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Congratulations!!! This may be me towards the end of my PhD if I can get over my mental blocks about marriage. Have fun wedding planning!

Thanks Cookie and Eigen! I kind of lucked out (if that's the right word). I worked in a lab for six months, but then my advisor moved, so now I'm in a new lab. So I'll definitely have two solid grad school recommendations. I'm planning on asking both my undergraduate advisor and my REU advisor for letters and then deciding which I would rather have. My REU advisor worked with me in a more typical research setting, but my undergraduate advisor would write an amazing letter. Also I'm viewing this more as a learning experience. I don't have my hopes up for getting funded, but going through applying for a grant is a useful experience.

Does anyone else have experience doing the mixed primary field? My research is pretty interdisciplinary and I'm having a hard time committing to one. Also- is it better to have 3 LORs from graduate school profs, or should I include one of my old research advisors? I've heard conflicting ideas on the situation.

This seems so bizarre to me. Penn State uses Aetna also- it must be some lingo about our plans not counting as individual but as group plans. I think it's because Aetna comes up with a package just for Penn State Graduate Students- it's not some other plan we simply buy in to. I don't understand how some schools are having this issue and others aren't, I really think it's just a lack of foresight on the institution's part. Best of luck. Edit: Did your school give you actual money for you to buy the plan yourself? Ours 'subsidizes' it, but we never actually see the money. We opt in to the health plan, and we pay our portion monthly (I believe its 20%).

I'm in the process of switching labs (joy). Classes start up in two weeks and so does teaching... Trying my best to mentally prepare. Also starting to mentally prepare for grant writing.

I think my parents bought me my high school ring, I actually have no idea where it is (oops). Everyone at my high school seemed to get one. I knew of a few people who got them for undergrad. I don't really wear jewelry so it wouldn't make sense for me to get one.

To me. it's all about time and overall quality of life. I struggled A LOT my first semester adjusting- I questioned a lot if I was cut out for it, etc. My second semester got better, but then my advisor told me he was leaving and my health took a turn for the worse again. I had a few really rough weeks, but eventually I remembered why I started and got my motivation back. If these feelings had lasted months and it was negatively affecting my life as a whole (family, friends, boyfriend, hobbies, etc) then I would seriously consider quitting. If I went a whole semester dreading going into work and feeling horrible about myself, I wouldn't call that a slump. I guess fulfillment comes into play too. Are you proud that you made it through the slump and you're still in school? Or do you still have lingering thoughts about how its only going to happen again and how its not worth it? That would draw the line for me also.

It's been quite an adjustment for me. In undergrad I would sleep 6-8 hours, and then take an afternoon "nap" (or just lay in bed for a bit) to relax and prepare for my busy nights. That kind of schedule isn't feasible for graduate school. For the first semester I would come home from lab around 6pm and been completely exhausted. This compounded with health issues and pre-existing parasomnias and I'm still struggling with my sleep Things I can suggest: - As Cheshire_Cat stated, exercise is great. For me, I can work out right before bed, but others need 2-3 hours of buffer between exercise and bed time. - Go to bed and wake up at the same time every weekday. It's better to do this every day, but I like to sleep in on weekends. I find taking melatonin on Sunday night works fine for me. I'm always in bed 11pm-7:30am (sleeping or on my phone, oops!) - Know what relaxes you. I always took showers right before bed- but I found they actually woke me up instead of relaxing me. I try to take my showers in the earlier evening now or in the morning. Also if all else fails, go see a sleep specialist. (I'm seeing one in two weeks, will report back on how that goes) They may be able to help your particular situation.

Is your lack of sleep affecting you negatively or can you function fine? Some (lucky) people can get 4-5 hours and be just fine.

Google "online tutoring services"- there are definitely options.

Seconding everyone, our university wide orientation was a massive waste of time. The only useful thing was they talked about health insurance, but of course they put that last so we didn't want to leave. I wouldn't stress about missing it.

I'm in the same exact boat as you, except I'm a first year and I was only ~6 months into my project. This really is a personal decision only you can make. I sat down with my SO and we weighed my pros and cons of staying where I was versus going with my new advisor. (I only had two options) I talked to quite a few people in my department about exams, getting paid, and whatnot. If you have a graduate coordinator or something similar they may be able to help.

If they definitely got the score, I would for sure try to retake it. Maybe even email the AdComs and explain the first awful performance. Did you fill in the schools you wanted to report to at the exam? The only way to not report is to wait to input any schools until after you get your score report.

When people are only friendly towards you when they want something... The. Worst.

We get it three weeks prior- I think in an attempt to level the playing field. Once I get it, I plan on going indepth on each method they use in the paper to really make sure I understand how/why and the details.

Hey everyone! I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I figured it could be helpful again. I have my candidacy exam in the fall- ours is a bit different. It focuses heavily on the ability to critically analyze a paper in our "general" field- so mine will be a biochemistry paper. We have to do a short research "chalk talk", but it's not as important. So my question to those who have done this: what study strategies did you use? (Online resources, books, etc.) How did you regiment your studying? Did you read journal articles? I'm trying to start laying out a study schedule and I wanted all of your lovely advice I'm in a slightly odd situation since I'm switching labs in the middle of all of this, so I want to set myself up as best as I can. Thanks everyone!

Not sure which program at Penn State, but you'll be extremely competitive. (Chemistry is the most competitive program in the sciences) Like others have said, you'll be fine. Edit: if you have any specific questions feel free to PM me

I feel like this could've been a really good discussion. I never saw the first post so no dice I suppose.

The moderators are human. They give the best advice they can. They're not professional therapists (as far as I'm aware). When you post on the internet you open yourself up to good, bad, and ugly advice. If you knew what you wanted to hear, then why post it on a public forum?