ogopo

I emailed the prof telling him I would accept once I got the official letter. But then I waited because I would be visiting soon. I had to speak in person to the grad secretary in my program. I asked her how I should reply and she just said to send her an email. It was all pretty easy and casual.

And I just wanted to throw in that even though my luggage has been lost twice, both times I got my luggage back. The first time was in New Zealand and my luggage actually made it to my front door before I did and the other time was with United. It took forever to get my things back and the company was terrible to deal with but in the end my luggage and I were reunited. Hahaha... reUnited.. hah. I crack myself up.

You need to be pushy. I've asked to be taken to an exotic field site just because I want to get in the field. Worst case scenario they say no. Best case scenario, you get what you want. Grad school is all about your own initiative. So if you wanna do it, make it happen!

In my case, I think it came down to who I knew. I only applied to one place and the prof had already told me he wanted me. If it weren't for him I would not have gotten in I think. My undergrad grades were poor but my masters has been quite productive. My GRE was passable but nothing spectacular. I did surprisingly well on the verbal section. I attribute that to using an iPhone app to study. I can't remember what it was called but there's only a few so if you can I would recommend you try them out. Not only was it useful but studying vocab was actually kind of fun with the app.

I just got back from a two-day trip to Madison and it was great. I met my future lab, dealt with administrative issues, saw the city and most importantly of all, I found my home! The reason I was able to do this so quickly is because I did quite a bit of prep work beforehand. I spent way too much time on craigslist (whatever I could do to avoid this thesis it seems) and found places that seemed good. I only inquired about places that already had roommates as this was my preference. I wrote a pretty detailed description of myself to the potential roommates and I tried to make sure I showed my personality. After all, I want to make sure I get along with people I live with. The ads I replied to varied in their levels of detail. I made sure to ask questions and to get pictures of the place if they were not already included. I facebooked everyone and even skyped with some roommates. This way I was able to narrow my search down to three places. I already had a good idea of where I wanted to move before I went. If I had not visited I would have felt comfortable signing the lease remotely. The key is to have substantial contact with the people. While there, I made back-to-back appointments and the potential roommates actually offered to give me rides to the next viewings. It was awesome! People in Madison are sooo nice So what did I think of the areas of the city? Most of my labmates live in the West, Vilas area. It is quiet and overall void of undergrads. But it also seems far away from the action that you will find in the capitol. The 3 places I ended up looking were all on the Isthmus. First was a place near Monona Bay. I was concerned about undergrad presence but was assured that it was not a problem. There is even a seniors home across the street so it's nice and quiet but blocks from the capitol. Second was in the heart of Willy Street. The apartment was awesome and the neighborhood was even better. It's no State Street but it is a lively area. Finally, I made it to the far east of the Isthmus. The place was great (huge kitchen and a roommate that would bake fore me) but it was just too far from campus. In fact, trying to get back to my hotel I had to switch buses and then I got lost and didn't get back until midnight. All of the potential roommates were really great. I trusted my instincts when doing my search and communicating with them and I was not disappointed. There are a lot of living options in Madison and different areas that will definitely suit your taste. Just make sure you prioritize what features matter to you and if you're not sure, ask the people who posted the ad! And don't respond to ads posted by undergrads (unless that's your style). I don't know if this was useful for anyone but I hope it was. Lemme know if you have any questions!

I just don't put my valuables into checked luggage. Anything important I carry on and keep close to me at all times. This way you don't have to worry about locking your luggage. I have flown quite a bit, I have never locked my luggage and I have never had anything stolen. I'm more worried about airlines losing my luggage (damn you United!!) when no amount of locking will make a difference. In terms of the body scanning, I agree with rising_star. Why expose yourself to unnecessary radiation? I know it's all around us but when I have a choice, I choose not to expose myself. So far the pat downs have not been bad but at this point I wouldn't be surprised by anything American security agencies do. They were treating people terribly long before the underwear bomber ever happened.

