rococo_realism

I never limit the amount I eat, but I do stick to minimally processed plant-based meals, and 95% of my meals are homemade so I know exactly what goes into them. My diet is based around whole grains, vegetables, and legumes; within that, there are endless variations if you have a pantry well-stocked with various staples and seasonings and learn to make some good sauces/dressings, etc. I don't buy much snack food; instead, I eat things like fruit, trail mix, or hummus with pita and veggies between meals. I never get bored or feel deprived because I get full on foods that are nutritious and hearty, and I've cooked for myself enough to know how to make things I like, without an undue investment of time. I also aim for making large enough batches that I have leftovers throughout the week, and proportion them out into meal-size containers so that it's easy to grab my day's lunch as I'm headed out the door, which means I'm less tempted to eat out (plus I save money that way). It requires a little extra forethought and an investment of time in experimenting to figure out what you like, but it's really a very simple method and works well for me. 

Meal planning/meal prep.  Do it on Sundays. Make enough for a week.
 
If you're a coffee drinker, learn to like black coffee.  It's all the creams and sugar additives that will pack on extra pounds when your lifestyle becomes more stressed/sedentary in grad school.  Eliminate those calories wherever possible.

Basically, what shadowclaw said on the previous page.
 
Additional tips:
If you're looking for at-home workouts, many of which can be done with no equipment, check out fitnessblender.com. Kelli & Daniel have some great workouts, including things like High Intensity Interval Training, Kickboxing, Cardio, and much, much more. The videos are free and they've got advice on how to arrange them into a balanced weekly schedule. I like to do a lot of my trashy TV watching while at the gym. So maybe I watch an episode of "Hell's Kitchen" while on the elliptical or rowing machine or while lifting weights (because really, you don't need to watch, you just need to listen). I also use a bunch of apps where I can record my workouts because doing so makes me feel good. MyFitnessPal is a well-known option. I use FitNotes though, in part because you don't have to create an account and you can record both cardio and weights in one app.  Cook at home whenever possible and bring your own lunch. I lived by my crockpot during the coursework phase of my PhD. I'd make a meal with 4-6 servings, eat one, then package up the rest to take for lunch each day. Another quick lunch idea is pasta/bean salads. I used to cook whole wheat pasta in batches then, for each day, add some pasta, 1/2 cup of canned beans, and 1-1.5 cups of frozen vegetables to a container. I'd top it with fat-free Italian dressing (or another sauce depending on my mood), some pepper, and a dash of hot sauce. This was a quick lunch that also kept well even without a fridge because of the frozen veggies (and because I kept these vegan so there were fewer concerns about food spoilage). Keep healthy snacks on hand! Granola bars are great but also keep fruit, nuts, and healthy crunchy items (rice cakes are a personal favorite) on hand for quick snacks. On the weekends, I'll roast a bunch of root vegetables and/or squash so that I can always just quickly heat half a roasted sweet potato or some other vegetable for a snack when I'm famished and might otherwise reach for junk food. Roasting something like a butternut squash or a sweet potato can also satisfy your sweet tooth. I didn't do this in grad school but I do it now and love it. I'll make a quiche or frittata on Sunday and then eat a slice each morning for breakfast so that I don't have to think about a healthy breakfast. I tend to eat these with 1/3-1/2 cup of oatmeal (use the old-fashioned or steel cut oats, not the quick or instant kind) that I prepare myself. The result is a balanced breakfast in 3 minutes or less. Amazing and also totally kills excuses about not having enough time to eat in the morning. Avoid the coffee shop! You'll be tempted to get a pastry or food item, a fancier coffee beverage (which can mean additional dairy, sugar, or whipped cream, all of which just ups the calorie count), or get refills, none of which are good for your health. If you find yourself in need of a quick wake-me-up, try going for a walk to clear your mind or doing some yoga or other stretches at your desk. Set an alarm/timer when working so that you have regular breaks and use those to move around some, whether it's walking, stretching, or some quick strength training. It's easy and tempting to just sit in your chair for hours on end but resist it if possible! You could switch to a standing desk set-up, which will up your calorie burn slightly. You could also get a medicine ball chair, which will force you to have good posture while sitting. I have both now (didn't in grad school) and it's awesome.  Find a workout that you like and stick to it. That was a martial art in grad school for me and it really helped. But, that could also be Zumba, CrossFit, TRX, yoga, or something else. If you like it, you'll get excited about going and doing it 3x or more a week, rather than dreading it.

