BionicKris

Yay! Another sci/fi fantasy buff. Cry Wolf isn't nearly as enjoyable as the shape-shifting coyote but I liked it. If you like Briggs' work you might also enjoy Raven's Shadow and Raven's Strike. The storytelling in that particular duology was wonderful, in my opinion. Richelle Meade is great, but not as good as Briggs. Her stories leave you addicted though. She has two series out - one about the succubus who sold her soul to protect someone she loved and another about a shaman who finds out she's actually a Fae queen. Anxiousapplicant - I applaud you. There's now way I'm reading Russian literature for "pleasure," though I've admittedly never read anything by either authors you posted. I read Dostoyevsky in high school and that was enough for me. I did try to read Anna Karenina for years but I finally gave up. I must say that I've fallen off somewhat with the classics. I usually read a few over the summer simply because I have more time, but lately I've been leaning more towards sci-fi and fantasy. After long days of thinking about science and "being the ball," so to speak, my brain wants to immerse itself in the tasty goodness that is pop fiction. Some think it's weird, but I love being able to escape back to my younger days when I thought magicians and wizards and necromancers were real and living next door. Maybe one day I'll jump back on the intellectual literature band wagon, but for right now, I'm all about great story telling. I highly recommend Jacqueline Carey out there for anyone that loves writers that make new and exciting worlds! She's great.

around woodstock (ref pea-jay: the salad definitely came first LOL)

I'm an avid reader - everything from classical to sci fi/fantasy - and I'm worried about how much leisurely reading I'll actually be able to get done once school starts. I'm currently working my way through the Dresden files, hence the signature. I know I'm late, but better late than never right? Your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to share with gradcafe land what your currently reading and offer any suggestions. Just another fun topic to keep our minds off packing up and moving and fellowship nominations (NSF that means you) By the way, just finished Silver Borne (Patricia Briggs) and Succubus Shadows (Richelle Meade) yesterday. Thoroughly enjoyed both. I'm now back to the Dresden files to find out what sort of mayhem Harry'll get himself into this time.

So I was looking at the PASD thread in the "officially grads" section and I was wondering if anyone else here is dealing with that and how they are coping? It seems like, for me, as I get closer and closer to arriving I get more anxious about what my performance will be first year and how much smarter everyone is going to be. I know it's irrational because we are all in the same boat, but I guess I'm a little neurotic that way. Also, how is everyone hoping to cope with being a shiny new face in the Purdue area?

Reference to Nibor600: I wasn't aware of the program in the Nutrition department. To be quite honest with you, I hadn't even thought to look there. I was so interested in studying the neurobiological effects of eating behavior and so excited about the people in the psych department that studied that I totally ignored any place else. I am sure that there will be room for me to learn from the scientists in that department though. I'd love to know more about it if you have the time to share. How is everyone else these days? I hope everything is coming together well for all the future Boilermakers out there!

I've thought about waiting until the 2nd year to get roommates as well. It's probably worth it to not risk having a terrible roommate my first year and being miserable. On the other hand, my bedroom has always been my oasis and retreat so it may not be that much of an issue. I do know that it'll be easier socially to have someone to chat with and whatnot when I get out of class/lab. It's just so difficult to make a decision. Save money or save my sanity? Hmmm....

Keep hope alive! My top choices website stated that they only admit about 30 students a year. I called and spoke with the grad school head and was told that they actually admit a few more than that. Hang in there! I know it's easier said than done but you've still got time!

Ah... the ole' retail slave ploy. I know it well. I spent my year off school alternating between temp jobs and working at GameStop. I like working in the game store, not so much the customers. I miss the ever present danger of the lab! Working with agents that could cause all manner of illnesses.... I am now seriously reconsidering my chosen career path having read that last line. I'm hoping to make a special trip out to Lafayette before school starts but it honestly depends on finances. Most of my money is wrapped up in a cruise I'll be taking with my boyfriend and a few of our friends over the summer. I was entirely ready to call the cruise off but my more intellectual counterparts (i.e. parents) urged me to go on my trip. It's my last hurrah before years of academia. I've looked at Franklin Apartments as well. I think they are actually located across the street from The Fairway. The only problem I had with Franklin was the washer/dryer issue. They only have 2 specific floor plans that accommodate w/d and when I called those were leased through the time I'd be renting. I don't know if I'm ready to go back to sharing a w/d space with others. I know it's small, but if it came down to Franklin and a place with an in-home w/d - I'd break up with Frank in a heartbeat. It's nice that your fiancé will be joining you in Indiana. My boyfriend and I will be enduring a long distance relationship. I worry about how much strain it'll put on us but that's love right? You do what you have to. Keep me posted on how this journey works out for you. I'd love to know what you encounter when you go to Lafayette next month. Hopefully the money fairy will stop by with funds for an extra trip to Lafayette. I'm off to bury my head in a book and forget about the real world for the next few hours.

