Elephas

I don't have any experience but here's some forums I searched and found. I am also interested in info on this.
It seems that the general response is " Don't negotiate with a school unless you're sure you would accept given they gave you all those extra things..." 
Plume's post specifically
 
 
 

I finished transcribing another interview today. I'm proud because I did that one all day today. I have 4 left to transcribe. 

That is your experience so I don't think it will be cliche. However it shouldn't be  your entire diversity statement (maybe a paragraph). I used my experience as the only person of my race(i was also one of 7 women), in my department (75ish students) to graduate with my degrees and discussed how I sometimes felt isolated but persevered. I also talked about how my experience shaped my interactions on my undergrad campus, led me to leadership positions, how they pushed me to volunteer in causes I cared about, and how they will continue to be a part of my grad school pursuits. All of your experiences help shape your identity and they will continue to be a part of your identity in grad school so you shouldn't be ashamed of them.

Then these faculty do not want to continue the conversation till they get your application materials. Faculty members get so many emails that often they just reply out of courtesy. Yes it helps if a faculty member notices you, but more often than not, you got to get through the grad comm's cut. I've heard applicants get cut even before the faculty interested in working with them gets to review application materials.
TL;DR
stop panicking. these things are beyond your control. What you can control are things like your SOP,  your CV, your writing sample and test scores. Work on those as meticulously as you can, and submit your application in advance. MANY applications get tossed for being incomplete.

Yes, if you want to use the chunks of time you have productively, you have to prepare. You can use the shorter chunks you have to prepare for the longer chunks.
One thing I had to convince myself of was to just write. Sentences are just a collection of words; paragraphs are made up of sentences. Even if you have a 30 minute span of time, how much can you write? Even if you can only write one paragraph, that's one less paragraph you have to go to your goal. Persisting in writing even small amounts is so important - set aside some time to write almost every day, even if it's only a short period. Set yourself realistic goals. I used Scrivener to write my dissertation in pieces, and Scrivener does easy word counts at the bottom of each section. Give yourself a couple of diagnostic sections to see how much you can realistically write in X period of time (realizing that there's a difference between theoretical writing, like a literature review, and things like methods). Then assign yourself goals at the beginning of each session. So maybe your goal for a 30 minute session is about 100 words. Believe it or not...that's about one-third to a bit less than one-half a double-spaced page (Times New Roman, 12 pt-font, depends on the length of the words).
I outlined my entire dissertation from the beginning...and broke the entire thing up into 2-3 page chunks. Once I did that, the task seemed FAR more surmountable. (I also picked that tip up from a book.) I worked backwards from when I wanted to be finished and assigned myself specific sections to be working on on specific weeks/days, with deadlines. I communicated this timeline to my advisor for some external accountability (he didn't give a fig when I finished, lol, but it felt more accountable to me). Of course, this timeline and outline shifted and changed over time, but it at least gave me a roadmap and an overarching goal.
