Teaching Faculty Wannabe

I would ask GEM and the university to see. I am not sure if this is possible.

It does feel good to know now, though.

Honestly...I felt like they could have said something like "Not awarded" instead.

No award or honorable mention, but I will be applying again to show them I mean business! Congrats to all of those that got the award or honorable mention!

Congrats. I have lived in the Hampton Roads area (Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, VA Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, and Suffolk) for several years, so I have give you some advice on the area. I don't know about living Hampton so I sadly can't tell you much about apartments, but it is a really pretty area. Most of the places in Hampton Roads have various beaches and rivers that go through them. Some advice/pointers with living in this area: 1. You will most likely need a car. You might want to check Hampton's public transportation to see how it is. I have only taken public transportation in Norfolk, and it is okay. However, if you want to visit other towns and city, I think you would want a car. Just as a warning, VA requires you to get an annual inspection of your car. 2. When you drive, you will probably run into tunnels. If you live in Hampton and drive North, you won't have to go through a tunnel, but you if you drive south, you will have to go through at least one tunnel. Since the Hampton Roads area is surrounded by water, there are many underwater tunnels to help get to different cities and towns. The worst one with the most traffic is sadly the HRBT (Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel), which connects Hampton and Norfolk. So, if I were you, I would I'd live in Hampton or Newport News, so you can avoid this tunnel when driving to school. Additionally, some of the tunnels have tolls. They are horribly priced, but something useful to know. 3. There is so much to do in Hampton Roads. Since there are so many towns and cities in one big area, there are many events and activities going on. A lot of concerts are held in Hampton, Norfolk, and VA beach. Busch Gardens, which is an amusement park, is in Williamsburg, which also has a lot of US colonial history. First Landing is a state park in VA Beach with a nice beach area and also places to walk and ride your bike. Norfolk has a beautiful botanical garden, a new IKEA, and also an outlet mall. Williamsburg also has an outlet mall. A lot of these places also have museums. Portsmouth has a Kid's Museum, Norfolk has a navy/naval science museum with a big navy ship you go on, and I believe Hampton has a science museum and also NASA Langley close by. I am missing some things for sure, but it is a cool area where you can constantly explore and will never get bored. I hope this helps and congrats on your acceptance!

I am not sure about this, sadly. I have that document as well from last year, that solicitation says it is for 2017, 2018, and 2019 competitions. The new solicitation online says that it is for the 2019, 2020, and 2021 competitions. Maybe something happened to their budget and they had to reduce it for this year :(... Sorry to be the bearer of possibly bad news (AKA please don't hate me)

Sooo, after April 9th means Aptil 10th, right???

I feel this. I had to choose between two schools with different living environments, and I liked them both a lot. However, I had a gut feeling of wanting to go to one over another. Once I chose that one, many doubts ensued, but it was definitely the right choice.

What fellowship are you working on?

American here who completely agrees with you.

I didn't think about getting the gifts...I sent handwritten letters detailing my plans for graduate school and thanking them for all that they did for me. I am not sure it is appropriate, but if you do want to give them a gift, I would do/get something personal/individualized instead of just get them gift cards.

I am not sure if schools would see this as a good reason to defer your offer. I mean, they might let you defer it, but I think they would rather you do the MS and pay them tuition money instead of them pay for you as an RA. Do you already get have a job as an RA?

That's a good one. I don't know about dating while doing a PhD because I am about to enter a PhD myself, but I do know dating while doing undergrad. From what I got from my experience, it was hard to find the balance between my social life, my studies, my health, and my boyfriend (ex now :/). My boyfriend and my social life were combined sometimes, but we also had to figure out when we could spend time with just the two of us. I will say that it also being my first relationship was overwhelming because I overthought a lot, I tried to spend as much time with him as I could (I actually spent too much time with him and eventually stopped hanging out with my friends, which is a big fat no-no), and in the end figured out that he was very toxic for me. So, my advice to you is this: 1. If your first relationship will be in grad school, don't get swept up in it. It is really easy to do, especially if it's your first one. There will be a honeymoon phase where you can't get enough of each other, but you have to remember that you have other things and other people in your life. Don't neglect your schoolwork nor the other relationships you have in your life. 2. Set boundaries with your significant others. Set up times weekly when you will get to see other, like a movie or date night. Don't spend every waking hour with them when you aren't in the lab or class. Of course, spend time with them, but this connects to number 1. 3. Make sure you have similar priorities. Is your partner also super focused on school? Are they okay with not seeing you in person everyday? Is your relationship causal or serious? Do they want it to become serious at some point? Are they okay with moving for a job or do they want to stay put? Etc. You don't have to talk about these things on your first date, but when things start getting serious, talking about these early on could save major heartbreak later. 4. Try not to date another grad student in your department. I have never technically never done this. I had a short fling with someone in the same graduating class and same department my senior year, and it wasn't fun when things ended. We still talked, but it did suck seeming them around. I have also gotten advice about this from other people, so I guess it's a common thing. I say TRY instead of DON'T because life happens. You can't really control who you develop a crush on. 5. Be there for each other, but don't become too dependent on them. This may sound weird because you do want to rely on your partner. However, don't become co-dependent. This will end up badly for the both of you. 6. You will probably get your heart broken during this process. I have dated two people already, and it was hard when they each came to an end. You can learn a lot from these experiences, and you want to use this knowledge to become a better partner and person. However, after break-ups or just even flings ending, it can be hard to do schoolwork and focus on things you need to get done. I think, though, if you have a healthy relationship, each of you have talked about your goals (academic, professional, romantic, and personal), and have a general idea of when you will get to see each other while also having a life outside of your relationship, balancing a relationship with a PhD won't be extremely difficult. Sometimes it will be hard to find time to be with them, but if they are understanding about it, then I would think it would be okay. I hope this helps!

