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vision15

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  1. Upvote
    vision15 got a reaction from Aucitronvert in Columbia, SC   
    @tuckerma: Thanks for such a wonderful description of the place! I can really see myself living at Columbia now.

    But you forgot one thing, is my $1500 good enough for a month there?
  2. Upvote
    vision15 reacted to dat_nerd in Who all are waiting for CS PhD Decisions?   
    Congrats on the decision!
  3. Upvote
    vision15 reacted to pears in Accepted! Time to purchase school clothing & etc!!!??   
    i may or may not have slightly judged my acceptances by the quality and variety of items in their bookstores..!   when i make my final decision, i'm treating myself to a new sweatshirt from my school-to-be and a tattoo of my alma mater's motto.
  4. Upvote
    vision15 reacted to VBD in Is TA'ing as horrible as I am imagining?   
    I liked TAing and I will probably always talk about it. I came into the course hesitant to TA believing that I was underqualified and that it might be a waste of my time. I was proven wrong within a month.
     
    Sure, some of the students get whiny and are stubborn or are trying to find an "easy A." But after a few sessions, they don't be annoyances anymore. Some of them actually get re-engaged in the work when they realize you mean to help them, not do their work, or give out free A's or become their friend (Though I did end up befriending some of my students ), but to legitly help them. Teaching to non-majors is tough, but as long as you make it a class that doesn't put down the non-majors, it's doable. My colleague TA'd for a nonmajors and started out by saying "Since you aren't even majoring in this, I'm sure you won't understand it, but let's try to get through it." and had a rough semester -- and for good reason. So don't do that haha.
     
    Also TAing is an interesting challenge. Trying to explain the material to students who don't get it the first time really makes you brush up on your basics. Concepts that  you understand from the get-go may be the concepts that your students cannot understand. So now you're gonna have to rethink and approach it from a different point of understanding and explanations -- which will only help you in the long run as a researcher. I mean, if an experiment fails, you go back and try to approach your project in another way, right? Learning how to shift your mind will be a boon in the future. 
     
    I definitely recommend contacting the previous TA. My friends in biology all created our own little makeshift TA hang-out, so I'm sure your fellow cohorts in the program will lend you moral support, so don't worry about "going at it alone." If you are thinking about how to beat your nervous feelings, maybe practice it with them, something like that. Also, I think you overestimate fellow students, half the time, my students didn't realize I was nervous (I was teaching to some people 5 years older than me) because they were concerned with understanding the class and getting a good grade xD
     
    So don't count it again a program if they make you do a TA. See it as a plus thing. Plus it never hurts if you're even seeking that elusive tenure track faculty position in the far future
  5. Upvote
    vision15 reacted to G2A in Is TA'ing as horrible as I am imagining?   
    I agree with Dal PhDer, it is a great way to get your feet wet if you are considering teaching in the future. One thing I'd like to add as a pro for TAing is that it gives you a different perspective on your own work. Being able to explain what you do (or something related to what you do) to a non-expert is a really good skill to have, and it is not always easy. Scientists will always have to prove why their work is relevant to the larger community and I think communication is becoming more and more important.
     
    I remember being nervous when I first came to grad school. Not only had I never TAed before but English is not my native language and it was my first year in the US. There were ups and downs but once you get into the grind, it isn't that bad. Sure, not all students care about the class but the people that are genuinely 
    interested more than make up for the ones who aren't. This semester, I am back to TAing after a year of RAship. I would lie if I said that getting up at 6 am two days a week is fun (never got up before 10 last year) but I can honestly say that if it hasn't made me a better researcher, it definitely has made me a better person.
     
    So don't let the prospect of TAing stop you from going to a good program.
  6. Upvote
    vision15 reacted to The Realist in Admission Committee Notes   
    I've posted here before with my thoughts about choosing graduate school. Seeing how so many of you are in the middle of this supremely stressful time, agonizing over admissions and deciding where to go, I thought that I would let you all have some insight into what the process looks like from the perspective of an admissions committee member. I do this for three reasons. First, some of you could use the distraction. Second, many of you are facing the prospect of asking "why was I denied at school X" and should know how difficult this process is. Third, this is the first time that I've served on an admissions committee and I frankly was surprised at how hard this was, so now that it's all over I want to record my own thoughts.

    Some background: I am an associate prof at a large department that is somewhere in the 20-40 range. We're good, not great, and we place our students fairly well. We admit an average sized class for schools at our rank. We have somewhere between 30 and 40 times as many complete applications as we have spots in our program. Another 50-75 every year are incomplete (missing GRE scores, something like that). We do not hold it against you if you are missing one of your letters of recommendation, but if you are missing more than one your files goes into the incomplete pile and is not reviewed.

