Carly Rae Jepsen

Exact same situation with the reviewers--one marked everything excellent and the other fair or good! My one comment was very detailed and constructive though, so I am thankful to that person! 
Waiting on 3 other fellowships too, best of luck to you!

good luck everyone....
 
here to answer any questions as a current 2nd year student (im at WashU in STL but I applied/visited a few schools a couple years ago). Feel free to message me.

Hi there! 
I’m not in French but a similar subject (linguistics) and one thing in this really stood out to me; making your decision based on which college’s funding package has the least teaching. You will, without a doubt, be more competitive for search committees in 5 years’ time with more teaching experience not less. I would strongly encourage you not to base any decisions on this. Research is naturally important in academia but building up a teaching portfolio and philosophy is also important and trying to avoid teaching isn’t going to help. Also, you likely will have to apply for non-tenure track positions as well as tenure-track (due to the state of the job market) at the end of the PhD which will have a stronger teaching focus than research focus. 
Ive known colleagues on my course who pursued fellowships religiously (4 out of 5 years of their PhD was on fellowships). They couldn’t get jobs because of lack of teaching experience. They’re now building up that experience in high schools (shudder) before they reapply in a couple of years. 
I hope this hasn’t come off as preachy but I just wanted to give you my $0.02 and hopefully it will make you decision-making easier. I have a friend at Brown and they love it!

Boy problems! Who's got em? I got 'em too!

Boy problems! Who's got em? I got 'em too!

Boy problems! Who's got em? I got 'em too!

Boy problems! Who's got em? I got 'em too!

I am sorry:(

My papers are excellent, I think? I feel proud of my research! 
Also, my boyfriend is literally the sweetest.

It's final exams (papers, rather) season and I am super stressed about that (oddly less stressed than last semester, however; I know my writing process much better now and have started my research in advance. Professors were more proactive about demanding drafts in advance.) I feel like a machine.
Concurrently, I am dating a very sweet, caring guy who has depression and who has difficult life circumstances and whom I am unable to help and that hurts. 
And to add to that, I'm feeling impostor syndrome so badly. One of my theory based courses is particularly challenging, and the professor has even mocked me for my contributions in class which only adds to my anxiety about not being good enough for academia. 
I haven't had time to chat with my family; my mom is sick but tells me she is doing better. Communication with the rest of them is not frequent.
My apartment looks like a tornado passed through it. I get up in the morning, make a quick breakfast, go to the gym, eat something really quick, shower and spend all my evenings doing schoolwork. This is a lifestyle that people who are not in graduate school wouldn't understand--for them, work starts at 9 and ends at 5 (or at specific schedules.) For us, work is always with us. Even during breaks, you are supposed to consume knowledge like a beast. There is never a moment of rest.

Tell him to not call you, maybe?

I asked a current student about what the visit day would be like so I could prepare myself better, and he kindly told me about it. I'm not referring to maybe "what can I do to be accepted?" but rather "What is it like?" so I can feel more calm and prepared that day.

Ditto on the transcripts. I suppose someone could in theory go through the trouble of sending a fake transcript but when they are admitted they will need to send a real one, so why would anybody do that? What exactly is the logic behind requesting official transcripts as part of the application?
Requesting the TOEFL from people whose first language is not English but who attended an English-speaking school in the United States for undergraduate is ridiculous. I've been living in the US for 8 years now. I finished high school and college here. I submitted a statement of purpose that shows I know English. Why would you require the TOEFL? (Only one school said I had to take it. It seems like they did away with that, though, after I insisted).
Otherwise, I suppose there are things that would be fantastic but logistically hard. I wish most programs were part of a single application portal and letters could thus be easier to send (and therefore I could save my professors time). Most of the schools I applied to notified me of when I could expect to hear back from them, actually, and for that I'm thankful!

You absolutely should! I'm a Latino in the US who majored in French, and the number of times I've been told that I should've majored in Spanish instead is irritating. It's necessary and good to know one's community, but it also broadens one's mind to study other cultures, communities and languages. The background of a researcher should not matter as long as they are acquainted with a subject or field.
It's also sort of a microaggression that you are expected to represent just your community. Other people are never questioned when they decide to study communities other than their own, yet for some, minority students are supposed to just study their own communities? It makes no sense! We all have a right to express our intellectual curiosity in any way we like.
That specific 'criticism' is shallow, and you should not pay much attention to it.

I have an informal Skype interview with a potential grad advisor tomorrow...wish me luck everyone.

he did not reply to my text ?

Moving on Tuesday and I haven't packed yet lol. I wanna take with me all my books, but space is so limited. Mainly because I am taking my mattress with me (yay for not sleeping on the floor of an empty, unfurnished apartment.)

