rising_star

My advisor never attended one of my conference presentations. This has never bothered me.

@GreenEyedTrombonist, you may find it easier/more cost effective to buy winter clothes once you arrive at your destination. I've done that before and with Labor Day and Columbus Day sales, you can find good deals on the things you need. Books are pretty easy to ship media mail though the last time I did this, the post office lost/mangled two of my boxes of books, resulting in about 45 titles going completely missing never to be seen again. So there's a risk there (which insurance helps mitigate). I have a dog, so I've moved by driving a car and moving furniture/books separately on several occasions. Each time, it's worked out pretty well. Obviously, without a dog, you'd have an entire backseat to fill with belongings (electronics, books, clothes, etc.), so that could make things easier/more manageable. I would definitely look into one-way car rental options as you get closer to the actual time of your move. P.S. I've looked into furnished places before. What I found was that they were, on average, $200-300/month more than an unfurnished place. Over a one year lease, that's an additional ~$2400, which in my experience is enough money to buy a mattress + boxspring, dresser, couch, coffee table, etc., especially if you use Craig's List, thrift stores, and places like Target or IKEA. It won't be the nicest stuff but it will be yours. P.P.S. Be wary of the mattress in a furnished place. You have no idea before trying whether it will be comfortable or not. An uncomfortable mattress is a recipe for disaster as it will cut into your sleep every single night. (When I started my PhD, my mom and I went to mattress stores and I picked the one that was most comfortable even though it was almost $800. As it nears the end of its lifespan, I don't regret that decision because of how many awesome nights of sleep I've had on it.)

If I were you, I'd try to take additional stats courses if possible. You may have to go outside of your own department to do this, so check courses in political science and other social science departments too. In addition, I'd try to take additional research methods courses. There may be specific courses on health research methods offered by the School/Department of Public Health for example. Given your research interests, it might also be helpful to take a course on epidemiology.

True, but I also think @lemma was posting their own question in this thread. FWIW, I think a 70% at the graduate level is kind of low but, that might just be me.

Umm... there will be computer labs you can use if this is really an issue.

Wow! It's interesting how different experiences are. That hasn't been my experience at any of the three institutions I've attended or the three I've been faculty at. Our faculty handbook actually specifies the number of office hours each person must have (which is based on how many classes you teach per semester). I guess I could divide that into specific office hours for each class but that seems excessively complicated to me. FWIW, I do teach a lab science class, in addition to teaching social science courses so I'm not even sure it's a strictly disciplinary divide...

Good gloves are crucial, as is a quality scarf. I also wouldn't forgo the hat, but I get insanely cold when my ears are cold. I also second/third/whatever every recommendation about ensuring your boots are waterproof. Walking in slush is a terrible way to discover your shoes aren't as waterproof (note: water resistant isn't enough!) as you want them to be. Salt does stain, so be choosy about the materials. Merrell, Clark's, and Keen have options that will look professional and keep you warm and dry. (Check their outlets and online for deals.) If you're going to go the long johns route, I'd go with silk or a wool blend material. You want something with natural fibers that will breathe so you don't get sweaty or clammy. Affordable options abound if you search the internet and/or outlet stores (the Columbia outlet is a virtual gift from the heavens when relocating from a warm place to a colder one). It's an adjustment if you end up moving to the Midwest full-time. I personally have never gotten used to cold weather after growing up in Florida but, plenty of others adapt and love it. Try to make the most of your visit and not just sit inside where it's toasty and warm, as tempting as that may be. Good luck!

Whoa, @Eigen, you do different office hours for different classes? That's something that would both confuse me and lead me to have even more office hours than I already do! (Also, my last department sounds more like your current department in that, rather than a list of office hours, people just included a link to their Google Calendar so students could click that and make an appointment. I've gone back and forth between requiring appointments and letting students drop in unannounced but never decided which was better.) I think a key takeaway for new grad students trying to set up an email signature is to look into the culture of your department first and see if there are any norms that people follow. If there aren't, go with what you want, making sure to include the basic information (your name, your department) and perhaps customizing additional pertinent information (e.g., office location, position, etc.) as necessary.

Seconding the advice to be conservative and have excellent manners. In Latin America, the academic culture tends to be much more formal, especially when making initial contacts. Consequently, you'll want to make sure you're addressing people by title, affording them proper respect, and being as clear and explicit as possible regardless of the language you're communicating in. It's a challenge but it's also an opportunity, so keep that in mind too as you progress in your training.

If you're planning to write a thesis, you may want to name one or two professors for your MA applications but it isn't as essential as it is when applying for a PhD.

Honestly, I have no clue. And yet, the standard email signature at my current institution (note that I'm faculty there) is something with your name, preferred pronouns (in some parts of campus), position, department, mailing address, phone number, fax number, and email address. The way it's formatted there, it doesn't take that many lines because some of that all goes on one line but, yea, it struck me as weird. And then I just adopted it because it's what everyone else does. I just only select that signature when communicating with people outside the institution. I have an entirely different signature for teaching. So, for reference, this is the formatting on the "public" signature: My name, Ph.D. (preferred pronouns) Position, Department University mailing address Phone | Fax | Email For teaching, this is the signature I use: My name, Ph.D. (preferred pronouns) Position, Department Office location Office hours I still include office hours in my teaching signature because it's the number one thing I get asked after an initial reply to a student's query and I got sick of typing "It's on the syllabus and the LMS". Now, they typically don't even ask because it's right underneath my reply to their question.

