soupcann314

The ETC is a good distance from CMU's campus. I think CMU runs shuttle buses down there, but I don't know the schedule (might be on their website). South Oakland would be the closest neighborhood but it's a huge undergrad housing area, so it's loud, often dirty, etc. If you're going to be spending tons of time at the ETC, you may want to look into either Greenfield or the South Side Works. Greenfield is pretty close and it's a quiet, residential neighborhood. (I actually own a house in Greenfield.) It's affordable and there are a few spots for nightlife (Hough's, mainly, though also Big Jim's to a lesser extent). It's also close to Oakland and CMU's main campus. South Side Works is right across the Monongahela River from the ETC. You could walk, bike, or drive across the Hot Metal Bridge and be at the ETC in moments. The Works is a new development with lots of restaurants, stores, etc. The South Side is pretty bustling and is a hot spot for Pittsburghers on the weekends. The housing will be more expensive on the South Side.

When apartment hunting, make sure that clearing and salting sidewalks and walkways is included in the lease. Some landlords, particularly those who are renting out an old house that's been converted to apartments, will try to pin responsibility for that duty on residents. And even if heat is included in the lease, some landlords will keep it set low to keep costs down. Either battle with them over it or buy a space heater/electric blankets. You can also put up plastic over the windows to keep drafts out. It's not attractive, but it's functional. As for adjusting...layering is your friend. Invest in a good pair of boots with decent traction and lining to keep your toes warm (or at least warm-ish). I bought a good, insulated pair of hiking boots a couple of years ago and they've held up pretty well. When making plans for going out during winter, factor in the additional time it will take to physically get out of the house and wherever you're goin. It sounds weird, but you'll take a good 5-10 minutes to put on your extra pair of socks, legwarmers, lace up your boots, get your scarf on, get your hat on, get your big winter coat on, and you'll definitely need to factor in time if you're walking. You can get handwarmer inserts for your gloves/pockets at outdoor/sporting stores, which are heavenly while they work. Count on the bus being late. If you're going to have a car, snow tires make life ten billion times easier, especially if you don't have four wheel drive. And if you do have a car and get onstreet parking, you should probably buy a shovel to shovel yourself out in the winter. The snow is fun, though, and beautiful until it becomes a pile of grayish-black mush.

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): University of Pittsburgh (public) Previous Degrees and GPA's: BA, Political Science & English, Minor in French, Certificate in West European Studies. GPA 3.5 GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 680 V / 720 Q / 5 AW Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 5 years nonprofit program work in DC and Pittsburgh Math/Econ Background: laughable Foreign Language Background: fluent in French Intended Field of Study in Grad School: Public Policy & Management, focusing on policy analysis Long Term Professional Goals: management in nonprofit, research center, or government (any level) Schools Applied to & Results: Heinz School at CMU - accepted, 70% tuition scholarship Ultimate Decision & Why: Heinz. It's the only place I applied to, it's one of the best schools in the nation (conveniently right in my backyard), and the scholarship really sealed the deal.

The cost of the GRE, and that's it. So about $100, if I recall correctly? The schools I applied to did not have application fees, and I like to keep things close to home -- I live in the same city where I went to undergrad and where I'll be going to grad school -- so I was able to pick up my transcripts and drop them off.

A really good Monte Cristo. Delicious. I've only ever had one really good one though, at a restaurant in Florida whose name escapes me.

Thanks, everyone, for chiming in. You were all very helpful. I told my boss today and ... well ... we both basically started crying. But once the crying was over, she was very happy for me and agrees that it's the right decision, that the program will be great for me, etc. She joked about how it was all her own fault because she wrote such a great recommendation letter for me. She asked me to help find and train a replacement, which I'm happy to do. During a strategic planning meeting with our board members today (hence why I really needed to get it over with and tell her before any further strategic planning happened around me being in a new position), she told them and they all expressed their sadness at my leaving but were very happy for me. It's really nice to feel goodwill and happiness for this. My hands were shaking and my stomach is still has a few butterflies remaining, but I'm glad it's over with and I can stop worrying about it.

