TheOnlyWayIKnow

Yes, I have absolutely heard that fish have tons of mercury and stuff in them, which is why it is unhealthy to eat it all the time. Farmed fish are also something you'll want to avoid.. The wild caught fish may be a dollar or two more, but they are absolutely worth it! The whole varying your veggies thing is very important because you get a wider range of nutrients that way. Also, some veggies and foods block your body's ability to absorb certain things. For example, kale is a veggie that is great in moderation, but can affect your thyroid through a few different mechanisms. I believe it decreases iodine absorption, but also there is another suspected mechanism that can work against your thyroid in high doses. I don't remember exactly what, you'll have to look into it further, but there are a whole list of veggies that can affect your thyroid in large amounts. The best thing is to just avoid too much of one thing and diversify!

Honestly, I can't relate to this at all. I am so secure in knowing where I want to be in the future and what I want from life and feel so comfortable with the fact that I have backup skill sets and don't have too much pride to scrub toilets if I have to to pay the bills, PhD or not. Most people I know had no clue what to do after college, but I had known for years. Goals are so so so important to me that even though I was giving up a life of "cushy" desk jobs and use of a skill set I have developed-- business management, I haven't doubted it for a second. I know it can be hard when you see people able to do things financially you can't, but if you have good friends, they'll be understanding and make activities financially inclusive for everyone. Besides, employees are more disposable than ever before; I doubt any of them has true job security, and unless they are fiscally responsible, they may have no money in the bank for a rainy day. Just something to think about. Besides, you make friends in graduate school and they understand your limited time, energy, and funds-- you will be okay =). Once you get there, if this is really what you want in life, you'll feel so thrilled with the opportunity you have to be there, you'll be laughing as you get to research something you love and about half of your friends are miserable in their jobs. ALSO, most importantly, when you look at people's social media pages and all, you are seeing their highlight real, not the full picture. Don't ever compare your day to day with their highlight real.

I've never heard anyone rip on Rutgers and I am from Jersey. Now if you went to Willie P I may laugh.

I think if you stick to just smoothies and fish you are doing your body a real disservice. The mercury in fish makes it a poor choice for daily consumption, especially with biological magnification. Simply put, heavy metals are not healthy, so limit your fish consumption to once or twice a week! I would try integrating some chicken and whole, gluten free grains into your diet like quinoa. As for almond milk, a lot of times it actually has more calcium than milk, and you can buy the unsweetened kind for no added sugar. It is fantastic in coffee! You really want to diversify what is in your diet to make sure you get the right kinds of vitamins and minerals going into your body, not just the same ones over and over and neglecting others. I think smoothies are a great way to get more fruits and veggies into your diet, but I would be careful of eating the same thing every day without much diversity within the composition of the smoothies. If you're using some frozen ingredients, you've got a long time to finish them, so you won't be wasting frozen fruit that you buy if you decide to use a different fruit for a bit.

My mother was adopted, so my whole live I have wanted to adopt. It makes me sick that people find it too "complicated" and believe the child is not their "own." If you want to open your heart and your life to a child and you choose to have that child, yes, have not "take in," that is your child without a doubt. I admit some people are better equipped to deal with the potentially gut wrenching situation of their child wanting to seek out their biological parents, but that doesn't mean your child loves you any less just because they are curious. It may even bring your children closer to you when they see the kind of life you were able to provide. In fact, I am very close with my biological family, but that doesn't downgrade the status of my adoptive family. I only wish my grandmother had been more receptive toward my biological family-- she's always seemed a bit bitter about it, although my mom calls her father by his first name because he is not her dad i.e. the man who raised her and who she will always see as dad. I wish people would stop thinking about it as some sort of last resort, second choice scenario. I never have, and I will never marry a man who will not adopt a child with me. Admittedly, I will probably give birth as well, but adoption has always been something I have planned to do without reservation. I can only hope that we one day live in a society where adoption is seen as a first choice option instead of a last resort. I love children unreservedly regardless of DNA.

I know I am totally late to the conversation here, but I would say if you have the opportunity as an undergrad to present at a conference do it! Bear in mind that not only is it good experience and may be fun for you if you get to go with other people in your department, but the cold truth is, not everyone makes it into graduate school on the first go. I had to apply twice for an MA program because I made some very rookie mistakes on my applications. I suppose that is the disadvantage of coming from a blue collar background-- I had very little help in undergrad apps as well, but I wouldn't trade it for the world! I had some amazing mentors, but my fierce independence held me back when it came to discussing certain aspects of the application process. After two rounds of apps and four total years of research on graduate schools, the application process, and what I want in a school moving forward, it seems I am the most up to date and informed in my graduate program on what I ought to be doing to land myself in a PhD program. Everything happens the way it is supposed to-- just work your butt off, do your best, and have faith. I didn't get in on the first round, but as unexpected health issues cropped up, I realized that was a real blessing because it would have held me back had the time and place of my acceptance into school and of an offer been wrong. Best of luck!