I also realized that some of the writing rituals I committed myself to were actually, in truth, procrastination techniques. Figure out what you absolutely have to do to get started writing - I mean, the bare minimum that you can go with. Try writing exercises in different areas, without ideal conditions. How do you do? See, you didn't die. Since you have to change workspaces often, one thing you may want to do is pack a bag with the bare essentials you need to write. Try to purchase or download books/articles electronically and enter them into a reference manager, so you can be as mobile as possible. I wrote a significant chunk of my dissertation at a coffee shop around the corner from my apartment, just for variety. (I wrote probably like less than 5% of it in the graduate student workspace.)
One of the most valuable things I learned was from the book Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day, by Joan Bolker. (The title is not meant to be taken literally.) She talks about "parking on the downhill slope" - which means when you stop, make it easy for yourself to get going again. Set aside 5-10 minutes at the end of each writing session to write yourself some messy notes about what you're thinking right then, where you were planning to go with a thought, what article you need to read or reference, or whatever else is helpful to help yourself get going. That way, next time you sit down to write, you don't have to waste 20 minutes trying to remember what the hell you were writing about last time.
When it comes to data analysis and processing - document, document, document! Comment all through those syntax files! Literally, every time you run an analysis, write a short comment about what you were doing with that line of code. If you use a GUI system (like SPSS) just start a notes file in a program like Evernote or OneNote and comment what you're doing. That's the way to "park on the downhill slope" with data analysis. That way, next time you start up you can just glance at your notes/comments and remember where you where and what you were doing. I also took the time (~5 min at the end of each analysis section) to write to myself about what I was planning to try/do next, so that when future me sat down I didn't waste time trying to figure out what the hell I was doing and what this code was for!
Another tip I used a lot is to save editing/revising for dedicated editing/revising days/sessions. If you're a procrastinator or a perfectionist, the temptation might be strong to edit/revise as you write, or to start editing/revising at the beginning of your session. If you do that, you'll look up 2 hours later and realize you've not written anything new. I put a banner above my workspace that say "JUST WRITE" to remind me to stop constantly editing and to just write. Even if I felt like I was vomiting out nonsense, a lot of the time I was able to take that "trash" and edit/revise it to something better later, when I had dedicated editing time. (Honestly, I wrote a significant portion of my dissertation with a glass of wine nearby. The buzz from the wine helped inhibit my natural perfectionistic tendencies and I was able to write more. Now, I often had to do revisions in the mornings but at least I had some words on the paper!)
Recommended books:
How to Write a Lot by Paul Silva (someone else recommended it; it's awesome)
Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day, by Joan Bolker (again, not meant to be taken literally, but there are lots of practical tips)
Complete Your Dissertation or Thesis in Two Semesters or Less (their timelines are, IMO, unrealistic. But the tips and skills are useful)
Destination Dissertation: A Traveler's Guide to a Done Dissertation, by Sonja K. Foss and William Waters (They have this recommended activity that involves slips of papers. I thought the method was stupid, but I basically did the activity electronically and that was decently helpful.)
The Craft of Research, by Booth, Colomb, Williams, Bizup, & Fitzgerald. Now in its 4th edition. Excellent resource!
 

