BlueRose

I've never done strict polyphasic sleep, but in high school, I purposely disrupted my sleep cycle so I could work nights. I slept on the bus, in class, and took a nap before dinner. I managed like this for about five years, until my sophomore year of college. Then my body gave me the finger, and I began sleeping for twenty hours a day. It was months before I could function again, and my endocrine system was a bit touchy for a few years after that. And to this day, I am utterly incapable of staying awake through a seminar - no matter how interesting the topic, or how caffeinated I am - because I'm conditioned to think this is sleepytime. I wouldn't do it again. I'm totally envious of those mutants who can get by on a few hours' sleep...I'm just not one of them.

I work at a high-ranking science program, and there are plenty of PIs like Carriera around. There's one who calls the lab phone at all hours of the day - think 2am on Saturday night - and takes roll call. (He only hires grad students because postdocs won't put up with his sh*t.) But they aren't all like that. Personally, I'm going to grad school to become a scientist. You can't do that without diving in and getting your hands dirty; I expect to work hard. But I fully plan to draw the line at 60-70 hours. You want more, too bad for you. This is for two reasons: 1) The "ace in the hole" theory. Back when I was younger, my brother was a talented athlete, so I was exposed to some of that culture. And I heard the following theory about steroid use - it's an ace in the hole, but the problem is, you can only play it once. If you have to take steroids to make your high school football team, you'll never make it in college, because there are too many guys who are bigger and stronger than you even without help. If you have to take steroids in college, you'll never make the NFL; if you have to take them to make the NFL, you'll never be a star. So you might as well save your health and your money, and learn to be realistic about your talent. Similarly, I could work nonstop - for a while. But it's not healthy, and I can't keep it up for the rest of my life. So if I have to work nonstop to get a PhD, I'll be a disappointing postdoc, compared to similarly accomplished people who took care of business and then went home. If I have to work nonstop as a postdoc, I'll do poorly as faculty. I will do my best; if that's not good enough, I'm okay with it. 2) The "paid to think" theory. Sooner or later, I'm going to be out in the world, trying to convince somebody that they want to hire me. They will agree to feed, house, and insure me - and in return, they get their name on whatever intellectual property I create. My goal is to maximize my attractiveness to such employers. The PI's goal, however, is to extract as much work from me as possible. Some of this work is brain-work, helping my cause. The rest...not so much. If I've got the luxury of time to think about what I'm doing, I can work efficiently. If I don't, then I can crank out the grunt-work, but that's not bringing me closer to my goals.

Many schools will allow you to name an extra letter-writer. You can put both your supervisor and the reliable backup, so even if your supervisor never gets off his/her behind, you've still got the required number (and it's obvious that you weren't avoiding your supervisor, they were just lazy).

Second the warning about September 1. It gets crazy. If you're moving in from out of town, though, you might consider signing a lease for September 1 and moving in a few days later (parking your stuff with a relative / friend / storage unit). Also, for the BU students, you might also consider going across the river in Cambridgeport. Two out of three of my room-mates are BU grad students; we don't have drunken undergrads, it's not too expensive, and it's a 15 minute walk to BU (also there's the 47 bus for when the weather is bad). (I'm leaving August 1 - nice room, 9.5'x12', $525 per month. Just sayin'.) Edit: cell phones. I had AT&T for years, then switched to Verizon because I couldn't get signal at work (in Charlestown). In Cambridge, however, both worked fine for me.

I got that too. I bet they got a spike in the number of people putting their fellowship on hold...which explains the timing. (That's what I did, and in the reasons field, I put that I needed to satisfy my program's TA requirements for graduation. I'm sure I wasn't the only one.) While I realize that NSF wants to protect students from being forced to TA constantly...and also doesn't want to pay the students while they sneak off for a summer at Google...that was an awfully broad policy they had before. As written, it would even keep me out of my Broader Impacts activities (eg, I spend a week every summer at a science camp). There's no way you'd get a full TA stipend on top of the fellowship, though. Maybe you'd still get a pay boost - if your program gives a bonus for people who TA while funded on RA, then you might get the same bonus.

I would do it if it's at all possible. Evidence that you have presented your work seems to be key for NSF; those who don't have this lose points in both Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. Also, from a less mercenary perspective, conferences are awesome. If cost is an issue, is there any way you could find a local conference? Even having a poster at the department retreat is better than nothing.

I found it helpful to read sample essays. There's a great collection here from Rachel Smith; most of them are ecology, actually, and many have ratings sheets. If you Google around a bit, you'll find more essays on people's personal websites.

