DJLamar

Hmm, well I hope the gyms are 1) good 2) at least one of: 2.a) very close to the southwestern part of campus, collegetown, and Upson Hall so I can walk to them 2. equipped with parking lots where you don't actually need a permit and can park for free (lol sure) because I just signed up for the full year. Probably a stupid decision, but I want to try to be more fit (the hill will help with that for one). I was obligated to pay a fee for the gyms at Georgia Tech for four years even though I rarely used them (though they were pretty good), but maybe the fact that I volunteered to pay for this one will be extra motivation to get my money's worth... In any case, I hope the fact that they're billed to the Bursar's office account means that I don't have to actually pay that $140 or so until I get my stipend payment...

I've been to Erlangen before actually. At the start of my previous time here we had a short tour of the Siemens medical stuff there. Plus a friend of mine interned with Siemens there the second half of our exchange year and I met up with him there before once to get us both to Pilsen on one ticket. I don't think I've seen much of the actual town, though. When is the Bergkirchweih? I remember my friend mentioning that one a lot.

Never been to Zirndorf... before I left Germany at the end of the exchange year I did in Munich before though, I took sort of a pilgrimage to Bamberg to try the Rauchbier at the Schlenkerla. Had one there and brought twelve back for friends and me to enjoy later. The whole time I was carrying them back I felt like I was in a beer commercial because random people walking past were commenting to me on how good my choice of beer was. I don't think I've seen the Seven Deadly Sins Fountain, but I've been in Nürnberg a few times and have certainly had the delicious Nürnbergers Hmm... the Austria Sommerkarte sounds good, but I'm planning on a night train to Hungary (for 58 or 78 Euro, depending on if I get a spot to lie down on the way back or just a spot to sit the whole time) for convenience and I'm not sure it would be valid for that... good tip though to get to Vienna and wherever from Innsbruck from Munich whenever you want though. Yeah, once I get paid at the end of July (probably while I'm still in Hungary) I'll reexamine my finances and see what kind of (if any) last minute trips I can plan before going home...

I'm doing an internship in Munich this Summer related to the field I'm going into that involves some research. Some of the research is good preparation and we submitted a paper to a conference a week or two ago (my first first author paper if it gets accepted, actually), but the biggest motivation for doing it is just because I don't have the money to go anywhere interesting unless I'm getting paid there . If I didn't have work to do, I would just be sitting around my chronically boring, small, crappy hometown (I'm a little bitter about my hometown...). I'm also hypothetically traveling around Europe while I'm over here, but due to a tax error on my employer's behalf (they lost my tax card and didn't tell me they didn't have one on file, so they put me in the default high tax class with 3 times the taxes I should have, and I can't get the money back until the end of July when I'm paid again) my cash flow is not what I expected it to be. I've been to Paris already this Summer (second time I've been since I went when I lived here before) and I'm almost definitely going to Budapest for four days at the end of this month, and I'll probably take a four or five day trip between the time I finish work and the time I fly back home (I'm thinking Warsaw for this one). Other than that, I'm supposed to pay some security deposits for my apartment in Ithaca, and I still need to take and upload a photo for my ID card. Once I get back home from Germany, I'll rest at my parents house for a day or two and pack up only the bare essentials (clothes and textbooks and that's basically it... my apartment is furnished and I'm planning on buying everything else there new) before taking a nice 16 hour road trip from (one hour south of) Atlanta to Ithaca, NY. My dad might come with me and see Ithaca for a few days and then take a one-way flight home from there. We'll see, but five days after I get back to the U.S. I have grad school orientation...

