TeaGirl

Had that on an assignment a few weeks ago for a class of 80 students. It seemed like 5 people did the assignment and almost everyone else copied one of the 5 versions. That was a fun and easy one to grade: zeroes all around. I used to feel guilty about it, but I really don't anymore. I have seen that for most students, once they've been burned they really do learn not to cheat in the future.

I'm a complete newbie and ignoramus regarding credit cards. I never used a credit card before and always just used either my debit card or plain old cash. Any advice for students looking to build a good credit card history (how do you get that anyway)? Credit card recommendations, pitfalls, or warnings? How is it different to just using your debit card? I've been thinking of getting a credit card this time, but I'd like one without annual fees. I also assume that if you pay everything back on time you don't get charged interest.

Fascinating. I've been an instructor for 2 years and a TA before that and all I have to say is that no one really cares how you dress as long as it's decent and you're clean. This was my experience in both departments. However, if dressing up makes you feel more authoritative or confident when starting out, or dressing like everyone else in the department makes you feel like you belong then by all means go for it. Although, I've never seen a student or professor think better of a lousy grad student because they dressed well or worse of an good grad student because they dressed badly. I've seen professors in button down shirts and formal slacks, some in a tshirt, jeans, and sneakers, and others, like my advisor, in Hawaiian shirts, shorts, and sandals with socks. I've seen TA's wearing sneakers and tshirts and others more professionally dressed. I usually wear well fitted jeans, a nice top or blouse, and a scarf or accessory because that is how I like to dress. I've worn everything from high heeled fancy boots to flip flops, flats, and sneakers in class. Some days I'm super casual and other days I'm all dressed up. Nobody cares, whether it's colleagues or students.

I had a similar issue where my grad student stipend wasn't enough to cover the required annual salary in the rent contract, but showing them I had enough money saved in the bank to cover the difference for a year was fine.

I just want to toe in and say software problems like Spyware are not the fault of the specific laptop brand or the hardware. It's just poor software setup. In any case it's very hard to find a laptop free from bloatware on purchase so a good first step when buying any laptop is to google what bloatware comes with it and how to remove it. That usually includes removing all those "trial" software that keep popping out ads and other random stuff. I too got a Samsung series 7 chronos and I'm very happy with it (especially after I tinkered with it and replaced the HDD with an SSD). Windows 8 is fine. It has a learning curve and I had to google a bunch of stuff the first couple of weeks, but now that I've had it for almost a month I'm fine with it. Side warnings about Windows 8: It comes with a ton of bloatware. Aside from the usual Samsung related stuff, there are 2 kinds of software in W8. The first are regular programs that you can remove via the control panel and the others are apps, like you would have on a smartphone. What's annoying is that out of the box all the stuff like pictures and music are linked to the apps instead of the regular windows programs and you'll suddenly find the screen shifted to a full screen music player. To get rid of the inconvenience, I had to re-choose the default program for a lot of file types, figure out how to uninstall apps and pretty much got rid of almost all of them down to the bare bones. I don't need an amazon app, I can the visit the website thank you very much. Regarding the actual laptop and considering your needs, I suggest Ultrabooks. For brands I can recommend Acer (my 5 year old acer still works great and friends have had good experiences with it), Samsung, and Lenovo seems pretty good. I have not had good experiences with hp laptops (my sister's HP battery died less than 2 years in). With regards to hardware, SSD is nice but not necessary, especially if you want a lot of storage space, and an i5 core with 4GB of RAM would probably be more than enough.

I wouldn't go to a PhD program without funding unless you're sure you can afford it because California is not cheap to live in and a PhD is gonna last for 5 years. Unless you have specific interests in an advisor or topic, in which case you should check the strengths of each university, overall I think ASU is the better choice here, and in any case, if you want to do a PhD you can always apply after your MS. ASU is better ranked than UC-Davis and UC-Irvine in EE and I think you'll have good opportunities post-graduation whether you plan to look for a job or apply for a PhD. The downside is you get a few months of really really hot weather in Phoenix.

Huh, interesting. I kind of don't update my CV unless I'm applying somewhere, or just finished something and don't want to forget to about it, like a publication.

For textbooks I prefer an actual paper book. I guess it might depend on the major or field, but a lot of text books aren't available electronically. Plus, it's just more convenient to have a text book reference when you're solving things to look through: you can jump from one chapter to the back to check a table and back. You can have several books open at the same time while working. With e-books I don't find it as easy to jump back and forth quickly, and with a 500 page book, the loading time gets on my nerves, and generally you can only view one book at a time and have to switch back and forth. Now those are specific problems for me, so YMMV.

