beefgallo

I am going to present my first poster presentation at a conference (also, my first presentation of anything at a conference), it's gonna be a poster based on parts of my MA thesis.
 
I read a bunch of stuff here in the forums and generally online, on how to prepare and what a poster should look like.
 
Main points I got  - not too much text, visual aids (graphs, charts etc.), prepare a 2-3 minute explanation about what's presented in the poster, maybe print handouts people can take with them, some design tips etc.
 
Do you have any tips or something you didn't think of while preparing for presenting a poster and later realized?
 
Also, what would you say (it's hard for me to imagine, since i've never printed a poster) is the minimal size of font one can use in a text box in a poster?
 
Any feedback will be appreciated.

What makes you think I'm a guy? 
I am also not sure why you think that you are in a position to judge someone whose life circumstances you don't know at all. There are better ways of conveying your *opinion* than calling someone's actions "ridiculous," "insane," or "dumb".  

I am of a similar mind, but I feel you could have come up with a way to say this without being a raging asshole. 

Wow, it sounds like you are over-thinking this. You advisor gave you advice about when it would be best to contact POIs. If you had asked me I would have said the same, because a lot of professors are on vacation now and haven't begun planning for next year. This is obviously not to say that no one has, just that on average you'll probably get a better response rate and catch people when they are better informed if you reach out in the early fall than in the middle of summer. Unless your advisor expressly forbade you from contacting other professors (which I doubt!), I really don't see the problem in telling him that you have a meeting set up with someone who you met at a conference last month. Don't psych yourself out about "going against his advice" or about someone else "spilling the beans". Relax, there was an opportunity because of a conference, you took it, and it looks like it worked out for you. Just tell him matter of factly that this is happening and ask for his advice for preparing. Don't act like there is anything wrong, because there isn't. 

There are grad apartments with kitchens. I actually think all of them have kitchens, but I wouldn't over-generalize because I haven't been to all apartments.
All Ashton-woods apartments have kitchens and I believe that all/most Orchard Downs apartments do too.

If I were you, I wouldn't worry as much about the particular project. Interests shift over time and what you think you want to do now may not be what you will want to do in 2-3 years. I think more important questions are whether you generally like the program and whether you got along with the PI. Having an advisor you get along with is SO much more important than having a project that is the perfect fit. I would choose a better advisor over the better project any day of the week. I wouldn't recommend choosing a project you're completely uninterested in, but as long as you find it at least somewhat exciting, I would give more weight to these other considerations. Another question you might want to ask is about placement records for recent alums. If this is a Canadian school, how does it do with placement in the US, assuming that's whether you want to end up (and more specifically, if you are looking to go back into industry, do companies generally know and respect this school?). Good luck with your other applications!

I beg to differ. Do NOT accept an unfunded offer in linguistics EVER. It's not worth it. Living expenses are high, tuition is expensive, you'll end up with a ridiculous amount of debt and/or you'll spend your time working a second job and won't be able to concentrate on your studies. Your first job(s) are unlikely to pay you well enough to justify the debt. What's more, even students from top schools who are fully funded and well supported and do nothing other than brilliant linguistics for 5-6 full years often have trouble finding a job these days, so coming from a school that didn't even like you enough to fund you isn't going to look good. This is not to say it is impossible, but assuming that you will be the exception that beats the odds is never a good idea when we are talking about a significant amount of debt and years of your life that may not lead to a (good) job.
If you are set on applying to grad school and didn't receive the offers you were hoping for this year, you will be better served taking a break, improving your application, and reapplying again in a year or two. 
OP, you have nothing to lose by following up, reiterating your interest in the program, and asking again if there is any update to their funding decisions timeline. I would suggest doing that and then waiting it out. Please do NOT accept an unfunded offer, it will not be good for you and it will not make you more attractive to the program or more likely to receive funding. 

Thanks, guys! Your suggestions (I have considered a closet, for real) help. I do have an office at work, but I was trying not to spend more time there than I already do. My son really needs to know I am going to in the house after work, and my spouse is the stay-at-home parent, so I guess I just need to have another talk about "do not disturb." Emotionally complicated stuff, as usual, from parent-spouse-professor-doctoral candidate land. I wouldn't change anything about my life, but if one can manage it, youth is the time for such academic shenanigans . . .

This great webseries Carmilla.

Just catching up with the last season of Orphan Black... it's an amazing show.

