maelia8

To those of you who are wondering whether English teaching overseas can strengthen your application: it can! I've been teaching English overseas in Germany for two years (one year with Fulbright, one year with the German government program, PAD), and it vastly improved my credentials for grad school application. Since I study history, I did some great history-related internships in museums while I was there, as well as beefing up on the modern languages necessary for research in my field (German and French). At the very least, if you're going the professor/teacher/lecturer route, it will give you some great hands-on teaching experience.

Netflix (alone, late at night) and Sour Cream & Onion Pringles. Separately or together (but usually together)

I have lived with several different sets of roommates, and only once with a roommate of the opposite sex (I am female). I had previously only lived with other women, and I moved in with a male roommate because he was literally the only roommate I was able to find after living in a hostel for two weeks in a new city. The situation did not work out well, and I was very unhappy with him as a roommate. However, I'm not sure if this was because of incompatible personalities or because he was male, since he's the only male I've lived with so far. In general I would say I'm more comfortable living with other female roommates, largely due to similarities in communication style and issues surrounding bathroom use/nudity.

I would wait and reapply, especially if there are other programs out there that are an equally good fit for your interests. Grad school isn't worth it if you have to put yourself in that much debt. If you were accepted by a program this year, then it's likely that you would be accepted somewhere next year as well - you just need to give it another try at institutions that are likely to offer you better financial support.

I think that the issue is twofold. Firstly, I think that many students are told by advisors that they will never get a good job unless they get into a top-10 program, which is something we're told in a lot of fields, especially in the humanities. There is a widespread belief that if you don't get into a school with a big name in that field, or a big name in general (such as a member of the Ivy League), you will be passed up for jobs, and I think this is why many students apply to programs that are technically out of their reach. They think that if they don't get into a top-10 program, then they will never get a job in that field anyway, so why bother applying anywhere else? This means that more people apply to programs that they are likely to get rejected from after not even having considered programs that they could have gotten into, merely because those programs are lacking in "rockstar" professors or a big brand name. Secondly, because most of these extremely exclusive programs accept such small numbers of students, there is a strong "lottery" feeling to the process. Obviously, many more qualified students will be rejected than will be accepted, since the school cannot take take near as many students as are qualified (due to funding, exclusivity, etc). Even if you might not have a stellar GPA, top GRE scores, amazing LORs, a great SOP, and postgrad field-related work experience, applying takes on a gambling aspect, since even most of the people who DO have those things don't get in. Since there is no magic GPA cutoff or GRE score that guarantees acceptance and it's hard to know how good your LORs and SOP are when compared to those of others, I can easily see how someone could convince themselves that they are actually a quite competitive candidate when they might not be, or vice versa (like me - my stats weren't too shabby, but I convinced myself that I was horrifically under qualified, everyone was better than me, and I probably wouldn't get in anyway when I actually was accepted and wait listed at several top-10 programs in my field). Especially if you're a few years out from undergrad, it can be really hard to find anyone to compare notes with or get advice from, so an application created in isolation that the applicant thinks is stellar might not be as competitive as they hoped.

I DID end up getting into a grad school program that I wanted to attend, but my back-up plan was to apply to the Peace Corps and the Foreign Service and see if either of these things panned out I've been living overseas for a long time and have been loving it, so I would have been happy to go overseas again with a new program/job

I destroyed my shoulder a few years back by carrying weight unevenly (avoid carrying more than 10 lbs on one side, folks, you'll regret it in the long run!), so for me it's got to be a backpack with even weight distribution and minimal stress on my shoulder. I buy super durable leather-bottom Jansport backpacks with lots of pockets, and that usually seems to do the trick. I've tried backpacking backpacks because they have better support, but unfortunately, they are not usually shaped correctly for carrying a lot of square, flat, rectangular things like books and laptops.

Make small goals for the time period between now and your move. If there's anything in your hometown that you've always wanted to do and haven't done, take time to do it. If there's a book you've always wanted to read, read it, because this might be your last chance for recreational reading for a while. If you don't have time to go on a big summer vacation, go on day trips or hikes or camping, just to relax and revel in not having anything else you need to do yet. If you absolutely can't get grad school out of your head, reread some of the most important books in your field, or email your advisor asking if they have any recommendations that you haven't read yet. Look over your department's requirements and map out a tentative plan for the next couple of years (when to take which types of courses, when to start major research, etc.). Even if it all changes later, you'll still feel like you're one step closer to your dream

Risingstar, I don't think you're a "bad" dog owner because you use a crate - in fact, it seems like you have been able to successfully train your dog to be very well-adjusted to crate use, for which I commend you. It seems that your dog is happy, healthy, and gets plenty of exercise, which I think is wonderful. However, in my experience, the vast majority of people I know who "crate-train" their dogs simply use the crate as an excuse not to actually train their dogs, which develop nervous habits and are afterwards unable to cope with "life outside the box," so to speak. I know too many dogs that are locked up whenever there are visitors because the dog is simply too poorly trained not to bite and/or bark at anyone not in the family, as well as dogs that have peed in their crates and been forced to sit in their own filth for hours because their owners are out or otherwise occupied. For many people, a crate is a far too tempting way to put away something you don't want to deal with at the moment, and that attitude is incredibly detrimental to the pet's health. As you have managed to do, it is possible to successfully crate train your dog, if crate training is something that your situation necessitates, you are capable of doing in a healthy and safe way for your pet, and your pet takes to without any major problems, but hearing about it always makes me leery because I know that the vast majority of the time, it is not done correctly and leads to more problems than it prevents.

