Maleficent999

I am 2 years away from this and I am already stressing out about it.

Hi, all! 
The first sociology interview has been posted on the Results page, so I figured I'd kick off this thread. 
Post results here, should you feel inclined, and this can be general discussion on Acceptances/Rejections/interviews as well. 
So, anyone wanna claim that University of Virginia interview? 

I keep telling myself I only need 1 "yes". Then I go through my list of schools and systematically break down all the reasons I won't get into that school. And then I cry and want to throw up. I think this is more emotional than anything else I've experienced, and I've gone through some sh*t in my life.

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).

I concur with the above that dressing casual is fine. I, personally, wore dark jeans and a fitted blazer with a nice blouse underneath. Be prepared with a 1-2 sentence description of your research interests. That's my biggest advice. You'll be asked 100 times.

I concur with the above that dressing casual is fine. I, personally, wore dark jeans and a fitted blazer with a nice blouse underneath. Be prepared with a 1-2 sentence description of your research interests. That's my biggest advice. You'll be asked 100 times.

ASU - apologies for not clarifying.

Just a note: I've heard that some shit has hit the fan at Arizona and a lot of the faculty are trying to jump ship (including an alum from my program, which is how I heard this). I'd look into it before making any commitments.

Just a note: I've heard that some shit has hit the fan at Arizona and a lot of the faculty are trying to jump ship (including an alum from my program, which is how I heard this). I'd look into it before making any commitments.

Things are going very well for you, I'm glad!

Since you have 2 hours and they seem difficult to fill, you can break them into groups and have them discuss things. They're used to you providing all the stimulation. If they don't stir themselves to do any of the heavy thinking to move the course along, they know you'll jump into the breach, usually with multi-media. In composition, I can stop myself at any time and order the glazed faces and avid texters to write something for a few minutes. Literature is a bit more difficult. I can still have them write for a few minutes on whatever, but literature classes work better with discussion rather than lecture and writing. So, it's a challenge to make it interactive, particularly when most students don't read, or skim, or use spark notes to prepare for class. I got a lot of "I can't read stuff I'm not into." Cue eye roll here. The Socratic method didn't work because, well, not enough students had read the work to talk about it in any depth, and instead they waited for me to take over the discussion again. I didn't get any pedagogy until this semester, and that's when I was introduced to Mazur.

Eric Mazur, the peer instruction pedagogist, might be able to help. Here's a sample of his interactive learning lecture. It's about 8 1/2 minutes long, but it is instructive. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wont2v_LZ1EHis If you have an hour and a half, his Confessions of a Converted Lecturer is really enlightening. It's on youtube.

I know you can't use his exact methods in your discussion section, but his learning by questioning methods can be adapted in many ways. The key that starts his interaction is that he gives them a problem, has them think about it, and then has them spend some time convincing their neighbor that they're correct. He uses clickers because he's go large lectures, but a discussion classroom can change that.

I'm not usually one to help undergrads on this forum, but hopefully this will be helpful to even grad students who stumble upon the thread.
 
Even if your research is never going to be done, you need to have a question that could actually be answered. 
 
I assume you mean to ask whether an individual's participation in sports influences their agreement with traditional gender stereotypes. In other words, is a high school boy who plays football more likely to think that men should be stoic, violent, powerful and women should be emotional, nurturing, and submissive than one who does not? And, for your second question, would men's sports foster more traditional gender stereotypes while women's would break them down? But, I'm actually not sure that's what you mean because you don't articulate what you mean by emphasis. It could mean that in communities where there is a higher percentage of sports participation, or more cultural references to sports, or something like that. Similarly, I have no idea what you mean by gender roles. For every piece of your research question, you need to articulate what it is that you mean exactly and how you would measure it. 
 
As for the issues with your current question, if it's what I inferred, it seems like your biggest hurdle would be arguing that it was sports participation that led to gender stereotypes and not that people who already held those stereotypes were the ones who were more likely to participate in sports. You'll want to think about that, and look at the research on sports and gender, as there's quite a bit out there. Maybe skimming some of that will give you ideas on what you would do to improve it or the question it doesn't ask that you'd be interested in answering. 

