day_manderly

The real question to ask yourself is 'How can I bring about more positive change?'. If it's by getting a Ph.D.? If so, there should be no guilt. Your job feels like the world to you now, but the world is actually larger. 

OK, so I have developed the following plan. I am not sure it is the best one, but it is the one I am following. It is finetuned to the skype interview, but can be modified to accommodate the on-site interview as well. Tell me what you think.
Plan the process of preparation. Of course, you can always just go with the flow - read a little about the school, reread your SoP, go back to the school's website, etc.. However, during the very interview you have to feel sure that you have done everything to prepare, and the only way to guarantee that (at least in my case) is going through the checkpoints one by one. Double-check the interview time. If you are abroad, use a time zone converter. Double-check. Mark your calendar. Count the days left. You will have a task for each one. To have a visual in your head, plan your outfit and the place where you will have your interview. The outfit has to be smart and simple, nothing exotic - they should pay attention to your words, not your looks. Dress well up and down, despite the fact it's skype and technically you can wear your pj in lieu of pants - this will make you fell professional. Make sure it's your 'you' outfit - something you love and feel comfortable in, something you have worn multiple types with unfaltering success. The background should be simple, too. I am borrowing a high-tech video cam from my friend as well. Make sure there are two sources of internet. I will be using wifi and I will have my mobile internet to share if something happens. Reread your SoP, your CV, and your Writing Sample. Imagine you are someone else, highlight everything that can generate questions. Here's the list I've made: anything unique, anything mysterious (like that course you mentioned in passing but did not elaborate upon), anything your interviewers are good at (pertaining to their area of expertise), because they read 100 SoPs and naturally pay attention to the familiar things. Write the questions down. Do a mock interview if possible - with a friend, a fellow applicant, or even with that ruthless alter ego hiding inside you. Get confused because of some of the questions. Write down all of the confusing/surprising ones. Reflect on your performance. Note areas for improvement. For example, I get nervous, time starts flowing in a strange way, and I feel overwhelmed because of all the things I am attempting to do - keep the question, the answer, pieces of advice from Grad Cafe folk in my head. I also found it difficult to think of examples to illustrate my points. Now the real works starts. You have an advanced list of questions - the original ones augmented by your ''interviewer's'' input. Answer your questions: write the answers down, or answer them in your head. Make concise notes (this is really important). Every answer should be 2-3 min, so that you get as many chances to shine as possible. Make sure to use examples. Look for the best ways to phrase your answers. While you will probably not say the same exact thing, the whole process will direct your mind towards working on the task. It will keep working out different questions and answers while you do other things - eat, sleep, take shower, etc. This is a psychological trick I like to use. Practice answering the questions. I am going to do that staring at my laptop's camera, no kidding. I find that problematic and usually end up looking at the little picture of myself when I talk to people via skype. Practice answering them with assurance and style. This is your chance. Own it, kick ass. One question they will definitely ask, as you might already know, is whether you have questions. Well, you do. Visit the schools website, revisit every conversation you've head with them, everything you know. Think of clever questions for them. Only ask things that demonstrate that you are prepared, you've done your homework, but yet you are thoughtful and curious. I.e. asking about living conditions for grad students is probably not a good idea at this stage - you should have done that prior to applying. Do ask about current and planned research projects, the school's publications, etc. Practice asking questions. Play the whole thing out in your head, think of different scenarios. Read grad cafe, but do not obsess. Do not think about other schools if possible, especially the ones you haven't heard from - it will only stress you out. The day. Put on what you have planned to wear. Make sure you have a spear shirt/tee/blouse in case you spill coffee on the one you have chosen 5 min prior to the interview. Check the time difference if you are abroad again. Abstain from caffeine - you will be full of beans anyways. Instead, eat healthy, drink water/herbal tea. Avoid everything that might make you nervous - checking news, your ex' facebook page, talking to that friend that always makes you feel less than, taking public transport, etc. Make sure you are alone in the room, and it is quiet. Adjust the camera, and the light. 15 minutes in, turn off the sound on your phone, and tablet. Close the facebook page on your laptop. Only have skype e-mail (the one you used for your application) open, nothing else. Check skype connection. Look through your notes. Make sure you are doing something during the minutes you have left, but not overwhelmed with tasks. And... game on!  
 

