WINE, WAIT, AND WHINE THREAD

[Demeter]

I once told an interviewer that I found her work on really obscure regionalist subject "interesting because it, uhm, was all about X in Place." She blinked at me and was like "That's kind of the whole point." After that I just 'uhmed' my way through the interview. 

I think interviews are mostly about making sure they get a whole picture or see check for some red flags they might not see on paper regarding fit. We might be bumbling, and somewhat awkward, but I think they're sometimes looking for personality, fit, and willingness to participate in a conversation. That is, as long as we don't do/say something totally unpalatable that gets us eliminated. 

 

[rosali]

31 minutes ago, nevermind said:

The *best* GF mixes I've found are Pamela's GF mixes (http://www.pamelasproducts.com/products/baking-mixes/pamelas-baking-pancake-mix/) or King Arthur's (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/gluten-free-baking-mix). I can't eat delicious, delicious gluten either.  :-/

I've had lots of success with Bob's Red Mill flours, but some of them don't have xanthan gum added, which is annoying. The best I've found ever is a Spanish brand called Gallo. It has a really good texture for baked goods, but I don't know if you can get it outside Spain.

 

Also, just received an email from NYU. It was spam. Took about 5 years off my life...

[kseeful]

11 minutes ago, Demeter said:

I once told an interviewer that I found her work on really obscure regionalist subject "interesting because it, uhm, was all about X in Place." She blinked at me and was like "That's kind of the whole point." After that I just 'uhmed' my way through the interview. 

 

Well, did you get accepted?!

[Demeter]

@kseeful I was accepted, shockingly! 

Edited February 2, 2016 by Demeter

[wine-ing]

The worst thing is that I'm obsessively checking time zones. Three of the schools I applied to are on PST and so it's 6:30PM here and I'm like, but hey, it's still only 3:30PM on the west coast... (And in the mornings, I look at the clock and if it's before noon I just want it to be later.)

 

[bioanth]

welp my university is officially under tornado watch for the night. I'm torn between hoping the power goes out so I am forced to stop obsessively checking my email and hoping the power doesn't go out because I think i'd die of anxiety. Ugh!!

[nka93]

Well the application I was complaining about was forwarded for a decision. Apparently it could take "two weeks to several months" for a decision to be made. Thanks. That narrows it down. 

I'm gonna go make some tea. 

[knp]

@Pink Fuzzy Bunny I dunno if it was on here or somewhere else around the internet, but I saw a point made recently. It was like, hey, remember all the classes you've ever taken, or invited lectures you've watched? Have you seen any of those by very successful people? (Me: *nods*) Were any of those talks by very successful people just excruciatingly dull and/or awkward? (Me: *nods vigorously*)

Conclusion: If some very successful academics are very bad at public speaking, interviewing well must be nice but often not a dealbreaker.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

9 minutes ago, knp said:

@Pink Fuzzy Bunny I dunno if it was on here or somewhere else around the internet, but I saw a point made recently. It was like, hey, remember all the classes you've ever taken, or invited lectures you've watched? Have you seen any of those by very successful people? (Me: *nods*) Were any of those talks by very successful people just excruciatingly dull and/or awkward? (Me: *nods vigorously*)

Conclusion: If some very successful academics are very bad at public speaking, interviewing well must be nice but often not a dealbreaker.

An excellent point... thanks, I definitely needed that!

[raaawr]

8 hours ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Well, I only had one interview  If more programs in physics interviewed, I would be totally screwed. I have the social skills of a tree stump.

 

Oh gosh! I have the social skills of a tree stump too! I hate phone calls and video calls and get social anxiety before meeting up with someone even my friends. I am so unbelievably awkward lol! 

[raaawr]

To the one who got accepted to U of Cincinnati congrats! I lived there for awhile, I miss that place. Lol. Go bearcats! ?

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

11 minutes ago, raaawr said:

Oh gosh! I have the social skills of a tree stump too! I hate phone calls and video calls and get social anxiety before meeting up with someone even my friends. I am so unbelievably awkward lol! 

You and I need to be friends. Phone and Skype calls are my worst nightmare. 

[raaawr]

45 minutes ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

You and I need to be friends. Phone and Skype calls are my worst nightmare. 