This is definitely really specific, but for me the homesickness comes from feeling like I'm missing out on something back home. It helps to remind myself of why I am where I am. Also strangely enough, the more often I visit home the more homesick I get. I had a long distance relationship for 2 years in undergrad and I won't be continuing the long distance relationship in grad school largely because I felt like I missed out on a lot of socializing during my undergrad years by focusing so much on what was waiting for me back home. It won't be the same for everyone but for me it seems silly to continually put myself in a position where I make myself miserable (visiting home and then being heartbroken when I have to leave) so I've chosen to discontinue that part of my life during grad school. I don't mean I wont visit home, but I'll definitely limit my visits (I used to visit home at least once a month). How does this apply to the general population? Focus on what is happening to you right now. I try to think of it like an adventure. When I'm feeling sad, it really helps if I try to imagine projecting myself into the future and looking back on that sad moment to see how insignificant it will actually be to future me. I mean, its definitely easier said that done. I realize that.

http://www.potterybarn.com/design-studio/tool/living_rooms_room_planner.html
 
I like to use this tool for planning my rooms. You can input exact measurements if you have them and see how things look. You can also use their default furniture just to get an idea.

http://www.potterybarn.com/design-studio/tool/living_rooms_room_planner.html
 
I like to use this tool for planning my rooms. You can input exact measurements if you have them and see how things look. You can also use their default furniture just to get an idea.

I am in almost the exact same situation as the OP. I did long distance with my SO while I was in undergrad. I moved in with him for this gap year during applications and now I'm moving 3 hours away to get my PhD. It is certainly doable to try long distance again but I had to make a decision based on what I thought would make me happiest (and him in the long run). I will not do long distance again. It was really, really hard on us the first time around and I don't want to go through that stress when I'm trying to focus on my career and schooling. He has a great job in our hometown and he doesn't want to leave it. I get that and I don't fault him for it but I also won't waste the next 5-6 years of my life trying to make a long distance relationship work when in the long run, he will probably never want to move and I will almost certainly have to live somewhere other than my hometown. It's pretty awkward living with someone when you both know the exact date your relationship will expire (September 1st for us) but we don't hate each other by any means. It'll suck at first and it'll take a few months for us to be able to talk again I'm sure, but I think we will stay in touch enough to remain close. We have agreed that if at some point in the future something changes for either of us (I could fail out of school after all, or he might decide he hates his job) then we will revisit the issue. I think the plan is to revisit how we're feeling about each other next summer. If we have moved on in a year then maybe it wasn't meant to be. If we haven't then it might be worth trying to make something work.
 
It sucks the OP's SO isn't comfortable discussing things because I have found that communication was the only way we were able to get through this sticky situation and come up with a plan. Since it seems like the OP is being left to make a decision, I'd advise to try and figure out what it is that YOU want. Are you certain your SO is "the one" or do you have any thoughts that maybe there is still a relationship out there you'd be happier in? If you're not certain, then maybe the time apart will help you figure it out. Maybe you don't need a formal break up but you guys could agree to just take some time apart. If he still refuses to even discuss THAT then, if it were me, I'd take that as a signal that I'm going to have to make the decision and just run with it.

http://www.potterybarn.com/design-studio/tool/living_rooms_room_planner.html
 
I like to use this tool for planning my rooms. You can input exact measurements if you have them and see how things look. You can also use their default furniture just to get an idea.

I did the same almost a month ago. You're going to love it. I'm obsessed.

I usually see it listed under "honors/awards" for each of your attended institutions.

This is highly field-dependent. In my field, most students graduate with 0-1 publications in peer-reviewed journals, and a few conference proceedings papers. Things just take longer than in some of the natural science fields. The goal is usually to have publications out of one's dissertation (but those only come out after the dissertation is done and defended, not as a precondition to graduating). 
 
That said, comparing yourself to others is dangerous and usually highly counter-productive. I know it's tempting, but it's an activity you just can't win at. There is always (and I do mean ALWAYS) someone faster than you, better than you, with more publications than you, who presents are more conferences than you, gets a better job than you, has better teaching evaluations than you, seems to have all of the above, etc. This never ends. I've learned to stop comparing myself to others except to make sure that I am doing roughly what I am supposed to be doing at this stage in my career, which btw involves looking not only at the fastest rising superstar in my field but at more "average" people who are doing well. I try and consult with my mentors on a regular basis, and if I think there is something that I should be doing that I'm not, I just ask about it. I am the one person who cares about my own self-interests more than anyone else in my life, however well-meaning they may be. So if there is something I think is wrong or missing, I ask about it and try and fix the problem.
 
