ConcertedMechanism

Hi all, hopefully this is not an inappropriate place to post this: I am currently a PhD student at Vandy in the chemistry program, and am looking for a new roommate as my current one is leaving this summer. I would love to have another grad student as a roommate as we tend to share similar work ethic, mindset, and hours. I would also be a great resource for any incoming student as I have lived here nearly 3 years. I'm looking to stay in my current 2bed/2bath apartment, which is conveniently located only 2 miles from campus (also very close to Lipscomb and Belmont) and is also off of a bus route. Please message me if you may possibly be interested! More than happy to send more information, but kept it broad for the general thread. Maggie

Thank you for the input! By old I was purely referring to his age. Although the lab does appear less active than maybe years past have been, they are still fairly active and publishing. As far as I know, his lab currently has funding. The main thing that scared me was that his students told me he only plans to take students for a few more years, and if that is the case I don't know if he will continue to be funded throughout my graduate career. And no, TAing my entire graduate career would not be ideal. I think I have decided at this point that the lab would be a great fit for me, although I'm nervous to go somewhere with virtually no other options, so I will probably consider my other school options instead.

That is a good point! I don't think I had considered that. I know he currently has funding, although I can't speak for 4-5 years from now. As far as I have heard (from his current students) he plans to take students for a couple more years now, but yes I agree it would get lonely to be the last. Thanks for responding!

I am currently in the process of choosing between 3 excellent options for grad school. The one I felt was the best fit had a somewhat old professor who I wanted to work for, but a lot of the other prospective students seemed wary of him visit weekend because of his age. So my question is, how old is too old, and is age really a major concern I should have? While speaking with him it felt like an advantage, as I feel like I can learn a lot from him in both chemistry and life experience, and he is just a great guy. The other issue with this school is that he is the only one I truly would want to work for, however I have spoken with him multiple times and know I like him, his group members, and love the research, and also that he would take me as a student (which seem to be the concerns with not having other options). So I am trying to decide where I should go, and ultimately would like some help with this particular issue. Thanks!

I am just now finishing up my visit, and am very impressed as well, and maybe experiencing thoughts similar to yours on whether or not to attend. I have a feeling that I will choose duke after further consideration, so I'd love to talk with you more since there is a possibility we may become classmates.

I say go with how you feel. Where ever you will be happiest/most comfortable is the place where you will be able to accomplish the most. I am also wondering how you have already visited Duke? Their official visitation weekend is this coming weekend of 4/1-4/2, which I will be attending. I'm looking forward to it, even if it isn't a "top ten".

I think it really depends upon the individual schools you are applying to and also the strength of your application. From what I have heard from professors, it is one of the least important aspects of the application and other factors (LORs, research experience, pubs, etc.) will carry a lot more weight. This varies by institution though, so it may be important to look at each school individually, you can probably get some idea of this by looking at the admissions survey page and checking the stats on people accepted to programs that you are interested in. I personally came across this same dilemma and chose not to take the subject GRE, and was still accepted into programs which list it as recommended. It is important to note, however, that some schools require the subject test; because of this there were a couple schools I was interested in which I was unable to apply to.

Yes Even after sending out email inquiries. I think at this point I have given up on the ones I'm still waiting on and focusing my attention to my acceptances/visits.

Beyond just questions to ask, do you guys (or anyone else for that matter), have any advice to offer for visit weekends? I will be going on my first visit soon and am getting a bit nervous, and all I could find in the "interviews and visits" forum seemed targeted towards interviews in which the environment is much more formal.

I guess that is true, although I don't remember all the deadlines (I submitted all of mine at the same time). I am still waiting on UNC, Rice, and UC Irvine, all of which I know have already sent out rejections so I am very confused. Guess I'll be emailing them, good idea.

It's March 1st.. does that mean all hope is lost for any schools we haven't heard from?

FINALLY heard back from Duke today. Got accepted. I know I've seen a few others were wondering about Duke too. There wasn't any info on stipend amount or visit weekend in the letter though.

March 18-19

Odd, Vandy was the first program I heard from way back in early December (unfortunately I was not so lucky with the other schools I applied to). From what I can tell from talking with the visit weekend coordinator however, they seem to still be sending out acceptances and also seem fairly behind/uncoordinated on things this year. Good luck! I know how stressful the waiting game can be.

Still haven't heard from UNC... unspoken rejection maybe?