kimmibeans

I considered doing this myself, but then I decided not to when I realized most of what I need I can get free/cheap when I get there or from home. I think it's not a bad option if you have family members that want to help out, but I would proceed with caution. If you are close with your family, at some point they may ask "If there is anything I can help with, let me know," at which point you point them to the wish list. I am fortunate in that I am not moving terribly far from my family (most of us live in Queens or Long Island I am moving to the Bronx) so I know I can probably acquire some of the old furniture family members are planning on putting into storage or tossing. That's what my older cousin did when she moved into her own apartment for law school and it helped immensely.

Beer run

I can't register until June, but right now I am just trying to start planning for the move into my new apartment come August. Thankfully I'm not moving far, just to the other side of the city. I have been looking at furniture and figuring out what I need and don't need and starting to plan things. I'm also trying to figure out what to do about orientation. It looks like my orientation week is the same time as both my final for EMT certification (Monday night) and an event I am running security for in another city (Thursday and Friday). I was originally under the impression that my orientation would be the next week (thus avoiding all of this) but life happens. So yeah, right now I'm just doing lots of planning for my first week.

Going home

Congratulations! Good luck with everything and I'm glad you got in!

Lol, unfortunately the chinchilla in that picture is not my chinchilla, just an old wallpaper from my computer. However, I am looking into getting either a chinchilla or a rabbit as a pet since dogs are not allowed in my housing complex. I guess what a Master's degree means varies by field as different fields have different requirements and different levels of training, so there is no straightforward answer as to what a Master's translates to in general.

Yeah, that sounds about right. Masters programs are mostly about taking graduate level course work to expand your knowledge although some programs do contain a thesis component. A Master's isn't frowned upon here in the states, but in many disciplines you have to repeat all the work from your masters for your PhD. In fact, some schools actually award you a masters once you pass your qualifying exam, but it varies. I know in my field a Master's is recommended if you have never done research, your undergrad grades were not all that good, or if you don't know if you are ready/would actually like a PhD. For the record, many people here in the U.S are surprised to hear you don't need a Master's to move on to a PhD, but it is really only recommended if you have good grades and a good amount of research experience.

I love messenger bags, but always found them too small. Then i got the Bag of Holding from thinkgeek and it is my best friend. I've been using it for about 2 years and it holds EVERYTHING! You can find the original one here. There is also a more professional looking leather version here. More recently though I've been using their "purse" version, the Handbag of Holding, and it is wonderful! There is a padded pocket in the center which actually manages to fit my laptop (an 11" ultrabook) and a bunch of pockets for other stuff. It can be found here. The only thing I don't like about the handbag version is that there is only a small magnetic clasp to hold it closed, and it isn't very strong. Wow, I sound like an infomercial. I swear I'm not getting paid by thinkgeek, I just really like these bags. Both the boyfriend and I use them (he is a paramedic and uses it for paperwork, supplies, and entertainment and I currently work as a private tutor) as well as several of our friends and we all swear by them. So, yeah, that's my two cents...

I really need my license like yesterday. I missed my normal train for work, so I ran to catch the next one which would get me to work barely on time only to find out that the train was 15 minutes late! Then I had to take the train to my EMT class after work, and not only was my train was cancelled due to power issues in one of the tunnels, but the next train was 10 minutes late and no longer running express. So I decide to get off one stop early to beat the mad rush to the subway (the commuter rail was not going to the city, instead stopping at the last stop before Manhattan) and I couldn't find the stupid number 7 stop in Flushing. So I'm circling the street for 10-15 minutes before finally giving up and getting a cab, and as I am getting into the cab I see the train station, which I apparently passed twice while searching for it. By some miracle, I somehow was only an extra 15 minutes late to class. Thank God for cabs, but I really need my stupid license. In nutshell, Fate decided that I should be late for all the things today.

There is nothing wrong with sending a thank you back! Having been on the other end of it (in college I was the administrative secretary for our campus radio station) I can say that a thank you is always appreciated and will make her smile.

Say Yes to the Dress, Fruit By the Foot, and French Fries all make me happy. And corn dogs. I love corn dogs like nobody knows and it makes me really excited for fair season!

Good luck! I hope it is good news

Okay, a few notes. 1) Can you clarify your GRE scores? The past few years has been out of 170 for Quantitative and 170 for Verbal (340 total). Did you mean on the old system of a score out of 800 for each section? 2) What school are you applying to? Is the graduate program you are applying to the same one you are getting your certification from? How competitive is this program? 3) What other qualifications and background do you have? 4) Even with all of this information, the only people who can say whether or not you have a chance of being admitted is the graduate program you are applying to. Be upfront and ask about what your admissions chances for Fall this far after the deadline. It looks like they are willing to take a chance on you, but they are the only ones who can say that for sure. tldr: There really isn't a lot of information given to give you advice on whether or not you will get in. Graduate programs look at a variety of different factors, not just grades and scores. The only people who can definitively tell you if you have a shot is the grad program, and it looks like they are willing to take a look at you at the very least.

