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MissMoneyJenny's Blog - I Was Never Really In Anyway

Tue, 07 May 2013 15:35:00 +0000

Anyone who has seen my most recent post on the forum knows that I did not meet what I thought my conditional acceptance average requirement was. After speaking with someone on admissions and going over my acceptance again at 3am I realized I was never going to go to City University.

For some reason I had placed the idea that the B+ was only for fourth year in my head. It's not. I needed a B+ average over the course of my entire degree to meet the condition. This is the thing that prevented me from applying to universities in Canada; the high GPA requirement. I applied to schools in England in hopes of bypassing this and I thought I had after receiving an acceptance letter from City University London a mere 3 weeks after I had applied. It was even before my letters of recommendation were in.

Alas, I was wrong. Unless, I get some amazing exceptional email about how they want me anyway, despite my shortcomings, I am not going to London in the Fall. I will probably not even be going to grad school unless I finally hear back from University of Toronto. But, like I said, I am in the sub-3.00 GPA group; acceptances are few and far between (so I've heard). I have no desire to continue desperately take courses at the University where I've done my undergrad, and I've already taken the majority of the Psychology courses offered and I don't really have the perquisites to take things in different topics. Maybe it's not a good idea to be making such a bold statement right now about my future due to how low this had made me feel, but the way I feel at this moment is that I am never going to apply for my Master's again nor am I ever going to get a Master's degree.

MissMoneyJenny's Blog - Still Waiting

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 23:47:00 +0000

Just a quick entry, as I am in the midst of studying for my last exam and writing the final paper of my undergraduate degree.

I still haven't heard from the University of Toronto, my application has been under review since February 15th. I think a fair amount of people on this forum would have emailed them demanding a response by this point, but all applications were only due 6 days ago. I personally am leaning towards believing that I've been rejected by the program; the academic side of my application was less than stellar and I've come to believe more weight is placed on that part over the individual's resume, letters of recommendation, and statement of interest.

Part of me thinks that I am a maybe, if they don't fill up the school with individuals who are better suited for their requirements - a last choice, if you will, but I don't even know if I've managed to impress them that much. Maybe they're waiting for my final grades to come in, but to me I'd rather get the money back from how much it is going to cost to send the copy of my transcripts over, especially since I am so convinced I do not fit their standards. Thankfully it's not so much a blow to my self esteem as it is confirmation that heading to England next year is the right choice; I'm merely waiting for official confirmation.

Two Masters, an Archive and Tea - Criteria that Constitutes Happiness

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 10:16:00 +0000

When I was deciding between Maryland and IUPUI, I was weighing the lesser amount of debt versus connections. Or at least, I thought I was. But then someone told me this:

Pick the place that will make you the happiest, but remember that you always have the right to change your mind about what criteria constitute happiness.

I love that quote. It told me that I wasn't choosing Maryland because of the connections. It was telling me I could be the happiest at Maryland. I made the decision to become a Terrapin two weeks ago and I honestly think it's the best decision I've made. I could not, for the life of me, get excited about IUPUI. It is a great school and I refuse to knock it at all. But I just couldn't get excited about going there. Maryland, well, I was calling the director of student services with a huge grin on my face, scoping out apartments even though it's a little early, and just... seriously, you couldn't get the smile off of my face.

I know I will have more debt at Maryland. I know I might be living off of ramen for the next three years. But I also know that I am going to be in my favorite city in the world (it even beats some of my favorites in Europe) and I am going to have so many doors opened to me. I am required to do a field study as part of my program. The list of institutions Maryland does field study with is long and includes places like the Shakespeare Library, the Smithsonians, the National Archives, Library of Congress - the list goes on. My adviser for my Archives Specialization worked at the National Archives for 30 years and loves helping students get there.

Needless to say, I'm over the moon. It has been a long, long journey. What I thought would make me happy has changed throughout this journey. I've thought less debt, a cheaper city, etc. at one point would make me happy. I thought staying in my study abroad city would make me happy. I thought being done in one year would make me happy. In the end, it's Maryland for a number of reasons.

For all those who are still deciding, I wish you all the best! For all that have decided, congrats! For those who are looking to apply next year or reapply next year, take a deep breath. We all will make it!

Right Now I'm A-Roaming - All Topsy Turvy

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:12:00 +0000

So, a lot has changed since I last posted. I received two offers in quick succession and now I'm currently in LA and have visited both schools and talked to the graduate advisers.

What a whirlwind!

I came to LA intent on attending the public school because I thought that their tuition waiver would be the most beneficial and I had heard better things about their reputation and connections, professionally speaking. Now that I've talked to both schools, things seem to have completely flipped on their heads.

