Nautiloid

I realize that some people get annoyed with this, but personally, I think divide and conquer is a legitimate strategy for discussion courses. The few grad courses I took in Undergrad were actually set up to promote this sometimes. It works because discussion courses aren't usually about learning new information, they're about learning to read and understand the literature in a way that you can use or critique what you've read or ask intelligent questions to promote understanding. Not knowing the ins and outs of all the papers actually helped me improve at asking good questions during lectures and seminars. They also wanted us to work together and to be able to teach the information to each other to show mastery. This strategy is also especially helpful if you have other stuff to do and can't spend 10 years reading articles you don't necessarily find pertinent to your goals. That could just be a difference between undergrad and graduate school though. In undergrad you're expected to spend most of your time on your classes but in graduate programs it's your research that takes precedence. Now, all that's not to say that if you enjoy what you're studying you shouldn't go and read everything anyway. There have been times when I've volunteered to lead discussions in classes because I found the information really interesting. However, I don't really get offended by people that just want to do the bare minimum to pass the class. It's their education after all. If they're scrounging for points and not really learning much, it's only going to hurt them.

I reserve my whining for real life and post only good things on social media. That way, all my facebook friends and real life friends can hate me for vastly different reasons! In all seriousness, some degree of complaining is expected, but there are plenty who overdo it. Where I work right now, he who complains the loudest seems most busy, and the behavior is often rewarded (even if everyone secretly hates you). I think the need to complain about everything is a trait for people who either feel that everything they do goes unappreciated, or they have no intrinsic motivation and look to other people to tell them to keep working. It can also go the other direction for people who are intrinsically motivated and don't complain much, as they can let their frustrations get the best of them by bottling them up (I do this and it sucks). A healthy balance is achieved by venting when necessary about problems which are actually big enough that it becomes difficult to deal with them alone. As mentioned, a few drinks can go a long way in unleashing the torrent of pent up grad school frustration. Also, mixed drinks are tasty.

the only weird part of my commencement was the cost apparently. Pretty much everybody walks because it's only like 40 bucks (cap and gown included). If you already had your own cap and gown, it was $10. I've heard graduation fees being in excess of $100. What does that money even go for? The speaker? The diplomas themselves? We also didn't get our diplomas as we walked. We were just given an empty holder to have our pictures taken with. We did get to keep the holder for when our diploma arrived in the mail though. I'm pretty sure if you didn't walk but wanted the holder you had to go pick one up yourself from the book store.

Very short rant, but I recently noticed that my linkedin profile had been visited by two of the schools which had rejected me, on dates AFTER their rejections came. Guys. Come on. Don't reject me and then creep on my linkedin. Do you know how much it stings to even see your insignia right now? The one I didn't really care for anyway after my visit, but the other was one of my top choices to which I was rejected off the wait-list. My only guess is that they were looking to see where I ended up (which I have not updated on my profile yet). But still. It feels like I'm being stalked by an ex-suitor. Oh well. My 2nd choice was happy to receive me AND hasn't been creeping on my internet profiles. Take note other 2 schools.

I did the AP course thing to escape people I didn't like and marching band because my parents made me, but beyond that I wasn't terribly nerdy. I used to build sets for plays and loiter as my after school activities. I thought I was terrible at math and HATED science. I wanted to be an artist or a writer or a bum on the streets. I took the ACT but never studied and my grades were decent (3.7-ish) so I still managed to get accepted to college. 3 days into the first semester, I decided to not hate everybody anymore and to study science because I secretly loved it and had been hiding it for the past 4 years. So, I guess you could say that on the outside, I was not terribly nerdy. Most people thought I was pretty cool, but not a popular cheer-leading yuppie. On the inside though? Biggest. Nerd. EVER.

See you all at U of I. Just accepted my offer yesterday.

Thanks for the kind words. On the bright side, I am now totally stoked to go to my second choice which is a great fit and I'm slowly but surely recovering from my breakup. At least I'm going to a school that has been nationally recognized for having lots of really attractive people! Not that I'll have time for a relationship, but it's nice to do a little window shopping, if you know what I mean. ;D

Finally was able to accept my offer to join the Integrated Biology PhD program at The University of Iowa! So glad to be done!

Same here, Crucial. At least the secretary was nice enough to also include some encouraging words. I just wish going to my second choice didn't mean having to break up with my SO. I would be totally happy right now if not for that. At least we can be extremely bummed together.

Just got told I'm first on the waiting list and they'll know by tomorrow morning whether or not they can admit me. This. Is. Agony.

Still no email from top choice. Looks like I'm waiting this one out until the bitter end. Part of me just wants to accept my second choice so it will all be over with, but at the same time... Waiting is no fun! Thank goodness the 15th is only two days away.

