I haven't eaten red meat in over 6 years. The mad cow thingie totally messed me up! LOL

Reading this totally messed me up! :p

Thank God I'm eating brown rice sushi for dinner and not a steak filet. I would've lost my appetite.

I love steak, no worries about mad cow. I have friends who raise their own cattle though, or I buy it locally; there is something to be said about meeting your dinner while it is still alive.

True Confession: I like veal.

LOL!!

When I saw those cows shaking, I was like, "Oh heyal no...I'm done!!" :eek:

And actually, I don't really miss it.....I'm sure my body thanks me for not shoving it down my throat! LOL

Hey geryon,

Is "Troll" an overtly offensive term in the UK, like the term "Pap"? Just asking? I do not mean to offend, it is just that we Americans use different offensive epithets.

Visit the Urbandictionary.com and get your "feel" for the lexicon. :rolleyes:

ETA: I just ask, that for us, "Troll" is not the worst you can be called here on GC... It is an incendiary word, but it is not the worst... Believe me, search my username, I've been called worse...

Its not so much the word, but the accusation against me which has no grounding in fact or indeed in my behaviour on your forum.

Re: meat. I love seafood too, probably more then meat. I'll typically eat meat 3-4 days a week and seafood the other days. Once a fortnight, I'll have something veggie, but I like real man food. :D

While I think you are doing just fine here, GC has its share of very angry people posting aspersions and distortions about GLO's (greek lettered organizations). So, there is this unspoken guard and apprehension.

I think you are really quick to catch on and have no problem adapting to the academics on a US campus.

Where will you be studying? And please, if it will make you more comfortable, you can just note the region, i.e. "middle of the country" or "west coast" or "east coast", north, or south. The US does have regional differences and that can also be seen with in GLO's, in generally speaking. No amount of Googling will help you with that, you just have to experience it yourself...

ETA: Just figure out the NCAA (American) Football Rankings, and you will be well on your way... LOL... ;)

To the OP:

Age differences aside, you'll need to focus your energy on your Ph.D. program. Greek life can be (and has been, for many of us) a great asset to our lives, but with the course load you'll have, Greek life should be the last thing on your mind. There are plenty of opportunities for you to stay involved without Greek life (ie. Graduate Senate, etc). If Greek life is something you're REALLY wanting to do, go for it. Just realize you may not have the same experience as others (with your age + your schooling).

The only important thing.

LOL... It crosses so many boundaries in so many ways... Of course depends on the conference division you support or oppose... :rolleyes:

go canes!

My intention is to study in California. Sea and sun and all that. UCLA, Berkeley and Stanford are the institutions I am pursuing.

AS for American Football. I have seen a bit of it on TV, mainly the superbowl which gets shown even here. It seems ok, like Rugby with padding. My sport is cricket, and a spot of tennis.

Not if you live somewhere where the established state religion is basketball. ;)

An aside: My daughter has been playing basketball in the YMCA league. All of the teams in the league are named for SEC teams -- my daughter is a Volunteer (which we have made sure she knows is a good name to have in women's basketball). At first, all of the parents were trying to figure out what was up with the SEC names. Of course, we all figured out quickly that using ACC names would lead to too way much trouble, what with the "No way is my kid playing for the Blue Devils/Wolfpack/Deacons . . . . Might as well ask us to play for Satan." The SEC was safe, we figured, 'cause not that many people around here care about 'em enough to get worked up about it. :p

As if. :mad: ;)

You sir, have just won the internets with this post. Although, you forgot to mention the tarheels in your list of satanic names. :p

EXCUSE ME???? Ahem! :eek:

geryon, if you end up at the Cardinal or UCLA, you better be quite familiar with College Basketball. If you need any suggestions on teams to watch or reading material I'm sure TSteven or I could help.

Yes, we take our college athletics very seriously here in the States.

So true! ;)

Hiya,
I did the opposite of you. I shipped off to Scotland for my MA and I'm going back soon to work full time.