    From there, the process works like this. Every candidate who submits a complete application is given an anonymous number. We then do an initial pass through the applications to eliminate students who are simply unqualified based on test scores. The bar for this is very, very low, but if you cannot score at least a 100 on your TOEFL and a 500 on each of your GRE sections you are eliminated at the very beginning. This doesn't cut a lot of people, but it does have the benefit of eliminating students whose English or basic math skills are not up to snuff.

    From there, the files are divided randomly into piles, which are divided up across the members of the admissions committee without regard to subfield or anything like that. Each file is read carefully by a committee member and assigned a numerical score from 1-10. Anyone who receives a "1" at this stage is automatically forwarded to the final round.

    The remaining files that receive a 2-10 ranking are then given to another member of the search committee, who re-reads them and rescores them. Any file that receives a "1" in this second stage is automatically forwarded to the final round.

    The remaining files from this stage (meaning that they received "2" or lower on both initial reviews) are then divided up based on subfield and given to the member of the admissions committee who represents that subfield. That committee member then ranks the files a final time. Any student that receives a "1" or a "2" at this penultimate stage makes it to the final round, regardless of the earlier scores from the first two reviews.

    The point of doing it this way is to ensure that we give every student a fair shake. Each student receives a close read from three separate faculty members, each of whom can advance a student to the final round.

    We end up with around four times as many files in final round as we have available spots. Each committee member then ranks these students, and we have a big meeting where we decide who to admit and to waitlist out of this group. We then bring our proposal to the subfield representatives who are *not* on the search committee, and they have the ability to lobby for different choices from the final round (although they tend not to do this). From there, the department votes on the proposed list of admits and waitlisters.


    ***********


    So that is how the process works in terms of procedures. I suppose that all of you are probably wondering how we decide who gets one of the 1s. The answer is that it is supremely difficult to do this. We make mistakes, I am sure of it. Our goal is to find people--and this is important, so read carefully--who can successfully complete our program and secure a tenure-track job. That is the outcome that we are trying to achieve; we are not trying to admit the smartest, the most unique, or even the most interesting students (although we do want these people too!). It's possible that other departments that care less about placement are more interested in just admitting smart people, and I bet that for schools like Harvard and Princeton, that's probably true. But for us, we want students who will succeed.

    The challenge is that it is really difficult for us to tell what kind of applicant will be able to do this. We know that you will have to be bright, you will have to be creative, and you will have to be highly motivated. But trust me, anyone who has gone through a PhD can tell you, it's not like anything you've ever done before. Unless you already have a PhD, there's nothing that you could write in your application that will convince us that without a doubt you've got the chops. We have to make a bet based on imperfect information (and in fact, we probably are facing a game of incomplete information too, at least about your own objectives). It takes a special kind of person to do this, and I'm not certain how much we learn from pedigree, letters, grades, and test scores, but that's what we have.

    What I can say for sure is that even if we only based our decision on pedigree, letters, grades, and test scores, that wouldn't be enough to whittle down our choices to a manageable number. We are dealing with a massive oversupply of qualified candidates. In my first round alone, at least 20 students were Ivy League grads with 3.7+ GPAs, 700+/700+ GREs, and glowing letters. We could have populated an incoming class with these alone, yet each other admissions committee member probably had the same number of people with similar backgrounds. Then you dig deeper and you realize the number of people with incredible life experiences, great grades, great letters, and all the rest, but from other schools. Or they have great writing samples that make it clear that they know what a political science PhD is all about, even if they don't have the very best grades. Or you get a student who has worked two jobs to pay for an education at a regional state university, someone whose drive and motivation clearly signals his/her ability to bring a project to completion even if s/he does not have the best pedigree. Or someone who's at the top of her class at a top-rank Indian university. I could go on. There are simply too many of these people for us to admit all of them.

    So what does it come down to? At the end of the day, it's seemingly minor things like "fit," or "interest," or "promise." Most of these are beyond your control as applicant. If you don't seem to have a good idea of what graduate school is all about--many applicants, unfortunately, do not--you don't make it. If you make a big deal about how you want to work with Professor X, and Professor X is considering a move to a different department, we don't accept you. If your writing sample doesn't show that you can express yourself clearly, there is little hope for your application. If your application emphasizes grade/scores/letters/pedigree, but doesn't convince us that you have what it takes to succeed in the PhD, you're not going to be admitted. If you've gone straight through from undergrad, without the sort of life experiences that convince us that you know why you want to go to get an advanced degree, the bar is a lot higher (but not insurmountable). And these are very fine distinctions, and again, we definitely make mistakes.

