Danger_Zone

I guess my perception of grad school is a bit different than it really is. I didn't think there would really be enough time. I also didn't want to seem unsure of my first topic by immediately introducing another one, I guess.

I think it would be possible, I was just wondering if others have done this. I do not have a class with the other professor. I do not believe he is teaching one next semester (at least not at the grad level), but I am considering maybe e-mailing him and discussing whether I could possibly take a class with him eventually? I'd definitely like to research this topic further, and was told by my advisor that I would probably not be researching what I initially thought, but this is a fairly different topic so I don't think there would be any overlap between the two topics/professors (at least not that I can think of.) Maybe I can just explain this to him and he can help me come up with an idea of how I can work this into my studies.

That's definitely true. I'll have to see where I ultimately do decide to move (may be more of where I can find a job, though). I don't think I'm that picky, really. I've lived in the same city my whole life and that gets kind of dull, but I think there are positives about many places you could decide to live. Hopefully I can just find somewhere with nice weather and people that is relatively cheap and has a lot of fun things going on.

I guess neither of those things really bother me. I think the idea of living where people go to vacation is kind of enticing, though. I think it would also help fulfill my dream of living at Disney World.

I'm kind of down about having to go to school in the midwest now. I recently went to Florida and I want to immediately move down there. It was so beautiful and sunny.

I can't stand the winter weather (and yes, I'm from Canada ). Not so much because it's cold but, because it's incredibly dry. My skin is completely ruined as soon as it starts to get cold in the fall. I have the same problem with my knuckles too. Lotions and a humidifier help but definitely don't fix the problem. I'm also much happier during the summer. I'm thinking of eventually moving somewhere warmer.

So I've recently been reading up on another area of research that I've found really fascinating that I would like to explore, possibly at the graduate level. It's still within my broad research interests (of modern US medicine/science) but it's completely different from my original research topic proposal and what my faculty advisor researches. Coincidentally, there is a professor at my school who is also an expert on this new topic. Is it possible to conduct research on multiple topics? I know that I would have to focus on one for my thesis and dissertation, but could I still write research papers on the other topic? Or is it expected that I choose only one topic and focus on that throughout my degree? I know you can claim a minor field but I think it might be too close to the geographical area and time period of my original research topic that I wouldn't be able to in this case.

Okay so.. it wasn't actually the thermostat but, our townhouse had one of those dials to turn the humidity in the house up and down, and was supposed to be switched back and forth after you showered to prevent humidity. My roommate used to make the house so dry that I was having nose bleeds constantly! I thought something was medically wrong with me. So I know how you feel.

It's just very unfortunate if that is true. I wish the educational system was set up to recognize and address problems more easily. I know a lot of students are just labeled as lazy or troubled, when many have a genuine problem with learning. I understand that I would be far behind, but if changing careers became something I was 100% committed to I would definitely go for it. But I'm still happy with where I am now and have still managed to exceed my own expectations for myself. I guess maybe it's silly, but sometimes I day dream about being an astronaut, for instance, and it's hard to separate if space exploration is just something I find amazing (like most people probably do) or if I'd actually be cut out for that. Does that make sense? I know my indecisiveness and uncertainty about things is an issue, and I am doing my best to work on it. I think I may have undervalued my own opinions and feelings in the past so I have a hard time trusting my decisions at times. I'm hoping to continue to fix this so that it does not affect my studies. I think I have been able to recognize what skills I need to improve on, and have generally not had many problems in history courses and projects (but of course this is just at the undergrad level.) That actually sounds like an incredible idea! I have been considering non-tenure track university jobs as a possibility because I know that position is becoming more and more competitive, and I would be very content finding a science or medicine-related job outside of academia. I hadn't actually explored this as much yet, though. And I definitely hadn't considered that working for NASA would even be a possibility for me. I think it's helpful to recognize that by being a historian I can still do research about and for science. Thank you for the help.

Like other people have said, there's definitely nothing wrong with wanting to improve a relationship. Just because things could be worse does not mean that you shouldn't feel like things could be better. Family relationships are really tricky and complicated. I can't say I've known what you've done through, but I've had a lot of ups and downs with my family. I love them but I do wish things were easier with them. @sjoh197 Awww that's a really cute sheep!

I think my post may have made me sound a little more regretful than I am. I really do love history and have chosen a research topic that is both academically and personally interesting and important to me, so I have no doubt that I will enjoy myself. Sometimes I just get overwhelmed with feelings of "what if", especially with grad school and moving to another country. I'm also an incredibly indecisive person, so I can't help but stress over the decisions I've made that have led me up to this point. I just wonder where I would be if my struggles throughout school weren't essentially ignored. Maybe I'd still be where I am now, but maybe I could have at least felt like I had more options? I know it is partially my fault, but I was too shy and embarrassed and discouraged from struggling so much. I simply felt like I was too dumb to understand what so many other people do easily. There are just so many things I want to do, and really so many amazing things to do out there, that it's almost unfortunate to be choosing my career path. I can't say 100% if it's poor schooling or not but I've really tried countless things (various tutors, after school programs, trying to teach myself) and it's never really clicked for me, especially for math. And yes, @sjoh197 you're definitely right that I have chosen a good compromise, I really love to read up on science and medicine, and would like to look into volunteering or other opportunities related to science. One thing I would really love to do is volunteer at a science museum/centre. Maybe I will look into that soon. Anyway I appreciate your help, the both of you. Guess my nerves about school are really getting to me.

