psych21

You know? It's mostly the tiny things that make me get that WOW feeling--although there's some big ones too. For example: -having a great discussion in class -hitting "print" after finishing a paper that took a lot of effort, reading, and it's about an exciting topic -reading interesting prof comments on my papers -sitting in a party having very deep, soul-searching conversations with my cohort -getting my annual review from my advisor and reading wonderful things like "I wish we could clone her." -getting first place at a student research gala in a national conference (and after I told my advisor, he emailed the entire department and bragged about it, lol) -having a professor ask me to write a book chapter + articles together -meeting a prof in another department, who has similar interests, and discussing possible inter-departmental research studies (and see it happen 3 weeks later) -being actually excited about all the awesome classes i'll get to take next semester ...you see, it's mostly small things, but they each give me this feeling that I am exactly where I should be and I would not change this for anything.

Pizza: 715, Rudy's, Wheat State, Papa Keno's Burritos: Pretty much everywhere, Mexican restaurants in every neighborhood Fresh produce: Farmers market from April to September, The Merc or Checkers the rest of the time Cheesecake/cannolis: Try Muncher's. They open 24hr too. Ice cream: SYLAS & MADDY'S! best ice cream in the world. and it's local. Falafel/gyro: Aladdin Cafe, Mad Greek Meat subs: The Merc No idea about the pizza dough, although I'd guess Rudy's or Wheat State would sell it. 24 hr grocery store...well, the only one I can think of is Walmart. Hope it helps

Lawrence ROCKS. So does KC. But Lawrence is even better. Big enough to find most "city" things, small enough to go from one end to the other in 15 min. Traffic is nonexistent and people are friendly. There are many bars where mostly grad students go. If you want more city-like stuff, KC is less than an hour away. I'm doing my PhD here and love the prospect of being here for 5 years. Might even stay, I like it that much.

Weitz, I loved your description of Lawrence--for a short visit, you really got the spirit of the city! That's exactly how it is. Starbucks is not big here, people prefer local coffee shops like the Java Break (open 24hs and features a cereal bar), Henry's (with its upstairs bar), the Mirth with its all-day breakfast, the Bourgeois Pig, Milton's insane Sunday brunch, etc. People support local stores and you can see that. Ben & Jerry's had to close their downtown shop because they could simply not compete with Sylas & Maddy's, the local ice cream parlor, which honestly makes better ice cream than Ben&Jerry's. Street musicians make my day, same as the kids eating cotton candy on Mass St. and walking their dogs. Indie music? Yes! Tornadoes... we get alerts every now and then, but mostly they don't cross through Lawrence, they either go north or south of the city. Just yesterday my prof told a story about his first tornado warning after moving to KS. He and his family hid in the basement, very scared, while the rest of the neighborhood had a block party and were drinking beer outside, trying to SEE the tornado; they knew it would not hit them, and they told my prof he "missed a great show" since they saw the tornado from afar and it was "lots of fun." Yes- get a car. Life can be pretty annoying without one. But you can get away with not using it a lot of the time, especially if you live somewhere in the bus routes. All KU and city buses are free with your KU ID. However, as Weitz said, you will want to get away to KC every now and then, whatever your reason for it: big shopping malls, big name concerts, sports, even partying at the Power&Light District, seeing art at the Crossroads district, or shopping & walking around the fancy Country Club Plaza (especially between Thanksgiving and Christmas when it's full with gorgeous lights) Hail? Yes, unfortunately. Freezing rain and sleet? Yes, and it sucks. It's only a few times a year though, it's not like you'll get it every week. Changing weather is another thing -- we had 75 degrees one day last week and the next day it snowed. However, I love it. Any other questions, here I am!

Fall 2009? Hi, we're in 2011. I don't believe you.

I live in Lawrence and absolutely love it.

I'll add to the good stuff. I LOVE it here. I sit in classes and constantly have that feeling of "yes! this is what I wanted to do! everything I did so far was just to lead me to this point!" Most of them are challenging, which is why I wanted to enroll in a PhD. I need constant challenges. Even though my GRA position doesn't particularly entail all my interests, I'm just glad to be fully funded in a program severely affected by budget cuts. I love my professors, I love my research, I love academia. Oh- I love my cohort. They are absolutely the best. The town I live in is great-- progressive college town, small enough to get anywhere fast, big enough to have multiple cultural activities and ethnic restaurants. This place has four distinct seasons, which I love. I feel I belong here and I don't regret the hardcore move (I'm an international student). No regrets whatsoever. The PhD program is definitely what I was meant to be doing right now.

In my culture, "closeness" is a necessary part of respect. Teachers who are distant from students are not as respected as the ones who share more and are more genuine. So, I am friends with some students on FB. (I teach high school juniors and seniors) My guidelines are: I never add them, they add me; and well, I never post my drunk stories or embarrassing things. It helps me keep my "public" life and self-disclosure in check: if it's safe for my kids to know, it's safe for the world to know. It's only been positive so far. They're stupid enough to publish when they procrastinate, so then they won't come up and try to make excuses! But I will definitely check with my department first before adding undergrads--I don't want to go wrong there.

I love Lawrence. Will start their Counseling Psych PhD program in August. I also heard a car is necessary--even though finding parking on campus can be a nightmare.

Counseling Psychology PhD at the University of Kansas

For the F1 visa you have to show you have financial support for the first year. Your assistantship/stipend counts toward that, and in the best case scenario, it will cover the entire amount. If not, you will have to show additional proof.

I did my undergrad in Kansas. I studied, took the written and driving tests, passed, got a temporary license and had to pick up the permanent one 2 weeks later. My D/S on the I-94 was approximately 4 years, but the license was valid for 6 years. (Still valid. Love it. However, it will expire 2 months before going back to the US. Shoot.)

