Danger_Zone
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Posts posted by Danger_Zone
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@hippyscientist That's awesome news!!
Also thank you for the yoga suggestion, definitely going to check out that longer session. My family's house is just super cramped so I don't know if I have the room right now.
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I just bought my plane ticket!! I'm really excited but my nerves are starting to set in more. New country, new school, new place to live, this is too much!
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@marycaryne Happy early anniversary!
@hippyscientist Glad to hear yoga works so well for you! I wish I had the means to do yoga right now, I'm pretty stressed at the moment... Do you use online videos or DVDs or..?
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I haven't even thought about insurance.. There's too much adult stuff to do, good grief.
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I only took a few philosophy classes during undergrad but I've always enjoyed it, especially the topic of ethics. I would recommend Ethics: The Essential Writings and The Ethics of Ambiguity. The former is an extensive overview of ethics by many big philosophers (Plato, Nietzsche, Kant, etc.), and the latter is an existentialist view of ethics by French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir.
If you are at all interested in medical ethics, I think Doing Right: A Practical Guide to Ethics for Medical Trainees and Physicians is an interesting read as well!
Hope that helps!
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6 minutes ago, marycaryne said:
I am an evangelical Christian and my husband is an ordained reverend. We both agree that if anyone shows any hatred towards another person, they are not a Christian no matter what they claim...the Bible speaks VERY clearly about not hating our neighbors and loving one another regardless of a difference of lifestyles, beliefs, etc. We can disagree with someone without resorting to hatred or even a dislike. Just on the most basic level, showing any hatred towards another person because of their religious beliefs, because of who they love, etc is just an opportunity to shut the doors on open communication. How can we expect anyone to listen to us if we are too busy hating them?
Maybe it's because I grew up in a family that is very diverse...my parents are Protestant, my extended family is Roman Catholic (primarily by name only), I have one aunt who is a lesbian, another who is an atheist, some are white, some are Hispanic... It has just taught me that no matter where we stand, we can still love each other and be there for one another. I really don't get why people who may disagree with a different lifestyle cannot simply just care for another human being. Last I checked, Jesus wasn't hanging out with the Pharisees.
As far as Westboro goes, nothing they say or do surprises me anymore. I wish the media would stop giving them attention because it isn't like they are going to change. So why keep giving them the press they want?
It is sad that kind religious people like you and your husband are overshadowed by the very few sick fundamentalists who twist religious beliefs in order to spread hatred and fear. The fact that these people are covered in the news all the time only gives people a bad impression; you're never going to hear about a person who practices their religion in order to improve their lives or be happy. I've never been religious myself, but I've always been fascinated with how much it can influence people to do both wonderful and horrible things. I couldn't understand their beliefs but I've had many friends who were very religious but were also kind and charitable - these are the kinds of people we need to hear about, not Westboro.
I try not to let these things bother me too much because I know the news is essentially bad news, but it depresses me. And whenever somebody brings up that I'm moving to the US for school I get to hear about how I need to be careful not to get shot.
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34 minutes ago, St Andrews Lynx said:
It could mean "freshman" as in "first year graduate student". Maybe? It's weird if they advertised as graduate housing but then mixed you in with undergrads.
I'd be getting myself onto Facebook/LinkedIn once i have their names to work out if they're really freshman.
I was thinking this as well, but during my final year of undergrad I lived with a Master's student, so it could very well be undergrads (though there's a much bigger difference between freshmen and grad students living together than there is with a senior undergrad and grad student living together.) Otherwise I think there is usually designated undergrad and graduate housing. It makes more sense this way anyway.
I honestly had enough of living with other undergrads as an undergrad (the only decent housemate I've ever had for 5 years was, coincidentally, the Master's student!), so if you don't think this is the best situation for you then you might consider asking for a re-assignment. I wouldn't worry about being perceived as snobby or anything, it's up to you if you want to give them a chance or find other arrangements. It's important that you are comfortable with who you are living with. The last thing you want to be dealing with during grad school is roommate issues. But as @St Andrews Lynx has said, I would try to find out if they are actually undergrads or not before making any decisions.
