mandarin.orange

Rental deposit, temporary health insurance if you're not covered in the interim, housewares etc. that you'd need to set up your new place. Any expenses from relocating to another state? Like re-registering car, new driver's license, etc. to establish residency.

You can list it as "in preparation" or "submitted to" or "accepted with revisions" or "in press." As far as how much the committee cares, that will be relative to the pool of applicants you are competing with. If it gives you an edge over someone with limited or no publications, so much the better.

Yes, this sounds perfectly reasonable, if asked tactfully. If he has no publication plans, develop a strategy for moving along your own presentations and publications. For awhile I could list only the inclusion of my abstract in a conference abstract volume as my "Publications" on my CV. Do you have any of those? Looking forward, how do you plan to tackle your aversion to writing papers? This is an essential skill for abstracts, journal articles, grants, and finally, your thesis, and you have to keep moving forward with it to finally develop a robust, attractive list of pubs on your CV.

Do you have money saved? Money you can borrow? Probably not, though it's best to check with your specific department. I showed up at the last possible moment (the first day of meetings) for my MS program, which worked out okay at the time and plenty others did the same. I did get some flack from the secretary, saying she didn't know if my W4 and other paperwork I had to complete would be processed in time for me to get my first stipend check on time (it did). One in my cohort said he'd arrived a month early and no one was around and he felt at a loss for what to do. For my relo and start of PhD program next year, I'd like a little more lead time (2-3 weeks) to set up an apartment and check in with the dept. about paperwork.

It is generally expected. Ask your dept. what grad students tend to do for summer activities/funding.

Is it a fellowship, or stipend for being an RA or TA? For my MS program, I had an award/fellowship the first year and it was not taxed. I got the full amount. Year 2 I was a TA like the majority in the department and about 12% of my checks went to Federal, State AND City taxes. After that I was paid hourly for working in my advisor's lab, definitely taxed just like any other wages, AND contributions to a university-sponsored retirement account that were mandatory! Check around online for how this is handled for the state where you plan to reside and attend school. I am already drafting a budget for my PhD program next year where I plan to only see about 75-80% take-home pay. Also check with the dept to find out if your stipend is for 12 or 9 months. Both of my programs paid the awarded stipend out over 9 months, and there was additional funding for the summer (though the per-month amount during the summer was much less). Find out if health benefits are included, or if this will be an additional cost in your budget. Begin researching both university-wide and external fellowships (e.g. NSF) you can apply for during year 1 or 2.

A friend of mine is a young professor and sent me the following link: Professor Deeply Hurt By Student Evaluation

I am so glad to see (and instantly "get") this reference. I've used the following pic and put it on the last page of my HS students' final exam for years: A few years ago (like 2008) kids would laugh and get the reference, or leave me little notes next to the pic. That stopped happening a couple years ago. Now I feel just old.

I don't think so at all, though this may depend on your field. My advisor-to-be said he accepted 2 out of 6 applicants to work with him. I met the other prospective during my visit, and he (like me) is in his 30s. In our cases, I think age and some world experience worked to our advantage...I have an MS, a decent list of publications and teaching experience; the other student has traveled, worked and freelanced extensively in a remote and politically volatile region where advisor-to-be wants to start some field research. I know my SOP was far better and much more focused than anything I would've written at age 24. I am also much more motivated, confident, a troubleshooter, know what I want out of grad school and have no desire to "languish" and take an extra year (or more) in a grad program, as I saw so many do when I was in my MS program in my 20s (with other twentysomethings). I think several grad programs recognize this and see it as an advantage.

I have not done any before, but willing to give it a whirl. Most of my like-minded friends here I met through a privately-run outdoor/social club that I was a member of for a year and a half.

We started a running group during my Masters, and I got heavily into biking the many awesome, long rails-to-trails around Cincinnati. After 6 years in the real world, and paying $25/month for a crappy gym membership where the place is pretty run-down and they hardly maintain any of their machines, driving around town for pricey yoga classes, etc. I cannot WAIT to partake of the gym/pool/classes at a university facility again..that I will be able to access for FREE! The classes offered to students are so cheap, too...one current grad student does for 2x/week yoga classes and the student rate is $40 for the quarter. That is $2 a class! I also checked out Sierra Club hiking groups for my new area and there are many weekday hikes listed...I think I'll miss my hiking group here the most... Once its part of your routine, you won't want to go without the benefits of exercise!

This is actually a really good idea. I just researched and found "Hidden Hitch," and the reviews are great, saying that they installed them on some pretty small cars (I have a 2D Hyundai Accent). I may do this, if I decide to drive from NC to SoCal straight through. It would solve the problem of moving the 1 piece of furniture I do want to keep with the rest of my stuff.

Yes, I was astounded to find this out (I am moving from NC to LA). I don't really care about my stuff enough to pay this much, and then have to deal with a big-ass van or truck (and its lousy 9 mpg, and driving it over the Rockies)...not worth it! I will echo what others have said about shipping everything via USPS or UPS (I will probably do a combination...definitely take advantage of the USPS media mail). I figure I will spend $800 MAX to move my stuff, $500-600 in gas to drive my car (with visits to friends and some cool stops) on this move. $150 for my mom to take my cat to CA on the plane after a visit this spring. Anything that drives the cost beyond this, I will simply interpret as a sign that I need to pare my stuff down.

Advocate for yourself. Fortune favors the bold.

Have you isolated GRE scores as *the* variable that did not get you admitted? My initial reaction to being more competitive is that your energy is best spent not in Kaplan courses, but gaining research experience and beefing up your CV with publications.

Yes. I will add that the book "Getting What You Came For" discusses the advisor-student relationship, and expectations on both sides, quite well...suggested reading. Why make yourself miserable out of stubbornness to finish what you started? Determination is good, but sometimes we have to recognize when to cut our losses and move on, or in this case, switch.