Oh God... as much as I LOVE my field and believe I was BORN to do it (Clinical/Counseling Psych), there are so many other things I would love to do as well... interestingly, they all involve advanced studies...here are some: * MD... psychiatry or neurology (or both!) * Comparative Literature PhD: getting paid to read/analyze stuff from all over the world! are you kidding me!! lovely!!! * Philosophy PhD as it was one of my first loves. My high school philosophy teacher really changed my life. * Mathematics PhD: I don't get math. Never have. Fell in love with it during my last years of college. Now I think I would love to "get" every reasoning behind every proof, etc. It's the ultimate problem solving. I'm doing a stats class at a masters level (for math MA students) and it kicks my behind every day, but I love it when that moment comes when it "clicks" and I see the big picture. * Chemistry PhD (inorganic, preferably - i hate carbon) * College Counselor for HS kids * Interpreter at the UN (I speak 8 languages and only use 2 on a regular basis - would love to do something else with them!) * Travel agent. I'll take you wherever you want to go, find a reasonable price for it, and have a lot of fun.

I've been feeling this as well. It's such a major decision, especially when there's 2 people involved... (international students at that) I thought I was crazy. Now I realize I'm not! Thanks for posting this!

Wow. It seems like I work at the best place ever. I'm a high school teacher, and I told everyone in July that I was going to start grad school apps. Two of my bosses wrote LORs and were highly supportive. They said they were sorry I was leaving but that they understood. Plus, I'm going through the same thing as my senior students... applications, GREs (SATs for them), essay writing, the waiting game... and admins also like the "example" I'm setting for the kiddos: go and pursue your dreams. (They all know I'm leaving the rather juicy paycheck I get at my international school for 5 years of ramen noodles.) The one weird thing was that I had to tell admins before the hiring season that I would not be returning the next school year--and that was in November, but they were kind enough to extend my deadline until January. By then, fortunately I had already gone through an interview with positive prospects, but I kept frowning at the possibility of being left with no grad school and no job in August. Not the case though... very happy about that!

I'll be 28 when I start. I always knew I wanted to do a PhD, but at 22, straight from undergrad, I wouldn't have had a chance of getting in--and I knew it. Poor research experience despite my stellar GPA. So I took some time off and did other stuff: came back home (I'm an international student), got married, was a TA, got research experience, got a HS teaching certificate and spent the past 5 years teaching HS psych and philosophy. Love it. However, the PhD idea was always lingering: I intended to apply 3 years ago, but I landed a great job with a lovely paycheck, so I decided to save up and do a MS first. I don't regret every single second of it, I learned so much in the process, and I know I was a much more competitive applicant now. It was a tough choice to quit the well paying job that I love and start from scratch, but in the end, this was--and still is--the dream. Now it's become a reality. The kid issue? Third, fourth year of grad school, I presume... (Ideally, two in a row...) The clock is ticking, and I want to be a mommy.

This article blew my mind. Thank you for posting and giving us some interesting food for thought.

Me too! Like the program very very very much, and I am seriously considering attending. Has always been my top choice, however, money matters and I´m trying to make ends meet...

I care as well. We've all been suffering.

First, I had my MS thesis. Plus, I'm taking a regression analysis course with math grad students which is absolutely killing me. That was enough. Then I finished the stupid thesis and started to get a grip on math... enter insanity. Fortunately, my full time job resumed! I teach HS psych and philosophy, and our super lengthy summer break ended. (Yes, summer, I'm in South America) So my kids keep my sanity until 3.30--except for prep and lunch, during which I compulsively check this site, Craigslist, and update my email (which doesn't require updating.) Getting back home is a problem. My husband laughs, and I do all of the following... 1. tutor students 2. alter clothes I haven't used in a while (takes a good chunk of time, for the life of me I cannot sew) 3. clean my house 4. overeat 5. clean some more (I've used some more plates and spoons while eating) 6. again, computer, insanity 7. grad school classes (math made me cry this weekend once again) 8. gym 9. putting prices on our furniture + appliances 10. budgets for next year 11. dreaming about apartments, learning about bus routes, checking cars + insurance... 12. going out with friends and having friends over 13. watching reruns like 90210 (the original), Felicity, etc., as well as all the Big Bang and House episodes 14. and still, somehow, I have time to freak out!

My thesis kept me sane. Honestly. If I didn't have it, I don't know what i would have done. I usually overload my semesters, but last semester I took the wisest decision ever: only one credit (thesis) so no classes. I work full time, though (online masters). I had time to do my data collection, and that was it. After apps were submitted, mid-December, and school was off (I'm a HS teacher) I started focusing on the thesis. Thesis thesis thesis. Little time to obsess... but I also suffered from concentration problems, frequent distractions (updating email! checking the results! endlessly checking the programs' websites!). I was done wit my thesis by Feb 13, and it all went downhill from there! My defense is March 1st, so I had some "off" time... (after doing the power point I'll use). Mistake. If I was already obsessing before that, this past week has been hell. I've been back teaching on Feb 15, and now it's my kids who keep me sane for a few hours a day. But I managed to waste all my prep periods checking this site compulsively and therefore having to stay extra hours to finish up. I am exhausted... and completely unproductive. Yet, again, if it weren't for my thesis, I'd be completely crazy by now.

Lauren, it's actually the combined counseling/school psych program, in the college of education, not the psych dept... I presume I'll be spending quite some time there anyway, though, or am I completely off? Thank you so much for the links, very useful! I'm checking it all out now...

Looks like I'm headed to Tallahassee as well. Really excited. I've read so many bad reviews of apartments online that I think I'll definitely live at that university hotel for the first week/s... any apartment buildings that would be worth checking out? (I'm going with my husband, so no roommate thing...) Thanks for the good beer tips, highly appreciated!