ktel

I don't usually have a problem with having to pay lump sum expenses, as my stipend is paid in lump sum amounts, so I usually have lots of cash on hand. I also have a partner working full-time who could float me, but lately it seems like I have more money saved than him.

I'm at U of T currently. I'm doing Aerospace Engineering, so my department is nowhere near the downtown campus, but I have to go downtown for rugby practice and stuff. I live in between the two and commute (40 minutes to my department, 20 minutes downtown). If you live somewhere on the subway line it's great. I live near St Clair West station, and this leg of the subway is the best. Not as busy and fewer service problems than the Yonge side.

I think Toronto has a lot of appeal, I just think it would have taken time for ANY new place to grow on me, as I missed my family and friends a lot when I moved. I think it's a city just like any other, lots of good things and lots of bad things about it.

We already ran into another Greyhound adopted from the same agency at the dog park. They were there at the same time. Small world. We took him to the dog park today and there was some strange little dog, I don't know what breed, but MAN was he fast. The sight of my Greyhound and this little dog keeping pace with each other was amazing. It was coupled with the fear that Turbo would fall into one of the many holes dug there and break his leg. Not a safe running dog park I guess, but there are 2 others in our neighborhood.

It totally depends. I don't know that I would give my supervisor one, just because our group is so large and I think he's had a lot of students. If it was a younger prof and a smaller group, I probably would.

I also had across-the-board acceptances (as in multiple professors offering), and have DEFINITELY thought "what-if" during particularly difficult periods. I have to reason with myself that the beginning of any grad program with any group or supervisor would be difficult. I'm pretty happy where I am, and Toronto has definitely grown on me. I grew up in Alberta, so the climate is a nice change (warmer and not as dry). What has helped a lot is my rugby playing career has really taken off since I moved here. The odd time I get really down about my program/the city I remember that I would have never been able to do what I've done so far in my sport if I hadn't moved here.

I'm at U of T, and our wages are going up in our collective agreement (to match inflation and such). Dalhousie's TA pay seems brutal, but perhaps they make up for it in other funding? I'm quite happy with the TA pay here, as I don't have to TA to get my funding, so it's a nice source of extra income for not too much work.

Here is a picture of my guy, from the adoption site. I have yet to upload recent pictures, I have a really cute video of him playing with his stuffed animal, which he doesn't often do. He sleeps all the time and really only perks up when we go outside. It's perfect for me, low maintenance when I need him to be, fun when the time is right.

I also had no interest in applying to American schools, or schools outside of Toronto for that matter. I applied within Toronto to stay with my partner. And I applied within Canada because I had no interest in writing the GRE or anything like that. It just seemed a lot easier to apply within Canada. If I were to do a PhD I might reconsider, but at the moment I just want to get my Master's done and then get some industry experience, and a Canadian degree should be more than enough for what I need. Not to bash my current department either, they are well recognized.

Interesting. We're unionized, so we don't have that luxury, but we get paid $40 an hour for TA (and I believe RA) work. How much do TAs get paid in your department?

I know GPA plays a role, but I don't think it's quite as extreme as you think. Although I distinctly remember sitting beside my advisor when he received an e-mail from a potential student wanting to do research with him. He scanned the GPA and the school that the student attended, and promptly deleted the e-mail. Apparently the GPA wasn't good enough and the school was also questionable in his mind (it was an international student, I believe from India)

It seems like it hasn't progressed too far, so you should be able to end it now without it blowing up into something huge. The fact that he is married with a kid should help, actually, because I doubt he'll want to make a big scene in front of anyone because he won't want them to know.

I had some regrets after entering my program when I was struggling at first. I figured I would have had the same struggles anywhere, there's no use thinking the grass is greener on the other side.

It's a valid concern. When I was applying for Master's programs I had a bit of an issue trying to figure out who I should ask for LoRs. I didn't start to get to know any professors well until my 4th year, and I had to ask them very early on in the process. I was working on two year long projects, so I asked the advisors for these projects, and they said yes. I will say that one of the letters one of them wrote very early on in the process was not strong, but his later ones were. Luckily the weaker one didn't affect my scholarship application. I didn't get to see the other person's letters, but I think he was a lot more knowledgeable about the whole grad school and scholarship application process, having served on ad comms and scholarship committees, so I feel he may have written a stronger letter.

You bet. Just got hit with an $800 vet bill though All for pretty routine stuff, we had next to no medical records for him even though the adoption group claimed he should be up to date on everything. Had to do vaccines, bloodwork, flea prevention, antibiotics, the works. While he was great yesterday during the day, last night was a bit worse. We tried to get him to sleep in the other room but he's never slept alone before so he whimpered like crazy. So we brought him into our room, but he was scratching and licking himself all night (hence the flea prevention). And now he won't eat breakfast this morning, even when I sprinkled yummy peanut butter on it... Now he just lies there, not sure what to think of it. He's either really calm or depressed and anxious.

Me too. Got my hopes up a second time

Just brought my Greyhound home. He is freakishly calm and well behaved, I'm not sure what to think.

It will be enough, just be calm.

I got excited too when I saw the e-mail. Worst e-mail subject line... Now if only NSERC did this, the neuroses in the NSERC thread would have hopefully subsided.

I often get annoyed with my boyfriend for this, when I'm freaking out and he says "Don't worry you'll be fine!". Half the time he's right, but for some reason it really bothers me when he says that. I know he's trying to be supportive but it feels like empty advice. Similarly, his dad's fiancee is doing a PhD in a business/social science field, and bless her heart she often tries to relate to me, but what we do and the way we do it could not be more different! So I just have to sit there and nod. Their intentions are good. Sure, they don't quite get it, but that's OK, they don't need to get it. It's not like them understanding exactly what you're doing is going to help that much.

I've visited Hamilton and had a blast. I'm originally from Edmonton. I find a lot of Torontonians love to bash Hamilton, but a place is all about the people in it anyways.

If you get your Master's in Canada, pretty likely. I have full funding for my Master's at U of T.

I also saw the sarcastic replies as somewhat funny. The Internet is an amazing thing, and tone can be SO misconstrued. Reminds me of another thread where an unfortunate e-mail exchange caused an individual to reject a school's offer (). It is my opinion that the OP is being a bit sensitive, but it is her right to feel that way.

Pretty much. Not everybody can contribute an amazingly original idea that changes the field. For every ground breaking method/theory there were hundreds that weren't so important.

If you look at the thread you linked, you can see that other posters have experienced the same thing. ANDS! has a -20 rating on a perfectly innocuous post. I think you are perhaps being a bit sensitive, as I don't think anyone really takes the ratings very seriously. I have to physically go look at your profile to see it, and I can't remember the last time I looked at someone's profile on here.