I think anything could be a good distraction as long as you add a thoughtful task to it. If you like hiking, for instance, instead of just walking you could try adding some kind of activity to it: bring a camera along to take pictures, keep track of different kinds of trees, flowers, animals, etc. that you see, bring a pedometer to track your steps, listen to music, etc. Some things I personally like to do to "shut off" are: draw (even if you aren't an "artist" you can always find an object around the room and try to copy it, doodle or colour in colouring books); watch Disney films (or really any kind of movie where you don't have to think much but which are still immersive, thoughtful or even nostalgic), and video games (I know to an extent some shooters can feel a bit mindless, but I find it really absorbing to play with friends and try to help your team, keep yourself alive, watch out for enemies, plan strategies, etc.) I also agree with @drivingthoughts about board games. There are a lot out there that require a lot of planning, strategy and concentration. My boyfriend and I are big board game nerds so I could recommend you some if you're interested!

I don't know if this is just me having some doubt about my choices to go to grad school but, I've increasingly felt like I've made the wrong decisions for myself. When I was young I used to love science and dream about becoming a scientist. I loved everything.. rocks, dinosaurs, space. But by the end of elementary school I started to struggle greatly with both science and math. I continued to struggle and struggle and nobody helped me, so I became increasingly, almost hateful towards science. In math my parents would spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on me to barely scrape by. I had to hire an expensive tutor to pass with a 53% in grade 11 math so I could graduate. More and more I pushed myself away from the STEM field, because who is going to tell a kid who can barely do long division that they could become a great doctor or astronaut? My last attempt was in university, where I told myself I was going to be a neuropsychologist, all I had to do was catch up on my high school science and math and I could claim a BS major. But it was just too damn hard, I failed and had to drop multiple classes, both in university and at the high school level. I really do love history but, I study the history of medicine/science so it almost feels like I love it because this is the closest I'll ever get to science. It's just hard to know if you should recognize your weaknesses and strengths and move on or if you should have kept pushing yourself. Are some people just not meant to do certain things and they have to accept that?

That's what I thought, I just wanted to make sure, thanks!

As a Canadian student going to the US (on an i-20) do I need any sort of interview beforehand, or do I just take my documents with me to the airport? Do I need to bring any sort of proof of ties to Canada? I currently live with my parents so I don't own any property.

It depends, but personally I would rather have my privacy (and sanity), even if it costs me more money in the end. I lived with at least one suitemate all throughout university and never had a positive experience. You'll have a chance to meet others outside of your house, and considering you will be a busy student with different schedules you may not even see your roommates enough to really become good friends. However, there are issues of noise, cleanliness, and privacy, among other things, that you have to consider and deal with if you live with somebody. Maybe it's just my bad experiences making me bitter, but having to live with strangers definitely stressed me out needlessly. So for a bit more money you could free yourself of any potential problems (there may not be any, but you would be taking that chance of course.)

Even though I'm not always motivated to, I definitely feel 100% better when I schedule in a bit of exercise each day. I can't believe how inactive I was during undergrad, I never want to be like that again! Even if it's a bit of pacing around while reading, or standing while reading, really anything other than sitting all day is beneficial I think. I'm thinking about getting one of those standing desk contraptions.

Nah that's okay, planners are great too! That sounds like a good one, thanks.

I don't mean anything crazy, just some time at the end of the day to spend with my boyfriend or something and forget about school. Obviously my work is important to me, but I'm not going to sacrifice people I care about for it, so I want to make sure I don't completely isolate myself or neglect people. Things might change, but I plan on spending what time I can at school working, because I feel like it would be much easier to find distractions at home. Hopefully I can stop with procrastinating. I used to start projects the day they were assigned as well. I'm usually quite motivated to start the very beginning of a project, but after that my motivation kind of drops off. I'm hoping since I get to focus more on what I actually find interesting than I won't have as much of a problem with motivation. Thanks for the advice!

I'm not even on any social media and still manage to distract myself all the time. I can't imagine how I'd be if I had a Facebook or Twitter account! I'll definitely pick up a good planner, though. Thanks for the suggestion! I'll definitely check that book out. I've looked a bit into books on the subject but there's just so much out there. One of my problems is that I always greatly underestimate how long something is going to take me, so multiplying estimations by 2 sounds like a great idea. I've given myself time periods to finish certain tasks, but would be too slow and have one task spill over into the next task's time frame, and so on, which would end up making me feel kind of discouraged. I've spent too much time being somewhat productive, when I could be spending much less time being a lot more efficient.

He's on Netflix now? That's awesome! Canadian Netflix has absolutely nothing, I'm really looking forward to US Netflix. Watched Bob Ross being streamed on the internet a while back though, so relaxing.

Wow! That's ridiculous. Maybe I will try to take more stuff with me to the airport. I just already have a lot of clothes, but maybe I can just ship those instead since they're lighter?

I think I've always been kind of poor at managing my time. During undergrad, it seems as though it took me much longer to complete tasks than others. I feel as though I could have done much better, and had much more free time, if I had learned how to better manage my time (and also procrastinate less, I suppose). I'm hoping to not make the same mistake during grad school. Does anybody have advice or tips on how they best manage their time efficiently? Or perhaps any other resources or books on the subject, especially if it pertains to school? I know this is a very general question, but good time management and organization seems especially important in grad school since it is much less structured. I just want to make sure I get the most out of school while also making sure that I have some down time for hobbies and such. I'm very hard working but I can't see myself surviving without a decent amount of free time!

I can't say for sure whether that would damage your computer, but I've had the thermal paste on my fans melt when the room got too hot. So something like that could possibly happen. I don't think heat is generally good for computers, though. I'm also wondering about how to ship things. I'm thinking about taking most of my clothes with me and getting my books shipped, but it's going to be really pricey if shipping charges go by weight. I'm not sure if it's best to ship a few heavy boxes or multiple lighter ones. I'm going to the post office this week so maybe I can ask about what to do!

Power Rangers was my childhood.