Hey rejected kids - what are your plans?

Also, I plan to get my first motorcycle or maybe take a trip

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I advocate this. Until vet school applications sucked the life out of my bank account, I was going to take a trip up to Kentucky to make the Kentucky Derby, and wind my way through various state parks along the way and do the same going back. Guess it'll have to wait though!

Be sure to take an MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) course (www.msf-usa.org) and don't get hung up on "I need a huge 600cc sports bike as my first bike because anything less I'll just be upgrading soon". That's a good way to get yourself killed, as others before you have demonstrated time and time again.

Good luck with it, and keep the shiny side up.

Also if you want some motorcycle forums to get you going, let me know.

I am always scared to hop on my 1250cc speed machine......but I think that is what I enjoy the most about riding.

MSF is not only a must, but you might as well just give up all your hopes and dreams if you don't take some basic/advanced riding courses. No point in wasting your time dreaming about graduate schools.

I did start on 600cc and got bored quick....but 600cc is not a joke if it is a light bike.

When I get ready to apply and get accepted, I am selling my bike that day. No point in risking my neck if I am putting in that much investment into school. Motorcycles are as safe as the rider and the bike combined.....but it is the other dumb^%$#^%$#^%$#^ drivers that is going to get me killed.

Watch out for motorcyclist....anyone that hits you, make sure you turn it into the biggest lawsuit. I am not saying this to be litigation happy, but people that ignore motorcyclists should learn their lessons.

That is the end of my rant. Good luck and be safe.

Sngstop said:

I'm going to be starting a MS program at UCD this coming fall.

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That's what I did when I didn't get in.

I think I remember you posting about it before, maybe. Are you going to do a thesis-based MS? What graduate group? I'm finishing up in Animal Bio and am happy to answer any questions you have about that.

Solidgun said:

I am always scared to hop on my 1250cc speed machine......but I think that is what I enjoy the most about riding.

MSF is not only a must, but you might as well just give up all your hopes and dreams if you don't take some basic/advanced riding courses. No point in wasting your time dreaming about graduate schools.

I did start on 600cc and got bored quick....but 600cc is not a joke if it is a light bike.

When I get ready to apply and get accepted, I am selling my bike that day. No point in risking my neck if I am putting in that much investment into school. Motorcycles are as safe as the rider and the bike combined.....but it is the other dumb^%$#^%$#^%$#^ drivers that is going to get me killed.

Watch out for motorcyclist....anyone that hits you, make sure you turn it into the biggest lawsuit. I am not saying this to be litigation happy, but people that ignore motorcyclists should learn their lessons.

That is the end of my rant. Good luck and be safe.

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I hate it when I see people that are inconsiderate of motorcyclists. I would personally never ride a motorcylce just because of the other stupid people on the road. When I know there is a motorcyclist around I am always being extra cautious around them because I do not want to run into them and potentially seriously injure them or even kill them (I do have to say that it pisses me off when they do not wear helmets though, it is like not wearing a seatbelt in a car). I always try to be really considerate of motorcylists but I have seen some crazy motorcylists as well...like the ones who drive in between cars on the freeway when all of the traffic is backed up or cut in and out of traffic (if those people get into an accident and attempt to turn it into a massive lawsuit they had better lose, it is their own stupid fault for being wreckless).

It is drivers like you that keep people like me alive.

However, the thing about riding between cars....known as lanesplitting is actually a safe and legal practice in most states as long as it occurs in congested traffic and not during the normal flow of traffic.

1. Many motorcycles are air-cooled so they need to move
2. In congested traffic areas, motorcycles can be pushed by other cars in case of rear collision of the car directly behind and normally have no way of escaping.
3. Motorcycles can safely navigate between cars if the traffic is not moving so there is really no point in staying within the area like cars


I did ask a lawyer friend of mine if someone tried to cut me off intentionally and my life was in danger if I could pull out my firearm and shoot that driver in self defense while I was off duty. He said NO....but I could report that person and that person could be charged with attempted homicide if the case was strong. Now, I wouldn't shoot someone and it was just a joke/unimaginable self defense scenario, but the point is that people in cars should know that lanesplitting is legal and safe and should not try to cut ppl off.


