TropicalCharlie

In addition to Google Calendar, I have found the mobile apps Astrid and Evernote useful. I use Astrid to remind me of tasks and appointments. When you have snoozed a task one too many times, Astrid will pop up with a witty and funny reminder. Evernote can be used to jot down to-do lists with reminder options, and much more. Dropbox is definitely an essential in grad school. My lab group also has Dropbox for data sharing and such. An alternative to Dropbox is Google Drive which has similar functions.

by The Neighbourhood

The Wave by Susan Casey

- Red Hot Chili Peppers

by T. Tauri

by M83

2/5 I'm doing well academically and enjoying my classes. The 2 rating is mostly for the fact that I was misled about research opportunities during recruitment. Due to this hick up, I had to change my plans entirely.

I completed my undergrad at UCSB and loved it there. Though I can't speak for the cs program as I was in marine science. UCSB has an excellent academic and research reputation, and 5 nobel laureates on faculty. It's an awesome place to live, work and play. If you have any questions about the school and/or the community, feel free to pm me.

Sorry I did not clarify in my original post. I'm referring to research notebooks where you record experiments, methods and such.

This may seem trivial to some but many researchers I've met have a strong preference for certain lab notebooks. What is your preference? Ruled/unruled? Grid format? Composition notebooks? Specific brands?

I don't have a child or depression, so I can't speak to those. For school, I think that what you really need to do first is ask yourself why you want to go grad school. Make a list if that that helps. If you are passionate about psychology and have a strong desire to pursue it, those are good reasons. Those are the things that will get you through grad school. Taking on something new can sometimes overwhelm us, but remember that it's a learning process. You'll figure what works or doesn't and learn to use time more efficiently. Self doubt is a common feeling that gets the best of us. For me, I just put on blinders, don't worry about other people, and just focus on what I can do best. As for presentations, grad school is a great platform for these as you will learn how to communicate and present info. I'm not fond of them myself but they come with the territory, and I see them as a teaching tool not only to others but more importantly for myself. The point is to view presentations as a positive aspect of grad school. While I don't have experience in depression, I would suggest that you establish a good support system whether it is through family, friends and/or therapy.

As others have said, stick it out and see it through. Everyone has or will cross paths with people like that at some point in our lives, and we can't just quit and run every time we are made to feel foolish (intentionally or not).

darthvegan - here is an article that favors animal research and justifications. It is not going to impact your philosophy on animal rights but hopefully provides you with background info and scientist perspectives. http://www.ringachla...ingach_ajms.pdf

You can bring up the publication questions in the first email but keep them specific and short. Keep in mind that these profs are super busy, so in the first email, you want to quickly introduce yourself and ask the pertinent questions. Once you establish a correspondence, you can even suggest a skype appointment where you can ask further questions.

I totally know what you are going through since I'm in a slightly similar situation. You don't want to blow off his email since he might be someone you end up collaborating with in the future. My advice is to respond to his email because he took the time to add you to his group list and invited you to the lab meeting. Thank him for the invitation and tell him that in the time that elapsed, you had joined another lab group. I don't think an explanation is needed unless he specifically asks.

Keep your email simple and be concise. In addition to expressing your interest in their research, relate your research experience to the POI's research/interests. Even though you have less than a year of experience, use it to help you make a connection with POI's. Ask if they are recruiting any grad students to their lab for the term you intend to apply for. If you have a resume/ cv, you may attach that as well. Though it's not necessary for the first email. In my experience, it sometimes takes a couple of follow-up emails before you get a response. Be patient but do follow up. Hope this helps.

You should definitely contact professors whom you are interested in working with. In my experience, many are great resources for the application process. During my application season last year, I was in contact with a prof from an Ivy school who offered to look over my SOP and advised me on the content. I was not admitted to this school but it was very helpful to have someone on the inside point me in the right direction. Keep in mind that most profs are busy and will not respond to your first or second email, but be persistent and follow up. You will get a response after the second or third email. Good luck.

