AwkwardPants

Fountain Park and Woodbridge are popular with some grad students I know. I'm sure there are a ton more that people can add. Maybe try searching Google for places that offer a grad student discount (normally ~$25 per month). It's definitely not foolproof, but that might give you an idea of which complexes cater to a grad student clientele. If you haven't found this already, the Graduate and Professional Student Organization also has some housing resources for grad students on their website.

Four miles is probably a little further than I'd like (I personally prefer walking distance), but it's by no means outrageous. Check the bus schedule to see how often your particular bus(es) run. You can use the real-time bus tracker to get a sense of how long it would take to get to campus and how long you might have to wait for a bus. (Make sure you're looking at it on a weekday during the day.) You can also look at the Bloomington transit schedules to see whether your bus(es) run over IU breaks and in the summer, which could be an important factor. And you can check the bike routes and street view on Google Maps to see what your bike commute would look like. Generally people bike all over the place around here, but there are definitely some areas of Bloomington that are more bike-friendly than others.

Now is the time to start looking for apartments. March/April are the peak times before things start to fill up. If you find somewhere you like, I'd be proactive about going after it. It certainly isn't impossible to find somewhere by summer, but your options will start to become more limited. I know a few people who have lived in Bloomington without a car. It certainly isn't impossible, but carless living here isn't as convenient as it is in other places. If you aren't planning to have a car, you'll probably want to make sure you examine the bus map fully before deciding where to live. Even if you live on a bus line, the busses vary in how often they run and whether they run at all in the summer and on weekends. Biking is a viable option for most of the year. There have been incremental improvements to streets around town in the last few years to make biking safer. I don't know a ton about biking in the winter, but I think some people do it. Generally Bloomington gets cold in the winter, but the several inches of snow that stayed for weeks was a total anomaly this year. However, we do usually get at least one big ice storm, which makes biking (and walking around!) treacherous. I know one person who gets a cab every so often to make a big shopping trip. (I think she rides the bus to the store and then gets the cab for the trip home with all her bags.) I've also seen Zipcars parked by the Indiana Memorial Union, so that's an option.

Now I will second what pawnee_IN said! There's definitely a pretty high tolerance for "weirdness" here, as far as manner of dress, gender expression, hairstyles, etc. I'm a fairly masculine lesbian, and I find that I very rarely get "sirred" here and have only once in six years had a sort of stressful public restroom encounter. My partner and I got married in January, and we had nothing but enthusiasm and excitement from all the vendors and civic officials we worked with throughout that process. (We get the sense that most people are happy for us, maybe even more so than if we were an opposite-sex couple.) I do fairly frequently have these moments where I think to myself, "Only in Bloomington..." As an example, there's an older gentleman who rides around town with a parrot perched on the back of his bicycle. Charlie (the parrot) has become something of a local celebrity, and he's now featured on bus ads that say "Charlie doesn't fly through stop signs, and you shouldn't either." Here's an article from the local paper about him. There are also so many events and festivals and groups around here that are a little off the beaten path that nobody really seems to pay much attention to what other people are doing. I personally have seen both a Quidditch match and a live-action role-playing group in Bryan Park (on different days). There's a local punk scene and a poly scene and some anarchists around. I know several people who are into contra dancing, which I hear is a great way to meet new people. There's also people who do hashing (the non-competitive running/drinking club). Lots of restaurants with vegan options. I don't know if this covers the types of "weirdness" you're asking about, but this should give you some of the local flavor. It isn't Portland, but it's the kind of place that allows you to appreciate the jokes on the TV show Portlandia, if that makes sense. I do think you'd feel a little isolated and out of place here if you considered yourself a conservative person with old-fashioned values. I don't know anything about the culture of the Sociology Department, but I would be totally shocked if it weren't in this same vein.

