Before grad school "bucket list"

[glm]

I know grad school isn't exactly like marriage or having children, but I was wondering if anyone has/had a list of things you want to do or accomplish before entering grad school. I'd love to hear about it!

 

My list:

 

1. Backpack in South America, volunteer in the Amazon (check) 

2. Hike GR-10 path from the French Atlantic to the Mediterranean (nope)

3. Work in California Sierra Nevada (check)

4. Hike Wonderland Trail a Mount Rainier (looking good for this summer)

5. Make sashiko quilt (in progress…)

6. Hike John Muir Trail (nope)

 

 

 

[ginagirl]

Oh fun! I don't think I ever thought about doing this but I will definitely start a list! I'm new to Arizona and probably won't be back on "west coast" for a while, so I know I definitely want to go see the Grand Canyon at least, and do other exploring in the area.

[astroyogi]

Love this

 

1) Lots of things to do before I leave my undergrad campus (restaurants, wine tours, visiting museums, buildings, bars, etc.)

2) Europe!

3) Get to a satisfactory stopping point in my undergrad research 

4) I should reemphasize the wine tour bit 

5) Help family move into new place (aka sort through my childhood)

6) Regain full splits and be able to balance a handstand without a wall (I've already gotten the headstands down and lemme tell you, they are excellent conversation starters)

7) ??? probably more! 

Edited February 18, 2014 by astroyogi

[Monochrome Spring]

1) Finish undergraduate research project --> write up manuscript and get it submitted to journal for review

2) Order a bunch of books and field guides pertinent to my field sites

3) Finish reading Game of Thrones (and as many other books as I can)

4) Hike in Sequoia National Park and Yosemite

[PSHopeful]

Go to London for a week or two
Go to Florida for a week or two

Buy a reliable newer car

[LittleDarlings]

Nothing nothing and nothing. I have a job I'm making money, maybe go on a trip this summer? I feel like even that I can do during grad school. We all know my goals, that's what I care about doing before grad school

[spectastic]

1. Visit Europe

2a. Reach cat 3 in amateur cycling

2b. Reach cat 2 after reaching cat 3 (unlikely)

2c. Win Houston Grand Crit cat 4

2d. Finish top 10 in Rouge Roubaix 4/5 (pushing my luck)

2e. Race in California

2eii. Ride along HWY 1

2f. MS150

2g. spindletop spin 100

2h. Tour of Austin (CoTA, and not have mechanical failure this time)

3. Visit San Francisco

4. Get a motorcycle + gear

4b. Learn to ride it and not crash

Edited February 19, 2014 by spectastic

[seeingeyeduck]

Take transatlantic journey on a freighter.

Do an art residency either locally or in Utah.

Make inroads on new work so I have something for early crits.

Brush up on what's going on in fields I'm not as familiar with.

[1415dr]

I've had a stack of books in my garage for the past 2 years that I haven't been able to read. I used every spare minute reading for my MS courses and I haven't had time for pleasure reading. If I get accepted for the Fall that gives me about 6 months to read them. Starting with Mark Twain's journals and notebooks.

[I am not sure yet]

1) Not to freak out before acceptances come;

 

2) Lose weight (I lived in the US for one year and gained 20 pounds, I'm still struggling to get back to my normal weight...);

 

3) Visit my friends in Dominican Republic;

 

4) Finish reading the books I won't be able to take with me;

 

5) Finish and submit 2 papers from my Master's research.

[deci:belle]

1. Learn how to drive (haha I'm 21 and still have no clue. But I'm going to put full responsibility on my city for that one.)

2. Get a job to earn income for the next few months

3. Go back to my Alma Mater one more time before my friends graduate and leave too

4. Vacation in Miami

5. Reconnect with Boxing

5a. Six/Four pack abs (in progress)

5b. Define legs more (check)

5c. Strengthen arms (in progress)

6. Take a free online class (check)

7. Sharpen cooking skills

[legan]

1. Relocate successfully

            -Quit my job, find a new place, get a new job, and all that stuff without too much strain!

2. Read more books

            -I usually read about 20 novels a year. I imagine come September, I won't have the same luxury.

