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GreenEyedTrombonist

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Everything posted by GreenEyedTrombonist

  1. @GirtonOramsay I just had a grad student in my program tour 5 apartments for me yesterday. I told them what I was looking to find out from their tour and they were able to give me a ton of pictures, some video, and a lot of insight that made me much more confident when telling the property manager which place I'd like to move into in August. I did ask for virtual tours from various property managers, but all of them were much more receptive to me having a "proxy" tour in my stead. I thanked the grad student multiple times and they said to just buy them a coffee when I get there, haha.
  2. Thanks @Oklash! For me, I didn't apply this time with one school in mind. In fact, I made a point not to rank my school list before being accepted so I could go in without bias. I chose a great program, but it was really hard to choose between them and one other program. And I hate saying no, haha.
  3. So I submitted all my declinations last week and I wanted to throw up after. Although I believe I made the right choice for me and my future career, I hate having to say no and have never had to do so for school before (only applying to one school sometimes has its perks).
  4. I'm technically on a gap year right now and I also took time off before undergrand and my MA. Something I did was work on my writing, submit to/present at conferences, and try and keep up with the literature whenever possible. Things that show you're still academically driven even when not in school or great for an application.
  5. @E-P My MA research was on Twitch and I conducted some interviews at TwitchCon last year that led to some interesting information I'd like to present. The theme is just super close to my interests and past research.
  6. @surprise_quiche I think there are different levels of competition for each division. Newer and smaller divisions are going to be more competitive since they have fewer panels. However, that could also mean fewer people are submitting to them. I expect Game Studies to be pretty competitive this year, given the theme. :/ Man, I'm only doing one submission this year. More power to you!
  7. Individual @surprise_quiche . I don't really think I'll get accepted this year (first year ever submitting to Comm), but at least it's good practice, haha.
  8. I'm in a show right now so I'm doing 3 performances every weekend. Hoping to pick up a zumba class after the show to fill some of my time. I'm also working on a paper for a conference that's due this week so that's taking up a lot of time. Oh, and working full time, exercising, reading, modding on Twitch, and prepping for my move. It's a lot, but I think I'm a good mix of stressful and relaxing activities.
  9. Here's how I told my parents. For context, we have a whiteboard in the laundry room that I've been using to keep track of my acceptances and their stats. I erased all that, drew this, and gave them a hint in the morning that it was there (after my mother had already started some laundry and not noticed it, haha). The speech bubble says, "[GreenEyedTrombonist] is going to..." I also sent the picture, with the text, to my sister.
  10. Hey @UWjcw, If the course is truly terribly online, I don't see a reason why you couldn't withdraw. Just be prepared for it to be just as horrible (though maybe in different ways) in person. I had 3 Ws on my undergrad transcripts. I could explain away each one, but was never asked for either my MA or PhD apps. P.S. Just noticed you posted this question in more than one area. That's generally frowned upon here, just as a heads up.
  11. My MA was set up this way (grad courses were 6pm-8:45pm). It freed up time during the day if we had work (including TA and RAships) or wanted to work on things like our theses. Overall, I prefer night classes, but I'm a night owl.
  12. Haha, I'm keeping mine on the DL because of work, so it's really only my family, close friends, and professors who know.
  13. This is awesome! I live with most of the people I'm revealing to and don't have time to make a cake. I think I may just update my whiteboard of PhD results to say where I've chosen and see how long it takes them to notice... My mother has already started insisting I need to tell her and am not allowed to wait. My favorite excuse she gave was, "we're helping you move so we need to know what direction we'll be driving." Mom, all of my remaining choices are east of us (we live in California). Guess what? We'll be driving east! Lol. Also, when I ask her where she wants me to go she keeps saying, "Hawaii" even though I didn't apply there...
