harrisonfjord

It's kind of cheesy, but I love the Sunlounger pandora station. It's mainly instrumental and non-distracting.

I am so glad someone started a thread on this! My background is in psychology, but I am obsessed with philosophy, specifically the philosophy of neuroscience. I am a huge fan of Ramanchandran and Oliver Sacks. I am also interested in physics and math but I have never been especially talented in either of those fields. I absolutely love literature and mythology, but I think that is a product of my high school I.B. curriculum, lol. I still have my trusty Edith Hamilton's mythology book.

Wow, this is absolutely great advice! Thanks for putting this into perspective. I think I struggled with this a lot this semester, but you have fantastic suggestions regarding how to deal with it.

Thank you, NicholasCage, I totally understand what you mean. It is important to take it seriously, but not to the point of neglecting other obligations. I made that mistake this semester because I neglected some of my own finals to get through grading and writing exams for my class. rising_star, thank you so much for all of this info! I know I definitely could use some of it in future semesters. Especially regarding adapting to the needs of the class, using resources and the midterm evals.

Hi everyone, I'm a Winter Park native and a current grad student. Winter Park is a lovely area, but you are right, it is about 15 minutes from campus (depending on how close to downtown winter park you go and sometimes more during peak traffic times). The trouble (with east Orlando) is that there are 3 major schools all within a very close proximity: Full Sail, Valencia College and UCF. Because of this, traffic can get crazy. That said, Winter Park and Oviedo are some of the nicer areas. Most graduate students I know tend to find houses in these areas and split them with roommates since its usually cheaper than renting an apartment (Winter Park is kind of a pricey real estate area, but there are also some not-so-nice parts of Winter Park). I also suggest looking into the areas known as Avalon Park and Waterford. These areas tend to have great housing options for graduate students and you can sometimes bypass peak traffic by taking the back roads to campus. Orlando is super sprawled. Unless you live in student housing, it will be hard to walk to bars, the grocery store, etc. It's not a pedestrian friendly city and 4 of our students have died this semester alone trying to cross some of the major walkways to get to campus (granted some of these accidents involve drunk drivers, etc.) but I just wanted to emphasize that its not the most bike or pedestrian friendly city since some people aren't aware of that. Waterford has a pretty big outdoor shopping center/"mall" so to speak and there are apartments/housing in the middle of Avalon Park that are within walking distance of the grocery store, etc. Hope this helps! Feel free to message me if you have any questions about UCF, Winter Park, etc.

A similar thing happened to me. I was at a conference and speaking with some professionals in the field and they asked for my card. I was so embarrassed to say that I didn't have one, but I had my advisor/PIs card and wrote my name/email on that. I'm not anticipating that I will use many, it just seems nice to have them in those situations.

I am not an HF grad, so I can't say I know your situation, but I am in a multidisciplinary program right now and a Human Factors PhD is my ultimate goal. I see some of the recent graduates struggling with the same problems and I am good friends with a lot of HF PhD students. I'm sorry to hear you are going through this right now. Just throwing this out there (I know it may not apply to your situation or be helpful!), there are a bunch of software programs you can learn for free like Maya (it's a free 3 year subscription for students/recent grads and you could possibly build a portfolio with some of these free trials). From my limited experience (and by consulting with other Human Factors PhD students who have the same concerns) UX employers appreciate it when you have a pretty good handle on some modeling and simulation software. A lot of my PhD friends complain that they were never told these things and only found out by searching through job postings and many unfruitful interviews. Here's the link for Maya: http://www.autodesk.com/products/autodesk-maya/buy?src=OMSE&mktvar002=581403 As iopsych says, I would definitely look into applying with NAWCTSD. How do you feel about relocating/are you able to relocate? I attended UCF in undergrad (Orlando, FL) and there's a plethora of companies in "research park" that hire HF grads for applied research positions (Some are temporary contracts but at least your foot would be in the door!) I also suggest checking out jobs on LinkedIn if you haven't already. Most of my recently hired friends looked at the descriptions and starting learning code, software, etc. based on specific trends they were seeing in UX job postings. If they weren't able to get the jobs they want, they at least impressed some companies with their initiative and eventually got their foot in the door. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Florida_Research_Park#Partnerships (I know its a wikipedia page, but it lists some of the big name companies there) I'm sorry if this information isn't new or wasn't helpful. I just thought I would share what I've picked up from other UX researchers. Like I said, I am not a recent grad, only a hopeful grad and this is the advice/information I have picked up through networking. I can understand how frustrating this situation would be and it is my biggest fear. If you have any questions at all about Orlando or Research Park, feel free to message me. I'm a FL native and Orlando is one of the biggest the Modeling, Simulation and Training scenes.

