dherres

Along the lines of pleasure reading, someone somewhere else on here suggested "Getting What You Came For" by Robert Peters. It's essentially one of those "how to survive and succeed in grad school" books. If you're like me and have a proclivity to obsess over things, it might be of interest. I've only read a portion but intend to seek it out when I arrive at my new home tomorrow.

Explore the local cemeteries? Call up a philanthropic organization in the community, such as a soup kitchen, and sign up to volunteer for one day? At one point in time, someone somewhere else on here posted http://instructables.com. http://SurfTheChannel.com is good, too. (I highly recommend Dollhouse, for those who haven't seen it. It's Joss Whedon's latest brainchild.) Do you blog? Start one about your grad school experience? Can you contact your professors and purchase your books online in advance (and usually for a LOT cheaper!)? OH OH and http://phdcomics.com. Webcomic about grad students at Stanford -- there are years of archived strips to wade through for hours. Entertaining to no end, and depressingly true to life (or so I've heard -- ask me again in about 3 months?). Plus, the phorum is a WONDERFUL way to P(rocrastinate)! (I really like the idea someone posted about journaling now and using it later to re-motivate yourself/not drop out of grad school.)

I was lucky(?) enough to see a message posted by a graduate student on my undergrad's online community/message board/email server/thing (LearnLink is hard to describe.....), advertising that he needed assistants for helping him finish gathering data for his dissertation. I emailed him, we had a phone interview, and he took me on board as a volunteer research assistant. After a semester, when that was over, I started emailing (virtually all of) the professors within the psychology department at my school (and I think one in the sociology or NBB department, as well). I explained my experience and background, told them that I was simply seeking more experience as I tried to narrow my interests and prepare for grad school, and asked if they were taking on any research assistants. After hearing time and time again that their labs were full (and having a crying fit at one point as I saw my dream of grad school slipping through my grasp), I began emailing professors at other schools in the city... one person said to email her again after a month, another told me to email his grad student and ask her, which I did. We interviewed, I chewed my nails and obsessed for the following two weeks, and then she emailed saying that they'd love to have me. I was there for the entire summer and fall terms. It worked out well, in the end, as the second lab where I volunteered ended up being for a professor in the same field I'm now in. Plus, I like to think that exhibiting the proactivity and persistence that I did -- by working at a university other than my own while still in school -- came through on my applications to grad schools.

One thing that you might try is contacting the people at School A and let them know about the other offer. You might say something along the lines of, "I'm very excited about attending your program, and I'm willing to do whatever I can to make it work out, but This Other School just offered me a completely funded package, and I'm afraid I might not have a choice but to accept it because of the financial concern..... or is there anything you all could do to help?" Only make it, you know, sounds prettier. :wink: I remember reading somewhere on here about pitting schools against each other by creating an aura of desirability for yourself. It's almost like making them compete with each other to have you. There was more information there -- try searching old posts, it was a complete letter of things you can do that you might be scared to.

Ha! That's amusing; thanks for the laugh, guys! :wink: Alright, I'm feeling better about this now, thanks everyone who responded.... silly parents and their inaccurate preconceived notions. :wink:

It's the University of Connecticut, in psychology. When I visited in April, one guy I met had an abundance of tattoos on his arms which he made no attempt to conceal, at least...... My mother this afternoon made a fuss of it, which is part of what prompted this post, saying how I'm now a representative for the school, and they're trusting and expecting me to portray a certain image because it's a reflection of them as an institution, and I am now working as a professional in the field and it's not how the business world works, etc etc.

So I had my eyebrow pierced several years ago but took it out due to my job. Last week, a friend convinced me that we should get pierced together as a goodbye "thing" since I'm moving 1000 miles away for school. I got my eyebrow repierced, thinking that it'd be ok as a grad student and no one in academia would really have a problem with it. Now I'm starting to reconsider, though, and getting a bit worried as to how it might be received by faculty, other students, etc. Does anyone have any experience or wisdom in this realm?

Hi all, I'm about to start a PhD program in industrial/organizational psychology. For fun, I've toyed with the idea of pursuing an MBA upon completion (projecting years into the future!). The two fields are somewhat related; lots of B-schools offer programs in organizational behaviour, I know. I'm curious, though, coupled with the work experience in an internship and consulting-type projects that are required for my program, would holding a PhD give a boost in admission to an MBA program in one of the better-ranked schools (think Berkeley)? Thanks!

I find abebooks.com to be very helpful as well. They typically have the international/paperback/etc. editions available, which I've never had a problem with in terms of content when compared to US editions. I did run into difficulty once when it didn't come with the accompanying CD that the texts in my school's bookstore had, but it turned out not to be a problem in the end.....

