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After five years of shoulder bags, I finally became fed up during my last semester of undergrad. I definitely need to sacrifice the trendiness for my poor shoulder. I'm so getting a backpack.

*drools* those hardbound notebooks look great... I just... I'm left-handed. Having the crease in the way takes all the joy out of writing, so I use tablets instead (the paper ones!) so my hand can be free!! I suppose I could just start the notebook from the back, though... Hmm...

One of my professors didn't drive. He wouldn't be able to stay long after class cause he'd need to catch the bus. He'd also catch a ride with some of his colleagues sometimes. He had just moved to the area, so maybe he just didn't have a car. Some students thought it was weird. I felt nothing but empathy as I'm now 25 and I still don't have my license.

- Helping around the house and helping to take care of my grandmother - Spending time with my family, boyfriend, and friends - Working a lot to save up money (just saved up enough for the first 3-months rent on my apartment because rent payments are quarterly!! Now putting my earnings toward the credit card I was using on other purchases while I was saving for the first quarterly payment ...) - Continuing eating healthy (erm, healthier than before, that is ... ) and exercising - Continuing learning to cook - Getting various odds and ends that I need for my apartment - Continuing to read up on my program, getting to know the university's website, and customizing my new university email (it's GMail! Yayy!) - Catching up on doctor's appointments (just need to go to the dentist's yet!)

Never slept on a board, but, when I was 15, I slept on my sister's bedroom floor for six months because a trailer for a scary movie kept haunting my dreams O.O; ...it was comfy enough for me!

Sent you a private message!

hope all is working out with the lodging, iPsych! Hey, I wanted to let everyone know (so far just you, though, iPsych. Haha!) that there's a farmers market right in the campus square every Thursday until October 30th! Great opportunity to stock up on fresh goodies, especially if you don't have a car to drive to the grocery store (although there is one within walking distance) very often! EDIT: Waters Edge and Bethlehem Towers look great, especially if you have a car to get to and from campus!

I think reinhard means to not give a student bad grades purely because they're a "spoiled little brat who veers discussion off-topic" or something! However, I do think that the professor would catch on to little Johnny receiving an F when he was doing C-quality work ... I would hope so, at least!

Yes, please keep these things in mind!! Things such as "fit" (for example, if you did a lot of undergrad or MA research in area X, but a top-ranked university specializes in Y, they might be less apt to consider you over someone who has research experience in X!) are very important to consider! "Vibe" is also important; is the vibe "let's work together!" or "If you leave your flash drive in a computer unattended, I'm going to delete your files because I want your funding?" The inner-workings of the program are also very important; is the program going through transitions with faculty or curriculum? If so, you may want to avoid it. I was all set to apply to a program that actually had been cut altogether due to such flux! I was also discouraged from applying to a highly ranked program due to all the unsavory inner-workings of the program. So, just ask your professors what they think about the programs you're applying to and whether they have any contacts there! Best of luck to you!!

Do you all think carrying an extra outfit in my bag would be appropriate? For example, my campus is on a mountain. My apartment is just a 15 minute walk from sociology HQ, but I don't want to walk in the hotter months in nice pants and a nice shirt and get all sweaty! Is it feasible to wear something more casual (I'm thinking a t-shirt and "boyfriend" shorts (although my boyfriend would never wear shorts that short; that's a stupid name for mid-thigh-length shorts)) and some sneakers) just to walk to campus, change real quick into my nicer clothes, and then go about my TA duties, or would that be weird? Same in the winter, just with jeans and boots! And the consensus seems to be that professional clothing while teaching is most appropriate, whereas slightly more casual clothes while in class or around campus is appropriate, right?

I would mention that in your SOP and use it as your writing sample, perhaps. Any solid research experience, especially qualitative work such as interviews, can only help your application!

You might want to retake the GRE for a slightly higher score, but your experience should help you out on your application. Your work experience is strong! What's your research experience like? =) That could also help beef up your application!

