wanderingalbatross

The Valley on the whole is pretty safe. Most areas around Northridge are lower-middle to middle-class. Certain areas look kind of seedy but aren't "bad" places. There's a lot of good ethnic food (Indian, Vietnamese, a Filipino place) around Reseda and Van Nuys. Like any place, you should be smart about safety, but this isn't an area to necessarily avoid. The campus is pretty, there's a historic orange grove from early-20th century California that the school has maintained upkeep/preservation for. Quite a few native trees. It does not have the old Spanish revivalist look that many of the other colleges in LA have -- it's mostly modern. That's about all I can offer, though, as I have only spent a limited amount of time in that area.

I made a spreadsheet -- not to quantify pros and cons, but to have all the information in front of me at once. Even just being able to compare the basic picture of each school is helpful. Putting gut feelings on there is definitely a good idea!

I'm in the incredibly lucky position of having to send declining-your-offer emails, and I'm wondering if it's a good idea to tell the prospective school whose offer you did accept. Do they expect this and want to know? Or would they think it's weird and pseudo-bragging? I'm inclined not to say anything beyond the "thank you" and "I'm declining" aspects.

The University of New Hampshire and the College of William & Mary (I too have a soft spot for brick colonial buildings).

M&Ms, and eating them in order of favorite to least favorite color. Yellow first.

I've been told graduate students typically take fewer classes than in undergrad because a greater amount of reading and writing goes into each, but I was wondering if it's possible/reasonable to take 4+ classes per term without becoming overwhelmed. If a Master's program requires say 36 credits, is 48 credits doable within the 2-year timeframe? Can you continue taking classes during 2nd year and not have a compromised thesis? I love to learn and improve my knowledge base, and I want the opportunity to get the most out of what's offered.

I was told I won't hear about decisions until early or middle March. I'm hoping they give an extra conservative estimate and it's actually sooner than that because this already feels like the longest February ever.

I can't eat while I study because then my hands are full and I suck at multi-tasking, but in between tasks it's usually something sweet. Like Junior Mints or M&Ms.

Bump. Anyone's thoughts/tips/knowledge about Reno?

I think they are looking to see if you can write in a way that answers each question clearly but also demonstrates the ability to transition naturally from one topic to the next. Cutting it up with sub-headings won't allow you to show that skill.

Have you talked with advisers/professors about your desire to have a more "applicable" focus? I don't know what your department's strengths are but I am aware of geochemistry and biogeochemistry groups in Geo departments that do a lot of research in environmental topics -- extremophile microbes as indicators of mining waste, heavy metal toxicity, etc. It might not be quite what you are looking for but at least that area has the "relevance" feeling.

This one's not bad, has several sub-categories: http://www.conservationjobboard.com/

Hi everyone, I am a little concerned about one aspect of my application -- my grades in math on my transcript are horrible. I did get an A in statistics with a 97 average for the class, but have never gotten better than a C+ in a calculus class (I have 2 F's on my transcript, from failing 1st semester (differential) calc, then passing it, then failing 2nd semester (integral) calc, then passing it). I am applying with a focus in physical geography and I know that we rarely use math other than statistics, in which I did very well, but I'm concerned that my calc record could still cripple my application. My GRE Quant was 74th% which is decent but not great. What do you guys think?