fumblewhat

So, I just got my iPad 2 and I'm really thrilled with it! I've marked up a few academic articles in iAnnotate, and I can already tell it's going to be a huge asset this fall! Now I have to replace my primary computer. I'm stuck between some incarnation of the MacBook Pro or an iMac. I think with a Bluetooth keyboard, I could do a lot of my in-the-library writing on the iPad. But I've heard that Pages for iPad can't yet handle footnotes. That'd mean I'd always have to finish a paper on a "real" computer. I'd prefer an iMac because of its superior hard drive size, processor speed, cost and life-span... But is lack of portability a deal breaker? What do you all think? Would you depend on your iPad as your only portable machine in grad school?

I meant that I think the Tern bicycles will be better quality bikes than the Dahons for around the same price, not that Dahon will change its prices (that would be nice!). That's based on rumor and speculation at the moment, but judging from what's been released the Terns *look* better. Those bikes will hit the market in September, supposedly. The folding bike market is pretty small... I *think* Dahon is the best brand under $1000. But again, I'm not too familiar with anything but Dahon and Brompton. You might pop over to the Folding Bike Forum at Bikeforums.net and ask for other suggestsions, or ask what the ride quality on the Vitesse is like compared to the Bullhead. I personally think the Vitesse would be the best way to go. It's designed as a commuter and I'm sure it's "road worthy." Maybe Golden Monkey could tell us what he thinks of the ride on his Mu SL? If you really like the Bullhead, you could also just put a rack on it and you would have the very same features you liked in the Vitesse. Both ThorUSA and NYCewheels would do that for you for a fee. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful! The people at Bikeforums really know their stuff, though so try over there!

My impression has been that Dahon is the best in its price range (or will be until Tern comes on the market). That said, bikes and biking are such subjective things, I'm sure several people would take issue with that statement. The Xootr looks like it'd have a nice rigid frame. It'd probably ride more like a full-sized bike. The fold is too big for my liking. Granted, in your case you really don't need a small fold to put the bike into your car, but a smaller package would be easier to cover and take into an academic building. Maybe that wouldn't be a problem at your school, though. You can read one comparison between a Dahon and a Xootr here. A google search should turn up more. As for Citizen Bike, I'm less familiar with the brand, but I've read elsewhere that they aren't as high quality as Dahon. I think they may be heavier as well... If you really want to go a little cheaper and your area doesn't have too many hills, you could go with a Dahon Mu Uno (video review ). It's a super light, one speed bike. Very low maintenance. I mentioned the Speed P8 in my last post, but there's a cheaper version in the Speed D7. The Speed P8 has slightly better components and big cushy 2" thick tires that would smooth out your ride, but if price is an issue, the D7 is a fine bike. Even has a rack and fenders included. Are there any dealers in your area? A test ride or two would make the choice easier. There's a crazy number of options available. There are people who believe a folder should never be locked, and should always be taken with you. I'm definitely not one of those people. But yeah, if you can bring it into your office and lock it to something there, I'd think that would be ideal. In my case, I'd either have to keep the thing in hand all day or leave it on a rack outside, and both options seem dubious. Alas, alack. Do let me know what you end up choosing! I can live vicariously through you!

