hippyscientist

@TakeruK thank you for that - really helpful! I will talk to the school tomorrow - my department have been amazing so far so I hope they will be amenable. I totally get the perspective of the international office, it's just very frustrating jumping through the hoops when they don't seem to be important for my degree. The extra funds I have to provide are so I meet the "minimum expected expenses" set forth by the school - in reality I know I will spend substantially less than these projected figures having spent a reasonable amount of time "living" in the US previously. I have a nest-egg of savings that I will be taking with me, plus an early inheritance from my gran so I will have a comfortable amount in "emergency money" I really am not too concerned about living costs once out there - it's just getting the darned visa! Thank you again

Hi all, I'm getting very frustrated with the process for getting my I-20. I have a full assistantship (~$20,000 per year including health insurance & tuition) for 3 years for my PhD (I'm entering with a masters and they're counting that which is why it's so short). I thought for the financial guarantee it was only for the 1st year to get my I-20 issued. I've had to show proof of ~$2000 extra dollars from my own account to bump my total income above the schools threshold. However, they've declined to issue me an I-20 until I provide proof of funds (~$120,000) for years 4 and 5 (of a program that isn't a 5 year program). This is causing a big issue as my family don't have this sort of money just lying around to be able to sign a guarantee. Was I wrong that the I-20 only accounts for the first year of funding? This is causing so many headaches!! Any insights are welcome!

Aww thank you for the suggestion. My Mac is my only "computer" at the minute and I don't want to mess anything up with it. So no fiddling around with partitioning hard drives for me at the moment. I think on Monday I will ask my supervisor if we can install the free software under his account if I don't figure something out tomorrow. It's just so frustrating seeing as I'm used to working in a medical field - this sort of stuff, I just have no experience of using! Oh well, more tools to add to my toolbox I suppose.

Alright I gotta vent. My discipline - I love it - but it's such an amalgamation of many other fields. One of the closest linked (in terms of methodological stuff) is filmmaking. We use similar motion capture methods and with my current research I'm using animation software and having to learn the intricacies of different video formats, I've got video editing software on my laptop. This is such a head-bender! My head is totally spinning about converting one video format to another - I've resorted to asking reddit for help! It would be made 5 million times easier if my university would let me install 1 free-trial software onto my PC on campus. But no - I'm not allowed to do that and will be told off by the administration team (i.e. not allowed to graduate) if I do that. So instead I'm trying to work around Mac and Windows formatting differences and it's just a total headache. If someone has a PC and is near me and will let me install Adobe After-Effects CC on it and let me process 9 videos (it'll take like 10 mins all the hard work is done) I'd love them forever.

@anxietygirl congratulations on submitting your thesis - it feels so good!! @RCtheSS woohoo! Congrats on making it official. Now we just gotta wait to start!

Oh dude, I am so ready. I love the way my masters has been structured because we had theoretical taught elements in the first semester, practical taught elements in the second semester and now we're just left to do our research with only stats labs timetabled. It's great training for transitioning between undergrad and PhD. I can't wait to start the PhD in August!!!

My hair was pitch black when I first dyed it back a reasonable colour. It's faded to a dark chocolatey-brown. I just got told by my supervisor that I was working really hard and that he's really impressed by my ability to figure stuff out by myself gold star for hippyscientist! I'm glad he's impressed because this has been really challenging. My field involves quite a lot of computer work, but I've never had to process videos before (figure out their formats, deinterlace, correct for lens distortion, reconstruct frame-by-frame to remove the effect of slo-mo) and I've taught myself everything I've needed to get to the "interesting" part of my research. What's complicated is I've been processing on both mac and PC as some programs are on one but not the other. It's been fun figuring out something so out of field, but I would quite like to stick to stuff I know, or will be used commonly in the field, for the PhD.

But @Pink Fuzzy Bunny the pink and blue was awesome!!!

This. I just don't get it. Why do we have to get into debt and be bad at managing our money for the system to recognise it?!?! Why do I need credit if I'm not going to use it? It just is full of logical fallacies. It drives me up the blinking wall. The whole American loan system scares me. The UK is pretty bad but I was very fortunate with grants and scholarships that I don't owe a huge amount and the interest is very small. The US system on the other hands seems to debilitate and be prohibitive in moving forwards at times. Yet another thing I don't understand! No one should be forced to take on excessive debt to make it through the first step on getting into many careers. But unfortunately that's the way it seems to have moved over the past generation.

@haltheincandescent I have a credit-card but like you am using it just like a debit card. I just don't understand credit and I don't think I ever will. Like I understand the principle, I just don't get why it exists. My parents had to battle with me for ages to make me see I actually need a credit background despite the fact I've managed my money pretty well so far. Unfortunately my UK credit score means nada in the US so I get to start from scratch. Yay /s. I am having my bank write me a letter saying that I have been a good customer - no bad things at all. While not accepted anywhere, it should help sway that I'm not some highly crazy person to take a risk on (I hope). It's going to be pretty frustrating at first - all the things I want to put on a credit card like furniture, cooking equipment, school books are going to have to go on my UK card, get paid out of my UK account and THEN I transfer my money over once that's paid off. Ugh such a faff.