The process is simple (probably vary on your port of entry and your country of origin though). You go up to the customs desk and you give them your passport (with your visa, if applicable), your DS-2019, and I believe your boarding pass. They will check it over and ask if this is the first entry to the US on this status/visa. They will probably ask you a few random questions about your plan in the United States--what school you're going to (even though it's on the DS-2019), what you are studying, etc. They may or may not ask for additional documents to support your DS-2019, such as an admission letter etc. so you should have them easy to get to (but don't give it to them until they ask).
 
They will also ask you general customs questions that they would ask for any visitor on any status, such as items to declare. They will know about any bags you have checked because they will scan your boarding pass and images of your checked bags will appear. They might ask about the contents of the bag.
 
Overall, it's just a series of simple questions (and sometimes just confirmation of stuff in your documents) to ensure that you aren't lying. Answer honestly and calmly and everything should hopefully go smoothly. There is a small chance you might get "secondary screening" which means you will be taken away from the main area and there will be more questions in another room. I haven't experienced this, but an incident a few years ago made the number of secondary screenings for international students rise dramatically for that short time and my school's international office sent all of the international students an email letting us know that it might happen and to not worry etc.
 
Unfortunately, if you miss a flight due to immigration, it is considered your fault and the airlines aren't obligated to help you out. But if you ask nicely and politely, they can do a lot. My friend once accidentally booked a return flight on an entirely different day (departing 8pm on Monday instead of 8pm on Sunday). He arrived Sunday afternoon at the airport, explained his mistake, and they put him on the 8pm Sunday flight at no charge even. Obviously, you cannot count on this, but if this happens, you would hopefully only have to pay the change fee instead of buying a whole new ticket (or also paying the difference).

Not TakeruK (or an international student for that matter), but I've had accounts at multiple banks for years. It's partially because in the event that my debit/ATM card gets stolen for one account, I still have access to money until I can get the other card replaced. I actually keep one account's card at home in a safe place in case my entire wallet gets stolen so that I'm not completely penniless while I await replacements.
 
Each credit union is going to have different requirements for getting a credit card. It's hard to generalize about what specifically is going to be required. If you go with one that is used to working with students, the requirements will probably be lower. 
 
Regardless of what bank/credit union you go with, pay attention to any account fees that you'll be charged. There can be fees unless you have a certain number of transactions per month, keep a certain minimum balance, etc. 

Looks to be significantly safer than the national average, with a trend towards there being less crime as time passes: http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Laramie-Wyoming.html

I have contacted POIs at almost all departments I applied to last year. I have checked out their work and tried to understand whether they are suitable potential advisors for me and if they were I did mention that I have read their work and that I am interested in their research; I also mentioned that I will be applying, gave information about my thesis topic and my research interests and inquired about whether they will be accepting new students for the following year. 
 
Most professors I have contacted have replied, some simply said that they will be accepting new students, or that that they will be on sabbatical that year. Others seemed interested in my thesis topic and asked more questions about it, and one asked how do I see my interests fitting with theirs - to which I gave a reply which pleased them. One of the professors who did not reply, replied later after I mentioned contacting them (after being asked...) in my application form and said they did not notice my email when it was initially sent. 
 
All in all - prior to doing it - I felt that by contacting POIs I will be 'bothering' them in some way, but after doing it - I realized it was a good way to introduce myself and understand if there is a basic fit.

Just to put this out there, there are university jobs and funding that you can get that are not attached to either overseas/language study (like FLAS or DAAD) or a TA or RAship. At my institution, TA and RAships over the summer are almost never offered to first or second-year grad students - there is a limited number of positions and priority is given to more advanced students. I don't know a single person in my 1st year cohort who was able to land one this summer.
 
Several people applied early (in late fall/winter) for funding outside of the department, like FLAS or a research grant from a study center or external organization, but I went down a different path and landed a half-time job at a humanities institute on campus where I get to participate in career trainings and run their digital communications. I get paid by the hour rather than receiving a stipend, but I'm making plenty of money, and the connections I'm currently making have made me eligible for a great yearlong fellowship starting this coming fall. Don't be afraid to explore other campus options for employment/funding outside of your department.

No, you do not need a return ticket to enter the US on J1/J2 visas for graduate school. It's not possible to know when you will leave next when you are here for such a long time! I have entered the US on J-1 (and my spouse on J-2) 3 times since 2012 and every time I entered on a one way ticket.
 
