Guest post by Angelita Williams, who writes on the topics of online college courses.

As any graduate student knows, the world of academia is an insular and somewhat bizarre one. We don’t dress up, we sleep at odd hours, and our meals, if prepared at all, are last-minute affairs that usually involve a microwave. This sort of lifestyle perhaps explains why, in Diana Davis’ recent post, we tend to flock with others of our kind. But, like she mentioned, there is value in the possibility of a “fuller life” that goes beyond the graduate school niche. Continue reading →

by Diana Davis

One question I have considered since becoming a graduate student is the decision whether to be what I would term a “college student” or a “real adult.” For my first year in grad school, I was a “college student”: I lived in the graduate student dorm (a single room with a shared kitchen and bathroom), my friends were all math grad students or undergrads, and my activities were confined to campus, except for a few weekend trips. This was very similar to my undergraduate experience at Williams. In my second year, I became a “real adult”: I moved off-campus, made several groups of friends who were not Brown students, and spent a significant amount of time doing things (mostly running) off campus. Continue reading →

by Angelean Hendrix

As the new fall semester begins, fellowship application time is upon us.

Recently, Seth Sullivant, Associate Professor of Mathematics at North Carolina State University, prepared a workshop on preparing applications for the many fellowships offered by the NSF.  As a former NSF Graduate Research fellow and current recipient of the NSF Career Award for his work in “Algebraic Problems in Statistics and Biology”, he brings a level of expertise in the subject, rarely found. His tips are successfully tested (as reflected by his CV), and supported by other current and former fellows and NSF GRFP committee members. Continue reading →

By Alex Levin

I am writing this post from the math department computer lab, where I have spent the past hour catching up on email and web surfing. You see, I moved to a new place last week, and though my roommates and I ordered Internet soon after getting in, the service isn’t due to start until Wednesday. (I don’t know why we have to wait so long in this day and age; we already have the modem and should be ready to go.)

Despite the many inconveniences, there have been some advantages to an unwired life. Throughout the past week, I have been very productive at home. Without anything else to distract me on my computer, I have been thinking about my research and diligently writing down all my ideas (even the bad ones). For the past week, my room has in fact been my most productive work place.

The experience has gotten me thinking about how to set up my space once we get Internet. Perhaps I will get a dedicated desk for my computer and place it as far as possible from my main desk. This way, I will have to get up and move if I want to use the computer, which will hopefully make me think twice about hopping online for some idle task. I have seen this strategy employed in many professors’ offices.

What other advice do people have for controlling Internet distraction?