I think we have all strayed from the topic at one point or another. I was forced to take a year off after undergrad because of funding issues and I refused to pay my own way when someone else could pay for me AND give me a stipend. I enjoyed my 22nd year of life searching for temp jobs and redoing the entire application process. NOT. FUN. I missed the life of a scholar and being around people that were excited about learning new things and being in school. I also worried that my year off would make me a deadbeat, but it just made me all the more determined that I was taking my ass to grad school. I can't stand office jobs. They suck. I'm committed to the PhD program now and I know it's going to be a tough road. But as soon as I can call myself Dr. Supergrad I'm jetting off to Europe for a few months and enjoying what's left of my twenties. If you do take a year off good luck to you and please party for those of us that are stuck toiling at the bottom of the totem pole! And remember *all together now* DON'T STOP BELIEVIN' HOLD ON TO THAT FEEEELLLIIINNNN!

Wow! Anthropology. That sounds so cool. I only wish I had a head for that type of thing. I've started looking for places AND roommates. So far I've contacted The Fairway because they cover everything but electricity and internet. I can't remember off the top of my head what other places I've looked at besides Blackbird Farms. It's just so hard trying to do it from afar and without roomies everything seems so expensive. Although, I am worried I'll get stuck living with a closet axe murderer . I'm assuming if your planning to defer for in-state you're going to move there this year. What do you plan to do for your year of freedom?

Hello everyone, I'm just starting a thread for Purdue in general. I've been admitted to the PULSe program (interdisciplinary life sciences). I wanted to meet and chat other students that'd be attending this fall regardless of discipline. I'd love to know how everyone is enduring the process of moving to Indiana. I'd really like to get to know some people before I get there. It'd make the transition so much easier. I'm hoping people can use this thread to find roommates, friends and acquaintances. Ya know, the usual. Personally, my plan is to get my degree in behavioral neuroscience and study eating behavior. I usually tell people that I want to study "fat rats." We'll see where the future takes me once I do my rotations the first year. I visited Purdue's campus back in Feb and I'm really excited about going to school in a college town. It'll be a new experience for me. My undergrad took place in Charlotte, NC which is a decent sized city. I'm ready to get away for a few years. Looking forward to hearing from all of you future Boilermakers out there!

I've been told by multiple sources that if your credit report is requested too much that your score can drop, but I do not believe it is a significant amount. I think it has something to do with consistently applying for credit and not getting it. The more you apply for credit and get denied, the more companies inquire about your credit history. Honestly it's a flawed system. It seems like if your not rich, the climb to great credit is a steep, and damn near perpendicular climb. In response to the person that opened this thread, it may not be of much help but my boyfriend has a pre-existing condition and can't get adequate medical coverage. He is thousands of dollars in debt, years old by the way, and told the apartment complex this up front. They replied by stating that they do not include medical debt in their decision. I do not know if this is universal or not but it's worth asking the place you plan to rent from up front. If you can't get a co-signer, just be up front about your situation. It never hurts to be honest. Your security deposit will be incredibly huge with bad credit, but as long as you can show them that your rent will be paid they might be willing to work with you. It'll also benefit you to try to contact some collection agencies and start paying down your debt - even if it's just 50 bucks a month. When you get ready to rent, you can at least show the people you lease from (with?) that you've been paying on your debt. They might take that into consideration as well, because though your credit is bad, your paying on your debts. Good Luck!