I don't think this was meant to suggest do nothing; do things you enjoy/want to do (don't do them just because you think you need to). Getting a part-time job and saving money is never a bad idea. As you already mentioned going to some conferences is also a good use of your time (networking opportunities, research inspiration, etc.). You've already been accepted and while more research experience couldn't hurt, I don't think its necessary. I think all of the above suggestions are great. Catch up with family or friends, spend some time reading things for enjoyment, explore some areas in town (find a cool new coffee shop or place where you can go to relax when you're stressed out in future semesters). Traveling also isn't a bad idea. You probably won't be able to travel much once you're completing coursework and doing research (unless you're presenting at conferences). I also agree with the advice of pursuing an outside hobby. You will inevitably encounter awkward conversations; it is nice to find common ground with another cohort member or to discuss something else with your professors other than just work and school. I also think xdarthveganx makes an excellent point. Grant-writing and proposals are essential skills that can always be refined. Maybe explore some grants you may be eligible for and come up with a game plan for applying to them?

As far as I am aware, you don't need to bring this up to admissions. Unless there were *extremely* specific guidelines regarding funding, you should be ok. You said that you just needed to submit your final transcripts? They just want to see that you actually obtained your degree and that there weren't any **significant** problems (i.e. you failed a class and cannot graduate, you withdrew, etc.) That said, I am not part of the adcomm, nor am I an expert. However, I had friends that didn't do so well their last semester of college and they still maintained all funding/privileges for graduate school. I don't know how competitive your program is, but I'm betting that the final transcripts just need to be sent as proof you completed your degree. Don't beat yourself up too much.

Just curious to hear what everyone here has to say! I see some really experienced members on these boards and think we all could benefit. This was my first semester teaching and it definitely opened up my eyes. My pieces of advice (maybe they are already obvious, but I learned a lot of these from this semester): -I would say that no matter how much time you spend outlining and writing a rubric for a paper or project, be prepared for students to ignore it (and to inevitably be upset when they get their grades) -Never assume that upper-level students know how to write properly -Include a section on the syllabus about how to email professors/TAs/other administrators at school appropriately -And most importantly I think next semester I will make a syllabus/policy quiz mandatory so everyone knows exactly what is expected of them and so they are all aware of exactly what plagiarism is (I was a TA for an upper-level course but apparently it is still not a known fact what plagiarism entails even as a junior)

Thank you for the input. I agree, there is no real standard for that, I just figured I would find a way to incorporate it since she suggested it specifically. I have made my research contributions very clear on my CV and in my SOP so hopefully it won't to hurt to have it on there. I'm not applying to a traditional program and it is still very new, so I am just following the advice of the faculty/professors in that program. I appreciate you all responding and pointing out the problems with including such a section. From the way she explained it, it seemed like a common practice and I am realizing that it isn't.

Thank you all for the input! I have reservations about printing my own because I don't have a nice printer and they look rather cheap/cheesy. Thankfully designyourowncards has them as low as $16 for 100 basic ones and they look a bit more professional. I appreciate all the advice and input though.

I went to college in MN after being a FL native my entire life. Shop for sweaters/colder gear now (if you can) since it will be all clearanced out and much cheaper. I scored a $300 coat for $40 in June. Also I would totally recommend getting one of those longer winter coats (the ones that hit at the knee). I originally scoffed at the idea, but after two weeks of MN weather I was super thankful that I invested in one of those longer coats when the wind chill was -20 degrees. I also agree with the posters above who mentioned rotating boots. I only bought one pair and they were destroyed by the end of winter. Best of luck!