So I have been reading different posts about grad school - way to feed anxiety! I worry about relocating, I worry about archery clubs near the place where I'm going to live (what if there are none?), about free time (what if I forget what it is?), etc, etc. And on top of that you get posts like this one when you try to calm yourself where the author tells you there no fun will be had in the next 3+ years. None. Still, I do believe that grad school is great. However, I have no personal empirical proof. So, dear grad students, please, do share all the reasons why you think grad school is fucking awesome. Why do you find it fantastic? What do you love the most? Why would you never trade it for anything else? Thanks. We, new grad students, will be grateful for our anxiety being replaced with excitement!

So I have been reading different posts about grad school - way to feed anxiety! I worry about relocating, I worry about archery clubs near the place where I'm going to live (what if there are none?), about free time (what if I forget what it is?), etc, etc. And on top of that you get posts like this one when you try to calm yourself where the author tells you there no fun will be had in the next 3+ years. None. Still, I do believe that grad school is great. However, I have no personal empirical proof. So, dear grad students, please, do share all the reasons why you think grad school is fucking awesome. Why do you find it fantastic? What do you love the most? Why would you never trade it for anything else? Thanks. We, new grad students, will be grateful for our anxiety being replaced with excitement!

So I have been reading different posts about grad school - way to feed anxiety! I worry about relocating, I worry about archery clubs near the place where I'm going to live (what if there are none?), about free time (what if I forget what it is?), etc, etc. And on top of that you get posts like this one when you try to calm yourself where the author tells you there no fun will be had in the next 3+ years. None. Still, I do believe that grad school is great. However, I have no personal empirical proof. So, dear grad students, please, do share all the reasons why you think grad school is fucking awesome. Why do you find it fantastic? What do you love the most? Why would you never trade it for anything else? Thanks. We, new grad students, will be grateful for our anxiety being replaced with excitement!

Archery clubs? What do you shoot? No joke, that was something I took into consideration for my schools. Neither one of them have an archery club, sadly, but that doesn't mean I can't bring my equipment and find a range somewhere.
But also to answer your question, as tough as it was, I learned a lot about myself through my grad school experience. I learned what I can and cannot handle, what I would do in moments of high stress, and who my true friends are.

I think many of the problems with graduate school are very real (however, I would say that almost everything on that linked article isn't really a problem unique to grad school, though I guess it's more a joke article?) Anyways I also agree that it is not great to only focus on the bad  So here are some of my favourite things about being in academia/grad school:
1. Freedom to explore interesting science---as @maelia8 said, your colleagues all over campus are experts and they are all at your disposal. Similarly, the ability to contribute meaningfully to your colleagues' work.
2. Interactions with students (e.g. opportunities to teach, mentor, train)
3. Ability to have really cool experiences that I never thought I would happen to me. Some highlights: travel to Switzerland for a science meeting, interviewed by LA Times, operate one of the largest telescopes in the world, and listen to a talk by Stephen Hawking.
4. Ability to influence policy at your school and make a difference for you, your colleagues and future students. I feel like grad students have much more say in school/department policies than a typical employee at a corporation.
5. Flexibility on both working hours and vacation days
6. Feeling like you are part of a team of people that is exploring something new and expanding humankind's knowledge! 

1. Not having to work a 9 to 5.  Sometimes 7am to 10pm, but never a 9 to 5!!
2. With that, I enjoy having control over my own work schedule and not having a manager.  The dean, department head, and faculty advisors are their to help and coordinate things, but they don't micromanage me, and I like that most of the time. I know it isn't this way in all fields, but it is in mine.
3. That feeling you get when an idea you have starts falling into place in your brain and you know it will be an interesting research project
4. Some people think you are brilliant because you are getting a higher degree, even if you are really just a hard worker.
5. Reading comprehension goes through the roof!  I already had very good reading comprehension, now it is amazing!  For me personally, this means I get a lot more from older or more complicated texts than I used to.
6. Naps.
7. Never running out of things to do and getting bored.  There is always another research project to start!

I'm going to be attending Boston College this Fall, and I'd like to live very close to BC (it's in Chestnut Hill) and away from big city life. What would you guys suggest?

Are you guys checking the university IT accounts compulsively? I keep looking at the 'Application ready for review' and wondering whether my schools will write 'Application under review' eventually, or maybe I will just learn that it was under review after I get some news into my mailbox.