    There are two things that you should take away from this. The first is that, at least this year, admission to my department (admittedly, not the best one) was fiercely competitive. Unbelievably so. I have never served on an admissions committee before (my department only allows tenured professors to be on this committee) but I get the impression that it's gotten much harder since I got my PhD. The second is that you should not sweat it if you don't make into the departments of your dreams. I'd say that at least 80% of the total applicants in our pool this year were plausible candidates for admission, meaning that I would have been happy to admit them. We end up making a lot of hard choices based on imperfect signals of future professional performance, and to reiterate once more, we definitely make mistakes. Nothing makes me more frustrated than when we admit a dud (it happens). I am always happy to see a student who didn't make it into our department succeed somewhere else.

    Best of luck to you all.
  7. Upvote
    vision15 reacted to Tuck in Columbia, SC   
    Columbia is sort of a blend of mid-size city and college town. I really liked living there when I went to S. Carolina for undergrad. Disclaimer: I still visit Columbia a couple times annually for 4-5 days at a time and I have a lot of friends there, but my info may be dated, as I haven't lived there in about seven years.
     
    Rent: fairly cheap. In 2005-ish, I rented a whole house (2 bedroom, 1 bath, garage, office, living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry room, fenced in back yard, 15 min. bike ride to campus, right across from a park) in Rosewood for $600, but I'm sure rents have gone up some. Check padmapper.com, perhaps. If you want to live in biking distance to campus, I'd check out the following neighborhoods, in order from "nicest" to "less nice but fine": The Vista, Arsenal Hill, Elmwood (varies by street), Old Shandon/Shandon, Rosewood, West Columbia (technically a different city, but right over the river from campus), Olympia. There are also tons of apartment complexes near campus these days, concentrated around the stadium area. If you are commuting, you could go a little further out in West Columbia, up to Earlewood (street-by-street here, look before leasing), or out to Forest Acres. I personally wouldn't go all the way out to Fort Jackson, Harbison/St. Andrews, northeast Columbia, Garner's Ferry, etc., simply because there is no compelling reason to be that far away from campus.
     
    Politics: Yes, there is a confederate flag at the statehouse. It's awful. That being said, Columbia is the most liberal city in South Carolina, and there is a strong counterculture to be found there. I doubt you'll find the political attitudes intrusive during your graduate studies. And you can always visit one of the flag protests for fun.
     
    Outdoors: Strolling around the beautiful Horseshoe area. Kayaking on the Broad, Saluda, and Congaree rivers, which run right through the city. Walking, running, or biking on the now large and ever-expanding Riverwalk. Visiting the huge swamps and cypress trees at Congaree National Park, about 15 minutes out of town. Heading upstate or to western NC for backpacking trips on long weekends.
     
    Culture: Cool cats and good vibes at Papa Jazz Records in Five Points. Awesome theatre at Trustus and awesome cinema at the Nickelodeon - the Nick has some amazing stuff going on for a town the size of Columbia. The visual art scene in Columbia has really been picking up, but I'm out of the loop on that. Pick up a copy of Jasper. I know there are some good comics stores too, but I don't know enough about that to make a recommendation. The Columbia Art Museum is surprising good and has a lot of programs. The Richland County Library has won a bunch of awards. They have a great film & sound collection. There is a children's museum too. WUSC, the college radio station, is pretty darn good.
     
    Food: Yelp.com can help with this, but here are my favorites: Fantastic, traditional-style (as far as the local choices go) sushi and Japanese food at Camon on Assembly Street. Mediterranean food at the Mediterranean Tea Room, Lebanese Al-Amir, Indian at Punjabi Dhaba and Delhi Palace, Thai at Baan Sawan. Be Bim Bop and other Koren goodness at the Blue Cactus in Five Points. Cheap sandwiches and great cookies 24/7 at Beezer's, right next to USC's Horseshoe. And, of course, there are plenty of amazing southern food options. Southern cuisine is the heart of American food, in my opinion.
     
    Drink: Microbrews and food from Hunter-Gatherer, just a couple of blocks from campus. Dive-bar/funky atmosphere with good drinks at the Whig, underground near the statehouse. The Vista has a lot of more "grownup" bars. In Five Points, places that aren't swarming with undergrads include Jake's (iffy?), Tavern on Greene (iffy?), Speakeasy, and Goatfeathers, which also has good eats. Drinking + dancing with the alternative crowd at the Art Bar. 
     
    Coffee and cafes: Cool Beans, Immaculate Consumption, Cafe Strudel (amazing breakfast), House Coffee and it's various new-name permutations on State Street, and a new, awesome one: Drip in Five Points.
     
    Road trip options: Appalachains/Great Smoky Mountains, Charlotte (2 hours away), Atlanta (3-4 hours, hit the DeKalb Farmers Market to stock up on international food), Charleston (2 hours, great historical stuff and beaches), Savannah (beautiful old city), miscellanous beaches.
     
