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Gneiss1

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Posts posted by Gneiss1

  1. I went into a fully funded geophysics masters program with an undergrad in enviro sci and a similar situation as there were limited geology classes offered at my undergrad institution (earth sci, paleo, and GIS to be specific). I had a 4.0 GPA and good GRE scores with strong letters of recommendation. That being said I feel very lucky to have gotten in as I didnt have the ideal background and in all the schools I applied to that was the one thing that came up in conversation repeatedly with the faculty members I was in touch with. I was rejected by two of the schools, accepted to two without funding, and accepted (ironically and thankfully) to my top choice full funded so that of course is where I chose to go.

    First question I would ask yourself is if you really want/need a PhD vs. MS degree. For me I want to work in industry and a phd just isnt worth it. Second, figure out if you can fund yourself if you get in but aren't funded. I dont know how your GRE scores are and I agree that it would be helpful to have more classes under your belt. At the very least you can buy some textbooks our use MIT open coursewhere and mention your dedication to self study in your communication with professors. That seemed to be beneficial when I was applying.

    If you know for sure you want a phd then apply for phd programs, it doesnt really make sense to do a masters and then a phd that is twice the work. If you can carry on your future career plans with a masters degree it may be easier to get in that way. Apply to many places and keep up a quality conversation with the faculty member you wish to work under.

    Good luck:)

  2. My brother is starting grad school the same time I am only he is pursuing his pharm D. I am in a completely different field and I am guessing it works a bit different in Geophysics because most of our students get their tuition waived at least partially and many get an assistantship of some sort.

    Right now from what my brother has heard from his university (VCU/MCV) its pretty typical to just take out loans to foot the bill for college, they dont really offer any sort of assistantships to pharmacy students. He also will be taking 8 classes so working isnt much of an option. Is this the norm for pharmacy students? He is a bit stressed out about it all and I told him I would see what I could find in terms of alternative scholarships or options for pharmacy students. Any recommendations are welcome and appreciated:)

  3. I agree with booksnlooks. Go check out Samsclub, Costco, or a similar store that carries some of their furniture in store. You could go test some out at the store and then place an order for pickup/delivery in the city you are moving too. Sam's club has some really comfy mattresses, I don't know about the rest of their furniture but I got a great mattress from there for a decent price.

    Or if that doesnt work, worse comes to worst you get down there and furniture delivery is a few days away you can buy a cheap air mattress or stay in a cheap hotel for a few days.

  4. I agree with emmm. Research produces results, not necessarily the results you expect or wanted but results all the same and usually you can get something out of it even if it means changing your hypothesis or focus. Maybe you need to just step away from it for a few hours, go for a run or something and then come back to it and see if it says anything different or get with a group of friends and brainstorm.

    If you want a PhD to possibly be an option later down the road and you are in research I would think you would want to have a thesis, but I could be wrong I am not in your field so I don't really know how they look at things there. I no in my field skipping out on the thesis option would be a big no-no.

  5. Community college is a lovely little gem isn't it? I did the two year community college then transfer to a four year route. Walked out of undergrad debt free which was quite nice! I am not a comm's major but my boyfriend was (we graduated this year). So here is a mixture of advice from me and him since I don't know much about your particular dept.

    Course load wise as others have said, I would do at least 4 classes. Seeing as most of your classes will be 3 credits, that puts you just at full-time. I realize you work as well, but I think 12 is certainly doable with a part-time and it will better prepare you for your future workload. It also will maximize your FAFSA money and loan options if you are full-time if that is applicable to you.

    Everyone does different with online classes. I personally loved them, they only take a couple hours a week and are pretty much all the same format and structure. Probably the only classes I wouldnt recommend doing online would be any math or science classes that involve a lab, I tried that once and it was a pain. For your other general studies things though...english, psychology, philosophy, economics, whatever else you need to take to fulfill your general studies...these are all pretty easy classes anyways and online tend to be just reading and writing discussion boards. You do have to actually make yourself log on and do the work but it takes far less time than actually going to a classroom 2-3 times per week. My last year and a half of undergrad I took on 19-22 credits each semester (which cost more but I got done earlier) but since half of my credits were online it really only felt like the workload of maybe 16 credits.

    In terms of what classes to take, if you have plans to go to graduate school then I would take as many of your major communications classes at the four-year university you graduate from and limit your community college classes to mostly gen. eds. Universities tend to be much more in detail with their classes and you are going to want to really know your material for grad school. Your gen eds on the other hand, well lets just say I dont think I will ever find a use for probably half of the things I learned in those classes unless I end up on jeopardy.

    As for transferring in classes they will generally only apply it to one field, but you can have your choice. You will need at least 120 credits to graduate anyways so it all evens out in the end.

