LadyRara

I'm packing everything I own into my Mustang. Unfortunately, it all fits. I will be moving into an empty apartment and hopefully furniture shopping in one weekend.

I am so excited my feet are losing out in consistent blood flow! Then again, the moving process is not fun. I already have a place, and am ready to see if I happened upon a place without too many bugs!

Check out people whonhave the job you want and see what they opted for.

This is a great topic. I plan on taking three courses this fall and being a research assistant. I have also been curious if I am not stretching it a little.

I cannot stop researching and working on my subject. I did once, right after I graduated, for two months. It physically hurt.

We Open On Mars, by Christopher Stasheff.

Working, working, and did I mention working? :-) plus redoing a kayak, getting all the horse time in I can, building ridiculous contraptions (it may just be me, but I truly miss having a fully equipped shop at school) and reading up some history... (but spending money on books has officially ceased as it is all going.into the moving fund)! Annieca, true love has bitten, eh? Your summer sounds like a nice one before the onslaught of grad school adjustment. :-)

Czesc! Who can beat Cornell!?! You have no right to be anything but elated! :-) You are going to rock that department!

Rankings are important. But there are too many variables in getting a job that this seems only a part of a larger puzzle. Like previously stated, the school helps you get into a smaller CV pile. Your research gets you into an even smaller pile. Then you interview. Your references are checked. Etc., etc.. Anything giving you a competitive edge in this field cannot/should not be minimized. Life is hard and getting a job is even harder.

I'm headed to Norman as well! I'm headed up there Mid-March for a campus visit. I can let you guys know what I find out then.

As a southerner snow rarely comes into my mind for consideration. :-) Screen Name, wonderful advice.

A car and a freezer. :-) living in a noncity on a budget transportation can make up a big part of your budget. When I was driving to work everyday 30-50% of my salary was going to gas. On the note of not buyin a stickshift... they are better on gas without as much worry about tranny problems and with a poor students salary those are really important things to consider. I am biased since I drive a standard. :-)

Wow, March is almost here? It feels like an homage to 'this too shall pass.' Is anyone else at least excited about knowing where you're headed? After living 35 miles from the nearest grocery store, living in a place with sidewalks seems like a treat. I have to admit though, the transition to a more urban area is always a bit difficult--for about a month.

If you need to defer current loans you own, as this has been the motivation behind some of my friends who willingly went into grad school accepting at least 5 years of debt, depending on when you began and finished your schooling you can possibly have it adjusted to either ten or 15% of your current income. But yes, it would be terrifying to come out with a couple hundred thousand dollars in debt but then again it might work out for you in the end. Either way, congratulations on acceptance and the best of luck in these horrendously trying times! :-)

The resources is perhaps the most exciting aspect. Plus getting to work with great people. I love meeting new people and I look forward to making great friends while I'm there. Also, I have these ridiculous dreams of getting some of my work published while I'm there. On a less fulfilling note, I am looking forward to a county where you can buy alcohol too. I know it sounds terrible, but I am sixty miles from the nearest (legal) liquor store. I live in a dry county and am bordered by dry counties.

Emailing them can be really eye-opening. Most of these people are genuinely nice people and have a lot of wisdom. I would advise it. I was going to apply to some programs I thought were a great fit for me, but when I contacted a POI I was actually warned against certain programs (simply due to a refocusing of the departments). Seriously, contact them if only because they really do have an incredibly amount of wisdom. Honestly, I met all the people I emailed before I actually emailed them. But most people are so sweet they are more than willing to offer up quick bits of knowledge. I was told by an amazing woman randomly on a flight (a department head at a great med school) they know us prospective students are the future of academia and they want it to be a great future for good works to flourish. :-) Oh! And Congratulations to all the most recently accepted! I'm so excited for you guys!

TMP, it seems crazy now that anyone would go through all of this to escape the stress of a poor job market! :-)

Congratulations to the people accepted and wow at the number of Princeton dream crushing letters reported today! I hope you guys are all faring well. I would love the University of Oklahoma people to come out of hiding! Please! :-)

A year off has been great for me too. It is good to be thrown into the real world for a while. You get the chance to be disappointed and like me, occasionally hungry. But with everything comes a great snese of pride when you find something and begin to make money. I would hate to say it but making money is great. It really changes your perspective on what things are woth and what you are willing to finance for graduate school. Plus you really get the chance to witness why it is such a powerful factor in the world and gain an appreciation for people who striked and fought for better wages. I say pursue your interest. It is absolutely the only way you will ever be successful professionally and personally.

Oh, that sounds painful. Good luck with those! I am sure you will pass with flying colors. Well, next time I will know to reference institutions versus names. :-)

Haha! I did not attempt to remember names. It's only a losing a battle. He was from Arkansas if that helps. Are you going this year as well?

Oh well! I won't tell him that. :-) I spent more time in the University libraries than at the conference.

Well, that is just fantastic! How strange it is! Do you recall a man named James? He was extremely impressed!

Are you saying you are an environmental historian or more humorously 'yes, of course, there are environmental historians?' If so, have you been to ASEH? I recall sitting at the same table with a woman from Princeton at the last dinner.

Yay!! Congratulations to everyone! On two side notes: I wonder if there is a greater percentage of female applicants than male ones on this site. :-) Secondly, speaking of people searching for peers in their field... are there any environmental historians on here?