iowaguy

Use the calculator as little as possible (I think I used it twice during my test). The more you have to rely on the calculator, the slower your pace will be...

Hi all, trying to figure out how to make my TA/RA stipend stretch as far as possible. Considering dropping my cell phone/smartphone to save $$$. Anyone surviving grad school without a cell phone? I would still be checking email a couple of times/day, and could Skype as necessary for long-distance verbal communication... Thoughts?

I received a one-year departmental fellowship at a school #1 that I'm applying to (haven't accepted yet). It doesn't result in any additional funding beyond the amount that they've pledged for my RA stipend. At school #2, I have been nominated for a university-wide fellowship that would add several thousand dollars on top of my TA/RA stipend (don't know if I will receive it yet or not). Question: how big of a deal is a fellowship on your future CV? School #1 is framing it as if it's a big prestige factor to receive their departmental fellowship (even though it has absolutely no impact on my current finances). Trying to figure out if this is just a recruiting effort on their part... Is there much "prestige" difference (impact on my future CV) between a one-year departmental fellowship and a multi-year, university-wide fellowship, compared to attending another school #3 where I would receive no fellowship? (assuming all things equal with program strength, fit with advisor, etc) Thanks in advance for any thoughts!!!

Be disciplined & don't let yourself check email, facebook, whatever until you finish up your daily tasks...

Hi all, I was accepted by a University that has offered me a one-year departmental fellowship, followed by 3 years of RA funding. (I have not accepted the offer yet). The fellowship letter spells out that it covers full tuition + a stipend of $X,000. So, I was talking with my POI and she says "we're really hoping you accept this offer, and would ideally like you to come down a month before classes start so you can get started on our research project" (setting up field instrumentation, etc). That kind of caught me off-guard, and now I'm trying to figure out what the general difference is between a University (departmental) fellowship and a RA. My understanding was that fellowships don't require any "work" as a RA. (i.e. you instead spend your time getting classwork requirements out of the way or researching your own dissertation project). Is this not the case at some universities???

This is what I did as well... Ultimately you will carry the pedigree of the university you graduate from. I would rather have the pedigree of a #5 university than a #58 university in my field, assuming that you can find a decent fit from a prof at the #5. i.e. better IMHO to go to #5 with a decent fit with the POI than go to #58 with a great fit. You will always have that #5 pedigree/network for the next 40 years of your career. And your Post-doc will determine your ultimate research direction more than your dissertation will... YMMV.

You memorized 1000 new words in the one week preceding your exam?!?

How would this compare to Durham? How much would a "nice" one bedroom with private bath run for in a shared house, within 2 miles of campus? (i.e. a 3 bedroom house where you share kitchen/living area with 1 or 2 others but have your own bedroom and bathroom). Thanks!

Here are some tips that I employ: I don't have TV or Internet at home which helps me stay focused on whatever other activities I set my mind to. Don't check your email until around noon - force yourself to accomplish your biggest tasks of the day first, before checking email. (this tip comes from The 4 Hour Workweek). This is an awesome tip, give it a try!!! Take an exercise break in the middle of the day, this will recharge your batteries and make you more productive in the late afternoon. Go to bed at the same time every night and sleep 8 hours. Eat healthy and low on the glycemic index (which gives you steady energy throughout the day and prevents carb/sugar highs/crashes). Best of luck!

One other thought, in general this is a buyer's market for homes - record-low interest rates, some pretty low-priced homes due to foreclosure pressure on housing markets, etc...

I believe in compartamentalizing work/personal life so as to maximize effectiveness/productivity. I don't want to carry my work around with me all day. Work at maximum productivity, and then take your personal time as time "off". I don't see how an iPad would make you more productive. Seems to me like it would be a distraction, possibly a reason to multi-task (a productivity killer) - an excuse to check email more than once/day, excuse to surf the web when you should be doing something more productive (writing your dissertation), something to fiddle around with, etc. That's my best argument against!

