quincepessa

Do you think my professors would take me less seriously if I got this bag?

I went to a fancy-pants top Ivy undergrad. Anyone who gives you a "why are YOU here" is a tool and not worth your time. You got in because the admin folks believe you should be there.
 
Be the one who isn't afraid to ask questions, to get the most out of your education. Good luck!

Do you think my professors would take me less seriously if I got this bag?

Best advice I'm going to give you right now: Peace Corps.
 
I did it. I loved it. It's the best thing you will get in IDEV if that's what you want to do. It will open your horizon, and trust me two years is nothing, it goes by so fast.
 
There is also a great NGO called One Acre Fund that works in Africa. Check them out. But Peace Corps is my vote.

Congrats!
 
It won't be easy, but it's doable. Newborns are kind of tricky because their schedules are so different from ours. My one piece of advice--sleep when the baby sleeps. At least then you'll get some sleep! Also, be patient with yourself and your wife--this is a big change, and it takes a few months (or even years) to feel like life is "normal" again.
 
On a side note, there are so many threads about pregnanacy, babies, and families--I wonder if it would be worth making a separate forum for those topics (I don't mind seeing them in this forum, I'm just thinking it would be good to consolidate them into one place).

I agree. My son was born 3 months before I began my MA program. It was difficult to negotiate the amount of work I had and still finding time for family. I made it. I'll be finishing my MA and heading to a Ph.D. program in the fall. What I can say is that you'll figure it out.
 
Originally, I had to ask my wife to watch my son while I secluded myself and read like a maniac. I figured out that, for me, this was unsustainable and I now try to read more efficiently while I am in my office and I spend less time screwing around when I can be getting work done. This gives me a lot more time to spend with my son, which I actually do consider my me time. If I really need to get some work done, I take a relaxing day with the kid, nap when he naps, and then stay up late while the house is dead silent. I have a MWF schedule so I watch him Tues/Thurs and the weekends all day, so I like to do this when I know I don't have a whole lot of work on the next school day. I'd also reiterate to break up larger projects into smaller deadlines for yourself. It's really not that difficult to write a paper 4-5 pages at a time and it's a lot more comfortable than cranking out 20 pages on the last day before something is due.
 
Most of all, just make them a priority. While being paid poorly and being overworked for the next couple years might sound like living the dream, there is nothing more satisfying in this world than watching your kids grow up well.

"BITCH I'M DONE!!!!111!!" *drop the mic, back away slowly*
 
In all seriousness, I told my boss immediately and am helping him find a replacement to train. Wrote a resignation letter with my last day on it and various "thanks for everything" notes (I just copied this from a google search...don't judge me!).

Hi Quince,
 
My daughter was almost a year old when I began my second MA.  Being a parent and a grad student can be very taxing, but is totally manageable once you determine how to negotiate your time.  It was quite the challenge, but here's how I did it:
 
**Time management is EVERYTHING.  Try to create a schedule for study time, parent/family time and YOU time.  I always used digital calendars (iCal, Google Calendar) as well as my trusty Moleskine planner.  I always managed to stay on top of things with a sound system of time management.  
 
**Review the syllabus for each course and plug ALL due dates into those time management devices.  This includes weekly readings!  I would also set separate deadlines for assignments.  For example, if you have a 20 page paper due on the last day of class, establish smaller dates for outlines, drafts, etc.  This will help you to progress step by step, instead of becoming overwhelmed with your course load and life in general.
 
**Make time for YOU.  Try your best to plug a little relaxation into that schedule, even if it's short lived.
 
**As a mother, I can tell you this is probably most important GIVE YOUR WIFE A BREAK!!!  Being a mom is the greatest job I've ever held, but it's also the toughest.  I know you'll be overjoyed to spend time with your little one, but trust me your wife will appreciate that down time as well.  It will help to keep those lines of communication open and it will serve as a support for both of you - as partners, parents and for you as a student.
 
You won't have a smooth schedule everyday and you will have days that require immediate adjustments, but you won't find yourself completely drowning in projects, deadlines and the like if you have a solid system....even if it seems like your rough days are quite the burden!
 
Those are the things that immediately come to mind.  I hope this helps!

I vote we ban Pinkster12. Or, since this is not a democracy, just throw some games where she gets eaten by lions to appease the plebs. 
 
Back on topic, Congrats Mr. Pootawn. My parents had me when they were both graduate students. To this day, despite the lack of sleep and being tight on money, they still refer to that time as the best time of their life.
 
ps. I'll chip in for the lions.

Lol a PhD in bio and unable to protect yourself from an unplanned pregnancy... That a shame.

Hello Everyone,
 
Thank you very much for the advice/support and words of encouragement.  It's great to hear about other examples of grad students completing their degrees while having a child.
 
I don't mean to feed the trolls but since Pinkster hijacked this thread I'll make a couple of points in response.
 
1.  I am doing my PhD in molecular biology, and I did my BSc in biology.  I am quite familiar with how reproduction works, but thanks for the reminder.
2.  we were using protection (BC) and it was being used as instructed
 
Thank you again everyone and please continue on with any advice or examples, they are much appreciated.