So... I would only do it if you could do it as part of your existing funding in a graduate program. Like Eigen intimated, I wouldn't pay for it. Why? Many universities in the US have something similar (College/University Teaching Certificate) is usually the name so there are many opportunities out there. I considered doing one while in my PhD. I took the intro class (Introduction to College Teaching, or some similar title) and it was an incredibly valuable experience. So much more useful than my department's teaching course. I don't know whether such a certificate has value on the job market per se, or if the value comes in your improved teaching evaluations and confidence during your teaching demo.

Moving always sucks. I've lived all over the US and it doesn't get any easier to pick up and move to a new place. But, the key is to try to find ways to do the things you're interested in (pursue whatever hobbies you have) ASAP so that you start to build a new network. Meetups can be good but so can finding activities (which could be art classes, open mic nights, martial arts classes, religious groups, etc.) where you meet people. The grad school and your department will also host social events where you can make new friends. Other than that? Enjoy exploring your new city! Go try things outside of your comfort zone. And remember, you aren't going to the be the only one adapting to a new place and struggling to make friends.

So... some of this is youth, I think. There's really no reason to wonder about what others are doing that you aren't because so much of it is about your timing. Maybe there just happened to be two people in the right place at the right time and you haven't had that moment yet. Maybe they read loads of dating advice online and follow it to a T. Maybe they have a secret talent for mind-reading and use that to find the right person. You'll never really know. And I'd say to stop worrying or wondering about it altogether because it doesn't serve much of a purpose. But also, you grow and change throughout graduate school and as you age (and, sometimes both at once!). What I wanted in a relationship at the beginning of my MA is quite different than what I want now that I'm done with my PhD. Similarly, the dating landscape has changed (e.g., Tinder wasn't a thing when I was dating online years ago). In terms of the online scene, some apps are known more for those seeking long-term/serious relationships than others (Match, eHarmony, and Jdate come to mind). Others (Bumble, Tinder) are typically used more casually though sometimes these lead to long-term relationships. There are also meetup groups for singles in many cities so you could try that. Or try volunteering for a nonprofit and connecting with people that way. @Adelaide9216, if you're concerned about the potential for dates to basically be racist, you could try using apps where people have to answer questions and then weed out the ones who are racist. I've used OkCupid in the past so I know that there are questions in their database about one's willingness to date someone outside their own race/ethnicity and about one's attitude toward racist jokes, just to give two examples. If you go that route, then you can weight those questions as extremely important to you and then look at other people's answers and hide/block them based on their response. It's not a perfect method, but it is one way to reduce the potential for bad dates. That said, I think going on bad dates is just part of the process. I also think it's important to get outside one's comfort zone and date someone who may not be your usual type. I've dated several people that are not my usual type. Sometimes it works out and other times it's an absolute disaster but, you live and learn. Thinking of all the dates as a learning experience (turn on your critical social science lens but only after the fact) can be valuable. It also gives you a chance to learn about yourself and the things that are or will become dealbreakers for you. I hope some of this helps!

Are there professors in sociology you could meet with to discuss your interests? Have you talked to those running the law program to get a sense of what people normally do for supervision?

At this point, it'll be difficult for your professors to give you any accommodation, especially since the deadline is coming up so quickly. The best approach is to do the best you kind (don't worry about being a perfectionist; just turn things in) and in the future, seek accommodations through the DRC. Good luck!

Reframing things in a positive light is definitely difficult sometimes (frequently). What may help is to give yourself permission to be angry and fed up first, and then try to see what your advisor was trying to say. Alternately, are there other students of your advisor who you can go to for feedback/advice before or after your one-on-one meetings? I found that more senior students were able to anticipate the criticism my advisor would give me and help me prepare for it... Might be something to try if you haven't already.

In grad school, I trained a martial art (umm... 5-6 times a week for 1.5-2 hours a day) and had a weekly trivia game with friends. We also did regular game nights, happy hours, and several other things. So yes, it's definitely possible to have extracurricular commitments. Something like marching band which might involve travel all weekend (Friday-Sunday) might be more difficult to juggle with classes, colloquium, and the other requirements of grad school.

You shouldn't hide what you're currently doing and you should address why you want to attend this other program in your SOP (and have your rec writers mention it too). I don't know that it makes sense to highlight those other things in your SOP unless you're tying them into the broader narrative about what it is you want to study and why.

It's not the professor's job to correct your grammar. That's when you hire or work with a copyeditor. If you're that concerned about your English grammar/writing up front, why not start working with someone in the writing center to improve your skills? I'd also share your concerns with the professor.

I... wouldn't bother addressing it. I also wouldn't plan to work closely with this person in the future if you already dislike the way you're being treated. And, more significantly, I wouldn't care that much about what a professor thinks of my comments in seminar or how "enthusiastically" they respond to my comments.

My advice would be to keep looking for additional programs. There are environmental science programs at dozens of institutions so I'm a little surprised that you could only find three that you might be interested in. Also, there can be a huge difference between broader state politics and the politics in a particular city. For example, Texas is a conservative state but Austin is incredibly liberal and progressive.

Do you know for sure that those edits they were pleased with came during the first round of editing? If not, then you're putting yourself at risk of having to pay for multiple rounds of copyediting...

It most definitely falls under Title IX in the USA. This is 100% something where you should consult with a number of offices on campus: women's center; human resources; ombudsmen; and equity/inclusion are the first offices which come to mind for me. I'm sorry you're in such an awful situation.

I'm confused. Why wouldn't you work out a contract with the copyeditor? Ideally, the contract would describe the type of work to be done, say something about the financial obligations (e.g., how much you'll pay and when), have deadlines by which you'll receive edited work, and possibly offer some insight into what's to be done if you don't agree witht he edits or if you deem them unacceptable. In addition to all of that, you could have something in there about maintaining confidentiality in regards to your work and not using her work with you as an example/sample for her portfolio without your explicit written approval.