studentaffairsgrad

1.) Where do you see yourself in x amount of years?
- Even if they give you a specific number of years, make sure you describe where you see yourself both in the short-term span (this will show you are realistic) and in the long term span (this will show you have high-reaching goals.) You don't want to roll in there looking unrealistic, or like a slacker.

2.) Why do you pick this program?
- Pretty straight forward, just be honest. Pick specific things about the program that sets it apart from other programs. For example, "This program really stuck out to me b/c while it has great academics, it also has a lot more opportunities for practical experience than other programs out there."

3.) Why do you think you would be a good fit for the program?
- This is a chance to brag on yourself a bit. Also, let them know what makes you unique compared to the other hundreds of students applying. Tailor your talents to the specifics of the program.

My last piece of advise...don't be arrogant about it, but try to think along the lines of you are interviewing the school as well. You want to let the interviewer know that you want to make sure the school is the right fit for you. Do this by asking discriminating questions...what sets this school apart from other programs? How has this program evolved over the last 20 years in its field? What is this program doing to stay competitive? Some people might disagree, but I went into my interviews with the attitude of, look, I know my qualifications, and any school would be lucky to have me. I want to make sure they are worthy of my talents. I know it sounds arrogant, but it made me feel less nervous to look at it as if I was the one interviewing them. Be confident, but not arrogant. It is a thin line. My interviewers even mentioned that they found my confidence appealing. If you have faith in yourself, they will put their faith in you.

The worst thing you can do is go into an interview being unsure of yourself. My program did an interview weekend, where you were with other candidates the whole time. Some people can get intimidated, and get down on themselves when they hear other applications bragging about their amazing qualifications. Know that 1.) They are all embellishing and 2.) If they really were that amazing, they wouldn't feel the necessity to brag about it. They are only bragging b/c they know they are lacking. Just nod and smile.

Just know that you deserve the best education, because you are a talented, intelligent person, and you will rock the interview

1.) Where do you see yourself in x amount of years?
- Even if they give you a specific number of years, make sure you describe where you see yourself both in the short-term span (this will show you are realistic) and in the long term span (this will show you have high-reaching goals.) You don't want to roll in there looking unrealistic, or like a slacker.

2.) Why do you pick this program?
- Pretty straight forward, just be honest. Pick specific things about the program that sets it apart from other programs. For example, "This program really stuck out to me b/c while it has great academics, it also has a lot more opportunities for practical experience than other programs out there."

3.) Why do you think you would be a good fit for the program?
- This is a chance to brag on yourself a bit. Also, let them know what makes you unique compared to the other hundreds of students applying. Tailor your talents to the specifics of the program.

My last piece of advise...don't be arrogant about it, but try to think along the lines of you are interviewing the school as well. You want to let the interviewer know that you want to make sure the school is the right fit for you. Do this by asking discriminating questions...what sets this school apart from other programs? How has this program evolved over the last 20 years in its field? What is this program doing to stay competitive? Some people might disagree, but I went into my interviews with the attitude of, look, I know my qualifications, and any school would be lucky to have me. I want to make sure they are worthy of my talents. I know it sounds arrogant, but it made me feel less nervous to look at it as if I was the one interviewing them. Be confident, but not arrogant. It is a thin line. My interviewers even mentioned that they found my confidence appealing. If you have faith in yourself, they will put their faith in you.

The worst thing you can do is go into an interview being unsure of yourself. My program did an interview weekend, where you were with other candidates the whole time. Some people can get intimidated, and get down on themselves when they hear other applications bragging about their amazing qualifications. Know that 1.) They are all embellishing and 2.) If they really were that amazing, they wouldn't feel the necessity to brag about it. They are only bragging b/c they know they are lacking. Just nod and smile.

Just know that you deserve the best education, because you are a talented, intelligent person, and you will rock the interview

I love this topic! I am the annoying person that needs complete quiet to study. Also, the isn't really a study habit per say...but if I'm going to be studying/writing a paper and devoting a long chunk of time to it, I have to give my room a thorough cleaning. I seriously cannot study or write a paper if my surroundings are messy or unorganized. This might just be my subconscious way of procrastinating

Also If I'm going to be taking midterms/finals or something, I always feel better if I get up early that morning, shower, do my hair and put on something halfway decent. Any other day though, and I'm rolling to class in my sweats. I just feel like I do better work if I'm halfway put together.