I'm sure this is a stupid question, but is there a different name for those bags that strap on over the shoulders to hang against the back via a single diagonal strap? Not a traditional backpack with the 2 vertical straps..... I had thought it was a variation of the standard messenger bag (which hangs by the waist, yes? I've used one for the past few years, but won't be practical for grad school), but looking at the websites people have posted, I'm second-guessing that.

Perhaps as a temporary solution, have you thought about an extended stay hotel? They can be quite cheap (relatively speaking), and can provide you with a bit more time to search once you're in the area.

I don't actually have to report until August 26, but (of course) I've been making plans to arrive a few weeks earlier than that. The problem is, the exact date keeps getting bumped around..... and I don't know how much longer I can keep waiting tables without snapping!! :evil: :shock:

I live in Atlanta right now, where Comcast and Bellsouth pretty much hold a monopoly on cable/DSL internet. Is there any service provider that's the norm in the Storrs/Hartford area, or one that somebody might recommend?

From your description, it doesn't sound as though it's an issue that might warrant extensions/special treatment. If it were me, I would approach it from a "I want to make you aware in case this happens, as it tends to scare those who don't know what's happening and why I'm unresponsive" angle. And maybe bring a doctor's note?

GPA/GRE is usually used as a weeding out process before admins really delve into the gritty details of an applicant's qualities, or so I've come to understand. It certainly doesn't sound as though you've been wasting your time -- you seem to have a lot behind you. And no, it's not the end of the world if acceptances don't happen. A disappointment, yes, but life goes on and you go on to what you're meant to. (Easy to say when I have an acceptance, perhaps, but I also took some time off during my undergrad for personal reasons, and the "real world" hit hard! Lol.)

$1000/month?? How on earth do they justify charging that given a grad student's meager salary?? :evil: I'd much rather live alone as well. I'm going up next month to speak with other people in my program and look at apartments. If it's not too late, I'll post on here what I learn. There were some places I've heard to avoid, but I can't remember where.....

My job is just waiting tables, so I'm in complete apathy about upcoming changes in the restaurant's focus and operation -- it's like it just doesn't apply to me. I'm reminding myself (daily!) how much longer I have there.... and scheming for a way to leave sooner than necessary! Everyone knows I applied and got accepted to grad school, and they're all very supportive.

I haven't seen or heard anything suggesting this. Have you considered living on-campus? I think they have graduate student housing..... don't they?

It helps that it's something related to the field, as opposed to teaching English overseas (for example). I'd suggest also using the time to try and work as an assistant to a professor in a lab somewhere; the independent research in the form of a senior thesis is good, but I think exhibiting teamwork with other lab members, as well as working on projects directed by someone higher up, wouldn't hurt either. (Admittedly, my GPA wasn't high enough to allow me to do a senior thesis, but I was told by one professor that experience in a lab gives you concrete knowledge of what you're getting yourself into, and thus admins/etc. look for it in an applicant.) Not to mention, maintaining such a link to academia during that year might show a greater initiative and interest on your part, suggesting you're "serious about it" (not to say that you aren't!). Taking classes specifically in I/O isn't too necessary, I think; admins know that it's a relatively new field and lots of schools (my own included) don't offer such coursework. Be sure to use your time off to further develop your research interests, and discuss those in your PS/SOP when you apply -- BE SPECIFIC. I'm hesitant to offer a composite evaluation and say something like, "You sound competitive," or "I'd be sure to apply to many, many safety schools" because this year seemed to have broken usual standards. I was shocked that a PhD program actually wanted me, and people I've spoken with who had better qualifications than I didn't receive any offers (in the same field).

Wait, that's not something that should be said? Hrm.... oops. :oops: Meh, like you said, they had already extended the offer and couldn't take it back!

If all of your degrees are from the same school, I think it's be absolutely imperative to go somewhere else for your post-doc, especially since you're interested in returning to that school as faculty. As people have mentioned, gaining exposure to a variety of methodologies and ideologies is highly valued as it augments your ability to "think outside the box" or whatever. Yes, a PhD is about specialization, but that doesn't mean at the cost of expanding your horizons and finding new ways of thinking.

I wish I could relate.... I cried when my top choice put me in their MA and not their PhD. C'est la vie.

Ditto. I like specific people..... as a race, though, I find humans come up short on a number of qualities. (Except me, of course. I'm perfect. ) Nevertheless, I don't want to hold sole ownership for the responsibility of the extinction of the species. I believe that, as a collective whole, we're doing a fine enough job of that as it is.

Did anyone else read this as being spoken with a British accent?

Ditto. Although you didn't really give much information comparing the two schools, and I'm not really familiar with your field..... Regardless, I don't think you can ever go wrong with Berk, no matter what your area.