ruru107

Along with used books, you should avoid used furniture, especially if you know that the city you're moving to has a high rate of bed bug infestations.

It's highly unlikely that there would be bed bugs living in the van, as there would be no, ahem, humans to feed off of. I would be more concerned about the apartment you're moving to. However, I really doubt the management would tell you even if your future apartment was infested right now. I speak from experience, unfortunately. Your best bet is to ask some current, honest residents in the complex if there have been exterminations in the past. Best of luck.

I second the value of Evernote. I use it mainly for research projects (notes, web pages, images, etc.). Zotero is great for organizing your sources and inserting bibliographies and footnotes into your paper. Some people prefer EndNote, so I would compare them and choose what works best for you. I also rely on a (paper, not digital) planner. I mark deadlines and events in the monthly calendar, and use the daily sections to list course assignments.

I also prefer one-dish meals. Manicotti and lasagne are awesome, and not as difficult to make as you might think. Any kind of casserole/oven thing, like cheesy hash, chicken pot pie, baked mac and cheese, etc. Shake and bake chicken with mashed potatoes is very filling, and I also make big batches of stir fry that last a while. My options are not the healthiest, but they sure are tasty.

Wow. I now feel guilty for ever complaining about how much work I have.

Yeah, I live in a college town, so almost all leases start August 1st (although my current lease is a July 1st oddball). When I looked for my apartment in May, many of the people showing apartments to me said I was pushing my luck to have waited so long. I figured starting 3 months earlier would have helped, but now I'm seeing even less available than I saw in May last year, which just perplexes me. Usmivka- I didn't know padmapper was delayed! That's good to know. I'll probably just stick to craigslist from now on.

In everyone's experience, when is the best time to start apartment hunting for the upcoming school year? When I hunted for my apartment for the current school year, I wasn't able to look at apartments until May, and my options were pretty slim at that point. This year I want to start looking earlier so I have more options. I checked my favorite source today (padmapper.com) and there was virtually nothing showing (at least not in my price range). Is February too early to look?

Sorry to bump up an old thread, but I've been feeling this way a lot too, and I'm glad I'm not the only one. I agree with the point about being professional and friendly without being friends, but nearly every other person in my program IS friends with each other. They get together for lunch, etc. and casually hang out and chat outside of class, while I feel like I've been point blank ignored. Part of my problem is that I have some severe social anxiety problems and engaging in conversation stresses me out immensely, but I have been making an effort. I've joined a couple organizations and I try to attend as many events as I can, but it doesn't seem to be doing me any good. I'm not upset that I'm not making friends, but that I feel like I've been specifically targeted to not be part of their clique, and I don't know why. Can anyone relate?

I appreciate all of the support on here that helped me work up the nerve to quit! I quit about a month ago, and thank God I didn't put it off any longer! I barely got all of my end-of-semester work finished as it is; I can't imagine how impossible it would have been if I was working. Even if this decision seemed like a no-brainer to some people, I'm an extremely non-confrontational person, and I've never quit a job before, so this made me sick just thinking about it. Thankfully, my managers were extremely understanding. They said that I was making the right decision and that school should come first. And I'm welcome back whenever I need some extra cash! All in all, the situation turned out much better than I expected. Thanks everybody!!

I'm currently taking 12 credit hours while also TAing. I have another--unrelated--job (fast food...ugh). At the start of my employment, I told my boss that I was in grad school, and I could work 2 days a week AT MOST. She said it would be no problem...however, she has consistently scheduled me for 3 or 4 days a week. This weekend I've been scheduled for 21 hours, and I have a major paper to present next week! I feel lost, extremely behind, and scatter-brained. Being accepted into grad school is a great opportunity, and if I mess it up because I fell behind, I will feel like a piece of crap. I don't really need the income this semester because of my stipend, and it won't make a dent in the loans I'm taking out for next semester. So from a financial standpoint, the job is neither here nor there. I want to quit outright (rather than request fewer hours), but I've developed a good relationship with my managers and coworkers, and I've been described as the "model employee." I would feel like such a backstabber if I submitted my two weeks notice out of nowhere. This is the only thing that's holding me back from quitting. It's a stressful, disrespected job that pays $7.50/hr and has no relation to my career goals. Should I get over my squeamishness and just quit?

Does anyone have a yearly estimate for books and supplies within the humanities? I'm going into an art history program this fall, and I'm trying to create a budget. As an undergrad (also art history), I never spent more than $200 or $250 a semester on books and supplies, and that was usually during a semester with a computer class (requiring access codes, etc.) or with a studio class (with expensive paint). I don't expect to spend that much in grad school, but maybe I'm wrong... The school estimates over $800 a year for books and supplies for graduate students, which seems ridiculously high to me. Can anyone clue me in?

Good news for anyone still interested in this thread...I was awarded an assistantship for the upcoming school year! I am so excited and so thankful! And most of all...thrilled that I won't have to take out any loans! Thank you for all the input here--definitely lots of ideas worth thinking about.

MA in art history for me....anyone else? And I second the deliciousness of Anatolia. Such a fun atmosphere and lots of great food for a reasonable price. Complimentary tea and hummus, too!

I'm going straight in, too. My main concern is that I'll forget how to "do" school if I take a year off. Plus, I'm pretty set on what I want to do/where I want to go in life, so I don't need to the extra time to figure things out. But I also have the fear of burn out. My friends will just have to deal with me freaking out a lot over the next two years.

@delight- Thank you! I didn't know that about non-profit work. @tiffanyamber81- I've had a couple internships so far...I totally agree with you. I think people can study almost anything, they just have to work REALLY hard at it and be at the top of their field. If someone networks ambitiously, is a hard worker, etc. it can really pay off.

My situation isn't as bad as some, because I didn't borrow anything for undergrad. I'm aiming for a museum position, so I won't be continuing on for a PhD. So what I might have to borrow for the next two years is all I'll have to worry about. The loans I'm considering are federal, not private, so that makes things a little better too, I guess. I did apply for 3 curatorial assistantships and a teaching assistantship, but the positions haven't been awarded yet. I'm also checking my eligibility for a work study. The loans would be a worst-case-scenario that I'm trying to prepare for. My parents have taught me my entire life to NEVER borrow money for any reason. I don't think they've ever used a credit card...anyway, this whole situation is really icky for me, but I don't know what else to do to get a career I won't lose my mind doing. Thanks everybody for your help. I really appreciate your advice.

Hi, I'm going to start an MA in art history this fall...the school will not tell me anything about funding until June. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that I got something, but I could end up taking out 18,000 to 19,000 for the first year. Is this bad? I have no idea how much grad students borrow on average...should I be worried?

I don't know much about the grad school application process, so pardon me if these are silly questions. Does anyone know when, in general, funding notifications are given? Would I have been notified in my acceptance letter, or is there a separate letter or email that will tell me if I was awarded funding? Also, does most funding for graduate students typically come out of the department itself, or can funding also be disbursed by the college/school or the university?