Jump to content

Nomad1111

Members
  • Posts

    88
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Nomad1111

  1. You stats look awesome! Have you thought about Columbia for neuro? They have a strong program and incredible reputation/PIs
  2. You should check out MIT Brain and Cognitive Sciences!
  3. For what it's worth, my uGPA was about the same as yours and I'm at Harvard. So there are many factors at play and I'd say it's always worth throwing down a few reach apps
  4. Hey all! Wasn't quite sure where to put this, but I was hoping someone could tell me when the MIT Media Lab program (MSc/PhD) starts, is it late August like most programs? Thanks!
  5. Check in with your program to see if they have any resources at orientation to help you choose. I was going to start contacting PIs, but I spoke to a current student in my program and found out that there's a poster session at the beginning that is a really awesome way to narrow down your list and find out what available PIs are up to.
  6. I'm currently in Boston, as an international student, and can definitely appreciate the housing stresses! I've also lived in Canada, where we'd usually see places going up 30 days before, but in Boston I'm asked months in advance (usually 3-4) if I'll be resigning my lease. There is a short period of answer turnaround, and then the place is listed if I don't resign. This does vary a bit place to place, but this seems to be reasonably standard for real estate companies, whereas private landlords seem to post places closer to the vacancy date (this information is solely based on my own personal experiences and those I've seen from my friends and colleagues). I had a lot of luck renting with Copley. They didn't ask me for much documentation, just ID and my social security card, although a friend of mine was able to sign a lease when she explained she didn't have a SSN. They did require first and last months rent plus a brokers fee, but no damage deposit. All of those payments had to be made using a certified check from my bank, so you'd need to have those funds in your bank account to acquire the check. If you're looking to get the lay of the land before you dive into the renters market in Boston (and gather al your funds together!), I would suggest subletting for a few months. This is what I did, and it made the transition a lot easier. Just be aware that move in day at the end of August is a city-wide event, and it can be a difficult and chaotic time to acquire a lease. I'm part of a bunch of MIT/Harvard subletting groups, feel free to PM me if you'd like me to send you the links!
  7. I have family members on the admissions committee, have you not heard back?
  8. You've travelled a lot, you've gone backpacking, you've had plenty of time. Others likely haven't, so why sweepingly say that travelling is a waste and you strongly advise against it? You're approaching it from one of many angles but others are in different positions coming at grad school from different angles.
  9. I totally disagree that travelling is a waste of the summer! If you have the time and money, do it! It's going to be very difficult to find that chunk of time during your PhD, you've likely worked your butt off to get into programs, and travelling is a wonderful way to grow and mature as a person. Sure, prep too if ya want, can't you do both? Globally calling it a waste seems a bit closed-minded?
  10. Awesome, good luck with your move It's extra exciting when it's a whole new set of experiences! I've been here for about a year, so it'll be turning a temporary situation into a more permanent one
  11. Congrats! Are you from the area, or is this going to be a move for you? So exciting! I'm going to be attending Harvard's BBS program
  12. Travelling! Backpacking around Europe for 2 months. We worked hard to get acceptances, and are going to work even harder once we begin our programs
  13. I've heard mixed message from faculty members/PIs/ADCOM members about narrative structures in personal statements. The most common "AVOID THIS" advice I received was to not hinge your narrative on emotional statements. Like "I knew I wanted to be a scientist when I watched my *insert loved one here* suffer from *insert sad disease here*..." and then carrying that as the main thread underlying your narrative. I'm sure some people are fine with this, but I think the issue is that some people really don't like this approach, so the advice is to play it safe and avoid appealing to people through these types of emotional stories. I structured my personal statement as kinda a timeline, beginning in the early days when my initial scientific curiosity was sparked, then moving through the experiences I gained over the years and at the end, bringing it back to that initial curiosity still being there as well as other important characteristics that developed along the way. My biggest tip is to start early, write a draft, walk away from it for a few weeks. Then pull it back out, look at it again with fresh eyes. Re work it and be super open to a complete overhaul (this is why starting early is the first step!). Then start sharing it, and remain open to total overhauls. For me, starting early and walking away from it several times gave me the big picture perspective I needed to take it from decent to amazing, at least compared to the original draft
  14. I'll be declining, so hopefully that helps My host did tell me that they over offer, they don't just offer exactly what they need and then waitlist. So I'm wondering if the waitlist tends to move? A friend of mine is also on the waitlist so I'd be curious to know if anyone knows anything about MIT BCS waitlist. Did they tell you where on the waitlist you are?
  15. If you could show the rest of your stats, that would help put your situation in context
  16. Awesome, thank you! The paperwork I received from the school allows me to select (at least it seems) J1 or F1 and then has requirements for each of those listed. All of my funding is coming from the school (tuition waiver, yearly stipend that exceeds cost of living, and health insurance) and is guaranteed for the duration of the degree. So it sounds like, as long as the school is willing to sponsor as you said, I should be ok! Do you know if people ever switch over from F1 to J1? At this point in time, I'm not 100% sure if my spouse would need the working rights I would have for him with J1, but it's a possibility down the road. So I guess I'm wondering if it's safer to get the J1 and have that in place and deal with the potential downfalls of a J1 (2 year return clause, for example) . Or if people sometimes begin as F1 and then are able to switch to J1 part way through?
  17. Thank you so much for your reply, this is super helpful! My reason for asking is exactly what you highlighted: I would want to consider a J visa so my spouse has the ability to work. I'll send you my questions in a private message if that's ok!
  18. Hi there, I've received my acceptance package from Harvard recently, and there is some information about visas (I also looked at their website information). It says some students are on J1s, some students are on F1s, but it's unclear how you would know which one would be your visa. I'm wondering if anyone has any idea what would put one in the J1 or F1 camp?
  19. I think it's anyone in GSAS, since it seems to be a GSAS-hosted event?
  20. Anyone know when we might hear back from MIT Brain and Cog Sciences?
  21. I think, as said above, this March 15th deadline is likely a request because they're holding a waitlist. Columbia told us in the interview weekend that programs will ask for these earlier decisions because they're holding a waitlist and wana try and move it by eliminating people that are going to accept elsewhere. They told us they would do this (they did, they also asked us to decide in March and followed up with a few emails as well), but they also told us that no accredited program can force you to decide/rescind your offer before April 15th.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use