juilletmercredi

I'm in a joint PhD program in two departments and so I had to take 4 courses a semester (later on I learned I could take research credits instead, so one semester I took 3 and one semester I took 2). Everyone in my program takes 4 courses a semester for roughly 5 semesters (2.5 years). It IS a massive amount of work, BUT I got so used to it that by the time I was taking 2 classes a semester in my 5th semester, I felt like I was on easy street. Psychologists and public health scientists also don't have as much reading as anthropologists/poli sci/soc people, so instead of having to read 4 books a week (1 per class) like those folks, I think I was reading maybe 3-5 articles per week per class - maybe. Still a lot of reading, but not quite like reading dense theory papers. (I did have to take a soc/anthro public health class and read Marx/Durkheim/Weber, something that psychologists do NOT do. It took me half the semester just to figure out how to read the stuff!) The biggest commitment was paper writing at the end of the class, since everybody wanted a paper, but once I learned to pace myself and write on similar topics - I was fine. Plus it really helped me shape my research interests and where to look. The other thing is that my professors outright told us that courses were secondary to everything else, and that if something had to go, the readings and quality of our assignments should go first. I learned how to do the "academic skim" as I call it and learned how to do a "good enough" job on classroom assignments. They weren't spectacular because they didn't need to be; that wasn't expected. There's a joke in my department that if you get too many As, the professors start to get concerned that you're not doing enough research, lol. Note that I was not TAing when I took the four courses a semester. I TAed the semester I took 2 courses. If you have to TA, I would really recommend not taking more than 3 courses, and honestly I think 2 is just enough. You folks with 5 and 7 course requirements are making me jealous. I had to take 60 credits of coursework, which worked out to the equivalent of 20 courses. I actually ended up taking about 15 or so once I realized that TA'ing and research credit counted for classwork. (Even if I had known, though, I still would've had to take almost the same amount of courses to satisfy requirements. And you could only do that in one of my disciplines - in the other, all 10 courses had to be actual courses.)

In my department PhD and MPH students take classes together - there's only one dedicated PhD only class. But PhD students do TA classes for MPH students; MPH students don't serve as TAs. We grade them, but it's not quite the same as distancing oneself from undergraduate students. My advisor grades me, but we can also spend socializing time together without me expecting to get an A+ because we both drink the same martini or something. I socialized with MPH students my first two years here and when my master's students friends graduated I stayed close to many of them. I was the rare breed in my field who entered without a master's, and so I was closer in age and developmental stage to the MPH students. I hung out with both MPH students and my fellow PhD students. Now I hang out almost exclusively with the PhD students, but that's simply because I don't know any MPH students. I don't know *shrug* The MPH students here are driven and serious; most of them are very passionate about the field and are interested in research, even if they don't want a PhD. My friends with MPHs are all working in free clinics and government health positions and the like. Conversely, the PhD students know how to have fun; they aren't all "quiet" and "keep to themselves." I don't think there is a typical personality for PhD students, other than a love of research and the desire to torture oneself for 5-10 years (lol). have a certain dislike for those who do the internship option of the MA program in my department (btw, for some perspective, there are only three thesis students in the entire MA program), but that is only because of my not-so-great experiences with them, and not because of their career choices (in fact, I've often said that they seem to be smarter than the rest of us who have chosen academia, because they will definitely have better job prospects). I don't get it - if it's not their career choices, then why not pose the question as "I have some issues with the gossipy/unserious students in my department" and leave it at that? You're basically asking us if you should hang out with people who annoy you and who you don't like the be around...why would you even need to ask that? If you have not-so-great experiences with them and dislike their gossip and drama, simply don't socialize with them and make friends with the PhD and MA students who don't do those things.

I also can type pretty quickly on the on-screen keyboard in landscape, especially since my iPad's case also functions as a stand in a working position. Usually I bring it for notes for lab meetings and individual meeting with my advisor since I am horrible with keeping up with paper. However, if I were going to take notes for a 2-hour lecture several times a week, I'd want to use a portable keyboard. I'm actually contemplating buying one anyway; Apple has a folding one on the website that costs about $100 but folds down to a little bigger than a smartphone. I think there are other brands on Amazon.com too.

I also can type pretty quickly on the on-screen keyboard in landscape, especially since my iPad's case also functions as a stand in a working position. Usually I bring it for notes for lab meetings and individual meeting with my advisor since I am horrible with keeping up with paper. However, if I were going to take notes for a 2-hour lecture several times a week, I'd want to use a portable keyboard. I'm actually contemplating buying one anyway; Apple has a folding one on the website that costs about $100 but folds down to a little bigger than a smartphone. I think there are other brands on Amazon.com too.