Yes same!!!! Hahaha. When someone calls my phone I just ignore it cause in my mind if it's important they'll send me a message. Unless of course it's family calling then I have to answer lol

[FoxAndChicken]

Some tips I picked up for interviews: 1. Being really grateful and really nervous are weirdly mutually exclusive. If I get in the mindset of remembering all of the improbabilities that had to line up for me to get where I am, then I don't feel nervous any more. Also, it helps you remember to be kind of humble. 2. Remember that they want you to succeed. Everyone has that fear of being like in the middle school talent show where people boo you off stage because your talent is bad. But you're ACTUALLY qualified to be in said interview, and more importantly, middle school students are terrible. Even the most terrible adult will not be as soul crushing as a judgy middle school student. So they won't boo you out of the interview, even if your talent sucks. Because social norms. 3. They don't want perfect, they just want you. The best way to be an interesting person is to be interested in things. You want to get a Ph.D. for a reason, right? If you weren't interested in the topic, you wouldn't be doing this. Let that shine through, because that is exciting to the person interviewing you as well. View it as an opportunity to nerd with a fellow enthusiast. :D

[hippyscientist]

Morning guys, the waffle conversation is really making me want some but I don't have a waffle iron or any ingredients guess I'm making healthy cake batter for breakfast (honestly the best thing for sweet tooth cravings it's 25g protein and only 7 of fat and carbs). 

After my interview last night I received an email from the POI saying they will be meeting on Friday to discuss, that budget restrictions are tight but she really wants me so it's going to be fought tooth and nail. Great, doesn't help dull the nerves at all. This morning a woke up from an email from Florida giving me  a UFL email address, where all official correspondence will be sent. Any alerts about status or anything will go there. But...but...I can't set up alerts for it to come in on my phone so now I'm going to be even more glued to my computer. 

Too much stress, tea and cake batter required!

[nka93]

12 minutes ago, piglet33 said:

But...but...I can't set up alerts for it to come in on my phone so now I'm going to be even more glued to my computer. 

Can you forward your student email to your personal one? I have two or three different university email addresses all forwarded to my main email address. They are all gmail for what it's worth. 

[hippyscientist]

@nka93 thanks for the suggestion! I figured it out in the end (brain not quite awake yet). Weird having an official email address for a school I may or may not be attending as I haven't even heard whether I'm accepted lol.

[kingslayer]

Me: *emails professor and lets them know I am available for volunteering every week EXCEPT for the 4th due to a grad school interview*

Professor: The volunteering schedule is up! kingslayer, you will start on the 4th!

Me: 

[rosali]

Heard back from Northwestern...rejected. So it begins. At least I know.

Edited February 3, 2016 by rosali

[haltheincandescent]

4 hours ago, kingslayer said:

Me: *emails professor and lets them know I am available for volunteering every week EXCEPT for the 4th due to a grad school interview*

Professor: The volunteering schedule is up! kingslayer, you will start on the 4th!

Me: 

Hah. Yeah. That reminds me a bit of my old advisor--great guy, super smart, great advisor--but when we'd set up a meeting, I' say: I get out of class at 3:00, so just let me know when you can meet. Inevitably, he'd say: Okay! Let's meet at 3:00 (in X coffee shop a 20 minute walk from my class). Like.......that was supposed to be the time I can't meet. (I just ended up telling him I got out of class at 3:30 instead.....)

 

But, probably, you should just remind them--in my case, he was just your normal average absent-minded prof., which seems to be a pretty common (and accurate) trope, so, they probably just didn't read something close enough.

[The Interdisciplinarian]

5 hours ago, rosali said:

Heard back from Northwestern...rejected. So it begins. At least I know.

Oh, golly, I'm sorry.

[hippyscientist]

@rosali I'm sorry but like you said, knowing is half of it. Have some awesome tapas to comiserate

[SLPgradstudent]

16 hours ago, piglet33 said:

oooohhh what recipe do you use? I'm experimenting with GF mixes at the minute (recently diagnosed celiac). Tomorrow is burger buns

Hello celiac and GF friends!  Just wanted to tell you all, I feel your pain.  While I am no longer on a GF diet, I was for a while, so that they could rule that out as the source of my health problems.  Turns out I'm fine with dairy and gluten (thank goodness), but I have a fructose intolerance.  And intolerance to certain other carbohydrates with very long names.  So I have my own set of yummy foods that I can't eat (including apples, pears, honey, HFCS).  I've learned to live with it, but some days I still yearn to be able eat food like a normal person!

[pterosaur]

Ooh, an entire thread devoted to the anxiety of waiting for news? Now I can get more notifications on GC so I feel like something is happening.

I'm currently waiting on results for... everywhere. But especially my top choice, where I've been told I'm among the top of their list of admits, but with nothing official. And after a Skype interview with another school, the prof. wanted to find a time I can visit when I'm in the country (which would be after they send acceptances). I want to interpret this as super awesome news for both places, but I'm afraid of getting my hopes too high only to be brutally crushed.

[123hardasABC]

I made the mistake of checking my student loans. Holy anxiety. This Master's degree was a waste of time and money......