rising_star

Schumacher makes an excellent point. My advisor has said he literally sends off 200+ recommendation letters each year, most of which likely go unread as noted in that article. If they decide based on your CV/cover letter that you don't fit with what they want, there's no way they're going to read all those rec letters. I'd say about half the academic jobs in my field are now only asking for the contact information for 3 references, which they only ask for letters for candidates who pass the first review. This makes soooo much more sense for everyone, though it may not be as practical for grad school applications as it is for academic job apps.

For the record, I highly doubt you know the age of all of those posting. Not everyone that posts here is a current undergrad or fresh out of undergrad. Quite a few people are returning to school after time in the workforce or doing other things. If you want people to take your comments seriously and remain civil, perhaps you should avoid dismissing their experience and opinions by saying they "were too young for pimples" when you started teaching. That line does nothing to foster civil discourse.

I actually prefer wine/alcohol boxes to produce boxes because you're not risking any food remnants that could lead to mold or attract vermin. Another great source of boxes: your university and its recycling bins. Especially since a lot of them get new equipment in the summer. Those boxes are especially great if you've long since rid yourself of your electronics boxes but need some for your move. I was able to get a variety of Dell, Amazon, and Toshiba boxes out of the recycling bins on campus. And, lucky for me, those bins are cardboard only so no worries about food contamination.

Not sure whether you're based in the USA or Canada but there are standard government rates for things like mileage, meals and incidentals, and lodging. You don't *have* to use these amounts but you can use them to say things like "The government rate for lodging is $125/night however, I have secured lodging for $78/night, resulting in significant savings." You'll also want a miscellaneous category or extra money available in meals and incidentals for unexpected expenses that crop up. You should definitely figure in parking! You'll want to overestimate on how many pages you'll need to copy, though .20/page seems expensive to me. You may be better off investing in a good camera, if the archive will allow its use. If making copies, you'll want to invest in a banker's box and file folders to keep things organized, so include those costs too. Whether you can budget for and/or buy people lunch is a question for your IRB (institutional review board) or human subjects committee. In most cases, my PhD university's IRB does *not* allow you to purchase lunch for people as the meal may make it difficult for people to quit the interview if they feel uncomfortable. I did sometimes buy people coffee but I used the incidentals money to pay for this and limited it since I totally understand the IRBs concern there and didn't want to run afoul of them. Back to the housing, you may want to look into short-term sublets, vacation rentals, etc. to try to lower your housing costs. $1600/month seems like a lot to me, though I don't really know Ottawa at all. Maybe your contacts at the university there can assist you with this. If you'll be there during a university break, you may be able to find students (grad or undergrad) leaving the area for vacation or research who you could sublet from. Hope this helps!

If your computer itself is fine and you just want more screen real estate, buy an external monitor. I have a 14" Samsung ultrabook that I like a lot but I still use an external monitor a lot of the time.

Since you brought up how they get along, I'd just say that it's important to think about whether these people have worked together on committees before or not. My committee members all get along fabulously but, they'd never all been together on a committee before. It was interesting to find out ways in which they disagree but I'd have preferred not to found out during my oral exams! Also, run ALL the names by your advisor before you start asking. There's someone on campus with great overlap with my research but my advisor nixed this person because of previous experience on a committee with them.

Why put yourself in that position? In my case, because we were both beyond coursework when we met, attend different universities, and need specific resources not available in the other's location to do the dissertation research. It's really just not as simple as moving to where the other is since you can't transfer at this stage. Their school doesn't have my field at all and vice versa. And, more importantly, I'm invested enough in my advisor and committee and work that I'm not about to drop it just because I'm in love with someone. In our case, deciding that one of us should move to where the other is would mean quitting the PhD for one of us, which is pretty silly at this stage for either one of us. *shrug* We're making do because that's what we have to do. We'll be done soon, which brings its own complications as fuzzylogician and I were discussing earlier, related to the job market and locations. It's a lot to think about but, I'm just taking it one step at a time. My partner is so mired in lab work that they can barely even think through anything outside the lab at this point. We're both at these super-intense points in our work, which makes it harder to commit to anything (the relationship, regular communication, etc.) but we're working on it and through it. And yes to whomever said you have to try to see each other every few months. It is hard but the effort is something you have to do. You have to set the money aside and scrimp elsewhere to save money for flights, work longer evenings sometimes so that when you have a weekend together you can spend it together and not sneaking off to do work, etc.

