MarineBluePsy

@Peanut I would ask for an extension on the China offer and if they agree great, if they don't then take their offer. Then I would still go to the nonprofit interview. Why? Because at this point it is just an interview and you have no idea what the results will be. You may or may not like them. They may or may not offer you the job. An interview is just an interview and it is a smart idea to go on as many of them as you can for the experience because there will be many of them throughout your career.

I hadn't heard the term before either, but then again I've never lived very close to a campus. I always made sure to live nearby, but not among students so it was quieter. I'm not sure I'll be able to stick with that for this move since I'll need to be on campus far more than I'm used to. The fafsa would have been fine if they were still using pin numbers. I've had the same pin for over a decade and likely would've remembered it after years in a coma. It just seems less secure to have an fsa id created and maintained on a different website and then use it on the fafsa site.

Well sure if you break your lease before its up then it makes sense you'd be responsible for the remaining rent. There are few exceptions that allow you to skip paying. I guess what I don't get is a "leasing season" which sounds to me like there's only a certain time of year that apartments are available and any that aren't filled at that time just remain empty rather than just rented at a later time. On a completely unrelated note, anyone else find filing the fafsa and setting up an fsa id a huge pain in the ass? It seriously took me an hour to get everything squared away and submitted.

My plan so far is to stay in a hotel or maybe a short term sublet until I've learned the area. I don't want to wind up moving every year because the area sucks or end up trapped in a long lease for a slum. I get that you're eager to move out, but since you have the option of free housing right now I'd stay there until the last possible moment. That way you can boost your savings and spend some quality time with them before you're busier. So if a unit is vacated before "leasing season" do they just let it sit empty?

You mean like these: http://www.maidenjane.com/2013/09/diy-backpack-memory-pillow.html/ http://gizmodo.com/everywheres-a-bed-with-a-self-inflating-backpack-pillow-1616862845

I take it this is not an R1 university? In my observations this kind of thing is very rare at top tier institutions and my guess is because they attract more funding from a variety of sources....corporate sponsorships, grants, alumni donations, etc. Mad props to this school just telling the new hopefuls sorry we can't take you and refunding the app fees rather than saying sure please come and drown in loans. If the current students didn't lose their funding they better be working on a backup plan because funding reductions are entirely possible. This does not sound like good news to me. Have you applied for outside funding in case the school doesn't come through? Yep its similar for me too. Another irritating thing I'm experiencing is people outside of the family that are well educated acting like they don't get how it was possible for me to become a well educated person given my humble beginnings. There are plenty of well educated people in the world that came from humble beginnings and many talk about working hard to find opportunities to educate themselves, utilizing all the resources at their schools, the public library system, finding mentors, etc. I used some of the same steps and these people often look at me like I have 3 heads. I mean honestly, how hard is to fathom?

I've pondered trying to find an all in one bag, but haven't found one I like yet. We'll see. And it really took me a minute to realize you were talking about teddy bears and not grown up nighties lmao! I kept thinking ewwww why would TSA be touching your intimates?! Yep! I think this is why I've stalled on saying anything to my family. I spent years pre-during-post college trying to explain the point of getting a BA. Then I had to do it again with my MA and you know what? I'm tired and sick of explaining myself when ultimately they just don't get it. I'll have to check out that website for some ideas. I want to have everything I need without feeling like my body is loaded with 100lbs and I want to look cute. This must be how people end up inventing things....if only I were that creative. I must admit I've never thought to make my own deodorant. This could be because I always buy deodorant/antiperspirant combos and I kind of like being blissfully naive about how it actually works. I have heard that you can swipe essential oils such as tea tree or lavender under your arms to kill germs and keep from stinking.

Well the only reasons I can see to keep them would be if you 1) needed to take the test again or 2) planned to do GRE tutoring or teach GRE prep courses. If neither are the case I can't see the point in lugging them around.

Ummm I didn't even think to count all the deodorants I have in places other than my bathroom....... They let you carry on the rocks? I figured that was an obvious weapon of opportunity that you'd have to check. Weird. Probably because it'd be some perv sniffing them! Ewwww! Maybe I'll just mail them to my new city instead. Hopefully shipping services won't x-ray the box and wonder why there are so many half used deodorant tubes.

And now for some random thoughts while I continue to procrastinate on taking any steps toward my move...... Do grad students carry purses? I do love a good purse, but with all the time I'll be spending on campus I think I'm going to look like some crazy bag lady. I'll need a backpack or messenger bag for class/research related stuff. Maybe I'll even need a laptop and that would need a bag too. I'll have my gym bag because the campus gym is free and I'll definitely use it. Then there's my lunch bag which will likely have breakfast and lunch, sometimes dinner in it. The purse is where I'd put my must haves, but that's a lot of bags right? With all the welcoming and friendly chatter on here what are the odds of us still chattering like this decades from now? In my bathroom I have 9 different deodorants. 9! I rotate them monthly so they're not wasted. If I fly to my new city and put all of them in my suitcase will TSA find this concerning? Shouldn't they just be happy I don't stink? How come airplanes haven't been designed to take the stink out of the air yet? This is exactly the kind of thing I'd keep from a future husband. I'd hide them under some loose floorboard in the basement and sneak off daily to use them like some junkie needing a fix. Yet another stupid school has sent me a follow up rejection letter as if I was too stupid to comprehend the first one or something. A**holes! I'm going to spare all of you brain cell killing time by informing you that the new Criminal Minds spin off is terrible. You're welcome. Man I'm hungry......

