eklavya

wild gelding

writing competition

see, this is where i disagree. we PAID $$$; needless to mention SWEATED and CRIED over the whole process and have been spending the past few months in complete ANXIETY and FEAR. they should let you know of the news - good or bad - because it is a responsibility thing. of course we are interested in that school, and the research. but that doesn't mean we have to knocking on their doors for a freaking 'yes' or 'no'. if schools aren't serious about being punctual regarding the admission and decision processes, it doesn't leave a good impression... at least for me.

poking poker

swollen ankle

i know this sucks. happened to me with one school. but i had applied to other, better programs. so i dropped the school from my list of potential grad schools. did you apply to only one school, or multiple? in case you didn't, or if you haven't heard from other schools yet, you should definitely contact few more profs at this school and explain your situation. the ones who haven't emailed you back could be busy, or the emails might have been buried in the inbox, and so on. therefore you might want to send another email, preferably in the morning hours. i don't recommend calling them, as they might take it as 'interruption'.

in lifesciences, yes, this is quite common. you will first get an acceptance letter bearing the good news. and the funding information is relayed after few days or weeks. you can certainly email the grad sec and let them know of your anxiety. they will probably tell you that the profs (or the dept) are having a meeting to discuss money and only after that you can expect to hear about funding. but hang tight.. it'll definitely come.

heart burn

paradise hell

lost cause

green lantern

fairy tales

damn it! - i suck at being a detective

ahhh... someone's also in europe!

HOLY!! that's a lot of money. for that much, you can buy tons of things here. i think you don't even have to ship anything unless you really want those things.

staples should carry cardboard tubes/cylinders used for mailing. or local bookstores... perhaps even the university bookstores. also fedex, ups should sell these in one of their pack-and-ship branches. buy the smallest size possible that fits your painting, then go to usps or ups and then ship it. you can put the cardboard tube inside a box full or bubble wraps or those styrofoam stuff, and ship it this way - probably safer than shipping just the tube. you can also buy plastic tubes, which are much more sturdier than cardboard tubes. but these will be more expensive and little heavier. for insurance, just pick one that provides the insurance. if you have time, you can call few local insurance providers and see if they are willing to insure your item for a period of few days.

bake this

there are some hardcore scientists who believe viruses are living organisms as well. my plant pathology professor was one of em. but this is limited to personal opinion, and hasn't been acknowledged by the scientific community. to pathmicro: you might also want to start getting your hands wet in the lab, and try to get out a paper and/or a poster out, or two. as the competition among applicants continues to increase, appearances in national level seminars/conferences and presenting paper/poster, working on a manuscript that you are planning on publishing, etc can certainly boost your application. most programs also want to see that their prospective student has a lot of research experience. so try changing that 'some' research experience to 'plethora'. an internship is a nice way to start - shows you can work outside your lab with as much skill and confidence as in your lab. being active in science clubs isn't necessarily a requirement, but can be a plus. i for example, am not a part of any clubs, but i did tutor (volunteering/for free - be sure to mention this) kids in their chemistry, molecular biology, genetics classes. your potential advisor and the adcomms with certainly appreciate your teaching skills. and things like these... just keep doing your job; try your best to get as much exposure you can in your field, and you'll be fine. the idea is to set yourself aside and show that you are different than the normal bunch of applicants. and i'd definitely retake the GRE, if there's enough time and money left. try getting 700+ for quantitative.. no one really cares about the verbal in our field (lifesciences). i got something around 400 in verbal, but nailed the quantitative. good luck with everything!

you must be in europe then (for 20kg and 1 suitcase only allowance)? regardless, check ticket prices and baggage policies for different airlines. some might allow you to carry 23kg + 2 suitcases + carry-on (i've easily carried upto 10kg when in dire needs) + one personal item each (laptop, camera, etc). if there are no carriers that provide you with this option, then yes, shipping light items such as clothes would be the smartest thing to do. then again, bring stuff that will survive you for a year or so. once you start living here (or anywhere else), you will start buying new stuff as the old stuff starts to look obsolete.

short arm

dirty sanchez

sweet freedom

for relocating/shipping: bring your clothes and personal stuff. drop everything else. there are thrift stores and shops where you can buy used items for wayy wayy cheap. starting off this way wouldn't be a bad idea.

all this is looking more and more shady. plus, the dept i have applied to confirmed that they are taking longer than usual to decide just because of this friggin situation. i think i've had enough. nothing else to do but say 'screw you wisconsin, i'm going elsewhere'... of course, cartman style

yea, if there's funding, the best thing you can do is to go there. waiting out whole another year means you will have to compete with new people, some of whom you can expect to be equally or more competitive than yourself. and you might like it, even if it's your third choice. you must've applied there because you must have liked something about the program, or the people, or the place. besides, sometimes the things you want aren't necessarily the things you require to be successful... think it out and am sure you'll make the right choice.