BionicKris

I'll be a first gen PhD in the fall. My father is in the USAF and my mom went back to school when I was around 12 to finish her bachelor's and master's (do I still count?). The type of program she did was completely clinical in study so I'm sort of winging it on how to act in a research based program. A lot of the people I met when I visited my school for recruitment weekend seemed like they took everything entirely too seriously. Naturally, this made me wonder if I wasn't taking it seriously enough. It seemed like the only thing anyone talked about the entire weekend was what other schools they'd visited/applied to and what they were going to study. I kept wondering if I was the only one there that was wondering if speaker knew his toupee was on incorrectly. I know that grad school is going to be hard and that I'm going to have work hard, etc. But I feel like everyone that's come from a background steeped in higher education takes the entire experience to the extreme. It seems like many people I've met want everyone to know they're smart just because they are. I'm more of the type of person that turns on my brain when necessary, but also gives it a break by indulging in escapist novels and the rare trip to a club. Outside of that, I do worry that I won't measure up to my peers. It's gotten to the point that sometimes I wonder if I'm even cut out for it. I guess I'll really find out when I get there. I think one of the biggest things keeping me going is a strong desire to not have to work an hourly job for the rest of my life. I have deep respect for people that do it, and feed their families on it, but I'd lose my mind. My family, in general, is always saying how proud they are of me, etc. I do sometimes wish that I had more people in my family with PhD's in any discipline, but especially science. I can't stand not being able to talk science with my family when I go home. It's akin to that e-trade commercial where the baby pops up and says "milk-a-what?" It's great that they try to listen, but I can tell that they're intensely bored. Either way, I'm anxious and scared about grad school because it's brand new for me. I'm hoping there are others in my program that can relate.

Spice Girl(s)

I'm not sure about the Purdue Doctoral Fellowship but as far as funding is concerned in general, my dept told me that they don't admit anyone they can't fund. I'm not sure what it'll be for your department (by the way, do you fall under geology, biology or chem?), but I'm sure if you call them they'll let you in on all those nasty funding secrets. On another note, what do you plan to study? Biogeochemistry sounds really cool. Definitely not anything I could ever wrap my head around. Sorry. It's the PASD getting the best of me again .

Yay! Summer plans! I've been planning a cruise for a couple of months now with a few friends - Bahamas HERE I COME! I'm going to catch up on a few novels I've been meaning to read. Probably go out to California to see the family before I'm stuck having to say "nope, can't come, I'm in the lab." My two next biggest tasks are planning an EPIC going away bash and telling my boss where she can stick her crappy job. Coyabean: I'll also be heading out to Ikea. I discovered that they've somehow managed to compile an entire living room set (book shelves, couch and tv stand included) for under $1000. My only issues are a. figuring out where to get the $ and b. how to transport!

Ah! Sorry. Carry on. I attempted to do that yesterday, but a friend suggested we rob a bank for funding. I'm currently working on my evil plan. If NSF won't give me a fellowship, by golly I'll make my own.

It's never too late to come over to the dark side! We'll welcome you with open arms. Just let me know when you're crossing over so I can get your welcome basket together - complete with pocket pens, white tape for your black, wire-rimmed glasses, suspenders and wedgie deterrent. I've never read either of those books or heard of either of those authors, though after reading the background on each, my interest is throughly piqued. It would be nice if more schools made it a point to require students to take courses based on the ethics of science and include books such as The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. I think there's a lot of history regarding the unethical treatment of experimental subjects that goes untaught. I know many schools focus on the Tuskeegee experiments, but I didn't know about Ms. Lacks or that in NC about 30 or 40 years back it was common practice to sterilize young Black girls who'd been raped. Many of them didn't find out until they were ready to have children. Thank you "oldlady," you've gotten the old mechanical gears rotating. My plan is to become a prof when I'm all done with my education, and thanks to your post I've got a plan brewing for what I hope amounts to be a very intriguing course.

Village People

I don't think a 3rd reviewer would have made a terribly large difference. My first and second had completely different thoughts. My first gave me a G/E and my second gave me F/P. My third agreed with the first and gave me G/G. Still no HM. I do think all reviewers could have been more thorough in their critiques. I know they had a great many applications to review, but how do they expect us to do better if they don't explain to us, at least partially, why we were not chosen? Telling me that my previous research wasn't "independent" enough doesn't say anything about my research proposal as a whole. Telling me that I'll one day be a great educator, again doesn't say anything about my application or research proposal as a whole. Either way, they hold the power and will continue to do so until I provide them with a better application. Or at least enough money to pay someone to do it for me.

You're OUT!

After reading this I don't feel so bad about wanting to take out a loan myself for cost of living expenses. I've also had bad experiences with roommates, but I'm giving it another shot. I'm a social person and a cynical optimist if you can believe. I believe in people until they prove me wrong. I'm hoping and praying that God's sense of humor isn't as dark as mine and he provides me with a great roommate or two. I've been told that it is perfectly acceptable to to take out a loan for living expenses. I plan to use what I need until I get on my feet. My only question for those of you out there in Whoville is, is there any way that a federal loan will be paid directly to me instead of to the school? I'm new to this whole loan thing, so I'm a bit on edge about even going through with it. Advice on how to approach the situation would be welcome.