So I wasn't the one asked, but have a few crock Indian recipes.  I actually chuck them in there the night before, pop the crock in the fridge overnight, and then put it on in the morning.  I don't care for Thai much, so can't help on that score!  (I don't like coconut which pretty much kills Thai.)  On all these I disregard the directions other than ingredients (I do play with those as well) and just chuck it all in raw.  I DO however freeze tofu as soon as I buy it and defrost it as needed.  It really does alter the texture quite a lot.
 
http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Tofu-Keema-Allrecipes 
 
http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/12/curried-chickpeas-spinach/
 
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/potato-pea-curry-recipe0.html
 
Not Indian, but pretty cheap, easy and a hit with my whole family which includes several carnivores....
 
http://www.veganmotherhubbard.com/2013/04/crock-pot-tofu-and-veggies.html I don't use mushrooms as I'm allergic and sub in whatever I have handy.
 
Hope someone enjoys at least one of them!

unless you have Celiac disease, there is no reason to eliminate gluten. Most people do better on a "gluten free" diet because they are no longer consuming processed foods and lots of sugar. Whole grains (that naturally contain gluten) are healthy, and important sources of vitamins and minerals, as well as fibre. Most people who get rid of gluten would do better to eliminate sugar and processed foods, while keeping healthy whole grains (steel cut oats, quinoa, stone ground whole wheat bread, etc.) as part of their diet. We actually see a scary number of deficiencies among those who have gone gluten free without having a Celiac diagnosis. Also, most of those those who claim to be "sensitive" to gluten are actually sensitive to FODMAPs, not gluten.

My tips: eat healthy, which means local, unprocessed foods, as much as possible. Minimize sugar and caffeine. Exercise 5 days/week, at least 30 min each time, for a cumulative 150 min, or more, each week. Get plenty of sleep. Don't pull all nighters. Stay hydrated. If in Northern areas, or if you always wear sunscreen, or cover up when outdoors, take vitamin D.

I think a gap year or two is a good idea; that's what I did.
Wisconsin is a great program with some great faculty members. (They really have almost all bases covered, chronologically and geographically speaking.) However, the university is kind of going through it apropos to its budget. (If you're not familiar, Google it.) And I'm not sure if they fund their MA students anymore; I'd check with the students. And I think that Boston only funds its doctoral students. Notre Dame, from what I've heard, may freeze their MA program, and I don't think anyone there works in your area.
I've heard nothing but good things about UMass. They have an East Asian specialist, Christine Ho, but I think that she specializes in Chinese art. But it is a fully-funded program, and you'd have the opportunity to take classes at any of the other colleges part of the Five Colleges Consortium. I'd reach out to them anyway. And equestrian19 listed some more good programs to consider.
Good luck!

If you're interested in the "socio-historical context of architecture" you should really consider an art history program. You will probably only have to take one semester/quarter of methodology course work, and if you're at one of the serious architecture programs (like Harvard or MIT) you can take your exams on architectural topics. I'm very familiar with the field, and I'm not sure that someone from one of the programs you've named would be competitive against a Harvard or MIT history of architecture PhD. The people hiring architectural historians are primarily art history departments and architecture and design schools. They like Art History PhDs. 

This isn't at all superficial, it's one of the more important things to consider.  Location was one of the biggest factors in my decision and I don't regret it at all.