Hi all! I have been accepted to UConn, but I will be commuting between Storrs and the Health Center in Farmington. I was thinking of living in Manchester, but I found this place in downtown Hartford called Temple Street Apartments. Does anyone know about these or living in downtown Hartford? Thanks in advance!

Finding a place to live when you can't visit in person is harder than I thought.

I am so sorry. This sucks.

Unfortunately, money throughout the world is not distributed well, in my opinion. The wealthy are super wealthy, and the poor are usually super poor. Also, education is not valued like it should be either. Like in the US, education is not one of the top priorities when it comes to creating the federal budget. So, because of this, there is pretty much a requirement of organizations focused on the value of education. And then organizations have to make scholarships, fellowships, and grants in order to keep things running because in the world of humans, "money is what makes the world go round". This is how I see it, anyways. It is sad and frustrating and maybe it will change one day, but as of right now, it is what we have to do as students, sadly.

@nervousosteoblast First off, I love the name because I feel the nervousness and I think bones are really cool. Second, I don't have experience with the particular situation you are in, but I do have some advice. I applied to the NSF GRFP for the first time this season, so I have never gotten it or anything. But I had experience applying for it and advice from a winner as well as from a professor. I think GPA is important to them, but I have a feeling your Master's and PhD one might be more important since they are more recent. Secondly, NSF seem to care more about your research proposal, your research experiences, and the outreach you have done within STEM. Their main two things is broader impacts and intellectual merit. If you can prove to them that you have both of things, then I think you are a pretty competitive applicant. They want to see that you are able to write a proposal, have the right background for the research you talk in the proposal, and how the research in your proposal will affect others. With the other essay, you discuss your past, which also builds up on your intellectual merit and previous broader impacts on your community. I hope this helps!

The Research Triangle (Duke/Durham, NC State/Raleigh, and UNC/Chapel Hill) is an awesome place to live. There is so much to do in these areas. There is always something going on. It is also nice that there are so many universities and companies in the area. Also, mountains and the beach are only a few hours away. I hope this helps!

I think the only other thing you have to do is accept your school's offer.

Mental illness definitely affected my studies when I was an undergrad. I started seeing a university counselor and it helped a lot, but in the end, it wasn't enough for me. I started taking lexapro last year and I think it has helped. Of course, I still have my bad days, but my anxiety and depression has definitely been worse in the past. However, there are other things I am trying to put in my daily schedule to use for when days are tough in grad school. I am definitely trying to prepare for the stress of grad school because I know it is going to be a whole different ballpark compared to undergrad. I am trying to drink more water, get enough sleep and develop a somewhat consistent sleep schedule, do yoga or go on walk at least a few times a week, make healthy meals for myself, meditate on nights I am feeling stressed, drink herbal tea, avoid large amounts of caffeine, do things outside of school (such as volunteering, hanging out with friends, going to new places), etc. It is all a balance in my mind. Medication can help, but it shouldn't be the only thing to help. You have to integrate various activities that can help in your life. I think experiencing mental health has definitely made me nervous about grad school. I am afraid of having constant panic attacks, forgetting to eat or not having an appetite, losing sleep, not wanting to get out of bed, and feeling unmotivated. Honestly, I already had an anxiety attack over budgeting for grad school, so I know some of those things are bound to happen at some point. However, I am trying to reassure myself with all of the things I mentioned above. Also, my future PhD advisor seems to be really understanding about mental health. I think having understanding and supportive people around you also helps. I will say that medication isn't for everyone, and I was very hesitant about it for years. I am still very unsure about it, but I haven't experienced any bad side effects so far and like I said, it has reduced my generalized anxiety, depression, and social anxiety some. If you curious about it, then ask your doctor and/or therapist about it. There are so many types of medication and they don't always work the same for different people, but it could be worth a try if non-medication methods haven't work as well as you hoped. Also, as @PsyDGrad90 said, please seek a professional if you are dealing with anxiety, depression, or another sort of mental illness. There is nothing wrong with seeing a professional. Just like you should see a doctor when you have a broken bone, you should see a therapist when you have a mental illness that affects you daily. There is nothing wrong with having a mental illness as well. It is sadly just a fact a life sometimes, and I am sure there are more people out there that have, or have had, a mental illness than you know. I know it can be hard to convince yourself to see someone, but it is the only way to make you feel better.

Good luck!

I think in academia, people feel like they have to constantly be spewing ideas because then they get left behind. Research can be so demanding and competitive, and people who like to listen can be at a disadvantage in those sorts of environments because they don't feel the need to express their opinions, ideas, and such all the time. It's kind like how people who are night owls are at a disadvantage to the 8 to 5 work hours. It doesn't usually work well for them, but you have to learn to either adapt to it or change it so everyone feels comfortable. It is difficult. Also, people can feel awkward in silence and feel the need to talk so they don't seem boring to another person. I have felt this pressure myself. I have started conversations about things I could care less about because I felt like I had to talk in order to get rid of the awkwardness. Now that I am older, I think a little bit of awkwardness is good.

I visited Boston University for a PhD in Materials Science. If you have questions, just PM me.

This is a good point, actually. I guess I was just looking at it from the point of view of the person who is quiet and/or socially anxious, but interactions are a two way street and being considerate is important for both parties. I guess both people should be more clear about their actions or lack their of in best way they can under the circumstances. Figuring this out can be quite difficult and maybe awkward, but I think it would make both people feel more comfortable with each other.