Gelato

When did that start? I downloaded it a year ago, that computer crashed so I'm trying to download it again. I only want to use it on my own computer, I don't need to share or find more info or anything. I used it a lot last year, but actually this year I've been using Adobe Reader X a lot more... the 10th version highlights and comments, which is my main attraction to Mendeley vs the other free options. Plus, when using Mendeley I had the problem that it uses links to my files , so if I move the file, Mendeley can't find it without help. (but now I want to quickly get the titles from 27 pdfs, so I finally downloaded Mendeley again.) Any thoughts? (Sorry to start a new thread, it's a specific question that I hope has a quick specific answer and then this thread can die a quick death ! )

ok, sending you a PM with contact info. (anyone else?)

Okay everyone. It's vacation time and I still have sooo much to do~ pre-reading for next semester, finishing up a paper with an extension. (Two years ago at this time I was struggling to finish up SOP's). But what am I actually doing? YouTube, Bejeweled, News, etc. T_T Some people tell me that my best solution is to turn off the computer and do things offline. It's a good idea, but I resist this with every fiber in my computer addicted body. Mainly because most of my work is done on a computer, reading pdfs, writing papers, etc. So the only solution that works? Sometimes, working with other people. Or getting a babysitter so I don't do the above timewasters. Not even Leechblock or StayFocusd can work all the time. But even so sometimes people aren't looking over my shoulder... at least I'm not watching YouTube with sound, but maybe I'm reading the news instead of writing. The only thing that really works is getting my friends to have a window with my computer screen on it so they can voyeuristically know what I'm looking at, at all times. Unfortunately, they are not motivated to help me 100% of the time. Therefore: would anyone else be willing to partner up and babysit Each Other's Screens? I'll share my entire screen with you, and you can give me yours if you need a babysitter too. The only programs that I know can do this are the latest version of Skype, and Google Plus (Hangouts w/ Extras). My request is simply to keep me on task, I am too embarrassed to play games when other people are watching, or if I think other people are watching. "My" desktop can be minimized on the other computer, just the possibility that they might check on me is sufficient to keep me off those websites. And a gentle, (less) judgemental reminder to go back on task every so often would be enough. I feel pretty lame and immature that I don't have the self discipline to do this myself... but these papers are incredibly overdue, and I am pretty desperate. I'm kinda hoping that others are in the same boat and we could help each other. So add to this thread if you want to be in a pool to help each other out, so we can see each other. Then we can privately exchange skype addresses or google plus contact info. p.s. Anyone interested in doing this now-ish? (or after dinner).

Hope you all have joined the new facebook page for the new CIPA class! https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_232698243423200 For those of you in China who can't access Facebook, there is also a QQ group. I don't know the number off the top of my head though. If you can't find it in a search, let me know and I'll find out. Welcome! Looking forward to meeting you. -Debbie

So, along with Impostor Syndrome (which I was grateful to discover here and know that what I was feeling was normal) I also have been suffering from... well, debilitating procrastination and perfectionism. It was so bad that I actually turned in two final papers a week late, one on the day that grades were due. I scraped by, barely, but I was advised to have a chat with a counselor. Really? A counselor? But I'm not depressed or in danger of anything. I'm cheerful and positive. But obviously I had some issues since I spent the majority of the week when I was "writing my paper" websurfing or playing Bejeweled. So I went. surprise to me: Did you know Perfectionism is actually a psychological issue?????? If you have big issues with procrastination or perfectionism, do yourself a favor, look up perfectionism. I found myself written on those pages. Better yet, find out if talking to a counselor at school is reasonably priced, if so take advantage. It's been kind of shocking. I'm still in the middle of the process, but actually knowing that my procrastination is rooted in perfectionism and how I was brought up and everything is an eye opener. I'm hoping to resolve the source of my issues and not just tackle the symptoms of procrastination. Some perfectionism is ok, and good for high achievers, who know when to say when. I am bordering on neurotic perfectionism. As a friend is telling me, it's difficult because these habits worked for you in the past, but they're not working now (two papers turned in late). So you really have to question whether being a perfectionist is helping or hindering at this point. I just googled Perfectionism and Graduate School... can of worms... I'll have to go to bed now and read all of those tomorrow. Seriously, I think this is a big issue, especially for us.