Unfortunately, $$$ seems to be the only thing on my mind these days. The reputable state school has informed me that I'm 4th on the list for tuition waivers (when they usually only distribute to two students), which had me feeling crestfallen for a whole day. How could I possibly attend that school having to possibly pay 1 year of international student tuition? Prohibitive to say the least. It didn't help that all the faculty were very complimentary and kind to me during my visit.

I visited the private school today and they seem to be awash in funding. I had already been offered a Teaching Fellow position but was worried about how it might only just cover my tuition and leave me with very little beyond that. I was shocked, then, to find that the graduate director began very strongly attempting to "poach" me, after I mentioned I was waiting on final financial information from the state school. What followed was basically a sales pitch, which just by the nature of being a pitch, made me hesitate. But the additional offer of funding above and beyond the Teaching Fellowship pay blew my mind. It was like comparing apples and oranges when I put the funding situation of the state and private schools side by side.

So now the question roiling in my mind is this: is it reprehensible to choose a school purely based on money? I mean I think that may be the case for Ph.D programs but I've heard again and again that paying a single penny for a humanities MA is a death wish and I would be a fool to consider it. The private school's offer addresses this concern (and then some) but I wouldn't feel totally comfortable on an intellectual level if that were the only thing to inform my decision.

I have a lot of thinking to do.

Two Masters, an Archive and Tea - Lessons Learned and Hagrid

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 12:08:00 +0000

When I first entered the grad school process I thought I would have decided eons before April 15th. I thought I knew exactly where I wanted to go, why, and had even started scoping out potential places to live. That was October.

I still haven't decided but, I think it's time for my biggest lessons learned list..

Don't get your heart set on one place - or try not to!

When I first started this process I only saw myself at South Carolina. Then when I was rejected there, I moved onto my favorite being in the UK. Now, my favorite is wherever they give me money.

Remember everyone gets rejections

My first rejection I didn't take too hard. It was my second. My entire family was shocked. My advisor, however, reminded me that he got rejections when he applied for his PhD. And he turned out fine. In fact, he turned out brilliantly and exactly where I think he is meant to be. Rejections are not the end of the world. And while the first month or so after being rejected from South Carolina I couldn't figure out why, I came to a realization. It was for the best. It wasn't because I wasn't good enough. It was because it was suppose to happen.

Karma doesn't exist; Fate does

I said that I would get rejected from one program because of a letter of recommendation and how I didn't quite listen to one professor when she suggested how to reform a paper that she would base her letter of recommendation on. Well, I got accepted to that program. I'm not a religious person so I call it fate. If you want to call it divine intervention, then by all means, go for it. But I think there was some sort of plan that said "What's meant to happen will."

Take up a hobby - throw yourself into work

In the tense month of February when we were all waiting for answers, I was like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. But I took up cross-stitching again to relax me. I took long walks on the beach (no joke!). I baked. And I threw myself into my senior thesis that's due at the end of April. The busier I was, the less time I had to freak out. And the more I worked on academic things, the more my mind cleared about what was coming ahead.

My final lesson learns comes from a quote from Harry Potter, said by Hagrid. "What's coming is coming, and we'll meet it when it does."

Any big lessons you guys learned that I missed?

St Andrews Lynx's Blog - Visit Day - What I Look Out For

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:40:00 +0000

By this stage I figure I'm something of an expert at visiting potential grad schools. As mentioned in my earlier posts, I looked around a number of American universities when I was over in the States last summer (before the applications were even created). I visited several UK universities for formal interview days and informal introductions.

Last weekend I had my first Visitation Weekend as an admitted grad student. And I handled it like a pro
Seriously, though - I believe that visiting prospective grad schools is a vital thing to do. For starters it taught me how to interact professionally with faculty, how to make small-talk with grad students and how to interview successfully.

Everybody will have different objectives for the visitation weekend, and will take different approaches to achieving those objectives. Here is advice from my perspective.

Before the Visit

Work out how you feel about the school. Is this place your Top Choice or a Safety School? Did you apply here because you liked the faculty...but think the small college town atmosphere might get to you? If you have concerns about the university think up ways to find out more about the underlying issues. What questions can you ask professors/students/people waiting in the Starbucks queue that will get you the information you need to make a decision.
Scour faculty, school, university and specialist Department webpages for information. See what is available to you in this place that is different from other locations. As an international student I wanted to see what resources are there to inform and support grads moving from another country.
Write down a list of your most vital questions on a piece of paper...then put it in your jeans' pocket. On the morning of my visitiation weekend I could be found in my hotel room, scrawling feverishly on the back of my boarding pass all the questions I could possibly think of to address to POIs, students and both. Keeping that list on me during the day meant I could double-check it discreetly between meetings to check I wasn't missing out on anything important.
Mentally & physically prepare yourself. As an introverted scientist, a whole day spent talking with lots of strangers, acting like a friendly team-player and remaining energetic until I was dropped off after dinner...whew, that counts as an endurance event. I had to take time out to psych myself up and get "in the zone". I'm OK with jetlag, but required a lot of water and an early night beforehand.