Hey @rococo_realism, I did my undergrad at UMN and live in the cities currently. I'm moving for grad school this fall and totally get the whole "stressed out about the move" thing. I'm actually super stressed because I LOVE the Twin Cities and kind of don't want to leave  With that in mind, here is my assessment of the areas you mentioned. It sounds like you don't have a car, so I will keep that in mind. Sorry for writing a novel, but talking about neighborhoods and cities is kind of my favorite thing to do...
"West side of St. Paul" - I would investigate St. Paul a lot. I live in the Highland neighborhood of St. Paul and I really like it, but I didn't live here as a student. I live close to the river (meaning lots of great trails and park space for running and biking) and just across the river from Minnehaha Falls State Park, which is really pleasant. It's a bit sleepy as Highland has a reputation for being older, more suburban in nature, but I live near a Starbucks, Chipotle, Target Express, nice grocery store, a movie theater, plenty of local restaurants. It's really...nice. Has an urban feel without being loud and crowded like Uptown. Most areas in the western part of St. Paul south of I-94 feel similar. Grand Avenue is a little more "happening" (and expensive) and there are like five colleges within a two mile radius, so lots of rental options, but also lots of families. I should mention too--I have never once felt unsafe in my neighborhood and run regularly at night by myself. Obviously it's a city, so crime happens, but generally Highland and most of this part of St. Paul have felt really safe to me. It's not super transit accessible in my opinion, at least not to the U. However, they are starting a Bus Rapid Transit that will run up Snelling Avenue and connect the Blue Line train to the Green Line trains. This could definitely be an asset for you. I imagine the commute may be 30-45 min via buses/trains, but the BRT should speed it up a little. By car, I would guess 20 min. during rush hour and 10-15 off-peak, but you'll have to deal with parking at the U (not fun). You can definitely live without a car in the Twin Cities, but I would know someone who has one or live closer to campus if this were the case. Otherwise, a car is really nice to have in these parts, even if you don't commute with it. 
"Uptown" - Uptown is much more urban and much more youthful than St. Paul. This obviously has perks and liabilities. I would never really consider Uptown or the Lakes area to be "high crime", but there will  be more crime just because it is more densely populated. I would consider more whether or not you want to live somewhere that is louder and busier. It's a fun area, for sure, and lots of people really enjoy living there. If you are worried about "sketchy" (which, again, I wouldn't be TOO concerned about in Uptown), stay west of Lyndale and you should be fine. However, you'll also pay more. Transit connections to the U are pretty frequent, so I think you could be fine without a car here. Parking can actually be a huge pain in Uptown.
"SLP/west of lakes" - So I don't know much about transit to these parts, but I imagine it exists. Parts of SLP are really nice, parts are just boring. I don't think anywhere would be "sketchy". Southwest Minneapolis (the area immediately west of the lakes) is quite nice, so if you can find something affordable there, more power to you. These just tend to be more single family homes or condos than student apartments. If you're really interested in living in SLP or somewhere, you could look in the area called the West End. Lots of new shops, on 394 so you could probably get transit into downtown then take the train. It's probably going to be expensive, the apartments are all newer and kind of sterile, and you'll basically be living in a Costco parking lot, but that's some people's style. 
Other neighborhoods to check out:
Southeast Como (Minneapolis) - Ok, so by no means a super "desirable" place to live, but I lived in a house here for a year and actually grew to like it. It's kind of dumpy, but not in a rundown or unsafe kind of way. It feels somewhat industrial and may seem off-putting, but it's very affordable and convenient to both UMN campuses. Lots of students, but not too loud or raucous surprisingly. Not a lot of apartments here though, so you'd likely be renting a room in a house. 
St. Anthony Park - This is also on Como, but east of 280 closer to the St. Paul campus. I love this area. Fairly affordable, quaint, convenient to get to both campuses, lots of families, parks, but also a nice little commercial node with coffee shops and bookstores. Lots of students with classes on the St.  Paul campus choose to live here, but I honestly don't think it would be a bad commute via bus to the Minneapolis campus either. 
Lowertown (Downtown St. Paul) - The area around Mears Park may be a little pricey, but is really doing well. Lots of artists, new restaurants, new stadium for the St. Paul Saints (minor league baseball) and the Green Line starts here and would take you into campus in 25-30 minutes. Some crime because you're downtown but, again, not what I would consider unsafe. Farmers market on the weekends. I work over here and repeatedly kick myself for not spending more money to live in this area. 
You may also check out Prospect Park (Minneapolis), Cathedral Hill (St. Paul), Northeast Minneapolis, and the area around Hennepin and Central just across the river from Downtown Minneapolis. Feel free to message me if you have other questions and sorry again for such a long response!