What I actually took with me during my Masters: pen, notebook, keys, phone, sunglasses, wallet, and a reusable shopping bag. Occasionally, I also brought a book to read on the bus. I rarely got my laptop and just used the computer in our lab. I've got a 10 year old Eastpak that I use for everything, and on days when I'd have a heavy carry (laptop) I'd use it. Otherwise I have a messenger bag and a shoulder bag that do the job well enough. I'm thinking of getting a nice quality leather messenger/cross-body bag but I'm waiting till I start and see what I actually need.

Sometimes I will set a time before which I'm not allowed to view my gmail, facebook, etc. I'm a morning person, so I usually pick 12pm or Lunch time. By then I'll usually find that have done quite a bit and get motivated enough that I don't waste too much time afterwards. Your homepage should also be something that starts you off by being productive and in the "work" mood. There's a program that you can install that will prevent you from accessing certain websites like facebook, youtube, or anything that you personally add to the list during a given window of time. I can't for the life of me remember the name right now, but check out this list of programs as some of them do the same thing.

I too advise waiting, although perhaps without a temporary job lined up it may not be easy. It's just that for a one year program starting this fall, you'll be applying for a PhD *this* fall. You won't have had time to get any work done and for some of the earlier deadlines, no grades, barely got to know some professor, and did close to no research. I did an MS which was 2 years right after undergrad. I waited because I didn't really know what I wanted to study and I wasn't sure if I wanted a PhD. I'm glad I waited, I feel so much more mature and ready now of what I want to do than I would've been had I dived right in. Plus I worked in the mean time and saved some money which is always a good thing.

For my first presentation I wore dress pants, a nice fitted button down shirt, and a ballet flats. I just wasn't going to spend 3+ hours walking around in heals. I think depending on your field, you can dress it up more with a blazer. People who weren't presenting wore either business casual or not so formal, which in Arizona meant wearing sneakers and polo t-shirts instead of flip flops and regular t-shirts.

My program won't be paying for my health insurance either. My TA only covers tuition+stipend. Health insurance alone is around $1045 per year. But between health insurance premiums, required dental insurance, and health center fees, it comes up to just under $1800 per year. I'd have to copay $20 for doctor/specialist visits outside the student health center (in would be free) and $10 copay for generic prescription medication per drug on supplies for 30 days ($30 for brand names). All in all, I have to pay almost $2000 total in fees per year. I guess the dental insurance would be nice. I get 100% coverage on most services so no freaking out over a toothache like that one time during my MS when I didn't have dental, and I don't have to wait for yearly visits home to check my teeth. No vision coverage though.

I lived in a cheaper city but and paid around $200-250 for groceries and eating out. I mostly cooked at home and only ate out once or twice per week. I was even eating organic and eating meat everyday. I imagine where I'm going is a little more expensive and I may go into the $300 plus range because I too have become something of a foodie. It'll be a nice challenge to eat well and keep a budget at the same time

I already know where I'm staying: graduate housing Really, it's the only feasible option at least for my first year, not that it's a bad one. I've been really holding myself back on so many things I need to buy. Why bother buying them and having to move everything halfway around the world when I can just buy them when I get there. Packing is what I dread the most! Still, I just bought a new Samsung series 7 laptop. My old Acer still works but it's almost 5 years old and is getting a bit old and slow. Served like a trooper though. I'm glad I got it now because it took me almost 2 weeks to get my laptop customized so I'm comfortable working on it.

I did 2 years of masters and never *needed* to print at home. I always printed in the lab/office or if I really had to, just paid for it. You'll have to plan ahead if you have assignments or something like that, but nothing major. I agree with the above posts. See how you fare without one and if you find you need it, then you can buy it.

All things being equal including cost of attendance for you, I personally would go with ICL if you're planning to pursue a PhD. From what I know, UK masters are usually 1 year long with the first half dedicated to coursework and the second half dedicated to your research dissertation. New institutes can be really great to work in, but when going on to other things it may lack the reputation or background to impress schools you may be applying to. I wouldn't rule it out, but it has to be offering something really amazing to compete with ICL. There's of course the whole issue of the rich experience of living in London versus living in the UAE which for me isn't even a competition.

I was second guessing myself down to clicking that button confirming my chosen program. I was still feeling unsure. Once I declined all the other programs I suddenly felt at peace. I'm now convinced I made the right choice and I'm no longer suffering with hesitation. For me at least, what was making me hesitate wasn't that I wanted to go to the other programs, but that other really good options were present that I could pick any point. Once I closed that door, they're no longer a factor. It's a done thing. Time to enjoy not having to make the decision anymore and make the best of it.

