mirandaw

Aren't we all?

There are a number of old (circa 2009) threads about pets, but I figured I'd start something new. I need a good distraction from the wait-and-see, so tell me about your pets! Post pictures if you have them!

This is a glamour shot of my chubby kitty Konstantine: http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/305076_2424883022576_1266510026_2897788_1650143544_n.jpg

This is Konstantine in the role Princess Pretty Paws

You "plan on having" real life friends, which implies you currently have none.

Not entirely surprised.

For support and a sense of community. Why do some posts smack of judgment and condescension?

haha grapefruit sitting in your moms basement playing world of warcraft again...arent you?

Dense on purpose, you're the king of sassy. That's never been done before. I'm impressed.

The phrase "Sure you did," implied you think I am not being truthful regarding how many schools admitted me. So yeah, I'm pretty sure I comprehend, but thank you for the concern.

You don't like my assertion that the advice given here is bad (overall) and that it's a bad idea to take advice from a forum of random strangers where you have no idea of their credentials, and so therefore I totally didn't get in anywhere this application season and I'm a dirty liar.

Ok. I'm sorry things didn't work out for you, good luck next year, and maybe try relying on people worth relying on in the future?





Defensive, me? I don't think so, just clearing up the willful misinterpretation of my comment, which was meant to offend and totally didn't. But thank you kindly for assuring me that you do in fact have friends, as if anyone cares.

Again, your last two sentences are meant to offend, but they do not. Good day to you sir.

..although "I finished the rest of the internet early." is CLASSIC! ...got a good chuckle out of me!

You "plan on having" real life friends, which implies you currently have none.

Not entirely surprised.

You "plan on having" real life friends, which implies you currently have none.

Not entirely surprised.

For support and a sense of community. Why do some posts smack of judgment and condescension?

You "plan on having" real life friends, which implies you currently have none.

Not entirely surprised.

For support and a sense of community. Why do some posts smack of judgment and condescension?

I didn't move for school, but I did move from Michigan to Vancouver, BC in 2010 when I got married (drove the distance by myself). I got rid of a lot of stuff (I had two tall bookshelves packed full and pared it down to only three shelves worth of books), packed only necessities I knew I would want. I bought an extended conversion van that had been converted to a camper for $1200 and hauled everything I decided to keep. A uhaul for the equivalent distance would have been more than $1500. Despite being a 1994 model, it made it the whole way, plus we used it for our honeymoon. Was definitely a worthwhile investment for all the use I got out of it before it failed and I sold it.

I didn't move for school, but I did move from Michigan to Vancouver, BC in 2010 when I got married (drove the distance by myself). I got rid of a lot of stuff (I had two tall bookshelves packed full and pared it down to only three shelves worth of books), packed only necessities I knew I would want. I bought an extended conversion van that had been converted to a camper for $1200 and hauled everything I decided to keep. A uhaul for the equivalent distance would have been more than $1500. Despite being a 1994 model, it made it the whole way, plus we used it for our honeymoon. Was definitely a worthwhile investment for all the use I got out of it before it failed and I sold it.

Also consider your prospects for work immediately after graduating, the possibility of networking, and potential future payscale in your decision. Is taking on debt worth it in your field if you weigh it against income in the future?

Given your listed program, I'm going to assume class size will be much smaller than you experienced in undergrad. Similarly, you'll likely be working more closely with professors on research than you did in undergrad. Don't try to overextend yourself beyond your natural personality as it will seem false, but certainly put in extra effort to be a dedicated student. Depending on your program, if it's the norm to visit during office hours, then certainly do so. If there is a departmental lecture series, attend it. Allow your ideas to flourish both in class and on paper. You don't have to be hyper verbal in order to be noticed in grad school.

By the way, I just want to mention that I got rejected from my top choice today, which was obviously very upsetting. But seeing this forum really helped me to put my future back in perspective. I have an offer from a PhD program with a phenomenal outside fellowship which is paying for everything and giving me the opportunity to work for a government agency. All things considered, I really don't have much to complain about!

I love this thread, andI wanted to offer some encouragement for those who do feel like they face a harder struggle because they've come from a different background with less opportunity and less support.

