Danger_Zone
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Posts posted by Danger_Zone
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13 minutes ago, knp said:
Right so I'm just another incoming graduate student who likes to pretend she knows what she's talking about, but why wouldn't you be able to pursue both for a while? Will you have a class with the other professor? I have very defined research interests, but even I'm not expecting to or interested in writing every paper in every course on that subject. I am not going into academia because I want to write the dissertation I proposed in my statements—I'm going into academia because that was one of many research projects that excites me. Graduate school sounds like a great time to explore some of those other interests on the side, even as I pursue my main project. Anyway, how else would they expect you to develop follow-up projects for after the dissertation, which they do, if they start off your graduate training by forbidding you from thinking through those interests?
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.
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2 minutes ago, spectastic said:
I would consider Austin a vacation destination. when you get past the honeymoon period, it's just another city. Sure, I appreciate the liberal and diverse culture, and the awesome landscape. But it's a matter of time before that becomes the norm. It's easier to be happier here, than say... anywhere else in texas, but your surroundings ultimately is what you make of it.
now i'm contradicting myself with my comments about florida.
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.
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1 minute ago, spectastic said:
I've never been, but I hear it's a dichotomy of really old people, with small sects of wild party venues, neither of which particularly interest me.
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.
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Just now, spectastic said:
yea, never moving back to the midwest. I figure somewhere that's south enough to not experience tornados, yet inland enough such that in 50 years, when florida is underwater, and the coastal dwellers are massively migrating, your property becomes the new coast.
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.
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5 minutes ago, spectastic said:
one of the things I appreciate about the south is the higher humidity. I get soaking wet in sweat, but I'll take that than the dry blistering winter I was getting in iowa. the skin on my knuckles would crack when I clinch into a fist. and I remember one time in high school, a friend stayed over. He pinched my nose to take me up, and my nose started bleeding. nose bleeds were a common occurrence for me too, and I've always been pretty healthy.
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.
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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.
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32 minutes ago, spectastic said:
anyone engaged in thermostat wars with their roommate(s)? We've been dialing back and forth between 72 and 75F, until I pulled the unit and emptied the battery such that the AC stopped working altogether. but it appears someone has figured that out... must revise war tactics
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.
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54 minutes ago, Sigaba said:
If one of the predominant theories of cognitive educational psychology is correct (and I believe that it is), your inability to master math to your satisfaction is the fault of your instructors and tutors, not yours. That is, when a motivated student cannot reach her goals, her teachers have failed her. They failed to match teaching tactics to your individual needs.
It's up to you to decide if you want to spend more time and money finding someone who can get you to where you want to go. However, according to the work of K. Anders Ericsson, it is increasingly unlikely that you're going to "catch up," at least to people your age who have been refining their skills all along. This doesn't mean you cannot be a neuropsychologist, or any other practitioner in STEM. This just means that you're probably going to be older than your peers when you get to where you want to go. Given your subsequent post, the age difference may be a "trigger" that you struggle with from time to time.
I very strongly suggest that you start, as soon as possible, addressing the passages in bold. As a graduate student in history, you're going to have to make many decisions very quickly and, sometimes, under a lot of pressure. The craft of history requires a lot of sorting. Examples include books you need to read cover to cover, and books you can skim; interpretations that advance historiographical debates and those that don't. As you advance in your work, you will be expected to make these decisions faster and faster, with the crucible being your qualifying exams, but especially the oral exam.
IRT your struggles with learning, professional academic history is generally a field of knowledge that is self taught; all the more with the growing generational rift between established scholars and each incoming class of graduate students. Consequently, you're going to be on the spot to figure out which skills you need to develop and how. You may also have to figure out how to push your professors to teach you what they know even though some may prefer to ignore you.
IRT finding the sweet spot between history and science, have you considered the possibility of being an "official historian" for the Canadian Space Agency? Or, if you're willing to become an American citizen, NASA, or private companies like SpaceX?
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.
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On 6/8/2016 at 7:14 PM, Need Coffee in an IV said:
I know that my relationship with my dad could be worse and that people go through a lot of pain caused by their parents. I still wish we could have a nice relationship.....
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!
