harrisonfjord

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.

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? 

I would go for something like a bridge program, or perhaps a funded master's over paying for a master's degree.  In your case, since you are coming from absolutely the ground up, I might consider doing a low-cost master's at a public in-state institution if I didn't have to borrow for living expenses, just tuition.
 
But I honestly think the best way - if you can't do a funded bridge or master's - is simply to take the coursework you need as a non-degree student at your local public and volunteer with a professor as an RA for a couple of hours a week.  You'll need both the coursework and the experience.  For courses, you need:
 
1. Intro to Psychology
2. Statistics
3. Research Methods
 
And 1-2 elective courses.  I don't know that I agree cognitive is one of the most important if your interest is in community psychology.  Obviously if your department offers a course in community psychology, you should take that, but most don't (it's a small subfield).  For an interest in community psych, I would actually suggest social psych - as community psychology grew out of social psychology, essentially.  Some other interesting/important classes might be personality psychology, clinical or abnormal psych (if you are interested in mental health issues), developmental, health psych, etc.  It just really depends on what your research interests are within community psych.
 
I do think it's sometimes a good idea to take one elective that's related to but outside your main area - so I'm a social-health psychologist but I took psych of learning in undergrad.

Agree. There are a handful of funded programs, so those should be prioritized. I actually chose an unfunded program over a program I was accepted to with full funding and a stipend, because the other program seemed like a MUCH better fit for me (and it was). People in my program minimized cost by getting paid to do things that were great additions to our CVs (working as assessors for studies, TA'ing, paid part-time RA positions at our university or universities/hospitals nearby, etc) or working within the department (great way to get to know the faculty and admissions process for grad programs). I also lived at home and commuted. And my program also gave a handful of scholarships when they extended offers which helped a lot. Overall, I graduated with less debt than a year's worth of college, and I felt it was a solid investment. Also, if I had decided that a PhD wasn't the best decision for me, then I had more career options with my master's when re-entering the work force. If I had to decide again, I'd make the same choice. Again, tough decision, and it really comes down to what is best for each person.

Yes, it makes sense for follow her advice for that particular school since that prof on the admission committee told you to include it. But I am not sure if this is always generally true and it is definitely not the only correct way to do it!
 
In my opinion though, appearing in the "acknowledgements" section is not worth a lot from an outsider's perspective because as fuzzy says, there is no standard on what is included as an acknowledgement. Therefore, whether or not you were acknowledged is not very meaningful. Instead, what you actually did, as you specified in the Research Experience, is what most people will care about. So, I think if you already have that, there is no need for an acknowledgements section. But it will probably not hurt either, so I'd say to not worry about it so much and do whatever makes you feel comfortable!

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.

Childless and child free are very different things, and I for one find it grating how you are making this thread about yourself and how a thread about people who have no desire for children has been hijacked about somebody here who is all but lamenting about not having any kids.

You made this post about me. I was perfectly fine with what I said and I was done. You constantly do this. I can post what I want and where I want to and sorry if you or anyone else dislikes it. That's really a shame but oh well.

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.

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.

Hm. So what is the big...deal?
 
The situation does not really seem to be different from being attracted to a co-worker or a boss much. I think it's good to recognize the attraction and appreciate their attractive good looks FROM A SAFE DISTANCE. --> assuming you still want to be with your SO. 

I don't think this is that abnormal, you clearly know that taking any action on this is not an option so I wouldn't be too hard on yourself. We are only human after all, except those people that claim to never be attracted to anyone but their SO, they must be cyborgs.

Answer: do a PhD in engineering.
 
 
although for some, even a BS is enough.

First, sex is natural. People cant control their biological feelings. They can only control whether they act on them.
 
Second, I don't think the OP mentions dreaming and actively thinking about the person. They also say that they would "NEVER pursue this." That isn't disgusting? They are controling any feelings because they care about their SO.
 
Also, you cant really say what your SO thinks about... you have no idea.

You can't be serious. For one thing, I'd bet a certain amount of folding-money that your SO watches porn behind your back, just based on the numbers.

This thread disgusts me. I honestly believe you shouldn't FEEL attracted to someone other than your SO, which apparently you people are. It is okay to recognize that someone is attractive, but to actively think and dream about it is repulsive.
 
Apparently it takes a certain kind of good person to be able to be loyal in action and thought. I'm glad both me and my SO are like this.

I would make sure the info is on there somehow, either in a section like that or under your research experiences section. For example, if you helped with a big project and the diessertation stuff was a small part of it then you could include bullet poitns under that project for the dissertations you were acknowedged in. Alternatively, you could mention this in your SOP when talking about the project.
 
I would definitely make sure the info gets into your application. I don't know if the way it happens matters that much so I would just go with what looks best.

When I was a TA I was told by the prof that if you give plenty of feedback on assignments and clearly point out what was wrong or lacking in the assignment then you will get less complaints. Of course, this doesn't eliminate complaints completely but it will help a lot.

I've found it is something that gets easier to deal with over time. As a TA starting out you feel nervous, unsure if you even *are* qualified to teach and perhaps could have made the grading rubrics clearer beforehand. Anyway, I'm almost certain that students can sense this kind of uncertainty in their TA, even if they couldn't articulate it.  
 
Be briskly firm, but polite. Have a stock set of phrases to use "You needed to do X to get an A grade...and you didn't do that." Remember that you are in charge and that the power rests firmly with you. Do not get drawn into arguments with the student - state your reasons and keep stating them if they keep on arguing. Do not talk more than is necessary - anything you say an opportunistic/desperate student will want to use against you. You aren't actually obliged to waste time with the student if they are being argumentative and refusing to listen to you - tell them that. 

I agree with St Andrews Lynx. I always make a grading matrix beforehand. If they argue, I pull out the matrix and show them. If they argue with interpretation, I make it clear that my interpretation is the only one that counts.**
 
If they ever pull the "But Student X here made the same mistake and only lost 2 points, why did I lose 3?" and if the matrix says "-3 for that thing", then I would usually ask to see Student X and regrade their assignment. Generally, my rule about regrading is that I will take the entire assignment and regrade the entire thing. 
 
(**Note: For things like this, it really really helps to have clear communication with the prof for the course. At the beginning, the prof and I always decide ahead of time who is responsible for what so that the students can't go to the other when one doesn't give them what they want. For example, generally, we decide that the prof is the only one who is allowed to give extensions while the TA has absolute authority on grading homework. If a student asks the prof to regrade something, the prof will just turn it over to me.)