Mountain medicine is a thing my dad and his buddies concocted when they were on "boys ski trips" and it was passed on to me when I became of age. You basically mix a bunch of dark, high-alcohol content "manly" spirits together in a hip flask, so if you become stranded in the cold it will "warm you up". Basically a good excuse to get blotto, but it does end up delicious. Of course, your traditional hot toddy also works wonders (hot water, lemon, honey and whisky). NB terrible idea for actually trying to survive, but it makes you feel badass. Glad to be of some service. @jlt646 those yaktrax things look amazing. Will second the recommendation for thinsulate stuff - I have timberland boots I'll be wearing which will be lined with cosy socks when it gets really cold. Also, thanks for the tip about piercings - I hadn't thought of that. It's been a while since I've been in the cold so I guess I will be investing in a few plastic bars.

@Cat_Robutt I had a break between my undergrad and my masters and it probably took about 2 months to really stop feeling rusty. Best thing I can suggest is looking over old notes, having a look at relevant forums/online publications - heck even doing a google scholar search in the area(s) you're interested in before you start. Try and look at the work critically and it will also remind you of what you sort-of know, and whether anything new has happened while you were away. Also, get ready to read - A LOT. Maybe less relevant to you as you're the humanities? but when I moved up to masters I was shocked at how much reading was expected of me. @Pink Fuzzy Bunny at least they emailed you to remind you. That was nice. I've been seriously saving my money (as best I can with little income) this past year but as I know I'm not going to be in the UK again for a while, I'm trying to do nice things before I leave. I already have 2 expensive trips planned and I want to try and get down to the coast at least once. It's going to rip a little bit of a hole in my finances doing these things, but I should still have enough for the first few months.

Sorry if these are really obvious but they're the ones I can think of off the top of my half-asleep brain. Use your heating otherwise frozen pipes which burst are a possibility! We have that in the UK and it doesn't reach anywhere near the lows of State College. Things like cotton suck for keeping you warm - you sweat into them and they remain damp all day. Walking on ice don't walk heel heavy - that's how you slip. Don't pour boiling water onto frozen car windshields. Slow cookers are amazing. Throw food in them in the morning and when you come home you have a lovely warming stew/something. Uhh remember that while it's cold outside, buildings tend to be heated so wear comfortable clothing under your outer layers. Keep a good stock of whisky/brandy/port in the cabinet to make mountain medicine. If it's really cold outside, going out with even damp hair will cause it to freeze and break off into your tea (okay this one maybe not common because most people have an iota of common sense but it happened to me). Anyone else fancy chipping in with anything? I should add there's a lot of info on the boards around the IHOG and random chats about moving to cold climates if you haven't found them already.

It was actually on a visit which drove this point home. An outside seminar speaker was presenting his research, and I was lucky enough to attend. There was a large Q&A section following his presentation, and the current PhD students and professors asked very insightful, tactful questions that basically amounted to "why the heck did you do this? it's pointless and utterly worthless". I mean I felt sorry for the guy but it was a really interesting insight into how academics think, how to critique tactfully but also how to defend your work. My goal going into my PhD will be to have confidence without arrogance, acknowledge I know very little but may be considered an expert by some and remain true to myself by checking in every once in a while. @janetjanejune closet inventory is challenging considering it's currently spread across 3 locations!! I'm trying to pare it down into clothes I've worn in the past year, to include travel and accounting for temperature discrepancies in where I'm moving to. In some ways I'm lucky because transatlantic flights mean I can't bring much so I'm being kinda harsh on myself with regards to clothes. There's a big bagful atop my wardrobe which I realliy need to start selling but haven't got around to yet. Now I've started my research full time maybe I will be able to find a few minutes.

At least you've had a break - not a long one, but it's there. In theory the quarter system works but in practice it really doesn't. The supposed time off that comes between quarters doesn't happen in my masters. My course is set up in terms - autumn (September - Mid January), spring (Mid January - May) and summer (May - September). It's a one-year course so they expect us to work "10 hours a day, 6 days a week, 48 weeks of the year" (it's a 48 week long course). I get why, but it's incredibly draining. I try to take days here and there to relax but it's tough because you need to be doing that level of work to keep up. It's ridiculous to think that starting my PhD will give me a break (at least the first month) by only having to move, set up in a new location, find my feet, figure out TAing, start classes, fit in in my new lab and pass my drivers test.

It never ceases to surprise me at others writing. I was proof-reading a friends essay the other day and it was awful. He's in his last year of undergraduate and applying for medical schools, while I am doing my masters. I honestly wrote better at school. I don't know how we allow people to get through to upper levels of education without a capacity for writing coherently. Good luck with getting through the papers. Thanks! I think I'm apprehensive because I sat there about a month ago and another student was really accusatory towards me. Just gotta stand my ground but I don't relish it.

