MarineBluePsy

Now if you're going to do this then the key is to be very specific.  "Clean my room" is so broad it just begs for procrastination.  I'm getting very detailed.... clean baseboards, vacuum under the couch, clean the fridge, wash curtains, etc.

Thinking of my Master's program I would say....
1 & 2)  Yes, but it wasn't just the younger students.  I thought this was bizarre at first because in undergrad this wasn't the norm for me.  I also tend to be more self motivated and less interested in comparing my performance to others.  I set my own goals and am happy to just keep beating myself and creating additional challenges as needed.  Clearly they were happy working in this manner so I just let them be and did my own thing.
3)  Yes, but again it wasn't just the younger students.  The only time this was a huge problem was when they'd bring this up in class and convince the professor it was a great idea to make it required to do this kind of extra work.  I used my class evaluations to suggest that kind of thing be encouraged, but optional and clearly I wasn't the only one to say so because things changed after my first semester.
4)  No, but there were plenty of happy hours after class and on the weekends that I heard about.  

Thanksgiving was relaxing and drama free for once   As for the status of my applications, all of the ones due 12/1 are completed except for one because I'm waiting on one letter writer.  He'll get it done, but geez lol.  I have 2 applications due 12/15 and all of my documents are ready I just need to upload them which I'll probably do today.  It'll be nice to focus my attention on something else for awhile because obsessively checking my email isn't going to make anything happen any faster.

Thanksgiving was relaxing and drama free for once   As for the status of my applications, all of the ones due 12/1 are completed except for one because I'm waiting on one letter writer.  He'll get it done, but geez lol.  I have 2 applications due 12/15 and all of my documents are ready I just need to upload them which I'll probably do today.  It'll be nice to focus my attention on something else for awhile because obsessively checking my email isn't going to make anything happen any faster.

Just some words of encouragement from someone who went through the rigorous ordeal last year:
Stay positive! Don't ever give up and, remember, perseverance goes a long way towards your success! All of you have made it this far from diligence and hard work. You may not be the student with the 170/170/6.0 GRE score, perfect GPA, and a gajillion papers in high impact journals. Don't worry, because that person doesn't exist. The only person you need to compare yourself to is yourself. If you've done all you can to get yourself to this point, there's nowhere else to go but up

Good luck!

 

I would assume she's concerned that she can't say as much about you as a professor might. But, why not ask her why she thinks you should ask someone else? Seems like a better way to get an answer than asking a bunch of strangers on the internet.

It's not just a question of being able to make it through school without burnout, but also a question of getting some perspective. Going from high school to undergrad to grad school without doing anything else means for some people not having a clear idea of what it means to work a full time job, earn a "real" salary, or even what minimum wage can buy you these days. For many undergrads, the first time they will have looked for an apartment, gone to the DMV, applied for a job, etc. will be after graduating, but you don't do (some of) these things as a graduate student. So at least in part it's just a matter of knowing what's out there and interacting more regularly with people outside academia. Personally, I think this is very important, and I would advise everyone to get some more experience before committing to more school and a fairly narrow career path. One more year won't make a big difference if you choose to go back to school, but if you discover another passion, it could make all the difference in the world.

Professors usually advise people to take time off in between undergraduate and graduate studies so that students can mature, get some real-world experience, and figure out what they really want to do. If you're planning on applying to twelve programs, I suspect your professors are most concerned about the latter, i.e. that you're more interested in the idea of going to grad school than you are in the actual subject you want to research. Remember, the purpose of graduate school is to get a job, and so where you get in is way more important than whether or not you do.
Deferrals to PhD programs are not usually granted barring exceptional circumstances. 

