beefgallo

To add to bsharpe's examples, there was a student in my program that recently graduated and is considered to be one of the most successful graduates of our program for someone with academic goals. 
 
This person was:
 
1. married
2. had a child during their PhD
3. has a pet
4. played in a band (actually recording and selling CDs)
5. had a lot of hobbies such as building and flying model planes
 
The person achieved:
 
1. almost record graduation time (PhD in 3.5 years)
2. 8 publications (7 as first author) in the 3.5 years
3. multiple tenure track job offers *before* graduation 
 
Obviously, this person is an exceptional case, but I wanted to provide an example that "extra commitments" does not correlate with slower progress.

Sure. I'll put my marriage on hold (so long husband, go find a gf for the next 7 years while I finish my PhD), give my pets away, etc., just so I can focus on research. That doesn't seem like a recipe for disaster. 
 
I am a pretty successful student, I think, and I work maybe 6-8 hours a day (I'm in the humanities, so no lab work, but I do have to work on independent research and I also have teaching duties). That leaves 8 hours of sleep, and the rest of the time to the other so-called distractions. You see, I found that after working more than 6 hours, I was no longer productive. I'd sit in front of the computer staring into space, or rereading paragraphs from a book over and over unable to concentrate.
 
If I didn't have a partner* at home willing to look at my drafts or bounce ideas with (not to mention the emotional support, the cooking when I'm not in the mood to, etc.), a cat to snuggle up to me when I'm having writer's block, or a dog to force me to go outside a couple of times a day so I can go and process ideas during a walk, I would not be successful. Productivity isn't about spending every waking hour "at work," but about making your working hours count.
 
* this could also be a friend/roommate. It just so happens to be my partner.
 
Going out to beer with friends isn't just a "social" activity. We talk about our research... we bounce ideas back and forth. It releases tension but it also allows us to "work" by developing our thoughts. I find inspiration in those moments.
 
The people I know who struggle the most are those who don't have any of those things and who focus exclusively on "work." They live by themselves because roommates are too distracting. They don't have pets. They don't go to anything "social." There's no balance. Their work suffers... they don't really exchange ideas with anyone else, and what they produce reflects that.

This has been my experience as well. My department has an almost weekly happy hour frequented by grad students and faculty. Some people talk about random things (sports, news, etc.), others talk about teaching, others about research. I've found that in some of these small conversations I've gotten great ideas or insights into my research that I hadn't gotten otherwise. Sometimes just being asked to give the 30 second version of your research can force you into thinking about it in a different way or allow someone else to say something you hadn't thought of. Without those conversations, my work would definitely suffer.
 
And yea, I'm one of those people who can't work all the time. Back when I did my comprehensive exams (which were multiple questions over like 10 days), I remember people in my department (mostly those not yet at the exams stage) being surprised that I was still attending the class I was TAing (I was mostly grading but went to every single lecture), working out, and even watching an episode or two of a TV show online. But you know what? You can't work for 16 hours a day for the 10 days without a break. And really, since I was limited to like 25 pages double-spaced per answer, I would've ended up writing way more than I needed if I'd worked that long. Instead, I rode my bike to the gym, worked out with friends (including some who had PhDs and thus totally understood what comps were and why you might need a break), cooked myself real food, etc. It's about knowing what you need to work efficiently and be productive and taking the time to do whatever that is.
 
Back to the original question though:
- Be open and willing to learn.
- If you're in the humanities or social sciences, take the time to just browse the library shelves in your general field and in your intended research area to get an idea of what's been published and what research resources are available to you. (Even better, meet with a librarian early on to make sure you know what your school has and the support s/he can give you.)
- Skim through recent journal issues in your field to get a sense of what topics are current and which are becoming dated. Pay attention to book reviews if there are any and use those to help you find relevant books for your discipline and research area.
- Learn to use reference management software (EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley, etc.) and start keeping track of your references that way.
- Figure out an easy to use system for staying abreast of current/new research in both books and journals that may be of interest.
- Read your graduate handbook (and TA handbook if needed) so you know what is expected of you. Ask questions if expectations are unclear.
- Start figuring out what, if any, courses outside the department you might want to take, how often they're offered, how difficult they are, etc.
- If you're going to need research methods training, figure out how to get that ASAP. In the social sciences, this often means taking courses in qualitative methods, statistics, and/or GIS and seats in those classes can fill because they're attracting students from an array of disciplines. Getting your methods coursework done means you can start collecting data sooner.
- Get to know whomever helps oversee grant apps (NIH, NSF, SSRC, Fulbright, IAF, etc.) at your institution and ask them what you can do beginning now to prepare to apply in the future, when you should be applying, what you'll need to be competitive, etc. And, while you're there, get them to help you set up some alerts for grant announcements.
 