This is going to sound totally new agey and weird, but you're going to have to make your own path here based on what sounds best for you. However, the good news is that even if you're wrong about what's best for you, you can change your mind and try something else later. I do think you'll want to make sure that research is a good fit for you before apply for grad school. The isolation, repetition, and frustration are not for everybody, and there are plenty of meaningful science-related careers that don't involve laboratory research. The reason research experience is so critical for grad school applications is not because it ticks a box but because it means you have exposed yourself to research and found that you have the skills, drive, and personality to want to do it again. The actual techniques are nearly irrelevant since you'll learn a whole new toolbox as a grad student. But you at least need to have enough research experience to be able to clearly articulate what type of research you want to do and why. (Also the funding rate for scientific research in the United States is abysmal, there aren't that many jobs in academia, and sometimes people end up trapped in an endless cycle of postdoc hell. I won't go into detail here at the risk of being totally depressing, but do please read up on these topics so you can make the most informed decision possible. That said, I don't agree that people should only do doctoral degrees as a means to an end to becoming a research professor because there are a ton of other ways to apply the knowledge and skills you gain as a PhD student. Plus it's really just a remarkable life experience.) So here's my backstory: As an undergrad, I had great grades and GRE scores, good recommendations (I think?), and a moderate amount of research at my mid-rate state university plus one summer as an undergraduate research fellow doing a project only somewhat related to my current research interests. (I definitely wasn't as impressive as most of the people who post on here, so I'm glad I didn't know about Grad Cafe and couldn't anxiously compare myself back then.) I took a sort of unintentional gap year (actually three years) because I was kind of burnt out and overwhelmed at the end of undergrad. I got an unrelated master's degree, grew as a person, got a real job, met some new people, and ultimately decided to apply for PhD programs because the desire to get a PhD kept coming back, kept nagging at me, and kept making total sense. And now in the thick of this really challenging experience (fifth-year here), I have that time I spent away from science and the memory of how much I wanted this to help keep me going. Now, I'm not saying you should follow my crazy path but I am saying that you should find your own. You mention originally that you want a guaranteed research job out of undergrad, and unfortunately guaranteed isn't going to happen in any path that you decide upon. But in a way that's kind of freeing, right? A lot of the anxiety people feel graduating college has to do with the unknown and with the overwhelming number of options. I've always thought that the best thing to do is to weigh your options and then go for whatever experience seems the most appealing to you. That will lead to new people, new experiences, and new opportunities. You might even end up somewhere you didn't expect at all, and that can be totally awesome too. P.S. Undergrad and then PhD (sans masters) is more common than not these days. Also, I will give you the advice a trusted scientist friend once gave me: never pay for a master's degree in the sciences. If the program is good enough, they will be able to pay you. I don't know if she's right, but I do know that I don't have any students loans.

This may vary a lot from place to place. If you feel comfortable contacting somebody who already attends the program where you're planning to go, you should get in touch with them and ask questions about the where and the when of finding housing. For example, I'm in Bloomington, Indiana, where it's nearly impossible to find a lease that starts some time other than mid-August. (Although subletting is obviously an option. Likely a hassle, but still an option.) February and March are the prime time to find apartments here, and by May the options are more limited. However, other places might be more flexible. So depending on where you're moving, you actually might want to start looking into things now.

Huh, I never thought about this before. I don't know anything about how admissions committees operate, but it seems a little unlikely that they would use Turnitin.com or a similar service, mostly because those services tend to be a pain to use. Plus grad students (even prospective ones) are more likely to be given the benefit of the doubt compared to undergrads, meaning professors are going to be less likely to assume grad students will plagiarize. (Although shady online thesis mills indicate otherwise.) I guess your best bet is probably to edit your essay or add a comment or whatever to make it abundantly clear that you are the original author. The Turnitin.com flag is just that -- a flag. Anybody who is using it for something as important as an admission decision is going to do their due dilligence to find out where that writing sample originated.

My advisor likes to meet individually with first-year students once per week just to help get them on track with doing research in the lab. These are usually 30-60 minute meetings, depending on how much stuff there is to talk about. I liked this frequency of meetings, so I have kept it up even though I am now in my fourth year. Weekly meetings help keep me focused if I know I have to have something new to talk to him about each week (either new data or a problem to discuss that is preventing me from getting new data). But we have a small lab (usually only 3-4 grad students at any time, all PhD students), and my advisor is fairly hands-on. Other people in different labs within my program don't have regular meetings and just schedule meetings with their advisor as needed. We also have lab meetings once per week, but these are more for doing practice talks, discussing recent papers, etc. If you're trying to figure out the "appropriate" response, maybe just ask your advisor what is typical for his students or what he recommends as a meeting schedule for helping you make efficient use of your time. You could also propose meeting more at first and less as you progress through your program. (Or vice versa if you're going to be more focused on coursework at first and more focused on your project later.)

