elijahbaley

The problem isn't so much getting a SSN (the US equivalent of the Canadian SIN), but rather not having a credit history. Most of the problems this causes can be fixed by paying deposits, paying with cash upfront, or similar tricks. It is possible to live in the US without a SSN; when you do your taxes for the first time, you'll be assigned a ITIN number. Your university should be able to pay you your stipend without needing either of these numbers.
For banking, some banks have trouble with foreign students, if they are not used to dealing with them. This is due to their inexperience, nothing more. My best advice on that is to make sure to open an account with a bank/branch that doesn't seem to have this problem. Branches located near large universities, and the university's credit union (if one exists) will usually know how to handle students who don't have a SSN.
For a credit card, if you bank won't issue you one, look into one of two things. First, another bank or a credit union; my credit union issued me a credit card immediately upon my arrival, before I had a SSN or any credit history. One problem may be that you are asking for a credit limit that's too high, so look into that. Another option is to get a secured credit card, meaning essentially that you deposit a certain amount of money into some separate account, which acts as a fail safe. If you fail to pay back your credit card debt in time, the money goes out of this special account. If/when you've built some credit history, you should be able to ask to switch to a "normal" account, and the money in the secured account will be returned to your checking account. 
For cell phone plans, there should be a similar kind of arrangement, where you pay some deposit before they agree to set up your account, and they pay it back if you keep up with your payments for X amount of time. 
For a drivers license, you'll need to get some document that says that you are not eligible to get a SSN.
The most annoying thing (I think) is landlords who insist on having your SSN and doing a background check. Some will understand that you just don't have one, or even if you do you may not have a credit history. If they insist, sometimes that just means you have to move on because there is no way to fix the problem if they are not willing to take your references or history in another country into account. 
 

Crock pots or leftovers are a big time saver. I cook dinner and eat leftovers for a few days. You can freeze some and alternate if you make a big batch. 

Crock pots will seriously save your life. I know some people get worried about leaving them on while no one's home, but my family has used them for years without incident. You just put your ingredients into the pot in the morning, put it on the appropriate setting for how long you'll be gone, and bam! Food is ready when you walk in the door. Rice cookers are also amazing if you like rice. I have one with a timer, so I can set it to be done cooking just as I'm getting home. You can also make a wide range of food in a crock pot, too. I especially like making chili and thai curry in mine.
As for me, my husband,  two cats, and I left Pennsylvania on the 1st and began our road trip to Oregon. The first few days were boring, just lots of diving. Once we got to the southwest, it got more exciting because we had never been to that part of the country before. Our first major stop was Roswell, NM, but we got there at 4 and that's when all of the cool alien stuff closed, and most of it didn't open until 10 the next morning, which was too late. So I was really bummed about that. We went to Flagstaff, AZ next and went to a nearby national moment which was cool. Next we went to Moab, UT which is an amazing place and visited Arches National Park and I bought a nice rock containing a few pieces of red beryl at a rock shop. We went to Las Vegas, but didn't have time to do anything on the strip because we primarily were visiting friends. It's not terribly far from our new home and we can stay with friends for free, so we might head back at some point. Our last stop was in Reno, and we stayed at a terrible hotel and my bike got stolen. It was a very low note to end the trip on, and I was too angry during our drive up to Oregon to really appreciate the national forests of northeast California. At least the cats didn't act up during the trip!
Our apartment ended up being smaller than I pictured it and the appliances are old (but functioning). However, it was clean and they just painted it (which made it stinky). Our relocube arrived the next day and all our stuff was perfect. No smashed anything. We also found a cool used furniture store and scored some dining room chairs, a love seat, and a rocker chair for under $100. That leaves more in the budget for other things, which is awesome.
I'm not crazy about my new city. I don't live in the same town as my school, and honestly, that town is much nicer. However, we're in a nice neighborhood away from all of the stores and we have a yard and garage. Orientation starts on Monday!
 

Just to clarify, there are two types of bikes with only one gear in the back, fixed gear (fixies, also called track bikes) and single-speeds. A single-speed bicycle is like a regular geared bicycle that has one speed (hence it's name), so if you want to stop peddling, you can, and the back wheel will still spin. A fixed gear bicycle has no freewheel or ratchet in the back hub. Whatever the peddles do, the back wheel does, and vice versa. If you peddle forward, the wheel goes forward. If you peddle back, the wheel goes back. If you stop peddling, the force of the wheel will either push your legs around or, if you resist, skid the back wheel. For those experiencing a fixie for the first time, the feel can be... disconcerting, and they're trickier to ride since you can't stop peddling through a corner. However, in bad weather (snow, etc.), a fixie is a lot more controllable, particularly since you can slow down by applying pressure to your peddles and not worry about locking up your rear wheel with your brakes.
In an area with no (or even few) large hills, both fixies and ss are low-maintenance options that can be picked up new for fairly cheap. I am personally a fan of the SE Lager as an intro-level model (it's what I own). Most models will come with what is called a "flip-flop" hub - one side is a single speed freewheel, the other is fixed. By taking off the rear wheel and flipping it, you can chose which one you want to do. If you do go with a fixed gear, I recommend investing in some foot retention - I use HoldFast straps on BMX peddles.

