MarineBluePsy

Argh why are repairs being done on a Sunday morning?! Saturday morning I get and I tolerated all the stomping, drilling, and foot traffic even though I wanted nothing more than to stay in bed reading. But it is Sunday! And those turds have blocked the driveway so I can't even leave!

I think the moderators can change it if you pm them and they aren't super busy.

Thank heavens for silver linings!

There no other option to fund the training? Or can you do the training later and try for this scholarship again?

In addition to the good suggestion above, you can also link this to skills you want to develop to allow you to pursue a career as a professor.

They can yes. Even if a program does say it will cover costs, expect to pay upfront and wait for reimbursement unless they tell you otherwise. Some programs cannot afford to cover all of the travel related costs so yes you might be covering some or all of your own airfare/gas, hotel, and meals. Last year half my interviews offered zero reimbursement and provided no lodging/meals, while the other half offered some reimbursement and provided lodging and/or meals. I cut costs wherever I could, but all the travel was still expensive and I didn't get any of my reimbursement checks until the summer.

That is a valid concern, but think of it this way. You'll only be disconnected if you allow yourself to be. There are plenty of threads from nontraditional students on these boards that discuss getting creative to stay connected to their field and in regular contact with potential letter writers on top of working full time and family obligations. Do your potential letter writers need assistance with any special projects? Are they conducting research? Can you guest lecture for any of their classes? Are you doing any independent work that they are willing to supervise? Also knocking out all of your prereqs before starting a program is smart. Having to do them while in a program will put you behind or you'll risk exhausting yourself by doing to much to keep up with everyone else.

What I did last year was first take a break for a few days because I was exhausted lol. Then I picked up any extra hours at work I could and found side jobs because interview weekends weren't going to be cheap. Other than that I continued volunteering in a research lab and polishing up my plan b in case I needed it.

Since you haven't studied for or taken the GRE and you would be giving letter writers less than a month's notice it would be a stretch to apply this season. Different fields/programs use GRE scores differently, but you still want to perform as well as you can. If you apply next season you have the next 6-9 months to take the GRE, stay in touch with your letter writers, and do whatever else (research, volunteering, not sure what is specific to your field) you should be doing to stay connected to your field and boost your CV. Applying next year when you will be more prepared and not working at the last minute (or asking others to) doesn't seem like the end of the world.

So exam results are back? I'm curious, not that I assume this is the norm, but did either professor offer you any extra work to supplement your learning and/or boost your grade?

And I seriously just freaked myself out watching Season 2 Episode 1 of American Horror Story. Season 1 was creepy, but not like must sleep with the lights on creepy like Season 2 is so far.

Ok well it seems weird you two have never talked, but he still should hear it in person from you. The line you're considering is perfect and its always better to be proactive than reactive.

@Pink Fuzzy Bunny super unprofessional. Your advisor is your boss and that's the kind of thing you discuss face to face. I just did this with my advisor and it surprisingly wasn't so bad. They asked me how classes were going and I said something like "class w is fine, class x is ok, I'm expecting a C in class y which isn't great but it is what it is, and class z is going ok."

LOL of course its slavery! We're all overworked and underpaid drones

Grad assistant duties are going to vary based on department needs and where your funding is actually coming from. In my program some GAs are more like administrative assistants while others are more like lab managers. A few work on special projects or help the TAs with undergrad related issues.

@Need Coffee in an IV What kind of job are you doing over break? I pondered working too but couldn't find anything that wasn't retail or food service. There's nothing wrong with that kind of work and the odd people you meet are entertaining, but its not much of an income boost.

You can do it! Are you applying to the same programs this time around or adding new ones?

Ummmm you know you can say no right? Yes graduate school is about making sacrifices, being a team player, sucking it up through grunt work, etc but it is also about learning how to establish and insist on healthy boundaries. If you don't negotiate a proper amount of time of to do whatever you need or want to do away from campus you'll burn out. Hmmm seems interesting, but my list of serious shows is full and I definitely need a funny to watch before bed or I'll be up all night lol.

Well its still weird that you can't access the lab. I have seen that show and even though by episode 3 I completed loathed Robin and Ted I watched it until the very end. That season finale angered me almost as much as the Gilmore Girls reboot finale.

So I'm making a list of possible shows to binge watch and I can't think of any funny ones. I need funny otherwise winter break will suck. Funny shows I currently dig include: Difficult People; The Big Bang Theory; Life in Pieces; and Bob's Burgers. I'm not a fan of British humor and have no preference for old or new shows. @Pink Fuzzy Bunny How about I hit the road and we go have a drink when I get there? That is awful and I'm surprised your lab is actually closed. I didn't think Universities closed all offices/departments until the week of Xmas.

You know what I bet enough of us live within a day's drive of each other that we really could do that. I mean why not? We could coordinate our schedules for a summer or not so family oriented holiday get together when we're all free. Hmmm....... You should ask them if they'll be taking any other classes in your department and if so you can just adjust your schedule to avoid them.

Is your student account attached to a prepaid debit card? Most Universities make this an option for students who don't have bank accounts. They load your refund on the card and then you can swipe it at stores or take it to designated atm's to withdraw cash. Check with your financial aid office about this.

Good luck everyone!

I'm finished in 2 weeks and that seriously couldn't happen soon enough. I spent way too much of this semester being tired and pissed off and that's not what I want for next semester.

I have not had this experience and it sounds awful. What kind of papers are these exactly? If they're more like essays sharing your experiences or cases then that might be easier to generate a lengthy paper on in little time. But if these are research papers where you have to learn a new topic from scratch and then produce a lengthy paper then that has to be grueling. If it is the latter the only suggestion I would have is if you have any flexibility in the topics then try to choose topics that build on each other so there is some overlap in sources and content to save a little time.