materialgirl

Thanks, Snowcapk. I just called them and it turns out you're completely right--there's no issue with using the award for another field. Seems strange, but I'll take it! Chillaxitive2, I got mine this morning...I don't know if anyone else is missing his/hers.

Hmm...I'm really sorry about your research advisor. My advice is to definitely try to work for someone else! Beyond that, I'm pretty clueless about transferring :roll: Can anyone answer this question about accepting the NSF? I applied under Bioengineering, with a personal statement that talked about being at the interface between materials science & engineering and bioE. But I've decided to go into a Materials Science & Engineering department for grad school. Does anyone know if I'll have trouble accepting the NSF because of this? I want to ask Operations but I'm afraid that if I don't ask carefully I'll get shut down before getting to argue my case.

I am one of those without publications.

I'm engineering and I've heard. I hope this is for real! Good luck to those of you who are still waiting!

Actually, I spoke to someone at operations today and she didn't know when the list is going up, but she said they wanted to send emails by 'later this week'. So...not much information...

I know someone who applied later than this to a PhD program and got in...but only because one PI had rejected all the other candidates and still wanted one. In that case, I definitely think it's worth a shot to apply for MA programs. It's still a crapshoot, though. Good luck!

I realized levity was intended...actually I was really responding to the kernel of truth! No hard feelings, I was just reciprocating. I absolutely agree that you are going to have a hard time finding what you're looking for. But really, as anyone raises his or her standards, the pickings are going to get slim. Being at Vanderbilt or any well-ranked school, it's easy to forget that you aren't living in a representative population. It's also a fact of life that people going to grad school are going to give up on other aspects of our lives (to varying degrees). For example, I'm choosing to play the viola less, but I'm going to try not to give up working out--all because I'm choosing to make my career a priority for now. We're all making these choices, and it's going to be hard to find someone who runs marathons, is gifted with natural beauty, and uses her intelligence. From what you've said, whether she actually uses her intelligence seems to be a lower priority than what she looks like. Unless you get lucky, you might end up having to compromise somewhere, so maybe you'll end up going for someone who isn't as interested in intellectual pursuits (but has natural intelligence). Let's face it, until you're a size 0/2/4, a creme brulee master, and a marathon runner (or something analogous), you should be more accepting of women who aren't the same. And between you and me, I do know women at top schools that have at least two out of the three...depending on whether you believe in the halo effect or the balance principle, you might just have a chance. Just to be clear, when I speak of intelligence I mean natural intelligence. I consider an intellectual someone who is interested in learning and knowledge--I consider this trait to be correlated with, but not affirming intelligence.

Are you serious? You're looking for a highly educated girl who takes care of yourself and as an example you put up a group of sorority girls wearing pasties? You are obviously very confused. I'm so sorry if the females going into grad school don't pole dance enough for your taste. We'll get right on that! Look, the pickings are slim for either side in grad school, but it's okay because most people only need to find one great person. And to be honest, for most of us grad school will be the place we're most likely to find a compatible partner-- we're largely there for the same reasons, after all. I know you're proud of Vanderbilt, and that's great...but really, the complaining about females in grad school gets really old. I mean, in all fairness, we have to deal with you . If you really want what you say you want (someone intelligent and beautiful), chances are you won't get a date with her by trolling around for undergrads wearing pasties and complaining about lack of MVC. So maybe before you complain about the situation around you, you should own up to what you really want.

I hope it's today! I'm at baseline productivity because I can't seem to concentrate on anything else. I am starting to worry that my proposal was too technical. Basically, it looks more like a proposal I'd actually submit for funding, and I didn't say anything about the graduate institution I chose. I wonder how much they want it to look like a real proposal, since some of the winners' proposals I've seen concentrate much more on broader impacts and why the project is a good fit for the chosen graduate institution. Oh well, I guess we'll find out soon. And like 'Sigh', I think we'll find out on Friday. Unfortunately. @Sigh, I also applied for NDSEG.

Hm...oh well, it was worth a try. Time to get a wetsuit!

How easy is it to get to a real beach (warm enough water, swimmable, etc.) from Stanford? How about the mountains?

Sashababie made sense when she talked about career goals as a factor, but I really do think it's a necessity to go with your gut. First of all, it's not your surroundings that are going to make you happy or unhappy, it's how you react to them. So before you accept an offer, make sure you're comfortable with it (and excited!). When I made my decision I decided to give up the school with a famous advisor for another school that fit me better. There are always going to be these 'oh well' trade-offs, but if you're comfortable with your decision it won't feel like you're losing anything. I suggest you talk to someone who knows you well. I did that with my advisor and family members, and they all told me I was obviously leaning toward one school. It turns out I was, I just didn't realize it yet. And as a side note, I think you will find that even if you don't factor in the rankings, you'll see that the #5 school is usually higher quality. And if it's not, then you pretty much have your answer (so leave those rankings for the alumni to care about). Good luck!

Personally, I would not recommend doing a PhD without funding. Here are your best options (assuming they are options): 1. Go somewhere else that offered funding 2. Work for a year (to boost your resume, but maybe you'll even find an employer that will pay for grad school) 3. Last resort: If you really want to go to grad school right away, make sure you can get an MS (as a safety net). I know, it's very much frowned upon to get funding and quit after your MS. However, if you're going to pay for the first year, assuming you don't get picked up by a professor and you get no external fellowships, I think you should at least make sure you come out with an MS instead of nothing. That being said, you should really think hard before accepting that offer. I think a school that doesn't offer you money for a PhD doesn't want you enough, and that doesn't bode well for your future attempts to be funded in that program. Good luck, I hope things work out for you.

Eve2008, I've spent a summer at Harvard and loved it. So far, I get the impression that Cambridge is cheaper than Palo Alto on the whole, but Stanford subsidizes the housing so well that rent's actually cheaper when you take utilities and internet into account. I think there are plenty of things to do in Cambridge and Boston...I'd say anyone who gets bored with that area is 1. from NYC, 2. has no time to go out, or 3. is just grumpy. On the other hand, California has great weather, wine country, many more outdoor activities, and beaches, if you have a car. The two schools seem to have different things going for them, but I don't think there's any doubt that either one would be a great choice. As tie-breakers for the quality of life category, check out the red tape/beaurocracy, and how much you connect with the students at each school. Being an engineer, I can't say anything about your program, but I'm sure you'll figure it out. Good luck!