I actually didn't need very many textbooks - most of what we read in class were either articles or popular academic press-type books. I bought those from Amazon.com. The one time I did need a textbook, I just borrowed it from the library for a semester. You can also use Bigwords.com to search multiple book-buying sites (Alibris, half.com, Amazon, B&N, etc.). It'll turn up the cheapest new and/or used and/or rental textbooks on the 'net.

How much research experience do you have? 6 months, one year, two years? What subfield are you trying to get into? Clinical and social are more competitive than experimental and cognitive. What's your major GPA? Really...this isn't anywhere near enough information to gauge. If you want clinical, it really depends on how much research experience you have - if you have less than 2 years, I'd say that you won't be as competitive as others. It also depends largely on your research interests and fit. And yeah, PhDMKTG, I was a GA resident in high school. I went to a public magnet and UGA used to be everyone's back-up plan...and then they started rejecting people. Everybody was like wtf? Their undergrad competitiveness doesn't have much to do with the PhD program, though.

I'm not in English, but I would think that this since international students are generally less competitive at an MA level when applying for English straight from college, it is easier to take a "detour" or "short cut" by applying for a less competitive MA degree in Oxbridge or Ivy League first, then transfer and apply for an English lit PhD, with the prestige of the MA schools. For example, asian studies, english teaching as second language, comp lit, gender studies.. Would not necessarily be the case. It would depend on how it was done. I don't think that an MA in Asian studies would help in an English literature program, unless you were studying Asian American literature there and planned that to be your focus in grad school. The rest of those degrees can all be conceivably linked to doing an English literature program. For example, someone interested in women's narratives could study gender studies; comparative literature is related to English lit; and even ESL could be related to perhaps looking at second-language learners' writings and pieces. But theology? That's not at all related to English literature (unless you wanted to study liturgical/theological lit...) and could actually hinder you by making you look disorganized unless you have a clear relationship to why theology followed by an English lit degree makes sense. I would imagine that getting an MA from a more prestigious school with a top-ranked department in your field (so not just Ivy Leagues, but whatever's high-ranked in English lit in the U.S.) would definitely have a big impact on admissions. I'd also imagine that getting an MA in English lit from a mid-ranked American school would be better than getting an MA in theology from a top-ranked American or British school, if the goal is English lit in the U.S. But like I said, I'm not in English; this is simply from observations of the large number of English lit PhD students and hopefuls I know online.

I don't think it would reflect badly at all. You have to apply before you really have a chance to explore any other schools, and IMO, it's a great way to get some graduate classes under your belt in the MS program if you do decide to leave. I'd imagine you wouldn't be the first to do that. Since UCSD is your second choice and you're already in, what I would do is accept the program, and go next year. Then in the fall, you only have to apply to Carnegie Mellon. If you get in, you can decide whether you want to leave (how many credits you can transfer, etc.) or whether you want to finish up at UCSD. If not, well, you just stay at your second choice school and get your master's!

30 minutes is nothing, as long as you don't mind driving.. Honestly I think it's better to live a little further from campus; you are more separated and more likely to develop a healthy work-life balance, lol. I lived 4 blocks from campus and I felt like I was always there. As long as you have some workspace, I think a commute is fine. If you can bring your laptop to work on or if you have a designated computer space where you can do some research or whatnot on your downtime, it's worth saving the extra money, especially if it's in excess of $200 a month including the costs of your parking pass AND if you get more space. (And yes, I would rather commute 30 minutes than pay $200 more in rent.) Get a printer, so you don't have to run for last minute printing. In one of my departments everyone lives at least 15 minutes away from campus except me. Most of us live 30+ minutes away - and there are more than a few who live over an hour away. Our socialization is pretty good - we just meet up where people live instead of at school, or we put in long hours at school. But I live in NYC so I'm talking about public transit commuting, not driving.

I was going to say the same thing as UnlikelyGrad. We have someone like that in my family (ironically, it's my mom) and you HAVE to learn to say no to them. They will only keep asking as long as you keep giving. Once you learn how to say "no" every time they ask, the requests will dwindle down to nothing. And I know it's hard - I mean, my mother birthed me, I feel bad for turning her down. But she asks to 'borrow' large sums of money for ridiculous purchases and is the kind of person who will, for example, take a trip to Puerto Rico but forget to pay her car note. Your mom has the ability to use the guilt trip. "How do you expect me to lend you grocery money? You have a steady job and my job sucks, and you know I had to use my savings." Or she can use the *shrug* "Sorry, I don't have it" excuse. That's never a lie because even if she does technically have the money, it could be earmarked for something else. And then she can wedge in suggestions that your brother and sister begin saving money for rainy days. They're grown people, they need to join the world of the rest of us and learn how to spend within their means.