Hello all,
 
My name is Calvin Brave, I am very new to this forum and want to participate with you in this discussion board. It gives us to share some new thing of our own.
 
Thanks a lot
Calvin Brave

I recently had a friend (who is a Ph.D student at a top university) look over my SOP. She very honestly-but kindly-told me that essentially, my statement was just a repetition of what was in my resume. While reading a book on SOP's I discovered that this is one of the biggest mistakes that applicants make. Your essay is an introduction of you to the admissions committee, so you should write about what makes you, well..you!

I think the most important question to respond to when writing an SOP (even though most schools don't explicitly ask this) is: Why should we choose you over all the other applicants? What makes you so special that you should have this spot in our program?

Most applicants to a particular program will have a similiar background, so you should write about something that is unique about you and will make you stand out. I chose to write about my experience volunteering overseas and how this has shaped my philosophy and interest in my field.

If someone is an introvert, just putting them in grad housing (with a random room mate possibly) isn't going to magically make them an extrovert.  That's not how that works.  It's like just because you go to a bar doesn't mean you're going to pick up a chick or a duder.  You still need the compulsion and incentive to initiate the next step.  Realistically just having an outgoing room mate, that you get a long with, is the better path to social success, and that can happen anywhere (and cheaper than grad housing).  
 
Also, simply by virtue of graduate programs being destinations for non natives, you will make friends with fellow Sheamus's who will more than likely ask "Hey, are you up for exploring this fine new city."  
 
Also I second apartment/house renting because of the "Me-time. . ." factor.  I live alone in a house far from most everyone else in my program (relatively speaking); there was no way in hell I was going to do apartment living - especially if I could afford not to.  While the folks in my program are just darling, I need a spot that isn't bumping music 25/8 or heavily foot trafficked. . .which is not a requirement met by certain places popular with graduate students.

I'm not talking about graduate housing in general (as you say, most graduate housing is just a collection of apartments that happen to be majority student occupied), and I recognise that many universities don't have residential colleges among their graduate housing options (which is unfortunate for such schools and students). That said, I do think there are some advantages to standard graduate housing over leasing an apartment in a non-affiliated apartment building and especially a house with regards to meeting new people, but that depends on the areas demographics.
 
 
 
I was being facetious in saying that having a cat was the only valid reason. Moving with a SO and/or family is another reason why many choose independent living. I have been as forceful as I have because so many people seem to be in a hurry to move into their own apartment or sharehouse during grad school because it's "what's done", and don't even consider the consequences or alternatives to such choices. This thread is specifically about fitting in socially in a new location and school. It is undeniable that for this purpose, living in a residential college is generally a far superior alternative to living in standard graduate accommodation, non-grad student apartment blocks and share-houses (in that order). Certainly, the standards of the rooms are often lower, lack individual kitchens, are more expensive etc (but none of these things are always true; it varies with residential colleges just as it varies between apartment buildings). This is not to say that it isn't possible to be social if you aren't living in such circumstances (such a sweeping claim would of course be absurd), but it's certainly giving yourself a large obstacle to overcome.
 
I strongly believe that the social benefits of having a proper student community and extensive shared facilities (e.g. gyms, sporting facilities, auditoriums, study rooms, libraries, computer rooms, dining halls etc) outweigh these costs (when they occur). So many grad students seem to loathe grad school (judging from general perceptions on the internet, studies that show depression rates of grad students, and the grad students I've known at the three universities I attended as an undergrad), and I think it's often of their own making (if unknowingly). Undergrad is often thought of as one of the best times in peoples lives, but the same seems to be said of grad school vary rarely. While this is certainly related to workload and other factors, I think a huge problem is that grad students socially cripple themselves without realising due to their choice of accommodation. When I went to my PhD acceptance visitation weekends at a number of universities and discussed with students their housing options and how they found grad school socially, a clear pattern emerged that those who lived in standard graduate housing hardly knew the people in their buildings, and a majority of their friends came from within their departments. Those who lived in residential colleges on the other hand seemed to know their neighbours and a much greater range of people.
 
If my posts make a few people think about what they want socially from graduate school, and consider how their housing choices affect those wants (because I really do think it's a decision made by most without careful consideration), I'm not particularly bothered by being called negative or judgmental on the internet.

