PokePsych

Tonight I'm flying and I don't know when I'll see my significant other again. We've been crying all day for the last 2 days. I care so much about him. I don't like this. I don't like saying goodbye to this place, how much I hate it sometimes for all sorts of reasons. But it's OK as long as were together. But this time.. It's so hard.

Depends on where you are going. If it is nearby where you currently live, you may want to drive some stuff over to your new place. As I'm moving halfway across the world I'm just ordering IKEA as I have no interest in the hassle of budget shopping etc. My flatmate will collect the stuff for me and put it in my room. I actually enjoy putting IKEA together and I do not plan on getting a lot (Northern European minimalism lolz), so it works for me.

it sounds like yes - if it is not total crap :')

go you! I packed my suitcase. Happy to fly Etihad and have the 30 kg of check in

this made my day. So over saying goodbye to people

My new advisor never got back on my do-you-plan-to-take-students-etc-email. However whenever i email him now he gets back to me within the hour.

I took a year off between my Bachelor's and Master's. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to do research or more applied psych. So I honored my long-life dream of living abroad by becoming a visiting student at another uni. Took some more applied classes there and came to the conclusion I definitely want to do research. Because my Master's thesis had a lot of drama (outside my control), I knew I was most likely gonna graduate late (during my PhD) or would have to basically work 24/7 to finish on time. So I again took a year off, also to prepare the GRE and the like. I also worked part-time as a research intern in a consultancy firm. All good experiences. I'm now pretty rested and full of ideas to really go for that PhD. Everyone has his/her own path. For me, these diverse experiences have been incredibly helpful in both my research and just for my mental health Just do what is best for you!

Also don't be too discouraged if you don't get a reply, some professors prefer not to correspond with potential students or they're just simply too busy.

This is very dependent on your personal background and the like. I studied for about 3 weeks 5 days a week. I got 320 (88th verbal, 73d quant) and 4.5 (82nd). I used the 5 lb one and only studied maths as I got 45th percentile on my practice quant and already quite an OK sore on verbal at the time.

Saying 'goodbye and see you this winter or next year' to my boyfriend/fiancee is THE hardest thing ever. For real. I don't know if I can do this.

http://www.howigotintostanford.com/

Following

never ignore, but also assume not everyone is reliable, people have different needs in supervision, and advisors are also people (meaning you can TALK with them). I mean, I know this guy who ended up doing his PhD with an advisor who is literally never available or even concerned about what his student is doing, but that guy still enjoys working with his advisor because he can simply brag about working with a big name and how awesome it is to work with him. You want to ask around what is 'normal' for that person, and then assess whether it fits to you and what you care about (in my case, yes he was nice to other students too, as long as they at least put some effort in and asked for help when needed rather than assume he would come to them). There's also a prof in my department who everyone loves, but he's way too micromanage-y for me, so I know I'd just be pretty annoyed by that.

I second what everyone said above. What matters is YOUR relationship with your advisor. I have an absolutely wonderful relationship with my former advisor ❤️ He's my biggest cheerleader and has helped me so so so much, he taught me how to write, gave extensive feedback, he wanted to help me with presenting, really everything. Sometimes he even was a bit of a mental health coach lol. He even sometimes just dropped by my office for some feedback on things he was working on or for coffee and to discuss some ideas. That said, lots of people have a tough time with him. He has no filter when it comes to criticism (it's HARSH, but I know he means well, and it is generally helpful) and he has zero-tolerance for people who are slacking or not prepared. Especially when they 'fake' they prepared for meetings and the like and obviously didn't or were waiting for him to keep things going. Then yeah, he's gonna give you a hard time because well.. he feels like you're wasting his time. However, if you bring ideas, are well-prepared and show you're invested, then he's an absolute blessing. Don't worry. Plus, my former department had a general 'complaining' culture. Basically what everyone did was just constantly complain about everything and everyone. So you never know what is really going on. I felt the majority of complaints were not justified, because most of the times students could just step up to fix the issues, but OK.