There's probably more you could do, especially related to conferences and networking, but I don't want to overload anyone with suggestions.

Oh I do hope you do not intend to pursue an academic career. Life gets significantly more difficult after you graduate. There are fewer jobs than PhD graduates so getting that postdoc won't be easy, not to mention that first TT job. And once you're on the TT, it's publish or perish (and teaching and service) for 7 years until you're up for tenure. Maybe then you could start having a life, assuming you're not particularly rushed to get that Full Professor rank?  Assuming you're one of the truly lucky ones who gets the perfect job straight out of school and can fast-track the TT, we're looking at a minimum of 10 years of everything on hold. If you're one of us mere mortals, you're probably looking at closer to 15 years of school-postdoc-TT job celibacy. I don't know about you, but I value the rest of my life just as much as my career. Being successful but completely alone for over a decade does not sound appealing at all. You need to start learning how to have a full and balanced life now, because it will not get easier later. 

A professional job does NOT entail you should give up on having any relationships, pets, children, friends, hobbies, or time off to just relax. You are thinking about this all wrong. Thinking about this as a professional job means you devote a certain part of the day (=the working hours) to your studies, and the rest of the time can be devoted to whatever else is happening in you life, including all those other things. It's really important to have something else in your life beside school, whatever that is. Otherwise, you'll burn out very quickly.  

Thank you. I definitely will not decide on the topic of my dissertation prior to starting a program. I currently just have several things that interest me and I will try to figure out how they can fit the program I will soon start. Since it's gonna be a new university with a different research direction than my previous university, there is also the chance I will get into something new I haven't previously thought of.

I saw your acceptance in the results page - and it made me really happy, cause I know how depressing it can be not to be accepted anywhere, really cool!

Congratulations rainbowpink, just got my notice too!

I got a fellowship <3

Wow...

You can rescind your acceptance, but it is possible you will burn bridges if done carelessly. Try to be as polite about it as possible. On another thread, user Vene suggested saying 'After reexamining my financial situation I regret to say that I will not be able to attend next year. I am deeply sorry, but I wish to withdraw from your program.' I think this is a good way to put it.
 
I also think rescinding your acceptance and accepting the funded offer is absolutely the right thing to do. Even if the program you withdraw from is a bit annoyed at you, you should not second guess that. I would be surprised if they take it any worse than being somewhat annoyed, if you do it right.

Don't know too much about differences, but a cursory search says battery life is a concern for the Flex 2 (manufacturer says 7 hrs, but tests say ~3 hrs) as well as weight for both is a bit hefty (or sturdy, if you'd prefer). For both laptops though, it seems the wireless card is rather weak.
 
If you're looking to compare a deal for the Lenovo Flex 2, try checking out this deal (and others on the site): 
 
http://slickdeals.net/f/7786555-lenovo-flex-2-touch-screen-laptop-i7-4510u-8gb-ddr3-500gb-hdd-8gb-sshd-14-1920x1080-led-touch-549-with-free-shipping?v=1
or:
http://slickdeals.net/f/7786583-lenovo-refurbished-flex-2-touchscreen-laptop-i5-4210-6gb-ddr3-15-6-1080p-led-500gb-375-or-1tb-402?v=1
 
If you only anticipate your parents using Skype, this is fine. It's a bit pricey for what you're getting, I would try to see if you can get a deal on this or a similar model.
I would recommend a chromebook for just day-to-day activities + Skype, as they are much cheaper (often <$200) and are long-lasting as well.

This is the machine I'm using right now. I've only had it about a month, but I love it. Its light (which makes a HUGE difference to me after 2 years in a masters program) and it responds very well. I usually prefer laptops with the 10-key pad, but I've gotten used to not having that. The keypad feels pretty good, good spacing. I love the touch screen. The battery life has been great, however I only do word processing and web browsing, not a gamer at all. I originally purchased the 11in, but that was a bit too small for me, so returned for the 13.6in model (with the faster processor). 
 
Hope that helps, I'm not a techie by any means. But I'm use my laptop constantly and have no complaints thus far. 