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1 hour ago, spectastic said:
Various people learn differently. the US education system is profoundly inefficient in addressing people's learning styles. What ends up happening is that potentially talented people get weeded out of their beloved topics, because there's always someone else who loves this topic equally, can take tests well, and fill that need in society. So I think the key here, before you completely throw in the towel, is to understand how you learn best, and how that contrasts with how you're taught. I learn best by demonstrations and practice, and I fall asleep at the textbook. Others learn better with textbooks and exams, but they might suck in the lab. I hated electromagnetism in school, until I learned that the left/right hand rules actually come in handy when it comes to electric motors and generators, which I think are really cool. If I were to do it over, I'd get a EE degree... anyway, I think it's wrong to judge a person based upon talent alone; that should be pretty obvious. Many talented people who do well in school don't do well in society, because they don't possess the discipline to coach themselves. The opposite is also true for certain people who might have a slow start, but don't give up, and instead focus on continuous growth. If you're interested in science, I say go and learn it. Go at your own pace. Use open source material or things like Khan's academy, and structure your learning based upon how you think you learn best. Don't be discouraged in your abilities because the school system says so. fuck the school system
45 minutes ago, sjoh197 said:If someone were indeed to tell you that at this point you could make up your basic science and math deficits with extra schooling... would you actually take that up and change your career? Because the reality is that some people really can/can't do some things, and some people are just victim to poor teaching and different learning styles. Which you are... I couldn't tell you. I struggled significantly through grade school, particularly in math. I made d's in math all the way up to algebra and then bam... math made sense. Biology, chemistry, physical science... didn't do well in any of them. But now I am a scientist (well, will be). I love science. College (and homeschooling through high school) allowed me to teach myself the way that I learn. I have never doubted my love of my field. But if you are having doubts, the time to think about them would be now... not years from now when you are too far in to look back.
If you love history, but also love science... and are studying history of science, that sounds like a pretty good compromise to me.
And... to be fair, you don't have to be a scientist to enjoy science. Have you thought about involving yourself in a less "in-depth" way. For example, volunteering at a science museum, or joining a local science club. Would something like that be enough to satiate your love of science? There are lots of people who do those things who don't have a career or even a background in science.
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.
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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!
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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?
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35 minutes ago, TakeruK said:
No, Canadians are exempt from the visa interview so you just take your documents with you. If you are flying from a Canadian airport with US preclearance, then you actually "cross the border" in the Canadian airport. If you are doing this and you are extra worried, then you can come to the airport really early so that if you end up needing documentation you don't have, you can go home and get it and return early enough to catch your flight.
You do not need to show any proof of ties to Canada. Again, @jujubea could answer this better, but I think there is an understanding that most students like us would not own property. In the chance that they ask you what you plan to do after your degree, the correct (and honest) answer would be to return to Canada because it's unlikely that you already have a job offer that will allow you to stay in the US. I think at this point, they mostly just want to know that you are not using the student visa to try to attain some sort of US status because the purpose of the US visa is to be in the US for study.
That's what I thought, I just wanted to make sure, thanks!
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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.
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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.)
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On 6/1/2016 at 4:38 AM, hippyscientist said:
I disagree with this - I've got fitter in grad school than undergrad. By scheduling the gym into my day it's become routine and it only means getting up an hour earlier. This one is all about mindset. Actually a lot of these are about mindset. That's not to say that people don't say all these things, because they do, and there's definitely periods where they're true but that doesn't have to be the norm. Good time management and organisational skills can make a huge difference.
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.
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6 hours ago, sjoh197 said:
I know its not exactly what you asked, but I really found this planner set-up to be the most useful and productive... with the monthly calendar first, followed by the weeks on 2 page spreads, with each day having plenty of lines. Makes it easier to glance the long-term, but really organize the short term.
There are lots of other people who make them too.
Nah that's okay, planners are great too! That sounds like a good one, thanks.
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1 hour ago, Agrippina said:
A decent amount of free time and grad school seem to me to be mutually exclusive. Maybe it's just different in your discipline. But I have a great deal of outside reading to do, and although I am a fast reader, I feel like it's hard to keep up with all of that in order to become an expert in my field.