I'm a bike commuter (5.5 miles each way, mostly urban bikepaths). My best bikes have come off of Craigslist. For $200-$300 you can get something perfectly nice, and it's not that much more than a Walmart cheapie. Honestly, I wouldn't spend more than $300 for a bike - they tend to wander away. (I've lost at least four bikes in the past seven years, and have seen tool marks / cuts on my lock from two other attempts.) If your location will allow it, I heartily recommend a single-speed. They're lighter, and they have fewer moving parts, so there's less to break. Boston is pretty flat; I had a 21-speeder for awhile, and only ever used two of those speeds. Now I ride a beat-up-looking old Peugeot racer, single-speed with coaster brakes - it's a sweet machine, and I'd take it with me, but San Francisco has hills.

Sure, why not try it? Remember that you're getting judged against people in your category (undergrad/first year/second year). You'll write a better proposal once you've had a year of grad school under your belt, but more will be expected of you. Also, even if you don't get it, you will be able to re-use significant parts of your application (the Personal Statement and Research Experience won't change all that much, even if you scrap the Proposal). So it'll be easier the second time around. As for whether it actually helps to re-apply...it might. Some people do a bad job of presenting themselves (usually, they blow off Broader Impacts), they get spanked for it in their reviews, then they fix it and get a fellowship the next time around. I've also heard a story from this board of someone who had a poor showing in undergrad, published like crazy in grad school, and eventually got the fellowship, with reviews stating that recent good performance made up for previous mistakes. But among those who have educated themselves on the review process (and don't have a hole to dig themselves out of), there seems to be less correlation than one might hope between reviews from one year and the next. Besides, you might actually get it. As the Lottery says, you can't win unless you play... Edit: Also, if your school is like mine, they're going to make you apply as a first year anyway.

I've been in Boston for 7 years, so I can comment. My staple is the classic New England peacoat - I bought this coat (in black) from Amazon about five years ago, and I wear it every day in the winter. (Now is the perfect time to grab one, actually; they're a bit pricey, but they go on sale in the spring. Mine was 70% off IIRC. And unless you go mud-wrestling in it, a decent peacoat will last you through grad school easily.) When I started college, my next-door neighbor in the dorm was from Georgia; she bought a floor-length down coat that we referred to as the "sleeping bag with legs". Truthfully, though, it doesn't get that cold. It's not Chicago - we're right next to the ocean. It'll go below freezing for a month straight, but it'll be high 20s - low 30s for most of it. I do own a ski parka, but it never even came out of the closet this winter, and there are only a few days a year where you'd want one. A few winter hats are a must - otherwise your ears will freeze. A scarf or two is nice also. Gloves are essential if you plan to bike through the winter, but otherwise you can always just stick your hands in your pockets. I also have a collection of fleece sweaters that I can layer with the coat, and help to deal with uneven heating once I'm inside. (If you wanted to be more classy, I suppose you could do the same with some nice cardigans.) Remember that it does get hot here too, so you can bring your old wardrobe - the hot season is just shorter.

I'm moving from Boston to San Francisco. I didn't consider driving, though (never learned how). I considered taking Amtrak, as they have a very liberal baggage policy (5 bags free; up to 3 more $10 each, 50 lbs limit). Also cheaper than a plane if you don't mind sleeping in your seat; something like $700 right now if you want a room and meals. Takes a while, though (four days IIRC). I might just fly, though. Virgin has the best luggage policy I've found; $25/bag, up to 10 bags, one can be up to 70 lbs, rest under 50 lbs. Now, I'm off to sell the vast majority of my possessions. Craigslist here I come!

Well, you can read my signature... 1) The only useful feedback I got was a prof I knew personally; I asked him why I didn't get in, he asked his colleague on the admissions committee, and then reported back. You can ask people you met on interviews, or if you had to, you could corner one of your reference writers and ask for an honest assessment. You've got to be professional about it, though; they aren't obligated to tell you anything. 2a) Are you working in something even vaguely related to your field? I graduated in 2008, and had only one academic letter in this application round - the other three were from current/former bosses. 2b) Ask 'em. And unless they tell you to go away and not come back, why not? 3) Is there anything you can change about your application? If so, then you might be surprised. And there's something I said to myself a lot, during the long ego-shredding slog: this is training. To do innovative work in any field, you need a healthy reservoir of delusional self-confidence. The universe has thoughtfully provided me a chance to practice; to hell with the evidence, I'm awesome, and I can prove it. Work those delusions! I'm awesome, and I can prove it! ...yeah, I can't believe I'm admitting that in public, but it worked

I suspect the rankings were too spread out - maybe they gave you an extra review as a tiebreaker?