 

 

That's it, actually. Hopefully it shouldn't be too hard to accomplish!

[spectastic]

I think I set my bar too high for this year....

 

 

actually nah, I have 3 weeks of vacation this year, and maybe a sick day .

Edited February 20, 2014 by spectastic

[Pennywise]

I am looking at it as having 6 1/2 months to write a nonfiction book on an unrelated topic. That could happen, right? I have a few projects I've been meaning to finish up in book form, and I know I will not have time to devote to anything off-topic once I start a PhD... I would also like to write the next Sookie Stackhouse series. If neither of those works out, I'm planning on starting a silly but wildly successful internet business then selling it to some multinational conglomerate by September 1st. That should cover my textbook budget for next year ... Why not, right?

Edited February 21, 2014 by grrlfriend

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

Not do anything related to school. Maybe enjoy the beach and outdoors for one last time before I leave Miami. Been here for 6 years and rarely go to the beach. Full time job and full time school will do that to you. Spend 4 months having no obligations and no plans whatsoever. Hit up some of those tiki bars on the beach a mile from my house. Maybe hook up with a few cougars. They love young scholars. Get my six pack back. 6 years of Guinness. Get back into spoken word. Maybe get back into poetry. Computer science will do that to you. Get wasted a few times. And try mushrooms. Not the kind in sandwiches.

[Maleficent999]

I really, really want to go to Disneyland. I haven't been since I was in high school. The drive from my new school will be too far and I fear the next time I'll have enough free time to go (after grad school?) I'll be too old to really enjoy it the same way I would now.

[gellert]

1) Go to Chicago

2) Write a lot of fiction while I still can

3) Go to Israel

4) Learn a new language

[lady rainicorn]

I had a really random list that I wanted to accomplish before starting grad school, and somehow (after much time out) managed to hit all of them:

 

1. contribute some time and effort to cancer-related research

2. explore Korea, its culture and language

3. find biological family

4. develop my teaching pedagogy

5. pay off the bulk of my undergrad loans

[LittleDarlings]

Not do anything related to school. Maybe enjoy the beach and outdoors for one last time before I leave Miami. Been here for 6 years and rarely go to the beach. Full time job and full time school will do that to you. Spend 4 months having no obligations and no plans whatsoever. Hit up some of those tiki bars on the beach a mile from my house. Maybe hook up with a few cougars. They love young scholars. Get my six pack back. 6 years of Guinness. Get back into spoken word. Maybe get back into poetry. Computer science will do that to you. Get wasted a few times. And try mushrooms. Not the kind in sandwiches.

Don't you already do this like daily..? 

[bgguitarist]

1. Finish writing my urban fantasy novel (really, I have a standing goal of drafting a book every summer, so that I can edit it sporadically throughout the rest of the year...some years it works, some years comps exams take over my life).
2. Work on my French skills (really a prep before grad school thing, but meh).
3. Conquer the world. Oh, wait, that's my cat's bucket list...

[AwesomeBird]

I know grad school isn't exactly like marriage or having children, but I was wondering if anyone has/had a list of things you want to do or accomplish before entering grad school. I'd love to hear about it!

 

My list:

 

1. Backpack in South America, volunteer in the Amazon (check) 

2. Hike GR-10 path from the French Atlantic to the Mediterranean (nope)

3. Work in California Sierra Nevada (check)

4. Hike Wonderland Trail a Mount Rainier (looking good for this summer)

5. Make sashiko quilt (in progress…)

6. Hike John Muir Trail (nope)

What's a sashiko quilt?

[MadtownJacket]

I'll be hitting up the Southwest for most of the summer, so here are places that I want to visit:

1. Bryce Canyon, UT
2. Arches National Park, UT
3. Taos, NM
4. Santa Fe, NM
5. Telluride, CO (where we'll actually be staying)

[ChasingMavericks]

Oh this is too fun

 

For right now I must say I just need to take loads and loads of camping trips before I head off to grad school. Sooo Lake Havasu here I come!

[glm]

What's a sashiko quilt?

 

It's a traditional Japanese geometric hand stitching method. I like the symbolism and method's tediousness.

[AwesomeBird]

I wish I could quilt. Do you it make it by hand?