The impression that I've always had is that it's a waste of time and doesn't get looked at. I agree with BKMD in that if you do really, really well, it could be a tiebreaker, but the test is really not worth the time, effort, and money (remember it's about $150 to register for it, like the general GRE) that you have to put into it. It is a very broad test and you will have to study for it a lot. I got a mediocre score because my undergrad school's recently revised curriculum basically didn't require me to take any systems or networking classes (due to my concentrations in theory and AI), and systems stuff in particular was about 40% of the test. That mediocre score is despite 4 - 6 months of sustained effort reading about computer architecture, basic OS, and networking to try to compensate for the holes in my knowledge base. Don't feel inclined to take the test just because lots of schools seem to "strongly recommend" it, either. Unless one of the schools you want to apply to says that it's required (and I carpet bombed the top ten except for UT Austin and none of them said they required it), don't bother. The time that you would have to take to study for it in order to get a really good score (in order to get that tiebreaker, as mentioned) would definitely be better used if you invested it in doing more research.

In my field, from my undergrad research, it seems pretty clear that there is no dress code. You just wear whatever. There also doesn't really seem to be any expectation of a dress code for the professors in my field, for that matter. I'm also doing an internship in my field in Germany right now and the only rule there is to not wear shorts and don't look absolutely horrible. I love researchers in my field.

Hmm, well actually I'm already enrolled and it's just telling me that my account isn't bursar-billable. Sorry, I haven't slept enough.

Anyone have any opinions about the CornellCard? Is there any good reason to have one? At Georgia Tech having a balance linked to your student ID was automatic, and the only time I ever really used it was at this one cafe in the computing building that didn't accept credit or debit (I used to just reload my ID online using a debit card on one of the school computers to have money for coffee). Er, on second thought it seems like once my account becomes bursar-billable it will be about five minutes of effort to do the CornellCard enrollment, but still, is there anything you really gain by having one outside of just paying with your ID?

Wait, is there some event on August 20th that we need to be in Ithaca for? My department only told me about an orientation on the 23rd and I'm not getting back into the U.S. until the 18th... and I have to drive 15 hours to get there and deal with westbound jet lag from a six hour time difference...

I'm completely sure this guy has published this year, but the latest paper on his site is 2009. Same thing with the guy that I'm doing an internship for this Summer. Kind of annoying...

I remember when I checked before the health history form deadline but long after I submitted my forms, there was a comment in that item on the to do list at the new students website that said that they had received my paper form. Now after the deadline it says I've completed the requirement and it has this: According to our records, you have met all the health requirements mandated by Cornell University and New York State. Thank you. Also, I'm not sure, but I *think* I remember reading somewhere that even though you have to submit a photo way ahead of time, they don't actually give you the card until orientation or something. I think it's kind of silly that they don't just have a photo booth where they take a picture and make your ID in the course of a couple of minutes when you get there (like my undergrad institute did). Oh well. And yes, I'm being very picky about my photo too, haha. Minimal blemishes on my face and a good, fresh haircut are a must, and those things take good timing.

If there is a welcome packet... it's going to come to my parents' house while I'm working abroad (just like my diplomas :\ ). I would really like to be able to register though. I'm definitely one of those people that's very obsessive about scheduling and registration, so it's irking me that I potentially might not get to register for classes until the orientation my department is having on August 23rd.

Were you drinking regular filter coffee before or were you doing espresso-based beverages like lattes and cappuccinos? I have a sort of sensitive stomach and have had serious issues (gastritis :\ ) before because of it. However, I drink lots of espresso, cappuccino, and lattes, and those never seem to upset my stomach, while filter coffee does almost every time I drink it. I think the way espresso is brewed gives it a much lower acidity for its volume (and for caffeine content) than filter coffee has. You can get an espresso machine for not too much ($50 or less) and make your own at home to save money. As for music, I like lots of electronic music (among other things) and a lot of the time I listen to deep house when I'm working. It has lots of rhythm and I kind of dance around a little bit in my chair while I'm working, and it gives me a good rhythm for coding too that helps me keep moving fluidly without stopping too much (so I code faster because of it). I am also a wannabe DJ though (clear from the name, isn't it?) so your results may vary, but try getting one of the San Francisco Sessions mixes to try it out

Will you have a car? If you do then I've seen plenty of listings for places that are a 10 - 15 minute drive from Cornell (and Ithaca for that matter) that cost $300 or less per person. I even saw one ad where you could live in a 2 bedroom house on a farm -- total cost $500 a month, with discounts if you had experience with horses and could work with them while you lived there... The downside of course is that you'll be really, absolutely, unequivocally in the middle of nowhere.