I agree with the above suggestions. Get a pay-as-you-go prepaid type plan and refill when when needed. These only work with talk & text, but essentially that's all you'll need from a phone. I'm sure you'll have wi-fi at school (probably at home) so you won't really need a data plan. You could get away with spending very little money depending on your usage I've done this before and spent <$10/month. I wouldn't recommend getting rid of a phone service altogether. Being accessible is not a bad thing to be when you're starting out at a new program and making new friends.

Interesting perspectives. @liammo29 My MS was a 2 year thesis option. I actually started research on my thesis in my second semester and spent 1 1/2 years as an RA working on it. It was good because I got a lot of publications out of it, even though it took more time than a coursework option would have. Just to elaborate I want to mention that I like separating my work from regular life to an extent. It's the type of person I am. I love what I do and research, but I need time to do things/activities that I also enjoy besides school and feel like I have a life outside it . Otherwise I get upset like something is missing. I also happen to be very goal oriented and I can't relax until I'm "done." Since in real life you can never really be "done", I feel if don't set goals for each week to feel done, I can slip into working around clock and I start getting stressed and going crazy. I rarely pay attention to how much time I spend. If you need to get task A done, it doesn't matter if you spent 2 hours or 20 hours as long as it's done before the deadline. I just plan ahead and by now I've got a good idea of what is a reasonable amount of work I want to get done within a week, and I work at it efficiently without wasting time because I'm working toward the goal of relaxing, so I don't take a lot of coffee breaks or do much chit chat It's just something that works for me.

80 hrs per week? 12hr days 7 days a week? I don't think that is physically even possible. I'd be comatose by hour 60. I'd say treat it like a full time job while keeping flexibility. If you have to, schedule down time and fun activities that you have to go to (either with friends, school clubs, sports, etc.) to avoid being sucked into nothing but research. During my MS I found that the best thing was to plan what you wanted to get done each week (aside from coursework) and get it done. Extra time is free time. Honestly, at the height of my MS thesis writing combined with teaching and setting up an big experiment, I'd say I was putting in about 35-40 hrs per week. Some weeks more, some weeks less. However, when I work, I work. I tend to not waste time while working. I think if you prioritize and are motivated and efficient, you can make your working hours productive without wasting time, and still manage to have plenty of time left over for fun activities and relaxing your brain. I think this work rhythm will do well for my PhD.

If I had to pick only five items: Clothes (don't forget shoes, socks, underwear, etc.) Tooth brush. Laptop + accessories. Towel. FOOD!! Seriously. Make sure you pack some sort of emergency non-spoiling packet of food like a bag of cookies or trail mix. I speak from experience here. My first time in Europe for summer training, after traveling all day I arrived to my room after 8:00pm in a small city/town where everything was closed, I had no food, didn't speak the language, and had no clue where a grocery store was even if I wanted to try my luck. Going to bed with hunger pangs is not fun. Other possibilities include a mug, hairbrush, nail clippers, sleep mask, soap/shampoo.

I'd go with school A. Having a concentration shouldn't be limiting, especially as you state that your two choices of career are either something in the publishing industry for which A is great, or something in writing for which it seems B isn't necessarily better. I'd only pick B if going to A means you can't work on/develop your writing which I really doubt is the case. It is an M.A. in Writing and Publishing after all. Surely there would be writing related courses going on.

It's a tough decision. I think know which schools you're talking about. Have they sent out final funding decisions or simply still deciding? Here's the thing, I think without some kind of funding in the future, it's not even a choice. Keep in mind you wouldn't be the first or the last person to have to drop out of a PhD because they couldn't get funding and couldn't afford the tuition. It does happen, even in engineering. One university I got admitted to tells you quite bluntly in the admission letter not to come if you don't get funding unless you can afford the full 4-5 years because there's no guarantee you'll get it in the future. Universities aren't trying to trick you into attending and then finding yourself unfunded and in debt, but this is what you must clear up with the department before even considering taking the risk. \ Send the department's graduate coordinator an email and ask what funding opportunities there are, what percentage of students get funded, and how likely in the case of not getting funding the first year, is it to get funding later on.

I voted with the funding offer from the place I'm likely to go to. I must say the symmetry is interesting, maybe reflecting the funding in different fields? Competitive fields vs. not so competitive fields may result in either too little funding or a lot of funding to attract the too few students. In most engineering fields I'd say you get around $2000/mo. before tax either over 9 or 12 months for TA/RA.