globalnomad

I'm also interested in knowing more about what bags people carry and find comfortable. During my master's I used a Nautica Weekender bag. It's very spacious but the straps became uncomfortable very quickly, as wasn't very professional. There was recent discussion about the topic on the Chronicles forum. Check it out here: http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,90061.0.html There's some great suggestions from companies such as Fossil, Kenneth Cole and Timbuk2.

I'm currently working my way through Kirkpatrick and Feeney's "A simple guide to IMP SPSS Statistics". Like the title says, it's very simple, at times, too simple it seems. But so far, it's been a great way for me to get reintroduced to SPSS. It walks you through both the point-and-click and the syntax methods, and includes how to conduct various procedures (t-test, ANOVA, multiple regression etc). There are great screen shots of what you might encounter. I also picked up "SPSS Essentials: Managing and analyzing social science data". I haven't opened that one was yet so maybe someone else can chime in.

You should also look into NYU's Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Although the site lists an officia MA and not a PhD, their professors are associated with departments around the university. Also, Duke-UNC has an excellent consortium on Latin American and Caribbean studies. The group hosts many programs during the year, albeit most are geared more towards Latin Americanists than Caribbeanists. You may also want to look at the Caribbean Studies Association at http://www.caribbeanstudiesassociation.org/. They state that more than 50% of their membership comes from scholars/students in the United States. T

In some British systems, you complete a Masters Dissertation and a d PhD Thesis. I know some British schools require you to submit a proposal, and this helps determine who your advisor will be. In this case, it's a good idea to know what you want to focus on before entering the program. Regarding choosing a topic, were there any topics that interested you more than others in your undergraduate program? I would say start with that and try to read additional publications on that topic. Look at the discussion sections for gaps that need to be filled in. Also, look at profiles of marketing professors at schools you want to apply to. See if anything they are working on is interesting to you. Again, I second Dal PhDer about reading and researching what these professors are working on. If you ave access to a university library, you can also check out past doctoral Dissertation/Thesis. This will give you an idea of what students at a particular school have been focusing on.

Heading over early is a great suggestion. But, if you're an international student, check the visa date from which you can enter the country. If funds allow, I would take the suggestion mentioned above and come over for a visit. If you're British, you should be able to travel under the visa waiver program. Check it out. Good luck.

Have you or someone you know done pre-dissertation research domestically or abroad? What types of projects have you/they done? I know projects are field-specific, but wanted to get a visual sense of the scope of what others do. I am beginning to gather information on pre-dissertation awards for my field because my phd program--to begin this fall--is rather short. I'm starting to think about projects I would undertake, and would possibly apply for pre-dissertation fellowships for summer 2013. I currently work as an RA in my field, and at the school I'll be attending. Thanks.

I currently work at UNC, live in Southwest Durham and take the bus to work. Total time to campus is usually 20-30 minutes. I'll be starting my phd there in August and I'm contemplating moving closer to campus. But, I won't make that decision until I have a better sense of the commute as a student. I know several grad students who commute from various parts of Durham and most enjoy being able to campus life from home. UNC also offers several options for those communiting into campus, including free parking lots on the outskirts of campus and park and ride via triangle transit. If you live close to the park & rides, you can ride you bike there and then take the bus in.

Your may also want to look at LSE's Department of Media and Communications

Hi everyone, Has anyone had success using the GRE Poweprep on a mac? I tried downloading and keep running into problems. Do you know of any plugin I could use? Thanks