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19 minutes ago, sjoh197 said:
I grew up in an independent fundamental baptist church and school... and I am very familiar with how many religions try to justify their dislike or even hatred towards gay people.
I try to never dissuade people from their belief system until it begins to encroach on the rights of others. And murdering people is definitely past "encroaching on rights".
Yeah you're definitely right about that. You're allowed to think or believe anything you want, but once it starts to negatively affect others then it becomes a problem. But there are a lot of things people are adamantly against that do not directly affect them in any way, not just somebody's sexual orientation.
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3 hours ago, sjoh197 said:
@Cat_Robutt @jlt646 Maybe its because I am very anti-religion, but I just really couldn't give a rat's ass about what consenting adults do in their own bedroom. It never ceases to amaze me how many people shove their hatred on the gay community.
Believe me, I am not religious by any means, but using religion or any other belief system in order to justify purposely being rude and hateful and violent towards anybody is beyond disgusting. I will never understand how you can be so against something you don't agree with - something that doesn't even affect you - to the point where people die because of it.
I'm pretty anti-religion too, yet I try to respect people and don't shove my beliefs down their throats because they're different than mine. Weird concept to some people, I guess?
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@sjoh197@Pink Fuzzy Bunny I'll probably end up doing it as long as my boyfriend wants another cat (I think he has a love/hate relationship with his cat. :P) I really wanted a dog but I would feel bad about being away from home all the time, so that might have to wait until after I've graduated.
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1 minute ago, sjoh197 said:
Better if you do it right. Our cat was very clingy and dependent. We searched specifically for a companion for her... Meaning we wanted a cat to compliment her personality... Not ours. Getting a young and well socialize cat that is already spayed/neutered really helps too. There's lots of articles online if you look up companion cats for cats.
I'll have to look into it, thanks! I'd definitely want to do it right. She is young and pretty friendly, but a bit of a trouble maker. I just wouldn't want to introduce an accomplice.
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@Pink Fuzzy Bunny Congrats on your new cat! He/she is adorable!!
I've been considering getting another cat after I've settled in because my boyfriend's cat is oddly clingy and dependent (she really doesn't like to be left alone for any amount of time), but I don't know if that would make matters better or worse.
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15 minutes ago, 5kids said:
I like that you are planning vacation now. This way you have something to look forward to in the middle of the semester, when everything starts hitting you all at once.
That's the idea! I Even if things get stressful (or once they inevitably get stressful) I can just remember that I have a relaxing vacation waiting for me.
I only had my first real vacation recently, but it really did wonders for me in terms of relieving stress and being able to relax. So I may be planning a lot of them during grad school.. for my health of course. 
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I don't think the fit of the school matters nearly as much at the MA level as it does at the doctorate level. So if you are planning to continue your education after your Master's, I think your work at this school will serve more to demonstrate your research abilities. I think you should still be able to work on a research topic that is close enough to what you are interested in, especially if there are faculty still working within your area (even if not specifically on the Civil War.) In any case, I still think it's okay to do a Master's thesis on a topic interesting to you, even if it is not the exact topic you had planned based on your research interests. If you do end up doing a PhD, this is where you would have the opportunity to research the Civil War, or whatever it is that you are truly interested in.
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9 hours ago, TakeruK said:
Yeah, I know how you feel. Although after a few years of grad school, now I think booking something more than 4 weeks in advance is "far in advance". Don't worry you will definitely be able to see your family, it's just a better idea to wait until you know your commitments! So you'll still be able to make plans a few months in advance!
Also, most of what I'm saying applies more to those who are working as RAs as well. If your funding is just from TAship, then you might not be required to be on campus other than your TA duties so there may not be as many restrictions on your vacation time. And like fuzzy said, some supervisors are okay with you being out of town and working instead. When I was writing about breaks above, I was thinking true vacation time where you don't do any work. But to clarify, there are plenty of students that even spend several months away from campus and work remotely (especially those in long distance relationships).
Well I e-mailed to clarify and was told I have the same holidays as others, only at the end of the semesters my break doesn't begin until grades are submitted (I kind of assumed this would be the case.) So my holiday starts a few days later. I think I'm going to be on an RAship in a few years so I will re-clarify what the policies are then. I'm glad I've made sure of things, now I can go on and plan my vacation soon!