  14. Completely agree! I didn't get in anywhere last cycle, but the encouragement of fellow gradcafe-ers helped me pick myself up and work on my apps for this year. Keep posting whether you have good news or bad. We're here for you either way. <3
  15. I also disagree with this. I know plenty of doctoral students who associate with master's students or undergrads, depending on common interests. Why limit your social network based on something as small as where you are in your educational progression? One of the things I looked for when choosing a program was work-life balance. Do students have time to do other things, like a hobby? I hope to treat my degree program like a job and keep most of my work to weekdays. This might not be possible at certain times when the classes I take and teach both have major assignments due, but on average this is what I hope out of my workload. I'll most likely be working for some extra money, traveling/visiting family (my niece and my birthdays are in the summer), and working on what I can for my degree. Summer break normally starts somewhere in May (end of May, typically) and goes until sometime in August. Winter break is shorter, usually starting in December and ending end of January or beginning of February. If you have the funds and time to do so, summer can be great for travel and exploration. Is it possible? Yes. Should you do it? Probably not. As long as your program is funded, the more time you spend there the more opportunities to attend conferences, get papers in for publication, gain teaching experience (if you want to go the professorship route), and do other things that will build your CV. In addition, it's already stressful taking a full courseload, teaching, and doing all the other things you need as part of your degree. Trying to take on more work when you don't need to is just not a great idea for your health, stress, or future job prospects. Now, you could do things over the summer and winter break to help speed up the process (do a directed study, prep IRB protocol, etc) but that will take away from travel time, so figure out if you want to travel now or get through faster, basically. This depends on the city and your own mentality. Some cities are huge and give lots in the way of entertainment. Some are smaller, but close to amazing attractions. Travel seems to be important to you, so I'd consider saving what you can to do a trip in the summer. That might help offset the stir-craziness. Plenty of people have no prior teaching experience before their PhD. TAships can be anything from grader positions, instructor of record (usually when you're a more senior student), or working in an admin office. Really just depends on your program and their needs. If a TAship is specifically mentioned on your offer letter, you will be TAing for at least the first semester (and most likely first year). Try and explore RA opportunities that first year to hopefully land one your second year, if teaching really isn't your thing. This also really really depends on your program and work-life balance. There are different work pressures each year. First year, you're getting used to teaching for the first time, taking doctoral classes, and adjusting to a new place. Second year, classes are more advanced, you're still teaching (and probably a new class) and you're gearing up for examinations and thinking about your research. Third year is either more courses and exams or exams and prepping your proposal plus more teaching. Fourth year you're probably ABD and basically working on your dissertation full time, though you may also teach or work another job at this time. Fifth year you're finishing the dissertation, prepping for your defense, and interviewing for a job. Throughout all of this you're probably also attending conferences, trying to get papers published, and maybe running small research projects (or working on larger research projects in a team). It shouldn't be too difficult to maintain a 3.5 GPA if you're doing your work on time and are engaged in your courses. Coursework difficulty varies widely, even from class to class. You'll probably be assigned more reading than you can handle. Part of this process is learning how to read quickly and still process the information. The difficulty most likely varies from professor to professor so just ask fellow students their experiences, attend office hours, and you'll probably be fine. Study groups can also be awesome. Don't take 14 credits. Just don't do it. I've done 12 as part of my MA, but I didn't have to TA or do much work for my RAship at the time, which made it a lot easier. And like I mentioned before, coursework and dissertation phases are both challenging, but in different ways. From my understanding (including knowing people who have left), some leave after the first year (and some restart at a different program that's a better cultural fit), while others master out (receive and MA/MS/etc for their work, but don't fulfill the requirements of the PhD). This one depends on your research interests, methodological training, and networking skills. A search of the social science section may help you get a clearer picture of non-academic positions available to you after your degree. I've wanted a PhD for as long as I can remember. As I have matured, I have also discovered a love for discussing academic topics and teaching at the undergrad (and above) levels. When I start my PhD, I'll be leaving a job working as a Community Manager on a major social media platform. I love my job, but at the end of the day, I see myself growing more and experiencing more opportunities in a PhD-driven future. If your only reason to pursue a PhD is because you can't find work, a PhD might not be the right path for you. This one is just way too variable to answer in any meaningful way. If you want an estimate of savings per month, you'll need to calculate that for each of your potential programs. After rent and utilities, you also need to pay for food (groceries and eating out), if you have a vehicle, associated fees (car payment, insurance, gas, repairs, etc), healthcare if your's isn't 100% provided by your school (this could mean something as small as copays or as big as a percentage of your hospital bill), and additional expenses dependent on you, your needs, and your program/location. Since my student loan will be paid off before I start my degree, my payments should come down to rent, utilities, groceries, healthcare, vet bills, and incidentals like clothes. I'll also be saving for additional conference travel than my program provides and travel back home to visit family. How many does your department/school fund? I expect to attend 1-3 depending on the year (potentially more when I start on the job market).The two programs I'm deciding between fund 1 or 2 with additional funds for conferences available through other means. I've met plenty of PhD students that are in relationships. They make it work. I even met two recently that are getting married (not to each other, separate students in their own relationships). It can be hard, but it's definitely doable.
  16. So that's what you teach. First year it's most likely an intro class, but that might also vary by program.
  17. I'm new to submitting as well, so not sure how helpful I can be, but I can say that, when I asked a professor his advice on where to submit, he did not mention the student section. Granted, the section he wants me to submit to is one he's on the committee for, so take that as you will.
  18. A TAship can mean many things. You could be working as a grader, leading a seminar from a larger lecture, leading your own class (not attached to lecture), be in charge of a lecture and/or be the instructor of record. It could also mean working in writing centers or similar institutions or in an admin office or for a different department, depending on availability of positions and you department/school's policies.
  19. What is the cost of living for each area? What is the FTE at Starkville? How many fees are left after 90% remittance?
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