Machine, I'd like advice on this too! I'm going to be overseas until June 30th, and I'd like to know if it's more practical for me to start looking now (would anyone even rent to me without meeting me/this far in advance?), or whether I should wait until July when I can be there in person. I have relatives and friends in the Bay Area whom I can stay with while looking/moving in, I'm just wondering when I should start, and how to get started from over here (if that's even something that's possible). Any tips from experienced distance movers to Berkeley?

GreenePony, when I hear people use the phrase "crate-training" I assume they define it as training the dog to spend long periods of time shut in the crate (up to many hours). If the dog is being let out periodically from the crate (after at most 2 hours), then I don't have any problems with it, and I consider it an absolutely valid "private place" for a dog that likes that kind of space. However, most people I hear talking about crate training literally mean shutting up their dog for hours on end, which is something that causes me worry. Sorry if I wasn't clear

Take the Fulbright! I went overseas to Germany with Fulbright last year, and I haven't regretted it Especially if you're feeling daunted by an international move, Fulbright offers you a great support network to fall back on, and is always there for you if you have any questions. The rewards far outweigh the costs, and since you won't even be going across an ocean or dealing with a language barrier, I'm sure you won't have too many problems. Fulbright is also quite prestigious and is a great thing to have on your resume, which goes without saying. Of course, it also depends on the ranking of the institution where you'll be studying, but generally a Fulbright grant is a great thing to have.

Like IRToni, I would ask everyone to please consider very, very carefully before getting a dog while in grad school. Unless one person is at home full-time, I think having a dog should ideally be a team activity in which multiple family/house members take care of it. If you are taking care of the dog alone and have a full-time job (and grad school usually is a full time job), then frankly I doubt that you'll have enough time to give the dog the attention and exercise that it needs, especially if you're living in a house or apartment without a yard. As has been mentioned by others, training a puppy also takes a lot of time and patience that you may not have when you're just starting grad school, so I would absolutely advise against embarking on that particular adventure until you have a whole lot of free time on your hands to devote to your new "baby." Here in Germany, a dog is considered to be a member of your family, and most people typically take their dogs out for a walk a minimum of three times a day if they live in an apartment, some even more often. If you wouldn't leave your child at home alone all day, then it's understood that you also wouldn't leave your dog at home alone all day. I have never heard of a dog here being "crate-trained," and my dog in the US was also not crate-trained beyond showing her how to get in and out for trips to the vet. All dogs need exercise, even small ones, and most of them need lots of it, and they also need stimulation or they tend to develop nervous habits like chewing or licking themselves or other objects. I believe that an experienced dog owner with a well-trained dog should be able to strike a compromise between grad school time and doggie time, but I honestly wouldn't recommend dog ownership as a new thing to begin with when you also starting a (potentially stressful) period of graduate studies.

Well, obviously there's nothing that you can do about it now since you've already submitted it, so I think that it's probably better to let it go and hope for the best. I wouldn't worry about it too much - on the big scale of possible errors, this is pretty minor. If it helps to reassure you, I accidentally deleted an "s" at the end of one of the words in my SOP when I submitted it at some of the schools, and I was still accepted at several of them. If the rest of your application is good, I don't think there'd be any reason to reject you because of one minor spelling error.

Guess I'll just have to start looking on June 30th then, if what you say about being there "in person" is true - I can't leave Europe before then At least I have friends and relatives in the area whom I can stay with while I'm looking. I am definitely fine with a roommate situation (I'd actually prefer that to a studio), but sharing a room with someone is a bit too much for me at this point in my life - I haven't done that since my second year of undergrad.

Like many other applicants this year, I have just accepted my offer and received my student ID from the school I will be attending in the Fall. My semester starts August 20th, and I'm currently overseas and will be here until June 30th. I don't fancy renting a place blind, but I'm not sure if waiting until June 30th is too long. When talking to grad students at my school during visit day, they said that historically, many people end up finding a place in the last two weeks before the semester starts, and most apartments and houses are freed up fairly late, but I assume that doesn't mean that I shouldn't start looking until that late! I am moving to a university-centered city in an expensive area of the San Francisco Bay Area, and I know that housing in a good price range is competitive. Taking everything into consideration, when should I start to seriously look for a place to live? Would you advise taking a place blind if I find something online before I am able to visit?

It really just depends on what you feel you are ready for/wanting at this point in your life. The most important thing to do is make the decision that feels right for YOU, right now, and not allow your own feelings to be influenced by ideas about what you are "supposed to be doing" at whatever stage in life you are currently experiencing. As long as the choice to complicate your life/make compromises for your relationship is one that you feel comfortable with, then I'd say go ahead. If you don't want to make those kinds of compromises, then you shouldn't be judged for it by others either.