I bought a cheap single-mug coffeemaker from Amazon - it's Hamilton Beach, I think it was $32. I get Dunkin Donuts ground coffee but recently I've begun getting Fresh Direct's cheaper fresh ground French vanilla coffee, which is delicious. I have this amazing travel mug that keeps my coffee steamy hot for 3 hours and doesn't spill even if you turn it all the way upside down and shake it. (Seriously, 3 hours - I brew my coffee and fill the mug at around 7:00 and drink it when I get to my internship 2 hours later. It's usually still hot and tasty at 10:00 am.) When my fiance and I get married I think I might register for one of those pods so I can make cappuccinos and lattes. I can deal with a less expensive one since he doesn't drink coffee.

I did the opposite move three years ago - I'm was living in Atlanta and I moved (back) to New York. In my experience, Southern summers are not even really hotter than New York summers - at least not in the last couple of years (they used to be, but with climate change, not so much). It's often the same temperature there as it is here during the summer. The biggest difference is the humidity. Sometimes during Atlanta summers I felt like I was gasping for breath because the air was so thick. It's humid in NYC too, but not that humid. The biggest change was the winters. I was raised here so I was expecting it, but being back in 20-30 degree weather after ten 40-50 degree winters was a struggle at first. Then I got used to it. I also remembered loving snow, but then again, I was 10. Now I dislike it because it's nasty in NYC. So yeah, I do miss the mild Atlanta weather.

-Make a schedule, and stick to it. Don't try to shoehorn yourself into 9-5 if that doesn't work for you (it does't for me) - and if you'd rather do chunks of time and then chunks of breaks, do that. But if you get enough work done within a specified schedule, you'll feel less guilty about hanging out. -Schedule time and not tasks. What I mean is, don't say "I will write 5 pages today," but say "I will spend 3 hours on writing today." that way, just in case you get writer's block or you spend a lot of time revising, you won't tether yourself to your desk for 6 hours instead of your intended 3. -Schedule fun time. It will not happen spontaneously. You can easily spend your entire life in the lab or at your desk writing, writing, writing. No one will stop you; the lab never closes. For instance, today is the Fourth of July and I went up to school and it's open. There's hardly anyone there, and I just went to go pick something up. But if I wanted to go to my computer and work, I *could*. You have to actively choose not to, and you have to set limits for yourself. If you work all day and all night, you will burn out quickly. And realize that fun time, and the dating you want to do, are just as important as your grad work. -Eat. -Exercise. Counterintuitively, exercising gives you MORE energy. -The guilt goes away. At first, you will feel super guilty for not doing work 24/7. After you get frustrated enough with graduate school, slowly you will feel less and less guilty until eventually you'll only feel it sometimes, or not at all. -The in control feeling takes time, and knowledge, and learning, and mistakes. Basically you won't feel in-control at first. But the more things you complete successfully, the more in-control you will feel. -Take one day off a week. Sometimes you will have to read something, or do something school-related on that day - especially if something is due. But try to take off a day per week and only do light stuff that day if you have to.

I use Remember the Milk! I was surprised it hadn't come up yet until you mentioned. The things I love: -It has tabs for different kinds of tasks - work, study, personal - so I can sort my tasks by what I want to do. I think you can add new types too. -Seamless syncing across the website, an iPhone app, and my Gmail. So I can add tasks on the website and then look at them and check them off on my phone. They have an Android app too. If you don't have a phone that uses apps, you can send an email to your custom RTM email and the server automatically converts it into a task for you. -Due dates. Instead of just "tomorrow" "next week" whatever (which you can also use) you can put it an actual date. I tend to make my to-do lists at the same time, one long list as opposed to adding compulsively when I think of something. So this helps because I can organize my thoughts and I don't have to put them in in any order, just add the date. -They have 3 priority levels that you can set. -Set reminders - this is important to be because I tend to write down tasks and forget them, which is why pen and pencil doesn't work for me. On the app, you get push notifications; you can also set it so that you get text message, email, and/or AIM reminders sent to you by the website. You can set when you want to be reminded (an hour, a day, whatever, before the task) -You can search your tasks. -You can tag your tasks. -You can create "Smart Lists" that allow you to create custom lists based on certain attributes. So a list for everything that's due this week or this month, or everything tagged "dissertation." -There's a way to sync your tasks with your Google Calendar. I don't use this because I hardly ever use Google Calendar, but I'm planning to get back into using GC this academic year and having that cross-platform usability will be nice. -IT'S FREE! I don't think the iPhone app cost me anything, but if it did, it was worth the price (and wasn't more than $3). I NEVER remember to do things, but having Remember The Milk helps me...when I check it, lol. I love this app/service, I think it's great.