Second all those that say Trust your Gut! disagree with all those that say you are over-reacting! Like you said in your follow-up, you've probably had similar-sounding (on paper) interactions with other guys but this one gives you the creeps. Best case scenario: Let's say he is being completely harmless and friendly. which means, if he really is that nice, then he would be appalled to hear that his behavior seems threatening to someone else, and would probably appreciate an opportunity to mend / become aware of his behavior! right? In which case, you would be doing him a favor by bringing this to his attention so he doesn't come across with bad vibes to people in the future. agree with all the people who say that, as a culture, women are socialized to ignore bad behavior. A guy would have no compunctions in getting back in someone's face, and not worry about being seen as "nice." The bad news is, women also penalize other women for unfeminine behavior. (Sorry, I am just reading "Women don't ask" by Babcock & Laschever, which I strongly recommend, it's very readable.) So, I would search on my campus for either a women's affairs office, or else the academic or general counseling office. They should be able to respect your wishes for confidentiality, or at least keep this file anonymous. And talk to them about a situation you are having with someone in your department. And how you might respond more assertively and get the personal space you need, perhaps without offending someone's friendly overtures. Here, randomly, are two links on Indiana University. (I have no idea where you are, but a quick look at Meet and Greet had IU floating on top with a bunch of posts, so I picked that one with the most posters.) Office of Women's Affairs http://www.indiana.e.../resources.html and Counseling and Psychological Services http://www.indiana.e...aps_whatis.html "challenges in interpersonal relationships... some of the concerns students often address through counseling." and pick up some ways and wordings you can use in your situation. alternatively, I googled a bunch of words like coworker uncomfortable bad vibes creepy, and there's quite a lot of stuff out there. (not all of it useful, some people out there will say it's friendly behavior and the ladies are over-reacting, or even yeah that's bad, you should ignore it or avoid those siutations... that's kind of scary in itself how tolerated the questionable behavior is.) Put it this way, guys, if this was you, and your intentions were innocent, would you want the woman to continue to feel creeped out by your friendly behavior? You'd be willing to adjust, right? So, instead of asking robot_hamster to ignore this, what would be a good way / script for her to bring this to your attention where she can be assertive and effective but not insult you? Good luck. Definitely do something. ps. Meanwhile, start jotting down when, where, what. At the very least, you will convince yourself that this is consistent uncomfortable behavior that needs to be addressed.

Hey all, Did anyone fork out money and just get Adobe Acrobat? I've just downloaded Mendeley for my PC and also my Linux netbook (haven't gotten around to installing that yet), and while the highlighting and sticky notes are great (and I'm still in my first week so I haven't gotten to use the citation stuff yet), there are still some things I can't do, ie, scribble a note, underline something, and highlight (or box) if it is a scanned pdf and not a words pdf. So I'm wondering if anyone uses Acrobat, and their thoughts on it. Or did you decide not to go with it because it was $$? Thanks!

Hey matcha, I spoke to a second-year in our department, he's actually the president of the department's student club. We have a Facebook page.... in fact, there are ~three~ groups on fb... this one is the one with the school logo. They are also using Google Wave for the dept. which has some good information on it as well. There's a link and email address on FB that you can email to ask for an invite. Anyway. Yes, our department is encouraged to wait until speaking to an adviser. Supposedly they say that CIPA classes won't fill up so there's no worries about that. However if you are concerned about classes outside the department filling up that you think you must take, perhaps you'd tentatively register for a couple of things, and just know that your schedule might change after speaking to your advisor. I did a frustrating amount of research in the last twenty four hours so if you want to drop me an email or skype me if you want to talk live, contact info in our last email exchange Unfortunately I'm out of the country so the phone number won't work. Then again, I'm in the same boat as you, so if you want to find someone who's a year ahead of us, the president was really good about responding to emails. -Debs