Academicat, thank you so much! You definitely made me feel so much better! I have been freaking out, but I am going to take your advice and read some of my friends' SOPs to get a feel for what the department wants. Thank you for sharing yours with me as well. Lisa44201, thank you as well. I've just read some stories about adcomms that just throw your SOP at the bottom of the pile if it doesn't pique their interest right away, so I realize that a cheesy hook isn't the way to go. Thanks for sharing your opening statement with me! I appreciate it. Toasterazzi, that's what I want thinking about doing. I found a great quote that would tie in my SOP extremely well, but I didn't want to use it if it is frowned upon. It isn't motivational or inspirational. It's a quote by a famous researcher regarding the field of research I would like to pursue. Good to know it is still ok to use.

I agree with the above posters. It really just depends on how much the professor of that class expects you to do. Some professors use TAs mainly as graders, others expect that the TA will lecture a few times in the semester and have a lot more responsibility. For the most part, most of the doctoral students I know TA for 2 courses a semester, but as the_sheath pointed out, generally both are not 20 hour a week commitments. I am a master's student and this was my first semester teaching, so I only received one class for my assignment. As a side note, I spent about 100 hours on my class during the last two weeks of school. There was just so much grading, I was meeting with students, I was writing the exam, etc. That said, my case was a little different because the professor had to retire early in the middle of the semester (for medical reasons) and the other GTA was promoted to Instructor of Record. I essentially then had to help out with his role as well since he was busy preparing the lectures and making sure we covered everything on time. We both had never TA'd prior to this semester so we also had to experience the learning curve of the online LMS system together which was time consuming. Anyway, the whole point of this was to say it varies so much. You'll probably want to talk to each professor and see what they expect beforehand before you commit to both courses. I thought I would just be grading things in this course and I was blindsided. I agree with lifealive. Your first few semesters are going to take you a little longer if you've never taught before. Once you have one semester under your belt though it's supposed to get easier. I've only taught for one semester, but that's at least what I've heard. And it would make sense, the first semester is essentially a test drive.

Hashslinger, you make some excellent points. As I am still learning, you are absolutely right. This isn't about my "ego" when I'm grading the papers. If anything, I am too lenient. I totally agree with the idea that changing grades or opening the door to doing so might backfire. I wouldn't mind grading re-written papers or helping out students however I can. However it does prove rather difficult in a class of over 100 students (because I then have to give the opportunity to all students) and that requires a lot of extra grading time. If I have the time, no issue, but if it's a week or two before the semester ends...not going to happen.

I am currently enrolled in a master's program, but I was just wondering what the thoughts are on getting some business cards made up? I have been going to more conferences lately and I noticed that a lot of students have cards with them for networking purposes. I am a teaching assistant this semester and I also work in a lab, but only my teaching position is funded. I feel weird just writing teaching assistant on the card. Is there a specific terminology I should use? Should I just make my title "graduate student at so and so university?" Any suggestions? I feel ignorant because I don't know if this is common practice or not?

Thanks, it got a bit complicated because the professor ended up retiring early this semester and the other GTA in the class became instructor of record, so I kind of had to take on the role of two people. It was a stressful and tough semester for me since I just started working as a TA. danieleWrites, great advice. The only issue is that some of these problem students don't even come by office hours so there's never a chance for me to enact some of these ideas or else I would. I totally agree with you about involving the student in the process. I really do appreciate you taking the time to outline this process though. I will keep it in mind for future semesters. I really haven't been struggling with "so-and-so got a better grade than I did" because each member of their group earns the same grade for the project. It was mainly just disagreements on the actual grading of the assignment even though I made a very clear and concise rubric. It's hard dealing with students who just don't care. This class had the opportunity to earn an additional 20 extra credit points to their OVERALL grade, so its not like I was being some tyrant and wasn't trying to help them. Only 8 out of over 100 students actually did the extra credit.

I have been desperately trying to come up with a hook or attention grabbing introduction for my essay, but I am really struggling. I have substantial research experience and teaching assistant experience, but I am struggling with the intro and conclusion of my SOP. I don't want to use a quote because almost every personal statement book/article I have read strongly suggests against using a quote or some other gimmicky kind of introduction. Any tips? I have the meat of my essay but I am struggling to finish it and make it sound cohesive without a strong introduction.