I thought about it when I moved for my PhD program but, the graduate housing isn't a "residential college" with a common dining area, it's set up as apartments. And, it would've been $150 more per month (not counting having to pay for on campus parking for my car) to live in a 4 person graduate apartment than it was to live a mile from campus in a house with two roommates. There are lots of reasons why people don't choose to live in graduate housing, whether they be personality, cost, the quality of the housing (lackluster in many places), or otherwise. And while you don't have to accept them, you also don't have to be so negative or judgmental about other people's choices.

Graduate residential colleges generally aren't like in undergrad, the vast majority of them have one person per room; you get the benefits of living in a community while still having some space that is yours alone.
 
 
I used to think exactly the same thing. Very private person, couldn't deal with it, didn't want to deal with it etc. Then I tried it and had the absolute best time of my life. Doing something outside of your comfort zone doesn't mean you're forever uncomfortable, it means that the size of your comfort zone increases. This is an example where such an increase in your  comfort zone can be very enriching to your life in general (but it's certainly not the only such example; stepping outside of your comfort zone is the single best way to grow as a person). People who consider themselves as introverts who are scared by the idea of community living are precisely the people who need the experience most, both because they'll grow the most as people as a result, and because they are the most likely to lock themselves in their apartments, never making many friends and becoming the stereotypical depressed grad student. Because while this (from sharingfromafar's post):
 
 
is true, it's often very difficult to make much of it as an introvert without encouragement. Living in a residential community gives you that push. You can't help but make friends considering the college takes meals together, has tons of activities together etc.
 
One benefit that I think is important to recognise is how busy we're all going to be as graduate students. It's all well and good to tell yourself how you're going to join a bunch of groups and organisations, but it'll be so easy to fall into the trap of "too busy with work, will do when I have free time" and then "finally free of work, just need a little me time" when you do have time off, such that you never actually do such things. This is particularly true if you consider yourself to be introverted. Living in a residential community means that reaching out to make friends is much less of a big deal, both for when you plan to have time off and spontaneously. It's no longer an imposing "I'm planning on going to an interest meeting for this group in two days", it's "I'm going to eat dinner in the dining hall", or "I'm going to go and read in one of the residential lounges".
 
 
Who cares how the real world works? We're in grad school.
 
It's the last time we'll ever be able to live this sort of life, we'll be in new and unfamiliar environments and constantly busy. Having preplanned events that are easy to attend (that do not stop anyone from planning their own events, joining other groups etc) is a great benefit.
 
 
Adventure and challenge are good, and living in your own apartment may be the greatest challenge for you. But for many people, particularly those who would benefit the most, the greater adventure and challenge is choosing the option of being part of an active community.
 
 
This is a reason why living in a residential community is great. There many more people who are open to getting to know strangers, and many more opportunities to facilitate such. While these situations can also happen in apartment living, you're just as likely to get someone who responds to you awkwardly and then goes out of their way to avoid you. People who rent apartments often (as cylon did above) consider their apartments "their own personal space" and do not expect or even want to meet people from that area of their life. It's also much harder to form friendships from such encounters (for example, in a residential community, you can sit down and eat dinner with someone you've only spoken to for a minute before and get to know them properly; such occasions don't really exist to the same degree with apartment living). It's also considerably more difficult to form groups of friends (e.g. who are friends with each other) as opposed to a set of independent friends with apartment living.
 
 
 
This is practically the only reason for not choosing to live in a residential college I'll accept!

I will be moving to a new city and university where I do not know anyone. I have decided to live in a one bedroom apartment in a duplex building (all residents are graduate students) about a block away from campus. There are other apartment complexes in the area and the average resident is a graduate student. While I am worried about the first few weeks being a little lonely, I know it will be because it will be a lot of change at once. 
 
While there were many factors as to why I decided to live in an apartment off campus by myself, I know it will be the right decision for me. Your social life is what you make it. That was something that I learned in college. If I spend all of my time alone in my apartment, then I will not have a lot of acquaintances/friends. If I spend most of my time on campus, doing activities I enjoy, inviting my neighbors to hang out and meeting with my classmates for study sessions in the library or coffee, my apartment becomes a little oasis for when I want to be alone. 
 