Thanks Fuzzy. I agree that a straight and to-the-point approach is the way to go. I'm just nervous about it given that I put myself in this awkward position. I will meet with my advisor next week and will let you know how it goes.

I am a first year MS student in a small dept. The majority of the students in my program plan to pursue med/vet/dental schools. Because of this, first year students who wish to pursue research/ PhD are required to volunteer and show some sort of commitment to research before they get a thesis project. At the beginning of this semester, my advisor whom I will refer to as Dr. A, asked me to check with them two weeks later about doing lab work since they were extra busy when fall semester started. I checked in after two weeks, and Dr. A asked me check later since they had not had time to think about things for me to do. At this time, I asked Dr. A if it was ok if I explore volunteer opportunities in other labs which they were fine with. That's what I did and began working in another faculty's lab. I'll refer to them as Dr. B. About a month into the semester, I followed up with my advisor about when I might be able to do some work in their lab and was told that they were busy with a project and wouldn't have anything for me to do until spring semester. Needless to say, I was disappointed as I had hoped to be more productive by then. Last week, I approached Dr. A about applying for a NSF grad fellowship grant, and they were receptive about the idea and asked for further info on the application process. Today Dr. B asked what my plans are with Dr. A's lab. Dr. B basically said that they would be happy to have me in their lab and talked about all sorts of potential thesis projects that are available. Here's a break down of the two profs: - Dr. A and I get along well and have a lot in common which is why I picked them as my advisor. While they said there would be some work for me to do in the spring, there is no guarantee and it may not lead to a thesis project. Dr. A is spontaneous, so I never know what's around the corner. They also employ a hands-off approach when it comes to students and projects. - Dr. B is more organized and has allowed me to work and get experience in their lab, knowing that I may not stay in their lab. Dr. B is hands on and loves working with students. Now Dr. B has offered me a spot in their lab. I'm leaning towards joining Dr. B's lab because (1) I can get started on a thesis project relatively soon, (2) I don't want to waste my first year doing volunteer work that may not lead anywhere, (3) Dr. B is easy-going (and also lives two doors down from me which could be good or bad...) I'm not sure how to broach this subject with Dr. A. Any suggestions?

I'm in my 30's and married without kids (my husband is also an 'old grad student'). Like the OP, I moved to a new city as well. I worked for 10 years before deciding to get my MS. I spent the first five years in science, and the latter in admin. I decided that I missed science and had had enough of admin, so here I am, a first year MS student. Most of my cohort is in their mid 20's. Sometimes I feel old but most of the time I don't even think about my age. My cohort doesn't make me feel old. They are all pretty cool and fun to hang out with. I organized a fall foliage excursion that's taking place this weekend and recruited several in my cohort to join me. Moving to a new place is always a challenge, but part of the fun is using your skills to make new friends and explore new places. I am no extrovert but have learned to put myself out there just a bit, and it has helped a lot. Like others have suggested, joining a club/ intramural sports team is a great way to meet people. Invite some students in your cohort to happy hour or something fun where you can mingle and get to know each other better. Everyone, young or old(er) has something to offer.

You can also create a second, strictly professional fb profile just for this purpose. Though I suppose that is what LinkedIn is for.

Happy birthday! Hopefully you got to enjoy some of it outside of lab. I know what you mean about temperamental instruments. I used to run one of those when i worked in an analytical lab. Oh joy!

This thread is just what I needed! Thanks for starting it Usmivka. I've been trying to digest this Cell article for a good part of today, sadly without much progress. I will be presenting this article at my seminar class next week. The article was assigned to me and is not in my field, so I'm finding myself looking up a lot of background info which is taking forever. I suppose that in grad school, there is no "easy button". Btw, why are you running samples on sunday night? As for procrastination avoidance tips, let me sleep on that one

Good point, Eigen and Michigan Girl. I am a MS student and fairly sure that in my dept, we are not candidates until all the core classes have been completed.

Thanks for your input. I like all of your ideas. I normally don't put a signature in my email either but have seen quite a few students in my cohort do so, and it made me wonder if I should be do something similar.