We've wined, we've waited, now it's time to celebrate 2016

[Euler]

13 minutes ago, rhombusbombus said:

@hippyscientist It took 2-3 weeks for my transcript to finally say "yes" instead of "pending review"

I was going to start setting a time to wake up bc right now if I'm up by noon then it's cause for celebration, but I was lazy and didn't do it.

I'm also trying to increase my cardiovascular endurance which is painful and slow going. But I really want to be healthier for grad school!

If you enjoy running even a tiny bit, you should check out couch to 5k. It's a super good program!

I'm biased, though, since I've been running since high school...but I will say it's a great thing for physical and mental health long-term for sure.

[rhombusbombus]

@Euler I'm trying an app similar to that! It's got me running and walking in increments of 2-3 minutes. I'm finding that I need the right music to push through. My dog is doing it with me, but he taps out about halfway through

[Neist]

1 hour ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Real talk though, when should I expect to hear back from grad schools? I accepted their offer over a month ago and I've heard from a professor congratulating me and making arrangements to work with him this summer, but nothing official. Nothing about enrollment, registering for classes, requests for final transcripts... nothing!

I accepted about a month ago at this point, and I haven't anything other than the paperwork is coming soon. 

I'm not too concerned with classes filling up because history of science classes are only taken by history of science students, generally, and our department is very small. I doubt we'd hit max class attendance.

[Euler]

3 minutes ago, rhombusbombus said:

@Euler I'm trying an app similar to that! It's got me running and walking in increments of 2-3 minutes. I'm finding that I need the right music to push through. My dog is doing it with me, but he taps out about halfway through

That's good- the hardest thing when you start is not pushing too hard too fast and injuring yourself. Even as you do more, the easiest way to a running injury is just doing too much. So having an app that regulates that is a great way to do it!

Edited April 6, 2016 by Euler

[hippyscientist]

@rhombusbombus if you don't like running that much, doing circuit training is awesome, as is the rower (if you're a gym member) and even things like vinyasa yoga are amazing. I used to train people so if you want any advice shoot.

I feel more reassured a lot of you haven't heard anything too official yet! It's kinda frustrating not knowing. The graduate class enrolment thing opened 17th March and it just feels wrong to have not even had a discussion about it yet with my PI. But mainly I'm just freaking about the visa situation. The university has to issue a form, then post it via snail mail to me, then once I've received that I can book an appointment at my embassy to have an interview. That will take a minimum of a month, just to get to the booking the interview part, and on the website for international students it says during peak times may take "much longer than 4-8 weeks". I also have to save up for train travel to London to get to the embassy, and then once I've had the interview I have to wait up to 6 weeks for my visa to be returned to me. I just feel like time's running out! The international student orientation day is on August 8th, which means I need to have finished my research here by mid-July. Agh just time slipping away!!! Come on PSU - issue my visa log-in details already.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

18 minutes ago, hippyscientist said:

@rhombusbombus if you don't like running that much, doing circuit training is awesome, as is the rower (if you're a gym member) and even things like vinyasa yoga are amazing. I used to train people so if you want any advice shoot.

I feel more reassured a lot of you haven't heard anything too official yet! It's kinda frustrating not knowing. The graduate class enrolment thing opened 17th March and it just feels wrong to have not even had a discussion about it yet with my PI. But mainly I'm just freaking about the visa situation. The university has to issue a form, then post it via snail mail to me, then once I've received that I can book an appointment at my embassy to have an interview. That will take a minimum of a month, just to get to the booking the interview part, and on the website for international students it says during peak times may take "much longer than 4-8 weeks". I also have to save up for train travel to London to get to the embassy, and then once I've had the interview I have to wait up to 6 weeks for my visa to be returned to me. I just feel like time's running out! The international student orientation day is on August 8th, which means I need to have finished my research here by mid-July. Agh just time slipping away!!! Come on PSU - issue my visa log-in details already.

