harrisonfjord

I currently work on campus without a tuition waiver. I am struggling because I only get 20 hours a week at minimum grad student pay. I found an opportunity that would pay for my housing, tuition, part of a meal plan, and on top of that the pay I am making now as a stipend. In order to event apply for this new job I have to tell them who my current boss is and they are going to call her for a reference. I really need this new job, but since it is not certain I will get it, I do not want to cut my nose to spite my face and lose out on the one I have (if something doesn't work out). What would you do in this situation? I was just going to leave the spot blank but it says in the application information they are specifically looking for current and past supervisors as references.

This is what I have been working towards. I usually am really good at proving myself, but sometimes people like that make me feel like I'm not in the right place or make me question whether I am just not adopting the right professional attitude. It's definitely something I've been working towards. Thank you all for sharing your bits of advice. It helps a lot!

How do you deal with them? I generally don't say anything and just let it go, but sometimes I feel like speaking up might make things easier.

I'm currently a master's student. At my school we don't get a syllabus until the first day of class, or sometimes a few days before classes start (if the professor decides to email it out). I don't buy textbooks until the first week of school because generally there aren't many required books. My program is heavy on the journal articles. We have an orientation about a week before class that will give us information about registering for classes and finishing up some paperwork. Some students aren't even able to register for classes until a week before they start. It really depends on your program. I wouldn't stress out. Your program will contact you if there's anything that needs to be done.

Hi there! I don't know if this is the norm for all schools. Just from the schools I have been looking to apply to. UCF is a great school for HCI, Human Factors, etc. because Orlando is one of the biggest the Modeling, Simulation and Training scenes. The Institute for Simulation & Training and the area around it called "Research Park" are two of the main hubs of research in the Orlando area in HCI, Human Factors, ergonomics, HRI, etc. I honestly love UCF and I am considering some other options (San Jose State, Georgia Tech, etc.) but I really would not be unhappy if I stayed for my PhD here as well. I am working on teaching myself Python and hopefully then moving on to JavaScript. I haven't been able to devote as much time as I would like though. Wow! Building an app would be really cool. I am too intimidated to start doing that at this point. My coding skills are rather elementary. I guess the main question is whether or not you want to focus on Human Factors or more I/O oriented research? That will probably help guide your decisions.

What did you do to mitigate it?

A starter and my battery. Does it really matter all that much?

I never said having a tire blowout is inevitable. I said that my "car emergencies" inevitably happen at the worst times, like for instance after I pay $300 to attend a conference, pay for a plane ticket, drain my bank account, and then have to get something replaced. The whole point is to say try to have a fall back plan in case something happens. No car problems are theoretically inevitable. You have a moving machine that requires routine maintenance and parts have to be replaced after they wear out. I think you missed the point of what I posted.

I honestly went about the car buying process all wrong but I think TakeruK is spot on with the advice. I drive a Hyundai Accent and it's great gas mileage wise. I purchased it with about 50,000 miles on it for $3600 cash. The insurance is a little expensive, but I can't avoid that. I use it daily for my commute to work and school. Since I will be 25 this year, my insurance will go down. Biking and public transportation are not very cost effective options where I live, public transportation is almost non-existent and biking 5 miles in 90 degree heat does not make sense. I would say that buying a car a little bit below your budget might be helpful, especially if you can put some money away. Inevitably I have car issues and emergencies at the most inconvenient times (i.e. I just paid $300 for a conference and my tire blows out). I also like not having a car payment, but I realize that is not a plausible option for most. My car is a bit of a clunker and is old, but it's lasted me over 5 years with hardly any real issues. I also think it's important to keep up with routine maintenance. Getting your oil changed regularly, etc. definitely makes a big difference in the longevity of your car.

Hi there, I'm also interested in HF and I am currently working on a master's in a related field, hoping to apply to PhD programs. From what I've heard (at least from the schools I am interested in) its your GRE score they use to determine what order they look at your application. Then from there, they choose their pool. Obviously, the higher the better in that case, but unfortunately like you said, most programs do not publish this info online. There is however an APA book that gets published every year with approximate rankings: http://www.apa.org/pubs/books/4270097.aspx. Most university libraries have access to at least one edition. This is how I have been gauging myself based on the programs I am interested in. I am really hoping to get into UCF's HF program but we will see. One step at a time, need to finish my master's first. Sounds like you are doing a great job so far! I have also been immersing myself in research and I'm hoping my thesis will help out with that as well. I applied to a couple of HF related internships and I am currently out of state doing a research internship this summer. I am also learning how to code, just baby steps for now. I've actually heard this is a pretty valuable skill set that HF programs like to see, but that is only through fellow graduate student friends, so taking that with a grain of salt. Just thought I would say hi!

Graduate student, I'm in a master's program. If they ask, I'll specify, but otherwise most people I talk to don't care.

I don't mean any disrespect on this thread and I realize that professors are busy people, but if they agree to write one for you and then later don't, it's flat out wrong. They know the admissions requirements for graduate school. If I have followed respectful protocol and given them the materials and time to write the letter, then I would hope they would at least in return respect me enough to write the letter. Besides, for my LORs I was either a RA or a TA for those professors (mostly volunteer, unpaid) and I clearly did put in the time to assist them to the best of my ability.

I don't necessarily agree with this statement, but I do understand that I'm not going to make friends with all the interns. I really am not a creative person so these things typically don't interest me. My biggest issue is that if I purchase supplies for creative projects, I have to lug them back on the plane with me. I was hoping to get some input as to how you did things to manage homesickness or how you went about exploring the city safely on your own?

