rising_star

I survived on pasta salad for lunches for at least a year of grad school. I'd cook a box of whole wheat pasta on Sunday and put it in the fridge. Then, during the week, I'd take the pasta, add frozen veggies (the mixed veg mix was typical for me), beans (usually kidney beans or black beans), and dressing (storebought Italian or homemade vinaigrette). Since you can change the beans, vegetables, and dressing, you can get some good variety in there. I also would swap out the pasta for couscous or quinoa sometimes. I also second (third?) the idea of making extras of dinner and taking that for lunch, since that's another thing I do. A lot of what you can bring depends on the facilities you have to work with. In grad school, we always had a microwave and fridge so you could definitely heat up things, which increases your options. Because, for example, leftover baked ziti is much better if you can warm it up.

UBC is a good school but, I'd be worried about trying to live on that stipend. The stipends Kansas State and U of Akron are offering you would allow you to live very well in either location and to save money for a trip home should you so desire. But the visa situation with the USA is very complicated and I would be worried that you wouldn't be able to get another visa if you did decide to go home or overseas. (I'm thinking of this because of the recent high profile story about the Iranian tennis umpire who was denied a visa to come to the US to work the US Open even though he did so last year.) Given the visa thing, I would either go to UBC assuming your spouse can find work and you're prepared to barely make ends meet OR try again next cycle for admissions to other schools in Canada and the USA.

Just because you would rather have it does not mean your chair/advisor would prefer it. For example, there was someone who, on paper, would have been the perfect committee member based on my project. However, when I asked my advisor about it, I found out that the two of them do not get along and prefer not to be on the same committees ever. I never would've known if I hadn't asked. You want to make sure you avoid similar landmines.

You know, I'm hesitant about this working out, if only because there are so many variables. It's difficult to find a program that matches your interests that's also in your preferred geographic location, even when that location is NYC. Plus, a lot of the programs in the NYC area are top 25 in anthropology afaik (here I'm thinking Columbia, Yale, Princeton, NYU). Other options for you would be Rutgers or CUNY Graduate Center (where funding can be a major issue). It's going to be tough for sure. And if you're really permanently wedded to the NYC metro area, it can be even harder. That said, I have a friend that's lived in the NYC area her whole life. She went to undergrad in NJ, did a PhD in NYC, and now has a job at one of the CUNY campuses. So, it is possible.

If you don't have enough money to pay your tuition and fees, can you take a leave of absence?

There's some studies out there that conclude that you retain more information if you read a physical book rather than an e-book. There was also a recent report that suggested that it was easier to remember when things happened in the plot of a novel when reading a physical book rather than an e-book (possibly connected to the issue lyrehc mentions about finding the right page digitally). I always used physical books for class, though I never had to buy any textbooks. I also tend to print out journal articles that are important, though I read a lot of them on the screen. If you decide to go the e-book route, you might want to invest in an e-reader with an e-ink screen just to minimize/reduce eye strain.

In addition to the grad student association and your department, you might also want to look into various centers and institutes on campus. Some of those have travel grants available for grad students. While the amount may be small (like $200-500), if you get several small grants, you'll have enough money to go to the conference. The other thing to think about it is how to save money once you get there. At conferences, I rarely eat breakfast in a restaurant. I usually go to the store before the trip (or to a grocery store or farmer's market near my hotel, depending on the situation) and buy fresh fruit, granola or granola bars, and some nuts to eat and snack on. This ends up saving me a bunch of money overall. And for NYC to DC, definitely don't fly. Take Greyhound, Megabus, etc., or Amtrak. It'll be less expensive (well, Acela trains won't be) and a lot less hassle (no TSA and the need to arrive 90 minutes before your flight).

I schedule all the most important things in Google calendar. I also use the ReminderFox add-on which lets you set up a calendar with reminders for deadlines, links to information, and more. I find it useful to use that for things like grant and conference deadlines, though I'm sure I could use Google calendar for that too. I used to use Workflowy to keep track of to-do lists but got out of the habit. I may give it another shot though.

