lemma

How many extracurricular hours is too many, from people's experiences? I have a tendency to way overcommit and pay the consequences, so I'd be interested in what other people thought. I'm not trying to repeat my undergrad as a PhD student. I'm thinking about doing a sport because of the benefits to my health (honestly, this is probably non-negotiable). I also volunteer but this is super flexible, and I'm considering doing some other stuff because I know it's good for my mental health... but I also know I'll end up stressed, anxious and unproductive if I take on too much.

Got my email address for my PhD institution today. It turns out I'm starting earlier than I thought I was

Some professors just don't write great rec letters. The only way you really find out is by getting the letter. If you have two other great letters, it should be specific enough... One of my three letters was pretty generic (very supportive but only an anecdote or two beyond that). It didn't end up hurting, probably because the other two were nuanced. I got into my top choice program with a very high rank, so it worked out fine.

I've been admitted to my program and will be starting in a month and a half. I saw my psychiatrist last week, and we filled out my application for disability registration and accommodations. He's confident the requests will be granted, given my history and diagnosis. I'm hoping that the accommodations will help, but I am prepared to take time off if/when I have an episode that affects my cognitive function dramatically. I have been pigheaded in the past, but learned the hard way that sometimes I don't have the mental capacity to work or study, so to not take leave would be doing myself an injustice. I took off time during my undergrad, which wasn't my personal choice, but in retrospect I should have taken leave much earlier. I'm also planning to join a sports team or a gym in order to burn off nervous energy. I would describe myself has having a strong work ethic, but I will not be one of those PhD students who works all night and through the weekend. For starters, I can't - sleep deprivation makes me relapse. But I will definitely be drawing hard lines between work time and play time, in order to be a happier person and reduce the environmental factors squeezing me. At the moment, I'm hoping to take Saturday evenings and Sundays off unless I have urgent deadlines. I am always scared of relapse. However, in the last year I have decided to live my life, because I can't live a life in fear of my health. My medication has helped a lot, and I haven't had any major ups in the last year and a half without my medication being disturbed (such as when physically sick), which is good because that tended to be my brain's default when symptomatic. I have to be very careful though to reduce depressive episodes - I still get them with visions, noises and strange thinking if I don't sleep enough or get too stressed. I do worry, though: when I was an adolescent, my episodes made it very hard to function on a social level, and while they did draw down my capacity to achieve intellectually, I could still get by. This hasn't been the case in the last three years - in all of my episodes I have been unable to read, process information, and sometimes speak, move, brush my hair or eat. Things in my life are great these days, and I try to look ahead... but yes, I do worry.

Me too

Unless financial troubles hit hard, I would never have a non-romantic partner roommate ever again. I had two years of miserable housing assignments at college. It weighed on me daily.

Put in your WAM.

Solid advice! I wouldn't trust myself with an external hard drive (I can never find my phone or keys or glasses), but probably a wise idea.

These are both useful comments! My computer was not a new model four years ago, so I wouldn't be surprised if the RAM is insufficient. On a similar note, are there any particular services that people have found useful to back up work outside of the university intranet? I've used Google Drive in the past but have found it clunky.

For 2018, I'm going to try and give myself the space to be creative. I'm going to continue to distance myself from toxic people in my life who pull me down. 2017 had a few highlights. On the personal side, it was the first calendar year in four years during which I wasn't admitted to hospital. For me, that is huge. My partner and I moved in together in late 2016, and it was magical being next to him each day, especially coming out of a period of long distance. On the professional side, I had to relearn what it meant to feel passionate and confident. My self esteem and mental health had taken a real beating at my old job where I was bullied, but my current role has allowed me to rediscover my own voice and produce work that makes me proud. I was admitted into my top choice PhD program a few weeks ago, and found out I was ranked extremely high by the university, which was both a highlight and a surprise. 2018 will be a demanding year, but bring it on! I hope I can give back to those who have given so much to me.

I was in a similar boat recently - I only applied to one program, and I was lucky enough to get in. Applying to one program can definitely sound brave, however, generally there is a good reason why people only apply to one program (in my case it was personal). I think that most of us in this boat have spent more time reaching out to the faculty to figure out our chances and fit, and have also spent a lot of time hashing out a good backup plan.

No one can know if your coursework is sufficient for each program. As someone also in the field, I will say your grades in quantitative classes are quite low (especially calculus probability, economic data and time series, which are critical in financial mathematics and econometrics). Finance is a game of probabilities (expected value and tails) and risk (in which you have a C). What could be a good idea is speaking to your rec writers, and asking if they have any connections at potential schools who could give you a quick comment on whether you would be competitive for their programs, or pass your CV to the program director for such an assessment. That way, you're going from the inside, and you might have a higher chance - or at least someone will look beyond your transcript. What do you want to get out of the MFE/PhD? Finance is a very prestige focused discipline, even for quants. When I was an intern at an investment bank, maybe 2/3 of the cohort attended ivies+MIT+NYU+uchicago in my division. A low tier school without brand name could make it difficult to be considered at major asset managers and investment banks. Also, if you're considering industry rather than academia long term, have you thought about doing the CFA program? It's hard and the pass rate is low, but you don't need to be accepted by anyone. You "just" need to study very diligently and fork out a few thousand dollars over several years.

