Jump to content

ProfMoriarty

Members
  • Posts

    140
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by ProfMoriarty

  1. Where I'm from, we don't have as much of a "textbook culture" as they seem to have in the US. As such, we typically bought photocopies of the texts we had to read (typically a chapter or two), and those I have away when I graduated. I only ever purchased books if the topic was of particular interest to me, so I'm not letting those go under any circumstance! Towards the end of my major I was downloading PDFs instead of buying books
  2. 1. Anthony Bourdain 2. Minister of the environment 3. Leader of a research group at a research institution (this one is very specific) 4. Tenured professor at my undergrad institution (5 I'd like a meaningful job at the UN...) 3 and 4 are the only realistic ones, but I'm a few degrees away from being qualified for either
  3. They are meant to send me an offer confirmation letter (I.e., unconditional offer) and the student contract.
  4. I'm meant to get mine once I send back the student contract signed... which will be a while from now, seeing as they haven't even sent the contract! (other people in other departments have already received theirs *sigh*)
  5. Moleskine is the way to go
  6. The Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov is a classic - and a good one, too! It may not depict warfare per se, but it does deal with political intrigue in times of war. also, the Silo series by Hugh Howey
  7. ALL THE BAGS HERE: http://www.modcloth.com/shop/totes-backpacks These are all so beautiful *want*
  8. Bumping this thread looking for other future Oxonians on the forum! I've met both the academic and financial conditions for my offer The college has already sent me the payment form, and the graduate coordinator emailed me back today to inform me that they'll send me the university contract soon. This is so exciting!
  9. This was my backpack during my lat years of UG and it'll be my backpack for gradschool: http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/women-39-s-isabella.html I don't really care that it doesn't "look professional" - one of my professors had the same one. It's also great for the field work, of which there is plenty in geography.
  10. I don't exactly remember how I got there, but apparently they're working up to their 10th edition to be held in Croatia in 2015. http://thesocialsciences.com/the-conference
  11. The only drawback to Evernote is the fact that you can't efficiently draw/handwrite your notes. They have some sort of third-party app where you can draw/write and then you have the option to sync that to Evernote. It's really inconvenient for reasons not worth mentioning. Otherwise, Evernote does virtually EVERYTHING. I love a feature/ well-integrated-third-party app called "peek" which works like flashcards. It's what I used to study all that GRE vocab! They have a plethora of features that makes it a really handy tool. In one app, you can do what you would otherwise need 4 apps to do.
  12. I'm a big fan of http://www.kleankanteen.com Far cleaner and durable than a plastic water bottle. For the lunch bag/tote, perhaps you could try Etsy for inexpensive good looking stuff?
  13. I'm not attending yet, but my input is that if you dedicate 100% of your life to your graduate program, you're going to become severly depressed when you experience the least bit of failure. You won't have anything to fall back on, or things you enjoy that make you feel better. It's just going to be you and your failure.
  14. I got into St. Anne's college, but have not heard about funding either. The website says mid-May, so I guess that settles it : we won't be awarded funding! :/
  15. I find using tablets for creating documents is too big a pain in the neck. However, I used my iPad intensively during the last few years of my undergrad, specially when writing my thesis, and I. LOVE. IT. I've gathered a huge collection of books and articles that are synced with my computer through Dropbox. I use PDF Expert (it costs $10 and it's worth every penny) to read and annotate my documents. I think in addition to grad school supplies we should start compiling a list of grad school apps! They're just as important for reading, writing, document management, time management, etc!! Personally, I found these (Mac and Android - for my iPad and cell phoned) apps must-haves during undergrad and will probably continue to use them during grad school: PDF expert iStudiez Evernote Dropbox Marvin e-reader Wunderlist Camscanner Clearfocus (a Pomodoro technique app!)
  16. Hmm... this makes me think giving Spanish lessons/tutoring might be a decent source of income for me!
  17. The move is far away (though 4 months doesn't seem like a long time when I think of all the things I need to get done!), but I'm already stressing over the things I'll need in grad school. I've never lived in a dorm before, and since I'm opting for University housing (which I have already been selected for) I want to know what are some must-haves for away-from-home university life! Also, what kind of things am I better off buying abroad vs. buying here and taking with me? I'm such a hoarder I wish I could pack up my room with me and go!!! I was thinking maybe we could compile a community list of things that are grad school must-haves