And yes...I have seen crazy motorcyclists...like last season this idiot on a rocket was standing on his bike going 75+ right between a semi and my large truck. If I didn't see him and I changed my lane, he would have died instantly as he was not wearing any safety gear.

DVMDream said:

I have seen some crazy motorcylists as well...like the ones who drive in between cars on the freeway when all of the traffic is backed up or cut in and out of traffic (if those people get into an accident and attempt to turn it into a massive lawsuit they had better lose, it is their own stupid fault for being wreckless).

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I saw this happen around a year ago - someone on a bright green motorcycle speeding at like 90 mph down the highway, going in between cars, etc. I passed a blend of flashing emergency vehicles 20 minutes later - the person had crashed...don't know if they survived it. I'm not saying motorcycles are bad! Just that there are some real idiots out there...

Does an MS in Animal Bio substantially increase your chances of getting into vet school? And does it have to be directly with animals? I am interested a broad range of biological fields but I would do animal science if that increased my chances the most?

Solidgun said:

It is drivers like you that keep people like me alive.

However, the thing about riding between cars....known as lanesplitting is actually a safe and legal practice in most states as long as it occurs in congested traffic and not during the normal flow of traffic.

1. Many motorcycles are air-cooled so they need to move
2. In congested traffic areas, motorcycles can be pushed by other cars in case of rear collision of the car directly behind and normally have no way of escaping.
3. Motorcycles can safely navigate between cars if the traffic is not moving so there is really no point in staying within the area like cars


I did ask a lawyer friend of mine if someone tried to cut me off intentionally and my life was in danger if I could pull out my firearm and shoot that driver in self defense. He said NO....but I could report that person and that person could be charged with attempted homicide. Now, I wouldn't shoot someone and it was just a joke/unimaginable self defense scenario, but the point is that people in cars should know that lanesplitting is legal and safe and should not try to cut ppl off.

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Good info..stuff that I did not know. So, it is legal to drive via lanesplitting when it is congested...the motorcylists that really piss me off are the ones who do it when it is not congested and traffic is flowing or the weave in and out really closely between cars when the traffic is moving slower than the speed limit. Like here the speed limit is 65mph on the freeway I normally use but motorcyclists will cut in and out of traffic when the freeway is heavily packed and traveling at 50mph. It honestly scares me because I really do not want to see someone get killed because they can not simply wait.

I have seen some crazy motorcylists as well...like the ones who drive in between cars on the freeway when all of the traffic is backed up or cut in and out of traffic (if those people get into an accident and attempt to turn it into a massive lawsuit they had better lose, it is their own stupid fault for being wreckless).

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No, lane splitting is perfectly legal in California (can't go 20 miles per hour over the slowest vehicle while doing it IIRC, so in a stand still you can only split at 20 mph) and it's not illegal in other states. What I mean by 'not illegal' is there's no specific law making it legal, but there's no specific law making it illegal either. However, most cops will pull you on lane splitting if it's not explicitly legal in your state and cite the 'failure to maintain lane' and 'no more than 1 vehicle can maintain a lane position at one time' laws.

But lane splitting itself is not explicitly illegal in most states.

^^people definitely lanesplit at greater than 20 mph over the slowest vehicle. I think it's worst when traffic is crawling just a bit and people in cars are getting irritated and looking for whichever lane is moving the fastest so they're changing lanes a lot. I've actually seen a motorcyclist get hit that way. It wasn't pretty.

hoping2be11 said:

Does an MS in Animal Bio substantially increase your chances of getting into vet school? And does it have to be directly with animals? I am interested a broad range of biological fields but I would do animal science if that increased my chances the most?