My roommate and I just signed a lease for an apartment in Northeast. We're also both out-of-state and car-less, and were worried about finding a place without having a chance to look at it first. But, we managed to work it all out and I think you can too! This is what we did:
We picked a weekend when we could visit Minneapolis to look at apartments (I couldn't go myself, but my roommate was able to drive out there to check out places on our behalf). Once we had a date in mind, we put together a list of our 5-6 favorite apartments from craigslist and then contacted the landlords to ask if we could arrange a showing during that weekend. Some of them never got back to us, but eventually we had scheduled a solid 4 showings on that Saturday. Then he went out there and took a look at each place (asking questions, sending me pictures, etc.) and told each landlord that we'd get back to him/her in a few days. Once he was back home, we had a long phone chat in which we weighed all of our options, then we picked our favorite and signed the lease a few days later.
It was a bit of a hassle, but it all worked out in the end. And keep in mind that we were actually very picky about apartments. We had a huge list of restrictive criteria (it had to be dog friendly, it had to be by a bus stop, we wanted it to have a yard, etc.), but we were still able to score a nice, spacious place in our favorite neighborhood (we love NE). If we could get an apartment from afar despite being so selective, I have confidence that you could get one too… no matter what your own selection criteria are.
Most of the places on craigslist right now seem to be for May 1st or June 1st move-in dates. My roommate actually needs to be in MN by June 1st, which is why we've already signed a lease. If you want an August apartment, you'll probably want to look around June or so… it seems like apartments aren't really listed until ~60 days before the move-in date. There are some August/September apartments floating around now, but most of those look like undergrad-heavy complexes near Dinkytown. Keep checking, of course, but I'd guess that you'll need to wait a little while before good August apartments start to appear.
One other thing to keep in mind is that apartments seems to go really fast. There were many times during our search when we called a landlord about a craigslist ad that was posted several days earlier only to hear, "Sorry… we've already found a tenant." It can get frustrating, but don't get discouraged. Since everything goes so fast, my advice for you would be to not get really serious about your apartment search until ~1-2 weeks or so before your weekend visit. If you start earlier, there's a good chance that the properties you find will have been rented already by the time you get out there to see them. Some landlords might "hold" the place for you, but in my experience most won't.
If you can't/don't want to visit MN to look at apartments, I'd suggest trying to find a roommate who lives in or near Minneapolis who could visit apartments and send pictures/impressions to you. Of course, I highly suggest making the trip yourself. Some landlords don't feel comfortable renting to tenants whom they haven't met in person; my new landlord is like that. And, of course, it's always risky for you as a tenant to rent an apartment that you haven't had a chance to inspect for yourself. If neither you nor your roommate(s) can visit (or if you don't want a roommate at all), perhaps you could have someone else check it out for you? My roommate and I planned on asking one of the current students in the program to visit apartments on our behalf in the event that neither of us could make it out there (we'd have invited him/her over for beer/pizza to say "thank you" in the fall). That's not an ideal scenario, but it's better than nothing. If none of these things are options and you must rent site unseen, I'd suggest limiting your search to rental companies that have positive reviews online. That would at least lower the chance of you being scammed. All of this said, I actually don't know how common such scams are. I rented a unit without seeing it first back when I was about to start my master's in NC, and that worked out fine enough. Still, one can't be too careful!
As for rent… my impression (from looking around craigslist and talking to current students in my program) is that Uptown is a little on the pricy side while NE is slightly more affordable. But $900/month sounds very doable anywhere. I think that if you live with a roommate or two, the prices will also go down by a lot. The rent on our place in NE is $1200/month ($600/person) with all utilities except electricity included. I don't think that I would have been able to find a good 1 bedroom apartment for $600/month (at least not one as nice/spacious as our current place), but it looks like a 2 bedroom apartment for $1200/month is not uncommon at all. In fact, we saw a bunch of options that were cheaper than that. Before I settled on rooming with someone, I was checking out 1 bedroom apartments, and many of those fell into the $750-800/month range.
I hope this was helpful! Good luck with your search. And keep in mind that this is all based on my own experience as an incoming student. People who currently live in Minneapolis might have a better idea of some of these things than I do.

Hey guys -- congratulation first! I am currently enrolled in the UMass Amherst program. I do believe they have a graduate program handbook posted on the website, which lists all the requirements and possibilities. The program doesn't require a thesis to graduate, though you can definitely replace your major field essay exam with a "publishable paper" -- I know someone who did it and it went well. But even without a thesis, the program is REALLY SOLID. And because the grad student body is so small, you have endless attention from almost every single faculty. Let me know if you have more questions. Strongly recommend the program if you are interested in having an extraordinarily strong foundation of broad art history knowledge. 

About your dog: I think that depends entirely on you and your program. I am in a social science program where the majority of my analysis and writing can be done from home, and I prefer to work from home or from a library (as opposed to my cube in the windowless cube farm). When I was taking classes I was generally there from 9-6 or so, but now that my coursework is finished I am rarely at the school itself. I go for meetings, seminars, interesting kinds of things and I do most of my work remotely. My time is verrry flexible, and if my building didn't prohibit it I would get a dog in a heartbeat. Another thing to keep in mind: a dog can be a great comfort when you're all stressed out over graduate school.

Advice?