Ah! You beat me to it. I was just on my way here to start a thread like this. I rolled over at 3 am this morning to check the time and discovered that I had an e-mail. Of course I had to check it and I was all excited until I got the "it's not us it's you" part of the e-mail. Dismayed, I rolled over and hurridly went back to sleep by convincing myself it was all dream. I'm sad, disappointed and bitter about how much effort I put in. I also did not receive an HM, which somehow made it that much worse. Though, I must say, I shouldn't feel this way since I got into my program of choice with full funding. I need to put things in perspective. My reviewers said a lot of the same. My proposal was good but not good enough. I wasn't specific enough in my pitch. I'll be reapplying next year after I get a bit more education in my chosen field (neuro). Overall they liked what I was proposing. They didn't like that I wasn't knowledgable enough to have a better method of studying it. I had one bastard of a proposer... okay I take it back. He/she was just doing his/her job. But still, burtal honesty hurts. They didn't believe I was dedicated to science enough to merit an award. If I could make it through Organic Chemistry without murdering the entire chem department, I think that's dedication. I'm sorry to hear that you all didn't get the award. Hopefully there's still time for you to apply next year. I wish you luck. I know I'll need it.

I'm definitely considering purchasing a house while in grad school, though I'm going to wait until my second year to do it. It'll give me more time to look around, get used to my environment. Plus, the stress of moving to a new city and starting a new program is enough for my first year. I don't want to add the stress of buying a house on top of that. I am planning, once I get a house or townhome, to rent out the extra rooms. I'm hoping to add that money to my mortgage have the home paid off even faster. Good luck with your decision. It does seem like now is the perfect time to purchase a home given all the tax credits they are shoving our way.

It's a bit depressing that as of this moment there are 128 users reading this topic. I've been checking my e-mail all day, which is terrible because it comes to my phone. Every time it beeped, chirped or vibrated I anxiously pulled it out to discover the long awaited e-mail from...careerbuilder. I just want to take this moment to let career builder know that they suck. I also want to take this moment to ask God to please stop messing with me and force the NSF people to send me my congratulatory e-mail already! Goodnight everyone. I'm off to rest my fingers for more compulsive e-mail checking on the morrow.

Duck Tales

I can honestly say that I have never read anything by Pratchett. I think I've gotten a little too attached to sci-fi/fantasy but the books are so good. I think I love the stories so much because most of them are in series format. I was always the kid in English class that wanted to know where the story went. I hate endings and I love that with (most) sci-fi fantasy I can always find out where my characters lives will go next. I have yet to read Fluke or Practical Demonkeeping. I'm working my way backwards apparently. I started the Fool (a splendid take on King Lear, I think you'll find the footnotes especially hilarious) and worked back to A Dirty Job, Lamb, and the You Suck duo. I also read I Love You Beth Cooper which was way funnier than the movie. Trust me. My boyfriend was on the verge of telling me to put a sock in it I was laughing so hard. I'm off to stay up all night reading so that I my book monster can be satisfied.

Okay. I feel better. Thank you for setting my mind at ease. That was a close one.

Yes, I've read all of Miss Sookie's stories. The show takes some liberties with the storyline, but I think you'll enjoy the books. The last one was a bit of a let down, but authors can't be great all the time can they? I understand your beef with Twilight. Taking it at face value it's a story of love. When you really break it down and examine the female - male relationships within the story it does seem as if Bella was more than ready to give up her life to be a wife and mother. Now that I think about it, Meyer didn't even seem to give Bella a life outside of ol' Ed. We don't know anything about her hopes and dreams for the future outside of being a wife to Edward. That aspect of the story, to put it shortly, sucks.

Congratulations! I know how tough it is to be wait-listed and have to sit around waiting for a response. This is obviously the program you were meant to be in! Isn't it great when your prayers are answered?

