CBclone

One of my office-mates completely lacks an internal filter/monologue. I enjoy getting to know the people I share a workspace with, but I don't need to know every thought, frustration, excitement, etc that occurs throughout the day. And I'm a very personal, keep-it-to-myself kind of person, and don't know how to approach them about it.

I moved about a 30-hour drive from where I used to live to where my M.S. program is located. Luckily, my Dad is retired and volunteered to tow the UHaul trailer with his SUV while I drove my pickup. He drove 16 hours to where I lived at the time, 30 hours to where I attend school, and 14 hours back to his home (he had his wife to keep him company in their vehicle). We made it into a 10-day trip, with stops in my home state to see family and friends and some touristy stuff along the way. Do you have all your own stuff? Are you attached to it? What's your timeframe before, during, after the move time? I arrived in my new town on a Sunday and school started the following Monday, so I had about a week to get settled in. I had been living solo in an apartment for two years and had all my own furniture, kitchenware, small appliances, etc. and I moved it all except the bed (picked up one from my mom's house along the way). FWIW, we drove through part of Canada along the route and they asked at border crossings about the UHaul and fully loaded pickup, but didn't search -- I think because we were returning to the United States and not staying in Canada. I think you may be more likely subject to search if not just "passing through." I had a list of everything that was packed anyway, might not be a bad idea for you if you go that route.

Agree with the others -- contact the school to find out if it was an error. Personally, I wouldn't have been able to function at the level grad school requires if I was living with a group of freshmen, even if I was 22 or 23. There's a maturity difference and also just the learning curve of entering college/university life. I think back to what I was like 10 years ago when I was an 18-year old freshman heading off to college, and current-me would not want to live on a peer level with then-me. Side note, are you from Marshalltown, IA by chance? Grew up about an hour away and it's not exactly a common town name and see you're in the Midwest...and what university are you attending, may I ask?

I have a '99 pickup with a tad over 135,000 miles that I bought in late 2012. As long as there aren't any safety issues, I'd say keep your current vehicle. Use the money you save for a long weekend trip with friends, a fun and fancy night out, or just straight up save it and buy a newer car when you graduate and land your first career job.

I underestimated that there may, indeed, be a Grad Student 15 which is slightly more disheartening as a 27 y/o than it was as an 18 y/o freshman.

Hey @Transducer and others who sent me PMs...I found another room last minute that's only a few blocks from where I'm working. The room in question was/is near the intersection of East Highland Dr & East Murray Holladay Rd. Girls living there said it's about a 15-min drive to the U

This might sound ridiculous, but I may have a housing situation available in August for anyone moving to SLC for school: I'm working here for the summer and found a great room in a 2bd/1ba apt w/ another female. I would love to move in, but the lease is a year (though no penalty for leaving early, just need to find someone to take my place) and I'm only here through part of August. It's cheap (less than $400 a person) and about an 8 mile drive from the U. If anyone wants to agree to move into a room and take my spot in August, I'm game for arranging something. Finding a room or sublease here has been a struggle to find something with a decent price except for places with 4+ people, undergrads, and/or strict LDS standards (none of which I'm too interested in), just FYI.

Just want to drop in and say that pics don't do the IUB campus justice (though they come close). I stopped in Bloomington today/tonight to crash at a friend's place on my drive west for the summer, and received a guided stroll through the western part of campus and shopping/restaurant area close to Sample Gates area. Campus is stunning! The area directly west of campus is so well kept, clean, and just looks like a cute little college area. (though I was surprised by the homeless population in the area....mainly because college kids are the last people I'd try to panhandle money from) I'm still on the fence about what I want to do after my Masters, but luckily IU is one of the few schools with a PhD in my field and would be my top choice if I go that route....I've already geeked out on all of them. Enjoy IU, wish I had more time to check it out during this trip!

Pretty sure you can drive in any state with another state's license, assuming it's still valid/not expired. I have Colorado residency (and may return there after my MS, but it's not a need to do so) and attend school in New York. Still have a Colorado license, license plates, and vote via absentee ballot. In fact I just paid for my vehicle's annual registration and simply called the CO DMV in the county I moved from to give them my new address in New York and they sent me the registration card and sticker. Honestly I just didn't want to deal with changing things. Also consider that in many states you cannot just switch residency and *poof* receive in-state tuition. Most require at least one year of maintaining a home and receiving income in-state, some with the caveat that you cannot be a student during that year either, before receiving in-state benefits. Now that I think about it, one of our interns where I worked last summer was a NH resident attending school in CO and tired of paying OOS rate. Got a CO license, plates, etc., last May and did not enroll in any courses over the summer, fall, spring, or this upcoming summer. Will be able to receive in-state tuition when he re-enrolls in the fall, but had to take a full year off from school to do so.