My two cents and experience: As an international policy prospective, I visited Tufts (Fletcher) and UCSD (IR/PS), and at both places current students gave me a school logo business card with contact info and offered to answer questions. I've had my own business card for years because I do freelance work, and it's useful to give out as contact information. (For comparison, I also visited Monterey, Cornell and Columbia and didn't get the same offer of business cards. Though I didn't meet students at Columbia.)

Purple: haha, I was totally going to ask you where in California you were and if I could send stuff with you!! As for mailing, I intend to mail all of my stuff good old U.S. Postal Service. According to their website it takes about 8 days to ship. You can send a box, which, between 30-50 lbs is about $1 a pound. (So a 50 lb box was $52 and a 30 lb box was about $32.) Also, I am sending one or two boxes by "Media Mail" which is only books, papers, and CDs. (No computer stuff.) And that is about $32 for a 50 lb box. I'm budgeting about $500 for 2 boxes of books and five 35-lb boxes of clothes and stuff. OH, and, this cost is for shipping from my zip code in the Bay Area to the house in Ithaca. I will probably add $200 worth of insurance for each "stuff" box for $2.75, which will also let me track the boxes. Anyone else have similar / different experience/advice? Cornell's Off Campus Housing Office has a lot of useful links. At the bottom of this page is a list of phone numbers if you click on the Important Numbers links, and it includes cable and electricity and stuff. http://dos.cornell.e...ents/moving.cfm Last but not least: Is anyone flying into Newark, New Jersey / NYC? I am spending a few days there with my cousin, and I have rented a car for driving to Ithaca. I'll be going early on Saturday August 21st. If you are flying into New Jersey (or NYC and willing to take the train to Newark (easy)), then perhaps you'd like to share a lift to school with me? It would be nice to have some company on the 4 hour drive! pps. re: the Grad Cafe meetup-- I imagine we will all be pretty busy the first few weeks, but I'd still like to make sure our meetup happens, so let's all remember to check back here the days leading up to it! Tentatively Sept 2nd or 3rd (second Thurs/Friday), pending anyone with greater experience and knowledge

Did you guys get an email to check enrollment date/times? So are we supposed to choose our classes and get in them now? I'm a bit overwhelmed by the choices, I thought we would have a sit down with our advisor to help guide us thru the process when we get there for registration on August 23rd? Can anyone shed light on this? By the way, in case you haven't seen, here is some generic info on Grad Orientation: http://www.gradschool.cornell.edu/?p=41 Also, this is for the undergrads, but there are a few nuggets of info, which I presume we could crash? And if not, it will tell you where the undergrads and their parental units will be and what places to avoid. http://newstudentprograms.cornell.edu/orientation/PDFs/OrientationGuide2010.pdf Still confuzed! Sigh.

*grumble*vent* Sometimes the departments are toooo autonomous. I sent in a transcript, just to be nice. It's from the community college where I was taking refresher courses for my pre-reqs. I got my bachelor's several years ago and ~that~ transcript was sent in before my application. According to my notes it was sent directly to my department I'm applying to. Well. The grad school office (the general one, not my specific dept) just wrote to say they received my transcript but it doesn't have a bachelor degree. I wrote back and was like, well, duh, you already have that transcript. He writes back and says, can you please have your undergraduate school send that transcript please. Are you serious? How did I get into this program without an undergraduate degree clearly stated? Obviously the community college wasn't going to be giving me one. You can't find my application with the transcript?? You can't Walk Upstairs to my department In the Same Building on the floor above yours and ask for it? Or better yet just call and have them confirm it's all good?? Sorry. I know I'm ranting unreasonably. It seems to me that there needs to be a helluva lot more communication and streamlining in this university... this isn't the first time something like this has happened to confuse and irritate me, that's why it set me off. It just seems completely ridiculous to request something a second time. It smacks of disorganization and unprofessionalism. (I'm also ranting because I'm about to go on a trip overseas until basically registration so I won't have time to fulfill her request. But transcripts are due Aug 25th so I'm totally going to leave this until I get to campus. Or ask my dept to fix it when they come back from vacation next week.) grrrrrrrrrrrrrr thanks for listening to me.