Wait...where are all the science geeks? I took a gander at some of the degree concentrations listed here and I don't believe I saw any of my fellow science geeks. Tear! I'm thinking this thread is my alter ego's thinly veiled way of saying - do the creative writing program already! All in time, my precious (too much Lord of the Rings, anyone?). Mudgean: I totally agree with the nike approach that you've taken with twilight. I know it was a book for tweens, teens and everything in between, but come on! I've been meaning to read Asimov for years. I keep passing by his work in BN and saying to myself "Ah. Not this time." But one day, I'll conquer my procrastinating. Obviously, not today. I read Great Expectations in high school (I think) and it was okay. I think it would've been better if not for my teacher. He saw symbolism in every single word. It got to the point where it ceased to be a story and became more a clichéd lesson in less is more. HelloKaty: Yes. The Glitter was hilarious. I don't think any self-respecting female, infatuated with vampires or otherwise, would find herself attracted to a man covered in glitter. If that's not a sign, I'm not sure what is. Infinite Monkeys: I thought the same thing about Lamb. I even read the foreword (afterword? I'm not sure) and I never do that. The amount of time and effort Moore put into ensuring that he captured the history was phenomenal. I think the most important thing that he did was capture how human Jesus was. What if more people believed that Jesus faced temptation and walked away from it just as we have to every day? As opposed to believing that he did all of these amazing things, but was somehow above it all? I'm not a religious person, though I do believe in God, but reading that book gave me a greater sense of my faith. I can only wonder if Moore knew or hoped that his novel would have that effect on people? I mention that book to every person I know because people can sometimes take their religion too seriously and it's nice to just go with flow and relax. Good luck with being trapped with the Type A's. I'm trying to divorce myself from my Type A-ness but, if I don't do it - who will? LOL. Anxious Applicant: It all makes sense now. A Philosophy major. I took an ethics course in college that really got me interested in Kant's theories but my brain is so muddled with answering the scientific questions of the world that I haven't gotten around to really reading his work. Maybe I'll try Keirkagaard as well. Any suggestions as to where an extreme novice like myself should start? Sparky: Thank's for the info. I'm heading to BN now. I don't know why I don't just deposit my paychecks there...

Ha! Someone else that endured the twilight! And I agree, I was completely underwhelmed by the last installment. I glance at Chuck Palahniuk (how do you even pronounce that?) whenever I visit Barnes and Noble. I haven't read anything by him yet. Where do you suggest I start. I can see now that my reading list is going to be long this year. Has anyone read Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie? It's an enticing story of revenge and political intrigue set in a fictional, seemingly European, land. Happy Reading!

Did you really just ask us that? LOL. I'm sure that the issue Kierkagaard as a writer, philosopher or whatever. I believe the issue, and I'm just spit-balling here, is that fact that you read his work for pleasure. What do you read when you're working!? I don't know what you are getting your PhD in but whatever it is, I'm sure they are really going to appreciate you! In other news, I'm currently compiling my list of classics to read for the summer, so far Jane Austen's made the list and one Sir Wilde. Any other suggestions? (Please, no Russians. Authors. Not people )

Every time I come back to this thread, I'm reminded of another author. Has anyone read the Sundered series by Michelle (Sagara) West? She has an interesting take on the story of how God was created. I'm a big fan of Greek mythology and the like for their stories on the "why" of the world around us. West did a pretty good job of sharing her story on how God was created.

Ref: Infinite Monkeys - I discovered the brilliance that is Christopher Moore last year when I read Fool. Since then, I've been gobbling up his books. I think my favorite was Lamb - I loved how he told the story of Jesus (and his childhood friend Biff!). Moore was hilarious throughout the book but when he got to the crucifixion, it was like even he couldn't find light in that dark tunnel. I think it was the first time I actually cried over a story. In lighter news, have you gotten Moore's latest? I bought the other day but haven't gotten to it. Sadly, Butcher's Dresden Files and his dark humor or more my style right now. And I totally agree with not reading thinky-y books. Sometimes it pays to let your brain escape with great story-telling as opposed to great examinations of what it means to be human and moral, etc. Ref: Phyl - What!? You didn't like Twilight? Don't let the tweens, teens and otherwise "adult" mom's hear you say that! I will admit that I did read the entire series and I liked it. Let me tell you why before you're completely lose faith in me as a serious (albeit future) grad student. Meyer's writing is crap. And I hate how much this whole movie blitz has snowballed that effect. But what she was able to capture even in the face of said crappy writing was amazing. I remember being a new kid in high school (no thanks to the Air Force) and being in love with the ever unattainable popular guy. So I guess the story kind of spoke to me in that way. I applaud Meyer for being able to capture those feelings of all consuming love and, to a certain extent, innocence. Those of us on this forum are usually so serious and we're always talking about grad school this and grad school that and all manner of adult things. It's nice to get away and not think about taxes, bills, rent, etc. That being said, I also have a mild case of OCD when it comes to starting a series and not finishing it. Sometimes I just have to know how it ends. If you didn't like Twilight you might like Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments Series - also YA. It's much better than Meyer, by far. And last but not least Ref: Metasyntactic - I'm sad to say that I have yet to be properly introduced to the cyberpunk genre. Please, enlighten me (if you've got the time) Happy Reading!

I totally agree with you. Reading is definitely about escaping. After spending all day at school and in the lab, my brain needs a break. I'm not a big fan of strictly romance, but I have read a few historical mysteries. I think my favorite was probably The Historian. I know it's old but I liked it. I also really enjoyed the The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. Have you read anything by Caleb Carr? Angel of Darkness or The Alienist? I read them a long time ago but both stories were great mysteries set in the 18th or 19th century. Happy reading!