Things like this make me want to start grading. I'm really curious! Also, I'm interested in seeing what American undergraduates cover vs what I covered, and how the assessment criteria differ. But I can also totally see the flip side of feeling depressed with the upcoming students. Try and stay sane. Maybe if you grade while undergoing a drinking binge yourself it might become more tolerable? (Not that I am suggesting excessive alcohol consumption...) My vent is a small one today. I start my research at my desk tomorrow. My desk has been officially assigned to me, but because we're midway through the school year, a girl has been sat at my desk since september. Normally this wouldn't be a problem except the computer at my desk is the only one on campus which has the software I need for me to do my research. I'm going to feel like such a bitch asking this poor girl to move.

@Pink Fuzzy Bunny that's so exciting!!!! Hope all the moving goes okay. I'm stuck where I am until the beginning of August and I'm getting really itchy feet about moving. My pinterest board is all how I'm going to decorate my new place.

It depends what you want out of your time while doing a Masters. Birmingham and Glasgow are cities with lots of things to do outside of the university, whereas Loughborough is a town in the middle of nowhere which really only centres around the university. While it has reasonable public transport links to other places, these can become expensive if you travel frequently. I am not in your field so do not know the reputations for these universities within it, but do know that all three you are holding acceptances for are well reputed generally. You mentioned the scholarship for Loughborough, which suggests cost of living is a factor. As I've previously said, both Birmingham and Glasgow are cities and thus there are plenty of housing options, lifestyle choices, many restaurants and easy access to specialist food stores. However, that comes with a slight price (although nothing like the cost of living down south!). If you want to talk to students currently in the programs, maybe email the department and say you're holding offers, trying to decide and would like to hear from current students about their experiences? One other thing to consider is course content. Is it similar across courses? Does one place have a closer alignment with your own interests? Where has the best networking opportunities for afterwards (I would hazard a guess at Birmingham here)? These are all questions to ask yourself. At the end of the day, only you can make this decision based on many factors! Good luck!

@yayspace when I moved my ex from NY to CA we sold stuff, put sentimental things in store or with his family and took the rest with us in the van (which we converted into a camper). Like @Need Coffee in an IV we tried to make a bit of an adventure out of it, taking a more circuitous route, staying with friends or in the van as we went. I think the longest day of driving was 14 hours (across texas...that was hell. Started out in College Station, ended up the day in Las Cruces, NM) but we always stopped for food, curious side-trips etc. In terms of stuff, we took very little - just clothes, surfboards, bikes, fishing rods, camping equipment, cooking stuff and a big refrigerated chest for our cold stuff. We also had his mattress on our convertible bed in the back. I mean it's not going to work for everyone, but if you think you'll use a camper beyond a moving trip it makes life pretty fun!

I'd like to weigh in on this. I am currently finishing up a 1-year masters before starting my PhD this fall. I can conclusively say that without the masters I wouldn't have got into my top choice. HOWEVER, it was not because I did my masters. The contacts I made were invaluable - one "superstar" in the field, and another who is a PhD graduate from my new PhD school (same program). I made a huge effort to network with these two individuals in the two months prior to submitting applications, and only one agreed to be a LOR. These contacts were especially helpful as I applied as an international student. It was very challenging applying with a partial masters, with no grades or transcripts. All of the schools I applied to were confused by the situation, and many schools wouldn't even accept an application from me. All the points fuzzylogician points out above are very valid, and I experienced all of these. I was eventually admitted based on my undergraduate degree, but funded as if I was admitted with a masters (as I technically will be). My undergraduate degree was okay but not outstanding (~3.3 GPA), due to a variety of personal things going on, and I felt I needed the masters to prove to myself I was capable of graduate level work. I will be entering my PhD with a clear research goal, with my own research in the process of being published as first author, and a lot more confident in my ability to be successful. It's your choice as to whether you wait to apply after you graduate - it's certainly not without challenges, and you need to find POIs who are willing to work around those issues, and LORs who are willing to work with you having not known you too long.

I need to celebrate so I am here. In the past two weeks I've written 15,000 words of work - a 3000 word article, a 2000 word article and a 5000 word research proposal. It's almost done just layout and formatting to go. I cannot verbalise how freaking happy I am! I found enough words

@sjoh197damn that's amazing! I love the colours. Always mad respect for people who can draw/paint/make pretty things!

Thanks @fernandes. I ended up contacting my department who were more than happy to explain. For future people reading this - ask! Things get done then

I have my application for my I-20 come through and as I'm on full stipend with tuition remission and 80% health insurance I thought the financial guarantee thing would be easier than it's turning out to be. I have to prove I hit a set liveable income, and my stipend falls just short. So I figure, no problem, just upload a copy of my bank statement showing additional funds to cover the difference. Well now they want a financial guarantor to authorise these funds- WHICH ARE FROM MY OWN ACCOUNT? The online process will not let me upload just my own bank stuff without the guarantee from a sponsor. Has anyone else experienced this and figured out a way around it?