If we're talking a folding bike, then I think Dahon is about the only thing in your price range. If you don't need it for multi modal transport (taking it on a train or bus), then I would recommend getting a 20" wheel model over a 16". You'll have a smoother ride. Dahon has a lot of 20" bikes, though. The Dahon Vitesse looks like it might suit your purposes. It has an internal hub, fenders, a rear rack, and chain guard. Here's a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R11S2DM1GIU. I'd also look at the Mu P8 (and video review).. It doesn't have an internal hub, but if you don't have a winter commute or won't be stopping and starting too much, that really doesn't matter. You can add fenders easily if you need to. If you want to go a little cheaper, with a slightly more rigid ride, the Speed P8 would be worth looking at. If you aren't going to need to fold the bike all that often and you want a machine that rides a little more like a normal bike, you might consider the Dahon Bullhead. I've been looking at it myself, because I think it would be good for winter. It has big 2 inch thick tires and an internal hub. Very cool. But I think a beater bike better suits my purposes. (If I can find one to fit my pathetic 73 cm cycling inseam... gah!) Are you planning on brining the bike into class? Folding bikes are pretty distinctive and pretty likely targets for thieves. If you're going to leave it out on a rack, I'd try to get a cheap, used Dahon on ebay or something. Or you might go for a bike with smaller wheels and carry it with you everywhere. This is ultimately why I won't be getting a folder. I just don't want to lug 25 lbs around an academic building. If I had an office to stash the thing in, it'd be a different story... If you don't have a local dealer, then both NYCwheels and ThorUSA are good companies to deal with online. You may also wish to wait a couple months to see what Tern comes out with. Tern is a new folding bike company that broke off from Dahon last month. I know for sure that ThorUSA will be carrying them.

What's your price range? What will you be using the bike for? How long is your commute?

Anyone have any recommendations for a good fixed gear bike? Is it possible / practical to put a rack on the thing?

Mountain bikes can be adapted into really good commuter bikes, actually! I wouldn't get rid of your current bike so quickly -- I would think a mountain bike would suit the snow better (nice fat wheels!) and something of WalMart quality is probably exactly what you want to subject to a harsh winter like in Madison. Other good options for winter migh be be a fixed gear bike (easy to control traction) or something with an internal hub and/or disc brakes (usually expensive). If you're not planning on riding in witner, I suppose the field is wide open, though!

I agree with psycholinguist. Toxic is absolutely the right word for it. I didn't have exactly the same situation as an undergraduate, but I was once told by a counselor that the best possible thing I could ever do for myself and wellbeing was move at least 3,000 miles away from my family. And you know what? I did. Highly recommended! What about finding a short term job that would give you some financial independence and move you away from your family? I'm thinking particularly of Teach for America, Peace Corp, or out-of-country English teaching programs, like JET. (I'm on JET right now and would be happy to answer any questions you might have about it. It would definitely make you completely financially independent.) Obviously, the application process for all these programs is on the long side, and I think you need a more immediate situation. But they have the advantage of letting you move far away from your family, earn some of your own money, and add to your resume, in addtion to being really great experiences. As to your question of what to do with an art degree.... My best friend's mother is VP level at a (very large, important) pharmaceutical company, and she has a Master's in Art History. It's a tough job market right now, but if you can find a job that diversifies your resume (instead of limiting it), you could head off in just about whatever direction you please... Also, read this book. It gives a lot of advice on how to use the education you have to get a job you want, even if it's not in the same field. Personally, I would use one of the programs I mentioned above as a transitional experience into something new... But that's what I did, so it's what I know to recommend. Sorry I couldn't answer your question more directly! Best of luck to you!!

I know Timbuk2 is known for messengers, but I have two Timbuk2 backpacks that I LOVE. One is the Hacker, which I think has been rediesigned and is now called the Swig. I've never owned a better bag. It holds a lot of gear, but still stays compact and sleek looking. I feel really comfotable bringing it into professional settings. The quality is awesome and the design is just smart -- I never find myself searching for anything in my backpack. The compartments just make sense. Also, the laptop compartment is really nice, padded and easy to access (and seemingly even more so on the new model). I also have a Timbuk2 messenger. I wish I'd gotten the S size instead of the M -- I just never seem to need all that space -- but it's likewise a really quality bag. Timbuk2 definitely is expensive, but they're crazy durable. They've gone through several Japanese rainy seasons with me and if they're worse for wear, you wouldn't know it. Great bags!