I'm late to this party but, you should check to see whether the minor requires you to have a committee member from that department for your comps/quals or for the dissertation... That may be one reason people typically pick a major from inside the physics department in your program.

You should watch some YouTube videos of the CrossFit Games then! For example, they had a Clean Ladder. http://games.crossfit.com/video/clean-ladder-women

Elli389, my graduate department sorta tried to do something like that but the students (with the help of the Grad College) fought back against it. You might also see if you can get a TA position in another department on campus or in student affairs so that you can have the funding you need to finish.

In addition to the list of variables provided by fuzzylogician, I'd add how closely the class topic(s) relate to your research or comp fields, especially when fresh out of grad school. That is, it takes less prep time for me to teach when the class topic and readings are related to my research because I know the area very well. There are just so many variables when it comes to time spent teaching, especially since it depends on what you include as "teaching". I'd include prep time, grading, time fussing with the course management system, office hours, and staying current on the news related to the course topics, which I always do.

I pay all of my credit cards off in full each month, so I have no clue what the interest rates are on any of them. I basically just do the 5% Target Card to save money there since I'm already shopping there anyway. Similarly, I buy pretty much everything on one of three cashback/rewards cards I have in my wallet. I even use them to pay my rent currently, which is awesome for increasing your cashback. Obviously the rewards are only useful if you only buy what you need and pay off in full before you get hit with interest charges.

ChasingMavericks, how much space you need really depends on what you'll be backing up. Most of my work in the social sciences ends up being PDF files, Word docs, and pictures I've taken, so backups don't require much space. I have two Seagate portable external drives (I back up one to the other, just in case). Whichever company you pick, take care of the connector cable. Most of them are proprietary and not inexpensive to replace. That also means that it's easier to just stick with the same company's drives after you have one, just so that you have extra cables. I have a Western Digital external HD (not portable) that I bought back when 160GB was a lot of space... I'll hook it up tomorrow and let you know if it still works.

I went from a top tier undergrad to a large state university that isn't highly ranked for my master's. The biggest thing was that the MA program I went to is respected within my field, even if many programs at the university are not. How do those in your intended field view your a master's from University of Wyoming? Where have recent MA graduates from the program gone on to get their PhD? Are there faculty at Wyoming who match with your research interests and who are available to supervise your thesis? Those are probably the three major questions you should be asking to help you decide if going to that program is right for you. Good luck!

Advice on what to avoid: Writing tips:

Totally agree with RunnerGrad. I am definitely *not* athletic but, I have found things I enjoy that I can pursue. For me, that's a combination of weightlifting and group martial arts courses. The weightlifting I tend to do alone or with a workout buddy, depending on whether I can find someone else interested. The martial arts courses come with a set of accountability (in that people will call/text if you miss class often or to ask if you'll be there) and force me to push myself in a way that I don't always do when lifting weights. Personally, I find weightlifting to be awesome stress relief as simply moving heavy weights around (safely!!!) forces me to concentrate on something other than what I'm stressed out or upset about.

Have you thought about taking a leave of absence? I'm wondering if maybe it's been too much going straight from undergrad to master's and working with professors who previously denied you admission... If you're really questioning whether school counseling is the right fit, can you do something like an informational interview or two with some current school counselors? There's lots of advice out there about what to ask in such interviews and doing them will give you a much better idea about what the day-to-day life in the profession is like. Your program should be able to put you in touch with recent alums but, if not, you could try going through the careers center or LinkedIn too. If you opt to do the leave of absence, you might be able to volunteer in schools or join Americorps to get additional experience in schools... As for the MFT, did you ever ask anyone formally or informally if they could explain why you weren't accepted or what you'd need to improve upon to get in? If you're having second thoughts, maybe you could also do some informational interviews with people with that degree. You need to find a new mentor, imo. If yours isn't helping you build your career, then they aren't really helping you. You may do better to find a mentor who works in the field you're interested in but isn't an academic. Just something to consider. That said, some of it may be because research isn't expected or all that common in professionally-oriented master's programs, which yours is. Your "mentor" might be concerned that taking on research in addition to full-time coursework and whatever internships or practicums are required may be more than one can feasibly do. Perhaps you could talk with them after or before class, even if it's briefly, to ask about the research. It's much harder to ignore someone asking you in person than it is when someone asks via email. Good luck!

