semester (they tend to go up from year to year). You'll also want to know if health insurance is included and whether there are fees associated with that, whether summer enrollment is required or optional, and what the minimum credits per semester/quarter is. All of those things will be on the graduate school's site and will help you make comparisons that are more apples to apples rather than apples to kiwi.

I wouldn't necessarily worry about the banking part. I haven't opened a new bank account in years, despite living in three different states in the last two years. I have my paychecks direct deposited (most universities require this anyway), bank online, and use mobile banking apps to make a deposit if I need to for some reason. Getting the vehicle part sorted out is usually one of the hardest parts (in terms of being time-consuming). You'll need to have the title with you in order to do it. If your parents' names are on the title, that one becomes more complicated. Depending on where you move to, you may also need to have an inspection before you can register your vehicle. Saving money is key. There's going out to look for a place, first month's rent and security deposit, and sometimes deposits or fees to get the utilities turned on. Sometimes the utility companies will waive those fees based on your credit score but sometimes they won't. Last year, I had to pay something like $150 in fees to get the lights and water transferred from the apartment company's name into my own (and yes, that's ridiculous but I also had no choice about it). While your new program will offer a stipend and tuition waiver, you may be responsible for paying fees to the graduate school of a few hundred dollars a semester and these can be due as early as your first week of school. And that's before you get into the fun things of decorating, buying books, and exploring your new home. I almost forgot. Moving is expensive. You'll need to figure out how you want to move, if it makes sense to move existing items or buy new once you arrive, etc. The sooner you can start weeding through your belongings, the better. Take advantage of spring cleaning (you know, when you put away winter stuff and pull out spring/summer stuff) to start donating things you don't want, don't need, or don't wear often. Then, once you figure out where you're going, eliminate even more. If you're moving from Maine to Los Angeles, you can get rid of a lot of your winter wardrobe. If you're going from Florida to Minnesota, you can probably get rid of some of your shorts and tank tops. Starting earlier makes the entire moving process easier.

No, they shouldn't charge you anything at all.

To be quite honest, this doesn't surprise me at all. When I applied to PhD programs, one of my recommenders told me more than once that profs (not just POIs but those on the admissions committee) had called to verify everything in the letter and to get additional information. Not having a single recommender from your master's program is a huge red flag. Think of it as equivalent to applying to college but without any recommendations from your high school teachers. Your application stands out, and not in a good way. That's what led to the phone call and there's probably very little you can do at this point for this application or the January deadlines. To prevent this from happening, you really do need a letter from that university and, ideally, from that department. It could be someone with whom you took a course or two and did well, someone you worked as a TA or RA for, or whomever oversaw your thesis. Having that letter in the mix may lead to fewer of these undesirable (in your view) phone calls in the future. As far as the personal conflict, you should know that personal conflicts can and will arise in the future. The way you've handled this thus far doesn't seem very accommodating, at least not in how you've portrayed it. Going over someone's head to the department chair, ombudsman, and vice president is a way to piss them off more than it is a way to fix anything.

Another voice in the chorus of don't worry about it. You just apply and wait to see what happens. For all you know, the POI has a personal policy of not interacting with applicants until they've been admitted.

Well, in that case, exploring the local public transit options while also exploring your housing options is probably a good idea.

Contact the department's graduate program secretary to ask about when you'll here about department funding. (Note: before you do that, check the department's site to make sure the information isn't posted there.)

You'll need at least one academic reference, which means you'll need to ask one of your former professors for a reference. As awash_ has said, send a brief introductory email and then offer to send along a more complete packet of information. It may not be the strongest letter ever but it will be what you need.

grad_wannabe, I'm not sure why having to wait until April renders a possibility almost moot, to use your words. Many people don't hear from programs until late March/early April (my PhD program is semi-notorious for not notifying any applicants until March 25 or so). Having to wait shouldn't completely eliminate you or the program from consideration.

This is exactly what I was thinking. I can imagine a professor being upset if you waived your right to view the recommendation and then you (or your siblings) were peeking through the envelope to try to read the letter/the contents of the envelope. People make mistakes in letters. That doesn't reflect at all on the applicant since it is assumed that you (the applicant) did not write or see the letter before it was submitted. Relax! And apologize.