Finals struggle is real. Good thing I already have like a 97% in this class because this paper is probably not going to be so hot. Just reminding myself that a week from tonight, I'll be sitting in a baseball stadium drinking a beer and eating a giant pretzel w/ cheese alongside my Dad. One more week.

Is it offered online at your school or would you have to take it online through a different school? If it's the former, I would assume they wouldn't offer it online at the grad level if it was frowned upon or considered a lesser course. I took an online course for my MS in the fall because the on-campus lecture option didn't fit my needs; it was just as - if not more - demanding (the on-campus course was a full semester, online was 1/2 semester) and covered the same material with assignments as similar as an online format would allow. If you have to take it through a different school, that is more likely to be frowned upon or not as favored.

I attended Iowa State for undergrad (loved it), after being raised in a few different areas of Iowa. I don't know much about Ohio State or the stats programs, but my take on your cons: --Where does the "not-as-friendly" thing come from? Ames is a fantastic college town with great support and relationships between the city of Ames and the university. Some of the nicest people you'll meet, IMO -- and I've lived a lot of places throughout both Iowa and the U.S. It's generally a very clean city, stable jobs, lots of campus and off-campus activities to do. I'd wager you're more likely to find "bad apples" in a bigger city like Columbus than in Ames, but that's my very amateur opinion. --It is really cold in the winter. Fact Mainly because it's a "wet" and humid cold and can be quite windy. Warm up in Hilton Coliseum with basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, or wrestling. You'll be hooked. I don't know much about your last two points. The College of Ag is still often considered the pride of the school and it's most well-known aspect, for good reason. Engineering programs are phenomenal as well. RE: Ice climbing...there's not much nearby. There is a great climbing wall in the campus rec center, and a warehouse type climbing gym not too far away plus some options nearby at Ledges I think. My brother got really into climbing while we were in school in Ames. There is a silo a couple hours from campus that gets sprayed with water in the winter and is open for ice climbing; kinda cool, very midwest haha. Great outdoor options in MN, WI, and northeast Iowa if you want a weekend trip.

Of my immediate family at least, I am the first on track to finish a Masters or higher (currently in MS program). Mom, dad, and stepdad all went straight into the Navy after high school; my mom did obtain a BSN during her service/at the end of it. My brother started an MS program 6 years ago but dropped out sometime in his first year of it and doesn't have any plans to finish -- nor does he need to; he's got a pretty sweet job that's stable, good hours, good pay, etc. w/ a BS in Mech E and 6 years service time on a nuclear submarine to his credit. My "go to" people for advice, rants, vents, sharing good news, etc. are my friends who have completed a Masters...many have, in several different fields. A few FB friends (aka they're typically HS and undergrad acquaintances) have or are in process of obtaining PhD and I've asked them one or two things but not much. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any cousins or aunts/uncles with advanced degrees. Certainly none with a PhD. I've been kicking around the idea of doing a PhD for a while now. Time will tell...

Unfortunately, stories like yours are all too common at universities and colleges. Part of it is due to old facilities, but people would be surprised by new buildings built with accessibility as an (borderline) afterthought. My school opened a shiny new rec facility a year ago -- the gates you have to pass through after having your ID swiped at the front desk aren't wide enough for a standard wheelchair. They only have tall pub-style tables in the atrium area. When the school renovated a different building (sometime in the last two years) and installed new sidewalks, they failed to put in curb cuts (and still haven't, despite students, faculty, and staff pushing the issue). The campus busses don't have a lift. The only bathrooms in the library that are accessible are on the first floor (of 4). I could probably think of more or even things from my undergrad school, though they are actually actively working toward more accessible buildings as they massively renovate/overhaul historic buildings and building new facilities.

Are they also going to eliminate interviews for public-sector work positions? Interviews are about more than just "good fit"; they allow the hiring/admissions committee to assess competency, ability to think on the spot, verbal and social communication skills, much more, and yes -- fit between the program/employer and potential student/employee. Edit to add: Also, I think interviews can be just as beneficial for the students/person being hired as for the school/employer. I've withdrawn my name from consideration for work positions after doing an interview when I got a weird vibe or felt like I didn't really mesh with their personalities or the work responsibilities. Other times I've gone from feeling so-so about a position to being really hopeful and excited after an interview. Some things can't be judged by GPA, test scores, and 3rd party reference letters.