I'm looking for advice... I've worked at a small nonprofit organization for three years and I interned here my last semester of undergrad. I love the mission and I absolutely adore my boss. She's the best. We get along well, she thinks highly of my work, and I know she wants the best for me. Right now I'm in a program associate position and she's been lobbying the executive director hard for me to become our communications director. I'm applying to public policy programs and she wrote a really great recommendation letter for me, so she knows that grad school is at least a possibility. A few weeks ago, she asked if there was any news on that front and I hadn't yet heard from schools, so I said no. Since that time I've heard from schools, and my top choice gave me a really amazing scholarship. I'm 95% sure I'm going to go there this fall. I can't do the program part-time. It's way too demanding. And work-wise, even if I get an upgrade in title to communications director, I'm not sure that means anything except me keeping all my old responsibilities AND taking on new, more complex responsibilities. The pay raise would likely be minuscule. I've been here three years and my pay has only increased 6%, even after a move from program assistant to program associate. A lot of that has to do with the economy, but it always just seems we have no money for anything, even when we get big grants. And there are some very real structural and other problems that I see with the organization, and I'm just tired of fighting old fights over and over again. Our organization is going through a strategic planning process right now, and my boss is pretty committed to trying to make me the Communications Director, so I need to tell her ASAP about my plans to go to grad school. I was all about her lobbying for me to get the CD position because I wasn't sure I was definitely going to go to school. But now that I know I'm in and with a good financial aid package, I'm leaning way more toward going to school. Anyone have any advice about telling your awesome boss you're leaving? I'm also nervous about telling them so early. I plan on continuing to work through at least the beginning of July, if not longer. I've never given such a long notice -- I'm used to telling employers usually about three weeks in advance or so. I don't think anyone at work will be annoying or vindictive about it, I'm just kind of worried about weirdness in the air, especially in talking about projects that will happen after I'm gone. Any thoughts or advice would be most appreciated!

Shadyside and Squirrel Hill are popular with grad students. They're a bit more expensive than Friendship, but great transit-wise. I live in Greenfield, which is a pretty quiet, under-the-radar neighborhood. It's really close to Oakland but will have similar problems with transit after the cuts. I always had luck on Craigslist, but I bought a house three years ago so I haven't been on there lately! The rental market in Pittsburgh is probably a little more relaxed and old-fashioned than you may be used to in LA. A lot of places, particularly in the more old school neighborhoods like Friendship, are more informal about showing places, putting down a deposit, etc. (That's not to say you shouldn't read through the lease carefully, iron out details with the landlord, etc., of course.) But it's not as cutthroat and competitive as things can be in bigger cities -- let's just say finding an apartment in DC was a real eye-opener for me, both because of the high rent and the competitiveness.

A friend of mine worked in the graduate admissions office of the program I want to do and said that it is definitely okay to do it. I got a pretty good scholarship from my #1 school and felt weird asking for more money, but did it anyway. I'll hear from the school within the next week or so, so I can't tell you how it turned out, but no one acted like I was wrong to ask. In fact, everyone has been really helpful and kind so far.

I'm a native Pittsburgher and attending CMU in the fall. I lived in Friendship for two years, once as an undergrad at Pitt, then after moving back to Pittsburgh following a stint in DC. Pros: Friendship is charming and inexpensive. My partner and I rented a spacious two-bedroom apartment that was actually the entire first floor of an old Victorian home for $600/month. It's a quick walk to Bloomfield, the Strip District, Lawrenceville, all cool neighborhoods with lots of stuff to do. You could even walk to Oakland, though that's more of a 20-25 minute walk. It's not a neighborhood that's inundated with undergrads like Oakland, so it's quiet (read: no frat parties). There are a few grocery stores within walking distance. It's centrally located in the city. It's absolutely gorgeous during the spring, summer and autumn. Cons: It's often not gorgeous during the winter, but that can be said of all of Pittsburgh. (The snow is beautiful for about 30 minutes after it falls, then it turns to a delightful black/gray slush.) The bus service to Oakland is not the best. The 54C connects Friendship and Oakland and it currently runs about every twenty minutes. There are service cuts scheduled to take place on March 27th which I believe will reduce the frequency of the 54C to every half hour during the day -- not great. The parts of Friendship near Garfield (Penn Avenue is the border) can be shady, as Garfield is a high-crime area. My second time around in Friendship, I lived on S. Millvale Ave right at the corner of Penn and I saw three drug deals and prostitutes on the street corner during one month. That being said, that area of Friendship/Garfield is in transition and a lot of art galleries, restaurants, and stores are popping up there. If you want to have a car, which isn't necessarily a requirement but it sure makes life easier, you should try to get an apartment with a parking spot as street permits can be expensive. With all that said, I really liked Friendship, despite its flaws and because of its charm. Let me know if you have any other questions.