back on topic;
I'm currently reading 'How to Write a Lot' by Paul J. Silvia - it's a bit over 100 pages, so it's not a long read. You can get it on Amazon. It was recommended by quite some faculty I've worked with over the years (you may ask if someone has a copy). Although I personally don't have a lot of problems with writing a lot, it is helpful in many other ways and gives valuable tips on how to 'plan' writing and so on.
Writing time is not just actual writing. You want to also spend time 'planning' your writing. you wanna spend some time on the outline and order of your arguments, set goals on what you wanna do on a day, etc. I do have a 'writing schedule' for a given month/week usually. For me, creating an outline first also helps me with remembering what I'm actually doing. I usually block out 3x 4 hours in a given week to work on writing (usually the afternoons I don't have class/other responsibilities; although it's also occasionally mornings - but I make sure I have at least 8 hrs per week fully focussed on writing) to write. I've also done 2 hours after lunch each day, but my current schedule doesn't allow me to do so. Sometimes I don't need this much time, but then I'll just use it to read things I'm interested in that are maybe not directly relevant to a paper I'm working on, but could be helfpul in the future. When I'm having writing sessions, people that work with me know that I will not be checking my email regularly during those hours (i.e., the 8 hrs that I'm devoted to writing) - if at all, but there are other ways to contac tme for important things. 
I usually start by going quickly over what I wrote the previous session, weeding out any 'very wonky' sentences in the process and it helps me to remember what I was working on, although this step is not always needed. Then I just start writing. Sometimes I may just write the general outline of the paper; I add references later because I know what info I want to include. I often add more information and so on later, but I write a general body with all the arguments and the like first and put things like (xxxx) as a reference if I'm not sure who and what (sometimes I remember). I personally find it easier to just flow on like that than constantly move back and forth between checking references and writing - also because I already know my outline. When the general body of the intro is finished, I will usually start adding references and more information if I come across missing information (I find it personally easier to just 'add' an extra sentence with relevant info). I can also spend a session working on a lit review and taking notes on relevant information in a doc and use that for writing my outline later on. I also usually pre-write my methods and results , so I don't forget any analyses and just sorta fill in the blanks and outcomes (i.e., As can be seen in Table x , there was a *** between variable X and variable Y, *stats*/ Blabla was assessed using Scale X (alpha/Mean/SD)). After doing that I move on to the discussion because you need the results for that. But I do dot down some things I want to mention or go over while writing other sections. I generally work with keywords or short sentences to remind myself what the outline is/should be. Note that this order is not fixed. Some people also prefer to write methods and results first, and the intro later. It also depends on whether I'm collaborating with someone and so on - that's why planning and having an outline is so helpful.
Because I have regular writing time, I also do not really have rituals to get into writing except getting a big coffee. My ritual is literally just closing all my other browsers (except EndNote maybe), make sure I have coffee, put on my headphones (I usually just listen to some jazz radio station on youtube - that's the other browser I'll have open) and just go. I usually will have a pop-up for my uni-email account, although I sometimes disable that too if I really want to focus on something difficult. Because your ritual takes about an hour, you may figure a way to use time from the ritual for actual writing - I'm not saying all, but just slowly get faster in the writing itself. If you plan your writing in advance (such as what you want to do, have an outline, etc.) it may save you some time later on. I also know people who keep a writing log (spend the last 5- 10 min of their session writing down what they did and goals for the next day), similar to how people keep a datalog where you summarize what you did with your data (you want to do that too).
As for writing anything 'good' - I wouldn't necessarily focus too much on the output itself. Sometimes I can spend a whole session just writing a poorly, but it is easier to edit something than just write it from scratch. If you plan your text well (like flow, order of arguments, etc.), I think it will also make it easier to write something 'good'. Don't be discouraged by the fact that you may spend quite some time outlining your paper, because it will help you in the end for sure! Writing is not the actual amount of words you wrote down in a given time; it involves a lot more.
 
