Grad School is TOUGH...right...

Hey! The probe questions were my idea (though I would never actually ask my professor them...)

MIT does have TAs. In fact, practically all MIT grad students in geology have to TA. It's only the oceanographers who are special and don't have to teach...

This summer is fairly sweet. I'm doing lots of reading and a little chemistry and mass spectrometry, but mostly I'm just hanging out with friends and going to the beach. Life will be a little more challenging when classes start up in a few weeks, but really it's not so bad. Getting paid to do amazing research and to learn about geology and travel is fairly sweet...

kittynh said:
TA? what is this TA you speak of?

MIT and Woods Hole don't do that TA stuff.

All I did was keep thinking, "all you rich people are paying a fortune to rent right on the water here, and Woods Hole is PAYING my daughter to live here."

See, it isn't about earning money, it's about spending other peoples money.

That and playing with the ion probe!!!

I was trying to ask her "boss" about the probe. For instance, "So what's the difference between a large probe like this and a smaller probe? In other words, does size matter?"

When I got to "Is this a hands on kind of probe?" and "Is the probe turned on NOW?"
she kind of kicked me out.

Hey, it's MY job as a mother to make her blush.
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Min is great. He's my officemate and becoming a good friend. We're all helping him with his English as he has to take a big test in a couple of weeks at MIT.

The H3 is also great. I didn't think I'd like a hummer, but I have to admit that this car is pretty sweet. Smaller, so it's not as much of a gas-guzzler. It does very well off-road and on some of the small New England dirt roads around here. Plus, the satellite radio, leather interior, and two DVD players aren't so bad...

I've also become friends with some crazy Russians. They like to dance. Disco style. Saturday night Woods Hole fever.

kittynh said:
well, pretty soon she goest to Boston to take her MIT classes. Woods Hole is very laid back. MIT is pressure cooker.

Still, she is studying what she loves. And everyone is so NICE at Woods Hole.

For instance, there is a Chinese student. He's only been in the US for about 2 months. The other students made sure he found Chinatown in Boston (so he could get some food), and have been taking him around. I met him, and so far his English skills consist of, "Me MIN!!! From CHINA!!!" When I asked him where in China he was from he just looked confused and said, "From CHINA!" and looked like I was an idiot for not knowing where China was.

He also said, "Would you like a chair?" If he talks in complete sentences, it's something he's learned from his book. So some odd things come out.

He's rooming with a bunch of Naval Academy grads. They take him everywhere. One of the guys has the new H3. (Navy guys are paid well). Min likes to play with the built in DVD player. In China his family didn't have a car. He's kind of like thier puppy. But the point is that they make sure he come along. The funny thing is that the guy is a genius, a total complete Tesla, Edison....

But I think it's great that he's having one heck of a fun summer! They will make a party animal out of him yet!
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Kitten said:
Min is great. He's my officemate and becoming a good friend. We're all helping him with his English as he has to take a big test in a couple of weeks at MIT.
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Pretty much everyone here is incredibly friendly and cheerful. My officemate has an amazingly infectious smile.
 
so how was the hot date with Red Tide study dude?

And did anyone fill in all those holes in Woods Hole?
 
Wow, nice place.

I wish I could find a job that offered me accomodations like that ... :(
 
It doesn't pay well, but even Rebecca was looking forward to next summer when Kitten returns! It's a sweet deal.

One day she may need to get a real job, but right now....
 
Anything that pays enough so you can live in a place with a roof, hot water and and heating, enough left to eat every day and alowing you to have a bit of fun too is a real job.
 
I'm depressed now. I'm trying to get in a Ph.D program but I have my doubts if I'll ever be able to use it (English with a concentration in Film Studies which apparently one of my professors suggested I go for). Anybody offer some encouragement or discouragement?
 
Zbu said:
I'm depressed now. I'm trying to get in a Ph.D program but I have my doubts if I'll ever be able to use it (English with a concentration in Film Studies which apparently one of my professors suggested I go for). Anybody offer some encouragement or discouragement?
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I know relatively little about grad school in the humanities, but I really enjoy being a graduate student. You may not be paid very much, but being able to pursue something you're really passionate about is worth much more than a big bucks salary, in my opinion.

Also, filling out a few applications never hurt anyone. At worst, you will lose a couple of hundred dollars in application fees and a few nights of sleep while fretting about your admissions essays. That's a small price for the opportunity of a lifetime, though... you never know...