I agree with Behavioral; of course, having both would be a little pricy, but I bought my Kindle 3 at least a year ago if not more, so I'm okay with keeping and not ditching it but also buying an iPad. To me they have different, but overlapping, task sets.

I agree with Eigen, especially the subtley issue. I have my ways of telling people about the negatives of my advisor (most of which he would agree with anyway) and the horrible bureaucracy at my university (which even the most uptight of them would acknowledge). I tend to be a rather blunt and straightforward person so I kind of just say it, but that's because my advisor in particular is a good one. When people have asked me about other professors that I know are horrible, I am more evasive but still pretty...straight...about their abilities. I'd never post on a website like that, because I would never write anything publicly that I also wouldn't say publicly. The Internet is not private, and academia is a small world. I also agree that you need to make opportunities to talk with grad students. Personally I think if a program hasn't scheduled any time in for you to chat with current students, that should be a red flag (or at least a pink one), but in my experience grad students are always willing to talk to prospectives. I'm a particularly chatty one and I've answered a number of emails and conducted quite a few phone calls from prospective students, and I also Skyped with one in Spain at about 10 pm to try to balance out the time difference.

I used my computer to do this, since I finished my classes before tablets were available. When I needed to write equations or draw diagrams, I just carried a little notebook (paper notebook) and wrote them in the notebook, then I just used drawing tools in Microsoft OneNote to convert them later. I eventually bought a netbook because I was tired of carting my 5-lb beast to class. If tablets were big then, I would've absolutely bought one and a portable keyboard and used that. In fact, even though I'm done with classes, I'm getting an iPad (or a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 - I haven't decided, but I'm leaning towards the iPad because I have an iPhone and I wouldn't have to rebuy apps) and am considering getting a folding keyboard for meeting notes. As for the Kindle, neuropsych, I was disappointed with it as far as PDF reading goes. I have a Kindle 3 and PDFs do not convert very well - sometimes the text is way too small, or it's rendered weird, and taking notes on it is a PITA. It is, however, AMAZING for reading paperbacks for pleasure. I read far more for pleasure now because I don't have to pack a book - I just throw my Kindle in the bag, and anywhere I have WiFi, I can get a book. I originally had a 3G Kindle 2, but I bought the Wi-Fi Kindle 3 and regret not paying the extra for the 3G. It was so useful to be able to just download a book whenever I wanted to. If there were any textbooks that were useful to me available on Kindle it would probably be awesome for that too. I use an iPhone 4. People say being locked into iOS sucks, but unless you are a developer or tech-savvy enough to find apps and other uses for your phone that require you to do things outside of the standard operating system, I think it's fine. It can work for 90% of people I think. I AM fundamentally opposed to Steve Jobs' delusions of godliness, though, which induces him to block apps like Google Voice (although I think it's available now), tell people they can't even mention Android, and - the biggest one - refuse to put Flash on the iPad. That's the biggest annoyance. An Internet capable device should use the standard that the Internt is using now, and not the one he thinks people will be using in 5 or so years (HTML5). But you can use Skyfire to get around that. Personally if I were entering the smartphone market today, I'd go with an Android phone. On a principle level I prefer open standards even though I'm not tech-savvy enough to do anything with them, but I also just like the way they work better. They also tend to have bigger screens and they have Swype, which I've heard is like the 3rd coming of Christ as far as texting goes. I text a lot (more than I ever use the phone for talking) so having that would be nice. Technically Apple has more apps, but I think Android has most of the apps for things everyone uses. I'm actually considering ditching my iPhone for an Android phone next year when my contract is up.