Common situation? Umm sorry that doesn't commonly happen to me or people I know. Again I can only go by what I know and have seen. We all know how babies are made (at least I would think we do) so I don't understand the excuses. I honestly don't. I can acknowledge that pregnancy can happen when using contraceptives (rarely but it happens) I didn't ignore scientific proof, I'm saying it doesn't happen as much as people claim. We don't even know that happened to the OP. As far as his options he sounds like he intends to keep it he asked how hard it would be or something like that... So obviously he intends to have a kid now. I'm sure he will figure out if it's doable... If he is already in the program and already got a pregnant girlfriend at some point he will figure out if it's doable right? So no he doesn't have a ton of options. I get that it was probably wrong to say but I mean sorry the truth sucks sometimes.

Didn't know it was bad to want to be MARRIED and RESPONSIBLE before getting pregnant.. Hmmm what an awful goal.

Anyways I think I said it was possible for the OP to do this I just said it wasn't responsible to do.. Is that wrong? I mean in my post so many people said "oh wait wait" so.... Yeah. Like I said I'm sure he can do it, he has no choice at this point so I'm sure he will figure it out.

Believe me I know the stats of contraceptives, the chances of getting pregnant while correctly using them is not that high. Is it my fault that people aren't responsible, don't ask their doctors questions etc...? No. Like I said I haven't been pregnant from BC I don't personally know people who have. Most of my friends have been on BC for years and not gotten pregnant. I'm not saying it doesn't happen obviously I understand it does but I'm saying people use that as an excuse way more than it should be. I don't even know that that's is the OPs situation, either way it was irresponsible.

Support? Umm I think I was pretty supportive in the first post. I said "good luck" that's about as supportive as I can be with such irresponsible behavior.

.... I know the whole "birth control fails, condoms fail" argument (even though I have NEVER once met someone with that as their excuse but ok). Anyways like I said if you don't want a baby or aren't READY for one then we all know how they are created. 

I agree with the former post - pets are for life - but at the same time, I find it a bit hard to believe that the discrepancy between places that allow cats and places that don't is literally $1200/month everywhere.  I also find it hard to believe that all of the 2-bedrooms are literally twice the price of the one-bedrooms, to the extent that sharing an apartment doesn't save you any money.  That's not the way the housing market has worked anywhere that I've lived, and I currently live in the most expensive U.S. city.
 
Are you exhausting your search?  I know that Craigslist is a great way to find an apartment in my city but in other cities, it's not actually the best way.  What about apartments.com, roommates.com?  Does your university have an off-campus housing office that has listings or recommendations for where to find apartments?  Most do, and that's where I found my first apartment.

Off-topic but I have to ask: is Quince a beagle who likes licking/sniffing big cats? Is that what's going on in your profile pic? That's certainly what mine would do. (God, when did I become a crazy dog/beagle lady?!)

On topic, I second the idea of a friend or family member taking care of the OP's cats for the duration of the Master's, partly because the degree should last only 1-2 years and mostly because human roommates suck.

I am a second year Americorps member. My first year was horrendous and stressful (my supervisor was the devil and I worked with children who had special needs/were in state custody for neglect and abuse, so it was heartbreaking at times. Loved the kids, though). This year has been better,but boring. I've pretty much been treated like a second-rate intern, which is whatever cus it gave me time to work on my grad applications. It has definitely been frustrating as I had hoped for a fulfilling term, but at this point I am over it and ready to move on and out of my current city come August. I've told my program director, but haven't gotten around to telling my actual placement. I'm kinda worried that leaving early (classes start two weeks before my term of service ends) will effect my eligibility concerning the ed award. Any tips?
 
**Edited for typos

Here's what I think, if anything it means you are better than them. It's easy to come from a position of prestige, it's far more difficult to come from the bottom.

Honestly, it really doesn't matter at all how 'smart' you are. There are always going to be people who know more than you do.
 
The only thing that matters IMO for school and/or academia is how hard you are willing to work and how many sacrifices you are willing to make (as long as you are at some certain level of intelligence of course).
 
I was of average intelligence in high school, average intelligence in my community college, and average intelligence in the top 2 university in my country. I finished first class honours and won awards for the best honours thesis.
 
You know what I learned? The people who think they are smart and are 'all-stars' really aren't. The people who knew their limitations and worked to improve them are the real 'smart' kids in the class.
 
If this feels like a 'if you work hard enough you can beat anyone' post, it isn't. The sooner you realize that everyone is smarter than you in a certain way, or on a certain topic, the better.
 
Because at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter if you can beat someone in an argument in class, or know a bunch of stuff about X, Y, and Z. 

I went to a fancy-pants top Ivy undergrad. Anyone who gives you a "why are YOU here" is a tool and not worth your time. You got in because the admin folks believe you should be there.
 
Be the one who isn't afraid to ask questions, to get the most out of your education. Good luck!

Each school has its own policy.

I went to a fancy-pants top Ivy undergrad. Anyone who gives you a "why are YOU here" is a tool and not worth your time. You got in because the admin folks believe you should be there.
 
Be the one who isn't afraid to ask questions, to get the most out of your education. Good luck!

I went to a fancy-pants top Ivy undergrad. Anyone who gives you a "why are YOU here" is a tool and not worth your time. You got in because the admin folks believe you should be there.
 
Be the one who isn't afraid to ask questions, to get the most out of your education. Good luck!

I went to a fancy-pants top Ivy undergrad. Anyone who gives you a "why are YOU here" is a tool and not worth your time. You got in because the admin folks believe you should be there.
 
Be the one who isn't afraid to ask questions, to get the most out of your education. Good luck!