While living in a community can make things easier, where your social activities are preplanned and everyone is roughly the same age, it does not work for everyone. Also, that is not how the real world works. People will not be there to organize your life outside of work for you. I see living in an apartment on my own as an adventure and a challenge. Think of all the great people I will get to meet just because I took the extra minute to say hello and ask them how there day was going.
 
***Also, a tip I have learned over the years if you are nervous. People love to talk about themselves. If you aren't sure what to say, ask them where they got those great shoes or why they chose to go into the same program as you. 

I forgot t add Ender's Game. It's probably my favorite fiction, so a must read.

I'm curious to read Sonia Sotomayor's book, because I've seen a quote where she basically infers that she didn't even know what the supreme court was until either late in high school or college, which is amazing to me.  Also, I don't know how you put Freakonomics down, I love it!  It changed the way I look at a lot of things in the world.  Definitely a must-read IMO.

I'm reading the A Song of Ice and Fire series (the series that the popular television show Game of Thrones is based upon).  I finished the first book and am into the second, and am actively avoiding spoilers.
 
I also really loved A Dog's Purpose and the sequel A Dog's Journey, both by W. Bruce Cameron.  Both are fun, light summer reads.
 
I'm also planning to read Khaled Hosseini's new book And the Mountains Echoed, which is being released on Tuesday.  I preordered it to be delivered to my Kindle the day it comes out - I loved Hosseini's other two novels.  I also plan to re-read Night by Elie Wiesel and perhaps the other two books in the trilogy, Dawn and Day.
 
Books I started and plan to finish:
My Beloved World, Sonia Sotomayor (I haven't finished it yet but I love it so far)
The Price of Inequality by Joseph E. Stiglitz
Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
 
Other books that I liked:
 
Life on the Tenure Track, by James M. Lang
The Feminine Mistake: Are We Giving Up Too Much? by Leslie Bennetts (about why women should work)
Mommy Wars by Leslie Morgan Steiner (^similar to the above)
Mama, PhD: Women Write about Motherhood and Academic Life, edited by Elrena Evans
Opting Out? Why Women Really Quit Careers and Head Home by Pamela Stone
Ask Me Why I Hurt: The Kids Nobody Wants and the Doctor Who Heals Them by Randy Christensen.  It's about a doctor who runs a mobile clinic for homeless teenagers.
 
Being able to begin about 20 books is the reason I love my Kindle app on my iPad.  I do eventually finish everything, but I can easily switch between books and read what's on my mood.

Upland and Lennie's are great too! Upland is especially nice in the summer. When the undergrads are in town during the rest of the year, it can be a pain to try to get a table there.
 
As far as coffee shops go, Soma is probably the most popular of the local places. Of course there are several Starbucks around, but Soma is the non-chain place that has a nice "hang out here for a while!" vibe. The inside is a little cave-like, though. I think some people like The Pourhouse Cafe, but I've never been there. (I'm not a huge coffee drinker.) One of my favorite places to go in the morning (though they're open all day) is the Bloomington Bagel Company. They have coffee, bagels, breakfast sandwiches, assorted baked goods, etc. They seem to have gotten a little pricier in recent years, but it's still a nice treat because the food and the customer service are both excellent.

I saw this on Buzzfeed yesterday, and wanted to share http://www.buzzfeed.com/doree/books-you-need-to-read-in-your-20s

I feel like every time I have the chance to read for pleasure, I get so excited by the number of possibilities that I begin about 20 books and finish none. Ugh. (This, by the way, is why I tossed aside my Kindle after trying it for a week. It's way too easy to switch between books; I never got anything done!)
 
I second Crime and Punishment, and add The Brothers Karamazov. And keeping with the Russian theme, I highly recommend Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita. Murakami is fun, too, if you haven't tried him. I recommend The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Finally, Death of the Heart by Bowen.
 
For non-fiction, I recommend Freedom Just Around the Corner, by Walter A. McDougall, as well as A Lexicon of Terror by Marguerite Feitlowitz, who is a beautiful person and an even more beautiful writer. Also, Nick Flynn's memoir Another Bullshit Night in Suck City is magnificent.
 
Speaking of Nick Flynn, can we add some poetry to the mix? Any of Flynn's work. Carl Phillips's From the Devotions is wonderful, too.

