new_to_kin

Dundas is generally considered to be bad, but it does depend where on dundas. Western Rd is fine, as is Wharncliffe (though it can be very run down). Good areas are: Downtown, Old North, Old South. Some people also live around the Canada Games Aquatic Centre which is also fine, but a bit isolated (prob need a car to live here).

Technically speaking u don't need a job to stay on. There is a year after your student visa ends where u can find work. It's called OPT. check it out

I think it might be a problem. ESP socially but also for work. My supervisor texts me all the time

I'm pretty sure all of the PhDs in my lab get different amounts of funding. I think my PI bases it in personal need plus how much our research coincides with his. But then my uni has a good funding package for all PhDs ($19k- need to pay $7k of tuition from this). My PI also tops me up over the summer. Not sure what the others have but everyone has different circumstances. I guess what I am saying is that I don't feel bitter that my colleagues have a different deal. You're different people. Hopefully you PI recognizes this

Well, I bike to school year round and it takes 20 mins (or 25 if I'm slow). If you want one bus to school BUT you also want an area with some life, then downtown is your only option. If you live at the Platt's lane apartments (grad housing), there are lots of grads around and it is close to the geriatric mall, true. But it's still in the middle of nowhere. Where do you live now? Maybe that will help inform me about what you want/expect.

I don't have one but my lab mate does. It won't run excel without crashing when you do more complex calculations and macros are out of the question

Everyone carries longchamps le pliage totes here. I carry a small vintage coach purse and a lunchbag most days. If I have to carry more I take a deuter backpack or a po campo bag. They are bike bags that don't look like it.

Ummm. It's a really really dead area. Totally suburban. The mall is mostly inhabited by seniors. It's a running joke here. There is a veterans affairs office there. 98% of the people there are over 75. If you want life, I suggest old south/wortley village or downtown to the east of victoria park. Do not go east of Adelaide unless you go to old east (urban renewal-trad a lot of junkies etc but now gentrifying. We go to the farmers market there). Both of these areas will give you the most urban feeling available in London. Much of london is quite suburban in feeling. If u want to avoid this then you have limited options. If you don't care then your options are broader

Depends what you want and if you'll have a car! Also depends if you want to be near or far from undergrads. Let me know what you want and I can make some suggestions. If you want to be near school then there are some options. If you want a better neighbourhood with more amenities within walking distance, then I would suggest Old South/Wortley Village (that's where I live). It's a bike ride (20 mins) or 2 busses (free bus pass) from school, though.

I also use papers2 and create a folder for the review. I then use a spreadsheet to keep other notes (for a scoping review, for example). You can highlight and make notes within papers 2

I use Papers2 and create a folder for my review. It's a ref manager ++++. It also handles your pdfs and you can email the citations or the pdf easily from within the program (great if you have a second reviewer). You can highlight etc from within the program. It's amazing.

I intend to do the 9-5 thing. I did my masters before I had kids and now that I have 2 of them, a spouse, and have worked in the real world, I don't think I'll any problems. hell, I have a friend who has 2 kids,spouse, AND a full time job while she's doing her PhD. Props to her!!

I was an international student in the US for my masters. I highly rec making friends with Americans. It will be really helpful to help you tranistion easily into their culture. They can tell you when you make stupid mistakes and if English isn't your first language, it will really help (I come from an Eng speaking country so it wasn't an issue). Immigration is totally a pain. And it will be until or if you leave. Be really nice and charming to the border people. Have everything ready - be very organized. They will try and trick you by asking sneaky questions. Remember it's just their job. Another plus of making local friends is that you may be invited to their family's home for holidays which can be really fun and interesting. You'll get a completely new view of what life is like there! Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

Hmm...seeds. Are they roundish with spots on them? If so, you might not want to grow them. Or you might

My first reason was that I'm really interested in my research area. I have a burning desire to do my research. Plus, we are living in a town where I am unable to do my job at the level for which I trained and don't have an intention of moving (husband is TT). Once I got in we have both started talking about the remote possibility of spousal hire-type situations. Being a prof would definitely be good, but I know it's a long shot. Even doing some adjunct work along with my current job (which I can hang onto through my degree) would be quite satisfying and would definitely be better for us financially.

It will be ok. I moved to the US from the Asia-Pacific region for grad school too and I think a lot of it is the anticipation of going to a new country where the customs and living arrangements are really different. I will be truthful and tell you that I cried a lot for the first while. My advice is to try and befriend some locals (don't just stick with those from your home country). They will help you negotiate the differences. Be ready to laugh at your mistakes. Like when I told someone I would give them a "tinkle", meaning a phone call. It means something different over here, LOL. I've also asked to borrow a "rubber". Not great either. So embrace the new culture and immerse yourself. You'll be far happier than if you create an island of ex-pats.

I went to visit this place again and she mentioned that they had done a LOT of work on the place and it was awful and really, really dirty/gross when they moved in. Maybe bear this in mind if you care about that. The repainted, redid the floors etc.

I would also look at Kinesiology courses as this might be what you're looking for.

I did a grad dip at the same time as my Masters, however it was at the same school and designed to be undertaken at the same time as the Masters. It meant that I had either a full course load or a light overload each semester, plus a lot more homework and internships etc. It was a fantastic experience, but I don't think it's a good idea to do unless both courses will work. For instance, I was able to count some of my elective Masters credits towards the dip.

This. Calculate how much you'll have to save each month to keep you over the summer. Then, if you are allowed, add some work on or off campus over the summer (think library) to supplement. But really, you should be able to make it work if you live lean and mean.

I have a friend who does this professionally. If you decide to do it, you can PM me for her deets.

It was the same for me....however I called the secretary to ask if some sort of letter was sent out and she mentioned that she had emailed me an orientation letter (the university doesn't do snail mail anymore). What had happened was she'd mistyped my email address and it hadn't gone through. She resent and then I realized I'd sent a few redundant emails to my supervisor (I emailed to apologize as I didn't want to seem like a total moron). The official letter mentioned that all future correspondence will be via my university email, so I had that forwarded to my yahoo. So you might want to check on this or at least log onto your uni email

For sure, however it depends on the weather where you live. I'm in SW Ontario and I like to use studded tires (it's icier and snowier than TO) so I have a separate bike for winter. You can't get studded tires for road bikes. I'm about to convert my road bike to a SS.

I agree totally. I used to work in KW and knew people who commuted in from TO. They would leave home at 5am to avoid traffic then have breakfast in KW. It was totally unsustainable. It's one thing to do this if you're working in a job, but when you're a student I don't think you can afford to waste time like that. Or at least, you'd then have to do nothing but your studies as you'd be wasting so much time in the car.

Incidentally, I went to visit someone who lives in Platt's Lane (grad and family housing) and it was quite nice. Definitely had the feeling of...council estates/low income housing, but it was ok. Lots of families and international students.