I carry a Betsey Johnson black and cream colored tote. It's roomy enough to hold my laptop and a few books, but I generally resort to my North Face Backpack if I need to carry anything substantial around. I am lucky enough to live fairly close to campus so I don't have to bring everything with me for a long commute (like I did in undergrad). Most of the female professors at my school have some type of rolling briefcase that they use. I just don't carry lots of heavy books with me, so I generally just throw everything in the tote and go. This is similar to the tote I have if it helps at all. Its durable and has held up for the past year with minimal wear and tear. I also only paid $40 for it a TJ Maxx. http://www.ebay.com/itm/BETSEY-JOHNSON-TOTE-CANDY-RIBBONS-BOWS-SHOULDER-BAG-BLACK-BONE-GOLD-STUDS-NWT-/321387401493

I apologize guys, I'm not sure I was totally clear on what I worked on. I spent months working on dissertation projects during undergrad (and after I received my degree). I basically helped three graduate students with lit reviews, running the experiment and data analysis for their dissertations. The acknowledgements section would be to show evidence of my contributions since I don't have any publications. These aren't just little experiments that I helped with here and there. I worked on two projects for over 6 months and the other for over 9. I already have them listed in the research experience section, it just seems weird to include a citation for a published work there. In the acknowledgments section of all three dissertations, I am mentioned as part of the research team, so it would be obvious that I contributed more than just some little piece of work here and there. I just figured it would be wise to follow her advice since she's the one who sits in the admissions meetings. She doesn't make final admissions decisions but I'm sure she's seen enough to know what they look for.

Sorry I should have been more specific, I meant rationale that actually has a bearing on their grade. This girl that was arguing with me didn't turn in portions of the project, "but she wrote three pages" and thinks she deserves at least a B. It's total B.S. I invited her to come speak with me during office hours and she didn't show up. It's so frustrating dealing with students like this because I bend over backward to help them and it never matters anyway. She still failed the class because she didn't even take the final…that was online, open book and open for 3 days. I know what you mean though. It is awful when a student says they need "X" grade for some reason or another. Glad things worked out well anyway.

I recently visited with the graduate coordinator for the Ph.D. program that I will be applying to (mainly for informational interview purposes and to get a feel for the program). I do not have a lot of publications and she suggested that I add an "acknowledgments" section to my CV. Basically, it would be a section where I list the dissertation projects that I have worked on for other students (because my name is directly mentioned in these works, even though I am not an author). Is this a typical thing? I've never seen it before.

I should clarify, I don't discuss their grades through email. The course is a lecture course with an online LMS (and there is a box for comments on each graded assignment). It is a common standard among my university's guidelines to post feedback with the assignment grade in the virtual gradebook and the student is allowed to view the comments. I invited them to discuss it in person for this reason. I do not generally discuss grades via email. Gnome Chomsky, I really wish I could say this to my students. If they had put the effort they spent arguing into the project, they would have been successful.

St Andrews Lynx, thank you so so much for the input. I actually spent several hours making this rubric even clearer than the first project. They had two months to complete the project as well and I extended the deadline from a Friday to a Monday, so they had an entire extra weekend to finish the project. I listened to students who said they had issues with the project and stayed after every class period to answer questions. No one from this group asked me for any help. The students who are complaining are also the ones who turned in the project late. Only 5 groups out of a 100+ person class turned in the projects late. Everyone else managed to get them turned in on time. Thank you both for the advice about interpretation and the set of stock phrases. That really helps out a lot. One student is demanding a B, but has no rationale for it. She does not even send me emails with complete sentences or capitalization. Her paper was so grammatically incorrect but I did not deduct points for that. Jenste, that is also really great advice. I did provide comments to them about where they lost points/did well, but they are arguing with me over my rationale. It's all really a matter of interpretation and I think they are just trying to challenge my authority. I offered to meet with them to show them how I graded the assignment. It is very evident these students did not even look at the rubric even though I handed it out in class and posted it online for them.