Oh, sorry. Audio/Visual. So basically we got people's presentations, made sure the powerpoint worked, and then ran the presentations in each of the conference rooms.

blood diamonds

It seems that this forum is generally anit-craigslist but it has worked great for me. I am planning on finding a place that is already occupied by other roommates. That way, I don't have to worry about furnishing the whole home and rent will be cheaper. Just make sure you really cover your bases with Craigslist. I found several places on Craigslist. I contacted people with an email about myself and got some positive responses. From there, I have facebooked all of my potential roommates and even skyped with a pair of them. The skyping was really great and I would definitely recommend it, especially if you can't visit the place beforehand. I even got the guys to send me extra pictures. Fortunately, I am going to visit next week but if I couldn't I think I would just sign with the people I skyped with. It really helps you to know what kind of people you might live with. In terms of when to look for a place... Well, the Boston city guide will probably help you to determine when you should look. I know that for Madison (where I am going) early is good. I don't know about Boston. Finally, check with your university, they might have student housing resources that are more secure than searching on your own. Good luck

I volunteered to help run AV for a conference because a friend of mine was responsible for it and he needed help. At the time I didn't think about how it would help me network but in the end it was good. It was a national conference in my city. It was in a field that I dabble in but I am not super familiar with. As such, I barely knew anyone there. Being an AV person gave me a sort of excuse to meet people. People had to give me their presentations so we had to interact. I don't think I'm a shy person, but even so, I find it difficult to just strike up conversations out of the blue. I guess if you already know everyone at your own school then the only reason to volunteer would be the satisfaction of helping out.

It turns out I misread my offer letter. I thought I would be getting around $20k, tuition remission and health insurance but I was wrong. (Please don't judge, the letter is very vague). The graduate school said that they cannot approve my recommendation for admission until I give them proof that I can support myself. This is because my 1/3 TA only comes to around $9k/year and as an international student I need to fill out the I20. So.. I freaked out. And I emailed my soon-to-be advisor. He then assured me that he was planning on making up the difference so that I get $23k/year. This prof is awesome. Complexity, I feel that if you have a guaranteed stipend, they can't take that away from you. On the other hand if you are worried about your prospective advisor leaving, why don't you send him/her an email and ask about this. It can't hurt, right?

My best friend was diagnosed with thyroid cancer about halfway through her first semester (masters, not PhD). This was especially hard because her mother had passed away from cancer when my friend was still a teenager. As well, she was in a far-off city so I couldn't even be with her. She had surgery and it had spread way further than they expected but they were actually able to remove all of the cancer. It was a sort of miracle surgery. The chance that she would not be able to speak again or have permanent numbness was very high but she recovered really well. Later she had to take irradiated iodine to remove any of the last bits of cancer. I can't believe she had to go through all of this but she made it to the other end and now she is fine. It's crazy that it was all so fast too.

I have lived in Burnaby and live very close to it right now. Generally I don't feel safe there or in anywhere outside of Vancouver proper. I think it has mostly to do with the dark, empty streets more than any real threat. Overall though, the lower mainland is a safe place!

Are you planning on having roommates? That would certainly save you money.

I am so happy I decided to go to grad school. I am currently finishing my MSc and I love what I am doing. Granted, I need to finish this thesis and it's beating me up but that's my fault, not the program's. Overall, I have grown immensely through this process. I gave up a permanent full-time job as a technician to go back to school. There is not one day I regret that decision, even at the worst of times.

I agree. I have a dog (he is sleeping with his head on my lap as I write this) and I live an hour bus ride from campus. It is a good bus ride because I get on at the first stop and off at one of the last so I nearly always get a seat and I'm able to work on the bus. I often do marking on the bus But I would not recommend this! Living close to campus makes life way easier for all the reasons mentioned above. And it's absolutely true about not having the freedom to hang out after. If I lived closer to campus I would run home, walk my dog and head back. This is just not an option now.

In terms of time to mingle, no, you can't mingle after every talk. Usually there will be several in a session back-to-back (depending on the length, 5 seems normal) and then there will be a coffee break. It's at that point that you can mingle and also make your way to another room if there is another talk that you really want to see. You can also leave between talks in a session and it's nice when they can keep talks exactly on schedule so you can see all of those you're interested in. Dresses will be good, especially if you are there during the summer. It can get HOT in Paris. But be careful about grates to the subway. You don't want the air blowing up and lifting your skirt up. I know it sounds silly, but really. It's not as glamorous as when it happened to Marilyn. There is just so much to do and see in Paris it is hard to say. I mostly just walked around a lot. There is all sorts of shopping and beautiful sites. Also, there seems to always be things going on. It's a big city. Are you taking some extra time to be a tourist or do you just have the time of the conference? If you have extra time, maybe get a guidebook. Or at least look online. In terms of food, we had a friend of a friend who took us to some great places. These places seemed more like bars than restaurants. The food was amazing and very reasonably priced. Do not go into a restaurant if the people working there grab you and pull you in, then it is likely a tourist trap. This only means that the food might cost more but it is pretty hard to actually find bad food. We had one stale baguette the entire time we were in France. Now I want to go back. Maybe you could take me instead of your sister??