Ah okay, as a grad student, I've also co-organized (with another grad student in my year) something pretty similar to your set-up then. As fuzzylogician says, the hardest part was getting people to sign up to present papers and having an open sign-up doesn't work very well at all, even when people are motivated to do so. I found it most effective when I went door-to-door (office-to-office) and asked people if they would want to present. Sometimes, if there is a paper in their area of expertise, asking them specifically if they would like to present on paper X because of their knowledge works really well. You have to strike the right balance of "nagging" (so that they do it) without being overbearing or making someone feel like they need to present something they don't feel comfortable doing and then hating the seminar or dropping out from it.
In "our" seminar, the goal was to stay up to date on the latest interesting papers from our field in general (i.e. to learn about new developments outside of your own sub-field). In the first year, we had informal presentations with slides etc. The papers were sent out ahead of time and people were supposed to read them so that we would have in-depth discussions. This rarely worked out because people didn't read the papers and it was too much work to be the presenter so very few people did it. We did manage to fill an entire year of this but it was like pulling teeth to get people to present and people lost interest and attendance dropped. To be honest, by the last semester, it felt like everyone who still attended did so out of obligation/felt like a chore instead of something people wanted to do.
In the second year, we tried an even more informal approach (there's like 6 other seminars in our department so we wanted it to be not like a normal seminar). So, instead, the rule was no presentations, no slides. Just bring in a printout of the most important figure of the paper and be prepared to talk about what the authors did, and why it's significant in 15-20 minutes. We also opened it up beyond just papers. Following something from my undergrad school, we also just brought in press releases or science news stories (e.g. from New Scientist, Scientific American, etc.) about recent work. We also expanded it quite a bit beyond our field of planetary science and used a very broad definition. So, we talked about things from what's going on inside the cores of stars to how planets form to detecting water on Mars to psychological effects on humans isolated in a 6 month journey to Mars to how a specific type of fish adapted to the changing salt levels in Death Valley. Sometimes people did talk about a particular problem they had on their mind.
The new method had pros and cons. It was a lot less work for everyone: no reading of materials ahead of time and basically you just keep an eye out for interesting stories each week and share them with colleagues. We described it as "water cooler talk" for science related to our field. This filled a need where our very inter disciplinary department would all be doing very cool stuff within our subfields and although we hang out a lot socially, we had very little spaces to hang out and talk about science that isn't our own work. The downside of this format was that no one was truly an expert on the stuff they were presenting on and if the expert was in the room, we would have some good insights, but otherwise, it was a bunch of non-experts talking about these science stories. Our goal was that this seminar was supposed to "spark" interest in a topic and more in-depth discussions can happen at another time. This met the needs of many participants but not as much for others sometimes. It's hard to have a single format that works for everyone though. That said, I am really proud of one concrete outcome: one faculty member just randomly brought up a problem in modelling some specific type of material on one of the moons of Saturn and another student, who normally would not work with this professor or think about this topic, had an insight from their own work on a different subfield. Combined with another student's skillset, the three of them went on to write a new paper that solved the problem! So I thought that was pretty cool
Anyways, just sharing two experiences in case the information helps you decide what you want to do. Even though there's no norm for food, maybe that will be the cool unique thing that makes your seminar stand out from the other stuff happening at your institute.

Alright, so for a smaller specialist audience, one thing you might consider is rotating presentations by group members (when there is something to present, and you should know that people will often not volunteer but will agree to present if you ask them, so as the organizer this will be an ongoing task for you), presentations by invited speakers if you happen to get someone passing through town, and otherwise you might pick a topic and either read papers on that topic, or in one group I'm in we choose a book we want to read per semester and go through the chapters 1-2 at a time any week that we don't have a presentation. 
Also, cookies. It's inexpensive and it'll go well with coffee. If you bring a box and pass it around once or twice during the talk, I'm sure people will take some. 
When you have your organizational meeting, you want to explain the goals of the group -- likely to provide a venue for people to stay in touch with developments in their field, and a low-stress option for presenting new and ongoing work. Discuss a theme, ask for volunteer presenters, but to set the tone, you might want to get a few of your colleagues to give presentations like you'd want the group to have (and maybe you give one), so people see what you are envisioning. Also, so they have time to start thinking about what they'd like to present. Another option is to meet every other week, so it's easier to find presenters and it's not as time consuming. 

Hey! Me too, me too! When is the day? I might consider going, but for me that comes to visa obtaining, and blah blah. Which program did you get accepted to?