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NO!

If you are going to do a thesis-based graduate degree do it in whatever area interests you the most, that you can actually dedicate your life and soul and sanity to for the next 2 years. Do NOT do it only to increase your chances, do it because you are passionate about some area of science and want to further your knowledge and make a contribution to your chosen field.

I already had a professor who had agreed to mentor me for a MS at the time when I chose to do one, and she belongs to multiple graduate groups on campus. I chose the Animal Biology graduate group because they offered better departmental support for MS students than the Genetics graduate group did. My research is the same either way and my coursework is different but not by much. The value you will get from a research-based graduate degree has nothing to do with the field it's purported to be in and everything to do with who your mentor is and what you actually accomplish while you're there. And the second part of that will be heavily influenced by your enjoyment of the topic.

Solidgun said:

However, the thing about riding between cars....known as lanesplitting is actually a safe and legal practice in most states as long as it occurs in congested traffic and not during the normal flow of traffic.

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If by most states you mean specifically legal in California and nowhere else then sure. ; Anywhere else and you can get busted for it.

I enjoy my 200cc's of fury.

^^people definitely lanesplit at greater than 20 mph over the slowest vehicle

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Oh no doubt. But people speed regardless of on a bike, in a car, on a boat, wherever.

HopefulAg said:

Oh no doubt. But people speed regardless of on a bike, in a car, on a boat, wherever.

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I realized that I was actually speeding on my bicycle the other day on an actual road with a 25 mph speed limit.

(I always speed on campus...I don't think my bicycle even goes below 15 mph. I can pretend I don't have a cyclocomputer to tell me how fast I'm going so it works out okay!)

Ha, I got pulled over by a bicycle cop once for speeding on campus in a 5 mph zone. He let me off with a warning and said "slow down, you're going to hit someone". Evidently side walks are restricted to 5 mph, who knew?

There's a great picture of a corvette getting pulled over by a bicycle cop some where.
Edit: Ah, found it! To those familiar with the area (Texas A&M) this happened right outside the Commons.



Gotta watch out for the fuzz.

HopefulAg said:

I advocate this. Until vet school applications sucked the life out of my bank account, I was going to take a trip up to Kentucky to make the Kentucky Derby, and wind my way through various state parks along the way and do the same going back. Guess it'll have to wait though!

Be sure to take an MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) course (www.msf-usa.org) and don't get hung up on "I need a huge 600cc sports bike as my first bike because anything less I'll just be upgrading soon". That's a good way to get yourself killed, as others before you have demonstrated time and time again.

Good luck with it, and keep the shiny side up.

Also if you want some motorcycle forums to get you going, let me know.

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I got a 500cc Cruiser (Kawasaki Vulcan) as my first bike and it is almost perfect. Fast enough to go on the freeway, but not enough power to get me into any real trouble, and I don't have to worry about going over 80mph, it isn't possible. I couldn't have survived my commutes to school without it!

Drivers definitely don't notice bikes so be careful, but still most accidents are biker-induced!

Sngstop said:

I was actually wondering how the MS program works - is it like the first year is classes & the second is research? I understand how a PhD program works....but for a MS with research, it seams like there is so little time. I'm a little nervous.

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Well, I was expected to do research from the time that I began the program until I finished, even when I was in classes and TAing. It's nice now that I have a GSR position and am getting paid for research because I don't have as much other stuff going on, but really by the end of this quarter I should have most of my thesis project wrapped up and be focusing on writing, so to get to that point took longer than just this year.

Sngstop said:

Yup - a thesis based MS in the Avian Science grad group .....I'm super excited
I was actually wondering how the MS program works - is it like the first year is classes & the second is research? I understand how a PhD program works....but for a MS with research, it seams like there is so little time. I'm a little nervous.

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I just finished a MS with a research thesis. The projects are usually less intense than PhD projects. Mine took about a year to complete and then another couple of months to do the stats, write it up, and present. I took classes mostly just for the first year and then took 1 or 2 my second yr along with research credits.