Differences:
- Student unions are not as powerful as they are in British Unis. Some schools don't even have them. There may be a senate/representative council (on which you as a postgraduate will likely have a representative) and they are essentially the student voice.

- As a whole, lecturers are called "professor" by default, regardless of their degree (ex. a MA/MFA is a terminal degree in most art fields, so they would never have the honor of being "Doctor" so "Professor" shows respect for their achievement/knowledge. However a BA/BFA is sometimes enough experience to teach in a certain field, so "Professor" shows respect for their teaching position). Except in the case of a lecturer holding a doctorate, then they may prefer Doctor, or go by Professor as well. Professor is generally seen as more respectful than Mr/Ms in an academic context. However, I've had lecturers who have preferred to be called Fred, Jane, etc. It just depends on their preference. Most will state their preference if they have one. If one isn't stated, opt for "professor" until you know otherwise.

- Sports are a big thing. And not just "anyone" can play/sign up as a general rule. The equivalent to clubs is intermurals, where it is more for fun, rather than representing the university.

- Greek Life doesn't really have any equivalent in British culture. I had TONS of questions about it when I lived abroad, but I can guarantee you that it is absolutely nothing like what you get fed on SkyTV. It is a lot of work, time commitment, and self investment. If you can handle that and work on your PhD, you're a better time management person than I, mate.

- Depending on what you're doing as a PhD, you may be a teaching assistant. Meaning you'd likely be leading a tutoring session or lecturing yourself. This means that you are officially in a position of authority, and therefore responsible as an employee of the university. This might preclude you from involvement in a fraternity/sorority, as it could present an appearance of impropriety...(ex. girl is failing your lecture class, girl is seen flirting with you @ fraternity event, girl works hard and brings her grades up but someone could say that you raised them for her b/c of her/your perceived advances at the party).

My advice would be to see if there are openings as a house master/house supervisor/house adviser or house assistant. It would mean that you'd get the general idea of what fraternity life is like, have some peripheral involvement in activities, provide a role model/confidence for the guys in the house, and you'd have a lot more time to study and focus on your degree, without having to pledge or do pledge activities and you'd earn a stipend (if not a stipend, just room and board which is WORTH IT). This is a pretty standard gig for graduate students in the US...but bear in mind you're responsible for making sure they don't burn the place down or kill each other.

Another thing: this is terrible to say, but PhD spots, especially paid/paying ones, are tremendously rare and competitive things. Some professors do not have a high opinion of Greek life, and openly advertising your desire to join a fraternity as a PhD might be translated into "i'm not serious about this research" and could perhaps influence your placement in the lab. Not saying this is the case, it certainly isn't at all places, but it is something to be considered.

I know the competition for scholarships is fierce, that said I have been told my admissions that I have a favourable chance having hit my MA out of the park.

Thanks for the comparative insight. I know at this level 'social' aspects of college should be far from my mind, but I am keen to experience all that I can which can help me develop into a well rounded person.

Dunno about greek life at Berkeley or Stanford, but UCLA does have a heavy duty Greek Life...

The American Football that you are watching is "professional"--like "Manchester United" and are commercialized... The stuff we are talking about is the "National Collegiate Athletic Association" and there are rankings that are rather far-fetched. If you attend UCLA, you'd need to know these things... Berkeley was better a couple of years ago, but now they suck. And Stanford was okay. But in the Pac-10, which is a region that sucks overall, the best team is USC Trojans--basically, UCLA's nemesis...

And for those who worship in Bracketology, welp, it only interesting during March Madness past the Final Four...

That still means, go canes!!! But I doubt it... Who's on top these days? Hayle, March Madness shifts everything...

It was not forgetfulness that kept the Tar Heels from being in that list. After all, like the old saying asks, "If God is not a Tar Heel, why is the sky Carolina blue?" (And it's Tar Heels, not Tarheels.) ;)

Like I said: :p

:D

QFT
the entire region sucks.

http://kreations.kaptainmyke.com/cp/...s/gagspoon.png :cool:

^^^^^^

Huh . . . somehow never pictured you as a Valley Girl. ;)

If you like live in California (even Northern California) too long, then like, you totally, like, start talking like a Val. For sure y'all. :o

Wait a minute... USC is not all that bad, yet... They may not be going to the Big Ball, but they make a BCS Bowl... LOL... It may be the Rose Bowl, but hey, it is a BCS...

I don't see other teams do that, in {Your Favorite} Tidy Bowl, making it to BCS.. And The Ohio State LOST to USC... Besides, USC can recruit better players in general, whereas UCLA can't...

ETA: ACC is about to whoop dat azz!!! Tebow's gone, LSU had their run--really ACC has Wake Forest, Terps, NC, and welp the Canes might take it back...

I wasn't referring to just sports.

Awww, you upset the Pole Dancer didn't speak to you when you visited the Bunny Ranch?

Spoken like someone who's never left the Confederate States of America. Please.

And hey, Bunny Ranch ain't nowhere near Pac-10. :p

It's more likely he was upset that his Waffle House hashbrowns weren't cooked to order.

And there weren't grits on the menu, true.

Hey, don't knock it, the folks in the PacNW do make grits, albeit not as good as Shoney's, but hey, grits are made up here...

Well, maybe at the Silver Dollar, their grits are pretty good if you get in there by 6 AM...

You have my deepest sympathy.

Not to mention the tea.

I guess no one got my joke. We don't have Waffle Houses out here. I think they're gross. Yet they're everywhere in the south. I don't understand the appeal at all.

But anyway, as AKA Monet said, you'll find grits up here, too. Not at every breakfast spot, but at many.

Regarding the tea, honestly I don't taste the difference in the tea I add sugar to vs. the sweet tea down south. And believe me, I've had plenty of southern sweet tea in my life.

It's silly to compare someplace like Seattle, Portland or San Francisco to Los Angeles. They're completely different. Someone who thinks they're remotely the same has obviously never visited. Aside from that, the west coast has some of the most beautiful parts of this whole country. But all of this has been said in the "Southern California" thread.

The "sweetener" tea here is all flowery, and healthy for you...

The Sweet Southern Tea is Lipton Brisk + C6H120 (pure Dixie Crystal sucrose) no substitutions, brewed for 5 hours and is diabetic...

But that doesn't beat the Limeaide/Syrup at Winn Dixie/Publix/Krogering vs. the colored water I make from PCC, LOL... :rolleyes:

Reason #10 why I can live down South with all my family...

Speak for yourself.

I did not hear anyone speak like a Valley girl when I was living in NorCal. Not even once.

I am happy to know that sarcasm, self deprecating humor - and all that stuff - has not been lost on some. :)

Totally.

How nice for you. And "NorCal"? Who says that?

I am so sure.

So geryon,

Here's a PhD paper you could write... LOL... The Brits interpretation of the BCS Rankings according the College Gameday on ESPN... LOL...

Actually, you'd ENJOY this--because of this little "teeny tiny" channel called ESPN... :rolleyes:

Kirk Herbstreit
Lee Corso
Chris Fowler
Desmond Howard

Will become your best friends from sun up to sundown on Saturdays...

I only know this because I am a widow on Saturdays during NCAA Football... :p

I just don't know what to say, other than bless your heart. I taste a big difference. :p

LOL. And if there's one thing that I hate more than unsweetened tea, it's fruit-flavored teas. Blech. Oh, and bottled teas and instant teas. (OK, I guess that's 3 things.)

In my family, we use the 2-2-5-5 recipe. Two cups of sugar boiled in two cups of water (a simple syrup), then five tea bags steeped in the syrup for five minutes. Then add water to dilute to a gallon (or to taste). It's perfect.

Me too. Huge difference.

Interesting (@ the bolded). I've never steeped the bags in the syrup; I've always steeped them in the water, then added the syrup. I may have to try syrup-steeping sometime.

We get ESPN here. The ESPN classics channel (442) show cricket re-runs. :D