u/Easy-Resolution6132

Hi everyone,

I’m a 29F PhD student looking for a reliable daily driver for commuting and general use. I’m trying to avoid a car payment, so I’m focused on something dependable rather than fancy. I live in FL but will purchase in WI.

I’m considering a 2011 Honda CR-V LX AWD and wanted honest feedback on whether the price makes sense. The asking price is $7,900, my mom drove it, and she says it drove well.

Details:

2011 Honda CR-V LX AWD

230,000 miles on body/chassis

Engine replaced with a 55,000-mile engine

New A/C compressor

New catalytic converter

Front suspension/steering work done (wheel bearings + sway bar links)

Seller says it runs and drives great

Any thoughts? I am so unsure. Should I explore more options?

Any other PhD students in Miami trying to figure out passive income streams?

I’m currently in my PhD program and while I’m grateful to be here, living in Miami on a graduate student income honestly feels stressful sometimes. Between rent, groceries, gas, and just daily expenses constantly increasing, I’ve been thinking more seriously about building additional income streams that don’t completely burn me out.

The challenge is balancing research, coursework, assistantship responsibilities, and still having enough energy left to think creatively about money. I know “passive income” usually takes work upfront, but I’d love to hear realistic ideas from people who have actually made it work during grad school.

Have any students here successfully built extra income through digital products, tutoring, content creation, affiliate marketing, Etsy, investing, or anything similar while completing a PhD? What was actually worth your time and what wasn’t?

Would really appreciate honest advice from people navigating expensive cities while in academia.

I’m a 29 year old female currently finishing up the first year of my PhD program, and I’ll be entering my second year this fall. I’ve lived in Miami for about seven years and have been fortunate to find a small studio where my rent is only $850, which I know is extremely rare here.

Lately, I’ve been dealing with ongoing issues in my apartment, especially insects and a few other living condition concerns, and it’s starting to really affect my mental health and overall peace. I’ve reached the point where I genuinely feel like I may need to move. My landlords are the sweetest, and I feel safe. They address everything quickly.

The problem is that Miami is obviously very expensive, and financially, I know staying where I am probably makes the most sense. At the same time, mentally, I’m not sure it’s sustainable anymore.

Has anyone here moved during their PhD program, especially in a high-cost city? Did it end up helping your quality of life, or did the financial stress outweigh the benefits? I’d really appreciate hearing other people’s experiences or advice because I feel very torn right now.

Hi everyone,

I’m a PhD student taking a qualitative research class, and we have to create an interview schedule/interview guide. My professor did not provide an example, so I was wondering if anyone would be willing to share a sample qualitative interview schedule or template or where to find one. I am unsure if Google is the best option. 

Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I’m a PhD student taking a qualitative research class, and we have to create an interview schedule/interview guide. My professor did not provide an example, so I was wondering if anyone would be willing to share a sample qualitative interview schedule or template, or where to find one. I am unsure if Google is the best option. 

Thank you!

I am looking for a dataset for my dissertation on disasters, disabilities, and mental health. I’m having trouble finding one dataset that includes all three topics together.

Does anyone know of any good datasets for this kind of research? Or would I need to combine multiple datasets?

It's really sad how underresearched disabilities are in disasters.

How did you all get your family to understand your life as a PhD student? I get annoyed every-time someone says , “omg, you’re still working on that” like yes! I told my family to google what life is like for us but they haven’t yet. Or my sister says she hates I went to get a PhD because I no longer sit with her on the phone for almost an hour lol

I’m planning my 30th birthday cruise for April 2027. I’ve always sailed with Royal Caribbean and usually enjoy it, but I’m considering trying Asia or Europe for this trip. Should I stick with Royal or try another cruise line? Carnival isn’t an option. I love having plenty of activities onboard, but I also appreciate a calm, relaxing atmosphere.

My sister and I are pretty close. She’s 7 years older than me and I’m 28, and I genuinely value our relationship. We have different dads. My dad is currently battling brain cancer, and lately I’ve been feeling more upset and starting to resent her.

She never asks how he’s doing or even how I’m doing. When I bring him up, she usually changes the subject or redirects the conversation. She also tends to dominate conversations and isn’t great at providing emotional support.

At this point, it’s starting to feel less like she just doesn’t know how to support me and more like she’s choosing not to. I don’t know if I’m being too sensitive or if this is something I should address more directly. I tell my mom not to tell her how I am feeling, but I would assume she would ask how I am doing. I am the stronger sister, but I would appreciate if she would be emotionally supportive right now.

I’m trying to practice SPSS on my own, but I’m confused about how to do it without a professor’s prompt.

In class, we’re given the research question/hypothesis and then run the analysis. But I want to practice datasets, just unsure where the research question is supposed to come from.

Do people just make up questions based on the variables, or are there resources that provide practice research questions for SPSS datasets? I want to practice on my own, but I’m not sure how that part works.