My college boyfriend and I were both applying for grad school our senior year. He had done some fancy-pants, highly prestigious internship the summer before, and gotten to know the program director a little bit during it, who was some big name in chemistry. He (BF) seemed to think a LOR from this guy would carry a lot of weight, so he asked, and the guy agreed. Long story short, his applications were all submitted, complete, his other LORs were in...he had programs calling him back, telling him he HAD to get that last LOR. BF emailed, called the guy personally (I can attest to him having a VERY persistent personality) and would be told "yes, I'll get to it" very friendly-like or with some cute joke, "sorry, just keepin' the alligators at bay! I'll get to it." The LOR never materialized. I think it finally brought Big Chemistry Guy off his pedestal for BF. So, somewhat similar - someone promises something they don't deliver, but not as extreme as your story!

The best I hope for from my cohort-to-be is that they will be friendly, cordial, professional and not abrasively competitive. At least, that is going to be my approach. If I meet a few kindred spirits in the process, then I consider that a bonus. If your cohort takes issue with this approach - friendly, cordial, etc. but keeping personal time as personal time...well, then that is their issue...and a huge waste of energy on their part. Just be glad they are somewhat amicable. I coincided with a nasty group of more recent PhD students at the end of my M.S. I felt they resented me for actually putting in at least 40 hours a week, being visible and productive in the lab, and getting along with our advisor. I didn't want to be included in their group house, potluck nights, and secret handshake (I am not kidding).

Thank you! I *thought* I had seen something like this, but then couldn't find it...figured I was imagining things.

Thank you so much. I think the recommendation to wait a bit is key, do the intro course, and ask the GIS profs and their students, who are into it heavily, what would suit my needs. I will certainly use the lab at first, but will ultimately want to make a switch to being able to work at home evenings/weekends. GIS_Guru, thanks for the specific suggestions on hardware. I'll probably solicit the help of my S.O. (an IT guy) for finding a good machine. Yes, MacBook will run Windows, but mine is a year+ old by now, and I think I am going to push it to its absolute limit with 4 years of grad school ahead of me. I wouldn't mind having a 2nd laptop (I do now for work).

Throughout the application process, I've kept a running list of pros about being a grad school, what I WON'T miss about my current occupation: high school teaching. "Positive Affirmations," if you will, and reminders of all the reasons why I'm taking 4 years out of my mid-30s, my best earning, possibly home-buying years, to do this. I figure I can look back if/when my motivation declines sometime in the dissertation-writing stage...I am sure it will, although right now I am sooo ramped up to start working on research problems/questions again and take classes. I have a great offer from my first choice and am going to visit on Sunday. I am so excited! However, quick perusal of this topic in the forum yields lots of gloom-and-doom stories...should I drop out, I hate my advisor, etc. etc. Indeed 3 of my closest friends went into PhD programs and didn't finish, others forced themselves to get the masters they came for (terminal masters is common in geology) and get out and have wanted nothing to do with academia since. So, I want to ask...who out there DOES love their program, does believe they are in the right place right now, and why?

So I have been accepted to a PhD Geography program (yay!). At this program, students pick an area of concentration, then two subfields (or "minors," if you will). I know I want one of my subfields to be GIS. However, I am going to have to start from square 1 with the coursework and I currently have a MacBook. I am thinking I will need another machine, with its own software, to take this to the level I want in grad school (I already have ideas of what I'd like to do with GIS and the databases I want to make). What setups do current grad students have that currently do lots of GIS? How much would be approximate start-up cost?

I am thinking about all this as well. This is my second go-round for graduate school. For my MS, I started in a boarding-house style situation that was fun and dirt-cheap at first, but eventually had enough and moved out after 2 years for a great studio apt. where I at last finished my thesis. Definitely go for 12 months. You need a "base" for research, fieldwork trips, etc. during the summer. I moved out of an apt last spring (I'm a teacher), stored my stuff for the summer while I went to California, then hunted for a place when I got back (stayed with friends) and moved Labor Day. I found myself moving again on New Years Day to get out of a bad roomie/landlord situation. I thought I was cleverly saving money, but savings wasn't really worth it. In "Getting What you Came For" about grad school, the author recommends avoiding ANYTHING that will slow down your progression toward your degree. Moving and crazy roomies will slow you down. A friend of mine stayed for her PhD at my MS-granting institution. She came early (July) at the onset of her graduate program to apt-hunt and set it up. I thought it was overkill at the time, but she now credits her success to the fact that she was able to happily keep that apt for her entire 5 years in grad school. She was beset with several medical problems and surgeries too, and having her OWN space and one she liked was invaluable for her sanity and recovery. A colleague recently mentioned loaning her daughter several thousand during her graduate program so she could keep the same (single) space where she could focus and work. She paid them back easily once she had a job. I intend to take this approach next year.

And, don't be surprised if you see the phrases "420 friendly!!" and "we have a don't ask, don't smell policy here" often! Only area where I've routinely come across that in the local craigslist ads...

Have you met the POI yet? Do you know first-hand whether this would be a personality mesh or not? I had a fantastic MS advisor, with whom I still correspond and collaborate with to this day (7 years since earning my degree). Plenty others have successfully completed their degrees under him. I was there at a time when, coincidently, many of my labmates (all PhDs-to-be) really, really struggled with him, and to this day will say they made the wrong choice in advisor. Many of my college friends went onto grad school in varying fields. I remember many complaining about their advisors, and more often than not, it was just a symptom of a deeper problem: they set themselves up to have one option only for a grad program, or academia was really not for them. I think you should form your own opinion, particularly if you can track the path his current/past students and see if there is a successful record of completion and moving on to good jobs.