Three things came to mind when I read this. 1) You don't have to read articles specifically on Bonaire to get background information. There are lots of books on the istory of the Caribbean, as well as various anthropological and sociological articles and books about individual islands and the region as a whole. I'm not sure if you've tapped into this but, it sounds from your post like you haven't. 2) What are you interested in? Make a list of the kinds of topics you'd be interested in doing research on and try to go from there. 3) Having someone make a documentary about your fieldwork presents all sorts of ethical questions for both you and your participants. Make sure you get IRB (institutional review board) approval for this before you do it. Also, keep in mind that it's kinda impossible to keep your research participants anonymous if you have them on film and think about the ethics of that. If they mention doing something that breaks the law or goes against the norm, having that on film could cause them to face legal or social repercussions. Good luck!

It really depends on what you're trying to strengthen about your application. If you need breadth, then go with St. John's. But, if you need prestige or to make up for a less than stellar undergrad GPA, then Dartmouth might be better. But, don't go into debt for either program!

If you're worried about apartment startup costs, you could look into grad housing wherever you end up since that will probably come furnished (bed, desk, etc.), leaving you to buy the kitchen type stuff but not the large furniture. But really, save up as much money as you can. 3-4 thousand is what I would guesstimate. A lot depends on how much flights are and whether you live in a furnished or unfurnished place from the beginning.

In a few of my offices, there was either a small microwave or a mini fridge. Both were awesome for bringing in lunch or snacks. Plus, with the microwave, I could make tea whenever I wanted. I also used to keep some community snacks in the drawer of my file cabinet (I had a GF officemate so made sure everything was something they could eat as well), just in case the blood sugar crashed or the hunger creeped up unexpectedly. I never displayed awards or degrees or anything. I probably never will because it's just not my style. But, I did hang up cool posters or pictures I found, which was pretty common in my department.

A few thoughts. 1) A picture is not worth missing orientation over. Or being late for orientation or skipping out early. Any of those things will make you look worse in the eyes of your new progam than just saying you'd prefer if there weren't a picture of you online. 2) It'll look weird when there are pictures of everyone but you on the department website. Moreover, people use those. I have, on multiple occasions, looked up someone I met at a conference through their department listing and, at least a few times, the picture has helped. These were all individual photos though. 3) I think you need to come up with a clear explanation for why you don't want your picture on the department website. Why does it matter if you're in a group photo? How many other photos of you are there online (keep in mind that there are probably some you don't and never will know about)? Just make sure you have a short, simple answer to provide to explain why you don't want to particpate in the group photo and I think you'll be fine.

I thought of this comment when I saw a newsarticle this morning about a new fitness device. Here's a link. And, for the link-phobic: "If what you need to meet fitness targets is a device attached to your body that will jolt you with electric shocks, then a new company called Pavlok has just the thing for you. Founder Maneesh Sethi says the fitness-tracking wristband he devised can keep track of things like gym visits and steps walked in a day—and gives users a brief but sharp electric shock in the wrist if they fail, the Telegraph reports. The idea is to jolt people into adopting better habits, he says. "Research shows that consistency is the key to forming a habit," Pavlok says on its website. "When you use Pavlok to stick to your goals, you'll find that they become easier and, eventually, automatic."" Sadly, it won't be on the market until next year.

mandarin orange, thanks for coming back to provide an update. I'm really glad to hear that you and your advisor were able to resolve the situation ultimately. Hopefully you won't have to go through this again. geographyrocks, external funding is always awesome if you can get it. Not just the NSF, but the various fellowships from DOD (depending on your work and your politcal inclinations), DOE, NOAA, and the EPA STAR fellowship (assuming it gets offered). Make sure you take advantage of all the resources your grad school has (there's usually someone that will look over your materials or who runs workshops on how to apply) so that your applications are the best they can possibly be. Good luck with your applications.