Pink Fuzzy Bunny

I'll admit, I thought all the talk on previous pages about finding the perfect writing utensil was a bit frivolous - I've just used pens from the dollar store for my entire life and had no issue. But then on Thursday my worldview changed when I had to borrow a pen from the guy behind me... I. NEED. TO. FIND. THAT. PEN.

Re: shoes... what is wrong with just walking/running shoes? A nice pair of Nikes will last quite a while (and many, many miles)...

I went to visiting days with my hair dyed a fluorescent blue. I also wasn't sure how to act - I was a first gen college student from rural Illinois visiting an Ivy League, the stress of figuring out how to present myself actually made me nauseous.
Looking back, I'm laughing at how much I overthought it. Just wear something comfy but modest. That's literally the only advice you need. Oh, and chill.

@hippyscientist how long is your program? Aren't you a first year? also SEVEN DIFFERENT PAPERS?!!?!???!?!!? I can't believe you're looking at postdocs already, I feel so inadequate haha.
Saturday I'm heading off to Switzerland/Austria for a week-long vacation. I'm ashamed to admit I've never been out of the country but I'm excited to be fixing that
 

No kidding! We made it! Congratulations, all.

Come talk to me next time:
1: You get woken up by barking because your dog saw a squirrel / the garbage man / his own tail.
2: You have to pick up feces with a pooper scooper or a plastic bag.
3: You can't stay at school for more than 8 hours because you need to let your dog out.
4: You notice a sock, a chunk of a dining room chair, or a cardboard box disemboweled on the living room floor.
5: Your vacation becomes a source of stress, since you can't leave a dog at home for very long without someone coming to check on it or let it outside.
6: You have to potty train a dog, since unlike using a litterbox, having to request to be let outside every time it needs to "go" is not a natural instinct.
Now, of course I made this post in jest... I love dogs, and had both growing up. However, as a grad student, having a cat is generally more feasible. This is not to imply there aren't downsides to cats - this coming from someone who just had to fork over $300 for a vet bill (though that isn't cat-specific), but dogs as a whole require more attention.

That sounds pretty terrible, but it depends on how demanding your program is. I have about a half hour commute into campus each day, and I've been forced to spend the night more than I would really appreciate because if it's 2am and I'm still in lab and have to be back at 7, it's much more reasonable to just crash on a couch somewhere on campus.

Did one of those Sunday night. All-nighters for homework are the most discouraging experiences for me, but I think most people will resort to it at some point. I'm sorry

Yes. Here we actually throw a festival to celebrate the undergrads leaving. I can't wait for campus to be as empty as it was last summer!

For some reason PSU is far worse than Cornell for that it seems! I've been to State College a few times, and when with friends I always go to the Saloon to get a monkey boy (have you been there and had that drink? You definitely seem too classy to drink a pitcher of alcohol but sometimes I misjudge! ) and I've done so in the middle of July and in the middle of October. One was an enjoyable bar experience (if there is such a thing), and one involved being packed like sardines into an overcrowded bar full of undergrads who just wanted to get drunk. 

Like others have said, I haven't had an experience like this. I'm also quite surprised that you are intimately aware of so many others and therefore can generalize their experiences so succinctly.

There are a lot of "honor societies" that exist just to make money from membership dues, and it sounds like Golden Key is one of them. Don't join, it's just a waste of money - for all we know, they send emails to everyone.
Deans' list is something most universities have - if your GPA is in the top 10% (or 5% or whatever, depending on the school), you are on the "Deans List". This is not really a society as a university recognition, you might get a little card in the mail or something. You can put it on your CV if you want, but in general your GPA speaks for itself.

You'll be, what, a year younger than everyone else? Who cares?

I've gotta say, every time the announcements come out and people read their reviews out loud to me, I'm just convinced that some of the GRFP reviewers woke up on the wrong side of the damn bed. 

I went to visiting days with my hair dyed a fluorescent blue. I also wasn't sure how to act - I was a first gen college student from rural Illinois visiting an Ivy League, the stress of figuring out how to present myself actually made me nauseous.
Looking back, I'm laughing at how much I overthought it. Just wear something comfy but modest. That's literally the only advice you need. Oh, and chill.

I went to visiting days with my hair dyed a fluorescent blue. I also wasn't sure how to act - I was a first gen college student from rural Illinois visiting an Ivy League, the stress of figuring out how to present myself actually made me nauseous.
Looking back, I'm laughing at how much I overthought it. Just wear something comfy but modest. That's literally the only advice you need. Oh, and chill.

I went to visiting days with my hair dyed a fluorescent blue. I also wasn't sure how to act - I was a first gen college student from rural Illinois visiting an Ivy League, the stress of figuring out how to present myself actually made me nauseous.
Looking back, I'm laughing at how much I overthought it. Just wear something comfy but modest. That's literally the only advice you need. Oh, and chill.

I went to visiting days with my hair dyed a fluorescent blue. I also wasn't sure how to act - I was a first gen college student from rural Illinois visiting an Ivy League, the stress of figuring out how to present myself actually made me nauseous.
Looking back, I'm laughing at how much I overthought it. Just wear something comfy but modest. That's literally the only advice you need. Oh, and chill.

I went to visiting days with my hair dyed a fluorescent blue. I also wasn't sure how to act - I was a first gen college student from rural Illinois visiting an Ivy League, the stress of figuring out how to present myself actually made me nauseous.
Looking back, I'm laughing at how much I overthought it. Just wear something comfy but modest. That's literally the only advice you need. Oh, and chill.

I've gotta say, every time the announcements come out and people read their reviews out loud to me, I'm just convinced that some of the GRFP reviewers woke up on the wrong side of the damn bed. 

There are a lot of "honor societies" that exist just to make money from membership dues, and it sounds like Golden Key is one of them. Don't join, it's just a waste of money - for all we know, they send emails to everyone.
Deans' list is something most universities have - if your GPA is in the top 10% (or 5% or whatever, depending on the school), you are on the "Deans List". This is not really a society as a university recognition, you might get a little card in the mail or something. You can put it on your CV if you want, but in general your GPA speaks for itself.

Like others have said, I haven't had an experience like this. I'm also quite surprised that you are intimately aware of so many others and therefore can generalize their experiences so succinctly.

Come talk to me next time:
1: You get woken up by barking because your dog saw a squirrel / the garbage man / his own tail.
2: You have to pick up feces with a pooper scooper or a plastic bag.
3: You can't stay at school for more than 8 hours because you need to let your dog out.
4: You notice a sock, a chunk of a dining room chair, or a cardboard box disemboweled on the living room floor.
5: Your vacation becomes a source of stress, since you can't leave a dog at home for very long without someone coming to check on it or let it outside.
6: You have to potty train a dog, since unlike using a litterbox, having to request to be let outside every time it needs to "go" is not a natural instinct.
Now, of course I made this post in jest... I love dogs, and had both growing up. However, as a grad student, having a cat is generally more feasible. This is not to imply there aren't downsides to cats - this coming from someone who just had to fork over $300 for a vet bill (though that isn't cat-specific), but dogs as a whole require more attention.

Like others have said, I haven't had an experience like this. I'm also quite surprised that you are intimately aware of so many others and therefore can generalize their experiences so succinctly.

Yeah, and the second you inch away from the crest of the tsunami, it pummels you into the ocean floor.