Cat_Robutt

I'm driving from coast to coast with my cat, so around 55 car hours total. Here are a few things we did on our first bi-coastal move that she liked, but YMMV:
Get a carrier that is comfortable; she has a soft-side carrier with lots of visibility (it's a Sherpa Delta one). Place food in it each day for a few weeks beforehand. Have favorite toys and objects in the carrier as well. Make sure cat has plenty of food and water along the drive. We have Buster's foldable silicone bowls, and at regular intervals (rest stops), I place some water in a bowl and dry food in another. Even if your kitty doesn't want water, having it readily available is key. If cat starts panting, that's a sign of nervousness, heat, and/or dehydration; stop as soon as you can and get them some water. Speak regularly with your cat during the drive. It may sound stupid, but talking to them, touching them, reassuring them can help. If you can travel with another human being who can sit with cat in the backseat and help you out, it makes the trip so much easier. I hope none of this seems obvious or stupid; I've traveled and moved several times with my 15 lbs. very VERY unstable rescue cat and we've somehow managed to figure out a way where neither of us get terribly mangled due to travel. She adjusts a little better now, and I don't have hours of wailing and scratched arms!

I'm finishing up my last semester as a NTT faculty member, and then spending two months packing and working online (test scoring) before I move to Phoenix/Tempe. 
In the mean time, I will be reading as much as I can, making a trip to central Illinois to help my girlfriend pack, and making some last rounds of visits to friends and family in Michigan.

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. 

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.

Yes to layering, and not going out with wet hair! State College is shockingly windy all the time, so investing in a windproof layer and a mask for the winter will be in your best interest. LL Bean duck boots are the best boots for weather I've ever worn, and they have a lifetime guarantee. The company will replace them for you, for free, whenever anything happens. There are lots of options for insulation- I have the unlined version so that they work in the rain too, and I just put in a Goretex/Thinsulate liner for winter. I lived in Maine for a bunch of years, and I wore those all the time. Same with Yaktrax, if you're planning on walking a lot instead of driving. SC is really hilly, and Yaktrax help your shoes to grip the ice when it happens. Also, don't underestimate the power of wool for layering, and if you have jewelry (funky piercings or just regular earrings), remember that the metal will get COLD if you're outside for extended periods of time. 
 

@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. 

Sigh IUPUI was super nice in their responding email! I really liked them, but I guess it wasn't meant to work out. I also have a lot of clothes, but I don't want to leave any of it! @Cat_Robutt I think everyone is nervous about catching up, I know I am. I'm coming out of undergrad but have never done research so I'm nervous that I won't be able to produce good work. Everyone says I think like a researcher, and ask insightful good questions....

I thought I would start a thread for anyone who gardens or is interested in gardening while attending graduate school. I know a lot of us are in urban settings (myself included) who don't have access to lot of space for growing flowers or veggies. So perhaps we could trade some tips and tricks for what works.
My apartment happens to have a small enclosed yard that I can plant in. I have a space that is roughly 3 ft. x 20 ft. I also purchased a small greenhouse from Amazon that I keep inside. It has four shelves and a plastic cover which keeps the heat in (http://www.amazon.com/Gardman-R687-4-Tier-Mini-Greenhouse/dp/B000NCTGQE/), and I have two grow lights in it. Right now, I only have two pepper plants and a tomato plant in my greenhouse, plus several pots with ungerminated plants. I started 8 tomatoes and 8 peppers a while ago in those jiffy peat pellets that swell up when you put them in water. However, my plants outgrew them and they can't go outside until May. So I transplanted them into pots and added a bit of fertilizer, and I successfully killed 6 of each species. I now only have one tomato because my cats managed to get into the greenhouse at ate one. The tomato that's left doesn't look so good. I'm hoping the seeds I just planted will be more successful! I'm not worried about the peppers too much - they fruit fairly quickly so I won't have to wait too long for peppers. It's the tomatoes I'm concerned about.
I also plan to plant corn and zucchini. I'm a little concerned about the corn - I've read that you need a minimum of 4 rows for proper pollination, but I only have space for 3 rows (and even then it's a little tight). I found a few posts on internet message boards where people have planted 3 rows and been successful, so I'm hoping for the best. I'll probably plant the corn next week. I wish I had a little bit wider of a space - I'd like to try planting the zucchini and corn together... the zucchini (or other squashes) are supposed to suppress weed growth by shading. However, I think the corn needs to be a little further apart for that.

Words of wisdom right there.....feel like I need to print that out and periodically ponder it while getting ready to move.

@Cat_Robutt thanks! I've been wondering what area of State College to check out. Bellefonte and Boalsburg both seem like good options as well.

I need to sit down and rethink my life. This is....wow, like, how did I not know about these?

If you do get accepted, please let me know––that's my hometown, and I'd love to give you some recommendations on fun things to do and eat and see

You mean like these:
http://www.maidenjane.com/2013/09/diy-backpack-memory-pillow.html/
http://gizmodo.com/everywheres-a-bed-with-a-self-inflating-backpack-pillow-1616862845

DO NOT ERASE THESE INSTRUCTIONS

1) Click quote on the most recent acceptance list.
2) Delete the quote messages at both the top and the bottom.
3) Find the school of interest on the list. If it is missing, add it in alphabetical order.
4) Write your name next to the school you were admitted.
5) Click submit.
6) Once you make your final decision, change the font of your name to green beside the school of your choice.