I don't know if this helps, but there are lots of ways to build outdoor kilns or use things like trashcans (metal ones) to fire pottery. Since you're gonna have some time on your hands, why not look into learning skills in building your own kilns and ways of making pottery on the cheap? Who knows, maybe you could turn it into a lucrative career of building custom kilns, or it might land you a job in a pottery shop. I know you said you're low on funds, but if there's a will, there's a way (Free stuff from craigs list helps as well). Personally, my year off between undergrad and grad school has been one of the best decisions I've ever made. If you do decide to reapply later, even several years down the line, use the time between to your advantage and you'll come out better and stronger for it, even if it's just time spent reading up on the chemistry and kinetics of glazes or electric kiln circuitry. That kind of stuff is not something (in my personal experience, though pretty limited) that most ceramics majors know about. It's challenging, but you've got the time to take it at your own pace. Remember: rejection is just a hurdle to be surmounted. Your life is waiting for you on the other side.

Same here, especially because UCI is only admitting about a fifth of what they usually do, and I'm afraid everyone is going to jump in at once and want to go there. Here's to hoping that those accepted were extremely strong candidates that got into lots of other schools! DNARNA: Thanks! I'll send you a pm should I receive good news of acceptance. One of the things I really liked about UCI is how transparent they've been about everything (even told me in the interview what the situation was with decreasing the incoming class size), so I shouldn't need to ask too many questions.

For me it's 28% childhood dream chasing, 31% love for research, and 39% "YOU MEAN THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT WILL PAY ME TO DO SCIENCE?" Beyond all that, there is a logistical 2%, but I don't often consider it. It's just kinda there, like: "Hey, you also have to eat, but whatever."

Agreed, but SP101 is just a lowly troll. My guess is that they are't even concerned with grad school, hates what they do, or couldn't gain admission for obvious reasons (What PI in their right mind would take someone like them?). Nonetheless, we will continue to vote down everything they say because it is funny to watch them flail about like a beached whale. Although, "washed up" doesn't even begin to describe their current disposition. Personally I applied for PhD programs because, well, I could. I'm one of those weirdos that has a job in industry but is giving it up for more education. However, I see it as an opportunity to gain more independence in my research as well. I could continue to work my way up the corporate ladder, but at this rate, it seems the PhD may actually shorten the amount of time I spend on the fringes of publishing my own work. It also helps that I'm guaranteed funding for full tuition and a sizable living stipend no matter where I choose to go. In the end though, I guess I could care less about money. I grew up reasonably poor, and to be honest, it wasn't that bad. In a lot of ways it was kind of fun. Should I end up jobless, alone, and eventually homeless, so be it. At least I tried to follow my dreams. That in itself is very satisfying. Whether you're STEM or humanities, following a dream should be reason enough to pursue a graduate degree, fiat currencies be damned. Luckily, rock bottom in the United States, for most people, is still relatively soft. To quote Deltron 3030: "Worry 'bout a salary, creative casualty."

Adult Swim

Update from top choice: "I am writing with an update on the CMB waiting list. We have not reached our admissions target, and there is a good chance that we will offer you admission. However, we need to wait another 10 days or so until we hear back from some more of our first admit pool. Please let me know whether you have committed elsewhere. If not, let me know whether UCI remains a top choice for you and please hold off on accepting other offers." THERE'S STILL HOPE! Except that this is only going to make it much worse if I still end up with a rejection. So many mixed feelings right now. Agh.

Going on a date with Gnome Chomsky. He's a very progressive thinker and made great conversation, but I found his shrill gnome-voice to be incredibly obnoxious. He also slurped the soup. 2 stars, would not date again.

Maybe that's why the GRE has those infuriating customer service optimization problems in the maths section. It's like saying, "Hey, if you fail this test just remember that there's always customer service!"

So the wait continues for my top choice school. I looked at some of their admittance statistics from years past and it seems that on average about 30% of their admitted prospective students actually attend. Problem is that this year they've admitted only about 20% of what they usually do. I'm not sure if that makes my chances better or worse. Seems they're looking for a class of about 15-18 this year and admitted around 20, where as in prior years the class size has been 30-40 out of over 100 admitted. While I have a deep respect for their decision to reduce their incoming class size, I feel like I've been shafted on this admissions round. At least they told me I was near the top of the wait list. The department chair seems to have some confidence that I'll still get in, but I haven't heard anything since he emailed me about my position back in February. I just don't like getting my hopes up. It would be a very cruel moment should I be rejected after he took the time to personally email me about my position, unprompted. </vent> On the bright side, I have been accepted to my second choice school, which I really liked. The only problem is that it might end my current relationship due to distance, but I'm willing to deal with that should it be impossible to avoid. This has been one hell of a ride.

Hat trick