Roughing It
Posted 05:17 PM, September 18, 2006, by saerniIt's all so exciting! Yesterday we caravanned up to our new home in Mountain View with a truckload of non-furniture items (computers, clothes, dishes, bedding, and cats). The move itself was mostly painless, now of course we're going to IKEA to fill in the gaps (desks and such). In the meantime we were sleeping on an aero bed and actually eating IKEA food, to my everlasting shame. It wasn't bad, and in the words of a true grad student, it was cheap! I was impressed!
At the moment the movers are in the process of bringing in our furniture, so I'm taking the little time out as a chance to blog. I'm so excited. We really do have a beautiful apartment. It doesn't have the convenience of being on campus, and I still have to figure out my situation with getting to and from Stanford, but it's bright and airy, and has a pretty nice view. I'd recommend it to anyone (and of course I get a nice 500 dollar bonus for anyone who signs up in one of these communities)! But seriously, it's great!
Today was my first day at Stanford. I had a meeting with my academic advisor, Terri Klein. I think I really lucked out. I'm not sure if the committee realized she was a major reason why I picked this school, and that's why they chose her as my advisor. She really makes me feel so comfortable. I can be totally candid with her about what's stressing me out. I asked her about questions to ask during meetings about potential rotations, how to choose advisors, and she just flat out answers and encourages me. She's also helping me work out the little administrative things, and led me in the right direction for those types of questions. She also helped me with classes and little secrets to succeeding in grad school.
Julie is now my go-to person, whether she realizes it (or wants it) or not! I went by to ask her about where to get my ID cards and parking, and general navigation issues I was having. She was completely helpful and sweet, and her husband used to go to UCSD, so she's a little piece of home. I get my own desk in the medical school office building, and I'll soon have a second on campus as well!
I had a meeting with Arend Sidow, a scientist on campus here at Stanford, about a research rotation. I was completely blown away by both how friendly he was, and also how he is a scientist that has found the balance of Biology and computation. Even though I think most biologists think I am probably not a true biologist, I still know what motivates me in research, and the Sidow lab will not let me forget that, which is great!
At first I wasn't quite sure if I was what he was looking for. I'm still trying to figure out the whole idea of a rotation. We went through 3 different possible projects, and he said 2 were not going to be ready in the fall quarter. As the naïve first year student, I figured this meant my thesis would have to be on this third project, and while I find it completely interesting, I was concerned I didn't have the background to work on it. I am to get a feel for the lab and an idea for the work that goes on while rotating, and not pick a thesis! This is reassuring and a bit embarrassing all at once, since I feel a little uninformed about the whole process.
I definitely think I chose the right lab for the fall. The work is exciting, and I think it's a great place to be while I get acquainted with the school. I even have a key!!!
Tomorrow is the scavenger hunt. I hope to get a good night's sleep so I can run all over campus. As soon as I get my furniture it should be much easier.
Comments
Comment by: Dave Berlin at September 19, 2006 01:09 PM
Indeed, it was nice sitting in the captain's chair of ye olde Budget-Rent-a-Truck on the everlasting sea of sand for a good four hours.
I felt like Columbus on his maiden voyage to the New World, since I haven't left Southern California in my entire life.
Looking forward to it all though.
-R
Comment by: Ryan at September 19, 2006 10:42 PM
So happy to hear you're settling in and revving up for your new venture! I wish you a happy and successful semester. Miss you both already-
Love, Tracy
Comment by: Tracy Katkov at September 22, 2006 08:22 PM
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It looks like you are getting settled in there. I'm glad you and Ryan found a nice place to live with your two children. ;)
IKEA food? You really are a grad student. I remember the initial confusion of entering grad school. Even though everything is new, they start treating you like a grad student right away (ie. you're smart--figure it out yourself). But it sounds like you have a good support staff and faculty who are willing to help.
I am looking forward to hearing all about Stanford, even though they didn't invite me to go there. Seriously, I'm over that...almost...anyway, you are on my Google home page so I can stay up to date.
Don't forget the first rule of grad school: grad students work smarter, not harder. Remember that, along with the 499 other rules, and you'll do fine.