C&C

I'm similar as well. I can go weeks or a few months without any desire to listen to music. On my drives up and down the East Coast (~15hrs) I enjoyed the silence...my friends think it's pretty weird. Most music just doesn't do anything for me, and the majority of it isn't worth listening to. Glad I'm not the only one!

Each post was helpful, so thank you everyone!

I encountered a similar scenario a few months ago when deciding where to attend. For my undergrad, my decisions were what I call more "emotional" so I made myself pick the "rational" choice for grad school (which included better funding & more affordable living), and I'm so happy that I did! Your situation seems a little similar, so I'm inclined to say LA. The wording of your post seems to be leaning that way even though you are still undecided. Best of luck to you!

1. I agree with spellbanisher. If you feel that this writing has helped you with history...play it up! Just make sure it is well-connected to your goals as a history student in your SOP. 2. I had the same GPA scenario, and it worked out just fine. From my own experience, my campus visits and writing sample were just as important as my GPA (which was very competitive). It's important for potential departments to get a good sense of you as more than a set of numbers. Best of luck!

This past weekend, I flew back to my university to participate in graduation. While there, my closest professors all hugged me and urged me to "keep in touch" as I told them where I was starting grad school in the Fall. These are all people who had a huge impact on my undergrad career, and went above and beyond to help with grad applications (not to mention my thesis!). One professor even asked me to add her on Facebook. What is the appropriate way to keep in contact with old professors? Anyone here have any experience they're willing to share? Thank you! C&C

From my experience of living in New England... 1. Long underwear or whatever you prefer to call it. Growing up in Florida and being a swimmer, I've never been a fan of excessive clothing, so long underwear kept me toasty and enabled me to wear less layers. 2. CHAPSTICK! Any kind and every kind! As someone who didn't carry a small bottle of lotion like many of my friends, I used to rub some chapstick on my knuckles if they became too dry. Held me over until I made it back to the apartment.

If I'm buckling down to get through some heavy reading/writing I'll listen to Rodrigo y Gabriella, Mozart, Debussy, or possibly nature sounds. For lighter reading/research I enjoy current hits and have frequently been caught dancing at my desk. Whatever works, right? Edit: I'm also a huge fan of Songza for my music streaming. I never got into Pandora.

I keep checking back on this thread and it's dangerous! Some of these bags/backpacks are adorable. My eyes are bigger than my wallet.

I've always thought of myself as a nerd, a geek, and an athlete. In high school, I was at the top of my class, one of my school's best athletes, and spent my spare time gaming (A LOT). Math club? Studying on weekends? Prepping for the SAT? As if! As I get older, I get nerdier and nerdier...and I'm more than okay with that.

I also have a passion for Southern History and wanted a strong program which is why I enrolled at UNC-C for Fall 2014. From what my undergrad professors told me and my own research, they do a great job preparing students for PhD programs. I recommend taking a look at their websites. I'd be very surprised if someone did not share or support your research interests. http://history.uncc.edu/ http://history.uncc.edu/people/faculty http://catalog.uncc.edu/graduate-catalogs/current/MA-history

I think the fact that you've seen improving scores, and have gotten in the habit of training your brain to think how the test wants you to is crucial...you should be fine! I personally never had the best practice scores, but did quite well on the exam (though I retook it for a little extra competitive boost). Best of luck!

Unlike the other posters here, I have NEVER had good luck with personal printers! Why me?! Why me?! As a result, I've become very accustomed to using my print allowances at university. It's nice because if something goes wrong you have people there to help you! I highly recommend making friends with ITS or people in your department office as that's a nice way to get some free printing...or even mooching off of friends who don't need their printing allowance. (It's honestly how I get by.)

I'm not an expert by any means, but I'm going to say no. You should like the program and faculty enough at one school to stay. If you're having a hard time deciding as I did...research the programs some more, email professors/current students, draw up a pro/con list, and ask yourself which school will support your academic interests/future better. Best of luck to you!