    Groceries: Columbia has Publix grocery stores, which are totally awesome.  :-)   Although Bi-Lo and Food Lion are cheaper for some items.
     
    Transportation: As far as I know, the city bus system remains sub-par. It's possible to live close to campus and meet your needs by bike.
     
    Sports: I don't know a lot here. Gamecock football and basketball are king. There is also a professional ice hockey team and a minor league baseball team.
     
    What am I forgetting?
  8. Upvote
  9. Upvote
    vision15 reacted to redread in Bored and waiting thread: Anyone want to share photos of their pets?   
    Woody the Inbred Dog
     

     
    Bailey, hoping for salmon
  10. Upvote
    vision15 reacted to zabius in Bored and waiting thread: Anyone want to share photos of their pets?   
    Cute! :-)
     
    Here are some of mine...

     

     

  11. Upvote
    vision15 reacted to margarets in F***k this process   
    Um... I think the OP was just having an online vent.  We shouldn't assume this is how the OP presented themselves at interview, or that the vent is indicative of deep psychological problems.  Four rejections in one day is enough to upset anyone.
  12. Upvote
    vision15 reacted to Seeking in What is your Journey?   
    All of these journeys are amazing and deserve an acceptance into Grad schools!
     
    It's interesting to see the absolute contrast in the journeys of Fall13 Applicant and Madricka, one following the other - both very inspirational in their own ways.
     
    Reading through Fall13 Applicant's journey I felt s/he could be from India and then looked at their location and signature line - yes, sure enough. 
  13. Upvote
    vision15 got a reaction from Seeking in What is your Journey?   
    My father lost his job when I was in high school. My parents did random odd jobs to support me through high school and college, I saw how much they toiled so that I could lead a better life. Got into one of the best technological schools in my country, did some good research, got papers published, got good figures on my GRE and TOEFL but after graduating with a BS relocated and took up a development job at one of the biggest software firms in the world so that my parents finally have it easy. Slowly realized this ain't for me - I missed research, so decided to apply for PhD although it probably means financial frenzy all over again. Was amazed to see how supportive my parents were, want to make them proud and happy - that's all.
  14. Upvote
    vision15 reacted to Darth.Vegan in What is your Journey?   
    Almost failed out of high school but managed to get the bare minimum requirements to graduate on time. At 24 I decided I couldn't stand my full-time retail job and decided to enroll in community college. I did alright in community college but had to work near full-time hours most of the way through and ended up with a 3.3 GPA. I transfered to UH Manoa in 2010 and soon after arriving one of my professors suggested I consider going to graduate school. Once I had done my research, found out how incredibly competitive the process was and how weak the job market was I started to take my academics very seriously. I managed to find a research position in my department and enrolled in the honors program. I managed to graduate in the top 5% of my class and now here I am. 10 years ago, I never imagined I would be applying to PhD programs...crazy. 
  15. Upvote
    vision15 reacted to Halcyon17 in Am I the only one doing this?   
    So, lately I've been doing this little number with my head (and emotions). 
     
    Me: *hears word that I'm being considered by University X* 
    My thoughts; Hmm...I'm not sure I want to go there, I mean it's cool and all and I'd be really thrilled, but I don't know if I'll like the town...
    Me: *goes and researches school and town* 
    Me: OMG, I REALLY WANT TO GO THERE NOW!!! 
    My mind: "Yeah, I'm gonna treat you to daydreams about going to University X" 
    Me: Sweet! 
     
    Later on...
     
    Me: *hears word that I'm being considered by University Y" 
    My thoughts: "...Aww...but I wanted to go to University X!" 
     
    And later, repeat the entire process, but this time with University Y. Seriously, this is starting to wreak havoc on my emotions, haha.
     
    I should mention that I haven't gotten anything final yet, these are all just whispers so far. 
  16. Upvote
    vision15 reacted to Soleil ت in We are not appliCANTs...   
    We are appliCANs!
     
     
     
    Take a deep breath, appliCANs.  We've made it to February in one (or perhaps just a few) pieces.
     
    Congratulations to all the appliCANs!  You're experiencing something many people dread and ultimately avoid out of fear and anxiety.  No matter what happens, we've already done the hardest part!  Woohoo!
     
    AppliCANs of 2013, rah rah rah! ♥
  17. Upvote
    vision15 got a reaction from dat_nerd in Who all are waiting for CS PhD Decisions?   
    I am currently losing my mind and my high pressure job as a developer ain't helping either. Does everyone feel this way? I mean its only January and am paranoid, don't know what will happen in the future.
     
    What about you guys? Anyone who has applied for PhD in CS? Anybody got a decision? If so then please give a shout out! If not then we can run riot together
     
    Cheers,
    paranoid dude
     
     
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