Here's what I would be thinking if I were your professor. It's one of the busiest times of the year (finals, grading, and often publication deadlines in late December too), which means that the letter can wait. Writing exams, proctoring them, grading them, and calculating and submitting final grades cannot wait as there's usually a college/university-wide deadline to meet. I know that often means that things like letters, that you have an extra week on, have to get pushed back. That's probably what your professor is doing. Chill out. Remind them next week, at the earliest.

Whether or not it's expensive depends entirely on the school. Here's an example. At Florida State University, there are fixed per credit hour prices for courses. See here. Those prices are based on the classification of the course (undergraduate or graduate), the campus, and whether you are a state resident for tuition purposes. As you'll see, in-state residents are paying $215.55 per credit hour, so under $700 for a 3-credit hour course. So, you could take 9 hours of courses for around $2000 as a state resident. Contrast this to Arizona State. (Hopefully this link works. It should show tuition for an undergraduate, non-degree seeking student at the Tempe campus that's an Arizona resident.) At Arizona State, those same 9 hours would cost $5,053 for the fall semester because there's a flat charge for anything over 7 credit hours a semester. (The charges are basically the same whether or not you're degree-seeking. You can play around with the "About Me" tab to see that.) If the school has a flat fee like that, it may make more sense to just graduate and then take 1-2 courses at a time to avoid such charges. Sure, there's less financial aid for graduating but there's also less financial aid for fifth year students. Well, there's less non-student loan money available.

Email copied below. Sounds like a great opportunity! ---- The funding (minimum: $20k per year) is not attached to any particular research project, so it allows for a wide range of interests on the part of students. The key is that the student must have a research interest that meshes broadly with my own research in: critical geographies, cultural studies, feminist geographies, cultural geographies, critical race geographies (particularly the study of white supremacy as a constituent part of everyday life in Canada and beyond). There is also a strong likelihood of extra funding through internal UBC Scholarships (approx. $5k). The successful candidate would become Assistant Editor for ACME: An International E-Journal for Critical Geographies during the period of their studies. Interested students should contact me by email, and send me a half-page summary of their research interests, a copy of their current CV, an unofficial copy of their grades for their MA studies, and a writing sample (a published manuscript, a chapter of their MA thesis, etc.). This funding opportunity just came about, so my apologies for the lateness of this announcement. Our graduate program has a January 31, 2015 deadline for applicants wishing to start studies in September. Further information can be found on the College of Graduate Studies website: http://gradstudies.ok.ubc.ca/welcome.html Sincerely, Lawrence -- Lawrence D. Berg BA (dist.), MA, DPhil Professor | Critical Geography Co-Director | UBC Centre for Social, Spatial & Economic Justice Community, Culture, & Global Studies | The University of British Columbia Arts 365-372 | 1147 Research Road | Kelowna, BC, Canada, V1V 1V7 Phone +1 250 807 9392 | Fax +1 250 807 8001 Email: Lawrence.berg@ubc.ca Web I: http://ccgs.ok.ubc.ca/faculty/berg.html Web II: http://ubc.academia.edu/LawrenceBerg Editor: ACME: An International E-Journal for Critical Geographies http://www.acme-journal.org

Why not graduate and then take extra classes as a non-degree student? It's probably a lot cheaper than staying enrolled for another year...

Herobah, you'll still need to send your full academic transcripts (so transcripts from every institution you attended) to programs when you apply.

Go for it. I think they'll really appreciate it.

