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duckrabbit

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    dunsscrotus

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  1. Quite right, Guessed! I'm in the opposite situation -- I started out at a top prep school, chose to go to a less prestigious private university (for personal and financial reasons), and am starting a grad program at a non-prestigious public school (my program's very respected, but not top-10-ish). So I've got "pedigree" issues of my own, and a different perspective on the issue. I'd just like to say that, in my experience, posh undergrad pedigree means bupkis. Sure, it impresses people and opens doors, and is sometimes accompanied by a rigorous educational experience -- but given the prestige of the program you're entering, you'll have those advantages (and then some, because of course graduate pedigree matters much more!). More importantly, as many people have noted, you obviously got a good undergrad education and are smart and talented enough to have gotten in to your current program. Don't worry about not being able to cut it; you'll do fine. You've already passed the test of worthiness. Considering the stiff competition among applicants, I'd say you're a big fish in a big pond! :-D All you have to do now is work hard, which is apparently what you've been doing for years anyway. And when people look at you like you've got two heads, just take it as a compliment. A meteoric rise from obscurity to Ivy says a lot more about your abilities than a pristine pedigree.
  2. Basille's the expert here, but from the estimates I've seen, $12,500 to 14,000/year gets you the bare essentials (not including car insurance, gas, and whatnot) -- you should be in fine shape! I'm planning to make do with $1500/month before taxes, and so far it doesn't seem impossible. Look earlier in the current thread, and see this threadfor more detailed discussions and itemized cost-of-living estimates. Good luck!
  3. duckrabbit

    Scared?

    Hey, I'm going from Boston to Chicago (= bad to worse)! Congratulations to anyone going to school any place where exposed flesh doesn't freeze and fall off.
  4. I haven't gotten the official stuff with details like this from the graduate school yet -- just the acceptance letter and the stuff about my fellowship. All the other information (including the bit about the U-Pass) came from the department/current students.
  5. Not that much -- one is ranked about five places higher than the other. However, I have every reason to believe that the program I didn't choose is going to move up in the rankings (new hires, etc.). Also, the school I didn't choose is known for a number of very good departments; the school I did choose is known primarily for the department I'm joining and one or two others.
  6. Congratulations! It really does sound like you made a great decision. Especially since you'll be happy with your research opportunities and the prospect of rewards (= jobs!) when you finish, you'll surely be able to cope with the living situation. (Anyway, nobody's living situation is perfect in graduate school, and people definitely make it.) Prestige doesn't hurt, either! :wink: I ended up choosing the less prestigious school -- in my case the decision hinged (partly, at least) on research interests. In terms of the interests that motivated me to apply to graduate school in the first place, the two departments were roughly equal, but the less prestigious one is home to a professor with whom I thought I'd work especially well, and the location is one I know I can enjoy for 5-7 years.
  7. Ooooooh, that was bad! Good luck to everyone still deciding! :-)
  8. This makes me worry a bit. Sacrificing "everything else you'd want in a program" sounds a bit sad.
  9. Wow, this sounds like a really tough situation. I know this may not help, but it really sounds like you can't go wrong. Both choices seem to have a lot going for them (e.g. prestige/smarts of your own advisor seem to matter as much as prestige of the overall program). Once you sort out your priorities and choose, you should be fine! I'd say that you should choose based on research interests (especially if you are pretty sure they'll stay the same), and then ask yourself if you can be happy in the place/situation you chose for the requisite number of years. If you aren't happy, your work may suffer, so it's important to know that you'll be able to cope. I was soooo in the same situation, and sympathize. Congrats on your acceptances. And do post to let us know what you decide.
  10. Oh, oops, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm starting at UIC in the fall. *waves*
  11. Question: The $900 or so that we have to pay in University fees each semester includes a U-Pass, right?
  12. duckrabbit

    Scared?

    Terrified but excited. I waver between being rational and self-confident and total Impostor Syndrome freak-outs. None of us would have gotten in if we didn't deserve it. There's no way we managed to fool admissions committees who see tons and tons of applications every year. Plus, as long as freaking out just makes us work harder, it can be an advantage. Chin up, people, we're all going to be fine!
  13. Can't decide -- but it's exciting just reading about people's plans! Have fun, those of you who are taking time off, travelling, and sitting in front of TV!!! I'm torn between my desire for money and my desire for relaxation and catching up on reading/preparing for the fall. Matters are complicated by the fact that I'd love to see my friends, but they are about 3000 miles away, so visiting them requires money I haven't got unless I work all summer (and if I work all summer, I won't have time to visit).
  14. Thanks. I try to go with the best academic match, too.
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