ogopo

I know that I can do things more cheaply but this is what I have decided for a variety of reasons. I love craigslist and I love finding deals, however, I am really looking forward to creating my bedroom sanctuary and staying put in one spot for a long time. Although Ikea is not the greatest quality, I am buying almost exclusively solid wood pieces that I really like. Also, when my SO (hopefully) eventually moves to the area he will have a real job and will be able to pay for some movers to get my things out of there, or at least a moving van. Also, I do not have the time or the car to go on a craigslist furniture buying bonanza. The point of posting my cost breakdown was not to see where I could cut costs, but rather to help others with their own budgets. And yeah, it will be a bit of a struggle to afford the start-up costs but I will make enough with my stipend to afford a bedroom that makes me happy.

Oh, the fees are for the fall/winter. But I assume I will have to pay them right away because that's how we do it at my current school.

I think that in the US, doing an MS in biology is strange (I realized this as I was applying for my PhD program that having the masters was strange to them). However, in Canada, it is totally normal to get a masters (MSc here) before either transferring to a PhD with the same project or finishing and doing something else after. So maybe you should consider Canada! Here, even masters programs in the sciences are usually funded, unless you go the course-based masters route. If you have any questions about this, pm me. In terms of your stats and experience, I don't foresee a problem.

Hm... I'm going to try to break it down for myself. First two months rent and utilities $1000 Furniture (already picked out on ikea) $1000 First two months food $400 Entertainment for two months $400 One way flight $400 Health insurance two months $90 Segregated fees $500 Total....... $3790 Transportation is free I don't expect to buy books Wow.. that's huge. I don't think I will have to wait two months to get my first pay check. I should find out.

First of all, take a deep breath. Don't worry that you're 19 and you've never had a girlfriend. I don't think I'm terribly socially awkward but despite some dating, I didn't enter into a relationship until I was 22. Everyone is different and everyone can find someone good for them but you have to be ready to be in a relationship. I know it's cliche but you'll find someone when you're ready. I HIGHLY recommend that you join some clubs. If you really want to meet women it might be good to join a dance club But any club will do. Find something you are interested in (or think you might be interested in) and it will help you to open up to the world, better your social skills and will help you to connect with people in a non-academic way. Joining a club will also help you to keep balance with your studies. Although you are young, if you only focus on school, you could very well burn out. Start to enjoy life and the rest will come! Good luck

I think you have received a lot of useful advice in this thread. I understand that it helps you to explain your situation but in the end (unless you let us know where you live and someone can physically come to you) we are all powerless to help you with your problem. All anyone here can do is to offer you advice (whether they have been in your situation or not). But you are the one who needs to take that advice. It is not your fault that you are in the situation you are in but you have the power to make a change. That means that you need to pick up the phone and call a shelter. They will not laugh at you. In the worst case scenario, they will refer you to someone else who can help you. But they can't do anything if they don't know you're out there. So please call!! We all want you to be in a better place. Stop thinking about your barriers (cats, no job, feeling powerless and depressed) and think about the fact that there are people and opportunities that can help you to improve your situation. Just please take that first step. Call someone! You don't need to think about the next step. You don't need to think about getting up and leaving. All you need to focus on is picking up the phone and calling. Here are some resources I found online: In the U.S., call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE). This has abused hotline contact information for states: http://womenshealth.gov/violence/state/index.cfm Here is a forum regarding child abuse. Although you are not a child anymore, this certainly started when you were http://www.psychforums.com/child-abuse/ I think the first number is the best one. Just pick up the phone and call them, they will be able to guide you from there.

I would go with what's interesting to you. I think that ecology and conservation are by definition broad and interdisciplinary topics. It's hard to really focus completely as there are a variety of organisms and environments at hand for any particular problem. So I say go! Explore! Learn something new and broaden your horizons! Your PhD will take a long time so make sure that you're studying something that you are very passionate about. I am a fungal ecology person (or so I like to think) and although I'll be sticking with fungi, I'm moving to a cool new system for my PhD. I still have no idea what my research question will be but I find the general topic that I will working on totally fascinating.

I have also had the chair ask me about pronouncing my name before. And I agree that if they don't approach you beforehand, it is a good idea to go up to them and let them know. I'm sure they would appreciate it. No one likes to mispronounce names. If you are not able to warn the chair before you speak and they do butcher your name, just reintroduce yourself (but don't emphasize that you are correcting their pronunciation). Either way, it's a good idea to introduce yourself, say where you're from, who your advisor is, etc. I even once started a talk by explaining the back story of why I got into my field of study and that went over very well. Give the audience a reason to remember you

Hm... I think that since you are a chemical engineer, your verbal score does not really matter. If the rest of your application (LOR, SOP and GPA) are all fine, this verbal score won't count for much. But that's just my opinion, I would be interested to know what others think. What was your percentile score, btw?

I would suggest that you find a place earlier than August. If that means you need to find a place that you don't personally see, don't fret. There is a lot of good advice on this forum and instead of repeating all of it, I will post the links for the threads. Also, I am international and I had never been to Madison when I began my search. Although I was able to visit a month ago and cement my choice, I had pretty much decided on a place remotely. So here are the threads: Ok.. that's all I could find for now. But you should definitely go back and read this thread from the beginning and most importantly, go see Madison under the City Guides subforurm. If you have more questions after that, go ahead and post them

My sentiments exactly, just stated much more eloquently

My current program bimonthly. I think my new program will be the same but I'm not sure.