Arizona State University: Gradswag
Michigan State Univesrity: kaoticfen
Northwestern University: cikkatikkaskwarr
Oregon State University: megha16
Penn State University (CAS): Gradswag
Penn State University (Mass Comm): Cat_Robutt
Rutgers University: Gradswag
University of California-Davis: Buckeye16
University of Connecticut: Gradswag
University of Iowa: Buckeye16
University of Michigan: cikkatikkaskwarr, TWD2016
University of Missouri: Toast
University of Oklahoma: kaoticfen, gradswag
University of Oregon - Cat_Robutt
University of Pittsburgh - cikkatikkaskwarr
University of South Florida: TWD2016
University of Texas-Austin: Gradswag, cikkatikkaskwarr, Toast
University of Utah: Toast
University of Wisconsin-Madison (Communication Arts): Buckeye16

Thank you, guys for the responses! Great plans. Your comments help me to getting a general idea how you spend summer before the storm called a grad school life. Btw, special thanks to @Cat_Robutt. I really love the movie. 
I graduated a college this month, and am currently working under my former academic advisor. I will be working in his lab until June, and will have a lot of time until September. I might go back home (i am international), or visit my friend abroad. but other than that, I do not have a solid plan

@gingin6789 congrats! I love reading all the posts here and seeing so much support....it's like there's this kinship, and it's really neat. For the ongoing conversation on introversion, I think it would be fun for those of us attending the same school to have potluck dinners and/or book exchanges. Cooking also helps me extend out of my little shy self, and I can imagine all of us love to read. After all.....we're pursuing advanced degrees....that probably means we're nerdy/geeky.

Hi Everyone!
I haven't been active here because I've been traveling to the everywhere.
I officially accepted Delaware's offer yesterday!
Woo! It's finally all over! 

Hi, all! I just formally accepted a school's offer yesterday, so I guess I am an "Officially Grad" now! Yay!
Though I'm excited to finally know where I'm headed, I'm naturally nervous as well (which is a bit of an understatement, really).
I am finishing-up-undergrad-babyface-young and still live with my mom in my childhood home. I never went away to college because my university is about 45 mins away, and I'm anticipating some rough patches ahead of me since this will be my first time "on my own" (even though my new university is only 300 miles/a 5 hour drive away).
I'm sure this isn't the usual situation, but has anyone else been there? I'm starting the apartment hunting process and I just feel grossly unprepared and overwhelmed. I don't have any furniture and don't really want to go buy a lot of it, yet I know furnished apartments are expensive and I'm going to be on a meager (though competitive) MA student salary.
I thought the whole applying and choosing part was hard, but yet again, something else crops up to surprise me!!

Noooo don't tell me this! My cut starts today 4 months of maintaining muscle and getting rid of my bulk weight. No chocolate or sweeties over here. Or wine. Or tequila. Come august all you Penn Staters need to be ready for tacos and tequila (or a soft drink of your choice ). 

Hi everyone! @hippyscientist, thanks for starting this thread. Psyched to see you at PSU in the fall!
I've officially committed to Penn State- I knew it was the right place as soon as I met the faculty, and I can't wait to get there and actually start. That said, my good mood has been slightly hampered by a horrible experience with another school- they accepted me erroneously and probably wouldn't have noticed, but I emailed them to ask a question and they took it back. I was able to register for the housing waitlist and view the admitted students info and everything. It was a massive bummer, even though I knew I was in love with Penn State. They handled themselves really poorly (passing me around, not responding, spelling my name incorrectly in forwarded correspondence that I probably wasn't supposed to see), and barely apologized. I know that I should be over it, because of the dream PSU admit, but it was just so frustrating to actually be treated like a number, ya know? 
Ack, sorry for the sidetrack. Anyway. Huzzah, Penn State, and time to celebrate for real! I keep checking my e-mail waiting for notices about how to register, and then catching myself because it is way to early for that.  

@Cat_Robutt I'm not exactly sure what system we are using for registering and the program does have a clear outline! The only mystery is the 12 electives I will have to take but I'm sure my POI will help me out with that. She isn't my adviser yet but she seems really interested in being my adviser so here's hoping. On their webpage it says that my graduate timeline will be formalized through a committee after 9 credit hours. I know I shouldn't be nervous but I always am when going off into the unknown.

@hippyscientist bonus--I can explain any facets of Amish and Mennonite culture to you if you get confused as those are my people! Tailgating....ah.....yes....

@Danger_Zone I also have communication apprehension, and...I have taught Public Speaking for a year and a half! In my classes, when I lecture I have prepared notes, discussion questions, etc. and do many activities where the class is split up into small groups in order to get them talking. I've found fostering an encouraging classroom environment where I know my students, they know I know them, and they know each other makes both my anxiety lessen, and their anxiety lessen.
This has worked for me personally, and your mileage may vary, but my students know that I am both shy/have anxiety and that I'm dyslexic. This makes me more of a person like them--especially my shy students--and when I inevitably misspell something on the board, they point it out instead of snickering. It's a small detail that has radically changed my classrooms.
I would also encourage you to check out "flipped classrooms" where students are more verbally engaged with material, and to perhaps check out Dan O'Hair's A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking as it contains some tips on managing anxiety.

Yes! My ex was American but from NJ/NY and REALLY into baseball so I know that stuff but the rest of it - teach me everything!!!

Let's do a grad cafe coffee thing later this year! I'll be moving out in August and know no-one so having a few people to hit up chipotle with would be cool. Also I really need to go to a football game and someone needs to explain this whole tailgating thing. 
@yield welcome and CONGRATULATIONS welcome to the grad-cafe grad school family!