So, OP, have you tried to bring this up with your advisor? Are there things that could be ready for submission soon? Often, your advisor will be busy and juggling lots of balls in the air. If something is going to happen, it's up to the student to be the main person responsible for pushing things along. Is there any project that you can take the initiative on and try to get into a publishable mode? Coordinate with your advisor before taking too many steps, but I think it's totally fair to say you think project X is advanced enough (or soon will be) to get a paper out of it, and come up with a plan for writing that paper or doing whatever remaining experiments need to happen first. To repeat my point one last time, things will happen faster--and more of them will happen--if you take the initiative and push things along. Getting a publication is a slow process and you will need to stay determined and be the one who is on top of things. If you do that, you'll get more out of your education than if you wait for your advisor to come to you and suggest you write a paper together. 

You can get a Target debit card. That's what I have. You give them a voided check and they link your Target debit card to your bank account. You get 5% off still and that way you're not spending borrowed money, you're just using money in your checking account. I've had mine over a year and a half and never had any problems.

You can get a Target debit card. That's what I have. You give them a voided check and they link your Target debit card to your bank account. You get 5% off still and that way you're not spending borrowed money, you're just using money in your checking account. I've had mine over a year and a half and never had any problems.

Thanks guys for the thoughtful posts. After another year of going through the same cycle, I've decided to graduate with a Master's degree from the institute I was enrolled in and apply for schools outside the city in a different discipline. Your comments were really helpful especially when I needed some care and cheering from the students in a phd program. Wish me luck in all my future endeavors! Thanks again!

If you are living by yourself, I would go with the bare minimum and gradually buy whatever else as you settle in and realize you need them. You may only live in your new apartment for 1-2 years, and the less stuff to move later, the better. 
 
In addition to craigslist, you should check out if your university has a page to sell things to other students. Many universities have a cluster of Facebook groups where you need a .edu email to access them. "Free & For Sale" has students (usually undergrads) selling their things at the end of the year. Usually, the items on sale are 1-2 years old if they are from undergrads, in close proximity to the university, and dirt cheap because undergrads are more concerned about giving them away as opposed to getting a good deal. 

I use a binder for each section I'm teaching, as a previous poster mentioned, but instead of lecture notes, I have the course roster and a page for each student. I add their rubrics and research proposals into it as I get them, too. Anytime I meet with a student, I turn to their page and take a few notes. Students love it when you remember what they said, and you'll quickly find that even though you think you know your students' names, you're never going to remember which student asked for what in office hours, unless you write it down. I also do my attendance on paper in this, and keep copies of the syllabus and assignment sheets. Don't let them sucker you. Students will have trouble adjusting to college (especially in the first semester), but when a student comes up with sob story after sob story, refer them to the appropriate campus offices (disability services, counseling, etc.), because if you keep accommodating them without documentation, you're going to run into issues. This is going to sound petty, but don't loan books (or anything, really) to students. I let one of mine use a very expensive Greek history book my first semester teaching because the library didn't have a copy, and it came back with creased pages, a few stains, and a torn book jacket. Suffice it to say, it made it very difficult to be objective on his paper.  When you're meeting with students, leave your office door open. I'd say leave it open, even if they ask for you to close it. Grad students are vulnerable to false accusations, and I know that most students would never do anything of that nature, but the wife of caesar must be beyond repute, right? (This is a tip I got from my supervisor.) If you're meeting with a student and you're concerned about their reaction to what you're going to say (i.e. if you're accusing them of plagiarism or something of that nature), it's ok to have a colleague with you "grading/reading/sleeping" in the corner, so that there's a third party witness. I did this when I had to confront a student about falsifying rough drafts. Don't assume that students can read, not even at an SLAC. Give your assignment a few different ways: verbally, online, and in paper. They still won't read or listen, but at least you can cover your bases. Monitor your international students' progress in the first few days of the course. Make it a point to talk to them and try to get a feel for their ability level in English, especially if you're teaching an English course. This really helped me my first semester, because I discovered that a student had skipped the required pre-req for international students to get into first-year composition, and had I not talked to the department, I probably would have had to fail her. (She got a very low grade the second semester, even with that pre-req...) At the PhD and MA level, most of us are not equipped to deal with TESOL issues, so become friends with the professors in your department who are certified, and get all the resources you can, if you need them.