TakeMyCoffeeBlack

Look at the cost of grad housing and divide by 12 (even though you only get to live there for like 9 months, I think). How much is it a month? In most cases, you will save a lot of money by living off campus, either in a studio or by finding a roommate. Also, be in touch with your program and financial aid soon and frequently. My girlfriend got a sweet gig at like $18 an hour for 18 hours a week at her grad school, but it was one of very few jobs like that.

Admittedly I have no idea how grad financial aid works, but are you sure about this? My buddy is in his first year of an audiology program and his first two years' tuition are completely covered, yet he still took out the $20,000 federal loans for living expenses. I'm not sure if that is some weird circumstance?

It's been my experience living in Germany that you can find a good wine for between 3-4 Euro (there are okay wines for less).

I'm a red wine drinker, and the Rhine and, more importantly, Baden produce some of the world's finest reds. I... I don't even know... There's something better than German chocolate and wine? Okay... I'll throw in Rauchbier from Bamberg?

Different field, but fear not! That does not destroy your chances by any means. Contacting before is more a way of gathering more information about programs. It's possible that you've applied to programs that won't be taking students doing your type of work, yes. But if you're a better candidate than someone else who did contact them, you'll still be the better candidate.

I'm kind of at a perpetual orange. I am desperate for information. IR IR IR asked earlier what we'd be willing to do for admission. Well, for any admission committees members out there, I'd be willing to send you German chocolates and wines from the vineyards of Baden and the Rhine (my two favorite wine regions in the world)!

Hi strangepeace, welcome! See Professor Braumoeller's post about the OSU phone calls. The POI was just being honest. No decisions have been made yet!

Which school was this? And hear hear! I'm not sure if I should be thankful for the distraction or upset that I won't have access to much e-mail between Feb. 9-13 (I will be in another country for a conference...). Let's go with thankful for the distraction. I think.

Either they're taking longer than usual or they're skipping out on interviews this year. Hmmmm.

Will no one be shown mercy today? And why do I cling to the unreasonable idea that although my schools do not typically show much movement until next month, that each day might bring with it news?

Clarify in a follow up e-mail if you're really worried. You might want to demonstrate that although you have specific research in mind, you're open to other directions.

Overall, though, it's not a terrible approach. It's an interesting way to reduce the issues of quantity without arbitrary cutoffs of quantifiable, objective factors.

I thought about getting a Mac for a while (I used them at an office and while editing a newspaper and loved it), but the hardware available for PC is superior. Plus, I really love new technology, so I got a convertible touch screen PC. It's been great with a few issues here and there (new software, new hardware, bound to happen), until today. I managed to get it to revert back to Windows 8 pre preview upgrade, but now I'll have to reinstall everything. I'm cool with the new UI, especially since I have a touch screen PC.

Unrelated, but general conversation... Does anyone run Windows 8? I got the 8.1 preview over the summer and put off upgrading to the official release because I will lose all my applications. Today, the preview expired. Windows way of forcing us into upgrading is by restarting our computers EVERY 2 HOURS, but the Internet connection I'm on cannot download the very large upgrade file fast enough. When my computer restarts, so does the download, putting me into this endless, hellish loop... I guess it's a distraction from admissions, but I can't do any work!

Last year I got a bunch of calls like this during admissions season, even from a few areas that I had applied. I'd search google frantically in the middle of class to see who it might have been (since I couldn't check voicemail, if there was one, right away). Alas, it was always some kind of marketing. Which! it turns out, is illegal if it's a pre-recorded message going to your cell phone. I'm getting $40 in a class action law suit! Sweet justice...

Jan 20. I mean, things will really be blowing up at the end of the month, as you say. But based on last year's results, there seemed to be daily movement starting last year's equivalent of next Monday.

I think your earlier post made this clear, but I can imagine the nerves it could fire up (I'm not personally an OSU applicant, nor have I had an interview anywhere (yet?)). It's great at least that you're here to clarify these types of things!

My magic crystal ball thinks this forum is going to be insane come Monday next week.

I'm in the States for a couple weeks in March, but just under 6 months altogether to go.

an hour and a half in admissions time is like a year.

Congrats to MSU admit! Anyone willing to claim it?

all quiet on the admissions front...

They do (kind of) rolling admissions though, no?

First post? How many other schools are you waiting on? What a great way to start the season! And so early too!

I think this is what I'll tell my gf when she asks if I joined the gym yet.