I need to get my loans deferred too, but I just finished undergrad so I have until November before I would have to start paying anything anyway (so it's not as urgent). Should I just wait until I start grad school to worry about this at all? Coyabean, did you get any letter in the mail saying that you had been granted a deferral, or did you just stop getting bills or something?

Yeah, I almost said East Atlanta and Little Five, but for me I guess Midtown edges that area out just a little bit. Actually, I'm from a little town just 45 miles south of Atlanta (Jackson, GA), and I lived there until I moved to and started at Georgia Tech when I was 18. I just got tired of the heat really fast... I don't know the area closer to Emory very well, so I don't know which apartments would be most convenient for you. The only apartments I've had experience with personally or through friends have been centered around Tech. I know there are some pretty decent studio and 1-bedroom places in the area just east of Tech for something like $700 or $800 a month, and a couple of friends of mine lived in a 2-bedroom place at 8th and Argonne for something pretty cheap, though I don't remember how much... nice place, too, in a nice area (just southeast of Piedmont Park). I've lived in a 4-bedroom 4 bath place about 2.5 miles northwest of Tech (next to the Wal-Mart...) for the last couple of years. The rent was $450 but the walls are kind of thin so having so many roommates is sort of annoying in this place.

Coyabean, Atlanta in August is freaking HOT. Be prepared, haha. Other than the ridiculous weather in the Summer, though, Atlanta is a great city and with all its upward momentum these days it's only going to get even better while you're here. I'm sad to be leaving it (and leaving big city life in general)... Midtown is the coolest part of the city in my opinion (it also just happens to be the part that has my alma mater, Georgia Tech) -- get to know it well I can relate to just about every word of this, except during the only month (May) that I have completely off I'll be in my shitty hometown (45 miles outside Atlanta) being bored. Hopefully I'll be able to come up to Atlanta a lot and go out regardless (I'm moving out of my apartment today or tomorrow, but I'll have two friends living here still and there's lots of couch space ). From the start of June until less than a week before starting grad school I'll be in awesome Munich doing an awesome research internship in my planned field for grad school. So excited.

Maybe this varies by department, but I know that in the CS department at Cornell you don't have to actually pick a PhD advisor until the end of your third semester. Assuming that the CE department is the same way, the GRA would not actually be a long-term commitment to that professor, and would only force you to work with that professor for two of the three semesters that you have to decide. Granted, that means that you would be committed to working with this professor whose research doesn't interest you that much for two semesters and you would therefore lose time trying out other professors that you might be more interested in, but it doesn't mean you're completely screwed.

So I'm going to be at Cornell this Fall, a private school but also "the land grant school" for New York (I still have not committed to memory what exactly that means). Is it of any benefit whatsoever for me to fill out the FAFSA? I also have a university fellowship for the first year.

My Summer plans probably include a bit more work than most people would advise, but it's balanced out by a great location. First, a week or so after my graduation (so starting around the second week of May) I'm going to take a week or so long trip to Montreal with a friend of mine. Then from the start of June to around the middle of August I'll be in Germany doing an internship somewhere. My top hope is actually a research internship (in the field I'm going to go into in grad school) in Munich. I'm not completely sure that I'll be able to do that just because the fellowship/internship program I got into offers a stipend that's not big enough for living in Munich and the PI in the group hasn't figured out yet whether or not he'll be able to convince his company to get me a big cushy stipend. If he does get me that big stipend though, then I'll be making a pretty nice amount of money (on the order of a U.S. technical field grad student stipend). Plus I'll be working in Germany where the work week is only 35 hours, and I'll probably be able to do what some friends of mine did during internships in Germany -- work 9 hours a day for the first four days of the week and then take trips abroad over three day weekends. The empty weeks in there will be spent at home with family probably. Maybe I'll be able to sneak in a short trip to Ithaca in May to look at apartments before I decide on one.

