Pretty_Penny

I do, unfortunately. But the nature of the situation and the attempts at lies and deception that followed my discovery of the cheating quickly took away any bad feelings I initially had. You have done nothing wrong -- they have. You should not feel bad about taking action. You're not being unfair to these students. Rather, you are being fair to the rest of the class who actually spent the time doing the assignment and being honest. Remember this when the proceedings wear you out (there will probably be a long process of fact finding and appeals following you report), and also make sure you have support from the instructor in charge or your advisor, just in case. You did the right thing by reporting these students.

I think you're asking the wrong question. Instead, "How great is it to live in a very cold place?"
 
The answer: very great. Having distinct seasons and particular activities for those seasons, having the cold weather to nudge you into working rather than going outside, and the wonderful sight of snow are just a few reasons to choose a colder environment. 
 
But, of course, I've lived in Minnesota for a good part of my life. 

I have been reading about Approach-Avodiance conflict and it is exactly what we are experiencing. Whether the anxieties and the fear of such a dramatic change would dominate and lead to perpetually negative feelings, or the positive aspects would prevail. Maybe it's also a personality trait, but I am not a psychologist and I am not sure whether it's wise to make deep analysis over this at a time when we need to concentrate on deciding. Still, it doesn't hurt to know that such a phenomenon exists and informing ourselves better can only be beneficial to understanding what's going on with us. I guess you should give yourself some time and try to do things unrelated to your decision-making process, so that things could become clearer. I still have a few weeks to make up my mind on one offer, and until April 15 on the other. It's crucial not to panic and be overwhelmed with negative feelings, and if such occur, just take a break and start doing something pleasant - watch a film, exercise, or go out with friends and relax. Perhaps tomorrow you'll look at everything from a different perspective.

I think it's perfectly fine to decline interviews. I got an offer from my top choice earlier on and I had a few interviews scheduled. I emailed the professors right away (for one of them the interview was the day after) and respectfully and politely explained my situation and apologized for the late notice. They were very appreciative of my email and congratulated me on getting and accepting an offer to my top choice. I think most of them would rather have you tell them beforehand so that you are not wasting anyone's time or leading anyone on than trying to go through it just to be polite.

Thanks for your replies! There is a small chance I might accept one of the other offers, but it is not likely. I just thought I would have a little more time to talk about this with my family before accepting.
 
I've decided to give it at least a week, since I just received the formal offer. I still have to email my POI back though. How does this sound?
 
"Dear ___,
 
Yes, I received the formal offer, and hope to read through the details more thoroughly in the coming days. I would like to reaffirm my interest in the ___ program and assure you that it is my top choice. As of now, I do not believe I have any further questions, but I will not hesitate to contact you if any come up. I will be sure to notify you of my decision as soon as it is finalized.
 
Thanks so much!
 
All the best,
____"
 
Does it make sense to say they are my top choice but not to accept right away? I want to convey my interest, but as I said I am not ready to give them my final word.

It was awful/hilarious, I saw the POIs name in my inbox and I was SO confused, since I'd already been rejected, and for a split second I was like... did they change their minds or something? But I opened it and was even more confused because it was an exchange of emails about the POIs life and students, with some pretty horrifically hilarious cynical not-quite-PC opinions, and I couldn't figure out why I had gotten it. Judging from the content, I think it was supposed to be cc'ed to someone whose last name starts with the same three letters as mine, and it must have autofilled my email instead of the right persons... I don't know if I should just ignore it or let the POI know I accidentally got it????? THIS IS SO AWKWARD AND ALSO DID I MENTION MY LAST INTERACTION WITH THIS POI WAS AN EMAIL TELLING ME I WAS REJECTED BECAUSE THAT MAKES THIS MORE AWKWARD. 