I can't deal with all of the freaking paper. I was printing things out all over the place and I had so much paper. I don't have enough space for it all, nor did I really have the room for the file cabinet I kept saying I was going to get. So I recycled it all and I am on a completely electronic system, with my articles saved on my computer and backed up on Dropbox. I take notes in a Word document. I'm trying to get more sophisticated, especially since I'll begin my dissertation work in earnest soon. I'm getting an iPad and using a note-taking program like Evernote to take notes on the tablet and sync them between my computers (work and home) and the tablet. Plus entering articles electronically into Zotero is so much easier than doing it manually - at least in my field, since we don't generally have to step foot in a library at all - and organizing electronic files is easier than organizing paper files, AND I read articles far more quickly on the computer/electronically than I do on paper. I know that doesn't help you. FWIW when I had paper before I got fed up, I stored it in manila folders in plastic hanging file boxes just like the first commenter here. They were very poorly organized. My plan was to buy a big file cabinet (Office Max sells some pretty affordable ones - at least the hanging kind) and all of those hanging folders, and then organize them by author's last name. I'd enter it first, read it, make my notes/marks/whatever, and then file it. You can also put your notes into Endnote in the notes section - a little summary or the abstract of the paper so you know what you are looking for, so you don't have to have a zillion documents open. I always am awed by you humanities folks. Hejduk, I love Zotero for many reasons, so I recommend it. I can't stand EndNote. And you can use Dropbox to simultaneously store your papers on the cloud and on your hard drive. What I do is I simply organize my things on my hard drive, then when I'm done saving new articles I copy the entire folder into my Dropbox, or I just copy the new articles if there are only a few of them.

I think you have to go with what you need I'm a gadget lover and I like having that connectedness (but I am glad that my email doesn't get pushed to my hone constantly, because then I would never be able to disconnect!) But if you're not the kind of person who checks mail constantly, does the social network thing, etc., then it may just be useless to you. And if you want to save money - even $15 over 24 months is $360 total. That's a lot of cash, could go towards a better computer or a bill every month or something. You could also get a semi-smartphone - lol. I had one before I upgraded to the iPhone. It was a Samsung; no app store or anything complicated, but I could check my email, it had a GPS system (not turn-based directions but just could tell me where I was and open a map), a camera, whatever. No requirement to have a data plan, although I did have one, but you can just use it on WiFi. These days with even smartphones being relatively cheap (you can get a good one for $150-$250 with a 2-year contract) you can probably snag a semi-smartphone with email on it for around $50-100. If you've never had a smartphone before you likely don't *need* it. Also someone suggested an iPod touch, which if you don't want to be on the 3G network and pay the bill every month, could be a reasonable alternative. You could also get a small refurbished tablet - not the iPad (which starts at $500) but maybe the Galaxy Tab or Dell Streak, both of which are 7" and cost around $350 new (so if you got a refurbished one you might be able to snag it for $250 or something). You don't need to pay a monthly bill, and you can just use them on WiFi networks. As a grad student I'd say I am connected about 90% of the time. That other 10% is when I'm on the subway or the train to go visit my family, or walking around the city. Even a lot of restaurants out here have WiFi, and when they don't I just read a book (on my Kindle, lol!)

Some colleagues have told me I just need to finish the PhD on my own, but I really don't think that's reasonable. I need some guidance to help me get through the next year -- and to help me structure my dissertation and flesh out my ideas. I don't think this is a good idea at all. I do love my advisor, and he's necessary not just for planning my dissertation and other research projects, but to keep my sanity intact. You need someone on your side, not just to direct your work but also to help you when you're ready for the job search, introducing you to people, making some calls, vouching for you. This industry is really about who you know. I third the suggestion of talking to the DGS for help, and also having a secondary and/or informal advisor - I have both a formal secondary advisor and two informal advisors that I feel like I can go to for help or advice, one of each in each of my departments. It's really necessary to have a variety of perspectives, and like I said, making that connection can really help you when you are looking for jobs. Plus you have to have multiple people on your dissertation committee, right? You may have to be more independent, but you still need an advisor.