I got a fellowship in Life Sciences - Computational Biology, and had VG/E, E/E, E/E. There was some criticism, but at least it was accurate criticism. (Well, the third reviewer called me a dude, but still...) The VG had a backhanded compliment about "several short term research experiences"...yep. The research plan was "[strong but] a bit too ambitious"...yep. Nobody called out my middling grades, though, which surprised me (I have a 3.45). On the plus side, two of the reviewers specifically mentioned that I did a good job combining outreach with the research. I built in a fourth aim that was specifically for Broader Impact...this may be the only part of the proposal that I will actually do, because it's pretty cool, but it was also a good strategic move to fuzzy up a topic that was otherwise human-interest-impaired. Edit for jendoly: My proposal idea grew out of a course project from my senior year in undergrad...so I had been thinking about it for awhile, but had no preliminary data. Not sure if that counts.

There was a poster on here last year who had that problem. The NSF grumbled about it, but eventually let the poster defer the fellowship while reapplying to grad school. Of course, if you're bringing your own $$$, you might be able to reverse some of those rejections. I would send a polite note to the graduate coordinators and ask to be reconsidered...worst they can do is say no.

FYI, at the bottom of the e-mail it says "reviews will be available in three business days". Don't know if that's accurate / if they really plan to take the full three days, however. (lolwut? I got one?! yay!)

The shuttle does a loop around MGH in one direction - heading in from North Station, it stops at the outpatient clinics on Staniford, then turns on Cambridge St, where it stops at Charles/MGH red line, then goes around the hospital on Storrow and Blossom, where it finishes behind the hospital. (One way is a bit over 15 minutes, and shuttles leave every 15 minutes, so the shuttle sits there for 10-12 minutes before it leaves again.) On the way back to CNY, it uses O'Connell to get back to Staniford, and then returns to North Station. When I ride the T to work, I just go to North Station. It is possible to get off at Charles/MGH and walk through the hospital, but it's not worth it - unless you're very unlucky with the connection, you won't miss a shuttle at North Station that you would have caught at MGH. If I'm coming home at rush hour and the traffic is bad, I also get off at North Station, but usually I'll just get off at Charles/MGH. Honestly, I'm not the person to ask about driving, but I don't think you'd save very much time. Coming from Davis, it's urban the whole way...traffic, stoplights, etc.Starmaker has some good advice re: what neighborhoods to look at. Davis and Porter are nice too...Davis is a bit younger/more happening (next to Tufts), Porter is a bit cheaper (and it's less of a "square", more a segment of Mass Ave).

I had that happen to me last year - with not just one, but two letters. One was a longish plane flight away, the other was in my town, but even in-person stalking couldn't shake the letter loose. Needless to say, I didn't get in anywhere...did much better this year, once my apps actually got read! Some people are just thoughtless, and/or are unable to do anything that doesn't have a strict deadline attached.

I have worked in the Charlestown Navy Yard for the past 2 years. It's kind of an out-of-the-way location, yes. However, there are shuttles connecting all the MGH properties, and these are quite reliable and convenient. The Navy Yard - MGH main campus shuttle runs until 1am on weekdays, and business hours on weekends. It stops at North Station (orange/green lines) in both directions, and at Charles/MGH (red line) on the way to main campus only. (Not sure I'd recommend using the shuttle for a longer haul, though. Between Navy Yard and North Station is pretty clear sailing, but after that, Boston traffic takes over. When I have to go fetch something at Brigham and Women's, for instance, it takes me a solid hour each way.) There's a bus that goes from Sullivan (orange) to the Navy Yard, but I've never used it; iirc it's not all that frequent, and doesn't run on weekends. But it does exist, and I've seen it going by. Myself, I live near Central Square. Most of the time, I bike (5.5 miles, 30 min, mostly bike paths). If it's too darn cold, or I'm lazy, there is a bus (EZ Ride Shuttle) that goes through Central - Kendall - Lechmere - North Station, and then I take the MGH shuttle (45 min total). I know a fair number of grad students who live near the T - either the Allston/Brighton area off the Green, or the northward stretch of the Red, or the Jamaica Plain area off the Orange. These are all fairly young-people-centric places with lots of single rooms for rent. (Parts of Allston are a bit "fratty", but the other places aren't bad.) I can't think of anyone offhand who actually lives in Charlestown, though. There's yuppieville and there's the projects, but not much between - that's the impression I got, from my brief attempt to find something near work. But you might have better luck. Sorry for the brain-dump; hope some of that was useful information.

