Sarochan

The being the only one I know dealing with it thing is really hard for me. (That was not an elegant sentence, but hopefully it gets the point across.) Most people I know around my age have parents in their 40's or 50's, and don't really have to worry about them (in terms of health, etc.) My dad had two heart attacks and my mom keeps getting respiratory infections and I just can't help but feel that they are very fragile. And here I am, their only kid, living across the country and unable to really do much to keep an eye on them besides calling and making sure they're doing alright. On a completely different note, I am very anxious right now because my PI at the university I think I'm going to choose sent me an email that seemed to indicate she thought I had chosen a different school. Now I am freaking out that maybe that option is closed, even though the letter I got indicated I had until the 15th to decide.

I may be going to UIC this fall, so I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for relatively safe places to live that are not too far away from UIC's campus? Trying to get an idea about the cost of living, so I wanted to look at rental prices, but don't know how to tell the good locations from the not so good.

I hate sensationalistic science TV shows. "This shark... is a KILLING MACHINE, SCULPTED BY NATURE TO DESTROY." "With the information from the human genome, SCIENTISTS NOW HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE PERFECT PEOPLE." And so on, ad infinitum.

I thought I would never want kids, but that certainly changed after entering my mid-twenties/a serious relationship. It's definitely not a thing that would happen soon (or maybe at all, given the number of humans on the planet - my SO studied philosophy, and we keep discussing the morality of having a kid, haha)... But then again, I wouldn't want it to happen too late. My parents had me when they were older, and now I feel like I'm going to lose them way too soon; I wouldn't want to do that to a kid. It's hard to imagine that there will be a good time for having a baby, plus all the things that go along with it.

Pretty sure that that was a joke.

Probably the straight-to-PhD crowd.

Just as a benchmark, I was able to do some pretty heavy R work (transcriptome stuff) without too much trouble on an HP laptop that I bought in high school - the thing is at least 7 years old, probably older. In terms of SSDs, it really depends. My SO got one when he built his computer and loves it - really cuts down startup/load times, especially for programs like Photoshop, which take about a million years to get going. I personally am fine with my HDD and don't really feel the need for an SSD, but I think it comes down to your own feelings and requirements. The one thing my SO has complained about is the need for a "buffer" of free space on the SSD, which apparently helps it run better/longer. There're various websites out there with rankings and such; thewirecutter.com seems to usually be pretty reliable, if you want to check out their 500 GB SSD reviews.

I'm leaning heavily towards one of my options... But I'm also so anxious about making this choice, and it's hard to imagine saying "No" to the fellowship offer and opportunities of the other... Really have no idea how to choose.

Thanks for the info, Tuanis. I appreciate it!

Alright, I hate being this person, but has anyone heard from the EEB program at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities? My online application page still says awaiting program decision. I'm pretty sure that I'm probably not getting in (no interviews/etc.), but it's the only program I'm still waiting on that I actually care about.

Man, I wish I had. I'm waiting on UMB too. I got an email saying that they would be offering places to the first-round acceptances around the 15th of March, giving those people until the 15th of April to decide, then sending out offers to others until slots are filled. That may only apply to the MCOB track though? Not sure. In any case, good luck/keep your chin up/hang in there!

I used to play Ragnarok Online (on a private server) and I met my SO there. Been together 5+ years now. It's always super embarrassing to explain how I met him though!

Thank you, shadowclaw. The one that hurts was the one with the most issues, so hopefully that's all it is. My anxiety about all things dental certainly isn't helping, haha.

No; I think he was going to give me something similar at the followup appointment scheduled for Monday. I wish I had thought to ask for one beforehand, but I was too dopey from anesthesia to remember. Bleh. I guess this is better than continually getting infections and having crowded teeth, but man, it certainly doesn't feel worth it right now.