I teach and I look young. So I tend to dress up a little more than my classmates. Most of my classmates (both females and males) tend to wear jeans to class. Nothing too formal. I like to follow the above advice and dress up just a bit more in case I run into someone important. It doesn't have to be dressed up but I own some business-y dresses and about 3 pairs of black pants. I am a HUGE fan of Express' Portofino shirts because you can wear them with skirts, pants or jeans, throw on a pair of flats and look pulled together. Plus Express always has sales and coupons. Yoga pants are a definite no no where I am. The undergraduates there dress VERY casually because it's really warm and sunny most of the time. It's not uncommon for you to see undergrad girls show up to class with bandeaus, yoga pants, short shorts, etc. but I would strongly suggest against that in graduate school. You want to be taken seriously and as a female, I want to be known for my work and professionalism, not what I wear to class. That said, if I know I'm not presenting and it is finals week, I will wear a tunic and some leggings, a nice top and dark wash jeans or something comfortable like that if I am taking exams all day. It's not vastly different from undergrad, but I highly suggest in investing in a few good pairs of well fitting dress pants, at least one business-y dress, a pencil skirt and a few dressier tops. It helps a lot.

Do you think it's acceptable to include a link to your linked in profile on a business card? I've thought about creating a website to host my CV, but as another poster said, it seems silly to just have my CV on there. Because some of the projects I work on require security clearance/are not supposed to be talked about outside the lab, I'm not able to just post my current projects on there too .

I'm completing my graduate degree at the same institution as my undergraduate degree (I know, I know). I relocated just for the summer, but I am having a hard time with the settling in phase. I forgot how hard it is to be in a completely new city/town. I don't really know anyone besides my one roommate and she declines my invitations to hang out. I know I will be able to interact with the other interns soon, I just am bored being completely by myself for the entire day. I don't have access to a car and I have no TV in my new living situation. Yesterday I walked around downtown a bit to check things out. I've been reading a lot and brushing up on my statistics, but do you have any other advice?

I handle it the exact same way that Gvh does. If a student can send me a screenshot or forward me an original email that shows they submitted the assignment, then I am more than happy to accommodate that. However, as stated above, generally some of these students you will never hear from again because they didn't submit it in the first place. I've also had the corrupted file problem before too: a student sends a purposely corrupted file so that they have more time to do the assignment. The idea is that by the time you get to their assignment, they have had several extra days to do the work and when you contact them to tell them to re-send the file, it's finished by then. In those situations it can sometimes be hard to prove whether or not the student is cheating so I make sure to tell them that I'm not responsible for technical failures. If it only happens once I am ok with giving them the benefit of the doubt. If it happens continuously, then obviously this student is trending. I take notes on presentations. I make a master list of students and assign them an order in which to present. I note who is there and I have each student turn in a participation sheet on the day of the presentation that lists every group member, that indicates which group members are presenting (in this case the presentations were extra credit) and they each grade their group member on how much they contributed to the project using letter grades. This helps me because I have physical proof when I compare the group sheets to my notes to show the professor that the student did not present. In my experience redundancy reduces error. Hope some of this helps! I'm a new TA so I'm still learning.

Thank Victoris! I actually live by that site! I use it to write everything. Saman, thank you for the suggestion. I will have to check it out. If it has examples, that will be all the better. I just get bogged down sometimes regarding how certain sentences should be worded. I've tried using some psychology journals as guidelines, but I've noticed so much variation between some of them that I started to get confused regarding what is ok and what isn't.

I don't really use textbooks in my classes, the majority of them require us to read articles so highlighting, notes, etc. is not really an issue. However, for the classes I do have to use a textbook for, I generally buy a used version of the book or I purchase an international edition whenever possible (which is often much cheaper and paperback version of the same book. If you are renting textbooks or you plan on selling them, then you obviously can't write in them, so I found a system that works for me. I generally (like you!) hate writing in textbooks and instead I use post-it flags. They are transparent "tabs" that you can write on and use to cover sections of material with. Because they are removable and won't damage the page, you can take them off when you are finished (or when you don't need to review that section anymore) without damaging the book. The tabs can be purchased in a bunch of colors, so I can color code things. It's kind of like using a highlighter (but I am also OCD and hate when the line is not absolutely perfect) but without the hassle and it's not permanent. I like the 1" ones because there is enough room to write an entire key word, but there are skinnier or wider ones depending on your preference. Another option would be erasable highlighters or pens (but in my experience the marks are never really completely removed, which also may bother you). Here are the flags I use: http://www.amazon.com/Post-It-680-EG-ALT-Post-it-Flags/dp/B007Q345SC/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1401551619&sr=8-8&keywords=post+it+flags Hope this helps!

I am a first year grad student and I think I could benefit from some extra practice in academic writing. Are there any tools, books or resources you would suggest?

Trying new Belgian beers, chai tea lattes, World of Warcraft, online shopping and Arrested Development

Where I go to school a D in undergrad is not passing. A 2.0 GPA is. Therefore, by comparison if a 3.0 is required to pass it would be more like a C......not a D. I wouldn't freak out until you speak with someone who has experience in admissions and knows about the programs you are applying to. It is possible to get into a Ph.D. program with a few B's on your transcript. There may be some hoops you have to jump through but I wouldn't write it off.

Thank you all for contributing information about making a personal website as well. I may wait until I build a little more of a portfolio but I totally agree with creating a clean web presence!

Hey guys, I totally appreciate all the input, but I think we are getting a bit off topic

This is not always true. I would contact your advisor/program coordinator and get their advice.