    Finally, it may be worth it to just get a transfer in rather than an AA. Getting an AA won't really matter after you have a BS/BA and also while you want to take most of your classes for gen eds at community college, you probably don't want to take ALL of them there. It's good to save a few easy classes for when you are doing your major ones otherwise you can get overloaded with hard classes and no real break. Plus certain classes are only offer certain years/semesters so having some options once you get there can be helpful to alleviate your workload.

    Best of luck! Looks like you are heading in the right direction:)

  6. Haha thats kinda funny, there are some weirdos on there and probably more scams for men than women. That being said there are real women too so hopefully it will get more promising soon:)

    And yeah track pants and a button down? Sure if your hanging around the house, but if you are going out its best to have at least one nice set (polo and some khakis ought to do the trick unless you are taking her somewhere really fancy).

  7. One other thing I wanted to add for any of your applications that do ask...answer exactly what is asked. No more, no less. If they asked if you have had any felonies the answer is a short and simple no. They can't hold it against you for not disclosing information to a question that was never asked. Now if it asks if you have had any misdemeanors well then you will need to disclose that information. I would just state it exaclty as it was and hopefully it wont be held against you.

  8. I think the only part of my application process that asked criminal background questions was after I had already been accepted when I had to fill out paperwork for my research assistantship position. At that point I had already gotten the position too, it was just a matter of filling out the paperwork so I think you should be in the clear for that. It may pose an issue if you have to apply for assistantship positions (as opposed to being offered one) but it also probably depends on the field you are in and the position you are applying for.

  9. After I accepted I was able to set up my email account. I got a pin so set up my university ID and while I was on there I saw a page on their website for newly admitted grad students (a checklist kind of thing) and on that page was how to set up your email.

    Maybe check out your university's website and see if there is some kind of newly admitted students page. I think it is normal to be excited:) Plus some things it is better to get a head start on anyways (immunization forms/physicals, financial paperwork, etc).

  10. I say ask a person sooner than later, otherwise how are you going to get to know them? Perhaps I should elaborate on this...I mean asking them to hang out sooner than later not meeting a chick and asking her to be your girlfriend even though you barely know her. To meet people you would be interested in, go places that interest you or join groups of things that interest you. For example, I love hiking and I tend to enjoy it even moreso with other people. So I met other local hikers online and arranged meet ups for hikes and got to meet a lot of people that way. Quite a few of the people within our group ended up dating beyond that and I probably would have done the same had I not already been in a relationship.

    I second the online dating thing. As someone who has very little time and tends to also be a bit more introverted online dating really appealed to me. It has its pros and cons though, the pros you can evaluate a broad range of people to (hopefully) weed to all the jerks and people of no interest. It also is conversation based and takes the pressure off comunication so if you are a pretty cool person with decent interests and goals you can communicate those without the awkwardness of starting a conversation face to face with someone. The cons are that there will inevitably be a lot of duds on there and the first meeting is always awkward (though it would likely be that way in real life as well). I tended to play the friend card first to establish a friendship with the other person to eliminate some awkwardness and then take it from there. It worked well I suppose because I am still with the person I ended up with over a year later:) There are the pay sites like match.com and eharmony.com which I suppose offer more serious prospects but if you don't want to pay okcupid.com and plentyoffish.com should work just fine.

    Be confident. Fake it till you make it. Seriously. You don't have to be confident to appear confident and nobody likes to be around someone who dwells on their insecurities. After all, if you can't like you why should they like you? Everyone is insecure, but don't play the weak hand when dating.

    Also being a late bloomer is not a bad thing. For me personally that is much more of a pro than a con. Someone who is "inexperienced" is also someone with a certain sense of innocence to them that hasn't been corrupted by a bunch of failed relationships. Every serious relationship that one goes through that fails inevitably changes a person a little bit, usually for the worse. Experience may be a good thing in the job world, but it tends to be the opposite in the relationship world (at least imo).

    Finally here is some advice from my personal perspective on things that definitely boost the attractiveness of a guy to me as a potential date:

    - Goals: clearly you have some since you are going to grad school. Women like to know the guys they are dating has a promising future.

    - Hygiene and appearance: A guy that takes good care of himself says he can take good care of other things (i.e. me). Keep up on your haircuts, shaving, wrinkle-free clothes, etc. If I am on a date with a guy that can't take the time to shave his face and put on some clothes without wrinkles or holes in them then it tells me he doesn't care that much about the date.

    - Buy cologne (and wear it) : It's worth the investment. A guy that smells nice is instantly more attractive to me. Plus it signals a bit more that you are on the market in some cases. I would recommend Giorgio Armani's Acqua di Gio. It's expensive but smells amazing.

    - Pick someone with shared interests: If you have nothing in common with the other person, it's going to be really hard to make a connection and you will have very little to talk about.