As for other tips;
- try to figure out what good times for writing are for you. I'm not very functional the first 1 - 2 hrs in the office, so I try to use that time for other tasks such as replying to emails, downloading papers, reading easy things, and meetings if possible. I do find the first 1-2 hrs good for editing too, so if I have a morning writing session, I usually use it for editing and data analyses (i.e., fill in the blanks in my methods/results).
- Let other people know you have certain time scheduled for writing and don't care about what they think of that. 
- Make realistic and attainable goals and stick to that. It could be goals as 'write an outline of the intro', 'write 500 words', 'finish analysis X', etc. You'll figure out over time what is attainable for you.
- Be cautious not to just spent your writing time 'worrying' about writing, deadlines, etc. Actually use it to do things.

I'm not in that field but generally working with the population you'd like to do research with in the future is a good sign that you've thought it out. I.e. volunteering w/ a non-profit, working at a charity something along those lines.

I don't think it would harm you to have 1/3 of your letters be from your current lab but I think 2 from your undergraduate institution would be more valuable. However it also depends on where you see your career going: if you would like to graduate and become a professor, two from undergrad may be more valuable. If you are planning to return to industry and do research there the two from your current lab may make sense. In addition for several of my applications none of my LOR writers were from my intended field but they were best able to speak to my character. In terms of LoR from researchers without PhD's one of my LoR writers is a professor but has a masters; I do not think that harmed my application. In addition having two letters about research and one lor speaking more to your character but touching on your ability to research would aid in a lab seeing who you are outside of application materials. 
One thing I included when a person said they would write me a letter of recommendation is my CV/resume, personal statement, and a basic facts sheet on how they know me etc so I wouldn't have to question if they knew of my skills and could write of them well. In addition with many students even one year removed you may remember a conversation had with them about your excellence with working with xyz tool and that's something you could include on your sheet which they're free to include.
The "facts sheet" template I was given is below
Our relationship (how long and in what capacity have you known me?) My ability to perform research   (My background and preparedness to do scholarly work in my chosen area of research) (My imagination and probable creativity as it realtes to performing creative research) (The strength of my proposed research) (Strength of my previous research) (Strength of my academic record) My Character (Leadership abilities and potential) (My ability to work independently) (My motivation to succeed) My Communication Skills My ability to communicate complex ideas clearly both in written and spoken English My personality, social conscious, and relationship skills  My Potential to Have Broader Impacts  My ability and interest to advance science and technology in a broader sense  My ability to foster the integration of research and education My promotion of the advancement of diversity is science  My Efforts to Generally Benefit Society My contributions to the community (social and scholarly) If you have any other questions or if this doesn't make sense feel free to message me.

I haven't officially started my program yet, but I knew what area i wanted to focus on during my application process. I was able to communicate this general area within one sentence and break it down into several topics I am interested in. I was inspired by experiences with classmates and those I tutored as well as my personal background.

That's a good option. I should have done that earlier though, because I think I need to submit that proposition to REB before I can do it. But I have already recruited 6 participants out of my 12 (which is my goal). So maybe it's too late for now, but I'll definetely keep that in mind for future research! Thanks!

Before disabling the comments like psygeek suggested, maybe including a form link in the comments for them to submit an email like inquiry would help with the confidentiality.

For my skype interviews they've leaned more towards the informal side but it also depends on the personality of the interviewer. Definitely have a laundry list of questions because I had one interview (which was really just a chat) where he literally just asked me if I had any questions and just wanted me to ask him things about the program the area etc very friendly and excited. I've also been asked my research interests and how they led me to want to pursue a PhD, and also talking about the POI's research and what he/she does in relation to my research. In addition we talked about some projects/research I've done in the past and what I've learned from it. I think life goals mayy have come up don't really recall but not strength/weakness. But the most important thing is to have good questions prepped for the person you're interviewing with (not just their research, about the department, the university, etc) as it shows you've taken interest and done some background research before the call.

You may find this forum helpful:
 

In my position as someone who has a general idea of where I'd like my career to go coming out of undergrad I sometimes feel guilty posting all of my accomplishments. So I typically only post about a sampling of them now and again and with delays in between. I.e. I got two awards but only posted about one until many months later posting about the other(as a part of my graduation accomplishments). I also feel like sometimes it may seem like I am trying to outshine everyone else which is why I pick and choose what to share. I typically share with close peers/family and my institution these types of things and they end up posting about it before I do on occasion. 
I am thinking about starting up a personal website this summer so that I can keep things like this on the professional side but still have some place to put it and be proud (not a blog but an "about me" "my research interests"... type site)

Officially done with my coursework. Finished my first year as a graduate student with a CGPA of 3.83 out of 4. Now on to the ethics approval to start collecting data next fall. 

You could consider taking the research paper that you already have and rework it over the summer to submit for your application. I edited one of my writing samples before applying just to make sure it was properly cited and fully coherent. 

I also get engaged - yesterday ^^,  my partner will join me later as he wants to work on his resume a little bit more (international couple)

I got into two MA programs. I also already rejected one - too far away and no funding. The other one isnt funded either but its a great program. My decision is bite the bullet and be at least 25k more in debt for the first year ( I have 15k right now) or find a job. I've been applying to jobs but I should have started earlier because my deadline to decide on the program is on Tuesday and I cant decide. Each day I wake up with a different decision and I don't know what to do.
 
The teachers I talk to all say get a job for a year and re apply to PhD programs only because they think Ill get in, the students all say go to the program. 

I slept until 12:00 today. I am heading out tonight for a dinner with a few friends. I am grateful for the amazing friends I have in my life. 

