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unbrokenthread

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  • Gender
    Female
  • Location
    GA, USA
  • Application Season
    2016 Fall
  • Program
    Early Modern

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  1. I haven't heard anything, and nothing is reflected in my OPUS. I know it's only Feb 3, and historically we should expect to hear by Feb 15-20, but...I'm dyin' over here.
  2. Silly question: There's no work requirement for this fellowship, is there? (By that I mean a requirement to work for Uncle Sam for x number of years afterward.) I'm almost sure I don't remember there being any, but I couldn't confirm by skimming the NDSEG FAQ.
  3. E/E, G/VG, E/E Strong reviews. Damn it, reviewer 2!
  4. Ditto. The other two grad students in my lab got an award and HM for NSF, respectively... Come on, DoD, get my act together!
  5. Hey all, I'd just like ideas on what to do better. I'm really busy (first year PhD life -- 3 classes, TAing, 3 independent experiments running...you know)! I absolutely love working with my PI and the people in my lab. I made it clear to my PI from the beginning that I was interested in maintaining a good work-life balance, so while I do occasionally pull 12-16 hour days in lab, it's not the norm and I don't want it to be. He seems to accept this. Spring break has been an ideal time to learn new procedures and get things going (when else am I going to have so much unallocated time?), but the senior PhD student who usually trains me is out on vacation, so I've been inching through these things on my own. Anyway, my research progress has been much slower than I wanted it to be, and because I'm doing this alone via written instructions left by said senior PhD student, I find that I've been missing things, not doing them right, etc, and it's frustrating for both me and the PI. Compounding this is the problem that whenever I'm in lab with other people there are inevitably a series of questions, distractions, favors asked, etc, and I never know whether they're going to take 15 minutes or three hours. (An 8 hour day turned into a 14 hour one the other day for this reason. I was already sick as a dog, so it was extra miserable!) So if a favor or a suggestion sounds complicated and time-consuming but not urgent, I've been trying to push it to a day when I know I have more time, but this apparently hits a nerve with the boss - "Why not do it right now?" (Of course this particular one was a <5 minute fix, making me feel ridiculous as a result, but I didn't know that at the time!) Of course I want to make the boss happy, and help out my fellow lab members, etc. I've been trying to be good about setting boundaries but lately it just seems like everything is taking twice the time it should and the disruptions Are Not Helping. How do you all handle this? (ETA: Is this even in the right subforum? Sorry if not!)
  6. I'm not an Engineering major, but I know CPP - and it is a very good engineering school. There are plenty of undergrad research opportunities if you know where to look. It frequently takes more than four years to finish an engineering degree -- so be forewarned. Fifth and sixth years are common. I know a few sevens. But (importantly), I don't know anybody that seriously regrets the time they spent.
  7. I hope you're granted an increase - by itself, $1500 is not nearly enough to live decently in LA. You might be able to live on your own...if you use at least $1k of that stipend as rent money (you can easily tank 1500 a month on a place by yourself here--especially if you're paying your own utilities). Otherwise, expect to share a place with a couple people. I'm banking on you getting a pay raise, though, since $1500 would be astonishingly low for UCLA. Was recently talking to a UCLA friend whose annual stipend is just north of $30k after tuition waiver. That's more like it. Sending good vibes your way!
  8. Best of luck to you wherever you end up, tuschu!
  9. Whoa. The entire point of the April 15 agreement is that they're not allowed to demand a response before that date. Do you really want to work with someone who disregards rules for her own convenience, especially if those rules are meant to ensure fairness TO YOU? I wouldn't want to work with this person at _all_.
  10. This is research you may have to do yourself--look at cost of living calculators for both cities.
  11. Definitely start looking at housing! What I did: 1. Found a place to live*, and then began moving arrangements 1a. I'm flying out, so I began taking stock of what I could sell before I moved. I'll be shipping most things. I hate doing this last-minute, so I've already sold a bunch of stuff -- it's a relief to know I won't have to worry about it. I looked at the cost of shipping my books USPS media mail (cheeeap!!!), the cost of shipping my bike (Amtrak checked baggage was cheapest at something like $20, but there are tons of other options), etc. I decided to buy a good amount of furniture at IKEA and have it delivered locally once I move in. For everything else (like a mattress - I didn't like IKEA's offerings), I'll figure that out later. 2. Mapped out public transit routes to stores I'd probably frequent (grocery, retail, etc) - Google maps is great for this. In doing this I also learned about the public transit "system" in my new town (and the discounts the university offers for it!). 3. Started looking at utility companies/prices (since we have a choice in ATL for many of them) - electric, gas, trash, TV/internet, etc. You might want to take note of who the providers are and write down their phone numbers somewhere to save yourself time later. I was able to schedule my electric to be hooked up (yes, even this far in advance) on the day I move in. 3a. If you have a phone provider that operates in both your home country and the USA, talk to them if you want to continue being serviced by them. Your account may change, you'll want to know about your options, etc. 4. Found flight/hotel arrangements for the move. * I looked at the prices of apartments and rental houses, and found that (at least in Atlanta) the price of sharing a house with somebody was cheaper than most apartment offerings. I signed my lease just days after I got my acceptance letter because I had been looking for a while. The housing markets CAN be really competitive in college towns. When considering where to live, factor in traffic time, housing needs, the price of gas, etc. Traffic in Atlanta is awful so I looked especially for housing close to the university, and I found a place that's just right. ETA: One of the other things I looked at (since I'm taking a bird with me, and planning to get a dog, and my housemate has a cat) was pet resources. Vet clinics in the area (and the reviews for the vets there). Dog parks. Hiking trails. Doggy daycare, and the approximate costs for any services I'd be interested in. Etc etc. doggoes.com and bringfido.com have been good informational resources.
  12. Congrats to all the winners!! G/F G/F F/F Lots of remarks about my grades making me noncompetitive and that the application needed further development (which is super true). Did say that my LORs were very strong. Will try again next year! (why the f*** did I get downvoted for this?)
  13. Either that or we're all just more obsessed! And neurotic. Don't forget neurotic.
  14. Were you sending it to a US University? Monday was a holiday (for CA, TX, and CO) and so that would account for the three-day wait (Sat-Sun-Mon). In many cases no one is around to pick up mail on Sat & Sun anyway, so that's no cause for alarm. If you haven't seen it as "received" by the end of this week, then I'd send a message; otherwise, just be patient.
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