    - On the date, be a gentleman and be fun: I don't care what anyone says, chivalry is not dead. If you are taking a girl out on a date, make it memorable. Take her out to dinner at some mutually agreeable place, preferably somewhere nice but not the most expensive place in town. If you are meeting online it may be more comfortable for her to drive herself so ask what she prefers, if she does want to be picked up make sure your car is clean. This will give you a chance to talk and get to know eachother. Hold the door and pick up the check. For the second half of the date, do something fun maybe something that appeals to a mutual interest. Some ideas would be maybe go karts, rock climbing, hiking, comedy club, local concert, salsa dancing, get creative. If you have her laughing then that is a good sign. Just make sure she knows ahead of time so she wears the appropriate clothing (i.e. rock climbing in heels just doesn't work, trust me I've tried;) ) End the night on a good note, she will let you know where she is standing with things. Some girls like to kiss on the first date and some don't. If you get in that awkward spot where you don't know if you should or not, but you felt the date went really well and you want to, then ask her. Seriously. It will be much more respectable if you ask "is it alright if I kiss you goodnight?" as opposed to just going for it if isn't obvious that is what she wants. Finally, if all went well call or text her in the next day or two and set up the next get together. This will be more relaxed now that you have broken the ice and you can let things progress from there.

    Good luck! :)

  11. I didn't find any sort of bias as a transfer. I'm not saying there isn't any, but I certainly didn't notice any. I had got in to two universities with funding and received two rejects (one to a school that I knew was probably out of my reach). Also, to two of the places I applied they didn't even require a transcript from any colleges you attended for 12 credit hours or less. I'm not sure how many credits you took at your university A but its possible you wont have to even disclose that information.

    I know a lot of people that did two years of community college for their general studies then transferred to a "real college" to finish the other two. I realize that isn't quite the same as transferring between universities, but it is a transfer still. I don't think you will see too much bias assuming the rest of your application is strong.

    Good luck:)

  12. Have you taken your GREs? Also would it be possible for you to take a GRE subject test as well?

    Your GPA is low and some universities have minimum requirements for applicants but they may be flexible on them. Having a paper published while in undergrad is certainly noteworthy so that will help. I think your best bet is to be broad in your applications and to realistic schools. Also what is your financial situation like? Are you able/willing to fund your own way (through loans, etc) if need be?

    Once you have selected some schools to apply to it is pretty important especially in your case to develop a relationship with the person you want to work with. I wouldn't play the weak hand explaining off your GPA right away as that could come off as an excuse but I'm sure the question would come up eventually. Also if you have some solid references that could attest to your work ethic despite your health issues.

    Finally, I see you are applying for spring 2012 which also will reduce the number of schools you can apply to so keep that in mind. Not all universities accept new spring students and if they do they may not offer funding. Not the case for every university, but I have seen quite a few that were that way during my application season.

    Score very well on the GREs and have a solid application profile and you can possibly make up for your GPA. Best of luck to you:)

  13. What is the job market for a sports management degree like? Also what is the pay like? That would be the first two questions I would ask. There is a website I love called payscale.com and you can use a lot of the features for free. You can compare salaries, see returns on higher education, etc. I would check that out to see if it is a financially wise decision (I'm guessing no) and then also take a look at job postings to get an idea of how many jobs are being posted where you want to live and what the qualifications are.

    If the sports management thing doesn't work out you can try and find a position in your field somewhere (anywhere, start low) and work your way up. Experience and good references from employers should compensate for anything your GPA may lack.

  14. Like usmivka I agree that the one year difference ultimately shouldn't be the deciding factor. Seeing as that is a pretty big career jump, I would go for the two year BS. For one it offers the better school credentials, but more importantly it will give you more classes under your belt. Your potential graduate schools are going to be looking at your transcripts to see the classes you took, not just the degree you received. In looking for well qualified candidates, the extra year of classes may be the determining factor between you and other candidates for acceptance and/or financial support. It seems the safer bet to me and also maybe it would be possible to wrap up your UCI degree sooner if you took more classes or went to school over the summer. Since you already have some background in CS classes taking on a heavier class load may not be as difficult for as some of those just starting out.

    Ultimately it is your decision, but in the long scheme of things that extra year spent in college likely won't be time wasted and will give you a more solid foundation when entering grad school. Just my two cents:)

  15. In the wise words of my mother "It's not like you are getting any younger. If you wait, you will just be that much older when you start." I'm not that old myself (25), but my father (55) finished his second masters degree about 2 years ago now. It's good advice and I think graduate school is a completely different world from undergrad. Not that it is ever too late to get a bachelor's degree, but the age difference isn't going to be as big of a deal once in a graduate program.

  16. yep my summer research position (starts in July) is going to involve a lot of hiking and carrying equipment in the great northwest. I'm not in terrible shape now, but I'm well aware my east coast mountains are a joke to anyone out there. I am trying to get more hiking in over the next month to prepare my body. I definitely would like to keep an exercise regime up once I start classes as well to help moderate my stress and energy levels.