I want to hear more of this story

In my opinion, it is not necessary to accept immediately, and it would definitely not be rude and unfavorable to wait a little while.  If you are still considering any of your remaining schools then I would wait to accept this offer.  I'm not saying to wait until April 15th (you even said you wouldn't do that) but wait a week or two.  IF you don't hear anything by then, contact the schools and see if someone will tell you your status.  See if you can find out the outcomes of your remaining schools and then decide.  You'll feel much better about your decision once you know how things stand.  POIs understand that applicants have many things to consider before they accept an offer, and should be understanding if you don't accept an offer right away.
 
I might be reading too much into this but it almost sounds like your advisor is pushing you into taking the offer at this school, given that she is friends with your POI.  If I'm wrong, then I'm sorry for my interpretation, but if I'm right then this is ultimately your life and your decision.  Take as much time as you want.  You will be the one attending this school for the next 4-6 years, not your advisor.  If you still want to consider your remaining schools, then take the time and wait.  The reason for the April 15th date is so schools can't make students decide on an offer before they have all the options (although that still doesn't always happen).  You can take as much time between now and April 15th to decide as you want.  Waiting a few weeks to formally accept an offer is so much better than going back on an offer later on (which I do not recommend at all).

I applied and was accepted to Penn State. While I am not sure if I will choose to go there, the Sandusky scandal would not factor into my decision. As someone who has spent the past four years at another B1G institution and is avidly devoted to college football and basketball, I can say that I honestly believe this is a problem with the sports culture at EVERY university, not just Penn State. Heck, people are deflating footballs at USC, and as much as the previous poster stated there were no classes made up for basketball players at UNC, previous employees have spoken out that there were. People are going to do what it takes to win because, unfortunately, sports are a huge draw for colleges these days. Did particular individuals at Penn State take it too far? Yes, but that doesn't mean every student or faculty member there should be implicated in the crime.

This will not sound intellectual, but I am watching real housewives to help relieve my stress.

Accepted to Penn State's Developmental Psychology Ph.D. program... First acceptance!

So I will admit I have an addiction to the results search. For one of my programs it seems some people were accepted by phone with official letters to come on Jan. 24th. For others, they were rejected in a mass email on the 30th. Where does this leave me? I still haven't heard anything back and I had emailed the student affairs office on Wed. and they told me acceptances/rejections were going out in the next couple of days and I should know by the end of the week. In my mind, the week is over!
 
Has anyone else been in this situation? How did it turn out? Any thoughts?

Got my first acceptance Friday for Stanford's DAPS program!! I'm ecstatic!!

I don't have any insight except to remember to get enough sleep, even if it means you study less. Your brain needs to the time to recover. Good luck!!

ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED THE ADCOMS ARE, LIKE, BOOZIN’ IT UP AT HAPPY HOURS EVERY DAY INSTEAD OF NOTIFYING YOU OF THEIR DECISION TO PROBABLY CRUSH YOUR DREAMS
 
 
and meanwhile, you’re all…
 

I completely agree with this. If I get in anywhere I'll be more than grateful to have my foot in the door and really have a chance to shine and do what I do. I'll show I can handle the workload and that the school made a great decision. It's like the athlete who is mostly a bench player. They sit there most of the season until something happens and suddenly they are out there on the court, rink, or field. It is their moment to shine and they might not be the best but they were good enough to get a look and get signed. Now in the moment they have a chance to show why they got that chance.

Those who say "Oh I wouldn't go if I was second choice" and "it's an insult and disrespectful" are, IMO, individuals who have an attitude problem and probably not pleasant people to have in one's cohort as a fellow student or in a class as one's student. Sure it feels great to feel like you are in demand and are the top pick for someone to work with, it feels good and I don't blame anyone for wanting to get that feeling and embracing it. But it comes across as entitled, cocky, and ungrateful to essentially demand first pick or no pick and look down upon second offers, it's like the T.O.'s (football player) of grad school. Sure you might be good at what you do, really good, but the sense of entitlement and demand for the best or nothing isn't seen positively by most and in the end bites you in the ass. These are the types of people who perpetuate the sense of elitism and big egos.