I got engaged yesterday! 

Now would be the time to reevaluate why you'd want to pursue a PhD. I wouldn't accept any unfunded offers, but if you're still interested in pursuing this degree strengthen your application with research/experience and apply again next year. 

This is disgusting.
My normal position is that I usually advocate for the freedom for people to make their own choices and decisions that reflect their priorities and goals. The main reason I would stray from this position is if doing so would cause more harm than good. This is a case where I would make an exception to my normal position.
I would never accept these ridiculously exploitative labour conditions. Furthermore, I would not only make this choice for myself, but I would actively discourage anyone I knew from making such a decision. Doing so harms the entire academic labour workforce, in my opinion. 
The fact that this school has already put out this "job" ad only further strengthens my resolve that all academic labour should be unionized and protected. With a proper collective agreement, it should not be possible for the University to hire someone outside of the union to do union-protected work (i.e. if the school wants a worker to do faculty-like work, then they must confer the same benefits and protections to the worker as they would a faculty member, even if it's temporary). 

My masters' program involved alumni in these types of activities through an alumni mentoring program. We were matched based on interest, and alumni mentors often served on thesis committees, reviewed job hunt materials, and facilitated professional connections. You can formalize these roles without making them faculty appointments.
The same masters program had a lot of kids from well-off families. I had assumed everyone was going to be taking out loans and working multiple jobs to afford school. Turned out that a lot of students were paying for school and living expenses through educational trusts. (Until this point, I honestly thought trust funds were the kind of thing you only say in movies and celebrity magazines.) Students with those resources were able to take advantage of opportunities I couldn't. They could work unpaid internships or volunteer as a research assistant. They didn't have to compete for funding to collect thesis data. After school, they didn't have to consider student debt when job hunting and could take fellowships that didn't pay well or had limited benefits. I worked two paid research jobs plus a few shifts a week in a sandwich shop and still came out with six figures of debt.
Academia has enough problems with diversity. An unpaid faculty appointment is something that you can only accept if you're already well off making it one more barrier for people from diverse backgrounds.

Though I'm not in graduate school yet I'll say what has been discussed with me and how I applied.
Graduate schools and Ph.D. programs are to teach you how to be thoughtful and how to independently develop research questions and answer them yourself. Naturally this does require some level of independence in completing assignments, papers, etc in a timely manner but so do many aspects of your career. In terms of asking for help with applications that's absolutely appropriate! Your supervisor isn't there to judge you they're there to help you highlight and discover your own voice. In the beginning especially they are likely to expect that you will have more questions and as you gain experience in the program that you'll naturally begin to answer them on your own, and ask for their help after exhausting other resources.
When I wrote my research statements I started out with a bullet point list of things I thought would be interesting. For each I then bulleted ways I could approach the question, resources I would need presently, and background information i would need to gather. I then took this list to one of my current advisors who gave suggestions and led me to my more solidified research proposal which I was able to use in applying to graduate school. After I compiled the entire statement I went back for more advice and was told I had focused too much in one spot and not enough in another. All this clarification is what I believe helped me compile the most thorough proposal I could have, and was a statement that many of my interviewers/PIs were able to reference and ask deeper questions about.

I just got in off the waitlist at my top choice!!! I'm in such shock right now honestly. 
Today has been such a rollercoaster - it started with waking up to an email reply from the program director of my top choice saying she didn’t know whether or not I’d hear back from them before April 15 and that I should ask my other school for an extension. Then I drafted an email to my second choice asking for an extension but before I sent it I got a phone call from their program director offering a fellowship with more money (and then I asked him about an extension and he said they probably wouldn't grant one). Then tonight I got an email from my top choice and I honestly can't believe it. I still have to hear back from professors at my top choice (I want to make sure they actually want me in their labs still) before i can say for sure that I'm going but today was a lot. I'm defending my undergraduate thesis in the morning and have yet to look at my presentation because this has all been so much wow.