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It's unfortunate, but very common for students to struggle their first year or so. Depending on what school(s) you apply to, the graduate committees may put more weight on your final years, so this is where your grades are going to matter most. Obviously it's best to do well all throughout undergrad, but you have more than enough time to improve your grades and GPA (not that your grades seem that bad at all, they sound good to me but I can't tell you grade expectations for math as it's not my field.) Work on improving your grades and trying to gain some research or volunteering experience, this will definitely help with your application. Do well on the GRE (especially the quant portion) and I think you will be quite competitive.
I think the fact that you really enjoy math and are passionate about it is really going to help you succeed. Spend the next few years honing in on your particular interests so that you have a more solid grasp of what you would like to study during grad school. You are also starting to think about it so early, which helps immensely as well. However, I would try to address your mental health issues and test taking anxieties as soon as possible. You definitely do not want to carry these issues with you through the remainder of your studies, and especially not grad school. Have you looked into any mental health services or clinics available at your school? As for your test taking worries, could you discuss this with a professor or somebody who could help you come up with strategies to cope?
Hope this helps!
(P.S. I don't know of anybody who isn't happy to help younger students with advice or questions. I think it's great that you have a good sense of direction with your studies. I definitely had no idea what I was doing until the last couple of years of undergrad. I wish I had thought about my life after graduation sooner and had a place like this to ask for help.)
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14 minutes ago, Apogeee said:
I bet it does, but if you're going to be buying tickets, it wouldn't hurt to ask to make sure that the dates apply to you!
And congratulations on your placement.
I've sent an email just to be sure. I definitely wouldn't want to book anything without knowing when I will be needed. I just hope I get some time off or I don't know when I'll ever get to see my family!
And thanks!
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10 minutes ago, TakeruK said:
This depends on the policies of your state/province, your school, your department and your supervisor.
At my school, the official policy is that graduate students get all University holidays (11 or 12 days per year) plus 2 weeks of vacation time off. We are expected to work the rest of the time. For Christmas in particular, the University holidays are all the weekdays between Dec 25 and Jan 1. In essence, we should be working whenever the administrative staff is working.
In addition, our 2 weeks of vacation must be scheduled and approved by our supervisor ahead of time. This is the same as any real job though. So, I can't just take 2 weeks off whenever---I always talk about vacation time with my supervisor ahead of time and figure out a good time to do it (i.e. during an experiment would be a terrible time to do it).
So, the short answer is likely no, we do not have the same breaks as undergrads. Just because classes are not in session does not mean that we have the time off. We should have some number of vacation time but that depends on your school and your department.
I think you are starting grad school this fall right? If so, I would not make any plans for December/January yet. You will likely be able to get a week off, but you don't know when that will be. Wait until school starts and see what your responsibilities are and whether or not you need to get vacation time approved. Once you do this, then you can make vacation plans. For example, at many schools, exams might go until Dec 23 and if you are a TA, then you may have to keep working and grade exams etc.
So that's the policy side of things. In reality, at my program, people don't really keep track of our vacation time. I think I can pretty much get whatever reasonable request I want off, but in general, I try to keep it within the official vacation time limits. I usually work on random holidays though (e.g. Columbus Day, Memorial Day, etc.) that aren't meaningful to me and take a different day off instead. I just give my advisor(s) a heads up before I plan a personal trip (or if I'm staying an extra few days/week at a cool conference place).
For visits home, my family and my spouse's family does not do Christmas so we always try to avoid traveling during the Christmas season. I find that it's best to go home during American Thanksgiving week. They get Thursday and Friday off and so it only costs 3 vacation days to go home for a week (my spouse has a "real job" where vacation days are carefully tallied). And, travel outside of the US is generally pretty cheap during American Thanksgiving because most people are flying to various places in the US to visit their family.
I think I will talk to the department about their policies before planning anything then. I just like to plan things far in advance especially since I have to book reservations and plane tickets and such.
