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All because I was known by the secretary and didn't treat them like garbage (like some students did). Remember to treat the maintenence staff with respect too....I managed a few things only because I knew the staff and wasn't disrespectful.

This is probably the best long term advice in this entire thread.

It's easy to dismiss these people, especially when you're young. But they run the place. And they can make a huge difference in your academic career. (I owe my M.S. to a certain dept. secretary through an odd set of circumstances that were entirely my fault and involved a couple of arbitrary but completely inflexible deadlines. She saved me.)

Don't suck up. They can smell it. Just be nice, treat 'em like people. Because, you know, they are. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />