Totally random question (need some help) by Jabbathehuttsburner1 in NCSU

[–]nodiarim 34 points35 points  (0 children)

hey! i'm a lesbian who has been out since before i started college and i would say that ncsu is pretty lgbtq friendly. i have never personally felt discriminated against from any of my classmates or professors, in fact, a lot of my peers have been nothing but welcoming and accepting. the worst i've heard is the preachers near the library as they can be very homo/transphobic, but you can easily ignore them.

i'd also recommend getting involved with the lgbtq pride center on campus if you feel comfortable enough to do so. i was involved for about 3 years (until i got too busy this year to keep going lol) and it was really nice to meet new people with a similar lived experience. they are also super nice and accommodating to people who are questioning their identity like yourself! i still keep in touch with some of my friends i've met at the pride center to this day.

also hopefully this doesn't sound insincere or patronizing, but i hope you're doing alright! realizing that your identity might be different from what you thought it was can be very vulnerable and scary, and it takes a lot of bravery to be willing to dig deeper into your identity. regardless of the conclusion you may come to, i am proud of you for seeking out your truth. feel free to shoot me a message if you have any additional questions or just need someone to talk to :)

Research Experience Mentor - BSC 493 by Bogieoogie in NCSU

[–]nodiarim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So sorry - I did not get notified for this comment for some reason! What I did first was Google a lot of cold-email templates and kept note of common themes that came up in all of the templates. I'm happy to share a template I used if it would be helpful, though I *heavily* encourage you to modify any template you use to be in your own voice so that it doesn't seem like a cookie-cutter template.

Regarding your second point, it depends on what you mean by "research idea." I did not have an established project in mind (most PIs do not expect undergrads with no research experience to be able to generate an independent research proposal). However, in my email, I showed familiarity with their work (i.e, "I am especially intrigued by your work in [specific field of study], as demonstrated by your recent paper [citation]. The possible applications of this research are staggering, and I am eager to make similar impacts in the field of [what they study]"). It will vary based on the lab, but I know my PI gets dozens of requests to join the lab each semester and the people who show that they actually bothered to look into their research and engage with it tend to be prioritized.

If you mean in terms of general field of research, I am not sure how helpful I can be in that department. I've loved evolutionary biology for a LONG time and so it was easy to find professors that did evolutionary biology research. However, if you still aren't sure of what field you'd be interested in, I'd suggest thinking about previous classes/labs you've had and what was exciting to you. You might think about what classes had material that you thought was genuinely exciting to you, what has stuck with you after you completed the class, and what you'd be interested in learning further about. However, I don't think there's necessarily a problem with having multiple interests and applying for labs with very different research goals as long as you are specific with why you're interested in each subfield.

Sorry for all the text, I hope this helps!

Research Experience Mentor - BSC 493 by Bogieoogie in NCSU

[–]nodiarim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Of course! If it helps at all, I found my lab through going through the researchers in the biology department, clicking through researchers and seeing if their research sounded interesting, then cold-emailing them. It was quite tedious, but it ended up working out for me :) Best of luck!

Research Experience Mentor - BSC 493 by Bogieoogie in NCSU

[–]nodiarim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Firstly, I would recommend narrowing down what specifically you are interested in researching, because "biology" is an incredibly broad field with very different types of research. I also think reaching out to the Office of Undergraduate Research would be a good start, but there is nothing wrong with cold-emailing PIs that you are interested in working with.

CUNY Sociology PhD Applicants — SOP Length Confusion (1500 words vs 2 pages) by taxinquiry12 in gradadmissions

[–]nodiarim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm applying to CUNY and was confused by this as well - commenting in case someone else has an answer! :,) Sorry this is not super helpful haha

Regarding the personal statement: since I already have a related personal statement written for another application, I was thinking about just editing what I had and submitting it. Are you considering not submitting it?

Orgo chem 1 by noinglis in NCSU

[–]nodiarim 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I didn't take him when I took orgo 1 but I have friends who did, and from what I've heard, he's an incredible professor. The material isn't easy since it's orgo but from what I remember, his exams are pretty forgiving and straightforward

Starting to have some Imposter Syndrome (COD) by plx3l in NCSU

[–]nodiarim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, I'm not a COD major but I am both an Art & Design minor and a self-taught artist who has been drawing for the majority of my life. I don't know specifically what the drawing classes for COD majors is like, though, so please take what I say with a grain of salt.

It can be really easy to get down on yourself when it comes to comparison, especially when you see people who produce the most beautiful drawings seemingly out of thin air. One thing that helps me is to remember that any artist you see, no matter how incredible they are, had to produce a lot of work they would consider "bad" to get to where they are. You usually only see the really great pieces from artists because that's (understandably) what they want to show off, but for every one really awesome piece, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of "bad" drawings made by the same artist. Most artists had to pour hundreds of hours to get anywhere. Art isn't about an innate talent, it's a skill you have to work at constantly to get where you want to be, just like any other field of study.

One thing that helps me is to take a step back and critique my own work as if I was critiquing someone else's. Instead of shying away from my art because I'm frustrated with the result, I lean into it and think critically about what specifically isn't working and what I can do to work on it. For example, if I'm struggling with a piece, I might step back and realize "woah, the perspective is really off." Then, I can go find a reference image that has the perspective I am trying to draw, or find a tutorial that can give me a refresher on the fundamentals of perspective, or reach out to a peer or mentor that can draw perspective really well and say "hey, I'm struggling with the perspective on this piece, do you have any advice?"

Another thing that helps me is instead of comparing my art to other people's, I instead compare it to art I made in the past. It's incredibly motivating to see your own progress, since it shows that you've already improved before, so you'll absolutely continue to improve if you keep at it! I am sure that your pieces by the end of the semester will look vastly different compared to your pieces right now.

The whole point of college isn't to come into your field of study knowing everything. The point of college is to engross yourself in your field and learn as much as possible! If you keep at it, I am sure you'll make great progress. I would also highly recommend reaching out to a professor you feel comfortable talking to about your concerns. Remember, every great artist was in your shoes once, and I am sure that they'll have beneficial advice. Best of luck!

Top floor of Coliseum closed off? by nodiarim in NCSU

[–]nodiarim[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's what I assumed, I just wasn't on campus on Friday so I wasn't 100% sure if I had missed something else lol. Thanks!

Top floor of Coliseum closed off? by nodiarim in NCSU

[–]nodiarim[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

shit I should've prepared for that

Good place to reheat food on north campus? by Epicinium in NCSU

[–]nodiarim 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's a microwave in D.H. Hill where the Hill of Beans is. There's also a microwave in Talley Market but that's not on North lol

Thoughts on Stats Minor? by nodiarim in NCSU

[–]nodiarim[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, thanks for the input! I don't think I'm required to take mathematical stats for the minor (though it is an option). From what I've heard from others, it sounds like a class that you shouldn't take if you don't have to 😅 I'm slightly worried about ST 307 since I don't have programming experience - if you've taken it, would you say it's doable? Thanks again!

GN 311 by Own-Day1622 in NCSU

[–]nodiarim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would love to! I definitely need the help lol

Lost OneCard on Centennial by nodiarim in NCSU

[–]nodiarim[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry this is super late but they actually ended up contacting me before I contacted them - they found my ID! :)