GreenEyedTrombonist

Going along with the plain background, make sure the room you're in is clean. Remove anything odd from the background (I have a mask collection in my interview room and take one off the wall that shows up in the shot for interviews). Check your lighting. If the only light is behind you, your face will not show up well. Don't depend on daylight and do not face with your screen facing a window. Keep a water cup nearby to make sure you don't get parched and make sure your seat is comfortable (while allowing for good posture) for at least an hour at a time.

This really depends on what you value more. If you don't want the potential of a bad living situation (due to who you live with) or really need a space that is completely your own, your own place might be the way to go. However, if you feel the need to save a bit more of your stipend and don't want a bad living situation (due to only being able to afford a not great place), go with a roommate. If you do go with a roommate, I would do things to try to mitigate issues. If you are someone who needs a clean place, communicate that with your roommate. Open communication and working together can make your living situation a lot better than it (potentially) would be otherwise. I know for myself, I have a small loan that I'm paying off and don't want a car (places close to school tend to cost more) so I'll probably need a flatmate.

@Arkhy Make sure to check out the threads on interview prep. They should help you prepare (and hopefully calm the nerves a bit).

Just focus on making it clear that you are the best fit for their program. Show that you've done your research on them and can contribute to the department outside of the reqs to get your degree. You don't need to tell them they're your number 1 choice, but you can make it clear that you're very interested in them by showing (not telling) that you've done the legwork.

I had a second interview for a job yesterday that did not go well. The interviewer was 12 minutes late (for a 30 minute phone call), called me by my last name (thinking it was my first), mentioned she hadn't even looked at my resume yet, rapidly moved through questions because of the shorter timeframe (she had a hard out at 1:30 for an interview that was supposed to start at 1:00), and ultimately gave me the impression that she had no interest in what I had to say or could contribute to the job. I was not surprised when I got the rejection email today, even though it's a job I could do quite well. I have a second interview for a different job on Friday that I'm hoping goes better, but I'm just ticked at how this interview went (and the waste of my time).

@EvelynD the stupid results page is too tempting! I keep refreshing it for one school (they send out interview invites in January, but there doesn't seem to be a set schedule for when).

I think your question has already been answered well, but wanted to pop in to give hugs and say best of luck with the procedure!

@Ishouldbewriting Thank you! This helps a lot!

Great suggestion @MarineBluePsy ! If I go the furnished route, I'll definitely do this.

@waltzforzizi I'll have to double-check the financial offers, but I believe my tuition should be waived wherever I go so I'll double-check, but I don't think it'll be an issue. I'm more worried about experiencing winter and remembering to feed myself.

Thanks @Concordia! That's definitely something to consider. Wherever I'm moving, I'll need clothes for winter so those will also take a lot of room.

@waltzforzizithanks! Actually, because of my interests, I ended up only applying to Comm/Media programs (despite having an MA in anthro). UO is picking up a new prof related to my interests and has a few other cool POIs. Boston might be fun, but they discourage emailing POIs before an acceptance, so not sure what will happen there. Don't give up hope! I believe in you!

I'm glad this thread got revived. I'm most likely moving several states away (or possibly from one coast to another) and I am concerned about the transition. I'm hoping to find a furnished place so I don't have to bring/buy any furniture, but I have a ton of electronics (I stream and have a lot of equipment for it) and I'm not sure how long it might take to move my books (or if I should leave most of them behind for now). I expect, either way, it will take me several bags (more than I'm allowed on an airplane) to make the move.

@waltzforzizi 2 of my programs send out interview invites in the next two weeks (I think my only two programs that do interviews) so I'm currently freaking out. One of them is super high on my list (as in, depending on how visits and acceptances go, it would probably come down to it and the school I've already been accepted to) so I keep checking my application status and the results page. x]

2017: Graduated from my MA program and received my first acceptance to a doctoral program! 2018: Start my doctorate, manage to feed myself without starving, and a bunch of health things.

I like to do a mix of GoogleDrive, word docs on my computer, and word docs on an external hard drive and memory stick.