*raises hand* Religion is one of my areas of interest, and I'm a practicing Christian, although I don't identify as any particular denomination. Let me start with an aside, because I think this is important!! My second major in undergrad was philosophy, and I would say that philosophy has strengthened my faith! One can clearly see why someone like Kierkegaard could strengthen faith, but it's tougher to see how Nietzsche could actually strengthen one's faith! His famous quote "God is dead, and we have killed him" (not the exact words) is tremendously inspirational for me. That quote refers to the complacency of the church, and how the complacency of the "Sunday Christian" (Goes to church on Sunday, drinks heavily and beats their partner and children during the week, for example) has, in effect, "killed" God. It urges me not to be the complacent Christian, and gives me motivation to disprove that "the last Christian died on the cross" because actions speak louder than words. [That's why when the movie, "God's not dead," came out, I wanted to say "Well, instead of closing your ears and saying 'Nuh-uh!' in response to 'God is dead,' just listen to what Nietzsche has to say, and do some studying, for crying out loud!!"] My sociological research has done the same thing. In my thesis, I examined how religious views regarding contraception are framed in mainstream media narratives. Specifically, I examined religious frames surrounding the contraceptive clause of the Affordable Care Act (basically, all FDA-approved contraceptives are to be provided with no copay to all insured women in America). I coded nearly 400 national and local newspaper articles by hand (I didn't even know there was coding software, haha!!!). I thought it was tremendously important to examine the intersection of religion and contraception in the media. Of course, my sample only spanned from 2011 - 2013, but I was limited in my research time. If anything, this research made my faith remain constant. It drew attention to the disconnect between the religious leaders and the lay public. It also, sadly, showed how such privileged groups of people, namely Evangelical and Catholic leaders and employers (of for-profit, secular corporations) who identify as Evangelical or Catholic, framed themselves as being underprivileged and oppressed by this new law. The example that hit home was a careless, thoughtless comparison between this contraceptive clause and the Holocaust. If anything, my research made me more aware and sensitive of Christian privilege in society, so that whenever my Christian friends complain about feeling "oppressed" in any way, I can remind them of just how privileged Christians are here in the US. There is so much privilege that, in my data, the definition of "religion," itself, was "Catholicism and Evangelicalism;" all other religions were mentioned secondarily, IF they were mentioned at all!!!! SO important to note!!! I've always considered myself mindful of others' religious and moral beliefs. My research, however, increased this mindfulness. These religious leaders and employers with religious affiliation want to supersede the law to accommodate their individual beliefs, completely disregarding the beliefs of their employees. With that in mind, my faith has strengthened and my regard for others' beliefs has increased! So, sociology and philosophy have both maintained and strengthened my faith. I love learning about other religions, and would love to research other religions, sociologically (it just so happened that my data contained extremely limited religious perspectives). I don't think sociology or philosophy are incompatible with religion. Examining the intersections of religion in both fields of study is a beautiful thing!

THIS!!! I have one of these that I've kept ever since I got my GED! It's so much fun to look back on everything I've gathered, and I know I'll be keeping a "happy folder" for grad school as well. It really gets me through tough times, and I know teaching won't be easy!!

@Socgirl, I know that just going to the gym with my sister is what keeps me on track. There have been times I really haven't felt like going, but she'll say "Let's go to the gym," and I don't want to disappoint her, so I go, and it is really energizing! I also didn't start out with anything too crazy. For example, I could only do 20 minutes on the elliptical machine (I don't think it's actually an elliptical, but it is similar!), but I worked my way up the past few months to doing 35 minutes! Stay in your comfort zone AT FIRST, then work your way out of it. I also found that eating healthier went hand-in-hand with exercising; the former always helped me stay motivated for the latter, and vice-versa. That doesn't entail simply counting calories ... it means making sure you have a balance of carbs, fat, and protein, for example. MyFitnessPal is, unfortunately, often used ONLY as a calorie counter!! Counting calories alone without checking your nutrition can be problematic. So, I've been using the Nutrition tab on the side to check that carb-fat-protein balance, along with just how much vitamins, sugars, fats, etc, I've consumed for the day =) It also keeps my mind busy because, you know, even life at home when you're not in school is stressful X_X @Darth: I don't know anything about STATA!!! I guess I'll be learning about it during my first grad school-level semester since I'll be taking stats!!

Neither can I,ipsych! if I didn't have a place already, I would take you up on that offer!!

