Merlin

No dice. VG/VG, G/VG, VG/VG.

On the flipside though, if GRFP results were released earlier, then graduate schools might base admissions decisions on who got them, which would be a double kick in the crotch to those who don't get them.

My default is "Dr. Lastname", unless I hear from them or someone else that they prefer to be addressed another way. One of my professors has a last name that's a euphemism for lady parts, so he has people call him by his first name.

So, I've been reading a lot of funded proposals, and well... does anyone else feel that no matter what they do or plan or write, they have no chance of succeeding?

Not female, but curious - are you distinguishing between different subgenres of metal in your survey? It seems to me that someone who believes that symphonic power metal had a positive impact on their life would be a bit different than someone who believes the same about death or doom metal.

From what I gleaned when I visited for interviews, a car is by no means a necessity, and parking in Ithaca/on the Cornell campus can be difficult and expensive. I will be bringing my car, but that's because my research will be based at the Agricultural Station in Geneva, about an hour to the northwest. There seems to be enough public transit available in Ithaca. As for housing, I'll be living off-campus. I assume there's at least some on-campus housing for grad students, but I wouldn't know enough to compare advantages/disadvantages of both.

Thanks for letting me know. Just set mine up. As for nematodes, I'm more interested in biotic factors affecting their efficacy and persistence in soil (like the presence of predatory arthropods).

Okay, that's cool. I was hella into Ancient Greece as a kid. My work will be on the ecology of entomopathogenic nematodes, tiny, soil-dwelling worms that infect insects with deadly bacterial diseases, and that are used in the biological control of soil-dwelling pests.

That's good. I was wondering when I'd get my NetID. So birchleaf, what specifically are you interested in/going to be studying?

It's a decent-sized city, and the community is very active. Though I'm from a town of 500 (and my house is out in a dirt road in the middle of the woods), so maybe my view of things is distorted.

I'm from Northern MN, which gets way colder than Ithaca (-30F without wind chill is easily achieved most winters, and -45 is not unheard of, esp. in low-lying areas), but Sweden would certainly have more darkness (but is it clear or cloudy during winter? Ithaca is supposed to just be really cloudy and damp during winter.).

And really depressing in the winter, hence the safety nets under all the bridges. I've been told to invest in full-spectrum lighting.

I graduated last fall, so I'm living at home, relaxing, working on a paper based off some undergrad research I did, and preparing to move out to New York this summer so I can get a head start on my research. I guess I'm technically starting in the summer.

I don't have experience with this yet (I will be starting research and lab work this summer), but I can answer your second question. Basically, I just e-mailed my advisor and asked if he had funding available for me to start in the summer. I brought up some ideas on how to start my thesis research, and mentioned that it would be a big help to have another field season. I've heard mixed things about starting in the summer too; on paper it looks good, especially for fields where season matters (soil science, ecology, hydrology, etc.) and the fact that you're getting an additional summer is more important than the three extra months. I might be a little different than most grad students, as I graduated with my B.S. last fall and have had this semester off, so I've had my break and my time to relax, and now I'm eager to start research.

I'll be 20 when I start my M.S., turning 21 soon thereafter.