When applying to any program, it's important to not only think about what you'll get out of going there, but what the program will get out of admitting you. From what I've seen, programs want someone they feel will add to their prestige and contribute to things while there (and beyond). In what ways would you attending that school benefit them? How would you contribute to the department beyond the basic "do your work to earn the degree?"

At some point you need to stop reading them. Usually, sometime after hitting submit. Honestly, I try not to read them too much once I've decided they're done because I'll feel the exact same and I don't need that extra anxiety in my life.

@pinoysoc That was me last year. 5 applications and all rejections. I have one acceptance so far (to a program I'm super interested in) so this season is already leaps and bounds above the last! Best of luck to you!

@pinoysoc it was really bad for a while, but both schools located my GREs in the end. I'm applying to 7 programs in Comms and Media Studies. Still waiting to hear back from 6 of them, but all my apps are completely in. How about you?

I didn't have too many issues with transcripts (one of my schools will send 2 for free and the rest at a super cheap rate and the other school sends them for cheap), but I did have to hunt down my GREs at two schools (electronically sent). It actually became a huge back and forth with ETS and the school where the school was saying I needed to get ETS to send them again and ETS saying they wouldn't send anything until the school contacted them. Eventually, it resolved without me having to pay more, but that was probably the most stressful out-of-my-control thing that happened this cycle.

@NotAlice I stream in my spare time so I picked up a second monitor a while back. I absolutely love it when I have a lot of work to do (or I'm streaming and need to see a bunch of windows at the same time). At some point, I'd really like a 3 monitor setup. I have friends with 6 though, haha (I'm pretty sure that's excessive).

@MarineBluePsy Thanks! I'll definitely check out what the other TAs do first. I have a good backpack, but I'm hoping to upgrade to a nice messenger bag before the fall. As for snow boots, I absolutely adore mine, but I guess I'll see this winter if that holds up, haha.

I just finished reading through all 20 pages, haha. I've been wanting a good desktop setup for a while, so I plan to build one once I have the parts and just depend on my old laptop until then. I'm also a fan of handwriting my notes to start. A lot for me is deciding what to take with and what to buy there. Also, I'm most likely moving somewhere with a real winter, so I'm trying to figure out what I need to survive, haha. As for that article that was posted for women on what to wear, I disagree with some of what the author was saying ("hooker-wear"-really?). Specifically, do not judge a makeup item by its brand name. The Wet n' Wild liquid catsuit line is a great liquid to matte that lasts and they have many professional colors (my favorite for interviews are Berry Recognize and Rebel Rose, but I've basically bought the entire regular line by now). Elf is pretty much known as the cheapest of the cheap, but they've got some amazing highlighters and a great pot gel liner that I swear by. In short, makeup doesn't need to be expensive or belong to a specific brand in order to be good. All brands have great (and horrible) products. The problem is finding them (and youtube helps a lot with that). I am going to be a TA (most likely) and I am interested in sprucing up my wardrobe a bit, but I hope I won't need to be business professional every day. I'd like to pair a fitted jacket or cardigan with either a nice knee-length dress or a nice shirt (or nicer tank top) and either slacks or yoga pants. As for shoes, my feet are pretty sensitive, so I'm hoping to get away most days with a black sneaker, my snow boots, or find a flat or something that is actually comfortable. What do you guys think about this plan? My hope is that I can find somewhere to live close enough to campus that I can bike or that's along a bus route. I'd rather not get a car unless absolutely necessary. I also plan to research local grocery stores as well as grocery delivery services. I can't eat processed food or breads/grains for health reasons, and I hate cooking meat, so I assume I'll be making a lot of crockpot meals and bean-based soups, haha (luckily, a friend is giving me her crockpot). What are some lesser-known things I might want to buy or prepare for? I'm planning to wait on the bookcase, desk, chair, printer, and filing cabinet until after I get there and see what's provided by the department.

Hey all! My last 4 rec letters came in today so all 7 of my apps are officially submitted. I've gotten the decision from one program already (super early compared to the rest of the programs in my field). I should hear about interviews from two schools in January and have all my decisions by end of February. I'll be over here, freaking out for the next two months.