Well, I got my wisdom teeth out on Monday, and I have been very careful to follow all instructions (no straws, no vigorous mouth activities, the most boring and repetitive diet ever, lots of gentle saline mouth rinsing). Even so, it looks like I managed to get a dry socket. Plus, after calling the office, turns out the dentist isn't in the office today and I have to wait until my already-scheduled appointment on Monday to find out if it actually is a dry socket, get treatment, whatever. Somehow have to get through three days and still manage to eat, drink, take prescribed medications, keep my mouth clean, and promote healing in the other sockets. The only upside is that the ibuprofen does seem to help with the pain, and I still have all my backup pain relief in reserve, in case of emergencies. Sorry for venting about this topic twice, but I'm really upset with myself for screwing up and maybe giving myself a dry socket.

I had been planning for quite a while to go on to some form of further education during my undergrad degree, although I was thinking med school for a lot of that time. Then, sometime in my senior year, I decided that I absolutely did not want to either work with sick/injured/dying people or cut people open, so med school was kinda out. During that same time, I took a variety of really fascinating classes (bioinformatics, molecular biology, plant ecology), which gave me an idea of where my interests might lie. The bioinformatics class allowed me to do some really interesting and fun research for my senior research course, and so I decided to look into grad programs where people were doing genomic studies, and applied to the ones whose research I found engaging and exciting. I decided to at least try applying to the programs to see what would happen, and go from there if I was rejected from everywhere. But, somehow I've managed to get into at least two places (the mind boggles!) So hey, straight from undergrad to grad for me it is.

Sheesh, nothing from UMB until mid-April? I'm waiting on them too.... E&E programs seem to take so long to respond. Edit: congrats, shadowclaw!

Wow, that sounds incredible! Congrats for getting in to such an amazing program, and having made your final decision. (I also love the dancey emotes! I may borrow the idea for when I've finally made a decision.)

Visited Chicago and really enjoyed it, so now my choice is that much tougher. Congrats to all you lucky people who've figured stuff out! Best wishes to the people who are still in the process.

For me, it would be a combination of things, including: + Location (Climate? Cost of living? Crime rates? Close to family/friends? Things to do in the area? Etc.) + Funding (Definitely important! Will funding you receive cover living expenses? Is healthcare/various student fees paid for, or are you going to have to pay for those out of your own pocket? Are you looking to be able to save some money during grad school? How many years does funding cover?) + People (Both professors and other students, if you get a chance to talk to them somehow.) + Research (Are there multiple labs with research that you're interested in? Opportunities for summer? Would you rotate or begin work immediately in a specific lab?) + Results (Do most students finish the program? Where do they end up? Do their career trajectories match your own?) This, at least, is probably kinda how I would go about trying to decide between two awesome programs that I felt strongly about. Find the aspects that matter most to you, and then try to compare the programs in terms of those aspects. Best of luck! I hope your decision-making process goes well.

I'm feeling the pressure; half my schools haven't gotten back to me, and it's making me anxious! I'm trying to remember that there's still time for good news, but it's hard to not consider my choice as one between just the two programs I've heard from. It'll certainly throw a spanner in the works if I hear something positive from any of the other programs! I'm already having enough trouble deciding as it is. Things are still basically up in the air though. I'll be super happy when I know all the outcomes from everywhere.

Are you talking jobs/career opportunities, or are you asking about grad programs? I would assume that there are probably different answers based on which you're looking for.

I've been accepted to two PhD programs (so far! I still have three programs to hear from) with only a bachelor's degree. (Some stats: I'm applying to schools in the US as a US citizen, had pretty good overall GPA and pretty high major GPA, and am applying to various flavors of biology programs.) So it is definitely a thing that happens, but I agree with MathCat, it definitely depends on where you are. Good luck with your future endeavors!

When my family moved from OR to WA with 3 cats (only 7 ~ 8ish hours, so this may not be helpful/applicable), our vet gave us a prescription for cat Valium. That definitely helped with their anxiety levels during the drive, which (I hope!) made the moving process easier for them. I don't know if this is useful information for your situation, though....