These are the same people that get crushed when they get rejected from a school and are all about the "but I have perfect scores, and straight As, and I'm published, and my LORs are Noble Peace prize winners, and I save kittens why did I get rejected, I'm amazing and they should have taken me." Call me naive and a bit academically romantic, but I have a sneaking suspicion that a small part of an admissions decision comes from the sense of whether or not the "fit" includes "is this person going to be confident in their work but humble enough to know that I'm the boss and I'm the expert they are learning from." Perhaps that is why some stellar "on paper" students get in with ease while others with the same "great grades and applications" get wait listed or outright rejected.

There needs to be some humbleness especially when you are the student and those in the program are the mentors and experts. It's about respect towards those that a.) do what you hope to do one day, b.) have the ability to guide you and help you reach your goals, and c.) know more than you on the given subject most likely. Sure it's alright to strut and show off a bit when you get into a school and you know you were a first choice...but it's alright to do the same thing if you were wait listed and later came back around to and accepted. It means, you have something they think has potential and it is now your job to prove you can do it and prove they made a great choice in the end.

Remember you are the student they are the professor. One day you might be the professor and do you really want to work with/teach students who think they are too good for your work/class? But hey pass on those second offers and wait list offers if it makes you feel better about yourself....people like sansao, myself, and many other students will gladly accept your spot and the chance to really show what we've got.

I don't mean to offend anyone personally, this is just my take on the situation. Turn down all the second offers and wait lists you want, just know the spot won't be there later down the line because someone else will gratefully accept the offer.

I think approaching it from the angle of "I probably already know more than them" isn't really going to be productive in a science which is highly collaborative...   Same problem with those who don't feel the need to discuss science with those who are slightly out of one's research bubble.
 
Being amicable is part of the job, or at least for those who are successful at it.

I feel like no one in my family gets this... Which makes sense as my parents never went to college. Today my grandma was visiting and I got a call from School X, which I had to take to talk to them about travel plans for their interview weekend. As I'm thanking them and saying bye my grandma says, "Was that School Y??"... NO GRANDMA IT WAS SCHOOL X, KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN.
 
Hahaha I'm willing to be open with my schools about the other places I'm applying, but I'm hoping the lady didn't hear, as it seems rather rude. But what can I do? My grandma is in her 70s and everyone's main concern is that I'm going to move too far away.

It's "rabid" dog - as in a dog infected with rabies. Not rapid dog.

Ha, at least you heard from UIUC. They still have yet to inform me of my rejection from last year! But focus on the interview and don't let the rejection bring you down!

You know...I keep telling myself that this cannot be healthy.  Obsessively reading about other people obsessing over grad school and contributing my own dose of crazy here and there.
 
Yet then I think about it a little more.  I can only talk to my friends so much because most of them are not applying to grad schools.  And yet, it's constantly on my mind and there's a desire to talk about it. All. The. Time.  Here, we find other people that are obsessing, we find people willing to listen to our crazy thoughts on Holiday Greeting emails from out top schools, hoping it's a subtle sign of good things to come.  We can mention that during the meteor shower will driving home, we saw thirteen "shooting stars"...and that's the exact number of grad schools and internships we're applying to!  That has to be a sign.  And this is very cathartic.
 
We find people not only willing to listen to our crazy, but embracing it and sharing their own crazy.  I think this website, though unhealthy on so many levels, is preventing several of us from jumping off a bridge...or at the very least, saving our friendships with people who don't want to hear about grad school 24/7.

amen to that scambra! i have many friends who are blindly optimistic ("why are you stressing?of course you'll get in everywhere") when they really don't understand the process, the degree of commitment, the level of stress. most of my buds (and i love em!) equate grad school with undergrad, downplaying the fact that grad applications are far more competitive and spots in programs are few.
 
sigh. i must admit i feel a kinship with my fellow "crazies." we're really not crazy...just...passionate. haha