Nice to see this thread here.  Getting a college degree was very rare in my family.  When I decided to go there were only a handful of relatives that got a degree as part of military service or via an athletic scholarship, but the attitude was education was "less than."  My grandma was actually the biggest complainer when I said I was going and it was not under a military or sports umbrella.  Seriously what is it with grandma's?  Every time I saw her she expressed her disappointment in my choices and she complained to anyone who would listen about how I was wasting time and money.  The rest of my family was less vocal, but there was no support either.  I just moved out and surrounded myself with those who shared my goals.  Moving out was stressful, especially financially, but I was going to drown if I continued living in a toxic environment.  For those of you who can't move out I'd say spend as little time at home as possible.  If you're only there to sleep and shower then there are fewer opportunities to hear negative comments.
Then the economy took a dump and all of those naysayers found themselves out of work with zero options.  I on the other hand got laid off, but quickly found other options.  While not my dream career, I kept bills paid and expanded my skill set.  All of a sudden my family was super interested in how I was surviving and how my education was working to my advantage.  Instead of telling them to bug off I was the bigger person and helped those who asked get into programs (some college, some vocational) that would expand their options.  
When I announced I was going for a Master's degree my family didn't even understand what that was.  Once I explained that it would lead to more career options and more money they left me alone lol.  Some were curious and asked how it was going or if they could help me with anything, but the others were silent which was better than the complaints I endured before.  I am grateful I landed a well paying job a few months after graduating otherwise I'd be eating my words lol.  They aren't surprised I'm applying for doctoral programs and some are excited to be able to say there will soon be a "doctor" in the family.  They don't fully understand it, but they know I'm doing the right thing for me and are leaving me be.

I was a temp employee when I applied to Master's programs and needed every penny of that money right up until school started.  When my employer mentioned bringing me on full time as a permanent employee I felt it was best not to say anything about my school plans until I decided what I wanted to do.  I was going to work through my program, but would still need a little schedule accommodation that I knew the company would not provide.  I put my energy into landing a temp assignment that was more flexible with the hours (although I didn't tell them about my school plans either) and I gave the other assignment one weeks notice and declined the full time offer stating I wanted to pursue other opportunities.  They could interpret that as another job or returning to school or whatever, but I did not burn any bridges and have had no trouble using them as a reference when needed.
 
I can't say that this would be the right choice for others, but it certainly was the right choice for me.  My bills were paid, I had food to eat, and I didn't have to choose between the need to support myself and advancing myself academically.  I have seen plenty of temps let go without notice because they wanted to return to school, had child care issues, needed flexibility to care for a parent, etc.  What I took away from that is that many (I can't say all) employers only care about the needs of the company and have no problem letting an employee go instantly if they don't fit in their future plans.  I completely understand that, but felt that I should value myself similarly.  If I didn't look out for my own needs and plan my transitions accordingly no one else was going to.
 
Now I am in a full time permanent job using the Master's degree I worked so hard to earn.  I have said nothing to management about my plans to apply for PhD programs this fall and I will not.  If I don't get in I can stay at this job and reapply next year.  If I do get in then I will give them 2 weeks notice stating that I am leaving to pursue other opportunities and they can interpret that however they wish.

I was a temp employee when I applied to Master's programs and needed every penny of that money right up until school started.  When my employer mentioned bringing me on full time as a permanent employee I felt it was best not to say anything about my school plans until I decided what I wanted to do.  I was going to work through my program, but would still need a little schedule accommodation that I knew the company would not provide.  I put my energy into landing a temp assignment that was more flexible with the hours (although I didn't tell them about my school plans either) and I gave the other assignment one weeks notice and declined the full time offer stating I wanted to pursue other opportunities.  They could interpret that as another job or returning to school or whatever, but I did not burn any bridges and have had no trouble using them as a reference when needed.
 
I can't say that this would be the right choice for others, but it certainly was the right choice for me.  My bills were paid, I had food to eat, and I didn't have to choose between the need to support myself and advancing myself academically.  I have seen plenty of temps let go without notice because they wanted to return to school, had child care issues, needed flexibility to care for a parent, etc.  What I took away from that is that many (I can't say all) employers only care about the needs of the company and have no problem letting an employee go instantly if they don't fit in their future plans.  I completely understand that, but felt that I should value myself similarly.  If I didn't look out for my own needs and plan my transitions accordingly no one else was going to.
 
Now I am in a full time permanent job using the Master's degree I worked so hard to earn.  I have said nothing to management about my plans to apply for PhD programs this fall and I will not.  If I don't get in I can stay at this job and reapply next year.  If I do get in then I will give them 2 weeks notice stating that I am leaving to pursue other opportunities and they can interpret that however they wish.