1) Looks good. I would definitely apply! You seem well-rounded in terms of both practical experience and research. Again, many good applicants each year, but it would be worth trying 2) Yes, I actually emailed that. And also told about my research interests and whether they could direct me to other people who also do research in the field 3) I'd first try to figure out whát you actually want to tell and why do you want to study this topic. Statements are very personal and vary a lot person by person. I wouldn't really look at anything before you have a clear idea of what you want to communicate first.

Join the club. I had something that resembled a slight panic attack during the weekend due to feeling so overwhelmed with everything that is going on. Very out of character for me

Today Imposter Syndrom is hitting me hard. I feel overwhelmed by the idea of starting in grad school and wonder if my 'ideas' are good enough. Hate it.

Contact your International Office, they'll be able to help you with this. As far as I know, your final date can be extended by the International Office anyway. I I do think I read somewhere that the maximum time of a visa has (sometimes, for some visas) also something to do with bilateral agreements between countries. For example, my boyfriend could get a 2 year visa when he came to study in my country (Europe, he's from Asia) whereas my Mexican classmate had to renew it after a year as he could get a visa for max a year.

Just say what you say here. Actively claim that you're not a spokesperson for this community and mention it. So answer questions with things like 'although I'm by no means a spokesperson of this community, my opinion/perspective on X would be Y. However, again, I'm not a spokesperson (and this question should therefore be direct to Z (the organization you mention or some other source)).' You could even make a powerpoint slide with that at the end with that message (although it may be a bit bold). I always prepare for expected questions with some extra slides (helpful advice I got from my advisor).

I've been working from home. Yeah I sometimes head to a cafe to get a coffee and work there, but I'm actually productive, regardless of location. I wouldn't assume that just because someone is at home, they're not working. Not sure what field you're in, but I assume anyone can do lit reviews from home given they have an internet connection, and I guess most people are also able to work with data from home (I mean I've been SPSSing my ass of lol). As for MA's and her graduating. I get why this must be frustrating, her not doing a proposal. But this is not uncommon. Besides, having actually done a Master's degree with a thesis, the amount of time spent on that varied so much per student and advisor. Some had datasets given to them, some never made it to data collection because their advisor is a slow ass grandpa who kept changing the design (yes, I changed projects), others spend months every weekday 9 - 6 in the lab, I personally had 4 datasets to work with (most other students only 2) of which one involved difficult stats (others got away with a simple regression) and on top of that a heavily interdisciplinary lit review. Fair? No. But that's just how that goes. And it never harms to ask for things, including if there is something like funding available - one lesson learned from my former advisor. Plus, things tend to be more negotiable than they may look first hand.

The more long distance is looming for us, the more close me and my boyfriend get. Srsly like this guy so much. Hate the stupid different nationalities, visa issue, complexity stuff.

I also love writing! I'm finally almost done with sorting my EndNote.. Had become a little bit of a mess. one or two more days and the whole things should be organized (It expanded a lot over the last 3 years haha)

I'm engaged haha. I have the husband part figured out. Wouldn't want another person, we've been together for 5 years. He's my first serious relationship, fell in love the moment I saw him and have only liked him more over the years. Only downside of our relationship is that he's Korean (no I don't like K-pop lol), I'm Dutch, and now heading to the States doesn't make things easier. Marriage seems to b the easiest way to make things work. Neither of us really 'believe' in marriage as an institution haha. My own family is far from supportive, which is how it has always been. Even got discouraged to go to university etc. But OK. My advisor/mentor from my former Master's is my biggest cheerleader, my boyfriend cheers on me, his family does, MOST of my friends do (except a few envious ones). It's good to have a support network.

Well, have already 3 years of grad school under my belt, so know pretty much what I want. Realized I'm gonna be in grad school for 9 years lolz. And my family is already telling me to 'get a real job'. Will spend my twenties and early 30s in grad school :')

Locked out of Endnote (no access to my uni license atm) and Mendeley just crashed well backing up whiping out all my sorting of the day and day before. FML.