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

[Neist]

I am convinced that the only difference between graduate level reading materials and undergraduate reading materials is that the former is much, much worse written. How can academics get away with writing this crap? Is the only reason that graduate students read this is because no one else has a prayer of understanding it?

Meh.

[Need Coffee in an IV]

sooooo i already am annoyed at one of my professors. his personality and mine seem to clash a little. he told me that my idea for an annotated bibliography was poorly articulated so i emailed him a new version along with the power point I'm presenting in class for a reading. all he emailed me back was to make sure i read the recently uploaded version of my article. Read the article, not much of a difference. No mention how my new version of my annotated bib was......

[MarineBluePsy]

1 hour ago, Need Coffee in an IV said:

sooooo i already am annoyed at one of my professors. his personality and mine seem to clash a little. he told me that my idea for an annotated bibliography was poorly articulated so i emailed him a new version along with the power point I'm presenting in class for a reading. all he emailed me back was to make sure i read the recently uploaded version of my article. Read the article, not much of a difference. No mention how my new version of my annotated bib was......

That's weird.  Maybe he needs more time to review it or overlooked it?  Is this a professor that you have to work very closely with or someone that you can reasonably work around for most of your program?  While I'm not surprised a part of me thinks its sad that we've barely started and we're already encountering people that are a pain in the ass.

[Need Coffee in an IV]

18 hours ago, MarineBluePsy said:

That's weird.  Maybe he needs more time to review it or overlooked it?  Is this a professor that you have to work very closely with or someone that you can reasonably work around for most of your program?  While I'm not surprised a part of me thinks its sad that we've barely started and we're already encountering people that are a pain in the ass.

He sent back more criticisms and i sent in a third version. All he responded back was "reasonable". He's just one of those people who say barely anything unless its a critique. Oh he's in the art division of the museum so I won't be needing him on my committee. I'll be fine but I want to complain about him lol. sorry about your troubles!

[hippyscientist]

Eeee so I had an amazing meeting with my advisor today, despite the fact I've been sick all week (I passed out in the grocery store on Monday evening). Looks like he wants me to start taking dissertation credits from Spring, which is exciting and crazy and fun and so many emotions! I had some training on some lab things today and I think it hit me that while others are super far ahead of me in some things (like coding and simulations) I've got the leg up in other areas. We can all learn from each other!

One thing that I'm struggling with is one of my lab mates seems to have a crush on me, and she's definitely hit on me a few times. Like I get on well with her in the lab, but that's as far as it goes! I think she's getting the message but it's definitely a bit awkward right now, especially seeing as we've got the next 3-4 years to work together. I don't know, it's just a bit awkward. 

We have our first conference thing on Friday which is going to be really interesting. As grad students we get to take the presenters out for lunch (paid for by the department) to discuss their work, their careers and get some advice. I think that's awesome! We then get a roundtable discussion in the afternoon. I'm really looking forward to it. 

Not really sure what the point of this was, but it feels good to write it all out! (Oh and I just made some baller fajitas. Mmmm tasty)

[pterosaur]

I'm really excited by the research I'll be working on... but I don't have time to work on it! I'm taking 2 classes, and they're currently eating all of my time. One requires close to 15 hours a week just for the readings, the other has weekly ungraded exercises (which you need to do if you want to do well on the exams) which can be 14 pages long, and they both have incredibly long problem sets due next Thursday. Arrgh.

[jlt646]

On 9/21/2016 at 7:16 PM, hippyscientist said:

...

Not really sure what the point of this was, but it feels good to write it all out! (Oh and I just made some baller fajitas. Mmmm tasty)

That all sounds really amazing (excepting, of course, the potentially awk labmate situation)! I'm glad Penn State is treating you well, too. (: One of my profs has asked me to help her teach a course that I'm taking, in preparation of taking it over for her during Summer Session. I'm excited, because there aren't a ton of teaching opportunities in our department, but a little nervous, too- I've been in grad school for like five minutes! Eep! 

Have an incredible time at the presentation today!

 

[Need Coffee in an IV]

would it really kill my professors to return exams, papers, assignments, back at a reasonable time? i would like to know how i'm doing.

[hippyscientist]

7 hours ago, jlt646 said:

That all sounds really amazing (excepting, of course, the potentially awk labmate situation)! I'm glad Penn State is treating you well, too. (: One of my profs has asked me to help her teach a course that I'm taking, in preparation of taking it over for her during Summer Session. I'm excited, because there aren't a ton of teaching opportunities in our department, but a little nervous, too- I've been in grad school for like five minutes! Eep! 

Have an incredible time at the presentation today!

 

That's so exciting though! The presentation was amazing and we ended up having dinner and drinks at a professors house with the visiting researchers. The researchers are 3 prominent figures in the field and it was amazing to be able to talk to them about their experiences, their knowledge and their advice. Plus, drinking with them was hilarious. Watching them all do vodka shots was one of my highlights. My day started at 7.30 this morning with TAing, and I just got through the door at 11pm. Had to drop some professors off at their houses though! Very funny! 

[janetjanejune]

We're only a 1.5 weeks into school, but I genuinely like everyone in my cohort. Really happy about that.

[hippyscientist]

7 hours ago, janetjanejune said:

We're only a 1.5 weeks into school, but I genuinely like everyone in my cohort. Really happy about that.

Agreed! Everyone I've met has ben awesome, although we might have started a bad habit of alcohol consumption more regularly than I'm used to. Hope everyone's week are going well

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

Same here! I just wish I got to spend more time with them! I don't know how people have free time!