Anyways, I applied to 13 schools and didn't get into any. Not totally unexpected as I don't have a lot of animal/vet experience and my grades and GRE are very middle-of-the road. I applied for an vet-based research internship with the FDA, so I'm waiting to see if I'll be doing that this summer.

Good luck with your masters!

Sngstop said:

Yup - a thesis based MS in the Avian Science grad group .....I'm super excited
I was actually wondering how the MS program works - is it like the first year is classes & the second is research? I understand how a PhD program works....but for a MS with research, it seams like there is so little time. I'm a little nervous.

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I too am applying to a Master's Program at Davis! I'm actually getting pretty excited to stick around here for the next two years or so and take classes and do research in stuff that I'm really interested in. Hopefully I will get in my paperwork in time to be considered for TA positions, but I'm pushing the deadline by dilly-dallying.

Nyanko--I'm gonna take a wild guess and say your mentor is Dr. Lyons? If you don't want to say, I understand. I was considering putting her down as a possible mentor in my application, even though I haven't worked with her before.

I got rejected this cycle..have no idea what I'm going to do. I guess I
l'll try to find a masters program which I could use for a career if I get rejected again. My school has a pretty cool new program in stem cell research, but then again I don't really want to be stuck in a lab my whole life. I don't know, I may end up somewhere in human medicine. Yuck.

At least I know that I really want to be a vet cause thinking about my other options is making me cringe!

CorporateFatCat said:

I too am applying to a Master's Program at Davis! I'm actually getting pretty excited to stick around here for the next two years or so and take classes and do research in stuff that I'm really interested in. Hopefully I will get in my paperwork in time to be considered for TA positions, but I'm pushing the deadline by dilly-dallying.

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I didn't apply the year I was rejected until almost May (since I was rejected post-interview and also got a late rejection from the Ph.D. program I had applied to, it was kind of a last-ditch idea) and it was past the deadline for applying to TA in ANS but they did say to submit my application anyway. Since it was so late, I also applied to TA for all of the other departments I felt like I was qualified for (basically everyone under biosci except EVE) and ended up getting offers from those all three quarters last year (2 from MIcro and one from Molec) and nothing from ANS (I have also had multiple offers every quarter this year, but have had a GSR position so haven't had to TA). So I would encourage you to apply broadly for support. It was a bit tense for awhile because I didn't get a TA offer until mid to late August and was worried that I would have to take out loans and get another job while I was in school, but it ended up working out. The best advice I can give for that is to be PERSISTENT! Submit the app, make sure to speak with the office ladies and make your name and face known so they'll think of you if something comes up.

Nyanko--I'm gonna take a wild guess and say your mentor is Dr. Lyons? If you don't want to say, I understand. I was considering putting her down as a possible mentor in my application, even though I haven't worked with her before.

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Yup!

One piece of advice for you that I have concerning possible mentors is to try to speak with them before and during the grad school application process; my late application to Animal Bio was very likely helped significantly by the fact that I already had Dr. Lyons willing to serve as my PI. If you want to PM me with questions about talking to faculty about your research interests and reasoning for applying to grad school here, or really about any of the process, feel free. I'm more than willing to discuss my own experiences and what I've seen of others' as well.

Solidgun said:

I am always scared to hop on my 1250cc speed machine......but I think that is what I enjoy the most about riding.

MSF is not only a must, but you might as well just give up all your hopes and dreams if you don't take some basic/advanced riding courses. No point in wasting your time dreaming about graduate schools.

I did start on 600cc and got bored quick....but 600cc is not a joke if it is a light bike.

When I get ready to apply and get accepted, I am selling my bike that day. No point in risking my neck if I am putting in that much investment into school. Motorcycles are as safe as the rider and the bike combined.....but it is the other dumb^%$#^%$#^%$#^ drivers that is going to get me kia llled.