For me, being a science major, I'm mostly getting a PhD to teach at the college level. I'm committed to research and publishing but the "publish or perish" attitude that seems to plague a lot of the top-tier schools in this country makes me want to hurl. It forces otherwise brilliant professors to maintain an 80/20 attitude - 80% research 20% education. I feel as though administrators think the need for great educators ends at high school. I've had terrible, TERRIBLE, professors at the college level. Undergraduates need no less encouragement than high school students do. Do I think it's sad when professors who claim to do brilliant research haven't published in years, yes I do. But I also feel that it is important to focus on the capabilities of of a scientist as an educator. I love science - both teaching it and studying it, but I don't feel that I should focus more on one than the other simply because the school I work for wants all sorts of accolades. I know that research is important, but what good are my findings if I can't share them with my students? As far as being required to teach or being required to publish is concerned, why have an either/or scenario. If your ultimate goal is to teach, then you as a grad student should be required to teach and evaluated on the efficacy of your teaching style. If your ultimate goal is to do research in an academic setting then you should be required to publish at least one paper before graduating. Unfortunately we are destined to forever deal with the politics and money grubbing that is academia.

Bottle Rocket (Dammit Pea-Jay you stole mine!)

Hello again everyone! I figured I'd try this thread again and try to meet some new folks that'll be attending Purdue in the fall. I'm a science geek but I cheat on science every now and then with mistress English. How is everyone enduring the process of preparing to move to a brand new town? Personally, I'm losing my mind. I think I was just so obsessed with getting in that I forgot about all of the hard work and prep that comes afterward. It's more frustrating than anything else. I'd love to know how everyone is going through this process.

I know this sounds wrong but I am so glad that I am not the only one plagued by overbearing feelings of inadequacy. I knew within my heart of hearts that I could get into grad school and I did. Now, after meeting some of the other recruits and realizing how seriously they are taking the whole process - I keep asking myself if I'm prepared for this. I attempted to cope by telling myself that out of hundreds of students (yep, hundreds - that's what my ego has convinced me of) I was chosen to enter the program. If they didn't think you were capable, they'd have sent you a big fat no. But somebody, somewhere sent you a big fat yes. I'm also constantly reminded that we are going to school to learn how to be better scientists, academicians, etc. But, on those days where none of the aforementioned bahookey (pronounced: bullshit) works I do the following: 1. Slap on a towel as though it were a cape with my matching spandex and run around saying neener neener neener neener SUPERGRAD (to the tune of the original Batman theme song) 2. Put on my best rock band performance and belt out the lyrics to Journey's "Don't Stop Believin" (I can send video if you think it'll help you through this situation) 3. Sprint to the kitchen, break out all manner of prep for brownies AND chocolate chip cookies, commence with the baking and eat until those niggling thoughts are drowned in sugar and chocolatey goodness.

If your ultimate goal is to work in a research center upon graduation I would definitely recommend Purdue given that you feel it is more academic. Another thing you should consider is location. If you can deal with spending the next 5-6 years of your life in a college town like Purdue then go for it. If you need to have a busier city life then go for Maryland. A more important factor to consider is the research. Have you contacted scientists at both locations and asked about their research? Also, where will you feel more at home and more welcome? At the end of the day PhD studies are very much a job. You want to make sure that you are happy for the next few years wherever you are. Contact people at both institutions and find out how they are treated as students and as intellectual peers. Maybe this will help you make a better decision. I hope this helps.

I lived in the Norfolk area for about 4 years when my father was stationed at Langley AFB. I'd say that the Hampton Roads area (Norfolk included) is a pretty decent place to live. I'm a beach bum at heart so the proximity to VA Beach is a big perk in my opinion. The military presence in the area is obviously noticeable but not terribly so. I would definitely suggest a car, but only because my experience with public transportation in the area was not great. Be prepared to deal with bridges on a daily basis. I have a phobia of driving over bridges, especially at night, so if this is something you'd have a problem with definitely take it into consideration when deciding. If you like historical places, Williamsburg isn't too far from Norfolk and it's also home to Busch Gardens. King's Dominion is also terribly far away (out towards Richmond). Hope this helps.