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5 minutes ago, Apogeee said:
In general, the academic calendar's list of breaks applies to everyone, and you should be able to find that now on the Internet for your school. However your department could possibly have other ideas. Be sure to observe the exam schedule, too. Are you going to be a TA? You will probably have to turn in your grades first. Everyone takes break at the same time in all of the places I know of.
Yes I will be a TA, so I assumed I would be in school until exams are finished and grades are turned in. I have the calendar and schedule provided by my school online, but I wanted to be sure that this schedule applied to all students. I was thinking of checking with my department to be 100% sure.
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Do grad students get the same breaks as undergrads, such as a couple weeks in December for Christmas? I'm planning on booking a week long vacation sometime in December or January, but wanted to be certain that I'd have that time off and am not expected to keep doing work during the holidays (not that I wouldn't if I felt it was needed though, of course.) But then again some people act like you never get a break..
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20 hours ago, jlackey said:
Related question: Can the topic and time period of the writing sample be different from that which you wish to pursue in grad school?
I think this is fine. It helps that the topic be similar to what you want to study, but I don't think it necessarily has to be. You aren't really expected to have done a significant amount of research on the topic you are proposing, I think the writing sample is more to showcase your writing skills and ability to use a variety of primary and secondary sources. The paper I submitted for the school I'm going to attend was a medicine/science topic, but was during a different time period and location than what I plan to research. Also remember that some people who end up getting a Master's or PhD in History may not even have a history background, so they may be submitting a writing sample on a new discipline altogether.
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15 hours ago, Sigaba said:
Find a copy of Natalie Zemon Davis's Society and Culture in Early Modern France. Not only is it a work that can change your life (and not just in an academic sense), the introduction is an excellent example of how a master of the craft can connect topics together.
Alternatively, you could find collected essays in your fields of interest and see how the editor pulls things together in the introduction.
If you need additional support, let me know.
Thank you, those are all great ideas. Looks like the book is on Google books so I'll have to read it soon.
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3 hours ago, Sigaba said:
IRT the push/pull in different directions, it happens often with graduate students. If you can articulate (in casual conversation, in seminar, in office hours, and in your writing) the themes your different interests have in common and draw connections to historiographical themes in your main area of interest, you're going to be in a very good position. As Americanists tend to over-specialize, I recommend that you explore how Europeanists, especially those who focus on early modern Europe connect the dots between disparate topics. You could also explore the influence of political science (the dreaded "case study") upon history.
Yes, that's definitely something I've been thinking about. I think depending on how I approach the topics I could demonstrate similar themes or look at them through similar contexts. I'll have to look into this more, though. It would be ideal if somehow I could merge these ideas a little better.
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8 hours ago, rising_star said:
Why wouldn't there be enough time? If you think about it, you'll be taking seminars on a variety of topics (in terms of region and in terms of time period), which means there will be opportunities to write final papers on a variety of topics. During my MA, I wrote a number of papers on various aspects of my MA thesis topic, which worked because I was in an interdisciplinary program and because my thesis topic overlapped with several broader subfields. Let's say my topic was Golden Delicious apple production in WA state. I wrote papers about apple production more broadly, farms and ag policy in the USA, migrant labor and apple production, pesticides, climate change, industrial ag, etc. Related but not identical to the topic of my thesis. As a PhD student, I actually wrote more diverse papers which didn't even all connect to what I thought my dissertation would be on. That came in handy when I had to scrap my proposal a few weeks into data collection...
The question about time is really one about how you see this other topic fitting into your broader research agenda. Could you pursue it in one or two class papers at first or do you want it to be something you spend 50% of your research time on going forward?
I guess since it isn't really something I could pursue in a minor field (at least I'm assuming I wouldn't be able to) and it differing from my original research topic, it would just be hard to justify spending a significant amount of time on it. Initially I would want to just have it as side research and not spend as much time on it, but if it did end up being something I'm really enjoying I would want to pursue it further. They're both in the US and similar time periods so they do have some things in common. I was just nervous about not already having a solid idea for a topic at this point. Guess I shouldn't worry so much.
We've wined, we've waited, now it's time to celebrate 2016
in Officially Grads
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Poor thing! When one of my cats was a tiny kitten she was constantly trying to jump into the toilet for some reason... I don't get the appeal.