La_Marina

Greetings! I will be joining the department of geography and environment in the fall. I have already visited Austin once and I had a spectacular time! Will anyone else be hanging out on the West side of the campus? Congratulations to you all! Adiosita, Marina

Athens is a quirky small town set in the foothills of Appalachian Ohio. During the school year the town is dominated by student life (this is a top party school and unfortunately many folks pride themselves on that) but when school is not in session you will find Athens to be at its most beautiful. The university roads are paved with brick, indicative of the history of brick-making that once dominated this region. However, before the university, this region was booming with the coal-mining industry. Sadly, that industry has led to the degradation of many streams and rivers but the result of that has been an outpouring of community and university support to work towards the revitalization of these waterways. This is a typical response of Athenians as they tend to be environmentally progressive and this mentality is certainly reflected in the local food and drink. Food / Bars - Athens has a wonderful locavore scene. We have one of the largest farmer's markets in the Midwest and it functions year-round. So there are several restaurants in town that pride themselves in purchasing produce from local farmers, making food from scratch, or purchasing fair trade goods. If you really want a feel for the community and the truly Athens-vibe I would highly recommend checking out Avalanche Pizza, Casa Nueva restaurant, the Village Bakery, Dellazona, Purple Chopstix, Zoe's, Jackie-O's Brewery (*fantastic* beer and great food too) and Tony's Pub. Rental Properties- There are certainly local apartment complexes in which one could find suitable housing, however these tend to be more expensive (upwards of $700 for 1 bedroom) than the alternative and are typically located on the outskirts of town. I would recommend checking out the Athens, OH craigslist apartment listings sooner rather than later because housing is snatched up quickly. But it's safe to say that 1 bedroom apartments (in homes) can range from $400-$700. My roommates and I rent a 3bdrm house for $975/mo and it is not unheard of to find a 3-4bdrm house for around $1,000+. Environment/Recreation- Athens weather can be considered to be a "humid continental" climate. That is to say, we experience hot and humid summers and cold winters, but our winters are relatively mild with little snowfall and few days getting below freezing. As previously indicated, Athens is set in the foothills of Appalachia. And so, it can be said that the surrounding landscape is breathtaking. There are numerous state parks in Athens county with over 50 miles of hiking trails (I recommend going for a swim at Stroud's Run or hiking to Old Man's Cave in Hocking Hills). The bicycle path along the Hocking River is about 16 miles in length and continues to expand (it now reaches Nelsonville). There are two dog parks, one on the East side and one on the West side, with ample grounds for running and playing. Bouldering is a favorite local past time in the summer. Also, there are several festivals to attend including the Paw Paw Festival (local fruit), Ohio Brew Week and the Nelsonville Festival. My roommates and I completed our master's degrees in the geography program at OU and I am sure they would all agree, this is a great place to be a graduate student.

I would strongly advise you not to attempt to get into the AAG without registering. While the high prices are seemingly exclusionary for those of us who do not have disposable income, the prices are set to cover costs of the conference which is an important meeting for furthering the field of geography. Our field has a history of struggling to be recognized among other disciplines- to attend the meeting without paying for registration (or seeking scholarships/grants) is to undermine the progress and achievements we have made as a discipline. IDs are worn throughout the conference and the logo/header is often changed to prevent plagiarism/fraud. There are ways to attend the meeting without paying the full cost, the best is to volunteer or to apply for a scholarship/grant through the website. See: http://www.aag.org/c...ence_volunteers and http://www.aag.org/c...g/grants_awards Unfortunately it seems as though the deadlines for both have passed. Also, if you are in a graduate program departments will sometimes have funding available to grad students who wish to attend/present at conferences. I hope you are able to get to the meeting if not this year then next. Good luck!

Greetings and congrats to all! I heard from UArizona on Tuesday, accepted to the PhD program without funding. Has anyone received word on funding from Arizona? Also, accepted with funding to UOregon - 3 years TAship and UT at Austin 1 year RAship, 4 years TAship. I'm leaning towards UT, visited last week for their recruitment weekend and they're a great group. Will I be seeing anyone in Austin in the fall? Good luck!