I moved to Charlotte in '05 to begin my undergraduate study and I've come to love this city. I agree with the previous post - you will definitely want to get a car. Charlotte is trying to update their public transportation, but it's an extremely slow process. Please be forewarned - driving here is atrocious. I've never encountered so many terrible drivers as I have in Charlotte, NC. On another note UNCC is a wonderful, beautiful campus. Every time I visit it seems like they've added something new or done something to benefit the overall lives of their students. The social life here is what you make it. There are a lot of great Broadway plays that come to town ( I am personally looking forward to seeing Wicked next month). Bars/clubs close at 2 am and as with any other place some are great, others not so much. One thing that I love about Charlotte is that there is always something going on. They have something called Charlotte restaurant week during which a great many of the more upscale restaurants offer discounted dinners. It's great! Around Halloween a cornfield maze opens up on the northside of town. I went this past year and absolutely loved it. The local news (Channel 14 News) does a pretty good job of keeping the community informed about local goings on. Housing is sufficient - there are oodles of apartment complexes here. If you don't mind driving a bit out of your way to get to class I definitely recommend The Retreat or Cheswyck. When I lived at The Retreat a 2 Bed/2 Bath was about $740 give or take. Auston Woods is also a great place (I have friends that live there). I wouldn't recommend living in East Charlotte (pretty much any apartment complex off of Independence Blvd - aka the 74 - are out). I also recommend finding a place on Harris blvd. Auston Woods is one of those places (they should definitely pay me for these shameless plugs). Shopping - which is something I absolutely love - is actually pretty great here. Northlake Mall is a decently priced mall and it has a bookstore (Borders) which may or may not be important to you. Carolina place mall is nice as well, but is located farther away from UNCC on the southside of town. Concord Mills is a great place to shop, go to the movies or hang out at Dave and Busters. I've probably been to Southpark once in my entire 5 years here. It is the place you go if you want to be reminded of how little money you have as a grad student. If you're the sort that likes amusement parks, Carowinds is very close by. It's probably a 10 min drive for me and I live in the south side of town. I'd say it's maybe a 30 min drive from UNCC depending on which route you take. All in all I'd say that Charlotte is a great place for graduate study. There's not so much going on that you can stay focused, but there's not so little that you feel like you don't have a life. Please let me know if you have any more questions. I'm happy to help in any way I can. I'm moving to Indiana for grad school and I am avidly searching for someone to give me the same information that you've requested here. If you've got any questions about crime, the cost of utilities, general atmosphere - please feel free to let me know. Good Luck!

I've definitely considered not getting a roommate, but I can't get over how much money I'll be able to save if I do. It honestly depends on NSF. They are seriously taking their sweet time letting everyone know about the GRFP fellowship this year. I am not really a neat freak but I am big on things like common decency - if you break replace it, if you drink something don't leave a ml of fluid in the container and stick it back in the refrigerator - ya know, stuff like that. Having to deal with things like that is a big turnoff, but having someone to split everything with is a major plus. In the event that I do decide on a roommate, my biggest issue will be trying to weed out the crazies. I just want this process to be easy and, most importantly, over! Thanks for the feedback everyone! I wish I'd have found this website a LONG time ago!

I have literally been pulling my hair out waiting for April to get here and now they tell me we won't know until THE MIDDLE OF APRIL! It's probably time I bought a wig...

Is the price for Harvard $135,000 for each or or for your education in total? Either way I'd say Oxford hand's down. If your interest is definitely in foreign/international affairs going to Oxford would afford you the opportunity of being in Europe and gaining first person knowledge of international affairs. Also if you'd like to eventually work in the UK why not get an education there for a year and really decide if that is where you want to spend your life? That can only help in the long run. Who knows? Maybe you'll get an internship or something that could benefit you in the long run. If money is your only issue - I'd still say Oxford. Especially considering that you plan to go to law school. I hope this helps! Good luck with your studies.

Wow! You're going through a PhD program in the sciences and you have time to read about 12 brainless novels a week? What school are you at and how do it get in! I can only hope to have that much time to read.

Does anyone know anything about the historic apartments located in downtown Lafayette? I'm searching for a place that is within walking distance to campus and I've been told downtown Lafayette is the place to go. I'll be a first year grad student in the PULSe program in the fall. Is it expensive to live alone in the Purdue area?

Thanks so much for the insight! I've been to the housing site for my school multiple times and it's off campus housing sections sends me to the normal apartment search websites (apartments.com, move.com, etc). I've also been in contact with a few complexes. Of those that I've spoken with they've indicated that requests for lease renewals go out in November and most people renew by March. I'm not sure if this is a common practice or what. I'm anxious, but not quite in panic mode yet. I want to wait, but I'm worried about waiting too long. Who knew that this process would be so confusing?