I was a temp employee when I applied to Master's programs and needed every penny of that money right up until school started.  When my employer mentioned bringing me on full time as a permanent employee I felt it was best not to say anything about my school plans until I decided what I wanted to do.  I was going to work through my program, but would still need a little schedule accommodation that I knew the company would not provide.  I put my energy into landing a temp assignment that was more flexible with the hours (although I didn't tell them about my school plans either) and I gave the other assignment one weeks notice and declined the full time offer stating I wanted to pursue other opportunities.  They could interpret that as another job or returning to school or whatever, but I did not burn any bridges and have had no trouble using them as a reference when needed.
 
I can't say that this would be the right choice for others, but it certainly was the right choice for me.  My bills were paid, I had food to eat, and I didn't have to choose between the need to support myself and advancing myself academically.  I have seen plenty of temps let go without notice because they wanted to return to school, had child care issues, needed flexibility to care for a parent, etc.  What I took away from that is that many (I can't say all) employers only care about the needs of the company and have no problem letting an employee go instantly if they don't fit in their future plans.  I completely understand that, but felt that I should value myself similarly.  If I didn't look out for my own needs and plan my transitions accordingly no one else was going to.
 
Now I am in a full time permanent job using the Master's degree I worked so hard to earn.  I have said nothing to management about my plans to apply for PhD programs this fall and I will not.  If I don't get in I can stay at this job and reapply next year.  If I do get in then I will give them 2 weeks notice stating that I am leaving to pursue other opportunities and they can interpret that however they wish.

That "fully funded" was a euphemism for "working two jobs, one of which is unpaid slave labor".

I was a temp employee when I applied to Master's programs and needed every penny of that money right up until school started.  When my employer mentioned bringing me on full time as a permanent employee I felt it was best not to say anything about my school plans until I decided what I wanted to do.  I was going to work through my program, but would still need a little schedule accommodation that I knew the company would not provide.  I put my energy into landing a temp assignment that was more flexible with the hours (although I didn't tell them about my school plans either) and I gave the other assignment one weeks notice and declined the full time offer stating I wanted to pursue other opportunities.  They could interpret that as another job or returning to school or whatever, but I did not burn any bridges and have had no trouble using them as a reference when needed.
 
I can't say that this would be the right choice for others, but it certainly was the right choice for me.  My bills were paid, I had food to eat, and I didn't have to choose between the need to support myself and advancing myself academically.  I have seen plenty of temps let go without notice because they wanted to return to school, had child care issues, needed flexibility to care for a parent, etc.  What I took away from that is that many (I can't say all) employers only care about the needs of the company and have no problem letting an employee go instantly if they don't fit in their future plans.  I completely understand that, but felt that I should value myself similarly.  If I didn't look out for my own needs and plan my transitions accordingly no one else was going to.
 
Now I am in a full time permanent job using the Master's degree I worked so hard to earn.  I have said nothing to management about my plans to apply for PhD programs this fall and I will not.  If I don't get in I can stay at this job and reapply next year.  If I do get in then I will give them 2 weeks notice stating that I am leaving to pursue other opportunities and they can interpret that however they wish.

None of my boots are nice and I love flats, so what I actually did was wear my crappiest pair of boots (because there were so many puddles and lots of uncleared snow on the sidewalks). And I changed in the Panera a block down from the school. Lol

Oh god, I have so many of these.
 
Freshman undergrad telling his parents about his Sociology 101 class on parents day:
 
"No, mom, it's racist to even call someone black or white. Race isn't real. So we shouldn't even be talking about race, because race is fake and it's racist to bring it up."
 
Conversation between me, my freshman dorm roommate, and her boyfriend, on watching me pull out a jar of peanut butter (context: I'm vegan):
 
Roommate's Boyfriend: "Ooooh! I knew you cheated on being vegan! You're eating peanut butter!"
 
Me: "So? Peanut butter is vegan."
 
Roommate's Boyfriend: "Not-uh! It's called peanut butter. It has butter in it. It's not vegan."
 
Roommate: "Wait, butter isn't vegan?"
 
Me: "No, butter is made from milk. But it's not in peanut butter. What did you think butter was made out of?"
 
Roommate: "I don't know. A butter plant? I guess I never really thought about it before."