It seems that other M.Sc. students (and a professor from abroad) on this list have the same types of questions I did.
If anyone wants to email me about what I learned, please do! All of the responses were emailed to me personally, and with a personal tone, so I cannot just forward the responses. However, I can summarize what I received without identifying information about the sender (I believe the individuals who emailed me, emailed me in private for a reason). Cheers, Laura