I've lived in the country, in the suburbs, in the middle of a big city, and in a mid-sized city, and I liked living in the mid-sized city best. Being in the middle of a huge metropolis is a bit overwhelming for me (I grew up in the country), and in a small city, commutes are shorter and it's easy to know where to find everything. I'm happy living anywhere, but all things being equal, I'd choose a mid-sized city or large town over a metropolis.

One thing that I'm trying to do every day is to unroll my exercise mat on the floor next to my bed before I go to sleep. Right after I wake up and visit the restroom, I get on the mat and just do three or four rounds of sun salutation yoga sequences, and then do seated stretches for another couple of minutes. I sometimes wake up feeling groggy, and this helps to make me to get the blood flowing (and it only takes 5 minutes).

I know from experience that when you're studying, researching, or working at any full-time, often stressful job, it can be tempting to discard hobbies and even forgo things necessary to your health such as sleep or organized meals, or to develop binge habits that don't help with de-stressing and staying healthy in the long run (junk food, television, etc.). In an attempt to avoid falling into this cycle, I'd like to hear your input: What specific "healthy habits" do you try to keep up, small things that you try to remember to do that don't take up that much time, that contribute a lot to your physical health and mental well-being? (exercise, spiritual activities, side jobs, volunteer work, hobbies, daily habits, etc.)

At the programs where I was on the wait list, they promised to inform me "shortly before" April 15th. From what I've heard, "shortly before" can literally mean the day before, so that might be something to raise your blood pressure if you're planning on cutting it down to the wire. What did the department tell you about your position on the wait list/chance of making it in off of the wait list? That might be one way to make your decision about how long to keep waiting (if you've got another offer to accept).

I'm not a specialist in ancient history, but this seems pretty ridiculous. Is this professor an ancient history/classics specialist? Did she explain why she believes this to be necessary? Are there a lot of people in your program doing something similar? Now might be the time to compare notes and check if others in your program are bound by similar strictures, and if so, why.

I've gotten ESFJ every time I've taken one of these tests, but I feel that only about half of the description applies to me. There were a lot of questions on the test about how much time you spend with other people and how you like to be perceived by them, and if you answer that you do like spending time with others and that you think public perception of yourself is important, the test decides that you are a great team player and a person who avoids conflict, which I believe is a fallacious conclusion to draw from those responses. I love spending time with others, but honestly I'm a pretty crappy team player who will avoid a group project like the plague, and I have been known to seek out conflict if I believe it's best to face the situation head-on.

I'm not sure if we're talking more about emotional maturity or financial maturity here, but in any case, I really felt like I became more mature the first time I left home at 18. I deferred college for a year and went overseas to work as a nanny/farm worker. When I got there, I barely knew how to take care of myself and spoke barely half a dozen words of the language. By the end of six months I had reached intermediate language fluency, improved my driving skills, learned how to cook, clean a large house, take care of small children, harvest farm products, and take care of farm animals, as well as going out to a bar for the first time in my life with other young people (it was legal in this country at 18), making responsible choices about alcohol and sex, traveling alone to the nearest big city on a regular basis, and handling my own finances. It was really a push out of the nest for me, and I had to adjust pretty quickly, but by the time I got back, I felt years ahead of the other freshmen at my college who had just graduated high school a few months before. Sometimes it takes a really new situation to really push you into growing and changing, which can sometimes be painful, but is ultimately an important part of the process of growing up.

I have moved overseas three times, so here are my tips for you (gathered through some [painful] experience): Bottom Line: If it doesn't fit it two large suitcases, you don't need it. Aside from basic clothes, shoes, and any special medications, you can leave it at home. Books, furniture, even specialized seasonal clothing (such as heavy winter gear if you're moving somewhere colder) can be bought there, and will be better suited to the place you buy them in. You don't need your CDs, your posters, or any electronic devices besides your laptop, tablet if applicable, and your phone (and unless that phone is a smartphone you're very attached to, you're better off leaving it at home and buying a cheap local phone and loadable chip card for service). You will also buy souvenirs and clothes there, so if possible, leave extra space in your suitcase for the next time you move unless you plan on throwing half your clothes away the next time you have to pack up. Don't bring toiletries or personal hygiene products - they just take up space and will be used up in the blink of an eye anyway. Don't bother shipping any furniture or special sporting gear - try to rent, borrow, or get that stuff through freesharing groups (when I moved to Germany I got almost all of my furniture for free through a freesharing group for students, including lamps, a bureau, a bed and mattress, and a table). Don't bring extra pairs of shoes, because they just take up space in your luggage, and who really "needs" more than five pairs of shoes anyway? I brought one pair of hiking boots, one pair of everyday lace-up close-toed shoes, one pair of sandals, one pair of dressy high heels, and one pair of nice leather "office-appropriate" shoes, and that's been enough for me these two years. Make sure you remember to bring any medications, including non-prescription stuff that might be hard to get in the country you're going to (some countries have stricter rules about painkillers than the USA, and you can't buy a huge bottle of ibuprofen off the shelf). Good luck with your overseas move, I hope it's not too stressful