I would just shoot them straight and let them know you're delighted by the offer, but wouldn't be able to afford the program without receiving a TA/RA. Therefore, you are unable to accept the offer without that guarantee of funding. All of which is true, per your OP. Otherwise, you might end up in an unfunded PhD program...

Any tips on how to word such an email? I'm trying not to burn any bridges in case I have the chance to work with these same professors somewhere down the road... How best to "let them down easy"???

Would you mind sharing your calculations? I'm also contemplating buying vs renting, but my calculations for buying don't come out $15k less, even if I pay for it with cash and therefore don't have bank loan origination fees...

OK, I know that TA/RA stipends are taxable (they are payment for services, like a job), but are fellowships? I received a fellowship award letter, and the Grad School states that my award is taxable (however the income tax withholding is optional, so this sounded a little strange to me). Are any and all grad school fellowships taxable? Thanks!

Yes, absolutely! You also need to know the 3,4,5 right triangle and the 5, 12, 13 right triangle.

I just finished reading this book, which has generated some interesting ideas for improving productivity and eliminating distractions. Has anyone else read this book and incorporated (or plan to incorporate) some of his suggestions into your life as a grad student?

Does anyone have a good suggestion for an economical webcam that works well for Skype? I am a Skype rookie and am looking for an affordable computer camera that gives good video quality/speed. Thanks!

I have been asked to do a short skype interview. Problem is that I'm not set up for skype at home (no internet) or work (slow internet and co-workers)... Has anyone been in this situation? Where did you find skype access? Were you able to use a public computer lab somewhere? What is the minimum acceptable speed for skype to work properly? Thanks!

Anyone applying here?

My best tip, if you're a somewhat fast reader, is to read the passage in its entirety once. This first pass is to try to get the overall gist of the passage. Then read the entire passage again, trying to really comprehend it. I paraphrase to myself what each paragraph is about on this second reading. Then (and only then) read the questions for that passage. That strategy worked for me back in the ACT days, and worked well for me on the GRE. I am a fast reader, YMMV. You might try it first on a practice test to be sure you have enough time to read the passages twice...

¿Has viajado a Madrid? Es una ciudad fabulosa!!! En mi experiencia, el castellano que se usa en España es más formal que lo que se usa en Latinoamérica. Hay más modismo fuera de España. Si vas a ser profesor de español, tal vez sea preferible aprender el castellano de España en lugar del español de México, el Caribe, Sudamérica, etc...

I think you'll get that there. You'd have easy access to several different WY/CO mountain ranges (Wind River Range is my personal favorite, there is a lifetime of backpacking/fishing explorations there), the Red Desert, and the vast "badlands" of Eastern Wyoming. If you exhaust your explorations in Wyoming and northern Colorado you can easily head north to explore the 30 million public acres in Montana. If you like to hunt, fish, climb, hike, mountain bike, canoe, etc you will be in an awesome spot!!! Laramie & Cheyenne are small, somewhat isolated towns (i.e. don't expect major sporting events or big-name musical events). But if you don't like big cities you should be right at home there...

My most productive time is 7am-noon. I block off 10:30pm-6:30am every day for sleep, no exceptions (well, maybe a Saturday night with friends here or there). IMHO, good sleep every night (for me it's 8 hours) is the foundation for productivity and life happiness... In your case, is your time at school from 8am-8pm pure, 100% productivity mode? If not, I would cut out some of the "fluff" time at school and set yourself up on a sustainable sleep schedule (for example, sleep in until 11am if you can't get to bed until 3am, show up at school at noon and work a full 8 hour day at 100% productivity)... Sleeping only from 3am-7am would have anyone feeling like a zombie, is not sustainable for a healthy body & mind (IMHO), and likely decreases your overall productivity no matter how many hours you put in at the office... YMMV.

Downtown Durham - how easy is it to bike to campus from there? Is it safe to live downtown? How noisy is it compared to living around Old West Durham/9th St.? Thanks!