Watch out for motorcyclist....anyone that hits you, make sure you turn it into the biggest lawsuit. I am not saying this to be litigation happy, but people that ignore motorcyclists should learn their lessons.

That is the end of my rant. Good luck and be safe.

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I have been riding a cbr 1000rr for the last 2 years. Had a R1 before ... I can tell you the last years 600cc are a lot of fun to drive , they are very powerfull. There is nothing to do with older 600cc...

want to know what I did when I got my first rejection letter from WSU?? I spent hours playing the stupidest online game my little sis loves. I felt like an absolute weirdo, but doing things like that every now and then relaxes you. Want to give it a try?? just follow the link:

http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=geniculate

I swear its ridiculous, but it hey sometimes we all need to do that kinda stuff right??

I've had a neopets account for something like 9 years, lol. I like how you used a referral link there so you would get points whenever anyone clicks it, that's pretty hardcore.

NeoPets: Serious Business.


I've had an account for a very long time, but haven't logged in for....well, a very long time. Do they get deleted after a spell?

HopefulAg said:

NeoPets: Serious Business.


I've had an account for a very long time, but haven't logged in for....well, a very long time. Do they get deleted after a spell?

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No, but what stinks is that you have to enter your birthday now when you sign in. Of course since I started my account when I was 11 (11 years ago!!), I lied on my birthday to say I was 13, however I picked a fake day and month as well! I had an amazing account but I can't get in to play those games to relieve stress. (I can admit that I've created new accounts during finals just to procrastinate.)

HopefulAg said:

NeoPets: Serious Business.


I've had an account for a very long time, but haven't logged in for....well, a very long time. Do they get deleted after a spell?

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I've had an account like since the site began, too.

It doesn't seem like they get deleted, but like once every 2 years I go back there and realize that I forgot what my login name is, nevermind my password.

I'm twelvetigers, y'all, and I've got like a billion NP lol.

twelvetigers said:

I'm twelvetigers, y'all, and I've got like a billion NP lol.

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hahaha mine were "cassa" and "trinity1986" (even though I was born in 88... oops)

No, but what stinks is that you have to enter your birthday now when you sign in

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Heh, I'm not even going to try to login then. I did the same deal (lying about birthdate to circumvent 13 rule) and have NO idea what my 10-11 year old mind would've picked.

Shame too, because I'll bet my stocks have split at least a million times now. I'd be a NeoPoints billionaire!

Plus I had a bitchin' house.

HopefulAg said:

Heh, I'm not even going to try to login then. I did the same deal (lying about birthdate to circumvent 13 rule) and have NO idea what my 10-11 year old mind would've picked.

Shame too, because I'll bet my stocks have split at least a million times now. I'd be a NeoPoints billionaire!

Plus I had a bitchin' house.

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I didn't do much with my house, but I had awesome pets, I loved the lab ray!

This thread is making me laugh! We all had such humble internet beginnings. I had an account when I was 11 and yeah, its been about 10 years since I've been on. I'm gonna go check it out!

lol I am slowly getting addicted to this game. I think its hillarious how many people actually know about neopets! I thought I was a weirdo for even logging in!! Anyway, it gets my mind off of the sadness

mystic88 said:

lol I am slowly getting addicted to this game. I think its hillarious how many people actually know about neopets! I thought I was a weirdo for even logging in!! Anyway, it gets my mind off of the sadness

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there should be a poll about the number of pre-vets using neopets... I'm thinking there might be some correlation. I know I used it for a tiny bit of middle-school-consolation when my parents wouldn't let me get a dog!

marycatherine said:

there should be a poll about the number of pre-vets using neopets... I'm thinking there might be some correlation. I know I used it for a tiny bit of middle-school-consolation when my parents wouldn't let me get a dog!

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I'll start the poll......

Neopet lovers (0):

Neopet. what's that? (1): startingovervet

StartingoverVet said:

I'll start the poll......

