are_we_there_yet?

Wait until the UNC visit. There is a lot to be said for feeling comfortable, as it certainly seems you do with UCSD, but who is to say you won't have that same sort of feeling once you have visited UNC. If you walk away from UNC feeling underwhelmed by the department, you can choose the generous UCSD offer with no regrets. On the other hand, if you love UNC, keep in mind that funded research opportunities abound in the Research Triangle. If your work is good I can't imagine you would be locked into 14k for more than a year or two.

The complexes I looked at were 600-1000 for 1 bedrooms, 800-1250 for 2 bedrooms. I would, if I could, definitely consider the university housing (I have a dog and a cat... they aren't permitted). The grad housing complex is located 2 miles from downtown on the North Campus, which is not isolated by my standards. Two miles by bus doesn't take more than 20 min and is less than 15 min by bike. Granted, I currently live in Chicago, a city which considers two miles to be a healthy walk. The gym and other facilities on North Campus are often less crowded and there are fewer undergraduates in the area. My two cents... which are probably worth far less than that.

For what it is worth, I looked at a number of North Campus apartment complexes this weekend. Were it me, living alone, I would look at Traver's Crossing. The price was right and I liked the location. Parc Point Apartments were okay, they had availability, but were a touch more expensive. Shoreview already had a huge waitlist. I ended up picking a place on west side... (wife preferred the area). Best of luck to you!

I agree with Noco. I would add that if your interests are bio/medical/healthcare, than I wouldn't worry at all at about limiting your options. That being said, when you have to reapply for PhD programs, you could still shift your focus from biostats to statistics. UNC will set you up better for either a statistics or biostatistics PhD application. Best of luck to you!

I currently reside in Illinois (Chicago) and would not, under any circumstances, attend UIUC. The financial status of Illinois is the worst of any state in the US and shows no signs of improvement. Higher education (read graduate stipends) are easily cut during times of financial uncertainty and you would not want to end up partially through a PhD program without funding. Ohio's finances are in far better shape. The graduate student union at UIUC is proudly reactionary, having voted to strike twice in the past five years. If you feel that your time is well spent not attending class / doing research / fulfilling your teaching obligations in order to protest a financially corrupt state system... then you'll fit right in. However, if you are like me and really don't want to get wrapped up in the politics of graduate affairs, preferring to work rather than walking around with a trite slogan on a stick, go to OSU. Clearly there are other, more important reasons to choose one program over another, research interests and department "culture" being at the top of my list. Were there a professor at UIUC with whom I absolutely HAD to work, with no one else doing the same calibre of work at OSU, then UIUC is the clear choice. That being said, you need to consider how much extraneous B.S. you want to put up with during the course of your PhD studies. My tolerance is quite low. Best of luck with your decision!

For Biostat: 1 rejection, three MS with no funding (yet), and 5 waiting. Unfortunately four of the waiting are Vanderbilt, Yale, Brown, and Penn... which really doesn't bode well for me. For Stats: Waiting on Michigan State, but I anticipate a no-funding MS-PhD offer. At the urging of my research advisor, I sent out a late app to his alma matter for an applied mathematics PhD. I've done some research with the a member of the adcom, so I would like to think I at least have a shot. The program is stats heavy and I would be quite happy there. Chin up, everyone. While I, too, am freaking out, the music is still playing, there are plenty of seats left. It isn't even March yet.

Congratulations on the paper. I published this January and have the same sort of dilemma. I've decided to send along an updated CV to programs from which I'm still waiting for a response. I figure it can't hurt. Worst case scenario is the program thinks I'm being pushy (which I think would be highly unlikely, given that I have not contacted them as of yet regarding my application status). Best case scenario is that the programs recognize my most recent accomplishments and my continued, positive interest in the school, moving me up the list for funding/acceptance. If anyone has a differing opinion, I would like to hear it.

Just got the same Yale email.

Thanks, cyberwolf. I'm waiting on a funding offer from them, so I am trying to be diplomatic. I certainly do not want to close any doors before I have to, but the program is low on my preferred list. Thanks again for your help.

I have been accepted now into three masters programs and am awaiting decisions from seven PhD programs. One of the masters programs is asking that I respond to their offer "in the next week or so." How can I politely fend them off while I wait for funding / admissions decisions from my other applications? Thanks for your help!

Thanks for the advice, cyberwolf. I received my MS/PhD "fast track" offer from U Mich yesterday as well. I'll be certain to ask a number of questions.

I feel pretty safe stating that, for men, unless your interview is at McDonalds, you NEVER wear jeans to an interview. Maybe I'm old fashioned (I throw on a sports coat and tie for class presentations), but it is a safe bet that someone with whom you are going to meet is old fashioned as well. At a minimum you should wear khakis and a button down shirt. I would throw a coat and tie on over that. For a recruitment day I would call / e-mail the event planner (probably the grad coordinator) and ask "What is appropriate attire?" Who knows what they have planned to sell their department to you... an impromptu game of touch football in a suit is not fun. Good luck!

In my limited experience, it seems that some programs have two separate processes, first comes admissions, followed by funding decisions.

Congrats! Nice to see some good news.