During the Visit - Objectives

3-5 faculty that I could see myself working for. As a chemist I go through several lab rotations. I have a thesis committee of 3, including my PI. I don't know that my 1st choice PI will have space to take me on...or that I'll work well with them. Therefore, the grad school I commit to must have an absolute minimum of 3 POIs that I like.
Other Departmental faculty that I get on with. I'm going to be doing more than slaving in the lab for 5 years. I want to be in an environment where the faculty get on with each other and know the grad students quite well. If a major research group-related problems erupts, I want there to be "impartial" figures I can chat to for advice.
Grounded Grad Students. I don't want to be in an ultra-competitive grad school where the students have big egos and distrustful attitudes. I don't want to be in a grad school where the students have submissive posture and low self-esteem. I want to be on a program that produces intelligent, confident and likeable grad students. Why? Well, I'd like to be an intelligent, confident and likeable grad student myself - so perhaps I can learn from their example.
Resources to help me meet my career objectives. Coming into grad school I have quite a clear idea of where I want to end up in the future (industry, not academia) and what is needed to achieve that. The better a grad school can help me along that path, the more inclined I will be towards choosing it. Do industrial companies recruit grad students on-campus? Does the grad school host Career Talks about working in industry? How many?

After the visit

Send brief emails to your POIs and organisers, thanking them for their time. It can't hurt to be polite to the faculty you've met (see my 3-5 rule above). Then see how many working days it takes for them to reply. The faculty who reply quickly? You want to work for those organised people.

MissMoneyJenny's Blog - Money Issues Taking the Back Burner

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 03:26:00 +0000

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who commented on my last article with money advice. This whole acceptance has left me with many things to think about but I definitely won't be focusing on simply one aspect anymore.

In my mind, despite still having not heard from the University of Toronto, I have decided to go to City University London.
In my parents mind, it's too far away, and they're not comfortable with me going.

When I first told them I got in their initial reaction "I don't have that kind of money." So immediately my thoughts went to that as well. As time passed I started to ignore the money thing, I can double my line of credit and deal with the negative monetary repercussions when I finish my Master's. I'll move to Alberta and work for some evil oil company 7 days a week for a year if I have to (I won't be the first Canadian to do it, and I won't be the last).

After milling over it for a week, and speaking mildly intoxicated with a group of very supportive friends (one of whom has lived in almost every large city in Canada, and in New Zealand, all through work-terms while he was in school). I have weighed that the life experience I would gain from this would far exceed what I'll be paying. Not only would I be living a dream I've had for 2 years now, but I would also get to experience the world in a way that I've never been able to before. And I would be attending a school which, from what I've read, will likely one day be a top university in the world. The program there is known for being really good as well, and I was excited about it long before getting accepted (much more excited than the other school I applied to).

Now to convince the parents. I know as an adult the decision is ultimately up to me, but while I'm away my parents will be the people making sure I am still connected to my home country, will be storing a large amount of my things for me, and will probably be taking care of my cat. Plus they're really the people I talk to the most, even more than many of my friends. I honestly think a large reason why I applied to go to school so far away is so I can distance myself from them a little . . . Either way they've moved past the money thing, but I don't think either of them are on board anyway. My dad even said "You come home, and we buy you groceries sometimes, and you come home for dinner occasionally All that helps. If you move to London we won't be able to hop on a plane and help you if you need it, if you're in Toronto we could." And my mom told my sister it's too far away as well. But she didn't even want me to go to school in British Columbia because it was too far, so that was to be expected.
I basically need to convince my parents either: 1) I am responsible enough to go away for a year somewhere very far, to live an experience that I will deeply regret not living, or 2) Convince them that people far less responsible than myself have gone away for longer to theoretically more 'dangerous' countries (the main example I am thinking of is my cousin, who moved to Austria to be a nanny for a year when she was 18 - not insulting her or anything, but obviously 21 year old me who has lived away from home for 4 years and is almost 100% financially independent (minus tuition), moving to a country where I already speak the language, is much less to worry about than a girl fresh out of high school, who has never lived away from home before, moving to a country where she doesn't speak the language to care for some stranger's children).
Sorry if that is terribly written, I'm incredibly frustrated with my parent's reaction right now. But like I said, I really can't go without their partial blessing. In the very least they'll need to cosign so I can extend my line of credit.

