belevitt

Maintaining journal articles had been the bane of my existence for years. I would have stacks of articles covering every square inch of my desk and half a dozen different failed filing systems in cabinets in several different spots. Recently, I found a website called labmeeting.com that was excellent and has literally transformed my work space and organizational habits. You need to be invited to join the service for free, but it is worth the hassle. You can get an invite here- http://www.phdcomics.com/proceedings/vi ... hp?t=12081 If you are in the biomedical sciences, this is a game changer.

I used to commute 3 hours a day and I felt that that significantly limited everything else in my life. I made slower research progress because I could only do experiments that fit into my schedule. I also spent enormous amounts of time at work because I never had the luxury of starting something, and coming back later to take aliquots or data points or whatever. If you work in a lab, I would be cautious about having anythign more than a half hour commute as you so frequently need to come back in in the middle of the night.

I guess I didn't realize how lucky I am. I work in a lab at a public university and many of the PRAs (professional research assts) leave every year for graduate or medical school. This year, I finally get to be among them. It is expected that we spend no more than two years as lab techs before moving on. Admittedly, I couldn't care less about advancing the projects that won't conclude before August.

Avoid Madison Property Management. They are the singularly worst slum lords in the Madison area. Madison has a really great place called the Tenant Resource Center http://www.tenantresourcecenter.org/ There is information on landlords to avoid and practices to avoid. They also have a housing listing that is very good. Also, avoid CMT.

Are you kidding??? You liked school C most, you hit it off with the faculty, it is mostly masters students (and that is what you are doing), you don't need to worry about prestige for getting into a Phd program, they fund you better. You are validated in your choice, but I suspect you figured this out after committing your thoughts to words.

Hi to all you fellow Dukies. Be honest, how many of you are going to Duke for the gardens?

I will be attending Duke this fall in the Molecular Genetics and Microbiology program. I may start a summer rotation and be out there soon. Greetings to all.

This was absolutely true for me as well. However, I doubt that this welcoming enthusiasm will persist after the recruitment phase is over.

For me, the issue of location was make or break. I didn't apply to any place that was too expensive (for cost of living) and I declined interviews at places where I wouldn't absolutely love the city. I wouldn't underestimate the role of location in your grad experience.

Realistically- I smoke a lot more cigarettes. Peruse grad school forum boards. Research faculty. Make halfassed attempts at maintaining friendships by hanging out with people at bars. I guess I don't really have a good strategy for dealing with stress and in hindsight, this would have been the perfect opportunity to work out and get healthy before the rush of grad school begins.

Hi. I will be starting a Phd program in Micro this summer and I thought I might share some thoughts on your comments about Brown, UTSW and Cambridge for biochem/biophysics. First of all, acquaint yourself with the British education system. You don't do rotations or take courses. You begin right away on a thesis project, without comps or prelims. You stop doing your Phd based on time, not on research results. A degree from the British system will not hold as much weight in biotech as an American degree would. I don't think you could go wrong with UTSW or Brown. They both have strong reputations in the sciences and world class facilities. This is a good time to make your decision based on labs you like. The program setup is important, course offerings are valuable, degree requirements are relevant, but it ultimately boils down to finding the right lab for your thesis. There are a number of factors to consider, google it. Pick the right faculty member and you will complete your Phd with excellent publications, a great network of contacts and a firm grounding in how to plan and carryout a research proposal.

Yep, I am applying for microbiology programs and biofilms/social behavior are an interest that I hold. I am keeping an open mind, within reason, about the exact labs I want to join because this way I gain a flexibility in choosing where to do my thesis. I have had seven years of research experience and found that you can be passionate about a field and not be passionate about a specific research path/question. Furthermore, you can burnout on a single topic.

Ethics be damned...You don't want to read those because you don't want a festering resentment to cloud the otherwise positive relationship you ahve with your PI or professors or whomever.

All of the calls I have received thus far have been in the afternoon. They have consisted of a faculty member congratulating me on my interview, telling me that more info will follow by email and offer to answer questions. I had a call on Monday that threw me for a loop. The faculty member didn't tell me which school he was calling from and so at the end of the call, I asked him for his email address and realized from the domain name, that it was one of my top three favorites.

I applied to 8 and already this is presenting an issue in scheduling interviews. There are maybe six or seven weekends that all grad schools (it seems) do their interviews. If you apply to several programs, be aware that you may have to prioritize and cut a school off your list without ever even going there.