Work to save up some money, just in case. For example, the first payment for the apartment you might lease could be due before you start getting your stipend, if you're funded. It will also keep you busy and productive. Spend time with all the folks you couldn't spend time with due to your crazy undergrad workload! Start exercising or exercise more... It'll help build your endurance for all the walking you'll do when finding your way around campus (my campus is on a mountain...So I am definitely hitting the gym now! Before, I could get winded from going up two flights of steps!) Learn to cook if you don't know how. I've always either lived at home or have been on a meal plan at school! If you have your own apartment for grad school, learning to cook will save you some money! Do all the pleasure reading you didn't get to do before! This is tough to do when you love the Internet, but it is wonderful to read!! Get to know your cohort, if possible. The DGS sent out an email to the entire cohort with our names and email addresses! That's all I've got... I'm a December graduate, so I've been doing the "wth do I do now?" routine for five months now...

I just say I got my Associate's degree at X community college, my Bachelor's from Y University, and I'm going to Z University for my master's degree in the fall. I don't have a t-shirt from my first college, I have one from my second University because one of my work colleagues got me one, and no t-shirt for my grad school!! My thesis advisor has made me promise her a mascot plush from my grad school to add to her collection of mascot plushies though!!

I haven't really been outside of the east coast here in the US, but I've been to Toronto and the UK! I went for 12 days to the UK for a class in international business, and 7 days to Toronto for sociology! For conferences, I've been to Nashville and Baltimore! Being located in central PA, I've been to Baltimore a few times for Otakon conventions. State-wise, I've been to Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and New York (once, in second grade, and I can't remember it). When it comes to traveling, I am like my dog when going on a car ride: I'm very excited to get going, but once I start travelling, I get very anxious and just want to go home. I still have fun though, once I'm there!! My favorite place I've been has to be the UK. Because awesome.

There are some great restaurants in downtown Harrisburg. Gingerbread man has killer wings, and they're on special every Monday, El Sol has great Mexican food, Ceolta's is nice, Molly Brannigan's is a favorite... I've lived in the area entire life (in nearby Steelton). My mom got her Bachelor's in business administration at PSU Harrisburg, too! They've developed campus wonderfully even since then. The "West Shore" (the west side of the susquehanna) has a lot of great shopping. I'd recommend the capital city mall over the Harrisburg mall, unless you want to go to bass pro shops or Macy's. There's also the colonial Park mall in the Harrisburg suburbs. If you have any questions about the area, feel free to message me!

Yeah, at my university, you only need 30 credits to graduate if you're a transfer student, but you need 60 credits to qualify for Latin honors. Huh? The difference between 30 and 60 credits is a whole year! A huge chunk of the student population is made up of transfer students, so a lot of good students don't get the honors they deserve. I had 55 credits and a gpa high enough for highest honors. They wouldn't let me have the honors, of course. I know it's just a title, but I worked so hard, just like the others who did get the title... *shrug* it's over now, but it still irks me when I think about it.

iPsych!! Nice to meet you!! Sorry for my delayed reply! Great to know you'll be attending Lehigh as well! I hope to see you around!!

What has surprised me the most is that April 15 isn't the end!!! Two of my friends both just received fully funded offers off of waitlists AFTER April 15th! I am so elated for them both!!

I didn't do any of those. As I mentioned in previous threads, I did end up dropping out of high school. Even when I was well and attended school regularly, I never studied, but I ended up with A's and B's in most subjects (urk, Geometry ... *shudders*) I had to learn how to study QUICKLY once I got to college ... I was never a straight-A student until I started studying in college! Confession time: I never took the SATs. Got my GED, went straight to community college, and by the time I transferred to a 4-year university, my associate's degree was sufficient. I also realized I WAS in an extra-curricular, but it wasn't academic and was run through the YMCA. It was called Youth and Government. It was an absolutely wonderful experience, and since it was once a week, I was well enough to attend most meetings even after I left high school. It made me still feel like I was involved and making a difference, somehow. It also helped me to become more outgoing, as I was very quiet until I joined YAG.

Same here ... for how important teeth are, they're often neglected in some way, and it costs a bundle to fix them ...