So, where are all the new admits in their process?

[rising_star]

The same here! I've been reading through some of my PDF articles from undergrad. Everyone tells me that I shouldn't even look at anything related to my topic, because that's what I'm going to be doing for the next 6-7 years (History PhDs are notoriously long). But I can't shake this fear that my other classmates will have spent the summer reading and preparing themselves extensively and I'll look like a slacker if I don't. I'm also resisting the urge to e-mail my future classmates and ask them for their stats and what they've been doing to prepare.

I haven't started packing either. I'm leaving in two weeks. However, I don't have a lot of stuff, so it probably won't be a major issue.

1) Instead of reading PDFs, try to read those (non-academic) books that have been on your Amazon wishlist forever since your time to read them will almost exclusively be down to just winter break. (Unless you do what I did for a while which is keep it on your nightstand and read a chapter before bed each night. But this is hard and requires not being ready to collapse as soon as your head hits the pillow.)

2) Packing always takes longer than you think, in part because it's always more stuff than you think you own. Trust me on this one.,

Enjoy your last days of freedom and try not to worry too much!

[yes, I know that's hard!]

...

What you're not going to have once the year starts is free time.

You have some now.

Use it wisely.

+1 to all of this.

[UnlikelyGrad]

If you're looking for stuff to do in the .de.. I interned in Erlangen last Summer.

REALLY??? Someone else who knows where Erlangen is???

My dad did a sabbatical at the Uni Erlangen when I was a teen, and he was there again later (when I had kids).

Where did you intern--Siemens? And which part of town did you call home?

(I thought it funny that you mentioned a bierfest in another town, since Erlangen is home to one of the biggest in Germany--the Bergkirchweih. But then you were only there for the summer, so you wouldn't have known that.

eta: Isn't it Forchheim, with 2 h's?

[DJLamar]

If you're looking for stuff to do in the .de.. I interned in Erlangen last Summer.

Take a Schönes Wochenende pass up to Nürnberg. From there take Regiobahn to Zirndorf.. You'll find Zirndorfer Brauerei, home of, in my opinion, the best kellerbier in Germany.

Also while you're in Nürnberg check out the Seven Deadly Sins Fountain and eat some Nürnbergers (or maybe Drei im Wiggla). Don't bother visiting Fürth (boring for the most part), but nearby Erlangen offers a lot to do.

Annafest (one of the larger beer festivals in Bayern) begins July 24th in Forcheim, which is just north of Nürnberg and Erlangen. I STRONGLY recommend you make it out to this event.

Never been to Zirndorf... before I left Germany at the end of the exchange year I did in Munich before though, I took sort of a pilgrimage to Bamberg to try the Rauchbier at the Schlenkerla. Had one there and brought twelve back for friends and me to enjoy later. The whole time I was carrying them back I felt like I was in a beer commercial because random people walking past were commenting to me on how good my choice of beer was. I don't think I've seen the Seven Deadly Sins Fountain, but I've been in Nürnberg a few times and have certainly had the delicious Nürnbergers

I actually spent a summer in Austria, and I know that there's this great program run by the ÖBB (the Austrian train company). If you're under 26, you're eligible to buy a Sommerkarte. Once you buy this card, you get FREE TRAIN RIDES throughout the entire country of Austria for the ENTIRE summer. Last time I was there, the card was 75 Euros, including the discount card you have to buy in order to be able to buy the Sommerkarte.

It's really great, especially if you want to visit parts of Southern Europe. All you have to do is pay for the price of the tickets outside of Austrian territory. For example, I bought a round-trip ticket from Vienna to Ljublijana (Slovenia) for 12 Euros. And I saved even more money by taking a night train there and back, meaning no money spent on hostels, ! And since Munich is relatively close to the Austrian border, I doubt tickets would cost very much. A ticket to Budapest would be practically free, as Budapest is right on the Austrian border. Although visiting cities in Austria, such as Vienna and Innsbruck is definitely worth it as well. Vienna is my favorite city in all of Europe, and summer in Vienna is absolutely wonderful.

Also, for travel in Germany I would highly recommend using the DB's online website to buy tickets. If you buy them at least 3 weeks in advance, tickets to almost anywhere in Germany cost only 25 Euros one way. Another way to save money, !

I wish I had money to travel . . . I was originally planning on doing a little bit of travelling in China before I left, until I realized that I need to buy furniture when I get back to the States. In spite of the fact that I am very excited to pick out my very first set of furniture, I'm dreading what it's going to do to my bank account. My stipend doesn't kick in until the end of August, so I have to save save save! So that means lots of reading, TV watching, and dealing with panic attacks brought on by the dreaded impostor syndrome! Only 2 weeks left!

