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Maleficent999

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Posts posted by Maleficent999

  1. Thank you for pointing me in the right direction towards Clovis or North Fresno.  I am willing to get a side job and pay extra to avoid any roaches or potential break ins or car damage.  That would not be an ideal living environment, I'd be very distracted and scared to live somewhere that was typical!  I'll start filling out those scholarship applications to try to give myself a bigger cushion for apartment rent!  And seek some roommates to reduce the cost.

     

    Thanks!

    I am from Clovis originally and I second the idea about Clovis. I lived in an apartment that was 5-10 minutes from campus by bike in Clovis and was $810 for a decent-sized 2-bedroom in a very quiet complex. I'd suggest looking a bit further out from campus (not south of Shaw Ave. definitely north or east).

  2. Didn't get it, but congrats to those who did! VG/G, VG/VG, G/P.

     

    The main comments I got were that I had a really interesting proposal but that I didn't make it clear how my specific program will help me achieve success. I am a first year in my program and the app was due only 4 weeks into my program so I had LOR from my undergrad institution. I'll definitely be back next year with a beefed up application and new LOR.

  3. Sorry for reposting. New user and forgot to quote. This is my question from earlier (in context with the quote): 

     

    Do you mean the University of Arizona or Arizona State University? I was admitted to the former. From your previous posts, it looks like you're at UC Davis. I don't see a UC Davis alum among the faculty at UA. That being said, I know that one of the faculty members recently (and very tragically) passed away, and another just retired. 

     

    In any case, thanks for the heads up.

    ASU - apologies for not clarifying.

  4. If they're anything like the UC I attend, they will at least offset the cost and offer to set you up with a host (usually another grad student) if you need somewhere to stay. I think the people that flew in to visit my program got compensated up to a certain $ amount for the cost of their flight but they might not give you the money upfront.

  5. No problem.I remember my first year - I felt totally overwhelmed and felt completely out of place. I was kind of thrown into globalization studies after having been a student of institutions and inequalities for six years (undergrad + masters), and I didn't really know the culture of the department or the community of Northern Virginia. I had to scramble to make my research on religion fit into the coursework I was doing. It was pretty hectic and demoralizing. There also wasn't much of a community among the graduate students here, so that was another issue I struggled with. Making friends was slow going, and going out to do stuff with them was difficult because my colleagues lived in disparate locations throughout Northern Virginia.

     

    I was able to deal with some of these emotions and hurdles by reaching out to a few professors in the department who focused on institutions and inequalities. I jumped at the opportunity to write papers with professors, even if the topic did not fall under my areas of specialization. I also put a lot of time and energy into two graduate student groups in order to build relationships with my colleagues. That also helped me to get out and socialize at get togethers, meet n' greets, and happy hours.

     

    How are you finding the adjustment process? Are you making friends and developing your research agenda?

    Well, I live with a girl in my cohort. I was skeptical at first but it's actually turned out to be one of the greatest things that could've happened. We are a lot alike and not at all competitive with each other. She's becoming a best friend very quickly and it's been nice to have someone around doing the same courses and going through the same transitions. I've also made a couple good friends in my cohort and a few in the cohorts ahead of me so I feel pretty good about that. Adjusting overall has just been different than I anticipated. I haven't been in school for a bit so, for instance, I had my first midterm last week and it was brutal. Not because of the content but just trying to remember how not to freak out during a timed test. haha.

     

    My research has been developing more quickly than I would've thought, actually, but it's great. I ended up applying for NSF (though I don't even pretend that I'll get it). The process of applying was good for me because it forced me to think about some things and how I want to go about pursuing my research. It also forced me to get into contact with one of my LoR writers and in doing so, he wanted to read my proposal. Turns out he's editing a book on a topic that is pretty closely related to the line of research I'm working on and he asked me to write a chapter. Soooo that's exciting and terrifying.

  6. I'm not a first year, but I am also at a program with over-worked faculty. A useful strategy is to ally yourself with a few faculty who are interested in working with students. I was able to do so my second year and have gained employment opportunities and a few publications from it. You'll also build your reputation in the department that way, as professors tend to discuss students in department meetings.

    That is good advice, thank you!