Fiction:
 
And The Mountains echoed- Khalid Husseni
 
Non Fiction:
 
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Katherine Boo

I normally read non-fiction, but two fiction books that I really love and rarely see mentioned are Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh and The Giver by Lois Lowry. Trainspotting is not for the faint of heart, but I think it's brilliant. The Giver is a young adult kind of book, but I think anyone could enjoy it. Both are fairly quick reads.

Hi Xfigo - if you do decide to continue in your program, or drop-out and come back at some point, I would strongly suggest registering with your university's Office of Disability Services (or whatever the office is called on your campus). Unfortunately the name can stigmatize students from using their services but on my campus, if you have a diagnosed mental illness, you can register with their office. You get your own disability adviser, and they can provide you with additional assistance and make sure that your rights are being protected under the ADA and Section 504. The office is not legally allowed to disclose that you are registered with them to anyone. They aren't even allowed to tell the military if they were to inquire about ROTC students. The only time anyone would know you were registered is if you wanted to self-disclose, or asked the office to intervene with a professor or something to that effect on your behalf.
 
I would really suggest to anyone reading this who may have ADD, ADHD, depression, learning disabilities, bi-polar, etc. that effects their daily functioning sometimes to register. So often folks only think that Disability Services deal with physical disabilities, but they do a lot more than that

I second any Michael Pollan book. I also love love loved The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins.
 
If you're looking at more philosophical books and haven't read Sophie's World yet, I highly recommend it. It's like an introductory philosophy text, but written as a story.
 
Frankenstein is really good fiction, as is Crime and Punishment, if you're looking for classics.

Hi Xfigo - if you do decide to continue in your program, or drop-out and come back at some point, I would strongly suggest registering with your university's Office of Disability Services (or whatever the office is called on your campus). Unfortunately the name can stigmatize students from using their services but on my campus, if you have a diagnosed mental illness, you can register with their office. You get your own disability adviser, and they can provide you with additional assistance and make sure that your rights are being protected under the ADA and Section 504. The office is not legally allowed to disclose that you are registered with them to anyone. They aren't even allowed to tell the military if they were to inquire about ROTC students. The only time anyone would know you were registered is if you wanted to self-disclose, or asked the office to intervene with a professor or something to that effect on your behalf.
 
I would really suggest to anyone reading this who may have ADD, ADHD, depression, learning disabilities, bi-polar, etc. that effects their daily functioning sometimes to register. So often folks only think that Disability Services deal with physical disabilities, but they do a lot more than that

Was this assurance in writing?

Very nice list, awkwardpants.
 
I want to add Upland and Lennie's, the two breweries in town if you're into beer. They're both excellent and also have excellent food.

In addition to what you've identified, there are a lot of "JD preferred" positions at my (large research) university.  These wouldn't be "lawyer" jobs so-to-speak, but a JD may be required or strongly preferred.  They include, not surprisingly, a lot of the positions at the law school itself (even our IT guy has a JD!).  Outside of the law school, they also include: pre-law advising, policy writing (in areas like IT Security or Healthcare Records), compliance officers (to ensure compliance with those policies), some HR personnel, some "lobbying"-type jobs in the administration, and positions with the Institutional Review Board.  Many, many areas of law apply to universities, and there are often jobs for JDs in assuring compliance -- information security, healthcare records, student information, research protocols, research participant rights, state and federal grant funding, intellectual property issues, etc, etc.  In addition, a law degree may make you a more appealing candidate for many upper-level administration positions.

Hi Xfigo - if you do decide to continue in your program, or drop-out and come back at some point, I would strongly suggest registering with your university's Office of Disability Services (or whatever the office is called on your campus). Unfortunately the name can stigmatize students from using their services but on my campus, if you have a diagnosed mental illness, you can register with their office. You get your own disability adviser, and they can provide you with additional assistance and make sure that your rights are being protected under the ADA and Section 504. The office is not legally allowed to disclose that you are registered with them to anyone. They aren't even allowed to tell the military if they were to inquire about ROTC students. The only time anyone would know you were registered is if you wanted to self-disclose, or asked the office to intervene with a professor or something to that effect on your behalf.
 
I would really suggest to anyone reading this who may have ADD, ADHD, depression, learning disabilities, bi-polar, etc. that effects their daily functioning sometimes to register. So often folks only think that Disability Services deal with physical disabilities, but they do a lot more than that