deianira

I applied to Stanford Biosciences back in October. Somehow, they didn't get my GRE scores, so I confirmed with ETS, then confirmed with Stanford, thought everything was ok. Today ( a month later!) I got an automatic registrar email saying that my GRE scores were in a "suspension" file, but now they are found and my department can review my application. So... 1. Stanford Biosciences may still be reviewing applications, do not despair. 2. Obsessive triple-checking and department-bugging is a good thing (as others have said, Stanford doesn't answer phones, but they do answer most emails within a few days).

"Devil Wears Prada" - don't judge! I work as technical writer, so I need some fluffy reading to relax. Before it was Neil Gaiman's "Graveyard Book".

Funny and apropos for future grad students: http://www-rocq.inria.fr/~abitebou/PRES ... EDBT02.pdf

life sciences rule (probably applies to other disciplines too): do not hate anyone, at least not to their face, or their friends' faces, or their hairdresser's cousin's long-lost twin's face - you may need to ask them for a protocol/cell stock/antibody/transgenic mouse mating pair some day.

I'm interviewing at Johns Hopkins (pathobiology neuro) and Georgetown (neuro). I had a phone interview with a professor at the NIH-UofMD joint program - he talked a lot about his research, and about other research at NIH and at the school, asked a little bit about my research (nothing that was not in the application), and then it quickly became clear that we were not a good fit, so he recommended a couple of other people to contact, and we politely said goodbyes. My personal method for dealing with stress is to over-prepare, so I've been going over my old professors' and PIs' new publications and reviews, making lists of the schools' professors and their research interests, and looking up some of their publications. If that doesn't calm me down, I can always open up "Principles of Neuroscience"

So, I'm still the only single parent on here...(to be exact, divorced single mom). Damn it, I should have emphasized that more on my applications to play the diversity card

I don't miss school. I hated the schedule changing day-to day, hated having no end to my school day, with all the studying in the evenings after a long day of classes, hated having no money, and hated all the immature spoiled kids around me (I went to Brandeis for undergrad, those who went there will likely empathize). So my plan for grad school is to structure it as closely as possible to a 9-5 work day. Yes I can!!

Did undergrad in 3 years, worked for a year, then applied to grad school. Lasted a semester, and left to start a family. Now going back after 5 years. My last time in grad school there was a man in my psych class who was in his early-mid 40's. He had been a computer analyst professional, until he got layed off from his long-time job. So he decided to completely change his career and get a masters in psych. Just to give some perspective to those who think they are "too old"

Wake up, change kid diaper, dress kid, feed kid, take kid to daycare, drive to work. At work it's probably a 70%/30% mix of work-related/web-surfing-and-emailing activity. Then...drive to daycare, pick up kid, go grocery shopping (gym if I'm lucky), entertain kid, bathe kid, feed self and kid, watch kid TV with kid, put kid to bed, clean, read/watch TV/get some work done. So, my mind is too occupied with other things to obsess over grad school too much

I finally got my first rejection today - UCSF Neuroscience. This school happened to be at the bottom of my list (yes, despite it being at the top of the grad school rankings for neuro). Similarly, UofMD was my "safety" school, and although got an itnerview invite, the itnerest seems to be lukewarm (they don't do rotations, so interested professors contact prospective students directly). On the other hand, my two top choices have invited me for interviews. So I'm wondering if I did something in the application process or in communicating with the schools which betrayed my attitude. I tried to keep my application materials as generic as possible, though, and applications are pretty standard for all schools. Anyone else have this experience with their schools?

AI: If you win (or make the top 10 or something), you get payed $$$ for the tour within the next year ,and possible record deals indefinitely thereafter Grad School: if you win, you get payed ~$25,000 a year for the next 5+ years to work long hours with no guarantee of success, followed by possible entry into yet another exciting competition for post-doc, which will pay a whopping $35,000 a year!

thanks everyone!

Once I become a graduate student in September, my income will obviously be the miserly stipend. But right now my full time job pays a whole lot more than that. Does anyone know how FAFSA and other financial aid agencies treat the salary level? Will I have to wait until the next tax year to qualify for funding, or can I just update the income information once I quit my job?

It's the opposite for me: I really wish I could stay on the west coast, but I'm hoping to get accepted on the east coast because I will need my parents' help with childcare.

ha! I'm 28 for another week!!

I wasn't sure this would catch on, but it really does make me feel better to know that all of you poor souls are screaming (and yawping) along with me. The next collective thread will be a collective sigh of relief, but it's a bit early for that one

It's not at all impossible. Just keep in mind that she will not be able to legally work a a little while after you bring her in, and might not be able to find real work for a long while if she doesn't speak English. So you will be supporting both of you on a graduate student's stipend.

I've actually been impressed with the availability of on-line options for submission. All of the schools I applied to had them. Back in 2002 when I was applying the first time, none had them. The only things I couldn't do on-line were transcripts - and I'm wondering whether that's the undergraduate instutions' fault for not making them accessible in electronic format. Application fees have gotten slightly higher, but not to the point of being unreasonable. You have to consider how much very valuable and high-ranking manpower goes into processing and reviewing all of our applications. Plus the funds for flying people in for interviews (yes, I know, not really fair tot he ones who are rejected, but such is life).

Yes, we're all frustrated with waiting for invitations/acceptances/rejections. No, there is nothing we can do to get to the finish line faster. Except scream - haven't you wanted to just scream and get the frustration out? Well, I can't do that in my corporate cube, but I can type it, damn it. So feel free to join in. I'm going with the more traditional... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My plan B is to stay in my well paying biotech job in the beautiful San Francisco bay area, or possibly get an on-line MBA or Clinical Trials management degree so I can break the 6-figure barrier and maybe afford a house around here

Don't do it! Children, especially small children, are a huge drain on finances. 9-5 chidcare will cost you $1000-$1500 / month. Diapers will run about $100/month for the first year, a bit less for the second. Babysitters are $10-15/hour. And breastfeeding while in school/working is no picnic either. (speaking from first hand experience )