ucdude

Hi everyone! I accepted my offer to UT's chemistry program. I'd totally recommend an apartment finding service, that is what I used

As in, what are some things you're doing before you admit? I don't know if I should be browsing housing already, or things like that, planning for the future....but I just don't know how to finalize my decision School A - has a better feel - has better research for me, I believe - has a better environment for me to succeed in (I'm worried about being in a small college town...versus a city, theres Meetup, I can go out of my way and make friends if I can't within my program for whatever reason) - I am in contact with two professors of the three I am interested in. I am reading their research, trying to understand what I might be doing in their group. School B - has a better research according to my PI (I told him I'm planning on going to A or B and he said that B is a better program) - was a lot more inviting/friendlier, but I didnt enjoy myself on Visitation weekend, socially wise. Just didnt seem like I fit in as much. - pays slightly better, and is slightly cheaper to live in than school A....although both A and B will be cheaper than how I am living now, I think. - I am in contact with one professor, and another professor seemed to recruit me but I am not in contact with them (haven't gotten around to it // mainly because I feel I am not going there). I am not so interested in reading their research, although I suppose I should... I don't know what I can possibly do to make myself feel happy with a decision. That I will have no doubts. So how are you finalizing / did you finalize your decision, and leave no doubts in your mind that you made the correct choice?

@ Eigen, Sorry for a possible dumb question, but why is research dollars per grad student important? My instinct tells me that its more qualitative than anything, as if the per capita funding is 0 lets say, then that means all your money is funded through TA'ing or scholarships...perhaps I am looking at it wrong. @ Rising_star, Summer funding is important, but does that come from the specific PI or from the graduate department itself? From my understanding (very little understanding, at that...) it seems like you get funded from your PI over summer, I thought this was a universal thing. Maybe it's not, as the grad student I work under TA'd during summer... I also figured that all professors have their named tagged at the end, I thought is just how things work (in the chemistry field)? I always thought it was, in order: Writer, various people that helped, undergrad, professor*.

@ Eigen - My instinct told me one school was superior over the other in terms of environment and how I felt there, but I'm hoping to quantify things, hoping that the qualifications my instinct gave me match up with the quantifications a simple pro/cons list will give. If both match, then great....if my gut tells me school A while all signs are pointed to school B then I guess I have some more soul/re-searching to do. @ Eteshoe - thanks

How can you find these?

I made a bit of a list of some basic stuff I thought was important, and things that I thought I should consider. I made a little excel spreadsheet obviously yet to be completed, and I was wondering if you guys can tell me things you guys are considering that will help be your deciding factor, as it might help us out in the decision process. # of profs I would like to do research under Can I start with those (^) profs over summer # of potential/maybe profs cost of living stipend How much tuition is covered Medical insurance coverage Requirements for PhD Candidacy Requirements to receive PhD Average Time Completion of PhD # of Years Funded and How There are my factors, not necessarily in order of importance.

Bump! I'm having a hell of a time comparing these two schools. Any more options? I saw around here someone said that a poster made some kind of point system to compare schools, and would choose whichever had the highest points. Anyone know this post?

Are these questions able to be found through either the graduate student coordinator of a program, or the respective websites?

Take my advice with a grain of salt, but I'd say just wait out the next three weeks or so. If you have other options, keep them open too. If you have no other option then I assume it wouldn't be the worst thing to accept admission, but I would personally wait until visitation weekend. Why? You might have a different feel of the school. A professor might not seem like the right choice. Another's research is different than what you've seen, as that is his past work, perhaps. A lot of things can come up that might change your mind or leave you wondering if its the right place. I'd say hold on for a few weeks!

Can you link this post? I think that has a lot of potential for me, but I don't know how to even assign values to arbitrary things.

I have some questions that can help start up this thread. Just list questions you are asking yourselves to decide between schools. - # of profs I would like to do research under o Can I start with them in the summer? - # of profs I would be willing to do research under - Cost of living - Stipend - Tuition covered? - Medical insurance? - Requirements to reach PhD candidacy - Requirements to receive PhD (Defend thesis?) I'm trying to make the best possible list for me to choose between two schools, and am thinking we can all help each other.

(Where) can you live comfortably on a ~20k salary? Are there any apartment complexes that offer pre-furnished apartments? If so, what are they called and what is their rent? I'm looking/hoping to get a one bed apartment, I don't know how much they typically run for.

What is life like in College Station? I've never been to Texas, so I have no idea what to expect of College Station/Bryan

How exactly do you see the funding of a professor? I'm guessing # of publications is somewhat indicative of funding, and you can find how many publications they are a part of on something like scifinder...

I dont know if this is the right place to put this at all, but the more I start to think about grad school, the happier and more anxious I am. And not the good anxious, the bad one. I have gotten good grades but for some reason I feel like none of that reflects my intelligence or wisdom. I feel so happy that I've been accepted into two top programs in my field, but at the same time - anxious, because that means I will have to perform up to par, or better. And I dont think I am. A lot of these feelings of academic inadequacy are probably shared by at least a few of you here - so....how do you guys deal with them? How do you guys deal with the imposter syndrome? Google chrome for some reason doesnt think imposter is a word, so maybe I shouldn't either