Hmm... the Austria Sommerkarte sounds good, but I'm planning on a night train to Hungary (for 58 or 78 Euro, depending on if I get a spot to lie down on the way back or just a spot to sit the whole time) for convenience and I'm not sure it would be valid for that... good tip though to get to Vienna and wherever from Innsbruck from Munich whenever you want though.

Yeah, once I get paid at the end of July (probably while I'm still in Hungary) I'll reexamine my finances and see what kind of (if any) last minute trips I can plan before going home...

[DJLamar]

REALLY??? Someone else who knows where Erlangen is???

My dad did a sabbatical at the Uni Erlangen when I was a teen, and he was there again later (when I had kids).

Where did you intern--Siemens? And which part of town did you call home?

(I thought it funny that you mentioned a bierfest in another town, since Erlangen is home to one of the biggest in Germany--the Bergkirchweih. But then you were only there for the summer, so you wouldn't have known that.

eta: Isn't it Forchheim, with 2 h's?

I've been to Erlangen before actually. At the start of my previous time here we had a short tour of the Siemens medical stuff there. Plus a friend of mine interned with Siemens there the second half of our exchange year and I met up with him there before once to get us both to Pilsen on one ticket. I don't think I've seen much of the actual town, though. When is the Bergkirchweih? I remember my friend mentioning that one a lot.

[UnlikelyGrad]

I've been to Erlangen before actually. At the start of my previous time here we had a short tour of the Siemens medical stuff there. Plus a friend of mine interned with Siemens there the second half of our exchange year and I met up with him there before once to get us both to Pilsen on one ticket. I don't think I've seen much of the actual town, though. When is the Bergkirchweih? I remember my friend mentioning that one a lot.

Bergkirchweih is in late spring...

http://www.der-berg-ruft.de/

When I was there it wan't so big. My parents said it really took off over the next 20 years, though, so by the time they returned to Erlangen it had turned into a monster.

[prolixity]

REALLY??? Someone else who knows where Erlangen is???

My dad did a sabbatical at the Uni Erlangen when I was a teen, and he was there again later (when I had kids).

Where did you intern--Siemens? And which part of town did you call home?

(I thought it funny that you mentioned a bierfest in another town, since Erlangen is home to one of the biggest in Germany--the Bergkirchweih. But then you were only there for the summer, so you wouldn't have known that.

eta: Isn't it Forchheim, with 2 h's?

Bergkirchweih was awesome also.. I only neglected to mention it because it was too late for the poster. I lived in Büchenbach in a rented apartment and interned at the Technische Fakultät on the east side of town (a good thirty minute bicycle ride).

Forchheim is only about a thirty minute train ride/taxi drive north (though the train tracks were under construction when I was there, so it was considerably longer)

[murpstud]

Well, I'm going to continue working 65 hrs. per week until late August when I move. Its going to be so nice not working during school. I 30-40 hrs per week my senior year. Yup, move down there, hope my girlfriend can find a job. I'm going for my masters, and all I can think about is where I should go for my Ph.D haha...

[VUbrat08]

I just came from apartment hunting in Chicago, and will fax all of my stuff tomorrow for approval for my place. This is my first apartment so, needless to say, I'm anxious and excited. Mom and I went to IKEA today to do some initial furniture browsing/shopping and discussed just what we would buy online and pick up there (since the sales tax is killer) and what we would take in the truck.

I worked my last shift on Friday. Though I've grown to hate retail, I'm going to miss my managers and co-workers: they made the last nine months tolerable.

Orientation isn't until August 28th, so I'm still waiting for the info on that. It's so weird having to wait until virtually the last minute to register for classes...

But the cruise is coming up, so yay!!

[UnlikelyGrad]

Bergkirchweih was awesome also.. I only neglected to mention it because it was too late for the poster. I lived in Büchenbach in a rented apartment and interned at the Technische Fakultät on the east side of town (a good thirty minute bicycle ride).

Forchheim is only about a thirty minute train ride/taxi drive north (though the train tracks were under construction when I was there, so it was considerably longer)

Cool! We lived in Büchenbach Nord (Am Europakanal/Steigerwaldallee). Dad used the computer facilities over at Technische Fakultät several times a week, and he also biked over. My sisters and I got a free bus passes, so we used to take the 89 bus over to Hugenottenplatz, then walk up to my school (Marie-Therese-Gymnasium, near Lorlebergplatz).

My parents say that Erlangen has really changed in the last few years--seems more 'Americanized'. Back when I was there, ~23 years ago, the only name Americans would recognize was McDonald's. Everything else was either a German chain (Kaufhof) or little mom-and-pop shops...

