intrastellar

Thank you for the information!! I really appreciate the info on the feel of the place. Glad to hear no wild parties (probably helps that they don't have a pool ) and that people seemed nice. Definitely useful info!

Thank you all for your help. I have asked for additional time to consider the MA offer in light of new developments and the pieces of information you all gave. We'll see if it is granted, or, I still might be going in the fall and have my decision made for me! Ha ha. Maybe I won't have anything to worry about at all. Also, thanks for not sugar coating it. I think it's important to hear and will help me get over it.

An update.... The original POI that I emailed asking about any opportunities replied and said, "there's the second advisor you could work with at the university, so the program would still suit your needs. That said, you could apply to this other university, but it's extremely competitive. Might be worth a try." is this prof just blowing me off? Is this even worth trying to make it so I work with them? It doesn't even sound like they would be willing to support my application even if I DID apply.

Good point- one of the reasons I was so excited to work with this prof was because they had an excellent track record of publishing in all the top journals in my field, organizing panels at our major conference, is just finishing up an NSF grant, etc etc. they're young and I was hoping they could teach me a LOT of those skills to make myself competitive for PhD programs and beyond. The other POI is not as strong in this- they are a better teacher in classes and they are slower at releasing articles/research. So although I still will get those skills in the program, I fear I will be less competitive than I had hoped down the line because I lost the opportunity to work with someone who has honed those skills specifically to become competitive in the market today (hence the switch to a top notch school). I plan on contacting the program tomorrow to ask if I can have more time to think about the decision considering the change in circumstances. I will also ask if it would be possible to have that external committee member. I emailed the original POI and asked about being a member, so thank you for mentioning that.

The prof is moving to an immensely competitive top-name school. So unfortunately I probably would not be able to go with them (frankly, I'm not sure my application would be THAT competitive). Would it be rude to ask, though? Like an... "Are there any opportunities for me to still work with you in any capacity?" kind of way? There was a line in the POI's email that made me think they sent it because they heard I did commit- I originally thought that committing reminded them to tell me, but I think you have a good point that it could be they wanted to wait. Anyway. I think you have a good point. I had been accepted at this school to two depts where I could work with the same profs. I committed to the MA program with plans to apply to the PhD track in the other dept, but still working with the same people... My ultimate goal is still to get a PhD. And I guess the MA would make me more competitive to apply anywhere for PhD programs, but a lot of my discipline is about who you worked with, not only the rep of the dept. So I'm frustrated because the person who was supposed to be an up and coming person in the field left. While the program would STRICTLY meet my needs to apply to a PhD program, is it worth the risk to do the MA without saying I worked with so-and-so?

The day after I accepted an offer, I was emailed by my POI stating that they were leaving for a position at another university. (We had been in touch a lot before, and so this was something that they decided to reveal recently, not that I didn't bother to contact them.) That's fine and all, but they were the number one reason for choosing this school and our interests were really well-matched. There are only a handful of other departments that have more than one advisor with similar research interests to mine, and even then they may not offer a wide variety of classes that would benefit my research background. While I like the program and would have another prof as an advisor option, I am now on the fence about having accepted my offer. Even if the department hires another person, even one with similar research interests, I have no idea if they're planning on hiring them for this coming year and as a prof who can advise graduate students. It's only a 2-year program, so I have a feeling that the advisor option I'm left with would be my only option due to the length of the program. My question is: Now that I am feeling uneasy and, quite frankly, disappointed about the prof leaving, should I try to defer my offer for a year? I figured I would then have the option to apply to other schools (again) in order to try and get into a program where the people I really want to work with stay while I'm in the program. I also figured I could see if they hire a new person and if that person would be a reasonable advisor. Or, because I like the classes offered and have a prof that could work as an advisor should I just bite the bullet and stay true to the accepted offer? Thanks for any insight into this or any other ways to look at it.

Does anyone know anything about Madison on 20th Apartments or Hidden Village Apartments beyond what you can find via Google? I need a 1 bed/1 bath that is dog friendly and below $600/month. I was hoping these places were safe and decent. I live out of state and won't be able to tour. Thank you!

Has anyone heard from the UFlorida Anthro dept regarding assistantship awards? I've emailed to check the status but haven't heard anything from them as of yet.

Thank you for your responses! I feel I should add that the curriculum wouldn't be exactly the same. The interdisciplinary dept has categories that include a lot of classes from the social science dept, and if I wanted to, I could take most of my classes from the ss dept (however, I feel that would defeat the purpose of having the interdisciplinary option for the degree). That said, thank you @rising_star for your input, because it made me think about the value of an interdisciplinary degree and perspective. I had thought about the possible detriment of having a MA that was not in the same subject as my PhD, but hadn't thought through the positives of having that background. I also think you provided an excellent point about enriching my project with different faculty members, and the interdisciplinary degree would provide me with what I feel are more options for the committee. I feel that gaining an interdisciplinary perspective and then narrowing that perspective to the social science discipline for my PhD would be a good way to progress. Thanks again.

I've been accepted into two different programs at the same university. Either program will allow me to work with the same professors, take the same classes, and access similar resources. Both depts have a focus on what I want to research and would allow me to use the same methodology. Program A is a terminal MA program, funded for two years, in an interdisciplinary studies dept. Program B is a PhD program in which I would be guaranteed funding for 5 years in a social sciences dept. Neither program would shorten the ultimate amount of time it would take to get my PhD- Program A would mean 2 years in dept A, then 5 in dept B; Program B would mean 7 years in dept B, getting my MA along the way. The ONLY tangible difference I can think of is that Program A would require me to include some form of comparative study in my thesis, which relates to my interests so I don't mind, while Program B does not have that requirement. If the funding offers are the same in terms of stipend and work required, what are the pros and cons of accepting one offer over the other? Nothing I can think of truly makes me say "I need to choose this program/dept over the other!" and I was hoping to bounce ideas off of the gradcafe community to see if we could come up with anything I hadn't thought of. Program A would mean I possibly could have guaranteed funding for 7 years (if Program B funding situation stays the same). It would mean that I also have to reapply to Program B down the line. Program A would also allow me to save face if I felt I couldn't handle a PhD or unforeseen circumstances happen and I just don't apply to Program B again/apply to different schools. However, Program B would be nice to stay in the same dept for 7 years, and stay with the same program coordinator/program logistics. So far, Program A seems to be more an option of flexibility, while Program B is more an option of continuity. Do any of you have stories of a situation similar to this that would sway you one way or another? Any input? I appreciate your help! I know that this is a great problem to have.