robot_hamster

30 vs 33, not a big deal in my opinion. I think everyone else is right on this. Good luck!

If it is just a fact, then only put the first who said it. If you are writing about other studies concluding something, then list more than one as examples.

To me, it looks like an out. The way I read it, the internship is contingent on funding being available for the entire duration of the timeframe specified. If for some reason there is no longer funding available, then it seems they can let you go early.

I'm focusing in on the word contingent.

What does the contract say? Is there a clause giving them an "out"? I'm also a little confused. Who exactly promised you a year? The people who you would be working under? Did they actually say it would be 1 year in the interview?

I guess I would only curve it if nobody was getting a good grade despite working really hard. So say a few students are obviously working really hard but still only get a B+ and then everyone else falls in a distribution below that. I would want to slide the scale so that those people with the highest scores would now have an A. I suppose there could be other reasons for doing it, like others have suggested above. Another thing to consider might be adding different weights to different things.

I think it is unethical to hit on or start dating someone while they are your student. Like other's have said, it might even be against policies if the policies regarding TAs are similiar to those of faculty. Things could also get really complicated and even ugly, like others have mentioned. I don't think it would be worth it. Wait until they are no longer your student. Now if you are already in a relationship and they somehow end up in your class, then the best thing to do is to make sure there wouldn't be any bias with grading. It is best to let the professor know what the situation is and then let them or another TA grade that person's work.

I would start with those you already have a relationship with. If you feel a connection, then go for it.

I would ask your adviser how much flexibility you have. Are there required courses? Some programs have them. Even if you have a lot of freedom, your adviser may still want to know what classes you want to take and why. Generally they want to make sure you're doing something that would be beneficial for you.

Most of the time they say it is mandatory, but it really isn't. You can usually wiggle your way out, especially if you have a valid excuse (work, not there yet, etc).

You just ask them if you can sit in usually.

I depends on the program. For me, I have a lot of freedom as far as classes go. My adviser has suggested tons of classes that are outside my department because they looked like they would be helpful for what I am interested in.

Have you made contact with any current students? Sometimes they are willing to sell the books they don't need anymore. They can sell them to you for a good price and it would still be more than they would get selling them to the bookstore.

At my school, mentor typically equals adviser. Most people are not "employed" by their advisers, unless they have an RA position. The TA positions I had were for professors other than my adviser. So that part wasn't a problem for me. It's not unheard of to have more than one mentor though. If you happen to connect with someone else on stuff and they take an interest in what you're doing, then a relationship can certainly develop.

In undergrad, I don't recall feeling like I was intruding or the professors had something better to do during their office hours. That is was office hours are for, after all. Of course most of my professors had the closed door rule. If the door is open, that means they aren't busy and they don't mind someone coming in to ask a question. If the door is closed, then they are busy and please don't knock. I guess my advice, as far as being an unforgettable student goes, is to go to a professor's office prepared to talk about something. What I mean is, don't appear as though you're just looking for an answer without first trying to find it yourself. Bring your own ideas to the discussion.

What do you mean by a 1 credit class? Is it a seminar? Or is it thesis hours?

I have been taking 2 classes on average per semester, plus a seminar here and there. There are people who do more and people who do less.

I never really experienced this, so I can't really comment. I just wanted to say that if it were me, I would rather take the time off. You know, allow myself to get things together without feeling rushed.

How much have you looked into the current literature? You need to read in order to figure out what has been done already.

Bump

I am interested in an internship for the summer. I haven't been having much luck because employers are interested in employing a student (meaning undergrad and not grad). Has anyone else had this problem?

Social security and medicare taxes. Sorry, that's what I meant. I get those confused. Yes, I am exempt from those.

I don't know if amount had anything to do with it, but I didn't owe any taxes when I filed. Graduate assistants at my school are exempt from federal taxes as long as they are taking classes at the same time. I was told by the school that if I needed to pay federal taxes, then it would be deducted from the monthly checks.

At my school, tuition is waived by giving you a "scholsrship" for the exact amount. Stipends are separate and they are paid out as paychecks each month. Offer letters usually say tuition is this, stipend is this, and the total is this. From reading around on this forum, it appears taxes depend on how the school classifies it. I've heard people say they have to pay taxes. I don't. Well, not fed taxes anyway. They took out state, but I got it back in a refund when I filed.

I personally don't know any grad school couples. In my program, the significant others all seem to be working. I'm not sure why. I am the odd one out with mine being in undergrad.