thesnout

lol. I'm the same. Can't stand coffee. I love my green tea, water and orange juice. Yum. Once I forced a french vanilla down. Yuck.

Good topic. Thanks for reviving it. I have no clue what I really need for my Masters degree. I have a netbook. I might need a more powerful laptop for design work though. Maybe a desktop computer. A printer, some pens and pencils maybe. I'll definitely buy a GOOD bag for carry stuff. I'll just wait until I fly out and buy stuff there.

Hmm, my post didn't show up. I'll have to type it again. I'm against guns on campus. The only people who should have guns on campus are the campus police or security personnel. It would be ludicrous to allow anyone to bring guns into a public or private university. Students have a right to study, live and learn in a safe environment. A little more clarification would be good though. Who will be allowed to bring guns onto the campus? Students, Staff/Faculty, Security/Police? I wouldn't feel safe with a student walking into class with a small pistol. What school do you attend? I'm making an assumption that it's in the US. I hope they vote against guns at your school. Good luck.

I hear ya!! We got hit hard in Guelph with the heat, humidity, mega thunderstorms the other day. Ughh...Couldn't even breathe today with the humidity. Good topic.

If you don't want to go, don't go. You're an adult and it's "Your" life. You can't spend time worrying about what your mother thinks you should do. Do what is best for you. If grad school makes you unhappy don't go. Don't put yourself in a position to take on debt you can't pay off. If your living conditions are toxic then you need to get out and help yourself. Find the resources that are available to you. It's time for you to move on and out. This situation really is toxic for you. Maybe even a little radioactive. I hope you can see what you mother is truely doing. Help yourself.You have three pages of advice and opinions. Use this to your advantage.

Same. I think I've google mapped everything I'll need in the city I'm going to. It's great because I can't fly out there in advance. I hope they make a virtual reality google maps to make it really look like I'm there.

While your in school try to experience as much as you can (while studying too of course...hehe). I know you said you didn't want to hang out with undergrads but it's good to surround yourself with people of different ages and those close to your age. Don't focus too much on making friends and/or finding a girlfriend. Just let things happen natually. Not everyone drinks in grad school. My friends who finished grad school weren't drinkers and they had a great time. I'm a non drinker and I'm sure next year I'll have fun too. You have youth on your side so don't let anyone bring you down. Good luck with the PhD, you'll do great and fit right in. Definitely take some risks and go outside of your comfort zone. I agree with the other posters who said to join clubs. It's the fastest way to meet people with similar interests. Try off campus clubs too to broaden your horizon and grad school experience. I'm not a social butterfly so I always find a club to join to meet new people. I hope what everyone says has helped.

Thanks for starting this thread. I'm starting grad school this year and recovering from a serious rare illness. I'm a little scared about the demands of grad school, social life, etc. I only need about 8-9 hrs of sleep so I should be good to go. I walk with a cane still and look really young for my age so my illness is out in the open for all to see. I get stared at a lot anyway so I'm use to it. I would love to hear move stories about how people are coping with chronic conditions and grad school. Thanks.

Blank stares...

Is it bad that I know I have 111 days until I move for grad school. Needless to say, I can't wait. Hurry up and end summer!!!

My family seems less than thrilled. I know they think I'm putting off the "real-world" even though I worked at architecture and engineering firms for 3 years after undergrad. My situation is a bit different because I'm recovering from a serious illness so I know they're scared. Moving from Ontario to Calgary is quite the distance. My parents are also worried about my debt load. But it is my debt load and I'm taking on what I already paid off. They're supportive in their own ways. My friends are happy but wish I'd move back to Toronto. Oh well. At the end of the day it's my life and I have to do what is best for me. I'm sooooo excited. I just block out the negativity and don't second guess my decision. I'm the first in my immediate family to graduate university and now go to grad school. 16 weeks exactly until grad school!!!

I had a Thinkpad R51 for years and the battery did what you are describing towards the end. I had to keep it plugged in to work. Lenovos are amazing computers though IMO. I'll buy another one if I can afford it. I miss my Thinkpad, it handled AutoCAD, Viz, Photoshop, etc without any problems. I've heard good things about Dell too. I need a laptop that can handle all my design work. I'm not a fan of mac's. So it's PC for me. Viruses and all! My hp netbook is quite nice though. In the end the choice should be based on your program's requirements. Good luck.

I agree with Derfasciti. Don't think about grad school for a while. I was having some doubts myself. I have to take out loans for 1st year (non-bank) but oh well. You need to get your mind off of grad school for at least a week or two. If you are still having doubts then it might be a good time to reconsider your options. You applied to grad school for a reason though. Don't give up due to doubt. Just give it time to sink in a little. You got accepted so feel good about it. Good luck.

Thanks for the responses. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to go for a visit before attending. Plus my summer job won't let me take time off (unless I want to lose my job). I'm set in my decision to attend the school and already paid $500 deposit. I really like the way the program is set up and the advisor(s) I may be given are really good professors/professionals, so I know I'll be happy there. I've called them with a lot of questions in advance too. The program will not reimburse me for the visit so I'd rather put that $1000 towards my rent. If I were rich or had more money I'd definitely find a way to go but I'm footing the bill for 1st with scholarship/bursary opportunities for 2nd year. Every penny counts right now. Thanks everyone.

Just like the topic title says, I'm trying to decide whether or not I want to spend upwards of $800 to $1000 to visit the university. I'm in Ontario and the school is in Calgary. I'd rather put that money towards tuition or books or other expenses. If I went it would be for about 3 days max. I have a cousin in Calgary who has told me about the city and I trust what she says. Some people say to go and visit, while others say it's a waste of money. Travelling in Canada is quite expensive (in my opinion). I could probably go to the carribean using this money!! I guess I'm undecided and leaning towards not visiting and just going in September. I'd rather use this money towards residence. I chose to live on campus so I wouldn't have to visit the school early. Any opinions would be good. Have people visited their schools after getting accepted? Or did you just go when school started? Thanks