Oh okay, that makes sense. Only the professors know their own research. From my experience with the professors I spoke to there they won't take on a new grad student unless they can support them for the 4 years. They may also not be answering because they genuinely don't know at this time what their funding situation will be next August when they take us on.

Funding for Einstein is given through the graduate program, not the labs. All graduate students are guaranteed a yearly stipend of at at least 31K for the 5-6 years that they are attending the school, in addition to ridiculously inexpensive subsidized housing.

I officially accepted the offer from Einstein today! I am so excited! i can't wait for August now

I officially accepted the offer from Einstein! I'm so excited to start in August! Okay, so here are my stats: Undergrad Institution: Mid-size state school Major(s): Biology with a focus in Cell and Molecular Biology Minor(s): General Anthropology GPA in Major: n/a (My department never gave one, oddly enough) Overall GPA: 3.68 Position in Class: There were positions? Type of Student: Traditional, whole family went to college GRE Scores (revised version): Q: 160 V: 166 W: 4 Biology: 740 Research Experience: 1 year High School, roughly 3 years between 2 labs (one at undergrad and one in home city) Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's List all semesters, Graduated Cum Laude Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Worked as a lab TA at undergrad institution, tutored science at undergrad, tutored math and science to high school and middle school students during gap year. Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Really passionate SOP? Advice for those new to the process: Start early and don't get discouraged! If you don't get in the first time you apply, try to bolster your application and try again. Also, keep on top of your LORs! I got rejected from one school because my application wasn't complete until nearly 2 months after the deadline due to my former PI forgetting to turn it in. Remember, it's YOUR responsibility to make sure everything gets to your school, not your professors' or your undergrad institution. On a final note, have fun during interviews and be yourself! It's a great opportunity to meet tons of different people and learn something new. I was afraid to talk about my research because everyone else's projects sounded so much more interesting, but it turns out there were people who thought the same thing about me.

Sonic Hedgehog Gene. The best part is that it's shorthand is Shh. Geneticists like to have fun naming things

I went to high school a block away from Hunter. The area is REALLY expensive, and you are unlikely to find an affordable apartment nearby. However, both the 6 and the F are really close (actually, the 6 stop connects underground to Hunter) so commuting there is really easy. Plus, there are a ton of buses that stop near if not next to HUnter. If you live in one of the outer boroughs like Queens or further uptown, the commute can take as little as 15-20 minutes. I would definitely recommend to looking at apartments a little further away. It's annoying because you won't be as close to home, but the glory of living in NYC is that our public transportation operates 24/7.

I was born and raised in Queens, and there are plenty of neighborhoods to choose from. Personally, I think Forest Hills might be a good option. Apartments are pretty inexpensive, there's a large shopping street that has many different stores, It takes about 25 minutes to get to St. John's via public transportation (about 10-15 minutes by car), and the E,F,R,V and LIRR (all of which go into Manhattan) are there as well as several buses. It's a vibrant neighborhood with lots of community activity and VERY safe. They also have their own community based ambulance service which holds events throughout the year (shameless self promotion since I volunteer with them). There is also Woodside and Flushing, which connect to the 7 train and LIRR and several buses, but are farther away from St. John's than Forest Hills. However both are vibrant neighborhoods close to the city. Flushing has a very vibrant East Asian community, so there is lots of awesome food! If you don't mind being a little further from the city, Bayside is another option. It is about 25-30 minutes by bus to St. John's and the LIRR goes into the city from there. It's a bit more suburban than the other neighborhoods I mention, but there is plenty to do. I hope that helps, PM me if you have any questions!

Check out some of the admissions FAQs of the schools you are interested in. They usually post the average GRE scores and GPAs of the previous incoming class in order to give applicants a frame of reference.

Check your local book store, there are tons of books with practice tests. Also, bring a bottle of water and get plenty of sleep the night before.

Dude, chill out. There is no reason to be an ass on here especially since the focus of this conversation is not you, but Flux1100 asking for advice. Good for you on getting into those schools, but unless you are on the admissions committee at those schools your point is irrelevant to the current conversation. Flux1100, I think that unless you already have something lined up for the summer you should take your professor up on his offer. REUs are extremely competitive and it is difficult to find a volunteer position in an external lab unless you know someone. However, if you are able to get an external offer, I recommend taking it. Different labs use different techniques and skills and there is always something to learn from the experience. Your LORs should be from people that know you well and can vouch for your skills, so keep that in mind. If you still need one more LOR, ask a professor that had and like if you can be a TA for them next semester or over the summer. No matter what you decide, good luck! I hope it all works out in the end!

I think it depends on what you study. I was volunteering in a genetics lab in high school and when I told my department curator (who was a Yale grad) that I was going to Binghamton for undergrad he was impressed. SUNYs don't get particular name recognition except for the flagships (Albany, Binghamton, Stony Brook, and Geneseo) which very rarely call themselves a SUNY. I think the exception to this is FIT, but that may be because nobody realizes that is a SUNY school.

Lol I think it did, too . Thank you!