  7. I thought I would steal this topic from the larger forums and make it soc-specific. As the new application cycle revs up, I find myself wondering how all of us who went through this last year are doing. Unfortunately, I find myself out of touch with some people that I kept up with at this time last year. Whether you're in a semester or quarter system, you've either already gone through midterms or are about to enter into midterm season. How are things going? Is your program everything you hoped and dreamed so far? Have you changed or kept your original research questions?

     

    For me, grad school has been pretty much everything I expected. This quarter I am taking stats, research methods, and an professional seminar that has actually ended up being very useful. I am also TAing for a class I would've wanted to take as an undergrad so it's nice to get the information without formally taking a lower division course. Surprisingly, stats has become my favorite class but I think that's because there is so much uncertainty I feel as a first year and its nice to have something concrete. I either know how to do the math and use the software or I don't. Thankfully, I do. I think my only complaint is that I don't (yet) feel a very strong sense of one-on-one mentorship in my program. Our faculty are stretched so thin that its hard to get really into my own questions with them. Perhaps this will change, but I also know this would likely be the case at many R1 schools. I feel lucky to have come into the program with some outside mentors that I can still rely on while I adjust. There are a lot of other things I could discuss, but how is everyone else doing?

  8. You're in the north building of 8th and Wake, aren't you? I've gone there a few times. Nobody in that building says hi. 

     

    Anyways, I've enjoyed biking around Davis. So far I've done the Davis bike loop, gone over the causeway to West Sacramento, down Russell past the avenue of trees, and explored the Covell greenbelt. My favorite area is West Davis, especially the pond area behind Aspen Village. 

    I live in West Davis and I'm loving it so far. It'd be nice if I lived closer to campus but I've been here almost 2 weeks (woah, what?!) and my complex has been VERY quiet, which I appreciate. I can barely tell I have neighbors.

     

    BTW, where does everyone go out during the week?! My birthday was Tuesday and we ended up at Sophia's for trivia night (even though we had no idea what was going on). It seemed like the rest of downtown was dead.

  9. Hey guys! I'm going to be starting the Microbiology PhD program at UC Davis this fall. Pretty excited about this new step in my life. I've been looking at the WOW schedule and will probably only go to a few of the nitty-gritty events, like library resources and how the health insurance program works. I'm not much for mixers; I just feel too awkward at those kind of events.

     

    I also have a house in Woodland (about a 10 minutes drive from Davis) and am looking for a roommate. PM if you would like more info.

    Same about the WoW events. My roomie and I will be at the library resources, SHIP, and financial aid events, plus the ones with free food (wine & cheese, ice cream social, etc.) because, well, free food.

  10. Are you required to wait a full year before choosing your own advisor?  Does the department frown on your seeking informal advice from someone else?  Does the department have a graduate liaison?

    First-year advisors are a mixed bag.  I came to my program wanting to work with someone specific.  I filled out the paperwork the day I met him and had my plan of study meeting by November (setting records).  By April I realized that my interests had shifted and while my advisor really was a great guy, he was not a good fit for me.  Because he was my official advisor I had to have a fairly uncomfortable meeting to tell him I needed to switch to someone whose research methodology and interests better fit with mine.  

    Often the first year is fairly straightforward regarding the courses you enroll in.  A lot of departments have a foundational course that explains what the discipline is all about, and then there are methods classes to take.  If your department is similar, you will have very few "elective" type classes because you'll be taking core courses.  And the electives will help you to be sure about where you want to focus.

    Yes, I'm supposed to choose my faculty advisor at the end of the first year. I can certainly seek informal advice from anyone I choose and we don't have a liaison but we do have a department secretary.

  11. So why are some of you moving up there so early?  I believe classes don't start until early October if I am not mistaken.  Also, yeah I believe our departments/programs do their own sort of orientation as I was informed by my program coordinator that we will have our own sort of event.

    Well my lease starts September 1st, as I think a lot in Davis do. Some of my cohort is even moving in this Friday because their leases start August 1st. None of the apartments I was looking at had move-in dates in the middle of the month. It doesn't make sense for me financially to pay 2 rents in September so I'm moving there as soon as my lease starts.

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