Age:
-Don't feel like you have nothing to offer just because you are younger. I was 22 when I started graduate school. You got accepted to the program for a reason, and chances are you are just as equipped as any older students are to successfully complete the program, just in a different way.

-Your older classmates may be just as terrified as you. Talk to them. You have a lot in common. You are, after all, in the same place.

-You will feel like an imposter, like you don't belong, or like you are constantly behind. Or all three. It's normal. It will pass. (Well, sort of.) People of all ages go through this.

Adviser related:
-If you are lucky enough to get both research interest fit and personality fit perfect, congratulations! But sometimes, personality fit is more important than research interest fit as long as the research isn't too different. A great adviser is interested in your career development, likes you as a person, advocates for you, and wants to hear your ideas. Even if his or her research is quite different from yours, they may give you the autonomy to work on your own projects and just supervise you. A bad personality fit will drive you nuts, even if you love his or her research. Consider that when evaluating your adviser fit. (This will vary by field: research fit may be less important in the humanities, more important in the natural and physical sciences. Social sciences are somewhere in-between.)

-Don't be afraid to be straight up blunt with your adviser when it comes to asking about your progress. Ask if you are where you should be both academic program wise and getting-a-job-after-this-mess-wise.

-Be proactive. Advisers love when you draw up an agenda for your one-on-one meetings, come with talking points and progress to share, have concrete questions to ask, and have overall shown that you have been thoughtful and taken control of your own program. Of course, this won't immediately come easily to you, but in time you will work up to it. Every semester I type up my semester goals, and at the beginning of the year I type up annual goals. I show them to my adviser and we talk about whether they are too ambitious, or whether I need to revise them, and how I can meet them.

-Don't expect your adviser to actually know what courses you have to take to graduate. They will know about comprehensive exams and the dissertation, but a lot of professors don't really keep up with the course requirements, especially if their program is in flux. Get you a student handbook, and find out what you need to take. Map it out in a grid, and check off things when you finish them. Show this to your adviser every semester. You may have to explain how such and such class fills a requirement.

-Nobody loves you as much as you, except your mother. Keep this in mind as you take in advice from all sources, including your adviser. Your adviser is there to guide you, but that doesn't mean you have to do everything he says.

Studying:
-You will have to read more than you ever did before, in less time than you ever have before, and you will be expected to retain more than you ever have before. The way that you studied in undergrad may need some tweaking. Be prepared for this.

-Corollary: you may find that your methods change with age or interests or time. I preferred to study alone in college, but in grad school, I prefer to study in groups. It keeps me on task and the socialization keeps me motivated. You may find that you shift from being a more auditory learner to a visual learner or whatever.

-You will feel behind at first. This is normal.

-At some point you will realize that your professors don't actually expect you to read everything they assign you. This, of course, will vary by program, but there will be at least one class where the reading is actually impossible to do in one week. The point is to read enough that you know the major themes and can talk intelligently about them, and then pick some of the readings to really dig into and think more deeply about.

-For most programs, don't worry so much about grades. If you stay on top of your work and do what you're supposed to, you will probably get an A. How much grades matter varies from program to program. In some programs, a B is a signal that you are not up to par, and more than a few Bs will warrant a discussion with your adviser or the DGS. My program isn't like that - A, B, it's all meaningless. My adviser doesn't even know what my grades are. But at almost all programs, a C means you need to retake the course, and two Cs means you have to convince the DGS not to kick you out.

Extracurricular activity: What's that? No, seriously:
-A lot of your time will be unstructured. You will have coursework, but most grad classes meet once a week for two hours and you may have three classes. You may have meetings with your adviser every so often and some seminars or things to catch (like we have grand rounds and colloquia that are required), but a lot of time will be unstructured. However, since you have so much more work than you had in undergrad, you actually will have less free time than you had in undergrad. This may initially cause you great anxiety. It did for me. Some people love unstructured time, though. (I don't.)

-Because of this, you'll have to be planful about your non-grad school related stuff.

-TAKE TIME OFF. DO it. It's important for your mental health. However you do it doesn't matter. Some people work it like a 9-5 job. Some people take a day off per week (me) and maybe a few hours spread across the week. Some people work half days 7 days a week. However you do it, there needs to be a time when you say "f this, I'm going to the movies."

-Find your happy place, something that keeps you the you you were when you came in. I love working out. It gives me energy and I feel good. I stay healthy. I also love reading fiction, so sometimes I just curl up with a good book, work be damned. You have to give yourself permission to not think about work, at least for a couple of hours a week. You may also discover new hobbies! (I never worked out before I came to graduate school.)