re: Meetup Let's see. I'm reluctant to do a weekday lunch because some people might have or be preparing for classes. And yeah, weekends might be a lot of trips good point. How does this sound? I haven't been so someone may have to tweak this. We did this for a CouchSurfing meetup, a few people who are committed to getting there early, arrive someplace (ie BRB) with a small sign to put on a table that says "GradCafe.com", so that we can find each other. Then all that's left is to pick a time. I'm checking out the calendar for BRB, http://exchange.corn...=gradbigredbarn Do we want to avoid the TGIF with loads and loads of people? In which case maybe we could meet on a Thursday afternoon Like Sept 2nd, say 4-6pm? Does BRB have dinner or snacks? We could be there during International Coffee Hour. (Wait, does that mean they serve Int'l Coffees or is that for Int'l students??) Or evening, after dinner, 7 or 8-10pm. Or do we want to be there with a nice large crowd so that we can come and go? If that's the case then we can come during TGIF like during Sept 3rd, 4:30-7pm, and stake out a table early? Input from current or former Cornellians, pls! . . In other thoughts, how are y'all getting your stuff to Cornell? I just got an email from Ship2School advertising a shipping thing... but it's like $400! Um, no thanks... I'm sending my stuff USPS through Media Mail $21. Even regular / non media mail is like $52 for 50 lbs. Time to start packing and shipping!! EEK. -Debbie

Got a couple of thoughts to add.... let me organize it in my head and share. Biggest one first: We should do a real life GradCafe meet and greet! What do you guys think? I have no idea when or where or how, but it would be awesome to put a face to our online handles. Maybe a brunch on the second Sunday after class begins? Or else a BRB meet? But how would we find each other? Anyway throwing the idea out there if someone (red crayons!) more familiar with Cornell and Ithaca wants to suggest some stuff Hey DJLamar, 1- I think the bursar bill is due in August along with everything else. 2- The gyms are spread out... you can look up the maps. And they also list which gyms have which fitness classes. I decided to wait until I got on campus to pay for this... I'm feeling a bit poor this month after paying two months' tuition. What do you usually do at the gym? I usually attend classes (it's a regular structured time so I'm more likely to go) or do the elliptical machine. Maybe we should be gym buddies to keep each other going haha. Any other joiners? Oh, thanks for the clarification! Well I'd probably treat it like a credit card, which in my world gets paid off every billing period (in theory) because the parents always made me pay it each month to avoid the interest. Dude, I know!! And totally agree. It's very sketch. Having said that, I find this to be the case for a lot of Cornell things, there is a ton of information out there, but you can't find a lot of it, mainly because it is so spread out. And even after perusing all the info that I think is out there... I am still missing what I consider fundamental answers, like to the questions that I've been posting here. Good luck all! See you in about a month! *excited* ~Debbie

Hey, little tip for y'all. I was starting to write a question, but the bursar picked up the phone while I was typing so I have the answer to my question. I thought I'd just give it to you guys since you may be just as confused as me So I tried to sign up for Net.Pay and Cornell Installment Program, but could not for the life of me figure out what my 7 digit student ID was. So sign in with your Net ID to the Student Center studentcenter.cornell.edu (which is the same place you update your emergency contacts) and then check under Demographics. There, you should get your student ID number. Good luck!!! Debs