You stop talking until they put the phone away. Or, you tell them if it's that important, they should get up, handle it outside, and come back when they're done. Or, you could be like me and just ignore it unless it is egregious. I very rarely tell my students to put up their phones because some of them are actually using them to look up course-related things. When it becomes obvious that they aren't, I remind them to pay attention or change up what we're doing (from lecture to discussion or from discussion to small group work etc.) if it's boredom causing them to reach for the phone. I used to be a no phones at all ever person but I realized that it's one of those rules that I don't care about in the long run. If they don't want to pay attention, that's fine. I encourage them not to use their phones but don't penalize them or call them out unless they're being obnoxious or distracting their classmates. YMMV obviously.

Eep! Timing belt troubles are a fear of mind. I am all about just getting that looked at at specific mileage points! Good luck!

Don't do it via email. Schedule a 15-30 min meeting. Come with a brief (500 word max) proposal of what you're going to be doing and be prepared to tell them what you think the overlap is. Ask what their style is for being on a committee (are they hands-on? do they want to read every manuscript before it goes out?) and if they would be interested in guiding/supporting a project in your area. Ask what, if any, concerns they have about being involved. Hope this helps!

fuzzy, we should commiserate more often! It is definitely worse than grad school waiting! Grad school apps were like Jan 1 deadlines and you know you're going to hear before April 15. I got acceptances with funding as early as late January, so it was easy to say by this time that I'd definitely be moving and going to grad school. Then, by April 15, you know where you're moving. The job cycle is deadlines from Oct 1 to who-the-hell-knows for temporary positions plus search committees take FOREVER. You do a phone interview, then wait a few weeks, then get a call about the campus interview. A few weeks later, you go on the interview, then you wait around for weeks and weeks while they decide, get the signoff, and make the offer official. Still waiting on that last part... *sigh*

I should give you a high five in solidarity. In a weird way, I wish it were as simple as waiting on grad school notifications because those come by a finite time but the job/postdoc cycle extends for literally months and months and months. I'm lucky in that my SO is not on the market but also they aren't in the position to move for another few years. Definitely complicates things but, *shrug* Wait and work, wait and work. That's my mantra. As for communication, I'm big on the all-day email. As in, I open a reply in the morning and then add things to it throughout the day and hit send sometime in the late afternoon or early evening. Some of it is about my day, some a reply to whatever their last email was, some of it is cool links or articles I came across, some of it is totally random or "hey, this happened and I thought of you." But, it works for us. The emails I get back are similar. If you want to make it work, you can make it work. If it's worth it and if you want it. But, please, whatever you do, don't be(come) one of those people who uses the physical distance as an excuse for turning to someone else for the physical part of the relationship unless you and your partner have previously agreed that it's okay. No one wants to get cheated on.

It really depends on what you want for furniture once you move. There will be Labor Day sales for sure that you could hit after moving. As for a bed, most places offer free delivery on mattresses so you wouldn't need to rent a truck. Or, you could rent a truck and then pick up stuff you've found on Craig's List, for example. I moved cross-country once just in my car and once by shipping my stuff but, the second time I had more expensive stuff that would've cost more to replace than to move. The first time, my stuff was mostly free or cheap so I either sold it on Craig's List or gave it away to friends and family in the area. There are lots of sites where you can estimate how much it would cost to move your stuff whether by renting a truck or by using a service like ABF U-Pack, PODS, etc. Maybe that will help you figure out which way makes more sense?