    Now I just really need to find some better tunes for my ipod haha...it's in desperate need of an update;)

  17. If you can get an internship on your resume that would certainly help. Depending on who you end up working for ultimately, a lot of places wish for you to have a 40hr HAZWOPER training cert. under your belt. GIS is certainly helpful and if you have already taken at least some basic GIS courses you can get some free certifications from ESRI. There are others they offer for a price as well, it all really depends on what you need.

    I started off on the environmental side of things. If you have a good idea of who you want to work for or at least in detail what you want to do, I would recommend going on some of the career finding websites (monster, indeed, usajobs, etc) and reading the job postings. The postings will usually give you a fairly good idea of what your potential employer would be expecting of you so that when the time comes for you to be sending out resumes you already will match what they are looking for.

  18. I don't have experience attending the University of Guelph, but it is in my hometown and I can tell you that the public transportation is pretty great there (at least in comparison to the other places I have lived). There are benefits to living on campus as a social and proximity factor, but its also nice to live off campus and have a bit more privacy and silence when needed. I would probably live off campus, but that is just a personal preference:)

  19. I begin a research assistantship position this summer which involves me travelling across the country. I originally thought my pay would begin in June, but now it appears it won't begin until July which poses a bit of a problem for me. I have some money saved, but my current job is about to end and it isn't very reasonable for me to try to find a job I will have to permenantly leave after a month. I have signed a lease to begin July 1st, but I am going to need to buy out my current lease and then pay all initial costs at the new place and moving costs in general. All in all the move is going to cost a couple thousand dollars. I know student loans allow you to put some of the funds towards living expenses, but since classes won't have actually started until Fall I didn't know if I could get one in June to cover my moving costs. Anyone have any experience with this? or other alternatives?

    Thanks:)

  20. FYI- I don't think SPSS is compatible with Mac yet...In my field that's the most used program.

    I bought a Mac for my MA and then went back to a PC for my PhD. I honestly didn't feel the Mac gave me what I needed.

    I might check out what most of your department uses. I know we use mostly PCs, so it's really easy for me to get software for my computer via my lab. Some of my other friends in different departments have labs that use only Macs (especially for medical imagine), and therefore they needed a Mac. So you might want to see what your department/supervisor uses

    SPSS will work on a mac they just have a little tutorial on how to install it. It isn't too bad if you follow the steps and it will work fine. I un mine on my Mac partition but I'm sure running it on my windows partition would be just as easy.

    For me I havent had any troubles really using my Mac. The programs limited to windows I just use bootcamp and use those on my windows partition without much issue. I'm thankful for my mac and I think I will be sold for life on them. My fiance has a thinkpad and he likes it. It was definitely cheaper. He has experienced more problems with upkeep than I have but that is to be expected. I think it comes down to personal preference.

  21. Stipend money used for personal use (i.e. not tuition/school related expenses) is taxable. Some of this may vary by school and state as to how exactly they go about it as to whether you need to withhold the money yourself to pay the IRS or if your school will doit for you. For my RA I had to fill out a W-4 form (I'm in VA btw) and so they withhold the taxes for me and all is good at the end of the year assuming I withheld the correct amount. I have heard from others of needing to set aside tax money on their own (similar to a 10-99 employee) in which you have the option of paying the IRS quarterly which I would recommend as a previous 10-99 employee myself or paying annually. Your school should have information listed somewhere on their website in regards to how they classify their graduate students (i.e. are they considered actual employees or not) and the regulations they use.

    Either way your income is taxable and you can estimate what you should be having withheld or witholding yourself here:

    http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96196,00.html

    Tuition and school related expenses (books, supplies, etc but NOT rent/room & board) are tax deductable. More info on that here:

    http://www.irs.gov/individuals/students/article/0,,id=96674,00.html

  22. As soon as you find out for sure whether or not you can get off work I would let your school know. If your program begins in the fall, I'm sure they expect some people not to be able to attend seeing as many won't live in the area yet. It should be alright if you need to get some other things done you can set up a time to go to the school and get any extra paperwork filled out and what not.

  23. For me my adviser is one of the professors. He is great, but I am very glad he appointed one of the other female grad students to be my mentor (the only other female under him at that). She has a similar background to me and is able to give me some better mentoring advice than I feel he could (i.e. steer clear of X professor's classes). She also is very organized and on top of things which I feel isn't his best strength. To me an adviser is someone who is wise and experienced, able to offer advice to further your future. Their focus is your success from more of a business standpoint. A mentor I feel knows you a little more personally and gives advise to you from more of a personal standpoint taking into account more of your personal strengths and weaknesses from their experience. That's just my personal opinion but I mean you could find an adviser that had all the mentor qualities as well. I think it would really depend on their experience as well as your connection with them.

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