I was in the same position! I promised myself I wouldn't attend without significant funding. I got lucky. It came through at a few places on April 14th -- the day before the decision deadlines. As to your question... It really depends on the field, department and school. I got offered funding as an MA applicant at four programs -- two of them were full funding and stipend, but the other two offers were nothing to sneeze at. It absolutely can and does happen. Though I think the full tuition situations are more likely to be funded outside the department -- in my case, they both were Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowships (through the Dept of State). Some schools just seem to have more love to go around than others, though. A lot of the M.A.s I talked to when I was shopping around said there was more funding available in their second year, as well. What's your field? The graduate coordinator at each department should know how their students are paying their way through. Be sure to contact them to ask about any fellowships you might apply to. I didn't, and regretted it after I missed deadlines for some great opportunities.

If you're looking for some fun reading, there's a book about a medical anthropologist, Paul Farmer, called "Mountains Beyond Mountains." Beyond just being a great book, it glosses some basic medical anthro theory and profiles its most prominent practiioner. Good stuff! Good luck!

You might "stand out" at a "mediocre" school, but you're less likely to stand out in a pile of graduate applications. Two things. 1) There are a lot of fantastic state schools out there, but LAC schools generally tend to offer more opportunities to do research with tenured faculty -- which means your research s likely to be of better quality and your LORs will be more personal and (therefore) of a better quality, as well. 2) --And this one is a doozy -- Keep in mind that your LORs are not going to be focusing on how you compare to your peers. That may be mentioned (if at all) in passing, but the main focus is going to be on your own abilities and characteristics and acheivements. It'd be hard for a professor to speak to these if you were one student in fifty or a hundred, where a TA was doing most the grading. So, go to a place where you can best cultivate yourself and get personal attention. There's no easy way or shortcut that gaurantees you'll have a better shot into graduate school. So you might as well go where you can grow and be excellent. If you feel you can do that at Davis, go for it! I'd be looking more closely at the mentorship and research opportunities at your prospective schools, than trying to "beat the system" somehow. Good luck with your choice!

OK, everyone. I have a confession. I still haven't signed a lease because I can't make up my feeble little mind. Maybe you all can help me. If you had to commute to the central campus in the winter, would you rather have.... A) an apartment with a great location on the Old West Side, about a 20 minute walk (1 mile) from campus, but without a very usable bus line (only goes 5 blocks before dropping me off again) OR B ) a much nicer apartment in a nice complex south of campus (2 miles) on two usable bus lines that (unfortunately!) stop at 10 pm. Would living way south of campus make me socially isolated? I'd rather go with the place on the Old West Side, but it seems like I'd be walking or biking in all manner of weather (in the snow, up hill, both ways) there. But then again, with the complex down south, those early stopping bus lines could leave me in a fix as well. I don't feel like I know the areas well enough to make this call! Thoughts and opinions welcome!!

I'm not from your field, but if you're interested in understanding the relationship between culture and health, or the way culture (symbols, discourses, etc) acts to shape people's healthcare expectations, a good Medical Anthropology course might fit the bill. I once landed an internship doing cross-cultural healthcare marketing on the basis of haven taken a medical anthro course.... It'll be considerably less "crunchy" (there will be few numbers or statistics) approach than sociology would provide, but it might be a good counterpoint to your sciences background. You can always contact the instructor of whatever courses you're looking at to find out if they'd suit your needs.

I think everyone has hit all the important pros and cons above. I'll just join in the chorus and say taking a gap year is an excellent idea! I took 3 years off, and I'm headed into a grad program this fall. Although I think I had the academic chops and drive to complete a grad program out of undergrad, I am SO glad I didn't. Taking time off has given me the chance to recharge, mature a bit as a person, and expand my research interests considerably. I'm absolutely certain it got me into a better program than I could have managed as an undergraduate, as well. There's a lot of great experiential jobs out there that look great on an application -- Peace Corps, Teach for America, etc. I'm teaching on the JET Programme in Japan right now and I LOVE IT. The Japanese countryside is beautiful, the kids are great, and the job benefits cannot be matched. (Full medical insurance, life insurance, 20 days paid vacation, tax exemption, and ridiculous pay.) If you like kids, and are up for a challenge, I highly recommend it. No Japanese required.