I second telkanuru's suggest to avoid large chain stores for bikes. Until I started my PhDs, all my bikes were from these stores and I didn't really like biking on the road. But then when I moved, I sold my old car and got a bike instead for commuting and it's a world of difference. A good bike is actually comfortable and fun to ride on the road! I don't bike as much anymore as I have a new car but it's a good backup mode of transportation when the car is otherwise used!
The bikes from Walmart et al. will certainly cost you more in the long term. If something happens to it, you basically have to throw it out and buy a new one. I got my bike from a local bike store for about $350. You can get a discount if you buy models from previous years. You can also get a good deal on craigslist. My wife sold her bike (bought new a few years ago for the same price) for about $200 (including all of the extra stuff like lights) to another person at our institution via craigslist. And I see listings similar to this all the time. So, you can find a really good used bike for just a little bit more than the Walmart prices.
I think it's a good investment to get a good bike for the distances you mention. Getting a good U-Lock is essential: do not buy a chain lock! You can also get bike bags to attach to your bike for groceries etc. Adding all of these accessories can be expensive so budget for that, or buy the non-essential things later. The minimum you need would be a helmet, U-Lock, and bike lights (unless you will never bike after dusk/before dawn). Bike lights are a legal requirement where I live (but also a great idea for safety). I found that bike lights are much cheaper on Amazon than at the bike store. If you get accessories with your bike at the bike store, you can often get some kind of discount too. Oh, also a bicycle pump (but see below).
Finally, you should maintain and protect your bike! The Bike Club at your school is a great resource. My school's bike club has "office hours" where they will have club members teach you how to do things and also allow you to use their tools to maintain your bike. You can also pay a bike store to do a "tune-up" (like you would for a car) if you don't want to do it yourself. Regular maintenance for me was keeping the frame clean, greasing the chains (the grease is a few dollars) and keeping the tires well-inflated.

I would not buy a new bike from a large chain store. It will fall apart in a year, and end up costing you way more. You could buy a $150-$200 single speed from amazon or something, but these usually are not put together well, and your local bike store (LBS in the lingo) will probably tell you to do an unmentionable (or charge you a lot, or both) if you ask them to fix it.
Lots of schools now have a bike club or a shop that refurbishes bikes abandoned around campus. This is also a good angle to look at.

Week 1 was hectic, between having to swap a couple classes, settling into my GA position, and trying to figure out the best times to go to the gym and still be productive (still working on that last one). 
Made a sheet tonight for each class that lists the due dates and a short description of all "Major" assignments like papers, presentations, midterms, etc. Anything that's not due weekly made it on there. One of my goals for the semester (and grad school in general...) is to be much more organized than I was as an undergrad and work on time management. I have a lot more "unstructured" time and that has historically been bad news for me. I start watching football...or chatting on Facebook...or using StumbleUpon...or sites like this one...and suddenly hours have passed and I still have all my reading to do! I digress. Also trying to figure out Blackboard and my school's main "student login/controls" site. So many links. So many options. tl/dr: Working on organization
Went to a couple stores today to look at laptops (mostly Chromebooks) and narrowed it down to a couple top choices that I'll research online this week and then order. I just can't seem to study at home because 1.) it's hot. I don't have A/C and my place is just muggy. yuck, 2.) too many distractions, 3.) I live alone, but even just hearing conversations going on outside my place, doors opening and cars pulling in & out makes me lose focus. I can't close my windows because I need the breeze and circulation...sigh.
Anyway, onward and upward, right?

Telkanuru has good advice. I also think it's worth going to a bike shop known for their service: I don't think there is much quality difference between specialized, trek and fuji at the 500-800 dollar hybrid bike range (or road bike), so the place you get it will often have more of an impact on your riding experience. 
IF you think you want to go on weekend bike rides over 10 miles or so it might be worth getting a road bike. One thing to note is that road bikes are thief bate, so you should invest in a high end lock (50-80 dollars) and a cable or keep your bike inside during the day. 
I live in a huge biker town, and haven't had any theift problems in a year: I notice people who get bikes/accessories stolen are people who do not lock up their bike properly. Make sure that when you buy your bike/lock the bike shop shows you how to do it and be diligent about it. 