Oops, sorry Purple, didn't see your questions there before calling-- yeah, I did call the Bursar. So did everyone else it seems, hold time was 11 minutes. I just did a round of taichi while the speaker phone told me to hold Anyway. I came up with a new question. What the heck is the Bursar Bill talking about, with finance charges and credit and such. So the Bursar includes yeah, tuition, housing, anything that needs to be paid to the University goes on your bill. It also includes stuff purchased with the Cornell Card which can act like a credit card. But if I want to pay my university tuition (and housing if I had it) and that sort of yearly bills ~monthly~, instead of upfront, then I need to go through CIP which is administered by Sallie Mae, which will let our bursar show fully paid upfront and then we pay Sallie Mae each month. Net.Pay is a way for us to pay our bills, including tuition (which will show up in full) along with anything else that comes up / incurs over the course of the month, like if you use your Cornell Card. You can pay your tuition on it, but it won't be monthly. Cornell card, it sounded like everyone on campus uses it/ accepts it. Some places on campus may not accept regular credit cards.Though cash sounded ok. I guess I'll get it. I hope that helps anyone who needs a bit of clarification. Or did I just confuse you further? I'm still not 100% clear myself. :-/ Anyone who can is very welcome to clarify my comments for others! ~Debbie

REMINDER All forms are due today! July 12 Monday! Required: Bursar Disclosure Statement Student ID Card Request Plus a few optional things, among others, are: Commuter & Parking Services CornellCard Enrollment Fitness Centers Enrollment So: Questions for the Cornell Community! Important ones first. Do you pay your tuition bill through the Cornell Installmet Plan / Sallie Mae? Or can it be paid through the monthly billing on Net.Pay?? I'm a bit confused by all the options. How many choices are there? Let's assume for my case that I do want to do it on a monthly basis, rather than all upfront at once. What the heck is this Cornell Card for? Are discounts to services offered if you pay by Cornell Card?? It looks like a "credit" card type. Is anyone else thinking of NOT doing it? Last but not least-- who procrastinated on getting the "perfect" picture and is about to get stuck with any old picture for your ID card?? Ok ta for now.

re: loans and such, I noticed that Facebook had a groups page for grad class of 2011, and they were telling each other about the financial aid information coming late, later than the tuition was due. So from anecdotal evidence that seems normal. Probably best to talk to the office in question directly though. You know what they say about info found on the internet Hey, I'm seeking advice on choosing a place to live: I've narrowed it down to two favorites. One is on State Street, right next to Stewart. Three other roommate share the 2nd and 3rd floor. My room is on the 3rd floor so it's a bit farther from noise and traffic, however it might be more variable in temperatures :-/. At any rate, the noise I think I can handle. The big huge plus is that there is a student there in my department. Kitchen / dining room looks great, living room seems ok. The minus is the possible temperature, the room looks pretty small in the photo, and potential noise. There is a bit more that I don't know, so all the stuff on paper ~looks~ good. The other is on University near the cemetery. It's the ground level of four apartments in a house. I'd share with two housemates, my room is at the ground level facing south. The common areas looks small, the room is small, 12x9. Hardwood Floors. Kitchen seems okay. But again, there is more that I just can't tell from the distance. It's also ~$60 less expensive than the other place. Any thoughts? What are your priorities in looking for a place? My top ones are location (convenience to school/transport/grocery food), then roommates, comfort, kitchen. So I guess, the primary question that I can ask you is what you think about the location of each place? Other possibilities include King Street (how's the transportation there?) its got cool sounding roommates and kitchen, space, unbelievably inexpensive $400, another on University (big room, most expensive), and one last one on Yates/Cayuga. My main reason for prefering the first two State&University is that I like being around housemates who are older like me, which seems a rarity in Cornell Thanks! You guys have all been so helpful and I'm so grateful. Debbie