-Your work will creep into all aspects of your life, if you let it. This is why I hate unstructured time. You will feel guilty for not doing something, because in graduate school, there is ALWAYS something you can do. ALWAYS. But since there will always be more work, there's no harm in putting it aside for tomorrow, as long as you don't have a deadline.

-You may need to reach outside of your cohort for a social life. None of my close friends are in my doctoral cohort. I've met master's students in my program, master's students in other programs, and I know a few non-graduate students I hang out with, too. Go to graduate student mixers. (If your university doesn't have any, organize some, if you like planning parties.) Join a student group that doesn't take up too much time. I had a doctoral acquaintance who kinda laughed at me because I joined some student groups other than the doctoral student one, and I was usually the only doctoral student in those groups, but I met some close friends (and future job contacts) and had a good time.

-DO NOT FEEL GUILTY FOR WANTING A LIFE OUTSIDE OF GRADUATE SCHOOL. This is paramount. This is important. You are a well-rounded, complex, multifaceted human being. NEVER feel bad for this. Everybody wants some kind of life outside of work. Yes, you may loooove your field, but that doesn't mean you want to do it all day long. Some other doctoral students, and perhaps professors, may make you feel bad about this. Don't let them. Just smile and nod. Then disappear when you need to.

Career:
-This is job preparation. Remember that from Day One. Always be looking for ways to enhance your skills. Read job ads and find out what's hot in your field, what's necessary, what's in demand. For example, in my field statistics and methods are a hot commodity, and they're not a passing fad. I happen to really like statistics and methods, so I have pursued that as a concentration of mine.

-Don't be afraid to take on volunteer work and part-time gigs that will give you skills that will be useful both inside academia and out, as long as it's not against your contract. Your adviser may be against it, but he doesn't have to know as long as it doesn't interfere with your work.

-If you want to work outside of academia - if you are even *considering* the possibility - please please definitely do the above. Even if you aren't considering it, consider the possibility that you won't get a tenure-track job out the box and that you may need to support yourself doing something else for a while. You will have to prove to employers that you have developed usable, useful skills and this is one of the easiest ways to do it. But don't overdo it - get the degree done.

-For more academic related ones - always look for opportunities to present and publish. Presentations look good on your CV. Publications look better. When you write seminar papers, wonder if you can publish them with some revision. Write your seminar papers on what you maybe think you may want to do your dissertation on. Even if you look at them three years later and think "these suck," you can at least glean some useful references and pieces from them. Discuss publication with your adviser early and often, and if you have the time and desire, seek out publication options with other professors and researchers. But if you commit to a project, COMMIT. You don't want to leave a bad impression.

-If you can afford it, occasionally go to conferences even if you aren't presenting. You can network, and you can hear some interesting talks, and you may think about new directions for your own research. You can also meet people who may tell you about jobs, money, opportunities, etc.

-Always try to get someone else to pay for conference travel before you come out of pocket. Including your adviser. Do not be shy about asking if he or she can pay. If he can't, he'll just say no. Usually the department has a travel fund for students, but often it's only if you are presenting.

-If you are interested in academia, you should get some teaching experience. There are two traditional ways to do this: TAing a course, and teaching as a sole instructor. If you can help it, I wouldn't recommend doing a sole instructor position until you are finished with coursework. Teaching takes a LOT of time to do right. You should definitely TA at least one course, and probably a few different ones. But don't overdo it, if you can help it, because again, it takes a LOT of time. More than you expect at the outset. If you are in the humanities, I think sole instructor positions are very important for nabbing jobs so when you are in the exam/ABD phase, you may want to try at least one. If your own university has none, look at adjuncting for nearby colleges, including community colleges. (I would wager that the majority of natural science/physical science students, and most social science students, have never sole taught a class before they get an assistant professor job. At least, it's not that common n my field, which straddles the social and natural sciences.)

-Always look for money. Money is awesome. If you can fund yourself you can do what you want, within reason. Your university will be thrilled, your adviser will be happy, and you can put it on your CV. It's win-win-win! Don't put yourself out of the running before anyone else has a chance to. Apply even if you think you won't get it or the odds are against you (they always are), as long as you are eligible. Apply often. Apply even if it's only $500. (That's conference travel!) Money begets money. The more awards you get, the more awards you will get. They will get bigger over time. If you are in the sciences and social sciences, you should get practice writing at least one grant. You don't have to write the whole thing, but at least get in on the process so that you can see how it's done. Grant-writing is very valuable both in and outside of graduate school.