Moving on Tuesday and I haven't packed yet lol. I wanna take with me all my books, but space is so limited. Mainly because I am taking my mattress with me (yay for not sleeping on the floor of an empty, unfurnished apartment.)

Hi, @Adelaide9216
I’m in the process of moving into and totally furnishing an apartment for the first time. Before I get into the details of my experience & advice, the most important thing I’ve learned is that this process is very personal and depends entirely on your particular financial, geographic, & time constraints. That being said, there are lots of ways to get it done well and crowdsourcing advice is a great idea.
For context: after I had committed to a program (March) but prior to deciding how I wanted to live (studio/1B/2B with a roommate) and in what neighborhoods, I made a list of “essential,” “important,” and “luxury” items, including furniture.
I then did three things simultaneously - learned about various neighborhoods and their rental patterns (i.e. when listings came up and how to find them), decided what way of living worked best for me and my stipend (I opted for living by myself in a 1B), and made notes on the places from which I could buy every single item on my list (even if I wasn’t sure that I’d end up purchasing all of it.)
I held off on buying anything until I’d seen my place in person because I am doing a slow move-in. The details of that particular experience may not yield anything useful for you, but it has produced some more general advice that I’d give anyone who is doing this for the first time.
First, figure out what furniture is essential to you and get a firm sense of how to get those things purchased and/or delivered to your new place by the time you're living there. For me, those things were my bed & bed frame, desk & chair, and bookshelves.
Then, explore your important/luxury items since, hey, data is always good to have. I would suggest, however, holding off on actually buying those things until you get to your place. It’s nice to walk around the apartment, take a breath, measure stuff, and get a sense of the size and type of furniture that will work in your new space (unless you 100% totally love something and know it will fit, in which case I think it makes sense to get it delivered at the same time as your essentials.)*
*This is assuming you're purchasing most or all of your stuff from the same place, like IKEA. Which brings me to another piece of advice - the more you can buy from the same place, the easier.
Also, buying in town is usually a lot easier (in terms of delivery/self-transport) than having to move it from where you’re at now, so take a look at what options (big chains, resellers, etc.) are available to you in your new city, what their delivery policies are, and wait to buy and have furniture delivered/transported yourself until you're in your new place.
So, to answer your Q directly - I'd do as much research and list-making as you'd like right now and hold off buying anything until you sign your lease and get the key unless it is a small piece of furniture that you won't be able to find again or a big piece that is flat-packed, *and* you can store it where you're living now and then transport it easily once it is time to move. I'd also get your essentials there as soon as possible after you've moved in and get other stuff in as needed, unless you're 100% "I want and need this here now."
I’m happy to share my lists if they’d be helpful to you and I hope this aids your apartment prep!

I somehow found a place in University City within my budget. It looks big and nice and I am really excited, but living on my own sounds intimidating too. Oh well.

Hey! I live in Skinker Debaliviere. I have also visited friends in U city north of Delmar by WashU. 
I think both areas are similar in terms of crime (this is my very unscientific perception/experience). You wont be exposed to violent crimes in these areas. However, due to the high residential density and the fact that they are adjacent to "tougher" areas, both neighborhoods are targets for crimes such as car break-ins (very common in Skinker Debaliviere) and the occasional robbery. I have not had any issues myself, but I do hear about these crimes often. 
You are right about north of Delmar having a bad reputation. It is, in fact, a low-income area with a high-crime rate. However, I don't think the "Delmar Divide" applies north of Delmar near WashU/The Loop because there are so many students, businesses, and families in the area. 
 
Here's what I will say about Skinker Debalieviere:
 
I like living here because its nice and close to the park. There are two cafes in the area, but they are only open in the morning and they are nothing to rave about. Although the neighborhood is close to CWE, its not necessarily walking distance. We don't have a good restaurant or bar to walk to, which is a bummer. Now, that being said, you have Forest Park that you can walk to, and there are always people walking their dogs in the neighborhood (if you area  dog owner). 
 
If you are looking for a neighborhood that has bars/restaurants you can walk to, the i would say U City is a better bet. If you want a quieter, perhaps more walkable neighborhood, Skinker Debaliviere is your bet. 

this made my day. So over saying goodbye to people

At 23 you think you've seen all mammals on Earth on TV and zoos and yet I have just found out about this animal called a civet. It looks like a weasel or raccoon with a long body and leopard spots. I'm so happy...apparently there's much to be found out about the world yet for me.
 

You guys won't believe me I took part in a parliamentary simulation this week and I got to sit on the Prime Minister of my province's seat for it. wow.
 
 

My brother came out as bi. I love him and support him especially cause I'm gay myself but I am so so worried about my parents finding out (about both of us really lol). My dad....sigh....