dippedincoffee

Tbh, you probably will want to find roommates to rent a place together. I don't live in Long Beach but still in LA and know that in Long Beach you are looking around $1900 for a studio and around $1600 for a 1 bedroom. You will want to be on the lookout for where to live, growing up I always thought of Long Beach not being the best place to live (crime, etc) but I have been there recently and there are now some better areas. Hope that helps! One other note, you may want to look outside of Long Beach for a cheaper place.

If it's in the SoCal area, definitely not worth moving right now and save on rent.

Hmm I guess that is true. I guess we can only wait and see. I reckon LA county will remain in shutdown mode until August, or at least that is what has been reported. There are already testing sites throughout LA county and we're opening some non-essential businesses this Friday... idk, wonder how this is gonna play out.

I'm guessing the UCs will follow as well. Kind of sucks, but people's health is more important.

I would just send a thank-you card. Do not give gifts.

Are any of these funded? In my opinion it is not worth doing an advanced degree without getting funded, especially in science.

I personally don't live in DC, but my sister does! She went to grad school at American University and now has a job there, loves the city. It is pretty expensive to live there and I found that many people I know live outside of the city for cheaper rent. I would definitely look into getting roommates to be able to afford a decent place. Other than that, I think DC is a cool place. There is a lot of free stuff to do and in general people are very accepting. A lot of people don't know this but DC actually has a large African American population and so I think that adds a lot to the atmosphere.

If your programs decide to be totally online in the Fall, will you go? I'm curious because I wonder if it is worth it. Was wondering about undergrads as well, especially freshmen. Part of going to college is the community experience. I also don't think it is worth the money.

I would definitely add in your volunteer work. I'm in a very different field from you, but still Biology, and have a section for it on the last page of my CV. Some PIs apparently could care less about science outreach and/or volunteering, but whatever.

Hi there! For my Master's I had to move cross country from California to Georgia and I did it alone. I planned it pretty carefully, with all the stops planned out and had maps in case I lost service (free maps at AAA). Personally I donated a lot of stuff because I wanted to start fresh. Sometimes buying stuff at the destination will be cheaper than shipping/renting a trailer. I fit my whole life in my small car. If I were you, I would call up UHaul and other companies to get a rate for a trailer. Then look at the cost of shipping your items and compare. I would guess shipping will be more expensive, depending how far away the place is that you are moving to. Cheers!

Moved out to LA to be with my partner. Finally got a job but then the offer was rescinded 10 days later because of COVID-19. Meanwhile, still waiting to hear back from the PhD program I applied to, which I had guess I was waitlisted but they didn't bother to say. Can't they just say I'm rejected now? Jeez.

In my opinion, yes. They should have everything figured out by next week.

Hi there! So I'm going to answer this in what I think is the most realistic way: say you do get a PhD where you do some research off the coast of China. This will allow you to make connections with whatever local government you are working with, local fisheries, the local universities that will help you, etc. Then you have to do a post-doc. This increases your training and connections in science. So it is theoretically possible to be able to do field work there and even possibly get a job as a faculty member at a university there. I know for a fact that some use English as the teaching language. HOWEVER-- everyone who decides to move to another country where the official language isn't theirs SHOULD learn the local language. Being a Marine Biologist doesn't mean just diving and catching your organism, sampling the water, or whatever. It means working with local fisheries, government, the public, and other scientists. And let me also ask this... why would Ocean University of China hire you, a foreigner, over a Chinese marine biologist who not only speaks their language, understands the laws and customs, but also has connections and understands the ecology and biology of the area? I hope none of this came off harsh, just giving you something to think about.

Hi everyone, I am an applicant for the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Biological Sciences (IDPBS) at ECU. I applied on January 15th and still am waiting to hear back. I first emailed my prospective PI in the beginning of March to ask when I should hear back and she said soon... waited 2 weeks and still nothing so I emailed the graduate school and they said they had no clue. So last week I emailed the graduate program director of IDPBS and she said I should hear back after April 15th. Crazy, right? I should assume that I either got waitlisted or rejected! Because graduate schools have to let everyone have to the date to accept or reject their offer. Has anyone else experienced this? Either in the same or different program? I don't know if this is the normal for ECU. Honestly turns me off from the school.

Also starting to apply to universities, though no clue yet where. Graduated with a 2.97 GPA but in last 60 credit hours with a 3.07 GPA. I have a 150 in Q, 155 in V, and pending for writing. Applying to only Masters programs in Marine Biology and super panicked about getting into anywhere as well!!