-Revise your CV every so often. Then look and decide what you want to add to it. Then go get that thing, so you can add it.

-The career office at big universities is often not just for undergrads. I was surprised to learn that my career center offers help on CV organization and the academic job search, as well as alternative/non-academic career searches for doctoral students. In fact, there are two people whose sole purpose it is to help PhD students find nonacademic careers, and they both have PhDs. This will vary by university - some universities will have very little for grad students. Find out before you write the office off.

-It's never too early to go to seminars/workshops like "the academic job search inside and out", "creating the perfect CV," "getting the job," etc. NEVER. Often the leader will share tips that are more aimed towards early graduate students, or tidbits that are kind of too late for more advanced students to take care of. This will also help you keep a pulse on what's hot in your field. It'll help you know what lines you need to add to your CV. And they're interesting.

Other:

-Decide ahead of time what you are NOT willing to sacrifice on the altar of academia. Then stick to it.
I'm serious. If you decide that you do NOT want to sacrifice your relationship, don't. If it's your geographical mobility, don't. I mean, be realistic, and realize that there will always be trade-offs. But you have to think about what's important to you for your quality of life, and realize that there is always more to you than graduate school.

-If you don't want to be a professor, do not feel guilty about this. At all. Zero. However, you will have to do things differently than most doctoral students. Your adviser will probably never have worked outside of the academy (although this may vary depending on the field) so he may or may not be able to help you. But you have a special mission to seek out the kinds of experiences that will help you find a non-academic job. Test the waters with your adviser before you tell him this. My adviser was quite amenable to it, but that's because I told him that my goal was to still do research and policy work in my field just not at a university, AND because it's quite common in my field for doctoral students to do non-academic work. If you're in a field where it's not common (or where your professors refuse to believe it's common, or it's not supposed to be common)…well, you may be a little more on your own.

-Every so often, you will need to reflect on the reasons you came to graduate school. Sometimes, just sit and think quietly. Why are you doing this to yourself? Do you love your field? Do you need this degree to do what you want to do? Usually the answer is yes and yes, and usually you'll keep on trucking. But sometimes when the chips are down you will need to reevaluate why you put yourself through this in the first place.

-To my great dismay, depression is quite common in doctoral students. Graduate work can be isolating and stressful. Luckily your health insurance usually includes counseling sessions. TAKE THEM if you need them. Do not be ashamed. You may be surprised with who else is getting them. (I found out that everyone in my cohort, including me, was getting mental health counseling at a certain point.) Exercise can help, as can taking that mental health day once a week and just chilling. Don't be surprised if you get the blues…

-…but be self-aware and able to recognize when the depression is clouding your ability to function. Doctoral programs have a 50% attrition rate, and this is rarely because that 50% is less intelligent than, less motivated than, less driven than, or less ambitious than the other 50% that stays. Often they realize that they are ridiculously unhappy in the field, or that they don't need the degree anymore, or that they'd rather focus on other things in life, or their interests have changed. All of this is okay!

-You will, at some point, be like "eff this, I'm leaving." I think almost every doctoral student has thought about dropping out and just kicking this all to the curb. You need to listen to yourself, and find out whether it is idle thought (nothing to worry about, very normal) or whether you are truly unhappy to the point that you need to leave. Counseling can help you figure this out.

-Don't be afraid to take a semester or a year off if you need to. That's what leaves of absence are for.

Lastly, and positively…

…graduate school is great! Seriously, when else will you ever have the time to study what you want for hours on end, talk to just as interested others about it, and live in an intellectual community of scholars and intellectuals? And occasionally wake up at 11 am and go to the bank at 2 pm? Sometimes you will want to pull out all of your hair but most of the time, you will feel fulfilled and wonderfully encouraged and edified. So enjoy this time!

I don't think anything is worth staying in a toxic environment. You need to look out for your mental health and happiness. This is definitely not normal and I can see why people leave. I think I would too. I understand grad school will have stress but this isn't healthy stress. Don't let anyone try to tell you this is "how things work".