This is a great site for affordable recipes: http://www.budgetbytes.com/

I know there are past threads on this somewhere so I'll only answer briefly. I actually really suck at budgeting. But, I also charge everything and then pay it off in full at the end of the month. I figure I might as well earn cash back or rewards points on the stuff I need to buy anyway. My BFF is totally into buying discounted retail gift cards online and then using those to purchase needed items, though I haven't done that myself. I probably should though... I never eat lunch out unless it's a special occasion. Never. That is an ironclad rule that I've lived on throughout all of grad school. Lunch out, even if it's fast food, will cost you at least $5. That is $35/week (or more than my typical weekly grocery budget). I don't drink coffee and hot tea in coffee shops is expensive (plus really, it's a tea bag) so I avoid coffee shops. Other friends go for a few hours a day, which is easily another $3-7/day or $15-21/week. Those two habits alone will cost you a few hundred a month so don't get into the habit of either if you can help it. Huge cost savings. I cook for myself. I love my slow cooker (CrockPot or whatever) and use it a lot. I live alone so making one recipe in my 4qt pot usually means 6-8 meals of food, which I divvy up between lunch, dinner, and the freezer. Yes, sometimes I get sick of it but, whatever. I also mostly eat vegetarian food at home, rarely purchasing meat, which saves on the money. When I go out to eat, I do eat meat but I find the price of buying it for home consumption to be a bit much. I shop the grocery sales and discount grocery stores (Aldi, Grocery Outlet, etc.) to look for deals/bargains on the things I like that are normally very expensive. Oh and drinking out can get expensive. Set a budget and stick to it. Pay cash if you can so that you know how much each drink costs.

Good points, TakeruK. I don't/didn't have AAA but I do have roadside assistance through my auto insurance. And honestly, while it may be a good idea to drive between places with airports, if you're driving through middle America, the airports are so small that any flight you could get one-way will likely be as much as repairs to your car (plus, you know, you'd still have to do something with the car at some point). My own experience is that the airports I was near were tiny (like 3-5 flights out per day) and that changing my route to drive closer to more major cities would've seriously added on the mileage. I just did a quick mapping of your route and it looks more doable than it would be on mine... Western MA/Upstate NY, Lincoln to Denver, Denver to Las Vegas would be tricky though, if you're trying to stay near a reasonably sized airport.

Are you sure that you would actually need a new engine and a new drivetrain to make the trip? Before making any sort of decision, I would go to one or maybe even two trustworthy mechanics and ask them what they think would need to be done to drive 4000 miles on a roadtrip safely. The answer may surprise you. I've driven my car (a 2001 though with under 100K miles on it) across the country 4 times thus far and never needed much work to get it road-ready for driving 500+ miles a day through the August heat in Texas (because yes, that will tax your engine because of the heat, your speed, and your need for a/c). Also, I think you'd be surprised at how much fun the trip can be alone. I did 3 of my drives alone, stopping in to see friends along the way, catching up on podcasts (or you could do audiobooks), singing along to old favorites, and just generally relaxing and thinking. I thought it was going to be awful the first time but I actually really enjoyed it.

It may not be available but you could ask. My experience in the social sciences/humanities has been that moving expenses are typically not covered. Other options are taking out a credit card with 0% interest for 12-18 months (if you have good to excellent credit, you'll be able to do this), taking out a student loan now through your undergraduate school, or borrowing from your parents.

I say this every year but I haven't yet this year. In my PhD program, funding is not negotiable because everyone gets the same amount of money determined by your level (no master's, with a master's, advanced to candidacy). The only way to change that amount as an applicant is to come in with an external fellowship or on a professor's grant. I've heard that people have tried to negotiate unsuccessfully in the past because of the view that everyone should make the same amount. YMMV, obviously.

