Incoming student stress

[Therapist4Chnge]

Once into graduate school, your instinct for finding free food will be honed.

Seriously.

I made it my business to get to know students, faculty, and administrators across grad programs, because someone is always having an event, and FREE is ME! I often get mistaken for a student in various programs....like when i hit a law school event awhile back, the local bar chapter was trying to recruit me to be a rep for something or other. The best was when a prof in another program asked if I'd be taking one of their classes in the coming semester, as they thought I'd really enjoy it. I thought I would have...but alas, can't just drop into a pharmacy class without approval. I've found that the business school tends to have the best food, the law school events tend to be the most colorful (work hard/play hard I guess), and the humanities dept has the best ethnic food and most likely to make up "left over" plates for people!

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[Thrak]

My stress level is off the charts right now. We're in the process of moving from MA to NY (3 weeks before my own move from NY to NJ...which will be less intensive, by far). The moving company screwed up with the permits, so it's pushed back from this week to next week. I was so looking forward to being back home...

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

If you are in N. NJ, you owe it to yourself to go to The Grease Trucks....which serve arguably some of the best sandwiches anywhere. They are in the parking lot across from Frat Row on Rutger's main campus (new brunswick). Trust me when I tell you this......all of your stress and worries will melt away when you bite into one of their sandwiches. It may be replaced by heart burn, but it is worth it.

The Fat Darrell is the way to go, but the others are good too.

 

[hotpenguin007]

so one factor that i've just started thinking about is...dun, dun, dun: books! Around how much do you spend on a semster's worth of books? And is there an off campus bookstore at Nova where we could find all our required reading at alower price?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Order them from Amazon, half.com, etc. The bookstore tends to stink for not only getting the books in on time, but also for prices. I need to sell some of my books, but god knows where the are.

 

[islandgirl1]

Around how much do you spend on a semster's worth of books?

good question! I'd like to know that too

 

[moonflwr]

I have to deal with my first ever tropical storm/hurricane the week before I start grad school??? Come on, really? Just keep piling on that anxiety...

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I have to deal with my first ever tropical storm/hurricane the week before I start grad school??? Come on, really? Just keep piling on that anxiety...

I feel your pain....when I moved down here I drove through a TS with my best friend, and right when I was getting settled we had a Class II/III come through. I stayed with a new friend who had a solar-powered setup, so it wasn't too bad....just made for a messy beginning.

I chose to spend the rainy day napping, playing video games, and now I'm going to put on a movie. I'm not too worried about the TS....it'll come, rain....flood...have some high winds....and then leave.

Welcome to S. FL Hurricane Season.

 

[paramour]

I have to deal with my first ever tropical storm/hurricane the week before I start grad school??? Come on, really? Just keep piling on that anxiety...

Not a tropical storm, but we had a flood that closed down the city (and campus) the week or so prior to our first semester last year. More than a few students 'lost' the majority of their belongings after being in town for only a couple o' weeks. After seeing flood waters that covered people's cars and reached second story apartments, I opted not to move into the actual university town this year when I was looking for a new residence closer to campus. We still hear about that stupid flood. :\

 

[psybee]

so i just bought books for one of my classes and that was near 100 bucks, which i know is a deal (thanks amazon!), but multiply that a bunch and ouch!

i am such a ***** -- i totally forgot about the cost of books! how are ya'll doing with that?

folks that are further along, did you find that you needed to buy books for every class? i bought my stays ones because i know i'll need them through my 5 years, but for other classes i wonder...

 

[erg923]

so i just bought books for one of my classes and that was near 100 bucks, which i know is a deal (thanks amazon!), but multiply that a bunch and ouch!

i am such a ***** -- i totally forgot about the cost of books! how are ya'll doing with that?

folks that are further along, did you find that you needed to buy books for every class? i bought my stays ones because i know i'll need them through my 5 years, but for other classes i wonder...

We have a system at my program where all students are strongly encouraged to pass along their books to the next incoming class. Everyone is paired with a "big brother/sister" who kinda serves as student adviser during your first year. I get ALL my books from my big sis. I think she has only wanted to keep 2 of them so far....... Books tend to get passed along for several years, or until a new updated or change happens...and you have to buy. The great part is, you don't have to buy it from your big brother either. The tradition is to take them to lunch, or out for a beer or something. Obviously, I bought my own DSM and couple others, but overall, people are more than willing to pass along their books to the incoming class. This is how my program does things anyway.

 

[psychmama]

I found that the cost of books lessens after the first couple of semesters (due to fewer classes, more seminar style ones where the readings are on reserve or handed out in class). Also, in my program students routinely send emails around on the student listserve advertising/requesting used books for sale or even to borrow. In my experience, a lot of students don't keep their books when the class is over, probably because they could use the cash more than the book on their shelf.

 

[psybee]

We have a system at my program where all students are strongly encouraged to pass along their books to the next incoming class. Everyone is paired with a "big brother/sister" who kinda serves as student adviser during your first year. I get ALL my books from my big sis. I think she has only wanted to keep 2 of them so far....... Books tend to get passed along for several years, or until a new updated or change happens...and you have to buy. The great part is, you don't have to buy it from your big brother either. The tradition is to take them to lunch, or out for a beer or something. Obviously, I bought my own DSM and couple others, but overall, people are more than willing to pass along their books to the incoming class. This is how my program does things anyway.

i hope that is the case! everyone in the 2nd year seems really great, from what i've seen. i figure the stats book, and def. the DSM for keeps, but otherwise borrowing would be amazing. thanks!

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I kept my anatomy, pharma, cheat books (Essential Guide to....etc), and things like that....but Child Dev and simple stuff like that, pass on.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I thought this rather applicable to this thread.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

My To-Do List is not my friend right now....

1. Finish up some research stuff I need for a conference presentation that is rapidly approaching. Yikes!!

2. Prepare a paper for submission for another conference (related to the work above) that was recommended by a faculty member.

3. Internship stuff....ugh.

4. Decide if I'm going to pursue a part-time job doing assessments/report writing.....great experience and $, but stressful because of quick turn-around requirements.

5. Start up a group related to research that my friend is doing.

6. Start scouting around for a couple classes to teach for the Spring term.