Need Coffee in an IV

Not an international student but I'm in a terminal masters program! We are basically free to do whatever we want in the summer, take classes, work, take internships, have a vacation, etc. However, to graduate in two years we have to take summer courses or overload during traditional semesters. But the vacation time (2 weeks) seem typical in science masters programs or at least thats what I got from my friends

I know who I want to be on my committee too, I guess our program is a little weird. We pick our committee at the end of the spring semester. We then take our qualifying exam before we can take an internship or start our thesis. But every professor we have ever taken would submit questions not just those on the committee. But our committee has to approve and monitor our progress. Finally after we finish our thesis or internship, we have to defend. It feels very mashed together lol

Yeahhh I don't any of those kinds of meetings, then again I don't have a committee yet really. The only status update i need to do is a spot check inventory on our collections but thats in june

That GIF makes me so happy. I'm just waiting to see if my actual research will happen or not

That sounds really awesome! My program is in the beginning stages of creating a PhD track. I'll be done by then (hopefully) but i wonder how that will effect funding

@Neist See I wouldn't mind doing it in 3.5 years but my funding runs out of year 2. Sooooo I'm trying to avoid taking loans.

I wasn't offered a TA but a GA position. So I also think it boils down to whether a school has only masters programs vs masters/PhD programs. So I agree with @Paloma . I also liked how my program offered funding for anyone who wanted it, it makes the environment less cut throat in my opinion.

@hippyscientist Yeah I couldn't tell if you were rewatching or not. I didn't want to spoil anything! The 45 credit does seem like a lot but at least I'm funded. A lot of museum studies programs don't provide that. I just put in my IRB, hopefully it won't take long. Is a couple months a good estimate?

I completely understand border patrol shows are an acquired taste . See my degree is a terminal masters so the two year expectation makes sense, but they require 45 credits to graduate. So its an "accelerated" masters, which makes me want to cry ha. See I've watched how i met your mother and i didn't mind the ending exactly. I wish they did it differently though

Omg if you want fun times, watch all the border patrol shows! And I'm already preparing for my tired levels to increase lol. Honestly I wish I didn't have to take summer courses but I have too if I want to graduate in 2 years

Well I hope you get better soon! When I feel super crappy I binge watch awful shows. Biridezillas was always a good/scary time lol. I feel the exact same way, I feel like I've improved a lot. Summer is going to be super busy. I'll be taking classes, working, volunteering at a library, moving to a new apartment, start the process of finding my required internship and doing research.

@hippyscientist thanks! are you feeling better? Can't believe my first year is almost over

OMG I was accepted to a conference! Now I just have to do my project lol. But to make the universe balanced I accidentally disqualified myself from a fellowship. Whoops

I don't have much insight on their reputations but I know ODU well (my brother went there) and I applied/visit UNC-Greensboro. If you want my impressions feel free to ask!

Elementary schools pleaseeeeee let me work with you. I don't all this hard work to be wasted. Also trying to explain my project to my bf was like hitting a brick wall. Yes I know I'm spending money on making this project and i'm trying to keep costs low but I can't get everything for free. I know he's just looking out for me. Also it would be nice if his future employer would hurry up their background check and make an official offer. he's already done one! @Cheshire_Cat instructors really can make a class painful, sorry! @hippyscientist I hope you feel better!

Thanks! And it seems like your husband really does care, he may just not express it in the most thoughtful manner. I know exactly what you mean about parents. I would love to move back to Washington (my childhood was spent there) or Maine. Just somewhere thats colder with mountains and tons of job opportunities. But I know that won't happen. Bf and I decided that we would move back to the Mid-Atlantic region. Its because his parents health is pretty bad so we need to be in a days drive to get to them if something goes wrong. So that leaves Virginia, North Carolina/South Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and maybeeee Pennsylvania. But the areas we looked at are mountain regions and have jobs for me. Relationships are all about compromise!

I did my undergrad at Radford so I also know the Radford/Christiansburg/Blacksburg well. I second @Herringk description! I would have to say that if you love cities then Georgia Tech will be better than VT. However, Roanoke, VA is only 40 mins away by car and it has all the city features. One thing is that prepare for snow if you aren't use to it, snow always happens during the winter months in the Blue Ridge Mountains. But if Georgia Tech is better suited for your interests then you should go there. However, one thing you should keep in mind is the training you will get. Since you are somewhat undecided on your future plans its better to go to a school that offers both academic and industry connections. I think both schools do that. But you should look at the past students' placements. Did they all remain local, national, or international? Basically I don't have much advice sorry! But I don't think you can go wrong with either school.

I'm sorry, this is a tough situation. Unfortunately, all you can do is follow your advisor's instructions and focus on the other parts. Be honest though, did you think that since it wouldn't be graded, then you don't have to try as hard? Did you do anything different this time around since your first attempt wasn't considered adequate? Maybe your advisor was trying to be helpful by not grading the first attempt and instead focusing on what you needed to improve upon.

Use Craigslist! That website is full of reasonable priced items like furniture and looking for rentals. Of course, you should use caution like any transaction. But the website has saved me a lot of money.

Yeah no, don't do it. Sure its a good school but is it worth having a financial dead-weight attached to you for years? Is the prestige worth it? I don't think so.

Hey I have a background in geology too! Honestly, I would try to see if anyone at Oregon State was doing any type of modeling and take that course. That way you can still gain experience even if its not exactly what you wanted. Also Oregon State is investing a lot into your education, which is an indication that they really care about your reputation/outcome. Why else would they invest so much money and benefits? I also think its a good sign that they were upfront with you about lacking technical modeling courses. I would go with Oregon State.

Thank you! I'm so happy/nervous/excited! I'm a weirdo but I love conferences, particularity when they have awesome food

I'll also be presenting in my first conference in Oct! I would suggest maybe record yourself while giving a practice talk. That way you are able to pinpoint what your nervous ticks are, your body language, and how your poster looks like from a distance.

I wouldn't wear leggings, in the only wise words of blair waldorf "leggings aren't pants!". But really I'm just teasing. I think that you should stick with your gray/black look. So maybe a gray blouse, black wash/dark wash blue jeans, a blazer/jacket that is a pop of color, a scarf that has some of the blazer/jacket's color in it, and warm comfy dark boots. You want to have layers because you may be walking outside, then going into buildings that may be extremely hor or cold.

@shadowclaw Ah well I hope it gets better between you too! My vent is that I'm still waiting on major grades in one of my classes. I know grades shouldn't matter but since I'm in a terminal masters, they do matter. I've submitted that work 4 weeks agooooooo. Also I'm super happy that my first ever project/research has been accepted to a conference!!!!!!!!! Now I'm scrambling to get the ball rolling on this, since theres so much paperwork. Also I'm a little annoyed because I almost messed myself up. My project needs a facualty member to supervise me but I didn't know that. So I had to be sheepish and ask one of my professors out of the blue. At least I caught it and my IRB request wasn't turned down