I've been known to put icing on bacon...ultimate salty/sweet combination.

And all this time I've gone to Trader Joe's for soybeans and chili spiced mango?! Checking this out next time.

Ordering a large Dominos pizza (extra pepperoni/black olive), and marathoning The Real Housewives (or anything from Bravo). If I'm feeling geeky, I'll play MapleStory. No shame here.

Great thread! After talking to current students, I've started some healthy habits now to help me out my first semester. -The most important for me is eating as "clean" (healthy) as possible. Simply, because the better I eat, the better I feel. -For my undergraduate thesis, I forsook my team sport, and suffered miserably because of it. I learned that as a natural athlete, I cannot remove physical activity from my regimen. I am now looking to yoga/pilates/swimming as my new university does not offer rowing. -Taking time to recognize that the things I am stressed about show how lucky I am. Not everyone is able to go to graduate school, so I am thankful each day that most of my worries are academic in nature. I know it's quite early, but good luck to everyone in the upcoming academic year!

Anyone else here an incoming student to UNC-Charlotte this Fall?

This is exactly what I have and it's a great pairing! The Macbook Air was tempting, but I'd rather have a laptop with a little more power.

After using purses, totes, and a massive greenback pack throughout the last eight years...I finally decided to buy a well-reviewed laptop backpack. My back and shoulders couldn't take it anymore! I'm beyond excited to use my new backpack this fall. Here's what I got (all black): http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/products/swig-laptop-backpack/1914252 If I ever need to carry less, or look a bit nicer, I always have a black purse to switch over to, but I think this backpack looks quite nice.

Maelia8: Yes, I'm only waiting on Georgia and their email said they would have decisions out around April 1st. At this point I'm trying to find a polite way to ask for more time, as both programs have given me very similar and generous offers. Since I'd be out of state for College of Charleston, their offer is incredibly generous, but I would not have any TA experience with undergrads. As someone who is considering teaching, I think that might be a deal breaker. However, I have no qualms about being a research assistant and working closely with a professor. I'm trying to read my future and figure out what will be the most beneficial for a future career...that I haven't decided on. In terms of living in Charlotte or Charleston...who can say no to the food, culture, and HISTORY of the latter?! (Not that I have anything against Charlotte.)

Oops! I should have clarified: University of North Carolina-Charlotte and College of Charleston. Both are terminal MA programs. I've visited both, but I think it's a bit odd how pushy they are--don't get me wrong, it's flattering. I've heard back from Clemson (accepted, waiting to hear on funding) and no word from University of Georgia yet. Thanks for the fast feedback everyone! I promise it's all helpful.

Any suggestions on how to choose between two programs that you really like? I have both UNC-C and CofC sending me funding offers, and both want me to decide within the next two weeks. Unfortunately, I leave for an 8 week program in Barcelona on Friday, so the pressure is really on! I like each program for different reasons, and I could see myself being happy at both. I wasn't expecting this to be a tough decision, and I'm not sure if there really is a "right" answer. Definitely feeling overwhelmed and lost at this point. Thank you in advance!

Having more degrees will always make you more marketable and well-rounded. (Not to mention that knowledge should be a life-long pursuit.) The parallels that can be drawn between fields to enrich studies of both is the strongest argument that this article has. However, I vehemently reject the statement that "history is fading from relevancy in society"--even if members of the AHA allegedly said that. It's not true and will never be true. If I thought my field was irrelevant I wouldn't have changed my major, moved across the country, wrote a thesis, and then applied to graduate school in that same field. Getting a Ph.D is incredibly challenging, and not for everyone. So what? That's the nature of the degree and students know that going into the program.

I'm having the same problem. I believe I'm going to have to remove the professor from my applications, and ask others in the department for help. I can't afford to miss application deadlines because of this letter. I never thought this would happen, and I'm quite hurt as I had a great relationship with this professor.