Holy CRAP! It's a miracle anyone ever goes anywhere out of the country!

[sjoh197]

So... I'm looking for some suggestions on things to beef up my scary arsenal for using public transport to get to the university in the fall. 

I am a rather smallish girl, and there are a lot of really weird creepy people in the city. I already have my mace, and I carry a 7-ish inch gut hook knife, holstered. I don't have the money to buy a handgun and get all of the certification right now... although we are planning on doing that in the future. 

I get followed from the train in broad daylight by creepers, and I'm approached incessantly and made to feel very uncomfortable sometimes. I don't know what else I can do now.  

[hippyscientist]

@sjoh197 have you tried taking self-defence classes? Knowing martial arts really helps me feel a little more confident in sketchy situations, although it's certainly not a fix-all approach.

So I moan about the pending review thing on my transcript and now it's changed to yes! Yay  

Edited April 6, 2016 by hippyscientist

[pterosaur]

So glad I don't have to worry about visas this year!

I accepted my PhD offer a few weeks ago and have started getting official things in the past week - request for transcript, info to set up login and email address. (I have a Harvard email! I feel so official!) I also got in touch with my advisor after I accepted the offer, and she said we can work out more details and project/research things over the summer. I'm excited to get started and chomping at the bit! 

[rhombusbombus]

My advisor wants me to present an abstract for the project ill be atarting at this huge pollinator conference in july!

 

Well, that just lit a fire under my butt!

[Love3]

6 hours ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Real talk though, when should I expect to hear back from grad schools? I accepted their offer over a month ago and I've heard from a professor congratulating me and making arrangements to work with him this summer, but nothing official. Nothing about enrollment, registering for classes, requests for final transcripts... nothing!

At least I'm not the only one who feels this way. I haven't heard anything from anyone since early March and the registration opened last week. I'm sure they will make the seats based on incoming students since my program is small.

Still, I'm too excited to not be occupied by tons of grad school preparation stuff! 

[haltheincandescent]

46 minutes ago, pterosaur said:

So glad I don't have to worry about visas this year!

I accepted my PhD offer a few weeks ago and have started getting official things in the past week - request for transcript, info to set up login and email address. (I have a Harvard email! I feel so official!) I also got in touch with my advisor after I accepted the offer, and she said we can work out more details and project/research things over the summer. I'm excited to get started and chomping at the bit! 

Ach, so jealous! I haven't gotten the email address set up email yet, but, looking forward to also be Harvard-official soon! (Also somewhat jealous of you all in the sciences that already have advisors to be so immediately in contact with--things are a little more free-floating and undetermined over here in the humanities, so I've really only been in contact with the DGS so far). But, I'm zen to anything involving waiting, now, so, all good.  

[yayspace]

I GOT ACCEPTED. OMG. IS IT OKAY TO FREAK OUT HERE BECAUSE I'M DOING IT!

Side note: Anyone familiar with Lafayette, Louisiana? 

[Levon3]

7 minutes ago, yayspace said:

I GOT ACCEPTED. OMG. IS IT OKAY TO FREAK OUT HERE BECAUSE I'M DOING IT!

Side note: Anyone familiar with Lafayette, Louisiana? 

Congratulations!!! And, yes--this is the freakout place! I'm still dancing about it occasionally, and it's been 3 weeks since I was accepted!

[faradayfangirl]

Anyone here going to their own alma meter for grad school? Thoughts? 

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

57 minutes ago, yayspace said:

I GOT ACCEPTED. OMG. IS IT OKAY TO FREAK OUT HERE BECAUSE I'M DOING IT!

Side note: Anyone familiar with Lafayette, Louisiana? 

YAY!!!! Congratulations!!

[Euler]

40 minutes ago, faradayfangirl said:

Anyone here going to their own alma meter for grad school? Thoughts? 

I'm not, but there were a couple undergrads at VT that will be.