Neopets lovers (7): mystic88, marycatherine, nyanko, hopefulag, twelvetigers, imajerseygirl, scarcelyheard

Neopets. what's that? (1): startingovervet

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Fixed it

Neopets lovers (7): mystic88, marycatherine, nyanko, hopefulag, twelvetigers, imajerseygirl, scarcelyheard

Neopets. what's that? (2): startingovervet, crazy hippos

Neopets lovers (7): mystic88, marycatherine, nyanko, hopefulag, twelvetigers, imajerseygirl, scarcelyheard

Neopets. what's that? (3): startingovervet, crazy hippos, DVMDream

I think a friend mentioned it to me in middle school; I signed up looked at it for maybe 5 minutes and never touched it again.

Crazy Hippos said:

Neopets lovers (7): mystic88, marycatherine, nyanko, hopefulag, twelvetigers, imajerseygirl, scarcelyheard

Neopets. what's that? (2): startingovervet, crazy hippos

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Yah! I am not the only one in the dark.

Neopets lovers (7): mystic88, marycatherine, nyanko, hopefulag, twelvetigers, imajerseygirl, scarcelyheard

Neopets. what's that? (4): startingovervet, crazy hippos, DVMDream, BlacKAT33

Neopets lovers (8): mystic88, marycatherine, nyanko, hopefulag, twelvetigers, imajerseygirl, scarcelyheard, smilin1590

Neopets. what's that? (2): startingovervet, crazy hippos

Neopets lovers (8): mystic88, marycatherine, nyanko, hopefulag, twelvetigers, imajerseygirl, scarcelyheard, smilin1590

Neopets. what's that? (4): startingovervet, crazy hippos, DVMDream, BlacKAT33

marycatherine said:

there should be a poll about the number of pre-vets using neopets... I'm thinking there might be some correlation. I know I used it for a tiny bit of middle-school-consolation when my parents wouldn't let me get a dog!

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Ok, marycatherine.... for step 2 of the poll I need a control group, so I am going to post in the pre-dental and pre-med sections and check their results... Since it was your idea, shall we co-author the paper together? Now I have a good thesis idea to apply to a Phd program!

Nooooo don't tell them we like Neopets! Lol.

StartingoverVet said:

Ok, marycatherine.... for step 2 of the poll I need a control group, so I am going to post in the pre-dental and pre-med sections and check their results... Since it was your idea, shall we co-author the paper together? Now I have a good thesis idea to apply to a Phd program!

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I would like some sort of incentive for participating in this research projection/poll/survey....or I may just have to withdraw my answer... .

twelvetigers said:

Nooooo don't tell them we like Neopets! Lol.

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In hindsight maybe you are right. So far, the posts have been met mostly with apathy, topped off with occassional sarcasm.

Neopets lovers (9): mystic88, marycatherine, nyanko, hopefulag, twelvetigers, imajerseygirl, scarcelyheard, smilin1590, cowgirla

Neopets. what's that? (4): startingovervet, crazy hippos, DVMDream, BlacKAT33


I agree, awesome stress relief! I started playing years and years ago too. Haven't been on in ages, but yeah, sometimes I log in just to play "destructomatch"

Seriously, its the best stress relief ever, watching those blocks disappear

I think the pre-meds de-stress by playing Civilization and razing all of their opponents' cities.

Heard of Neopets, never used (I feel like this is a conversation about drug addictions). I am a Civ 4 addict, though.

To be honest, while I'm still waiting on several schools, I've already started to feel a sense of despair about what to do next year. That's me, always the optimist. I have not applied to any Master's programs yet because I really don't know which direction I want to go in, research-wise. I will not go anywhere that does not provide support (my dad is an academic and feels very strongly that it is foolish to pay through the nose for MS/PhD programs in the sciences when it is not at all necessary or customary), though, so I may be shooting myself in the foot by waiting. Maybe I'd be better off getting a research tech position.