Ha, when I visited around March 8th the weather was unusually sunny and warm. It barely even got below freezing during the nights! I brought a scarf, hat, gloves, and second jacket and ended up using none of the above while there. On top of that, I actually got some very light sunburn (though I am of mostly Irish ancestry).

I have not begun my PhD yet, so I can't answer from experience, but if you hate the project that much you should tell your professor and see if you can work on a different project of his. I would bet that he would much rather be getting his money's worth from enthusiastic work on a project that actually interests you than getting no results on a project that you're not even enjoying. Also, I think first year expectations might vary a lot by the school. At the school I'm planning to attend, during the open house it seemed like first-years weren't even necessarily expected to publish yet (I think a current grad student even said this explicitly at one point). I would rather get started full-throttle though (and I won't have to TA like it seems a lot of first-years there do), so my hope is to manage to defy that expectation, but maybe I'm just being arrogant

I'm a current undergrad at Georgia Tech in a field unrelated to yours, but I can answer questions about Atlanta if you have anything specific. Be aware though that if you just ask me for general impressions of the city I will undoubtedly just talk it up (you can already get my "Atlanta is cool" speech in any one of several topics related to Georgia Tech and Atlanta on this board, I think).

I recently accepted my offer for the Cornell CS PhD. I was able to visit the school (I live only 900 miles away ) and as part of the open house, the grad student hosts took us to see one of the on-campus apartments. I would say they are a very bad deal indeed. The bedrooms and common areas are all very tiny, the interior is drab, and even the general area of the housing looks very bleak and boring, especially compared to the interesting-looking neighborhoods where you could rent a house (the on-campus housing area that we visited, Maplewood Park I believe, was right across the street from a beautiful power station! ooooh ahhhh). They are also, as was already mentioned, quite overpriced for what you get and not any more convenient in terms of location. I would definitely recommend to everyone here to just seek off-campus housing. By the way, before visiting I had the same idea as you -- to get on-campus housing the first year for convenience and to meet people -- and after seeing the difference between on-campus and off-campus housing I decided it is just not worth it at all. I'm looking for a place preferably either around the middle of the hill (around Stewart Ave. and E. Buffalo) or in Belle Sherman in order to maximize walking convenience to downtown and collegetown (and some interesting looking bars and cafes between the two ) as well as to my office (Upson Hall, towards the south center of campus near Schoellkopf Field). I would most like to have a 3 bedroom house (I've been living in a 4 bedroom unit for the last couple of years and three roommates is at least one too many). There was a very interesting looking place in Belle Sherman that fits this description that has deep blue cabinets and bright lime green walls and ceilings in the kitchen (funky, I like it), but the guy renting it is absolutely hellbent on only renting the entire house at once. I know two other CS PhDs that I've actually met that will probably accept and go to Cornell, but other than that I don't know what to do about roommates... I'll probably be able to visit Ithaca again to see places in person before/during the Summer too. By the way, how often do the buses in Ithaca (namely the ones that go between downtown and the campus) run? I've been living in Atlanta and mostly taking the bus to school (even though I have a car) for a couple of years now, but with my personality it is a significant hurdle to my productivity to only be able to catch a ride to and from school every thirty minutes...

I will definitely friend grad student colleagues and treat them like I've treated any other friends of mine on those sites. I'll also friend professors, I'm sure (I have my current research advisor friended on my Facebook, although he almost never uses it), but I'm also sure that I'll be adding them to a special list of "people that don't need to know when I'm drunk" to hide certain status updates and photos from them from time to time