THANKS! for the info. Okay let's see. First, I'm from Northern California, so that gives you an idea of where I'm coming from. Then again, I have also worked on a cruise ship, so I like to think I can handle small spaces as long as there is adequate shelves and stuff. So... do I ~need~ AC? Windows open/ breeze from lakes not enough? Humid, eh? And yes, I am expecting and hoping to live with some nice roommates Haha, of course, that could just be ME misinterpreting references. But thanks, you guys definitely helped clear up my confusion with the Fall Creek. Oh-- Fall Creek Apartments... there are a couple of listings on OCHO-- anyone been inside and have comments on those apartments? Okay... back to search. I'm hoping I haven't left this til too late since it is after graduation!! Thanks again. ~Debbie

Hi, everyone! I finally decided to stop lurking. First, thank you so much to all the Ithacans who have posted so much helpful tips on everything from housing to clothing. I will be entering Cornell as a grad student in August. I'm from California and I've never lived in snow :-/, or even on the East Coast (of America that is)! So it will be an adventure. So I have a few questions... 1) I've checked out red-crayon's totally useful description on neighborhoods, but I'm still confused on one last neighborhood, Fall Creek. I have heard both the west/ southwest side of campus towards Downtown referred to as Fall Creek, but I have also heard the northwest part of campus, near Thurston Court, ~also~ referred to as fall creek, which is pretty confusing. Is there any clarification on this geographical anomaly? 2-3) Having said that, I've pretty much decided, at least for my first year, to hope for a place in Fall Creek (either of the above) or Downtown, so I can get my bearings. Maybe next year I'll move farther away to one of those gorgeous houses on the east side of campus with veggie gardens and such. I just signed on to the Listserv a week ago, it looks like all of the emails are starting to be summer sublets. Did I miss the window for fall housing? The OCHO website has a pretty neat searchable list of housing off campus, the only major bummer is that it is missing photographs. I'm also looking on Craigs, but as with all of them I'm still hesitating on contacting them because I won't be flying over to check the place out until I arrive in August. Argh. I just need to stop worrying and start writing, I know. By the way, new readers, I used this as a starting point to knowledge about neighborhoods, which is how I ended up with downtown/ Fall Creek. http://studentlife.g...rnell/moving-in I guess my priorities/wishes, in order, are: -Not too many undergrads / (specifically party noises)-- I'm getting crotchety in my old age . I don't want to live completely alone, and it would be nice if someone I live with knows something about snow! -Proximity to campus or to public transport and grocery foods. -Decent kitchen. -People have said some of the houses can be old and shabby, which worries me only because the photos on Craig are all pristine and picture perfect. (I don't mind shabby, but I like surprises even less.) I mean, I'm the kind of person who researches all of the ~bad~ reviews, and I go thru them and think "yep, ok, i can handle that, doesn't bother me, etc." -I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the $400-600 range, including utilities. Hmmm. I guess that part is thinking out loud... unless anyone has comments/tips. Here's some more actual questions. 4. Do people walk to school in wintertime? I'd love to tell the "I walked uphill thru snow, both ways" to the grandkids. And is the #10 bus the only one that goes THRU campus? I'll be at CIPA which looks pretty much like the center of campus. 5. What about meal plans? Any opinions? My initial thought is to get Bear Bucks - $485 per semester or Meals by Design - $250 per semester. You can get some grocery type items on campus too, right? It might make things convenient. http://www.campuslif...-meal-plans.cfm 6. Last but not least, possibly silly question-- what do grad students use to carry books in? Backpacks? Purses? Over the shoulder laptop type bags? Rolling backpack? Carryon suitcase with wheels? etc. I guess it depends on the major, how many books there will be to carry. I'm currently using a rolling backpack now because I like to have all my textbooks on hand, but I don't know how that will work with snow. I've even seen people with rolling crates to carry their books in... I have to admit I like them. But what do you do at Cornell? This is what happens when I come out of lurking, all the questions that I've got stored up all come out at once! Thanks in Advance! -Debbie