Also, I'd not recommend Sprint at all. They lease their system out to other carriers, including Boost and Virgin Mobiles These aren't different carriers. Both of those brands are part of Sprint; they're simply different brands Sprint uses to reach different demographics. I also don't see how that would be a bad thing - the number of subscribers on your network doesn't matter as long as your network can handle them. Everyone I know with Sprint is pretty satisfied with the service - far more satisfied than me and my other AT&T heads. I don't see the point of passing up an iPhone for an iPod touch. You can get the iPhone 3GS for cheaper than the iPod touch (the 3GS is $99 with a 2-year contract now). If you get the lowest data plan, you pay $15 a month on top of your phone bill you'd already pay. It does come down to whether you want to pay the monthly data fee, but I don't think $15 a month is too much to have access to the Internet when you aren't on a wireless network. I don't always want to hunt down a Starbucks or something when I want to use Google maps or whatever. I do think that if I were starting from scratch I wouldn't go for the iPhone - like Behavioral pointed out, I'd get something with a bigger screen, and probably on Android. Something from HTC perhaps - like the Droid Incredible 2 or the ThunderBolt. I've got bad eyesight and I get migraines so not having to strain as much to see the screen would be nice, and I hate iOS's text-messaging interface (everything is so tiny because they've got way too much stuff on the screen). I also hate the iPhone's on-screen keyboard. I also would NOT go with AT&T again. Their CS is bad and my phone drops SO many calls on a daily basis. I think I'm going to let my contract expire (I've got like a year left on it) and get an Android phone next time around. But I would never go back from smartphones. Way too useful. Gotta chime that having e-mail, news and Twitter at my fingertips is amazing; I use Yelp to find essential services nearby me (a manicure place when I want a quick pampering session; a good restaurant when I want to eat something different). And the GPS/Google maps app is very useful, especially when I get lost in the Village (which is almost every time I go down there). Strangefox, to answer your question, most carriers require you to pay for a plan with limited services - usually it's 250 MB for the low end ($15-20) and 2 GB for the higher end (~$30; Verizon has some higher level plans for heavy users). Even if you only surf from WiFi locations, you're likely still required to carry this data service plan. However, if you surf from WiFi locations, you don't use any of your data for the month. So while you technically don't have to pay for access from WiFi locations, you'll still probably have to get a data plan for your phone as all of the big carriers require a data plan for smartphones (because otherwise they wouldn't make their money - they know you'd just duck into a coffee shop if you wanted to use their WiFi).

Just apply - you won't lose anything by applying (well, except the application fees, but it'll be worth it if you get in). My roommate got into SIPA with just one year of work experience. She was 23 when she started. She had been admitted to Columbia's MPH school first, and did a joint degree, but still. Even if you applied this year and got in for next, you wouldn't be that much younger than the average SIPA student - I think it's 27 here and you'd be 24. Especially being semi-fluent in Arabic.

This is going to sound really cliche, but in the end, life really isn't about money or other material things. It's about experience and the journey that you've taken. When I remember this, I'm so happy with the things I've done so far, and I can't wait to find out what I'll experience next. Don't worry, it'll get better! When I started thinking like this and really believing it, I felt much better about everything. And increasingly I am meeting people who spent many years getting their education juuuuuuuuuust right so they could do what they wanted (I say this because I'm in the middle of a PhD program and contemplating becoming a nurse practitioner - I'm in public health and I'd like to do research and practice, but I turned away from med school in college because I didn't want to take chemistry. *shakes head at 18-year-old self*). So I'm just enjoying where I am in the moment, and I find myself realizing that even if I have to spend more time than I "planned" finishing my education - *shrug*. I'm happy with where I am and what I've done, and I look forward to the future when I can experience more. Also, though, one of the things I had to realize is that those people doing amazing things at my age (24) are anomalies. MOST of my high school friends are doing the same things I am - finishing medical school, working grunt jobs, going back to grad school, and a few are like me, in the middle of PhD programs. I'd imagine that's the same at any age group - sure, there may be some people with a beautiful house on the hill or who are international ambassadors, but MOST of the people you know are probably doing most of the same things you are - working, caring for their children and trying to figure it all out.

When my Kindle 3G's screen broke (or, more accurately, when I broke the screen of my Kindle 2 3G) I bought a Kindle 3 with Wi-Fi only because it was cheaper. In all honesty, I don't miss the 3G all that much. I'm usually connected to a network, and what I do is I just download a book or 2 before I leave the house. Sometimes I run out of reading material before I get back home and that sucks a little bit, but it doesn't happen often enough. I'm planning on getting an iPad - Kindle is great for books, not so good for PDFs, and there's a lot of other things I can do with the iPad.

I don't know. I think I might take the internship anyway, and let them know shortly after you start that you'll have to leave in mid-August to go to the PhD program. You never know what they can arrange (I am doing a summer internship and I have to leave early, but my manager just asked me today if there's a possibility that I could do some ad hoc work during the academic year...and get paid), and even if there is nothing - plenty of people do summer jobs (or regular jobs) and move on in short work; the money will be very useful starting out, and the experience would be too.