ss2player

Berkeley is also in an extremely high cost-of-living area, so I'm sure the 31K stipend (neuroscience program, for instance) are difficult to budget with. They should probably increase that to be more in the line with the NYC schools. Other UCs like Davis and Santa Barbara may not have that issue.

I'll be the umpteenth person to say: post/PM me with any questions! I did this whole process TWICE and am finally starting at a program I'm excited for in August. For any older/non-traditional applicants, holla at me, I'm your guy! Also had a colorful academic record, so if you can sympathize, you know where to find me.

Eh, depends on the snow! A good set of snow tires, FWD, and a moderately heavy car will do fine in most places. If they're expecting A LOT of snowfall, then by all means go for A/4WD. Just get ready for lower gas mileage.

Getting a research job would probably be a better use of your time; master's programs suck up your money and you can do similar or better research work as a tech/assistant. Only reason I could see doing one is if your undergraduate grades are poor and you need to make up for that. And if your goal is medical school, why not a post-bac program? You'd probably see better results for getting into med school, though they too are unfunded.

It is quite rare. Look into external funding like NSF, AAAS, AAI, various charitable organizations. Why not go for the PhD? Science masters are not always a great investment, and are not required to start a doctoral program in the USA (other countries differ on this).

Your stats are baller, I wouldn't worry too much! Expand your list of schools, 4 is not enough, aim for 8-10 that are a mix of dream schools and safer choices (but research fit is most important!). Pubs from an undergrad are very rare, I only had some 'cause I have worked for 4 years post-BA.

Good skill to have! I learned on a stick and prefer them, but my most recent car is an automatic. Reasons: actually better gas mileage than the stick version (it's an "automated manual" DSG, not a slushbox), potential Houston traffic, and if I need to sell the car when I move for postdoc it's MUCH easier to sell an auto. A hidden benefit for sticks though: less likely to get stolen/carjacked! Many bad guys won't bother or don't know how.

Maryland is definitely the right choice! To be blunt, many MS programs serve as cash cows for the PhD programs; therefore, go wherever is cheapest but still works for your goals. In my case, I paid probably 100X less going to my school using my employee benefits than enrolling in the far more prestigious school across the river. In the end, it all worked out and frankly, UMD is better than my MS school ever will be, so you'll do great!

Good point; if you're not on campus every day and want to save on rent, those are good places. I prefer being in the city but OP might want somewhere more peaceful.

Agree with hj2012, unless you can make a STRONG case, this will not come to fruition and even if it does, you will be torching bridges left and right. You'd be essentially dropping out of Baylor and starting over again; how do you think MIT will see that? How will you address this in interviews? Most academics will take it as a huge red flag that you cannot finish what you started. The only time I have heard of people smoothly transitioning is if their PI moves to another institution and takes some grad students along with them.

Philly resident here. Housing moves pretty fast in the summer, so I think actually locking down a place right now is unecessary. If you live close, explore the city, walk around your preferred areas looking for "Rent" signs and call both them and craiglist listings. Many landlords want someone whom can move in within less than a month, so maybe mid-late July get serious about it depending on how much buffer time you want before classes start. And good luck!

Only one I know is Ford Hall, and I would not recommended it. It's an old building that is overpriced, you can do much better off-campus.

Oh Camden, still the #1 most dangerous city in our hearts. So I grew up in Camden County, NJ (the trashy suburbs, not the city) and went to Rutgers-NB for undergrad. New Brunz is a little rough, but certainly far, FAR safer than Camden. I never had a problem there and quite enjoyed myself; had I not already experienced it I would have considered it for grad school, no doubt. If you like the program and professors, go for it!

I see...can you contact the graduate students and see how their progress is going? When they might defend? Good to get information from all angles, sometimes profs can be a little frustrating with their transparency. But go through the prof, you could say "I'd really love to rotate and join the lab if I like it, but I need to know my chances first. May I talk to the students in your lab about if they might graduate this year?"

I posted a similar question recently: Came to the conclusion it's probably not worth it, but I have people whom are more sure of their funding situation. If you have more of a chance this becomes murkier.

WORD

People skills definitely help, not just in school but out in the working world as well. You can be an all-star in the lab but you need to be able to interact with others in a meaningful way to leverage that data into something more. There will always be drama and difficult people anywhere you go, the trick is to pick your battles and not get distracted by it. Now, if others are holding you back you might need to get a little more direct and "herd" them in the right direction. I would also suggest taking a management class if your school offers one; I learned a ton and it was a fun class to boot!

I've seen some of both already, and want to see more, but thanks for the recommendation!

Damn chief, I didn't know I could group people like that as opposed to seeing them as individuals...life just got a whole lot easier! But seriously, if I want cleverly written entertainment about geeks and nerds, Futurama and Community are far superior.

Besides being poorly written, the show uses "geeky" stereotypes to get general audiences laughing AT the characters, not with them. Otherwise they wouldn't need Penny as the "normal" one.

Tell them that your other apps never went above $60. If they rebuke, they obviously don't want your business!

After having several of them, I've found that an even semi-competent visiting student is basically a unicorn.

Thanks all! I was leaning that way but nice to have confirmation. I've thanked them for their transparency and that I hope to potentially collaborate in the future, and at the very least, shoot the shit about research on campus.

Hey y'all, So I'm contacting potential PIs to meet with when I look for a place to live, and potentially to rotate with/join their lab come the fall. A couple of them have said they don't have the funding to take any students next year, but I'm welcome to do a rotation with them. Now, it's my understanding that the rotations are meant for you to find a thesis lab, so would rotating without that opening be a "waste"? I'm sure I'd enjoy the 10 weeks and pick up some skills, but the 3 rotations we have are precious and I want to use them wisely. Should I tell them thanks but no thanks? Or is it worth it for the experience? Not sure what the protocol is here. Thanks in advance!

I'd say go for the broad, publication approach. Your hopeful PhD thesis will supersede anything you do for your MS anyway, and so long as you're productive (via pubs or thesis), programs you apply to will be happy. Hell, I got in and I'm only 1/3 done my MS and obviously don't intend to finish.