It depends on the type of loan. Federal loans can usually be deferred, but private loans don't have to give you that option. This is why financial experts always say to never take out private student loans because deferring may not be possible and they often have little to no affordable repayment options. I would tell him to ask himself if this is really what he wants to do and if so then buck up. Yes reapplying sucks (I've done it) and casting a wide net (did that too) is costly and time consuming, but if he's determined then he'll get that acceptance. Without knowing his field its hard to say how competitive things are, but it is possible that he wasn't competitive in terms of research, GRE, experience, GPA, etc. Although I would say it is even more possible that his SOP/PS needs work. Nontraditional students often struggle with showing how their unique path is a benefit to the department and field in general. So that is probably where I would tell him to start.

I prefer to think of it as being productive. I'm accustomed to having more than one job, multiple volunteer projects, social commitments, and academic responsibilities so I really don't relate to people that have only one or two things to do and are tired. Oh I'm so glad it worked out! By American standards I'd say that's small yes, but your lifestyle is going to determine if that works for you. Someone who likes to host medium to large gatherings would suffocate in that space. Or someone like myself who has a shopping addiction would be pissed at the lack of closet space lol. I've lived alone for years and I can't say I've ever pondered the social side that much. I socialize a lot so I'm gone a lot, but I definitely prefer to come home and have the place be empty instead of roommates and I don't know what to expect.

Or you can contact the departments main office and ask if they have any student positions. I find it odd that the admissions people didn't just direct you to the sources of these positions.

{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}}

You ever put them in the microwave? Hehehehe! Ghirardelli (that's the correct spelling lol) is good, but I prefer Godiva.

For a nicer yet not a sneaker option I like Sperry's topsiders. For more casual but cute and good for walking options or sandals I like Naturalizer, Aerosoles, and Easy Spirit. For everything from flats, sandals, espadrilles, shooties, boots, gladiators, pumps, heels, wedges, mules, kittens, etc I swear by Clarks. They aren't always cheap, but if you do some digging or buy in the off season you can find some deals/coupons and Clarks has an outlet also. I have what shoe salespeople politely call "problem feet" and on top of that I walk and stand a lot and insist on looking foxy on a night out. I mean seriously, how often do you see guys hitting on chicks in orthopedic shoes? Yeah that's what I thought lol. I have a pair of way to high for me heels courtesy of Clarks that I managed to strut all over town in and height aside they feel a lot like sneakers.

Oh I see. Yes I do go to those for some staple items.

A closeout store? Is that the same as an outlet store?

You can donate them to the public library and then they'll be accessible to students that can't afford to buy them. It always amazes me that people donate clothing that still has the tags on it. Maybe they're all shopaholics and will just buy anything and everything lol.

Congrats on your acceptance! I figured I'd stay on at my day job until school starts, but that'd still leave me with plenty of spare time. The research lab I've been interning at just asked me to work on new project and they're going to pay me, woohoo! Otherwise I've got a pile of pleasure reading books and nearby places I want to check out for the millionth time to convince myself I won't forget them.

Hehehe I've spent the last few years making an effort to do that and it's been going ok. Those new and better people aren't really close friends though. We go to social events where we laugh about random stuff, but we're far from besties. My family is just focused on their own struggles and don't really get anything I'm trying to do anyway. Yeah this no friends thing is weird. I've got the acquaintances part, but its not the same. Are you thinking that you'll find friends within your cohort or other departments? I've been pondering this whole friends in grad school kind of thing and it just seems unlikely being so much older than everyone else.

Proclaiming it to the world? Nope, just my a few of my coworkers so they aren't shocked if their workload increases in a few months, my letter writers, and one friend. A part of me wonders if I say nothing will everyone else even notice? I'm surrounded by self absorbed people.

Anyone else majorly stalling on telling the important people in their lives that they'll be heading on the grad school journey? I think I've mostly spent the last few weeks in serious denial that I'm actually going somewhere.

I second that. When it comes to my career and what's best for my future I prefer to make those decisions on my own. Considering how my choices affect someone else is fine, but I'm not a fan of consulting someone else. Ummmm shouldn't you be talking to your doctor about some kind of medication for that? If you're already eating and texting while sleep aren't you worried you might drive a car?

They also rarely offer hands-on clinical training and tell students to seek out opportunities on their own. That's very difficult to do when programs are accustomed to working within rigorous standards created by licensing boards and brick and mortar programs. When talking with graduate level professors in psychology and other areas of social science the consensus is that most of these programs are "less than" which is not what an applicant wants an admissions committee thinking when viewing their application.