A Future Historian's Journey to PhD - Now that the Dust has Settled...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 15:32:00 +0000

Back again after a fairly long absence!

And gentlefolk, it's finally March.  I know for my discipline (history), programs are probably about half-way done returning decisions.  I personally applied to ten schools and actually heard from the last of them on Monday.  I'm extremely relieved to be done with the waiting game, and am extremely happy with how everything turned out (despite getting rejected from six programs - heh!).

As you might know from my last update, UNC Chapel Hill accepted me all the way back on January 31st.  Part of the reason I didn't want to post another entry until now, in fact, is because I got so much news during the first half of February.  And since most of it was good news, I didn't feel like it would be kind to post an update with so much (probably gag-worthy) excitement when so many folks were still waiting to hear back.

...Now that people are beginning to enter their decision processes, though, I thought I would share a bit about mine!

I was able to eliminate two of the schools that accepted me right off the bat: one due to poor fit and the other because of ranking/some slightly rude POIs.  In the end it came down to CUNY and UNC.  They're both excellent fits for me - the faculty is just incredible at both programs.  As much as I would love (seriously, love!) to live in NYC, though, the cost of living was a big factor in my decision.  Of course, the rankings of the schools are quite different (#10 at UNC vs. #27ish at CUNY for European History), and the prestige/external funding opportunities will be very important to me.

I gave myself about a week and a half to really mull it over (and wait for rejections from other programs - ha!), fearing that I might have formed an unreasonable attachment to UNC because they gave me my first acceptance.  Tallying up the pros and cons, though, I'm completely confident that UNC is the right program for me...so on Saturday I went ahead and formally accepted their offer! I'm all set to go out to campus for the visiting weekend in March and absolutely couldn't be happier!

Now all I need to do is finish my thesis and complete my coursework, so I can actually - you know - *graduate* and attend my new program in the fall.  That's proving easier said than done, but spring break is just a week away at my current school, so the finish line is in sight!

As you all continue the horrible wait and make your decisions, I wish you all the luck and happiness I've been lucky enough to experience the last few weeks! Feel free to comment and share your hopes, anxieties, decisions...whatever you like!

Two Masters, an Archive and Tea - The Citizenship Issue

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 10:52:00 +0000

In the UK, there are two tiers of fees: UK/EU and International. The EU has worked really, really hard to make it so you don't need a visa to live and travel within the EU and you get equal treatment in regards to fees for universities. It's a great, amazing, concept for my friend who is Greek and gets the same fee for Aberystwyth as his friend who is from Leeds. It's not such a great concept for me, an American. I am International according to Aber.

The difference in price is one I can swallow, albeit a little painfully: 6,250 pounds or about $10,000. If there was absolutely nothing I could do about this, I would say "Fine, okay. I knew this coming in." But there is something I can do.

I qualify for dual citizenship with Germany through an odd clause in their citizenship laws provided my Mom got her citizenship as well. I've seriously considered doing this many, many a time, for the fact I could save $10,000. So why don't I?

There's a little thing called "divided loyalties" in the US Government. It's a huge thing in getting security clearance for government jobs. Heck, even for internships. When I interned (no pay) at the Smithsonian, I had to go through a background check. They are looking for risk and your loyalty to the United States. Fair enough. But if they question my loyalty because of a foreign exchange student living in our house when I was thirteen, what would they say to my voluntarily taking on German citizenship (even if the US doesn't recognize it)?

I don't know if I'll end up in the US Government but I know I don't want to rule it out. And so, I shall cough up the extra $10,000. Such is the problem of being International and not EU, or more specifically, being American.

Economically, the UK still makes the most sense for me. I hate that economics have to be such a big factor in my decision - they certainly weren't in my undergrad decision - but they will. So any money I can save, I'll try.

In other news, writing my senior thesis (diss), quoting Doctor Who in it, and waiting for the inevitable rejections to a few more schools.

MissMoneyJenny's Blog - ACCEPTANCE

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 01:22:00 +0000

I got in to City University London's Msc in Human-Centered Systems on the condition that I get a B+ average this year, and send in my two references. I can't say yes right now, my dad has said he can't pay for it and I know I would have to take out massive loans to go but I'm going to look into scholarships now to see if maybe I can make this happen.

I don't even know what to say right now. I wish I could write more.