What sort of grades would you need for extra funding opportunities? I know my coursework will be hard for me as I'm coming from outside the field, so I'm hoping to work to clear the hurdle (70%) with enough of a comfortable margin. Is it beneficial to push harder than this? It will take time directly away from my thesis.

I cried in front of one of my professors on my third day of undergrad. I think some other students also saw. I was a long way from home and feeling culture shock, and was struggling to understand the class - I was overprepared for half of it, and very underprepared for the other half of the class. She was very compassionate, and spent an hour and a half with me in her office working through my reading that week. I had to work so hard in that class, and she helped me immensely. We're all human, you know? Sometimes, no matter how well we usually manage ourselves, emotions can be really strong. I would think quite negative things about a professor who ostracized a student who was vulnerable. It feels really bad to be that overwhelmed, and I think most people (including professors) are empathetic enough.

To add to the conversations about computers, have people (especially in data-driven disciplines) had issues using older computers? My mac is working just fine (it's over 4 years old), but I do have some concerns about it being incompatible with more up-to-date software. I guess I'll probably just have to see (though this would be rather annoying if it turned out I couldn't do a step of the project at last minute without a new computer), but if anyone has encountered this sort of issue, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I had a really good day today! I've been staying with my parents while my partner is helping out his parents in another city. My mum and I did so many things together: we made baba ganoush in the morning, then made this picked/fermented vegetable dish for the first time (and it smells so good!), and after all of that we went shopping. I found a few shirts and dresses that are within my PhD student budget, and then treated my mum to coffee and cake. The absolute catch was that they had a gluten free version of my mum's favourite cake that she hasn't been able to eat since being told she can't ever eat gluten again. And it tasted good (and not like most gluten free cakes)! On top of all that, my partner used his health insurance optical to buy me a pair of prescription sunglasses at no extra cost. I've been finding my non-prescription ones hard to use, as my vision is much worse in low light (it's not completely terrible in bright light though glasses still help), so I can't see people's faces or signs if I wear my old sunglasses. He chose the smallest pair as I'm pretty small, and I'm not sure if they'll suit me, but I'm very excited to use them!

Awesome! Sounds like they were a catch. I started wearing glasses this year too and it has made a world of difference - things are sharper and more beautiful, and I almost never get headaches anymore. I hope that they're helpful for you too!

Did you go to IMO? If so, it's probably worth including.

^ to add, perimeter apps close in a month, so you have a fair bit of time there.

I know this is vague, but if you can find theory groups affiliated with cern in Europe, you will be in a sweet position if they have funding. I worked at cern once upon a time and there were a surprisingly high number of theoreticians on site. Have you considered study at the perimeter institute? Had some friends who went through there for masters (pre PhD) and loved it.

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I went through with my resignation with the above suggestions in mind, and it turned out much better than expected. My managers were very supportive, and I have a job to come back to after my PhD if I choose to do so. I will continue working for another month or so, and I'll make sure that my boss is aware of how much of a positive influence her mentorship has been.

This is a far simpler topic that anyone who has taken physics 101 can discuss. PhD level history, on the other hand... I couldn't keep up. I don't think it has anything to do with the subject matter, but more because there are forums for other disciplines. Physics GRE is quite active, as are other subject specific fields. My guess is physics, economics, finance and some other areas don't have critical mass here.

I think you've answered your own question there. Cornell should have good job prospects, though things are difficult in the US for non citizens. Your degree is fully funded, and the only issue is finding a job upon graduation, but it sounds like your current role is suboptimal anyway. A lot of people jump around early in their careers, and two years in a company (even two companies, based on my classmates from an ivy) followed by grad school is actually quite conservative for students from western countries. I would try to not focus on this element. You can always pitch your story in a cohesive manner.

No one has said this. Not me nor anyone else. All I have mentioned is an amorphous reference to my own motivations - so vague that they could not be described from what I wrote alone. At the end of the day, if you're going to post online, you have to accept that some people will share opinions that differ from yours, and that sometimes people have experiences that colour these opinions. No one here is attacking you. If you want to charge, go ahead, but you asked people what they would do, not to validate your decision. Online forums aren't a great place for getting everyone to agree with you.

I think charging for costs (travel) is very reasonable. I've volunteered to travel to remote Australia to give my mental health journey talk and I will be receiving compensation for travel costs. I could not go otherwise. At the end of the day, it's up to you to do what feels most appropriate. I talk about mental health and I'm an applied mathematician - it has nothing to do with my day job. I personally would never consider charging due to my motivations for doing the work. Each to their own, though. Only you know what your precise situation is.