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

[Neist]

8 minutes ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Oh man! I wouldn't have made it this far without some camaraderie, working with other physics majors on homework and things, I don't know how you do it! Do you think it'll be strange being in a program with only your HOS people?

A little, but my junior and senior capstone courses had only HOS people, too. I mean, the classes were quite small (the only majors I did know were from these classes), but I did interact with some a little. One bright side to this odd situation is that I'm a remarkably independent study. I sort of hope that my advisers will knowingly and approvingly nod to my research decisions and let me continue on. I tend to do my best work when I'm left to my own devices.  

Since I'm going to be in the same department, I think I'm going to foster improved interaction between graduate and undergraduate students. There's already efforts in place to improve the department's sense of community, but maybe I can help a bit.  I remain optimistic, at any rate.

[sjoh197]

47 minutes ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Oh man! I wouldn't have made it this far without some camaraderie, working with other physics majors on homework and things, I don't know how you do it! Do you think it'll be strange being in a program with only your HOS people?

I never had any of this camaraderie in my department, despite knowing most of the people.

They just drove me nuts. Most of them were so young and self-absorbed. They didn't take any of their work seriously and just partied every weekend. I will be so much happier to be in grad school with people who obviously care about their education. 

[Neist]

31 minutes ago, sjoh197 said:

I never had any of this camaraderie in my department, despite knowing most of the people.

They just drove me nuts. Most of them were so young and self-absorbed. They didn't take any of their work seriously and just partied every weekend. I will be so much happier to be in grad school with people who obviously care about their education. 

This is so true!  Not that my peers aren't dedicated, but they aren't as nerdily obsessed as I am or what I imagine graduate program peers would be.

It'll be great to talk to another person about a super dorky book I just read knowing that they might actually think its good conversation. 

[sjoh197]

18 minutes ago, Neist said:

This is so true!  Not that my peers aren't dedicated, but they aren't as nerdily obsessed as I am or what I imagine graduate program peers would be.

It'll be great to talk to another person about a super dorky book I just read knowing that they might actually think its good conversation. 

I think one of the problems with our program was that there were a lot of "options" for the upper level classes you could take... and some of them were really hard, and some of them were just easy A's. The only place I ever found the nerdier and more dedicated people were in the difficult classes other people avoided like the plague. Mostly math-based geology classes... like geophysics, and planetary geology, and seismology and such. 

I'm lucky to have a partner who is both interested in the work that I do... and smart enough to understand the idea. 

On a different note... I really need to buff up on some of my basic calculus, because my mom keeps texting me pictures of Calc 1 questions, and I keep having to actually think about whether I'm doing it right or not. Lol. 

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

3 hours ago, sjoh197 said:

I never had any of this camaraderie in my department, despite knowing most of the people.

They just drove me nuts. Most of them were so young and self-absorbed. They didn't take any of their work seriously and just partied every weekend. I will be so much happier to be in grad school with people who obviously care about their education. 

Fortunately all the physics majors who don't take their work seriously fail out after sophomore year, so after that it's smooth sailing  But most of them don't give a damn about doing anything after graduation so I do look forward to grad school, where people care... Eeeee!

[MarineBluePsy]

4 hours ago, sjoh197 said:

I never had any of this camaraderie in my department, despite knowing most of the people.

They just drove me nuts. Most of them were so young and self-absorbed. They didn't take any of their work seriously and just partied every weekend. I will be so much happier to be in grad school with people who obviously care about their education. 

This has been my experience with every degree I've earned so far.  I went to class and did whatever I needed to on campus, but as soon as I was done for the day I got as far away from those people as possible.  I'm hoping it'll be a little different in my PhD.  Not exactly best friends, but not making me want to scratch my eyes out would be nice.  

[sjoh197]

15 minutes ago, MarineBluePsy said:

This has been my experience with every degree I've earned so far.  I went to class and did whatever I needed to on campus, but as soon as I was done for the day I got as far away from those people as possible.  I'm hoping it'll be a little different in my PhD.  Not exactly best friends, but not making me want to scratch my eyes out would be nice.  