If the other poster likes to hike, I recommend going up to the Fränkische Schweiz (north of Forchheim)...Ebermannstadt is a good jumping-off point. There are some caves somewhere north of Ebermannstadt, but I don't remember exactly where.

[kittraverse]

Currently counting down the last 3 weeks at my job, and then off to a training seminar. Classes begin in the end of August, and though I haven't registered yet (until after orientation), I basically know what I will be taking. A few months ago I felt like I needed to rush and catch up in areas I didn't concentrate on in undergrad, but as I get closer to my start date I get a little more relaxed (sometimes...) and don't feel the need to do that. What will be will be. I'm incredibly excited to have the chance to go to school to focus on something I love, and to get paid for it (still can't quite believe that one...). I hope everyone has the best of luck with moves and the like, that part of it is no fun at all...

[geochic]

I've moved my kids and I into a room a few weeks ago (I was living in University housing and I graduated so that's what's up there.) In the process I pared down to the bare essentials so we're pretty much ready to relocate across the country- and start over again. I'm completing an internship now, and counting down the days until we leave. I'm not reading any articles (save those I have to read for my internship) and so far I have only registered for one class since I need to meet with my advisor before I can enroll in any others. Right now my focus is on completing this internship and getting my kids and I established in our new city. The day we arrive I have several apartment viewings scheduled and I will need to find daycare and get my oldest enrolled in kindergarten (yikes!) so my thoughts are not on school presently.

PastHistory- I often worry that I will be discovered by the department as the sham I sometimes feel like I am....I ran into a former prof earlier today and told him how I felt (remarkably he happens to be adjunct faculty at my new program) and he chided me for my lack of confidence, reminding me that I would not have been accepted if I didn't deserve it (and reminding me what an exceptional student he thought I was- which was reassuring!) I'm still finding my place in academia- that's for sure.

[Infinite Monkeys]

All my paperwork is in to my program and the school, so I'm in a holding pattern until late August. Classes don't start until late September, so I'm not doing anything intensely academic until late August when I can get my hands on the reading lists. Right now, my reading is being spent on fun reading--murder mysteries and books that have languished on my "I gotta read this at some point" shelf. Right now I should be reading a book on Henrietta Lacks that I promised to loan my previous adviser, but it's a little heavy to read too much at once. Enter the old, reliable murder mysteries by my old, reliable favorites. Yay! I am having random surges of Impostor Syndrome, but my various faculty members in my undergrad/MA school are really supportive, and if they think I can do it, then I might have a shot, right?

I think I have a good idea on what I need to go out and buy. It's just a matter of doing it. I do need a little more in the way of clothing (while holy jeans might be appropriate for the program, I'm pretty sure my holey jeans won't be), and I will need kitchen utensils and some furniture and such. My grandmother said I could have what she doesn't use in the way of pots and pans, and my folks packed up the old coffee maker for me. My current desk can't make the trip, so I'll get a new desk and chair at Ikea, along with a coffee table and something to sit a TV on.

I'm finishing up projects at my current job, with the hope we'll have a replacement for my position by mid-August. If we don't, I'll pretty much have to continue doing it by email until we do find someone. It's a great job, but it's not a field most of the MA English students in my school's program want to go into (popular: comp/rhetoric, unpopular: writing/editing). I'm also going to be spending August on freelance writing, storing up articles like a paranoid squirrel hoards nuts. Extra money coming in = good thing.

What does worry me, and what I'm currently working on resolving, is a whole host of medical issues. Whatever's causing my mobility problems needs to be fixed before I leave town or at least to a point where I can manage on my own until I can get a new set of doctors out there. Poke, prod, and evaluate me now, so I can get down to the business of studying later, okay?

[coyabean]

What does worry me, and what I'm currently working on resolving, is a whole host of medical issues. Whatever's causing my mobility problems needs to be fixed before I leave town or at least to a point where I can manage on my own until I can get a new set of doctors out there. Poke, prod, and evaluate me now, so I can get down to the business of studying later, okay?

Ah, that does suck. I have the inverse problem: I am ignoring every fledgling toothache, lingering pain and reoccurring headache in anticipation of the good medical care and health insurance I'll have again in about 45 days. :/ I've been without for about two years and was too much of a mess before then to really attend to some things that need to happen.

Until then I walk gingerly, don't split poles, knock on wood, and try my best to not tempt karma.

[RNadine21]

I finally feel like everything's coming together. I just registered for my classes today, all my loans are ready for me to accept, and I will hopefully have a place down by the beginning of next week. This has really taught me patience; most of this hasn't fallen into place until the last week or two, so I've been stressed for the most part. I'm used to having everything together months in advance so this has really taught me to chill out and deal with things as they come.