I can see that you might be expected to have a return ticket if you are on J-1/J-2 for a short program or if you were entering on other visas for a short trip (it would be suspicious if you said you were visiting a family member for 2 weeks but only have a one way ticket, for example).

Yes, in my experience with a previous J-1 visa and traveling with my J-2 dependent, we entered the US with one way plane tickets and it was OK. You are not expected to know when you are leaving exactly.
 
But this was my previous experience (a few years ago). If not sure, you may want to ask your School's  international office.
 
I was a Fulbright scholar and the program bought my ticket, it was one way. But now that I remember, my J-2 had a two way ticket, but it was because he needed to get back a few months after and stay home for a couple of weeks, regardless if I could travel with him or not.
 
But I don't really think it should be an issue at all. I mean, you are in for a long time in the US and the same that applies to you as a J-1 holder, applies to your dependent. But then again, if in doubt, ask your School.

Definitely, what you stand to lose is not worth being shy about money issues.
 
Maybe it is a cultural thing. However, I come from a place where this should be more acceptable, culturally, this is just a personal issue for me. 
 
Also, the kind of relationship you have with your advisor plays a major role in this, if it's a person i'm in a great relationship with - I will be relatively comfortable talking about these issues. Otherwise, I would be rather afraid I would express myself awkwardly and that I might be perceived as rude/greedy/pushy and overthink the whole thing.
 
Well. I think it will be ok and that it's good gradcafe exists to discuss such issues.

I'm in the last season of Happy Endings, which seems like a quirky almost-replacement of Friends, but not quite.
I started watching South of Nowhere, which is pretty old but pretty good. I also caught up to Game of Thrones, which makes me want to read the books and I'm mid-way through Flash.

The good thing about funding being a sensitive topic is that everyone feels this way, not just you. We would all love to pretend funding doesn't matter and that we just want to do great research, but everyone knows that we don't live in a pretend world. So, even if it comes out a little awkwardly, your professors will understand because they have been and are currently in similar situations too.
 
If you read blogs online by professors, you'll see that they also encounter similar uncomfortable-ness when discussing things like salary, promotions, lab space negotiation, making arrangements on how to split the pay of a group/lab member etc.
 
I feel very comfortable talking to my supervisor about things but it is still a tiny bit awkward to ask about getting money to attend a conference for example. In many cases, I know the money is there and I know they will agree to pay for it, but I still need to ask because I don't want to develop an attitude where I just assume I'll get all the money I need. But talking about money is a critical part of this job as well as many other jobs outside of academia.
 
Also, it might be a touchy topic or make you a little uncomfortable to talk about, but the way I see it, the consequences of not talking about it and then missing an opportunity or getting screwed is way too high. I'd much rather endure a slightly awkward conversation than suddenly find myself with way less funding than I expected.

I oscillate between really excited and really panicked. But definitely looking forward to this major life change!
 
rainbowpink is so right, the application feels like a distant memory now. Those were crazy ups and downs!

I'm so excited to start in the fall. I'm definitely enjoying the free time right now, although I also have some research work to keep me feeling productive.
 
The whole application feels so far away now, but I can still remember I was feeling throughout those months. I hope I'll be able to be helpful to those applying this fall.

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/research/linguistics
 
http://www.lel.ed.ac.uk/lel_students/postgraduate/index.php
 
https://www.tcd.ie/slscs/postgraduate/taught-courses/linguistics/
 
http://www.ling-phil.ox.ac.uk/pros_graduates
 
http://www.mml.cam.ac.uk/dtal/postgraduates
 
These are just universities whose names came to mind, I imagine there's more.

Like rising_star said, senior grad students are a good resource. For them, I'd say early is actually better to ask. They may give you information about grants or such that have early deadlines (I've seen several summer grants with January/February deadlines), so finding out those early is better. TA/RAships for the summer may not have info that early though, so your December/January timeline should be fine for that if you're speaking to professors.
 
Just to give you a sense, I've managed to get grants from several sources for the last two summers, and also during my MA. If you can apply to multiple, you're more likely to get enough to live on. Good luck!

Yep, DAAD is for going to Germany. I mentioned tht as example.

For grants the fin aid office should be always available.
for TAships I d recommend asking the secretary if there s a job board or mailing list you can check; and otherwise let profs know you are looking for opportunities for professional dvpt (don t mention money though). Once should be enough.