Cost is always part of the equation, since how much you want to spend determines what other things you should consider. Here are two general options:
If you're looking to buy something new for commuting 2-15 miles or so, and you haven't ridden a lot, I would recommend a hybrid-style bike around the $600-800 range, e.g. the Trek 7.3 or 7.4 - Specialized also has a similar commuter setup. The bike you get is solid, but it's not so ridiculously expensive as to make you regret the purchase if you want to move up in a few years. If you ride in a wet or cold environment, I highly suggest you get disc brakes. They tend to add about $100-200 to the total cost of the bike, but they'll save you money in the long run as you don't have to replace worn rims. Plus, they stop way better. When you budget, keep in mind that extras (fenders, helmet, back rack) are way more expensive than they probably should be.
If you're looking to buy a beater off Craigslist, be aggressive and always offer low. Most sellers have no idea how much what the have is worth. Sometimes, this works in your favor with a guy ditching his $7k carbon frame for $150 (NB: carbon is a performance race material - don't splurge for a carbon frame if you don't race), but usually it's people marking up a 30 year old frame from $50 to $300. When checking out a Craigslist beater, make sure:
There are no large rust spots or cracks, particularly at the joints. The chain is lightly oiled with no rust. Put it into the largest gear in the front, pinch a link, and gently try to pull the chain away from the teeth. If it comes away so you can see light on the other side, the chain is worn and will need to be replaced (~$20) Make sure the teeth of both the front and back gears are rounded and not pointy. Pointy teeth are old, and mean the part needs to be replaced. Older models of bike have shifters in different places. Most are fine, but avoid those with shifters on the steer tube (the tube the steering connects to). These are like two dull pocketknives permanently aimed at your crotch. The brakepads look fairly new and are in good repair, with not too much slack in the cable before you begin to stop Run your finger along the rim of the wheels. It should feel smooth and flat. It should not be curved inward. Spin the wheel, holding the bike on the stays or the forks near the hub. You don't want to feel any grinding or vibration. Check the tyre for cracks or rips. For a bike that has fewer than 9 speeds in the back and passes all these tests, I would pay $150 or so. 
 
Hope that helps!

I've been paging through this post since I was admitted in the spring and appreciate a lot of the suggestion!
I've moved into a radically new environment - from a small liberal arts college to a large state university, and from living in relatively rural areas to the sprawl zone of an enormous city. I live in a house with three other grad students. I'm just getting started here, but I have a few insights to share for those getting started in the future:
You'll have work/study space at school/in the lab, but you need dedicated study space at home - somewhere where you can leave yourself notes, have things organized for what you need to work on next, keep books and papers. Somewhere that doesn't double as anything else. If I work in bed, then I tend to end up piling up my work on the floor when I go to bed, which then gets pushed around and covered up. Keep it in the right place. So - have a desk you like, that's comfortable, and that can hold your stuff. It doesn't need to be a massive computer desk with 80 cubby holes for everything under the sun, but it does need a drawer at least.
Get some sort of planner. Some of us like minimalism. Some people like a planner with lots of guidance - to do lists, goals, etc. Figure out what you like, or buy both. Spend time with schedule organization. If you use both a physical planner and an online calendar (Outlook, google) you might just end up being better organized by keeping both up to date. It forces you to look ahead at the calendar so that the other can be up-to-date too.
Give yourself some comfort. Do you like to cook? I do. I brought all my kitchen gear with me, including lugging a kitchenaid mixer I don't really need half way across the country. Because time-consuming things like baking, or making a really good meal, are great opportunities to let your brain process things and to think about things outside of the normal stress-and-work context. So I have all my weird kitchen utensils and ingredients and I cook and I think. And I end up with leftovers that save money. Snapware. Tupperware. Buy it. Have some other thing you like to do? Do it. And put it in your calendar and bring the stuff you need to do it with you.
Organization tools - Everyone manages their space in different ways, but if you can keep your space tidy and focused, you can have tidy and focused thoughts too. If your space is messy just because you don't have an efficient way of organizing it, get that efficient way! Get shelves, get a file cabinet, get little organization knicknacks. This stuff is cheap at goodwill. 
Stuff you like working with. An uncomfortable desk chair is going to kill your concentration. You don't need to spend a gazillion dollars to have a good chair, but don't settle for one that will make you not want to do work. Likewise, lighting that doesn't fatigue your eyes or cast weird shadows on your desk or workspace. Think about this stuff as you settle in and figure out what you need to change. Don't just get used to stuff that sucks! Buy notebooks that feel good to write in, and pens that don't hurt your hand. Some method of holding papers in your bag that doesn't leave them wrinkled or torn (story of my life).
There's enough misery involved in the amount of work required to get a graduate degree. Don't make more by refusing address other things that make you miserable. Ask yourself why you don't like, cooking, reading at home, showering, typing at your desk, being in the office. If it's caused by something you can change or work around, make it happen! Is it the noise? The light? The feel of the space or the objects you interact with? 
You're all awesome, super-smart people. We don't need to have a terrible time trying to do awesome, super-smart stuff. Make your space work, or find someone with better design sense to help!
Out.
 

