perroquet

on which note...I'm currently an expat living abroad, which means that my wardrobe is real limited--I dedicated a good portion of my luggage to field work clothing/equipment. I'll be flying out to an interview on the east coast (for an ecology/evo bio program) in a few weeks, and the department secretary emailed us to state that " Please wear comfortable clothes. No need to wear fancy shoes. " I was planning to dress much like ktel--dark jeans, boots, a sweater of some variety---but then one of my friends had a fit and said Girl do you not know what business casual is?! In which event I got a bit confuzzled, but am still inclined to go the jeans/sweater route. Any thoughts would be greaaat!

Hello all, and many thanks to current grad students for all of their insight and kindness. I've got a bit of a random and horrible question. Last year, I completed an MPhil in the UK, and I'm completely confused about my eligibility. My course started 10/2010 and I handed in my dissertation on 09/2011 (it was entirely research-based so I took no courses). As of 08/2011, I had neither completed more than 12 months of graduate work (which would invalidate my application now, I think) nor had I received an advanced degree (i.e. one apart from a BS/MS, or something of that variety). Technically, I think I'm eligible and my top prospective supervisor has cautioned me against contacting the NSF folks directly. BUT the sticky thing is that on my cv/in my application, I mention my masters work (paragraph in previous research section). I'm wondering if the reviewers---being horribly busy, pressed for time, and spouses/parents/people with lives---will see this and think "PHEW well let's toss this out lickety-split, homegirl is DISQUALIFIED!"? I don't plan to omit this, because it just feels blatantly dishonest and would leave a massive blank gap for last year, but I'm wondering if I should fill out the extenuating circumstances form? In any event, I noticed that a current NSF fellow has a similar background (albeit one who received the award last year, and ostensibly applied while he was just beginning his MPhil---unlike me, who has nominally completed the MPhil though I haven't been awarded the degree yet...paperwork/bureaucracy). But given the comments about shifting guidelines each year, I'm wondering if I a) am ineligible (but I reckon I may as well try) and should at least write out the extenuating essay. Very grateful for any help! Sorry for this hideously long post.