^ I had similar concerns when I was offered admission into Indiana University's MA History program. I contacted the DGS, and he provided some information (not alot) to ease my mind. He said additional information will be given after April 15th and if I have further questions/concerns to contact him directly. 

I am very happy with my recent Dell purchase. And I caught it on sale at Office Depot for $620.00 
 
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2473725,00.asp 

I'll have to move later this summer. But until then I'm just working and reading whatever journal articles I can. I figure there's no time like the present to start reading up on the literature, even though I have to do rotations so I don't actually have a lab/project yet.
 
What are your plans?

Clarify with them if this is a fellowship (essentially free money) or an assistantship. They may not have a specific job for you yet and that is why. But getting in touch with them about what they expect from you is a good idea.

Of course they will reimburse you! They already promised they would reimburse you. I hadn't gotten any of my reimbursement checks when I turned places down. They decided that it was worth it to pay you to come visit, they can't go back on it now. Please let them know you won't be attending so that people on the waitlist have a chance!

Their website?
 
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/landingpage/promotions/yoga-family/

I can't imagine paying $1200 for a Yoga 3 when you can get similar computers with the same or similar specs for like $700 (for example, a Dell 13 7000 Series). What a rip off. 
 
I mean I bought a laptop three years ago for $1000 that kicks the living shit out of the specs of Yoga 3s. 

If you put an idea out there, you should be aware that it's now in the public domain and anyone can pick up on it and essentially write your paper before you manage to. For that reason it may be wise to strategize about when you start presenting a new idea. If it happens to be the case that there is someone in the audience who works on the same problem as you and is familiar with the literature, you might be supplying them with precisely what they're missing to make their own theory work. In that case, they may beat you to the punch. So, someone could take your idea and run with it, but if their new paper is based on a presentation you gave and on any written materials that originated from your work, then that contribution should be cited and you be credited with coming up with the approach or proposing the idea (even if you didn't have a full theory of it at the time) or whatever else is relevant. If that is not done, you're looking at what you can call "idea stealing." If your original work was cited but then essentially someone beat you to writing the paper that would result from the idea, then that person is perfectly within their rights. It's all about how the credit to the original ideas was given.
 
Of course it still sucks if instead of collaborating, this hypothetical audience member doesn't approach you to discuss your contribution to their work, but I suppose that's not anything out of bounds. Just kind of sneaky and someone who I would mark as a person I want to have nothing to do with.
 
I know this is a real problem in some fields, but in mine people are happy to cite several people for coming up with basically the same idea at roughly the same time (independently). It's terrible if someone beats you to writing your own paper, so it's important to worry about this, but you also need to balance that with being out there and spreading your ideas. So it's a tough problem, but one that everyone deals with. I tend to opt to be out there and be known for saying certain things even if the papers come much later, because I believe it gives me the right image and authority so that people know to associate my ideas with my name. But yes, it is a risk that someone else will beat me to the final punch line.

The abstract is just like any other abstract. You want to explain the background, methods, results, and conclusions but briefly in 150-200 words (or whatever guidelines the conference has given you).

I use Georgia.  I wrote my dissertation in Georgia.  If I'm not using Georgia, then I use Arial or Helvetica.  I only use Times New Roman if the agency specifies that's what they want.
 
I dislike both Calibri and Cambria, and when I teach, I require students use a specific font. In the past out of habit I used to require Times New Roman, but I think I will give them a choice (Georgia, Arial, Helvetica, or the standard Times New Roman).  I'm looking at a grant proposal I'm a consultant on right now, written in Calibri 11-point font, and I want to shoot myself.  It's at 125% and it's still too small!  I have to blow it up to at least 145% for it be decent enough for me to read.
 
I used to like Garamond, but it's too small and light at standard font sizes for my blind eyes to read.  Plus the apostrophes and commas are weird now.

1. I'm not sure what you mean by a proposal. An abstract? It would normally look exactly the same as an abstract you write for a talk. You can find links to accepted poster abstracts on a lot of conference websites these days. Since I see you're also in linguistics, here is a recent one: http://nels45.mit.edu/program.html (you'll also find some version of a poster guidelines there).
 
2. I use powerpoint. You define the slide dimension to the size you want the poster to be, then you work from there. There is a lot of advice out there if you search for "poster guidelines" on google.

Your department might also already have power point poster templates made up with the school logo and at the correct dimensions for their printer. You can also find a variety of templates on the internet that you can personalize.