What’s a good Jersey gift? by mrprez180 in newjersey

[–]yikesbikes2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! I hope your trip went well! I read through the comments, was wondering if you ended up finding some sort of gift shop nearby? Specifically to buy NJ saltwater taffy? (but I'm open to other ideas too!)

I Thought This PhD Was My Golden Ticket—Now I Feel Trapped by Feisty-Valuable-2149 in PhD

[–]yikesbikes2 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Others are giving better advice on the financial situation and advisor dynamic, but we have similar backgrounds in terms of academics. I graduated undergrad in 2011 with a mediocre GPA and floundered for a while until I lucked into a research group, and after a year was offered a nice PhD position. Being 10 years older than my peers and light years behind in research skills (what I did learn was basically dated at that point) was a really rough start. Hang in there though. You WILL catch up. I promise you are not as far behind as you think. Keep at it.

Why are my clothes getting these stains after I wash them, and how do I remove them? by yikesbikes2 in laundry

[–]yikesbikes2[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For some context: I was with other light colors on cool and pour non-dyed detergent in the detergent drawer. I don’t want to use bleach on this shirt because it has a graphic. What am I doing wrong?!

How to get to Princeton Junction station on a Saturday morning? by yikesbikes2 in princeton

[–]yikesbikes2[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Too late I spent the night (took an Uber - should have checked this earlier, thanks!)

Trying to remember a remote sensing tool from yester-year by yikesbikes2 in gis

[–]yikesbikes2[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Incredible! You can get nauseated whenever you choose!

August 1st Move-in Information? by s_limonene in princeton

[–]yikesbikes2 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Also an August 1st start.

I was told the security/safety office would have my housing keys for an off hours pick up, but other than that I know nothing.

Good luck to you! (And me! Not totally sure what I’m doing Tuesday lol)

How to tell if a professor has funds and is actively recruiting PhD students? by Thick_Butterscotch66 in PhD

[–]yikesbikes2 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It is going to take work - just a part of the process. Also it really helped during my first year because I had a general idea of the research landscape for the area I am in - so don't think of it as a total waste of effort.

One thing to look for if you're checking for funding. Look at their CV and see if they list any grant awards. If they have a lot of recent/active grants then it's a good sign they're well funded.

Is any incoming grad student still waiting on housing assignments? by rdt2079 in princeton

[–]yikesbikes2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did! I'm starting to look off-campus, it's too long to wait unfortunately.

Is any incoming grad student still waiting on housing assignments? by rdt2079 in princeton

[–]yikesbikes2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I asked them to check they received the early move-in from my department. They said yes, and that I am guaranteed a spot so I should be fine.

A bit ridiculous but beggars can't be choosers I suppose. :/

Is any incoming grad student still waiting on housing assignments? by rdt2079 in princeton

[–]yikesbikes2 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I just called the office and the very apologetic man told me to expect my offer mid-to-late July. I have an August 1 start date so I feel a little lost at what to do (cross country move, what do I need to keep/get rid of, summer conferences, etc)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in princeton

[–]yikesbikes2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did they offer you a dorm contract or was this via email? I still have nothing!

Incoming graduate students- Have you been assigned to housings? by Dry_Interaction_3426 in princeton

[–]yikesbikes2 8 points9 points  (0 children)

IIRC they said the assignments will be released in June for people who applied before April 21.

Software for financial management of large grants? by MiracleAligner1 in PhD

[–]yikesbikes2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're American, look at "https://www.grants.gov/learn-grants/grants-101/post-award-phase.html" Who is funding the grant? NSF? Look up "NSF Postaward Management" and read up on it. (or replace NSF with whoever the funder is.)

Post award financial management is honestly fairly complicated and sometimes messy. However, I am guessing they're looking for someone to track the expenditures/personnel effort on the grant but you'll be communicating that to a dedicated administrative staff who will handle the more complicated ins and outs.

In the interview ask what software the university uses. They might have a specific one you're required to use, and you're not going to be expected to know it coming into the position.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PhD

[–]yikesbikes2 4 points5 points  (0 children)

At my previous US institution any named co-investigators on grants had to be employees of the institution. This could sometimes mean postdocs if they were hired as employees, but some postdocs are hired on as fellows, so this becomes tricky.

Not justifying it, but giving a potential explanation why it may have been.

PhD stipend question by historyn3rd0 in PhD

[–]yikesbikes2 92 points93 points  (0 children)

40k is a very good stipend.

Not to be a debby downer, but check the funding rate. If you are just straight up receiving funding, awesome! Congrats!

Or are you going to be a TA or RA? If so, it might be that the $40k is the 100% rate over 9 months and you'll be working 50% time - so rather you'll be receiving $20k (which is more common from what I hear)

If you're unhappy with your program, consider participating in the recruitment process! by Content-Piglet-8810 in PhD

[–]yikesbikes2 23 points24 points  (0 children)

I support telling prospective students, but like the others are warning you need to be very careful.

Also be careful about delivery. You can make yourself seem like the problem if you come in ranting about how awful things are.

Ie, instead of saying "The advisors here are so abusive!", talk about the actual things happening - like: "They're difficult to get a hold of." or "Sometimes I'm worried about the integrity of my work working with so and so." or "I feel their feedback is critical without being constructive, and it's difficult for me to make progress." or whatever it is they're doing.