As a few others have said, graduate school allows me to escape (at the very least, for 4-6 years) working a job that I hate and which pays me so little that I am far below the poverty line. In exchange, I get paid more than 2.5 times the money and am able to do something I enjoy and that is genuinely valuable for both myself and my students. I wouldn't choose to go back to being a "customer service representative" in the food service industry, nor back to being "the help" as a nanny even if it paid more than graduate school--which it obviously doesn't.
Graduate school, for me, is an insane opportunity and a privilege that I don't take for granted. I'm not even expecting a job out of this at the end, and I don't care. Sheerly for the stability and personal fulfillment it provides, graduate school is a great option for me (and many others).

Yes. I agree with both of you.**BHR's quote got lost in the shuffle** The job isn't the carrot at the end of the stick that I'm constantly walking towards because grad school IS the job right now. I make more money and have better security than I have in my entire fifteen years of working. I view what I'm doing as a six year job that pays me pretty well and which, miracle of miracles, I happen to actually like. There was not one moment that I walked into this deluded and at the end, when I get my PhD and move on to do anything else in the world, I'll have gotten an education which means something to me personally.
 
 
 

This is very painful to accept, but I guess I didn't make it to any of the schools that I have applied... 
Devastated, but nothing that I can do about it. 
I'll still try to re-apply next year. Hopefully I can add better things in my application. 
Good luck to everyone. 

@unanachronism I'm simply having a hard time deciding if I simply want to get an M.A., work for a while, and, maybe, get a Ph.D., or just go into a Ph.D. program now. I'm not really soliciting advice; I'm just whining, lol. Just seeking commiseration.

i went to amherst college for undergrad and got around without a car. 
the bus system is pretty okay from what i've experienced, so it's easy to get around via that but I imagine as a grad student you'd be doing more cooking/running for groceries etc than I did (since I was on a meal plan), and that might be annoying. in regards to supermarkets though, there's a stop and shop, target (with groceries), and trader joes along the bus route and about 10ish minutes away from the UMass campus. it's not awful to travel with groceries on the public transportation either as long as you time things nicely to avoid the rush of undergrads. 
you can go straight to NoHo via bus too..takes about 30-40 minutes, so it's really nice if you want to go somewhere else for food, bars, etc.

@northeastregional have you ever heard the phrase: "If everyone you encounter is an asshole, maybe you're the asshole?" You're married, you're not in academia, and, god willing, you have at least one hobby or interest that's not trolling people on the internet. So, as many of us have requested of you before: please, just leave us be. 

Support this statement?
There are a number of articles on this subject in Chronicle/Chronicle Vitae, for starters. Who talk about the exact things I mentioned. I'm sorry you don't know any of them, but there isn't much we can do about that.
Again, support this claim.
Why are you here, again? If you're not pursuing our profession then I don't really understand your reason for posting here other than to disseminate your second-hand knowledge and tear people down. Speaking honestly, respectfully, and with knowledge is one thing, but that's not really what you're doing here.
By the way, I don't really care about being "the exception to the rule." I don't consider myself an exception, but I do know that persistence pays off. And I do know I am capable of obtaining a PhD and being successful, whether I ultimately end up in a tenure track position at a university or doing something else with my PhD.

In choosing a program, trust your gut. It knows better than your head.

Just saying, but I'm totally clear on the history here. Even if it is the same person, they still need advice. This person's situation is still that they got a 4.0 in their master's (very good) without, somehow, being able to get or or even develop the foundation for getting one recommendation (a bizarre level of ungood).  The original post that it might have been the same person may have been useful for some people (I got it anyway, but I assume it helped some others) but continuing to insist that she's the same person is just weird and annoying. What if you really are confusing some poor innocent poster who's never been on here before? However we feel about wasting our own time, that's not somebody whose time we should be proud of wasting.

Saw this on the board this morning:
University Of Illinois At Chicago Art History, PhD (F16) Rejected via E-mail on 3 Mar 2016  I 3 Mar 2016 Generic e-mail, very strange, did not expect it specially being accepted somewhere way better. Can we keep this process respectful, please? One person's "safety school" may be someone else's dream school. We're all highly-educated professionals, let's keep it classy. I realize grad school apps are really stressful, but if someone can't take rejection without bragging and essentially putting other people beneath them then perhaps they should consider a less competitive career. 
Thank you!

@bosie_dearestCongrats!

I think it's also worth noting that there are many institutions that have hired new PhDs who were not included in the survey. My undergraduate institution added three tenure track jobs during the time period, hiring from UNC, Penn State, and Harvard. But because my institution was not included in the survey, these hires do not appear on this list. I think these numbers are deflated due to the sampling. The list also doesn't take into account curatorial positions in the field. So cheer up everyone! There's hope after all!