As a Canadian in America, I see this too. It's a little weird in Canada since we use some American spelling (e.g. we prefer "ize" over "ise" most of the time) but we also use a lot of British spellings (we keep the "u" in colour, neighbour, favourite, etc.).
 
For my homework, I spell the way I want to. No one in my program will care. Sometimes, my friend is the TA and they jokingly "correct" my Canadian spelling but no points are removed. To me, it's like saying "to-may-toe" vs. "to-mah-toe". There isn't a right answer.
 
I also keep speaking Canadianisms and when my American friends are confused, I explain to them what I mean. For example, in Canada, we don't say "freshman/sophomore/junior/senior", just "first/second/third/fourth year". Or "Grade 5 students" instead of "Fifth Grade". "Pop" for sweet carbonated drinks instead of "soda". Again, I think the "dialect" of English we speak is no more or less valid than the differences between American dialects in California vs. Florida vs. Boston vs. New York. 
 
The only time the spelling differences actually matter are:
 
1. Writing computer code. My variable names will have the "u" in them, e.g.  "starColour" etc. I guess this can be an issue when I share my code with others, or I edit someone's else code. When this happens, I use whatever spelling convention the original author/primary author uses.
 
2. Writing journal articles. I always follow the journal's style guide, no matter what my own preference would be. When I write for American journals, I use American spellings. When my American colleagues write for British (or Canadian) journals (e.g. Nature), they use British spellings. 

I don't agree. I have my needs met and I don't personally care about other people's needs for the most part. The argument that students should have some kind of automatic collective sense of connection or community is absurd to me.  

I discovered today that my department at my undergrad school made a facebook page about a year ago (which I was invited to like at some point but never saw it). While browsing through some of the photos, I discovered that a picture of me doing a titration was the cover photo for the entire past year up until a week ago. And I didn't get to see it, darn it! Well, at least they love me, anyway (or something like that).

that was a not sure why the sunglasses guy showed up 

Hey Harvard just called me and asked me to tell you that you were rejected from Harvard. Sorry :-(.
 

I developed it all by myself. 

I hate when I complain about my digestive issues and people are like "well avoid what bothers you!" When it changes from week to week that can be pretty damn hard... Ugh

I really hope this person has an English or Communications degree. Assuming the response was spontaneous, this comment makes me feel like I write like an idiot.

How independent you'd like to be changes from person to person. Personally, I wouldn't like the setup you are describing. I'd much prefer someone close whose office I can stop by once in a while to just ask whatever is on my mind. I also think it's important that someone is around to check up on you because sometimes things can go wrong and people can spend a lot of time feeling lost and unproductive; if no one is watching, it can take a while to recover. That said, I know other people who like to be very independent and don't meet with their advisors very often at all, which wouldn't work for me but seems to work for them.
 
A related and very important question is if there is any kind of guarantee that your professor will still be around and active 4-5 years from now, when you are working on your dissertation, and if there is anyone else who could advise you on a more day-to-day basis. This is important both because you will need to form a committee and it's generally nice to have someone around to talk to whenever you need it, but more generally you may end up in serious trouble if your potential advisor is the only person that can advise you and he ends up not being able to do so for whatever reason (this is true not only for emeritus professors, but it's kind of obvious why it's a relevant concern in their case). If the only person you are interested in working with is an emeritus professor, I'd think twice before going down that route.

Ok, you first.

We must meet if we all get admitted!!!  

You win the thread, DerpTastic. 
 
But seriously, is everyone OK? You got housing? Is this person still at large?

Considering the current job market, I really can't disagree with that advice. The issue is when all your options are from top 20 schools or from schools outside the top 20, then the decision making becomes more complicated.

To each their own of course, but I really disagree with the idea that we should encourage others not to be personal and sincere in your acknowledgements. In fact, this is often the only place in your whole thesis where you can express yourself the way you want, instead of the stuffy academic-ness of the rest of the work. I personally really enjoy reading people's acknowledgements and I've leafed through former students' theses just to read the acknowledgements. It really gives you a sense of who they are/were. I feel that this is where you see the "human" behind all the great work.
 
Also, in my field anyways, very few people will read the thesis (maybe not even your committee). One recent graduate of my program wrote "If you read this sentence, let me know and I'll buy you a beer" near the end of the thesis and only one professor on their committee went to claim the drink. My own MSc thesis had comments mysteriously stop 1/3 of the way through so I only know for certain that my supervisor read the whole thing.