mkm2119

Hi Satynne, I applied to three programs! I narrowed it down to schools with strong scholars in my area of interest and selected where to apply from there.

Hi everyone I just wanted to say hello and offer whatever help I can. I am currently a PhD student at Purdue with a focus in org com. I checked this forum obsessively when I was going through the application process and I know how stressful all of this can be. I'm happy to answer any questions y'all may have. Good luck everyone!!

Hurricanes I can handle! I've grown up with hurricanes. I think the first thing I would grab from the store though is wine! Thank you all so much for the tips Even if I won't be buying most of this stuff now it helps to know what I'll need to save up for!

Thanks y'all! Just an update - I passed

I have my thesis defense is 6 hours. The panic is real. Any words of wisdom or advice?

Thank you telkanuru and takeruk for the tips! There are so many things you just don't think about when you don't normally deal with snow or a winter that dips below 35 degrees. Cheshire_cat: I am beyond nervous for my actual first winter there. I know I'll survive but I get chilly when it dips below 70 degrees. I keep telling myself that it (most likely) isn't permanent and I only have to get through 4 winters! I'll be sure to check out those links fuzzy

Okay, maybe winter is a ways off, but as the summer draws to an end and I continue to prep for my move from the hot, hot south to the north I can't help but notice how ill prepared I am for such a different climate. Where I'm from the whole town shuts down for an inch of snow - I'm not kidding, it happened this "winter." I keep finding out little tidbits of information, like apparently I have to wash my car frequently during the winter in the north to keep it from rusting (I had no idea). Does anyone have any other tips like this I should know? I have plans to invest in a warm coat and some good shoes for the snow, but otherwise I'm pretty clueless. I'm sure there will be people in my program who can help me prepare, but like many of you I'm sure, I'm pretty type A and would like to know what I'm getting myself into.

87 days now and I swear I'm going through an emotional roller coaster! 11 days ago I was jumping up and down waiting to be done with my MA and get to my new location already, this week I'm questioning my life choices. I think I'm freaking out because I move out of my apartment Friday, put all my stuff in storage, and move into an apartment I'm subleasing over the summer while I finish my thesis (also freaking out about that but that's a different story!). Something about packing up all of your belongings makes everything feel so real! It's making me wonder why I think I can do this at all - especially with all the stress I'm feeling from my thesis. Thankfully, the rational side of my brain knows this will pass and that I'll be fine!

I don't know about all of you but now that I've accepted a program and found an apartment I am ready to go already! Sure, I still have to finish my thesis and graduate, but those are just details. Are any of you impatient to start your next chapter/adventure too? What are you most looking forward to?

I didn't even think about a contractual issue! I looked it up in the handbook and it said just no outside work that would be a conflict of interest or interfere with my duties. I don't think picking up a couple of shifts here and there would detract from my performance or constitute a conflict of interest, but I guess I'll have to double check with my program director later on.

Hey everyone! So I was recently accepted into a PhD program with a TAship that I will start in the fall, and while my financial aid is great a little extra money never hurts as all of you know. Anyway, I was hired to waitress over the summer at a popular steakhouse and I was wondering what y'all think about waitressing as a TA? I would love to continue working some shifts in the fall for some pocket money, but I suppose I'm worried about running into my students. Does anyone have any experience or thoughts on this? Thank you

I started looking for programs around September, but I started my MA in Jan. 2014 thinking I was going to go back to work, so yeah I guess it was technically my second semester that I started looking. I know the other people in my program continuing on started their searches around their second semester, maybe a little later.

Hey! I'm also moving from Texas to Indiana this summer for grad school. I'm renting a U-Haul truck and a friend is going to just roadtrip it with me following along in my car. I'm going to hire movers to load/unload the truck, but otherwise I'll be moving an entire apartment's worth of furniture pretty much on my own.

Yes! I've been admitted, have full funding and a teaching assistantship offer. They were very thorough in their offer so I don't have any questions about their program timeline, how long they'll fund me, or anything like that. Right now I'm thinking I'll ask the grad students that are TAs about their experience and about their research interests, but that's all I have right now.

Hey y'all. So I'm meeting with a department in a week or so and I'm really nervous. I'm supposed to be meeting a mixture of grad students and professors. Do you guys have any suggestions for questions I should ask? I'm so afraid they're going to ask me if I have any questions about the program and I'm going to come up blank and just generally look stupid. It's not an interview, just a meet-and-greet, but I still feel like I'm being evaluated. Any help/words of wisdom would be appreciated!

Yeah, I know that's frustrating. Unfortunately, that's how it is with most schools - at least in my experience. They only tell the first round of accepted students about the welcome weekend and everyone who hasn't been rejected just assumes they've been waitlisted. Luckily, though, you should probably find out soon about your position on the list since most applicants make their decision shortly after the campus visit.

Don't panic! You may be waitlisted. Once the 1st round of accepted students makes their decision they'll probably let you know something. Have you asked about your application status recently?

I had a dream a couple of nights ago (after accepting an offer) that I showed up to orientation late just to find out that I missed an assignment. The professor then told me that I was holding up the entire class and that she hoped this wouldn't be indicative of my career there. Worst dream.

Wow, this was extremely rude. There is no harm asking if a program has any available moving assistance for its students. Demanding assistance would be entitled; asking if there is anything available to help you isn't. Next time consider providing a useful response. Maybe something like, "From my experience programs might perceive such a request as acting entitled or ungrateful for the assistance you have been given."

Way to go!!!

So I got a call yesterday evening from an unknown number....and it was my undergrad university calling for money. Heart attack -> sinking feeling -> irrational anger at alumni center for calling me while I'm waiting to hear back from Boulder

Well I hope they let you know soon! I was accepted into the Org Comm PhD program. I'm waiting to hear back from one more program, but I'm pretty sure Purdue is where I'll be going!

My status never changed on the portal! I hope you hear something soon - waiting is the worst.

Oh okay! I feel less manic now I applied for the phd. I'm currently working on my masters. Also, thank you! I'm really excited about it.

Still no word from Boulder! Did you apply for the MA or the Phd? (Congrats by the way if I didn't say it before!!)