Definitely be excited, not nervous. This is an excellent opportunity!! I've presented at a few conferences now (one locally and one in France) so let me speak from my experiences. Bear with me if this gets long, I tend to ramble at this hour. No one will be judging you (unless there is some sort of student competition, but that's another bag of worms). They are there to hear the content of your talk. People will definitely realize that you are young and that this is likely your first conference presentation. You will be surprised at how friendly people will be. I was certainly surprised at how many people who watched my first talk actually wanted to speak to me. Take advantage of those opportunities and meet people If this happens, get people's contact information and follow up with them. If you don't know the answer to something, get their emails and get back to them later. On that note, if someone asks you a question you cannot answer, or is too complicated to answer, just tell them that you will talk to them after. Then use the same approach as above. There is plenty of time for mingling. Mingling can be difficult, especially when you see a bunch of senior professor types who seem to be old buddies. If you find yourself alone, just scan the room find other young people who seem as lost and confused as you and chat them up. Ask them what they study. Also, if you go to a talk that is interesting, approach the speaker after the talk and ask them questions. Really, this is what conferences are all about. I would recommend going to as many talks as possible. You should hopefully be interested in the topic. However, no one will notice if you take a little time off too. Frick, Paris is awesome. Make sure you have a map (the best one I had was a little tourist pamphlet I got for free at a train station) and walk around. Everyone in Paris speaks English. And don't believe everything you hear about Parisians being rude. Just make sure you approach them politely and if you can, try to say a few things in French. They may laugh/roll their eyes at you and then proceed to speak English with you. Make sure you enjoy the cheese, wine and bread. It is all to DIE FOR. In terms of dress, business casual is the way to go. Maybe dress more nicely the day you are presenting. I actually wore (dark) jeans and a cardigan both times I spoke and that was fine but if my dress pants weren't too tight for me, I would have worn those. Make sure you're comfortable! If you have any France/Paris specific questions or anything else, lemme know

Just one. Then again, I only applied to one school. If I had discovered GradCafe before I applied, things would have been different.

That's pretty hard to believe. New West is not the best part of town either. I'm sure that with a bit of looking you will find something in your budget. And yeah, Surrey has higher crime rates but keep in mind that those rates are high compared to the rest of the lower mainland and Canada. In general, crime is under control in our country. Also, a lot of it is targeted gang violence, meaning that only the gang members get shot. Not to say you take care of yourself out but I don't think that we should live our lives in fear. Ok, that doesn't sound terribly comforting but really, I have friends who live in Surrey and New West and they never complain that they do not feel safe.

If you need to commute to both Surrey and Burnaby SFU campuses I would have to echo the previous statements. I think it would be a good idea to live somewhere near a skytrain station in New West. New West or Columbia stations would be perfect because then you can take either the Expo or Millenium skytrain lines (and won't have to switch). I would not recommend somewhere like White Rock because it is quite far from everything and transit is not really good out there. As well, the New West Quay area is actually quite nice. The rest of New West, not so much. Perhaps you could live in New West for your first year and then move to Surrey once you know the area better and you don't have to commute to Burnaby anymore. Another option I suppose is for you to get a car.

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You definitely need to take charge of the situation. Like Arcadian said, what drew you to research here in the first place? You are likely interested in a lot of things but you need to find one project and stick to it. If your prof says, "what do you wanna do then?" good! Just make sure you have an answer. If your prof doesn't have the expertise, could you bring aboard a co-supervisor? (This would work at my current university in Canada, I don't know about your school). Use your supervisor's wide range to your benefit. Find something that your supervisor dabbles in that you are interested in then bring aboard either a co-supervisor or strong committee members that know something about the field. A good scientist should be able to recognize when he/she is limited in a field and collaborate to make up the difference. If all else fails though, talk to the department head. If your supervisor is just using his students as cheap labour and is unwilling to change, get out and find a new supervisor.

belt loop

Holy cow natsteel! If I used as many programs as you I think I would need a program just to keep track of all my programs! You sound unbelievably organized Kathiza, I have not heard anything about Mendelay but have you considered Zotero? A girl in my group doing her PhD swears by it. I'm pretty sure she will abandon it for Papers2 now that it's out but with Zotero you can organize and cite with it. Also, it's FREE! And it's built into your browser. I could be wrong but I think you can only use it with Firefox. The good thing is that I'm pretty sure it's also available for Windows. Ok.. my statements are becoming wishy-washy. I need sleep. And if all else fails, just get a mac. You know you wanna...