CorruptedInnocence, you're probably just looking to early. Most grad students don't make a commitment to attend until April 15, so I'd wait until then to start looking for a roommate. When I've moved into the houses of other people, I've often found them in mid-to late July for an Aug 1 or Aug 15 move-in date. So, just chill out. Think seriously about what you want and what you can and cannot live with but, chill on the search for a little while.

Sounds like the schedule of an academic job interview! You'll be fine. Just take every single bathroom break you're offered, even if you don't think you need to go. Carry some water and a nutrition bar of some sort (Clif, Luna, PowerBar, whatever you like) to snack on during your break.

I don't have much advice but you should know that there are a lot of people out there in similar situations. The ABD applying for jobs thread over on the Chronicle may be helpful to you. For the job talk, just try to pull out a few major findings for the beginning and then discuss one chapter/paper in detail. There are templates you can find online that can help or, if you have friends that have recently gotten jobs, you can follow their template.

In a nutshell, just suck it up and finish. I moved across the country for my PhD and didn't love the place I ended up. Like you, I went to a place with a fantastic advisor and any sort of transfer would've meant a downgrade in terms of advisor and research fit. But, I made the most of it by exploring the place and the surrounding area on the weekends. I tried out a few new (to me) activities and fell in love with one of them. I used those activities to meet new people and make friends. I ended up developing such a good personal network out there that I now miss the place even though I still don't like the actual place very much. The trick is to get beyond grad school. There are probably people like you there, even if you don't know it. Go to grad school wide social events, go to Meetup groups, go on reddit (if that's your thing) to find what people do in/near where you are, etc. Alternately, you can go the route of one my grad school colleagues. He strongly believes in "writing your way out" of wherever you are. If you hate the place and decide to have no social life, then dedicate all that time to working your butt off and graduating sooner. Get your papers submitted now. Start collecting data for the dissertation ASAP and, failing that, at least get the lit review and part of the methods written sooner rather than later. Ultimately, the faster you write, the faster you graduate and, in your case, get the hell out of dodge. Transferring is just a terrible idea in your situation. You'd be downgrading in terms of advisor and research and adding years to your degree just to live somewhere else... That's a lot you'd be giving up without getting a lot in return. Also, not sure what your future career plans are, but you should know that you may not have much choice about where you live, regardless of whether you're trying to be a professor or not. Not all jobs are available everywhere, you know? You're always going to be somewhat far from (some of) the people who know you and care about you. That's why you go out and try to make new friends and meet new people. It is possible if you try. Or, don't try. Put your head down, get your research done, publish a bunch, and then you'll have a lot more choice about where you end up next.

Usmivka, your edit came after I made my post. I don't think my post tells people not to check the chart. I think it's quite useful for people to know that the chart's estimates may be *under* what you spend so that you'd need to add 10-20% per category to even approximate your annual expenses. I'm not sure why that wouldn't be useful guidance for someone considering a pet... I personally consulted several people with dogs to get an idea about expenses, in addition to having an idea based on my experience fostering. You'll always get different amounts when you consult different people. I was merely trying to add another perspective on annual costs to the thread. I didn't attack you or anything you said, while you attacked my claim about the chart and my expenditures...

Umm, no. For a medium dog, the chart says $120. I spend $120 every 5-6 months, so that's definitely not $120 annually as the chart says. And my dog is barely considered medium-sized by most standards because she's 22lbs... I think of medium as 25-50 lbs and on the dog food she's on, that would add 1/2-1.5 cups a day, so you'd be going through the bag much faster. I think my shock was that they said premium dog food but somehow the cost is so low. I know what all the major premium dog food brands cost (because I've looked into all of them for my dog) and they're all $50-70 for a 24-28 lb bag. Also, toys/treats are going to be more than $55 for pretty much any dog because one toy is usually $10 and a bag of treats $3-5. So unless you can stick to 3-4 toys and then 3-5 bags of treats for an entire year, you're going to spend more than that. My guess would be that chart is a few years old and thus the prices are a bit out of date.