postapocalypso

Despite having multiple accounts on various social networking sites, I'm a notoriously unreliable correspondent, but I've decided to giving blogging another go this summer at http://mlischiefafoot.wordpress.com/ Hope to see some of ye around!

I've been feeling a little stir-crazy in terms of MLIS prep, so I'm trying to feel productive by reading up on libraries. So far I've checked out Library: An Unquiet History by Matthew Battles, This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All by Marilyn Johnson, and Straight from the Stacks by Laura Townsend Kane. I also nabbed a copy of The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians through Film (DVD) :Db Non-library-related reading has mostly been comics (just finished the penultimate collection of Garth Ennis's The Boys, aaaa!), and I had to force myself to put down Alan Bradley's A Red Herring Without Mustard last night so I could grab a few hours of sleep before work.

Thanks much for the info! I've been trawling places like CraigsList and ULoop for housing, and spotted a couple ads seeking roommates for what seemed like reasonable prices. I'm trying to keep rent/utilities at under $600 without sacrificing location (I don't have a car and would prefer to avoid being totally reliant on public transportation). So it's definitely good to know that public transit can get iffy in Fremont and Ballard! Are there any rental companies or landlords I should definitely avoid?

Hah, I just happened by this post; I live in IC for the moment and went to undergrad here! Do your best to avoid the rental company Apartments Downtown, aka Apartments Near Campus. They are, sadly, ubiquitous and notorious for shamelessly gouging their tenants' security deposits (it took a threat of involvement with one of my roommates' lawyers to get them to return most of ours) and were recently involved in a lawsuit for mistreating their tenants. It'll be tempting to get an apartment downtown, as it is more interesting and pretty much on top of campus, but just remember that the rent will be higher, the nights will be noisier, and you may have to pick your way through pools of vomit and broken glass in the morning. As for the winters, just know that you will suffer. Your snot will freeze, your eyeballs will threaten to, and you'll lose feeling in your extremities. As the season wears on, you'll notice more people hobbling about on crutches after slipping on the ice, sometimes because they were in a rush after failing to factor in how much longer it takes to trudge through snow, sometimes because they inexplicably insist on wearing high heels on the weekends, but mostly because ice hates you and yearns for your pain (and because most people use sand instead of salt in an effort to melt it). We have thundersnow. We have deathcold. It will be bad, and you will cry, and then native Iowans will scoff about how this is nothing compared to the Winter of Year X and laugh at your tears (which will of course be frozen to your cheeks). I recommend a heavy coat, snow boots, thermal underwear, gloves, an extra warm muffler, hat, the whole caboodle. You'll be able to find these things here in abundance at Goodwill. Keep a safety kit in your car in case it stalls on some godforsaken stretch of road. HAPPY THINGS ABOUT IOWA CITY = great restaurants, a fantastic library, a fair amount of diversity, a kick-ass used bookstore (The Haunted Bookshop has kitties!), excellent walkability, live theatre, friendly folks, and the New Pioneer Co-op. It's also America's only UNESCO-designated City of Literature -- woohoo!

I did know about PSLF but had been mistakenly under the impression that 10 years was the cap for everyone and we'd be getting a shorter pay period. I don't know how I function in the real world sometimes. e_e; I stumbled across this blog and have found this page incredibly helpful!hopeful: Student loans: my plan to graduate debt-free from grad school So far I've saved enough to pay back the interest on my loans (I think; math, like reality, is not my forte) and start making minimum payments. If anything, taking even baby steps on money management has made me feel better/less like succumbing to hysterical laughter in the corner.

It's hard to dole out advice without knowing more about your life than strangers probably ought to know. I guess the best blanket statement I can give is to commit to living like a pauper. Double check that you're not eligible for the Stafford loan. Look into shared housing. Cut out every recurring expense that isn't imperative to your survival. Create a dedicated savings account for loan repayments and squirrel away every extra dollar that comes your way into it. (I can't vouch for these tactics from experience, yet, but they're what I'm employing.)

How do folks feel about Montlake? I've been casting my beady eye thereward, as it seems to be situated nicely between the University district and downtown, but Wiki describes it as "affluent," which... is not normally in my vocabulary. Not to mention I'm concerned about what that body of water might entail. (The satellite view from Google Maps makes it look crossable on foot--true fact?)

Hey future/potential U. of Washington students, if you haven't already, create a UW Net ID or whatnot. I called yesterday and was told that financial aid packages had been posted there for all incoming iSchool students. Word of advice: regulate your heartbeat before you look. I was foolishly optimistic about my funding prospects, as I made next to nothing last year, but alas, reality cares not for incomes. It looks like I'll be relying mostly on unsubsidized federal loans. I'm trying to decide whether I should basically live on loans for the first year, keep work to a minimum, and hope to earn stellar grades to attract scholarships my second year, or if I should just work my ass off to at least pay back the interest while in school and risk getting less-than-amazeballs grades. Which might hurt my career options?

Ditto. Sigh.

Congrats, Lolita! Yeah, for me, the recommendation letters are the most harrowing aspect of applying, just because I don't have much control over that besides poking my recommenders on occasion and trying not to be obnoxious about it. EmilyChopin and bellelupin: Nope, I think it was one of the ones for which all applicants are automatically considered. I found out when the chair of the department gave me a call the week I was notified about my acceptance (being another first gen kid, I assumed it was just a courtesy call!). Otherwise I've been getting all of my notifications via e-mail. I did a phone interview for the GA Crew last week, too; I think we should be hearing back in the next few days? I haven't heard from any advisors, though. Mid-April, okay, that's not so far away, is it? ::obsessively refreshes inbox::

Hey, Emily! I was accepted to UW-Seattle's residential program as well, as I guess I'll meet you in a few short months! UW was also my first choice, so I'm super excited. I've received a fellowship, but I'm still hoping to hear back re: need-based financial aid because it looks like the scholarship disqualifies me from accepting any TA/RA/GA positions, for which I've also applied.