The things that worry me about this post are not the issues with the instrument. The red flags for me are the behavior of the professor. The fact that she would suddenly attack and lie about the student in the committee meeting is not good. And the fact that a coauthor is not wiling to share information with her or her student?? Also not good. Besides, if she is a coauthor, shouldn't she already have the information? Perhaps she didn't even earn that co-authorship. I don't think it is the supervisor's responsibility to hold the student's hand in trying to sort out issues with the instrument but the student and the supervisor should be on the same team. This prof sounds a lot like by boyfriend's crazy evil incompetent supervisor. Finally in his sixth year of PhD after obtaining all of his own funding, supervising a masters student in his lab, representing our school at an international meeting and receiving multiple leadership awards, he left her. Now due to politics he will only be able to get a masters out of all of this. Thank goodness he was able to make a name for himself and earn the respect of others in his faculty. If it were up to his crazy supervisor he would have been ruined. With these red flags that you've presented, I would definitely talk to the administration in your department or the people in grad studies. I would suggest trying to switch to a new lab. You are still early in your studies. Better now than a few years down the line. Professors get away with way too much. They need to be held accountable for poor advising.

No, no, no.. I wasn't saying anything negative towards you. I actually just finding shocking that there are so many registered sex offenders. And it's not even about Madison. I'm sure that other cities are the same or worse. What terrifies me is our society. Why are there so many sex offenders? And what would constitute a minor sex offense?? Please forgive my off-topic rant.

Yes. I don't consider myself an alarmist but this is shocking and worrisome.

Holy shit. I have never seen a map like this before. I'm shocked at the number of registered sex offenders.

It might be a good idea to check out if you school has resources to help you find housing. I used Craigslist and found success. I found a great place with roommates that had already been living there. I spoke with them on Skype and also Facebook stalked them. That way I was able to figure out if I would get along with them. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit but if I had not, I think I would have signed the lease anyway. To send my deposit, I obtained a USD bank draft and mailed it with registered mail. The bank draft cost $7.50 CAD and the registered mail was around $13 CAD, but I think that's the best way to send money internationally. If you can't visit, just try to communicate with the people as much as possible and make sure you ask detailed questions and get detailed pictures. Don't be shy about the types of questions you ask! I made a pretty detailed post about my home search so I will include that link: Good luck. And let me know if you have any other questions regarding Craigslist!

I'm moving from Vancouver, BC to Madison, WI and I have a pile of things I need to do before I go. 1. Finish thesis then I can... 2. Help SO move his things for his job in a small town. 3. Move back in with my parents. 4. Travel frequently between SO and parents. 5. Spend time with my niece and nephew so they don't forget who I am. 6. Go hiking a few times. 7. Learn Perl 8. Learn about the topic I will be studying. 9. Maybe do some field work? 10. Spend time with my friends so they don't forget who I am.

My biggest piece of advice is to practice, practice, practice! I get extremely nervous when speaking formally. I usually get nervous shakes beforehand, and once I'm done, I can barely remember what happened. That being said, I realize now that I have turned into a good public speaker. I have received some great feedback. I'm not saying this to brag but to emphasize that just because you feel like you're falling apart, it doesn't mean you look like it. Just keep practicing, ask for feedback and take some deep breaths! Each presentation you give will get better and by the time you are ready to move on to a phd, you might even enjoy speaking (somehow I do now). If you are not getting enough feedback from your peers, try joining toastmasters. A friend of mine really benefitted from it. Good luck!

I think you would be safe living alone but it seems like such a lonely life, especially if you have never lived alone before. Why don't you live with other grad students? Certainly they will understand your need for quiet. Also, if you are wary about living with people you don't know, Facebook stalk and skype with them.

I did not check out that neighborhood but I think that nowhere in Madison is very bad. One of my labmates warned me about my neighborhood (Doty St.) because there had been a murder there 3-4 years ago but it's actually a totally safe place. Burr Oaks might be worse, I really don't know. But what I say is that when you hear bad things about a place, take it with a grain of salt. I wonder if anyone living in Madison could further enlighten us on this issue.

I'm not in the field of nanotechnology but I remember my supervisor saying that it is THE field to get into right now for jobs. However, it seems quite unusual to me that you do not have funding. Don't all science students get funding for their grad school? Especially since you are an international student, if you don't have funding, this degree will cost you a lot. Do any of your offers include funding?? Sorry, I didn't actually answer your questions, I just furthered them. I hope others have better input than me. Good luck with your decision.

Thanks! I'm glad you found it helpful I haven't gotten my ticket yet but I plan on moving there sometime between the 16th and 22nd of August.

Hi all! I'll be going to Madison in the fall as well. I made a really long post on the Madison City Guide regarding my home search so I will post the link if you want to check it out: I was actually able to find a place with only one day of visits, which is good because I was sooo busy during my two days there. Madison is awesome and I'm looking forward to the move

Future's set. Have I earned this?