dstock

There is a huge NSF GRFP thread in "The Bank" forum on this site you can check out.

I'm not taking it personally, I only made a single comment. It seems your actual opinion is more flexible than your previous statement that you "don't think it is the right choice" to have kids until people "are in TT territory". That is what got me a little riled up.

I'm not sure what field you're in, but in biology: after completing undergrad at age 22, a PhD typically takes ~6 years. A postdoc is required for a tenure track assitant professor position... postdocs are variable but can be 4-5 years. So you're saying you wouldn't suggest biologists to have a kid before age 32. To start trying for a first child at 32 isn't a realistic option for many women that want children, especially if they want multiple children. And this doesn't account for people who do a year or 2 after undergrad to boost their PhD application. I'm trying to point out that your ideal plan is not possible for many people.

Wow. What a year!! Congratulations.

Can your SO complete his degree while you are getting your PhD? At least you'll be in one place for 5 years or so. Since you want stories : I met my fiance in college. After college I got a job in city X, so he also found a job there. We lived in the same city and dated a few years, and we weren't living together yet. I moved jobs once, about 45 mins away (still close enough for us). Then he applied for graduate school and got into 2 schools. One in an academic hub (several colleges) and one that was kind've remote. Since I also was thinking about graduate schools, we decided he take the one in the "hub" so that I would have a good chance of getting in nearby. He started school and we moved in together! A year later I applied to graduate schools, and obviously I only applied to local schools! I started school at one about an hour away from his so we live midway between and both commute a bit. The next hurdle is when we both graduate. We may graduate at the same time, or 1 of us will be a year behind- hard to say. We'll face that when we do! I think this next step will be the most challenging due to timing being off and in case we have young children by then We've been successful thus far due to the luck of finding opportunities nearby, putting staying local to each other *above* finding the absolute best opportunity, and compromising!

2 years into my PhD and I still feel this way! Some days I'm so thankful I'm here and not at my old job, and other days I wish I just stayed there. (Also, the "new" people I trained when I was working have since gotten substantial promotions at that company...meanwhile I am a student). But... today is a good day so I am fine with it!

I wish I could read a paper a day but I haven't been able to make that happen. Maybe 2-3 each week, usually over the weekend.

Thanks for making this. It is cool to see the distributions

So should I be sending a "thank you again, I got an honorable mention" note to my letter writers?

What are you doing during graduate school to gear up for a career in RA? I worked in a small biotech before my PhD and got some on the job experience supporting regulatory submissions but obviously I wasn't leading any of that work. I haven't found a way to beef up my resume or do anything related to this during graduate school. I'm also a 2nd year life sciences.

Honorable mention. E/VG, E/VG, E/E. Can't really complain!! (but I want to! but I won't) Congrats to those who got the big $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Depends how much your resume/qualifications match the job you're applying for! For lab assistant type jobs, you should be targetting your resume and cover letters to the specific job. If you have lab experience relevant to what you're applying in, you should be able to get something. I'm not familiar with library or food service jobs.

My mother did this. I was mortified. It's hard as a 17-19 year old to know how to set boundaries with an insistent parent.

It's enough to just be friendly to her at school- there's no need to force a relationship outside of school with someone you don't mesh with.

I applied to 7. I got 5 interviews-since schools generally have interviews around the same time I think it ended up being 5 weekends in a row. I definitely would not have wanted to do more than that.

In addition to NIH and universities, also check out large academic/research focused hospitals

Submitted. that was anxiety inducing... must've checked that I had definitely attached my statements and transcripts about 10x each....

In the final stretch!! I can't wait to hit the submit button and be done.

My school doesn't have dental for graduate students. For a dental appointment uninsured I think I've paid about $100-120.

6%!!! jealous. If you have a 401k at your job do they offer a free meeting w/a financial advisor? that would be a good source of info. Within a retirement account I think you can buy and sell without a tax penalty- withdrawing funds out of the retirement account before age 59 is what triggers the higher tax. Don't take my word- you can find more info on this by searching online. I never used an HSA because I didn't have a lot of medical expenses that would make it worth it. I have accounts with Fidelity and Vanguard. One is my Roth IRA and one is a regular IRA from when I left my job and moved my 401k there. I don't know enough to say one is better than the other. I'm just figuring it out as I go. It's educational to get used to all this now, so someday when I have $$$$ I will already know how it works

I worked and had a decent salary before going to grad school- I stocked away some money in retirement accounts (roth ira and ira) and made initial investments in mutual funds in these accounts about 2 years ago. I still have uninvested $ sitting in these accounts and I continue to use this to make incremental purchases on more mutual funds-- about once a month I buy more when I think its at a relatively good price. I have never sold any of them yet. No idea if this is a good strategy but its been working for me.

I love using a written planner. I found a nice one during back to school time at Barnes & Noble, I think it was $15. (prettier than what they had at Target)

easy snacks to bring: tub of hummus and small bag of baby carrots-5 servings (bring in Monday and lasts the whole week). 1 piece of fruit per lunch: apples/banana whatever. string cheese small serving of nuts yogurt I usually bring at least 2 of these per day. I use these as a side dish for whatever leftovers I'm bringing- allows me to bring less of a "main dish" and lets the leftovers last for more days (= less cooking).

Wow, reading your story had me feeling completely creeped out. You weren't being over dramatic in the slightest. Not your fault- 3 days of talking (even if it was flirty) doesn't warrant his weeks of disturbing behavior. I'm so glad you brought it up and that your PI is supportive and getting the right people involved! If I were you I would still have my guard up against this guy. Hopefully he's just a harmless weirdo, but who knows how he might behave or if it may escalate.

Not really applicable to OP (sorry) but to the last few comments, I used a professional recommendation (former Scientist at a biotech company I worked for- he had moved on to another company). During one of my interviews, a faculty member mentioned being impressed by that letter. Not necessarily having anything to do with academic vs professional, but just throwing in my experience that professional recommendations are fine. (I had 2 academic, 1 professional- was out of school for 4 years). Unless you are in a job situation where many people leave for higher education, I would caution against giving too much notice. In some labs it is common for lab techs to work for a few years and everyone knows they are applying to graduate school. There it is normal to ask your supervisor to write a recommendation. The company I worked for did not have that culture. I was there for several years and no one left to go back to school. Whenever anyone left, they gave 2 weeks or less. I gave 3 weeks and organized the transfer of my responsibilities to other employees. I think it would have been weird for me to give them lots of notice and ask for recommendations (it would be 6 months from when letters are due to when I quit). I maintain a good relationship with my former coworkers and supervisors. My point is, for giving notice and asking for recommendations, you really have to consider your individual situation and the culture at your job.