kaaditya

Have been accepted to UBC's PhD program in Linguistics. Now trying to know more about the adequacy of funding, etc. Also trying to connect with other current/upcoming UBC students.
Good luck to people who are waiting :)
Try staying positive! :)

My department has not been as politicky as some, but here's some general advice for the first year (and beyond, really):

Try not to say bad things about people. Anyone. Even if it seems like the person you're talking to won't care or won't know the person under discussion It's much better to avoid those tricky, facepalming faux pas moments than attempt to fix them once the words have escaped your mouth. Also, people may love gossip but they don't always feel the greatest when they realize that you might be spilling dirt on them at some point.

Listen more than you speak.

Without going so far as complete suck-uppage, try to find something admirable in everyone, or at least something on which they deserve a compliment on any given day. Fostering an atmosphere of respect and courtesy, even if it's just a bubble in your immediate area, will win you more friends than enemies. Even in a toxic department, you need to keep your doors open for allies or at least neutral parties.

Ask around, feel it out, but find out the power structure of deans and heads and whatever other administrative/advisory people are in charge of things in your department. Know who is responsible for helping you with your problems, and who is going to really help or sympathize with them-- those are not always the same people, but I certainly hope that you luck out and the system is both functional and accessible to you in times of need and frustration.

Respect the people with more experience than you, but don't kowtow to them. They may have been there for longer than you, but everyone is both good and bad something. You're a new colleague, nothing more or less.

Don't apologize for everything, or people will start wondering what you're doing wrong.

A lot of good stuff has already been said, so here's my take.

The first year will, almost always, suck. So, find a way to make it suck less. Figure out which work *has* to be done and which work doesn't, then work accordingly. Make friends with your cohort, or at least some of them, so you have someone to talk to during breaks in class. Remember that you don't have to be best buddies with any of them. In fact, it's probably better if you aren't. Either find a new hobby or stick with an existing one. Write it into your schedule so that it happens. I recommend something that incorporates exercise but YMMV. Use the hobby and any other activities you have to start meeting other people, especially if you move to a new city for grad school.

Regarding money: Figure out ASAP whether or not you get paychecks in the summer. If you won't, start planning *now* for how to pay your summer living expenses. If you don't think you'll have enough, plan to take out a small subsidized loan in the spring semester (summer loans require summer enrollment, which could be extra money if your tuition waiver is like mine and doesn't cover summers), put it in a savings account, and don't touch it until late May. If you're having trouble juggling the start-up costs of grad school, take out a subsidized student loan for a few thousand dollars. Your payment after graduation will be under $50/month and you won't be stressed and/or paying criminally high interest rates to a credit card company.

Find a good and capable advisor. Note: this may not be the person you thought you'd work with. Interview potential advisors before deciding, if possible. Before forming a committee, ask other grad students about whether or not those faculty get along. Then, run every single name by your advisor before approaching that person. You do NOT want a committee that has their own issues that they bring into the room when discussing your stuff.

And, given the time and financial constraints, learn to cook either now or once school starts. I could barely cook when I started grad school but I've gotten better. Seek out food blogs and cookbooks that offer simple recipes. Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything is a great resource (though admittedly, years later I'm still unwilling to make some of the stuff in there due to complexity). If you don't already have one, get a slow cooker so that you can toss food into it in the morning and come home to a warm dinner. On days when you're biking/walking home in the dark, cold rain, it will seriously make you not want to give up.

Last but not least, don't date in the department. Just don't do it. It always seems like a good idea at first but, it can get ugly. So just stay away and, if you're having trouble, remember that you'll have to see that person daily for 4+ years after you break up, see them dating other people, hear about their drunken shenanigans and hookups, etc.