  18. I actually already asked my sister to throw me a going-away party and to ask our family members to give me money or items that I will need to go away to grad school
  19. Just received news about college placement! St.Anne's college for me
  20. IB was mandatory at my school. Nevertheless, I failed 8th grade and continued to fail maths every term even in senior year. I actually performed very very poorly in school.
  21. Did you guys already send the paperwork required to make your conditional offer unconditional? My letter said the deadline to send this is July, but I want to get it done ASAP. Does this affect whether you get college placement quicker?
  22. Thanks for the input, everyone. Once I get accepted into a college I will look into their health services and contact them. I'm concerned about continuity with my treatment. I've been seeing my therapist for two years and I'm currently taking three different medications. I will also ask her to see if she has contacts in the UK
  23. You could work on a thesis proposal starting now and until the time to apply rolls around. Luckily, you have plenty of time to do that. US universities will expect you to have something planned out, too, so it's something you will have to do regardless of where you are applying. Once you have something more or less ready (a very very rough draft of your proposal), email the professor again if they haven't replied. fyi, what I wrote in my email outlined my reearch interests, the theoretical approaches I want to explore, the topics I explored in my undergrad thesis, and expressed my interest in working under the supervision of the prof. I was initially applying for an MSc, but she suggested I apply for the MPhil instead, since it has a substantial research component. Since one of your concerns is taking basic geography classes, I'm going to go ahead and suggest that you apply for the MPhil as well. That way, you would take basic geography classes during your first year (from any of the MSc courses offered) and being working on your MPhil thesis as part of your PhD dissertation. If you check the MPhil handbook, the last section deals with transferring to the DPhil programme which would typically entail a transfer procedure but "In some cases, if a candidate’s proposed DPhil research is an extension of their MPhil work, they may be admitted directly as a DPhil candidate and will not be required to undergo the transfer of status procedures."
  24. Hi all, With the big change that grad school implies for most (if not all of us), I guess it's normal to experience mood changes, too. Being away from home, in a new place, etc. can affect us in a variety of ways. However, what happens when you already have a psychiatric condition? My family and I are very concerned about this... my doctor says I should be fine by September, but it's nevertheless scary to think about moving across the Atlantic while I'm in the middle of psychiatric treatment. Do any of you have experience with this? Has your mental health interfered with your grad school plans in any way? And a more specific question, for people in the UK: is access to mental health specialists and medications too expensive?
  25. Hi Dave, I applied to several US institutions and Oxford. I was only accepted to the latter, so that's where I'll being going for an MPhil in the fall, and I can only give you input on Oxford, not Cambridge. As you probably know, geography is an inmensely interdisciplinary field and can accomodate people from pretty much all backgrounds; my geography professors during undergrad (I'm a historian) were economists, engineers and political scientists who then pursued graduate studies in geography. Therefore, your background shouldn't be a problem... if you have a grasp over the major works and theories in geographic thought. As you may have seen, Oxford requires you to have a Master's degree in a similar discipline to get into the PhD, but I think this requirement can be overlooked if your personal statement makes it evident that you're familiar with the most relevant issues in geography. Therefore, you're probably going to have to rely on this for your application to be successful. Additionally, Oxford asks for a writing sample, and you should aim to send something as geographical as possible. I sent in a chapter of my thesis that is intimately related to human-environment geography, even though that wasn't the central topic of my thesis, I also included the full bibliography in order to show that I'm familiarized with geographic literature. That said, your profile says you're interested in strategic geography. Where in Oxford's research cluster do you think you'd fit? Have you looked into who could potentially advise you? I don't know if it's the norm in the UK to email POIs before applying, but I did, and I think it worked to my advantage. They should also be able to advise you as to what college to apply to.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use