You have come to the right place! This is my favorite topic! Or maybe I just like this topic is because the only way other grad students will talk about it is in hushed voices away from the biology department, as though leaving academia is the equivalent of joining a cult. If you're feeling depressed, drop everything you're doing right now (seriously! throw that pipettor on the ground!) and buy this book (or borrow it from your library): "So What Are You Going to Do with That?": Finding Careers Outside Academia by Susan Basalla and Maggie Debelius (make sure it's the updated 2007 edition, not the one from 2001). This book is the voice of reason that I turn to every time I start to feel like grad school is a waste of time and a whole lot of blood, sweat, and tears directed fruitlessly at an esoteric nothing of a project. I have recommended it to several grad student friends, and the ones who have read it have been immensely relieved by the wisdom within. Basically, the book is about how to parse apart the skills grad school is teaching you and see that you are capable of doing something besides becoming a clone of your advisor (although it's okay to do that too, if that's what you want). It's hard to remember why you came here sometimes -- you were excited about a topic, you wanted to contribute to the world's scientific knowledge in some small way, you wanted to push yourself. But the whole PhD-acquisition-thing is such a slog that it's tough to maintain that level of enthusiasm often enough to always see the point. This book helps. I would also recommend making an Individual Development Plan at sciencecareers.org. There are assessments that can help you figure out what sort of career might be a good fit for you based on your skills, interests, and values. To give you a sense of the options, my top three matches are Science education for non-scientists, Science policy, and Science writing. I am not entirely sure what I'm going to do when I leave grad school, but I am 99% sure that I will not do a postdoc or become a professor, and these ideas sound pretty much in line with what I think I would enjoy and be good at. You might also consider your university career services office, if they provide help to graduate students. At my university, the career services office will only work with PhD students who are considering non-academic careers, which is helpful because most people's advisors are (understandably) lost when it comes to non-academic careers. And maybe also take advantage of your university's mental health services if you're feeling depressed. Finding a way to manage your depression will make you feel like a million times better. I think about quitting at least a couple of times a year. But so far I have decided to stick around because a ) I will never get a chance to do this again, and b ) once I have the PhD, nobody can ever take it away from me.

Finding a place to live in Bloomington can be a challenge. Nearly all the leases run August-August, and the prime time for apartment hunting starts in February or March. After you move into a place, many landlords will ask you to decide whether you will re-sign for another year by January. For grad-student-friendly housing, make sure you check out the Graduate and Professional Student Organization Housing Resources. Specifically, I recommend looking at the housing board. There is a pretty diverse array of landlords represented there, everything from the big property management companies to the small-time landlords with only a few properties. My former landlord Maria Mastalerz has an ad up right now (416 E 2nd St), and I totally recommend her. The building is well-maintained and has (free!) on-site laundry and off-street parking. It's within walking distance of campus too. I think this board might be the only place she advertises, which explains why her tenants are mostly graduate/law students and why the building is so quiet. You could also go the route of renting a two-bedroom and then using the GPSO board and/or Craigslist to find a roommate. I did this when I first moved to Bloomington, and ending up choosing a roommate from several respondents. It worked out pretty well.

I would not put it on my CV either. The CV is supposed to represent professional activities and accomplishments in which you invested a great deal of time and energy, not just answering a few questions. I think it is sometimes even a little questionable when people include popular/news articles that they have written on their CV. But you should take heart in the fact that somebody (like an employer) who Googles your name later will probably find the news story. That's kinda cool, right? You could also put a link to the story on your personal website if you wanted to.

I agree 100% with what The Cleve said. If you have an idea about which lab you'll be working in or who might be your advisor, then do a little background reading if you want. But don't get yourself all stressed out before you even start -- there will be plenty of time for that later.

LEGO is the best! I haven't gotten into the robotics yet, but I've discovered that there are a ton of adults out there using LEGO bricks to make all sorts of awesome things. It's an expensive hobby (especially on a grad student salary) but definitely a relaxing and absorbing one.

I treat grad school like a job. A demanding, intense job, but still just a job. That means I go into work at the same time every day, focus and work hard for a set number of hours, and then leave at the end of the day to do whatever I want. (BTW, this is much easier to do once you're done with coursework!) I also take weekends (yes, the entire weekend!) off except in unusual circumstances, and I allow myself a reasonable number of vacation days every year. I have found that I need time off in order to be my happy, productive self. If I am only capable of focusing for so many hours a day, then there's little benefit in trying to push myself further. This may work better for me since I am in biology and have an actual lab to go to every day, but I think you could manage the same arrangment at a coffee shop/library carrel/desk in your house. This kind of arrangement sets up a good work/life balance for me, so I'm free to take classes or pursue hobbies or do whatever during evenings and weekends. It gives me something to look forward to when research isn't going particularly well and helps prevent feeling burnt out. If I didn't intensely guard my free time, I'm sure something else less fun would fill it. But this arrangment also means that I need to work like a beast when I'm actually at work (e.g., efficient planning of my to-do list, minimal breaks and distractions). I tend to prefer self-directed hobbies and short-term courses (e.g., through my locals parks department) because there's less obligation than a formal university course. I know some people in my department have taken "fun" courses, but it isn't typical and depends on whether your advisor allows it. If I ever take actual university courses again, it will be when I'm no longer a student and have more time/energy to devote to it since even auditing is a significant time investment.

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.