ss2player

Undergrad: 0! I had a state scholarship (that no longer exists) that paid for my A.S. (lived at home during this time) and then my B.A. once I transferred (I lost that my 4th year, took out loans and paid them back post-graduation). I also had copious financial aid 'cause my family is poor and my biological father was nice enough to help out with living costs the last 2 years (my parents never married). Masters: I'm using my employer tuition benefit, where they pay 90% and I do 10% out of pocket. No debt from this so far. I may have to pay some of it back if I leave this year however, but it will only be a few K and they let you pay it back over 60 months interest free! PhD: I wouldn't go anywhere that wasn't funded. That's just silly.

What's your program? This seems like a very bad idea, unless you can do most of your work from home like a teacher can. It's gonna be 2.5-3 hours each way on the affordable trains, unless you wanna chance it every day on Bolt/Megabus. Or fork over your left arm to ride the Acela. Or drive and be driven mad (terrible pun, wow). I'd suggest getting a small affordable place in Philly for when you need to be there for days in a row and then go to NYC when not. Or suck it up and move; Philly is pretty cool and much more affordable than New York.

I feel you on this; I'm in a similar position with UTHeath (which as I'm sure you know shares resources with Baylor). It's my top choice right now and we were supposed to hear back last week. I emailed one of the coordinators, but there has been no acceptances on the results page, so I guess I sit tight...

Dang, good thing I didn't apply to Davis! I was mainly spurred by Murphy, so gunning off of one faculty member is never a good idea.

Congrats! I've lived in Philly for 3+ years now; any questions, PM me.

Thanks, I hope so! I'll be at their rival school this weekend...can you say MOTIVATION/PAYBACK?

First post-interview rejection. Now THAT stings, hardcore. One of my top choices too!

Mine have ranged from 3-7 so far. I'd say 2 is unusual, but not totally unheard of. Make 'em count!

They pay, and it's through a travel agency, you just have to call on their behalf.

Anybody else still waiting for that first acceptance (after interviewing places) and wants to wade in the pool of stress it's generating?

My boss tells me this morning "I need this data, the grant is due today." WHY THE F DID YOU NOT TELL ME EARLIER??!?! I have to leave at 3 to teach my class and catch a train to NYC for an interview. I told him all other crap is on hold this morning if he needs it that badly. *grumble*

Being in DC, you could easily go to Penn and UMD on your own time after setting up informal meetings with POIs, instead of their recruitment weekends. The others I would start ranking based on other factors (cost of living, offer package, location) and go from there. Congrats on all those choices!

Agree with the above. I refuse to do the "jeans and t-shirt" thing either at work or school unless I'm coming in on the weekend and not going out afterwards (i.e., no one of note sees me). I saw one guy in sweatpants, a hoodie, and sandals for a campus meeting with the school president. Don't be that guy.

BAM. Worth it.

I do it mainly out of etiquette. I was taught to always be courteous and send a thank you/follow-up, as well as be dressed professionally (I was that guy in a suit). As a bonus, I've had some replies telling me I was a very strong candidate and asking if there was anything the professor could do to sell the school/program to me. That eases my mind and is well worth the 5 mins/email, especially for those of us who are not BostonBio-like all stars.

I can only speak for domestic. I met a handful of international folks there, however, so I know the school must take a decent number. I got everyone I asked for (Lizee, Schluns, Chandra, and Curran). If you want to know anything about them specifically, I can PM you.

One student said they offer acceptances to most interviewees. So estimate 70% or higher? It's hard to say.

I'm in the airport after my interview right now! I really loved the program, they sold it well and all the grad students seem very happy. The structure was standard but I was impressed by how accesible and friendly the faculty and staff were; I never felt lost or left out. Plus the resources there and reputation speak for themselves. Hope you all get invites!

RPI is very well respected; if it's a good research fit, apply! Just be aware Troy, NY is not the safest area of the country.

I would also love some insight into this. I made sure to talk as much as I could without being dominant or arrogant. Some faculty are tougher nuts to crack and I let them go on before contributing more. Hopefully I "strutted my stuff" enough at my first two interviews. We shall see.

Congrats to you and wolbachia! I was at the same weekend as you but haven't heard a peep. Does that mean rejection or waitlist? I remember them saying they would let us know either way, but again, nothing. :-\

Good topic! I have a bucket list of things to do in my city in the (looking ever-likely) event that I end up leaving: restaurants, museums, parks, miscellaneous events. Also spend as much time with local friends as possible, hock as much material goods as I can, and read/listen to/watch ALL the media I've been meaning to. Maybe pick up odd jobs for ca$$$hizzle.

Everybody here should check out MUJI: http://www.muji.us/store/stationery.html Minimalist Japanese stationery. Umf.

Cool post! I saw most of this advice being followed at my first interview, but because the program was only a few years old, they didn't have 4+ year students, only 3 at the max. Next one I'll pay close attention to that.

Thanks, LMac! I'll take that mindset with me. I've been TAing recently which has helped me adjust to being around "young" people again. P.S. - you go to Emory, right? My old coworker/friend is there for med school. I thought about applying but didn't think I'd have the UG grades. Anyway, yay for random connections!