I live in Boston now, so if you're coming here, I can give you the scoop. On a grad student salary, you probably can't afford to live by yourself. The only people I know who have done this have a partner with a real job, and even then, they typically wind up in the suburbs. Single students tend to get a room in a shared house, preferably close to campus. I imagine this is pretty common for urban areas; I'm probably going to San Francisco this fall, and I expect to do the room-mate shuffle there too. Openings typically show up on Craigslist a few weeks in advance; it helps to have a couch to sleep on (or a room in a hostel) so you can see the place for yourself and don't have any unpleasant surprises. Depending on location and size, expect to pay $600-900 for a room, once utilities are added. There are a lot of students around Boston/Cambridge/Somerville, so housing arrangements like this are very common. Harvard Square, downtown Boston, and places right next to the T go for a premium; the MIT area (Cambridgeport/Inman) and Tufts (outer Red Line) are somewhat cheaper; Allston/BU is cheaper still, but crawling with undergrads. Somerville is an option, but check transit, because coverage is patchy. South of Boston tends to be cheap, but is out of the way unless you're going to UMass (and it can be a little sketchy). By the way, don't bring a car if you can avoid it. Parking is expensive, and public transit is really good here. I've lived here for seven years carless (don't even know how to drive) and it's been fine. If you're picking your daily commute, walking distance >> Red > Orange >> Green > bus, in my opinion. I live roughly equidistant between MIT and BU, in a 4BR/1BA, and pay $525/month (a steal for Cambridgeport, but the house is older). Remember that more people = splitting the utilities, which can be significant (I probably average $75/month, split four ways). ...actually, if you're going to MIT or BU and would like a room for August (furnished! cheap! cat-friendly!)...we should talk

I am not in psych, but I think most of us proto-grads are in the same boat. What reassures me is a kind of radical version of Impostor Syndrome. Yes, I am laughably inadequate for the tasks at hand. That's fine. So are you, and so is everyone. Humans doing science is like hamsters playing chess; if you're worried about being the smartest hamster in the pet shop, you shouldn't be, because the difference between individuals is miniscule compared to the difference between where we are and what competence would look like. We aren't going to run out of science in our lifetimes. We can only do our best...and hope it's enough that society wants to continue paying our grocery bills. As for motivations, there are many. 1] Getting paid to think and create knowledge is, frankly, a rather nice job. People solve puzzles for free; not only do we get to play in the world's most awesome puzzle factory, we get paid to do it. The tradeoff is that you can never completely turn it off - there's always more to do. However, it is possible to set limits, provided you are willing to deal with the consequences (if you insist on working 50 hours per week instead of 100, you will be less competitive for the plum jobs). 2] Being part of a community. Most problems are too big for one person to solve; they require a team of people with different skills. This can lead to the usual array of interpersonal problems, but more often it leads to friendships with smart, interesting people. (Yes, there are unpleasant, selfish, and/or deranged people in academics. Let me know if you find a career path without such people; I don't think it exists.) 3] If you're doing it right, other people are interested in your work; they can build on it, expand it, and use it to solve their own problems. This is what progress looks like. 4] Every so often, your field progresses to the point where it can actually do something useful for the world - something that wasn't possible before. Granted, people who take this as their daily motivation burn out pretty quickly. (I am "curing cancer" - but what I do is a decade away from usefulness, provided it's actually useful, which most of it won't be.) However, every so often, it's a nice change of perspective to look up and see the products, clinical trials, policies, and so on that your field's work made possible. 5] If I fail, I'm learning technical skills that have at least some value on the job market. (Clearly, different fields will vary! Mine has a passable-but-not-great market; the good jobs require a PhD, but tend to be more competitive.) I'm not so worried about the demotivators - yes, academics is a hard slog, but it's not like the other options are easy! I'd also say that you sound emotionally attached to the idea of being an academic. This is something I struggle with too, but it will make your life that much harder. A degree, a position, or a stack of papers will not magically complete you and turn you into a good, happy person. Believe me, the higher levels of academia have more than their fair share of miserable bastards - some wonderful people too, but they had to put in the work to be that way.

I think this just happened to me. So yes, it does happen...they don't go around plotting to do so, I'm sure, but neither do they avoid it.

Yeah, I should've applied last year too. *devious thoughts* However...suppose there is a return to 2008 numbers. The number of people who got NSF last year, who would not have without ARRA, is around 1,000. These people are out of the applicant pool. Some would have aged out anyway, and some wouldn't have bothered to reapply...but that's probably at least 500 of the strongest applications that are no longer in the pool. (Not that this helps me; I'm still a pre-grad. Most of my competition wasn't eligible last year. The dilution effect will only apply to current first/second year grads.)

From what I've heard, no. There are enough people (even seniors) who have gone through the trouble of thinking up a research plan; they don't need to take the person who wrote an essay on "Why quantum computing is fun". Granted, as a senior, your plan is going to be a tasty brew of bull manure and educated guesswork, and/or a rehash of your undergrad lab's research. (Yes, mine is too.) But there's no real reason why a senior can't put together a research plan of some sort...if nothing else, it shows that you put in the effort.