Still, as to how to manage tasks and avoid procrastination, I got rid of my tv set. A friend of mine got rid of social media, but I haven't taken that plunge yet. Give yourself off one hour of free time a day, every day. No saving up. Take the time every day to do something that recharges you Allow youself one day off a month (I like weekend days for this) for special occasions and really recharging. Take off one week per semester to visit family and friends. I also take some time to write every day, either about books and articles I have read in my field, or my new writing in my field. In terms of procrastination, it's the starting that gets me. So I make myself start. I also spend more time in the office and less time at home, as I am more likely to work in the office.
I begin projects the day they are assigned, and work on them a little at a time. Again, it's all about overcoming the inertia, for me.
Good luck.
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!
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7 hours ago, travelgirl125 said:
The thing that has helped the most for me is having a good planner. The one I have is broken down by 15-minute increments from 8:00am-6:00pm. It helps me block out my day and see where I have little pockets of time to do things. I got it at Staples for $30, if I remember correctly.
I also have a tough time staying off of my phone, but I've heard of apps you can download which will shut off certain apps (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) after you've been on them for a set period of time. I will probably be trying those once the fall comes around!
Hope that helps!
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.
6 hours ago, Cheshire_Cat said:Here is a book written by a professor on how to manage your time. I took his class on time management in undergrad and there were a couple of the concepts in it which totally changed my paradigm on how to manage my time.
https://www.amazon.com/Time-Basics-Jim-Muncy-ebook/dp/B00QSLCPM6
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.
6 hours ago, Focus said:As an undergrad, I use a planner religiously and have a decent sense of how long certain tasks will take me (usually by estimating and multiplying by a factor of 2).
However, the best way to be productive is to use all the little "unusable" blocks of time to be productive or self-organize. I keep Evernote on my phone and read papers or notes when waiting at the store, for the bus, or when using the restroom instead of playing a mindless game or checking social media. I also use ColdTurkey to block me from all distracting sites on my laptop for HUGE blocks of time. I find that once I get the ball rolling on my projects the rest goes over relatively smoothly. I also periodically turn off my phone and separate from the ability to quickly take a peek and check up on things.
There's often times when I get antsy and feel like I can't be productive, but a lap around the building or a couple of quick stretches and a drink of water usually calm me down enough to settle back into work for the rest of the afternoon.
For grad school, I have no intention of spending 12 hours a day on the campus or in lab with only 6 of it being truly productive. I much prefer to "do my time" and get my work done so I can go home. I'm hoping to spend about 10 hours a day with about 90% efficiency on my work, but we'll see how that works out.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.
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3 hours ago, sjoh197 said:
And I am now using our superior internet to do what is really important...
Watch Bob Ross on Netflix.
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.
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10 hours ago, hippyscientist said:
When I looked, it was cheaper to pay for excess baggage on the airline than it was to ship my stuff. Might be worth considering too. Shipping is great if you're moving a whole house + vehicle but I don't have enough stuff to justify the cost of a box. Seriously a small book box was gunna be ~ $500.
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?
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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!
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4 minutes ago, MarineBluePsy said:
Wow today I cooked the last items in the freezer. It's so weird having it empty and not planning my next bulk shopping trip.
So since I should actually start packing things I'll be shipping, anyone have any tips? I just realized I never pay attention to how things are packaged when I order them. Why are there so many types of packing tape? Are packing peanuts better or bubble wrap? I do like to pop those bubbles.
What kind of boxes are best for textbooks? I'll need to come up with a detailed labeling system so I know whats in each box.
Are there special boxes for glass? Or will labels be sufficient?
Can computers melt at certain temperatures? I'm pondering taking it with me on the drive, but I'll have to go through the desert at some point. Can it melt in the trunk? I don't think the a/c reaches the trunk.
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!
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1 minute ago, sjoh197 said:
So.... My partner and i just watched this because we couldn't resist. It was so hilariously awful and awesome at the same time. I feel so bad for the people whose childhood didn't include the phrase...
"IT'S MORPHIN TIME!"
Power Rangers was my childhood.
Multiple research interests?
in History
Posted
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.