Hi all! I've stalked this forum for a while but I thought I'd finally come out of hiding! I've recently been admitted to Boston College LSOE and I was wondering if anyone else was planning to go to admitted students day? 

Hey, everyone. I will be attending BC in the fall also, and I'm coming from a college town in FL so I'm not really sure how one looks for housing in the real world. I'm likely going to have to book a bunch of viewings for the same week when I can visit. When should I plan on visiting to view apartments? When will the best deals become available for an August move in? I plan on living in the Brighton/Allston area

Is anyone applying to Stanford GSE? I've checked the results from previous years, and I've found out the following:
looks like you need 160+ GRE for both V and Q, and at least 5 AWA they don't do interviews, just straight admits Also, is anyone attending SGSE now? I am interested in International Higher Education. Do you happen to know whether any of the professors is doing research in this area? According to my research, if anything international is done, it's in the domain of secondary education. Is that correct?

Don't worry, imposter syndrome is actually this special mark on the psyche of all future doctoral degree holders.

I would disagree with looking now. In my experience of living in Cambridge for 6 years you're not really going to find the good deals until late March/April. If you're looking for June 1 start you likely want to look soon but there are A LOT of super great deals out there with private landlords that are used to renting to grad student types at grad student prices. I got a steal of a place right in the middle of Central Square (through Craigslist) and I didn't even begin looking until mid April. My landlord doesn't release any of the apartments in our building for public listings until June - all of our leases start 9/1. You'll also find that if your program has a list of all the grad students and you get added to it sometime before you start, you can find a lot of good deals posted there also from people moving around. 
Would definitely advise that when you do find a place that you like though to move as fast as possible with making the decision - it's still a bit of a jungle. Some people use realtors, I've heard mixed experiences but if you have the money it does certainly take the pressure off of looking and there are things that you'll find only through a realtor and not on craigslist. I've had many friends who have signed as late as mid-July to excellent pads though so I wouldn't sweat it, house hunt however you like, there's a lot of space.  

I am in the exact same position as well. Like most of us, I adore my kids and would do anything for them, but I'm itching to do research and have a broader impact. I teach at the same low-income and underperforming high school I attended, though, so I am hoping my matriculation to a really good PhD program will inspire my kids to reach for their goals, as well. I am also going to give them my contact information so they can keep in touch and let me know if they need any encouragement. 
I'm probably going to print out my admission letter to the program I'll choose to attend and say something like, "It has been an absolute honor to begin my career in education at this school. I want to continue to do great work in education, and the right path for me to do that is to take the next step into a PhD program. Unfortunately, it breaks my heart not to renew my contract this year, but I am going to do everything I can to ease my transition out of here and to do right by my students." Something like that. 

In my experience as a teacher you always feel guilt when leaving your students, whatever the reason is (new job/career/maternity leave - you name it). You simply have to come to terms with this fact and accept it. I think that the same is true of any profession where you feel you are aiding people and responsible for improving their lives (social workers / doctors for instance), but truthfully the guilt you feel is a marker of the respect and love you have for job, colleagues, students, so actually not feeling guilty would be a more worrying sign.
My advice is to make the most of the time you do have left - as I am sure you will. I have seen some teachers mentally check out on students and I think this is the most unfair thing, I intend to 'go out with a bang', as they say, and make sure I do my utmost in the last few months for the students. This helped somewhat in my last school with the guilt aspect and I also requested an exit interview with the head teacher so that I could ensure I passed on what I believed were the good/bad practices in place and concerns I thought he may be in a position to remedy (or at least should be aware of) that way I left knowing I had done everything I could for the kids.

Congratulations! I don't know if you're read the thread here http://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/65058-international-education-vanderbilt-iepm-harvard-iep/#comment-1058273394 which seems to go into some detail comparing the two - it seems pretty helpful. Also, perhaps if the people on it are still active you could PM them for more information.
 
 

I'm incredibly intimidated by Boston-area housing, and I've been getting rather mixed answers on this: when should I be looking for a September 1 lease for Cambridge/Sommerville? I did undergrad on the Boston side of the river and the market is absolutely ravenous. But things seem to move slower north of the Charles. I've done a bit of looking (Craigslist, Harvard off campus housing website) and there doesn't seem to be much available around here yet. I'd like to wait  some so I can definitively sort out my roommates without panic.

Any Canadians around? I got accepted to McGill's Second Language Education MA program and would be excited to meet anyone else going! Still waiting on Alberta, but I'll probably accept McGill's offer.