I received this via email and thought I'd pass it along in case anyone is interested in resource geography. Montana State has a terrific geography department. Dear colleagues: I am currently recruiting for two Graduate Research Assistant positions in our growing resource geography program at Montana State. One position will focus explicitly on oil and gas and rural community development, the other will work on one of several ongoing projects involving political ecology of wildlife in Montana. I greatly appreciate your help in promoting this opportunity to your students and networks. Both MSc or PhD level applications will be considered for both positions. Oil & Gas and Community Development The project involves Montana State University, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Wyoming and is supported by USDA NIFA funding. Research and extension activities will focus on the intersection of energy development opportunities with community and agricultural sustainability challenges in rural areas that host unconventional oil and gas drilling in the Marcellus (Pennsylvania), the Bakken (Montana and North Dakota), and the Upper Green River (Wyoming) regions. The project is an excellent opportunity to cultivate skills and expertise in resource geography, energy policy, community development, and applied research. The Graduate Research Assistant at Montana State will perform project coordination duties, conduct literature reviews and background research, field-based interviews and focus group activities, and will participate in community-based workshops. In working with the project, the GRA will work closely with Montana State's highly regarded Community Development program (http://www.msucommunitydevelopment.org/index.html). Political ecology of Montana wildlife The GRA working in this area will contribute to on ongoing research involving Montana's freshwater fisheries and bison reintroduction. GRA duties will include archival research, interviews, data management and analysis. This GRA will work closely with the Montana Institute on Ecosystems (http://montanaioe.org/). MSU holds a Carnegie "very high" ranking for research accomplishments, is located in fun and scenic Bozeman, MT (http://www.montana.edu/about/bozeman/). Resource geography is a key focus of our energetic and productive Earth Science department which maintains a cohort of about 50 graduate students. Please send a CV, a statement of research interests, a writing sample, contact information for two references, GRE scores, and unofficial transcripts to Julia Haggerty (see contact information below). For information on the graduate program in the Department of Earth Science visit http://www.montana.edu/earthsciences/programs/graduate/index.html. The Department's full application deadline is February 1, 2015. Julia Hobson Haggerty, PhD Assistant Prof. of Geography Department of Earth Sciences Montana State University E-mail: julia.haggerty@montana.edu Telephone (US): (406) 994-6904 | mobile : (406) 600-1766 SKYPE: julia.haggerty2 NZ Mobile: 022-1-301-803 http://www.montana.edu/wwwes/facstaff/haggerty.htm

URI/GFDD Coastal Resources Master's Fellowship The Department of Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island (http://web.uri.edu/maf/) and Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (http://www.globalfoundationdd.org/) are offering a 2-year, 12-months a year fellowship during which the successful applicant will earn a Master of Marine Affairs degree and conduct research for a thesis in the Dominican Republic. URI will provide the fellow with tuition, a 20-hour a week paid research position, and health care. GFDD will provide the fellow with round trip airfare to the Dominican Republic as well as housing and transportation while in the Dominican Republic. GFDD will also assist in coordinating research in the Dominican Republic. Qualifications: . A bachelor degree by June 2015. . Latino heritage. . U.S. citizen or permanent resident. . Proficiency in Spanish is strongly preferred. Application process: Interested parties should send a letter of interest via email to Professors Thompson (rob@uri.edu) and Garcia-Quijano (cgarciaquijano@mail.uri.edu). Interested parties should include an unofficial transcript. Interested parties should also submit an application to the Department of Marine Affairs through the Graduate School (http://www.uri.edu/gsadmis/gs_apply.html). Applications received by January 15th, 2015, are assured full consideration. Questions should be addressed to Professor Thompson.

If you're writing an honors thesis, you're certainly doing research!

Definitely update your voicemail message to let people know you don't have access to those messages and then clearly state (and perhaps spell if it's complex) your email address. That should be sufficient and will keep you from having to contact every single program at what is a fairly busy time of the year.

It really depends. Are the classes for the master's program at night? That would definitely help you if you want to work full-time while pursuing the program. Are any internships or field placements required to get the degree? If so, these might be difficult to do if you have a full-time job to schedule around. You should also consider the kind of experience you'll need to get a job post-degree. Will working as an elementary school teacher help you get a job counseling students in higher ed? My guess is no, though I could be wrong. Given that, you'd have to figure out how you're going to get work experience in this new area while also working full-time. Maybe to fill the gap you could try to find a semester-long position (maternity leave coverage, for example) between now and when the master's program starts in the fall.

You could maybe start something via PM and then email? We used to have a thing in college where we'd email one another silly crap at the end of the semester and everyone would reply-all. It was a good distraction and also kept the inbox dinging.

Absolutely appropriate. And a second thank you once you decide where to go as well.