I actually did research with another undergrad who was super not serious about the project... but had signed up for research credit and it affected his grade so he wouldn't quit. We were borrowing a geochem lab downstairs, and the person who ran the lab was really nice and really open for scheduling convenience and everything. He would frequently tell her he was coming at such and such a time... and then not show. Well, eventually she got pissed off and told my advisor about it. This kid then goes around and blabs to our entire peer group (<50 people) that I am such a bitch (literally called me "such a bitch") for throwing him under the bus. Never occurred to him that I wasn't the one who did it. And that was basically everyone's first impression of me, since I was a new transfer to the department.

I did make one good friend who told me that most of the people in our classes found me "scary and intimidating" which is really funny, because I'm a pretty chill, regular person. I never had anything like that over in engineering. If anything, they were sometimes just a little sexist.  

Also... apparently most of our department thought I was in my late 20's? I know I have some different life experiences and all, but I certainly hope that the graduate students are a little less weird about it.  Maybe I just look old. The cashier didn't card me today when I picked up a case of beer for my SO sooooo.....

[hippyscientist]

Jumping in on this. At undergrad group projects ended up with my course friends. They were fun acquaintances but boy did they not have the right brain for our degree. I always ended up doing the work and they sailed along for free. Our course was very cliquey too which made it really challenging to diversify once you got put into a group.

My masters course is pretty good - I have a solid group of study buddies who are all serious about the course and we definitely help each other. However there are 2-3 peers (there's only 7-12 of us - it depends if you count the part timers) who ruin it for everyone else. Like @sjoh197 there's one who likes to spread really awful things about the rest of us. Combined these 2-3 peers make life hell - there's sexist comments, backstabbing, sabotage of people's work and really hurtful things said. It's a shame because otherwise I really enjoy my course! 

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

Sigh... it's one of those nights where I really wonder if I want to do this for the next 6-8 years! At school until 3AM, and have to be back at 8...

[hippyscientist]

Just now, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Sigh... it's one of those nights where I really wonder if I want to do this for the next 6-8 years! At school until 3AM, and have to be back at 8...

OUCH. Why?!?! 

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

Just now, hippyscientist said:

OUCH. Why?!?! 

It's just one of those nights where work sort of sneaks up on you... fortunately there are others in this situation, so that makes late nights that much more fun

[hippyscientist]

Just now, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

It's just one of those nights where work sort of sneaks up on you... fortunately there are others in this situation, so that makes late nights that much more fun

That just sounds like hell. I think the last time I was on campus late it was until 10pm. I honestly cannot imagine staying in that late. I can't remember the last time I saw 3am!  Good luck

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

Just now, hippyscientist said:

That just sounds like hell. I think the last time I was on campus late it was until 10pm. I honestly cannot imagine staying in that late. I can't remember the last time I saw 3am!  Good luck

Really? I guess it depends on what a person enjoys... I'd rather spend the night at school with friends than sit at home questioning my life

 

[hippyscientist]

Just now, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Really? I guess it depends on what a person enjoys... I'd rather spend the night at school with friends than sit at home questioning my life

 

See recently I'll be at my desk at 8am (I'm running late this morning) and stay until like 4pm. Then I'll get home cook middle lunch/dinner and then draw some figures or stuff in bed watching Netflix until 6pm. I don't work late. Brain definitely functions better in the morning haha.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

1 hour ago, hippyscientist said:

See recently I'll be at my desk at 8am (I'm running late this morning) and stay until like 4pm. Then I'll get home cook middle lunch/dinner and then draw some figures or stuff in bed watching Netflix until 6pm. I don't work late. Brain definitely functions better in the morning haha.

I'm jealous! I wish so much that I were a morning person! They've just always seemed like the productive types to me... but then again, their whole day is finished before I'm out of bed, so that's probably why

 

[hippyscientist]

57 minutes ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

I'm jealous! I wish so much that I were a morning person! They've just always seemed like the productive types to me... but then again, their whole day is finished before I'm out of bed, so that's probably why

 

Yeah if I'm still in bed at 7am, I'm sick. But then I'm the grandma of my friends as I can't stay out beyond 11pm. I'll start pathologically yawning at 9.30...