I'm mixed race, first generation, from a low income family with three siblings and I'm deaf and I'm gay - not that the latter should be a detriment, but living before the repeal of section 28 (prohibited conversation about homosexuality in schools and colleges) in the UK I definitely felt isolated.

I'm 28 now. At 23 I was a complete flop, I was three years behind my university peers, grades were grating the ground and I had resigned myself to a life making coffee. I blamed those around me - my parents for not giving me opportunity, for not showing me what was possible, my teachers for giving up on me and not inspiring me, and my friends for ridiculing the concept of university education or any of my far-fetched dreams. I am deaf in both ears too, and repeated setbacks and problems with hearing aids and medical complications have meant there is never any stability for my hearing.

Around that time, a friend recommended an internship abroad. On first impression it seemed ridiculous. I could never afford it, let alone the fact that no one would accept me. Such was my rooted misery.

But it was my only opportunity, so I worked my ass off in my final year and achieved great grades. I'd worked p/t throughout university and when I graduated was promoted to a management position at my coffee bar, not great but good enough to save money, and a year later, at 25, I moved to Washington to take a three month internship.

Around this point I stopped blaming others for my problems and that's when things started to change. By accepting my limitations I was able to take control over them and take responsibility for them. I decided to let my ambitions run riot.

Things kind of bloomed from there. I stopped blaming others and realised my limitations and worked to them. I was lucky to be offered a fellowship at the NGO I worked for, I was able to take advantage of networking opportunities in Washington and volunteered widely. I moved back to the UK and to London - that holy grail - and took a lowly position at an incredible NGO which gave me great experience. Now I'm working in rural India on a one year leadership programme.

I'm applying to universities in the US where I don't have access to loans, but I'm trying to make that work. Fellowships, stipends, grants, etc. Like others here, I'm hopeful that I'll get funding, but at the same time, I'm weighing my alternative options on the off-chance that I don't.

If you accept your limitations and don't aspire to what others have, but make the most of what you have; and if you find your own direction rather than trying to replicate the direction of others and ultimately failing because you don't have access to the same resources; and if you try to make your own path rather than follow in the footsteps of others; you can really achieve wonderful things.

I know this isn't applicable to everyone, but as someone who has worked solely in the charity and public sector (with the except of my coffee shop days), finance can be the biggest hurdle. You just have to persevere and persist and opportunities will become available!

This whole thing renews my interest in an anti-douchebag internet filter, though. Could someone in one of the CS threads maybe get to work on that?

OK, someone has to say this--this thread seems like a collection of cheesy college application essays. You're already in grad school. Do you still need pads on the back? Here, good job, good job.

You know you did good work and made good choices. Other people know you did good work. But so did virtually everyone else who got into good grad schools. No one is going to look down on you for coming from low-income families or for being first generation students, and if they will--they're just a bunch of jerks.

I grew up in Eastern Europe and came to the U.S. at 19. My parents' combined income at home was less than $1000 a month, for a family of five, which wasn't much more when adjusted for PPP. Yes, I went to a college well below in USNEWS rankings than others I was accepted to, based on financial aid. Yes, I had to work crappy jobs in college. Yes, I studied while some other people went to Bahamas for spring break. Yes, I worked hard academically and missed some fun. But so did numerous other people from way wealthier families. In America, parents' income does not equal kids' income. A lot of my upper-middle class friends had to serve tables, work at supermarkets or for maintenance to pay their college bills, but they never asked for a pad on the back. I am well aware of the outcomes of my graduating class, and it's those that were motivated and worked hard that succeeded, regardless of parents' education or income. In terms of grad school applications, parents rarely ever know enough to be more helpful than, say, thegradcafe.

In my graduate program, the vast majority worked very hard to get here, and still work hard. Grad life is not a lifestyle of luxury for virtually anyone. Things valued in grad school are intelligence, motivation, hard work and humor, not family background.

So, I suppose it was worth answering someone who was unsure about the social environment and attitudes in grad school, but 5 pages of rubbing each other's egos for "overcoming the odds?" I thought it would end on page 2, at most. You've made it, congratulations! Now get over the "disadvantages you had to overcome" and get down to work to continue to succeed.

For support and a sense of community. Why do some posts smack of judgment and condescension?