OK, so I have developed the following plan. I am not sure it is the best one, but it is the one I am following. It is finetuned to the skype interview, but can be modified to accommodate the on-site interview as well. Tell me what you think.
Plan the process of preparation. Of course, you can always just go with the flow - read a little about the school, reread your SoP, go back to the school's website, etc.. However, during the very interview you have to feel sure that you have done everything to prepare, and the only way to guarantee that (at least in my case) is going through the checkpoints one by one. Double-check the interview time. If you are abroad, use a time zone converter. Double-check. Mark your calendar. Count the days left. You will have a task for each one. To have a visual in your head, plan your outfit and the place where you will have your interview. The outfit has to be smart and simple, nothing exotic - they should pay attention to your words, not your looks. Dress well up and down, despite the fact it's skype and technically you can wear your pj in lieu of pants - this will make you fell professional. Make sure it's your 'you' outfit - something you love and feel comfortable in, something you have worn multiple types with unfaltering success. The background should be simple, too. I am borrowing a high-tech video cam from my friend as well. Make sure there are two sources of internet. I will be using wifi and I will have my mobile internet to share if something happens. Reread your SoP, your CV, and your Writing Sample. Imagine you are someone else, highlight everything that can generate questions. Here's the list I've made: anything unique, anything mysterious (like that course you mentioned in passing but did not elaborate upon), anything your interviewers are good at (pertaining to their area of expertise), because they read 100 SoPs and naturally pay attention to the familiar things. Write the questions down. Do a mock interview if possible - with a friend, a fellow applicant, or even with that ruthless alter ego hiding inside you. Get confused because of some of the questions. Write down all of the confusing/surprising ones. Reflect on your performance. Note areas for improvement. For example, I get nervous, time starts flowing in a strange way, and I feel overwhelmed because of all the things I am attempting to do - keep the question, the answer, pieces of advice from Grad Cafe folk in my head. I also found it difficult to think of examples to illustrate my points. Now the real works starts. You have an advanced list of questions - the original ones augmented by your ''interviewer's'' input. Answer your questions: write the answers down, or answer them in your head. Make concise notes (this is really important). Every answer should be 2-3 min, so that you get as many chances to shine as possible. Make sure to use examples. Look for the best ways to phrase your answers. While you will probably not say the same exact thing, the whole process will direct your mind towards working on the task. It will keep working out different questions and answers while you do other things - eat, sleep, take shower, etc. This is a psychological trick I like to use. Practice answering the questions. I am going to do that staring at my laptop's camera, no kidding. I find that problematic and usually end up looking at the little picture of myself when I talk to people via skype. Practice answering them with assurance and style. This is your chance. Own it, kick ass. One question they will definitely ask, as you might already know, is whether you have questions. Well, you do. Visit the schools website, revisit every conversation you've head with them, everything you know. Think of clever questions for them. Only ask things that demonstrate that you are prepared, you've done your homework, but yet you are thoughtful and curious. I.e. asking about living conditions for grad students is probably not a good idea at this stage - you should have done that prior to applying. Do ask about current and planned research projects, the school's publications, etc. Practice asking questions. Play the whole thing out in your head, think of different scenarios. Read grad cafe, but do not obsess. Do not think about other schools if possible, especially the ones you haven't heard from - it will only stress you out. The day. Put on what you have planned to wear. Make sure you have a spear shirt/tee/blouse in case you spill coffee on the one you have chosen 5 min prior to the interview. Check the time difference if you are abroad again. Abstain from caffeine - you will be full of beans anyways. Instead, eat healthy, drink water/herbal tea. Avoid everything that might make you nervous - checking news, your ex' facebook page, talking to that friend that always makes you feel less than, taking public transport, etc. Make sure you are alone in the room, and it is quiet. Adjust the camera, and the light. 15 minutes in, turn off the sound on your phone, and tablet. Close the facebook page on your laptop. Only have skype e-mail (the one you used for your application) open, nothing else. Check skype connection. Look through your notes. Make sure you are doing something during the minutes you have left, but not overwhelmed with tasks. And... game on!  
 

Yeah it has been eerily quiet but then again Stanford were clear that
a - they don't do interviews (although obviously they did for someone?)
b - that decisions will be sent out mid-feb.
So my guess is that everyone on the thread simply doesn't have anything to do except wait anxiously.