[haltheincandescent]

Whoo!, okay, it's all done, and I'm officially a grad student next year, yay! (One DGS just never responded to my letter about declining, which is pretty lame, especially as I really hoped to keep at least the minimum of contact with people at that department, as it really was a good--but sadly, ultimately, not the best--fit for me, but I guess that bridge is burnt out and smoldering already; but everyone else has been supportive, and so, yay, everything's pretty much awesome now! Time to relax and chill  )

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

1 hour ago, haltheincandescent said:

Whoo!, okay, it's all done, and I'm officially a grad student next year, yay! (One DGS just never responded to my letter about declining, which is pretty lame, especially as I really hoped to keep at least the minimum of contact with people at that department, as it really was a good--but sadly, ultimately, not the best--fit for me, but I guess that bridge is burnt out and smoldering already; but everyone else has been supportive, and so, yay, everything's pretty much awesome now! Time to relax and chill  )

YAY!!!!!! And harvard, too!

 

[Neist]

9 hours ago, hippyscientist said:

See recently I'll be at my desk at 8am (I'm running late this morning) and stay until like 4pm. Then I'll get home cook middle lunch/dinner and then draw some figures or stuff in bed watching Netflix until 6pm. I don't work late. Brain definitely functions better in the morning haha.

Yeah, I'm definitely a morning person, not a night one. After 7-8pm my brain slows down a lot. I can still do things, but it better be somewhat mindless tasks, like making study guides.

1 hour ago, haltheincandescent said:

Whoo!, okay, it's all done, and I'm officially a grad student next year, yay! (One DGS just never responded to my letter about declining, which is pretty lame, especially as I really hoped to keep at least the minimum of contact with people at that department, as it really was a good--but sadly, ultimately, not the best--fit for me, but I guess that bridge is burnt out and smoldering already; but everyone else has been supportive, and so, yay, everything's pretty much awesome now! Time to relax and chill  )

Congrats!  You're English, right? I can't recall. I have a terrible memory.

[hippyscientist]

2 hours ago, haltheincandescent said:

Whoo!, okay, it's all done, and I'm officially a grad student next year, yay! (One DGS just never responded to my letter about declining, which is pretty lame, especially as I really hoped to keep at least the minimum of contact with people at that department, as it really was a good--but sadly, ultimately, not the best--fit for me, but I guess that bridge is burnt out and smoldering already; but everyone else has been supportive, and so, yay, everything's pretty much awesome now! Time to relax and chill  )

Yay congratulations It's all very exciting.

The grad school have my transcript finally but it's been pending review since Thursday. Just say okay and issue the paperwork already. I'm starting to get apprehensive about visa stuff now.

[haltheincandescent]

39 minutes ago, Neist said:

Congrats!  You're English, right? I can't recall. I have a terrible memory.

Thanks, everyone!

And, yep, English (dunno when my little tag there disappeared, but, yeah). Got to see Emily Dickinson's desk/piano/etc. while visiting Harvard, which was too much for my English major self (even though I don't particularly study Dickinson), and might have been what pushed it over the edge. (Not really--everything else was amazing too  )

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

50 minutes ago, hippyscientist said:

Yay congratulations It's all very exciting.

The grad school have my transcript finally but it's been pending review since Thursday. Just say okay and issue the paperwork already. I'm starting to get apprehensive about visa stuff now.

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!

[haltheincandescent]

Just now, 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!

Possible that they're waiting for everyone to accept/reject (i.e. waiting til after April 15) before starting to send official stuff, so they can do it all at once/to one email list? All I've got, too, is one auto-generated thing (about transcripts, mostly)  after filling out the online response form (though it also said to look out for follow up info about transcripts), as well as a message from my dept.'s secretary that they'll be emailing everyone that's officially joining in like, June or something. 

Essentially, I'd imagine that some grad schools delay official communication until the class is for sure set, though I'm sure it differs from school to school.

[sjoh197]

8 minutes 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 am just as of yesterday getting my first correspondence from the graduate school in a form email saying that I will receive info from my academic advisor in the next few weeks. I accepted a month ago as well. 

[rhombusbombus]

@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!