[MarineBluePsy]

And now I have living room furniture!  How nice to have a place to sit and relax or read.

[avflinsch]

Not sure if this counts as a vent or a self pat on the back -

Currently taking a Data Analytics course online, and getting emails from other students in the class. It seems that one of the papers that I wrote for the undergrad version of the class is being used as an example for the grad version, now they asking me for advice. I'm both annoyed at them asking and kind of happy that the paper was chosen as an example (I did give permission to use it several years ago, just never thought it would actually be used).

I just emailed the prof for the class, asking if I can update and expand the original (since I have done more independent work on the topic) or pick a new topic. Hoping for the update and expand, this way I can self-cite..

 

[marycaryne]

Wooo it has been a few months and holy cricket I can't believe how time has flown and I have gone from waiting anxiously for a response (ANY response) to now being full immersed. I have 10 hours of class, I am a TA teaching two labs, as well as an RA. I was also asked to be part of the graduate policy committee for our department which is pretty awesome. So all of that to say that man I am exhausted! But really, I love it.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

47 minutes ago, marycaryne said:

Wooo it has been a few months and holy cricket I can't believe how time has flown and I have gone from waiting anxiously for a response (ANY response) to now being full immersed. I have 10 hours of class, I am a TA teaching two labs, as well as an RA. I was also asked to be part of the graduate policy committee for our department which is pretty awesome. So all of that to say that man I am exhausted! But really, I love it.

Right?? It's hard to believe that 6 months ago we were still waiting to hear back from schools and starting to make decisions. I feel like I've been here forever!

 

Also that's a lot to take on your first year. I applaud you.

[marycaryne]

11 minutes ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Right?? It's hard to believe that 6 months ago we were still waiting to hear back from schools and starting to make decisions. I feel like I've been here forever!

 

Also that's a lot to take on your first year. I applaud you.

Considering the assistantships offered a stipend and tuition waiver, I couldn't refuse. Also I took on the GPC because there are issues going on that need addressing and I want to see reflected in the policies. Had the issues not occurred, I likely would have turned it down.

And I feel we all need to be awarded degrees for time management.

[MarineBluePsy]

Yeah where are our time management awards?!  All my favorite tv shows just returned and I'm trying to cram them all in and keep up with my work.  

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

8 hours ago, MarineBluePsy said:

Yeah where are our time management awards?!  All my favorite tv shows just returned and I'm trying to cram them all in and keep up with my work.  

Right??? I like to pretend I can do my homework while watching some new shows that just returned for the fall, but it's a lieee.....

[MarineBluePsy]

@Pink Fuzzy Bunny  Hey how did your exams end up going?  I managed to only fail one out of three which is much better than I expected to do.  I am already working on those gaps in knowledge and with that extra effort I can still finish with a passing grade.  And I solved my dry erase board dilemma!  Man I'm on a roll, go multivitamins!

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

1 hour ago, MarineBluePsy said:

@Pink Fuzzy Bunny  Hey how did your exams end up going?  I managed to only fail one out of three which is much better than I expected to do.  I am already working on those gaps in knowledge and with that extra effort I can still finish with a passing grade.  And I solved my dry erase board dilemma!  Man I'm on a roll, go multivitamins!

Oh I haven't had one yet! A couple of weeks to go  Congrats!

 

Also, how did you solve your dry erase board dilemma???

[MarineBluePsy]

8 hours ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Oh I haven't had one yet! A couple of weeks to go  Congrats!

 

Also, how did you solve your dry erase board dilemma???

So I needed a board I could both write on with markers and stick notecards on, hence the magnetic aspect.  Post It makes dry erase boards that you can peel and stick to the wall and I decided to just not use that adhesive back and hang it with Command strips.  Now since I was using a two sided mobile dry erase board I just rearranged my office so that I can hang 2 side by side and will lose the mobile aspect.  I can hang notecards or other things on it with poster putty.  Now while the reviews on these boards are pretty good, if for some reason they're completely worn in a couple of years, they're cheap enough to just replace.

[Need Coffee in an IV]

All As for me so far! Going to the field tomorrow, hope i don't embarrass myself!

[Neist]

On 9/30/2016 at 6:04 AM, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Right??? I like to pretend I can do my homework while watching some new shows that just returned for the fall, but it's a lieee.....

I'm adapting to the speed pretty decently, and I'm currently participating in 4 extracurricular reading groups. But I'm pretty nuts, so. And I don't watch TV, either. :X 

I was a little afraid about grades for a bit earlier in the semester, but I'm doing fine. There's always the fear that one's standards won't meet expectations.

@Need Coffee in an IV Good luck on the field trip! Museum field trip? Back when I was studying art history, I took a museum studies course that required a lot of field trips. I always had fun.  

[hippyscientist]

Is freshers flu doing the rounds where y'all are? I swear I've spent the last two weeks sick and I woke up this morning with no voice. This is not fun! I was on top of everything until I got sick and now there's a bunch of stuff I need to do this coming week. Not to mention, I got a date tomorrow and I currently sound like darth vader. Not a good look.

4 hours ago, Neist said:

I was a little afraid about grades for a bit earlier in the semester, but I'm doing fine. There's always the fear that one's standards won't meet expect

I was nervous how my background was going to be changing countries and all, and it's scary how much stuff I've already covered. I'm grateful because it frees up time to become au fait with coding and some new skills, but it sure is nice getting work back with 100% at the top. Guess it's going okay lol.

 In two weeks we register for spring semester classes and my advisor is already encouraging me to drop down to part-time classes and up the research time. That's so exciting to me.