My impression from others' stories is that you should avoid it if possible- it looks better to have a variety of schools on your CV. But if it's your only option due to location or some other external factors, it's not necessarily a bad idea.

[hippyscientist]

3 hours ago, yayspace said:

I GOT ACCEPTED. OMG. IS IT OKAY TO FREAK OUT HERE BECAUSE I'M DOING IT!

Side note: Anyone familiar with Lafayette, Louisiana? 

Yay yay yay - congratulations!!! I am not familiar with Lafayette although I have driven through it and the roads weren't great. They had relatively decent truck stops though... that is of no help I am sorry. Enjoy the freak out stage!

@haltheincandescent I don't know how you do it in the humanities. My advisor has been amazing throughout this process. Mad props to you for floating and being zen

Other Penn Staters - it says on my international student orientation thing that we get webmail and all set up on campus once we arrive. This seems really odd, does it work this way for non internationals too? 

[Loneflier]

I got accepted for Aerospace MS at UIUC. Still waiting for UPenn though, applied in the second round :/ So not sure whether I should be completely happy about this or not. Anyway hello all

[jlt646]

3 hours ago, hippyscientist said:

Other Penn Staters - it says on my international student orientation thing that we get webmail and all set up on campus once we arrive. This seems really odd, does it work this way for non internationals too? 

Definitely isn't working that way for me! I have access to webmail and all of the portals. 

[rhombusbombus]

@hippyscientist teah. I got my email and access to portals already. Although i cant really DO anything in the portals yet. Try to get into elion or liinpath. I bet you can already. 

[hippyscientist]

@jlt646 and @rhombusbombus yep I can access elion and lionpath, just no webmail access. Oh well, it's happening the way it should be! 

In other news, I might have done something bad to my knee in the gym this morning. I was warming up squats and felt a pop, now I can't load bear on my left leg at all. Really not the right time for this to be happening, I really really really hope it's not as bad as it feels.

[sjoh197]

9 hours ago, yayspace said:

I GOT ACCEPTED. OMG. IS IT OKAY TO FREAK OUT HERE BECAUSE I'M DOING IT!

Side note: Anyone familiar with Lafayette, Louisiana? 

I'm guessing you got in at UL.... since there isn't anything else actually in lafayette. 

It's hot and humid... just like the rest of the state. There's not a whole lot going on in the city, although you'll be busy school wise anyways. Lots of rural tract people, and a lot of the people there are big into hunting and fishing (It's the only outdoor activity available unless you play football). 

People there "like" the ragin cajuns but in reality they're all still LSU football fans. 

I've been told the area around the uni is mostly safe, but I don't really know a lot of people who go there... just people who live in the lafayette. 

[Neist]

9 hours ago, faradayfangirl said:

Anyone here going to their own alma meter for grad school? Thoughts? 

I am. I know it's not ideal, but it's probably the best program in the US for what I want to study. And it's a dual degree and the library half is rarely funded anywhere. 

I think I'll be okay. It was too good of an opportunity, and I can always get a PhD elsewhere.

13 hours ago, rhombusbombus said:

My advisor wants me to present an abstract for the project ill be atarting at this huge pollinator conference in july!

Well, that just lit a fire under my butt!

I'm sure you're capable of it. I believe in you!

10 hours ago, yayspace said:

I GOT ACCEPTED. OMG. IS IT OKAY TO FREAK OUT HERE BECAUSE I'M DOING IT!

Side note: Anyone familiar with Lafayette, Louisiana? 

Congratulations!

[haltheincandescent]

11 hours ago, yayspace said:

I GOT ACCEPTED. OMG. IS IT OKAY TO FREAK OUT HERE BECAUSE I'M DOING IT!

Side note: Anyone familiar with Lafayette, Louisiana? 

Yay! Congrats!

--

In other news, I'm @g.harvard.edu official now. So excited. Still antsy to get started on the rest of registration, but, have to wait until I have a good picture of myself to submit the stuff for an ID!

Edited April 7, 2016 by haltheincandescent