For instance, I have a friend pursuing a master's degree in Arabic. She almost didn't apply to graduate school because her GRE scores were low, she struggled a little with the Arabic (it's a tough language), and she started the whole application process late. However, she went ahead and filled out the applications, and now she's studying Arabic at Harvard on a full scholarship! Admittedlly, Arabic is in demand these days so there's more funding for Arabic than other humanities fields. Nonetheless, you never know until you apply!
 
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wollery said:
:eek:

They charge you to apply?!?!?! :boggled:
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Unfortunately... the fancier the school, the more expensive the fee. State school fees are on the order of $30 to $40. MIT was $80, I believe. Adds up quickly, but it's still cheaper than med school or law school fees, I believe...
 
Sorry to seem repetitive, but I have to check this to make sure I'm really understanding - the colleges charge you to send them an application form? :boggled:
 
wollery said:
Sorry to seem repetitive, but I have to check this to make sure I'm really understanding - the colleges charge you to send them an application form? :boggled:
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Yes, they charge you to apply. Both undergraduate and graduate programs. Application fees vary depending on the program and institution.

If you don't get in... well, there goes your money...
 
Kitten said:
Yes, they charge you to apply. Both undergraduate and graduate programs. Application fees vary depending on the program and institution.

If you don't get in... well, there goes your money...
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And yet, with all that money coming in, they still charge an arm and a leg in tuition I suspect ...
 
Well if you go to grad school there is a pretty chance you'll get a teachers assistant or research assistant gig that will pay tuition plus a stipend.
 
Hey, don't get me wrong, I have no problem with them charging tuition, and lots of it. After all, grad students take up a lot of the time of research and teaching staff. I know, I've been a grad student, and I'm currently running one! (sort of)

But charging people to send in an application form is just taking things too far! I see no justification for it. It can't be for the money, even the most prestigious schools don't get that many applications for graduate study.
 
wollery said:
But charging people to send in an application form is just taking things too far! I see no justification for it. It can't be for the money, even the most prestigious schools don't get that many applications for graduate study.
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Because they're charging people for applications I guess. It sort of weeds out those people who'd otherwise just send out applications like crazy without actually being serious about it.
 
I work at a private school that starts with preschool! We charge $35 application fee. Why? Because we have to process it and do a lot of work. That includes paying a company that checks the financial information included, and does a background check. We don't want any parent with a history of arrest for being a sex offender. Sorry. We do want to know that you CAN afford the tuition. Once you let someone in, the school is really nice about letting tuition slide a month or two if you really have troubles. Even more for a job loss or serious illness. WE do not want to be in the position of kicking a little kid out of school for non payment by the parents.

That costs about $35, which isn't including the cost of the time of the staff at school that works on it!

Financial and security checks cost a bit.
 
kittynh said:
I work at a private school that starts with preschool! We charge $35 application fee. Why? Because we have to process it and do a lot of work. That includes paying a company that checks the financial information included, and does a background check. We don't want any parent with a history of arrest for being a sex offender. Sorry. We do want to know that you CAN afford the tuition. Once you let someone in, the school is really nice about letting tuition slide a month or two if you really have troubles. Even more for a job loss or serious illness. WE do not want to be in the position of kicking a little kid out of school for non payment by the parents.

That costs about $35, which isn't including the cost of the time of the staff at school that works on it!

Financial and security checks cost a bit.
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This I understand, anyone applying to work with children, particularly small children, should be checked extremely carefully. And by saying up front, "We are going to check you out very carefully, and you're going to pay for those checks." you discourage those who know they'll fail.

But a postgrad application is an entirely different kettle of fish. For most subjects there is no reason to do any background checks, if you don't have the qualifications you aren't going to get in, and qualifications are actually very quick and easy to check, and if you do have the qualifications then it's unlikely that you're not serious about wanting to do postgrad study. Add to this that you have to write an essay for the application (in the US), which makes it very easy to discard those people who are unsuitable, and there really isn't any reason to charge any money to filter out unqualified, unsuitable or non-serious candidates.

I've just reread kitten's last post and noticed that they also charge for undergraduate applications, which at $30 or more a time is a real money earner, so I guess they just charge for any application. Doesn't make it right. :(
 
You want to know what ISN'T RIGHT?

So she has to pay for her apartment in Boston (thank goodness the stipend and such covers it)...but they are letting her KEEP for FREE the place on Cape Cod as she might want to spend the night there during the week if she is working on a project. Did I mention the free bus service that runs between Woods Hole and Boston for the students everyday? Heaven forbid she's a little worn out from zapping rock samples with ions and can't face a bus ride back to Boston. THIS IS A HOUSE, on the Cape (while winter is not the ideal time, still it's NICE) with just one roomate.

So she is off to Boston, but has her little place on the Cape for when she needs to "get away from it all"....
 
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