eklavya

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diet pepsi

Interesting... in my masters now, I am told to do 6 hours of TA work. Plus 2 extra hours during exams for exam reviews. RA hours - this depends on me, and on the pace of my research work. Some weeks, I've put in 60-70 hrs whereas some weeks I haven't worked at all. For my PhD, I think they expect me to give 20 hours for TA/RA. But depending on the workload, the number of hours might decrease... I definitely don't see myself TAing for over 20 hours a week. Research work though... I don't really mind putting more hours because I like it.

Ok.. this is starting to make more sense now. From what you guys say, the oral appears to be the lit review kind of thing, but presented vocally. The writing seems to differ from field to field... in most lifesciences, I've been told that you'll be asked factual questions, and questions to test your hypothesis designing and your method of experimentally testing the hypothesis. It perhaps isn't a nightmare, but I wanted to know what I am getting myself into. Thanks guys.

renovation budget

range max

apply there

round house

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come here

rabbit hole (matrix!!!)

zone out

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chemical plant

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i also recommend the credit card option, if your relatives are unable to help you. yes, there are charges but once you get into grad school, hopefully you will be able to pay it off using the stipend. and if possible, visit all schools in the same spree to save money and time. or just visit the ones that you absolutely want to attend. but this is tricky, without visiting the places.

yeah, like others have said, give it some time. if it is your top choice, you will (probably) end up there. and am sure your friend will find a good fit too. i opened this thread because of your title, and i am on the other end of the spectrum. there are a couple schools to which people from my lab have been accepted. and i am thinking, if those schools offer me admission, i probably won't feel very happy about attending the program with folks whom i've known for years. not that i have bad relationship with them or anything - they are amazing friends - but i would like some fresh air, new cohort, and all that. if i get in into those schools, perhaps i might change my mind after giving it a long thought... but time will tell.

whoa! is this for real? if it is, then my god, (the popularity of) gradcafe is growing faster than a snowball!

This is an open question to current/past PhD candidates in any and all fields. So please chime in. In my field particularly, and I imagine in most others as well, you need to pass a written and an oral exam to be qualified as a 'real' PhD student. Most people usually take it after a year (if they went from MS, like me) or after 1.5-2.5 years (if they went from undergrad). I have heard that the written test nails you, and the oral grills you? In reality, how hard are these exams? I have heard that in most programs, they are graded on a pass/fail scale, so perhaps the level of fear isn't as high as advertised? And are you given guidelines by your professors/committee regarding what to study, and how to prepare? I think folks in my program who have already passed the exams would be the gurus to turn to, but I also wanted to hear from those in gradcafe who are/have already been in that boat. Thanks!

living zombie

all i had with me was a pen. as you start your one-on-one interviews, you'll be given a lot of papers explaining research, recently published papers of the profs, and so on. you won't have enough time in between to surf the net on your laptop. so, go lightweight. carrying a bag to put all the handouts in might be a smart idea. some people also like to carry a notebook so that they can jot down the highlights of the interviews later. but i think you can store em in your head easily. do carry a water bottle.. you WILL get thirsty after all those meetings for that many hours.

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dead serpent