nugget

You seem to have many reasons to feel angry about this situation. Before taking further action, take some time to assess your priorities and what outcome you realistically hope to achieve given the current situation and what you know about your professor and the department. Then plan your steps to getting there. You may have many valid reasons for feeling angry and it's important to get that anger out. However, when communicating with your supervisor, it may be wise to temporarily put the boxing gloves aside and work towards agreeing on a plan that keeps both you and your supervisor satisfied. Perhaps you both won't get 100% of what you want. But if you can agree to a solution that is acceptable and satisfactory to the both of you that would seem to be a win-win situation. The PhD is your ultimate goal. Remember that sometimes losing a battle is worth it if it helps you win the war. 

No. 
 
I'm sorry, but that's not ok. It's exactly the kind of behavior that makes us feel like we are not being taken seriously. 

I am not familiar with your field, but I can tell you that McGill in general is an excellent university. Either #1 or 2 in Canada. It is also well regarded and well recognized by Americans and has Ivy league status in the US, I've heard. So if you're concerned about being able to work in the US after graduation I don't think it would be an issue. Of course it is entirely up to you, but if visiting your family is important to you, McGill seems to be the obvious choice. 

I am not familiar with your field, but I can tell you that McGill in general is an excellent university. Either #1 or 2 in Canada. It is also well regarded and well recognized by Americans and has Ivy league status in the US, I've heard. So if you're concerned about being able to work in the US after graduation I don't think it would be an issue. Of course it is entirely up to you, but if visiting your family is important to you, McGill seems to be the obvious choice. 

You didn't mention what you mean by high salary, so unless it's a salary that's well into the 6 figures, I'd go for option B. Not only would option A cost you $100,000 but you would need to factor in loss of 2 years of salary to determine the true cost of attending this program. Unless you are really young and don't plan on having a family (anytime soon), or unless this school is on your bucket list and you would regret it for years to come, then I personally think it's not worth the cost.

Sure - I manage a behavioral research lab with my BA in psych, as does one of my friends I went to undergrad with. Other psych jobs my friends have gone into - primary / secondary ed., social work, guidance counseling. 
 
Maybe you could try TFA or Americorps?

Here you go: 
 
A tough choice, but on the bright side if the choice is so tough that probably means they're equally good options so either way you go you'll end up making a good choice. Good luck and congrats on your offers!

A word of caution- there is a crazy prof at my school who is notorious for having students switch. One poor woman tried to be honest and tell him she was leaving. He promptly told everyone in the department how horrible she was and basically made it impossible for her to find a new lab. Then another guy who switched made sure everything was arranged with his new PI before telling the old one. Obviously he was angry, but this guy got to stay. So I would be selfish here, personally. If you have to burn a bridge, just burn one, not all of them.

soapaddict - you should be able to find out that information on their website.

Clean up some of your multiple negatives and I'll know what you're trying to say.
 
Not you... Gemini.

I think it's ridiculous for the author to suggest that a $10,000 or $15,000 salary increase is insignificant, particularly when some of the salaries are in the $40-60,000 range. Multiply this amount by 30 or 40 years and the numbers will add up quickly, even as much as half a million dollars before taxes. This is easily the cost of a house for some.
 
Money also isn't everything. Plenty of wealthy people have been unhappy, depressed, or in some unfortunate situations, even committed suicide. Clearly their wealth did not help them out much. There is no point in pursuing a field of study simply because it pays well if one is miserable doing that line of work or at the expense of ones' dreams, IMO. 

I think it's ridiculous for the author to suggest that a $10,000 or $15,000 salary increase is insignificant, particularly when some of the salaries are in the $40-60,000 range. Multiply this amount by 30 or 40 years and the numbers will add up quickly, even as much as half a million dollars before taxes. This is easily the cost of a house for some.
 
Money also isn't everything. Plenty of wealthy people have been unhappy, depressed, or in some unfortunate situations, even committed suicide. Clearly their wealth did not help them out much. There is no point in pursuing a field of study simply because it pays well if one is miserable doing that line of work or at the expense of ones' dreams, IMO. 

I think it's ridiculous for the author to suggest that a $10,000 or $15,000 salary increase is insignificant, particularly when some of the salaries are in the $40-60,000 range. Multiply this amount by 30 or 40 years and the numbers will add up quickly, even as much as half a million dollars before taxes. This is easily the cost of a house for some.
 
Money also isn't everything. Plenty of wealthy people have been unhappy, depressed, or in some unfortunate situations, even committed suicide. Clearly their wealth did not help them out much. There is no point in pursuing a field of study simply because it pays well if one is miserable doing that line of work or at the expense of ones' dreams, IMO. 

First of all, I'm sorry that you are in this situation. Whether or not (and how/how much) you tell your advisor I think really depends on what your relationship with him is like. Since you're new, I assume you don't have a very strong relationship, but you might nonetheless have some idea of how he might react. I would urge you to find someone to talk to. First off, talk to someone at student health services. It's important to have a safe place to vent and think out what's happening. Your university might have good counseling services and they might be able to also give you information about any official provisions that you might be entitled to. They would have experience with this kind of situation and can help you find and use resources. Second, I think it may be beneficial to talk to *someone* in your department so that they know what's going on and why you're struggling. It doesn't have to be your advisor, depending on who you are comfortable with. I think any professor who you feel close to, or perhaps the DGS or chair, might be appropriate. You want to find someone who could be an advocate for you and help you if you need an extension or some consideration. Everybody doesn't need to know your business, I think it's fair to ask that professors only be told it's a private/family matter, and if there is someone who is aware and can attest to it being truly a serious issue, that should be enough. I personally think this is a better approach than keeping things secret from everyone, since it's been negatively affecting your work. Again, nobody has to know any details, but I think any reasonable person would understand that you might be struggling because of this personal situation, and also that it will work itself out and that with some time you will go back to being a successful student and researcher. 

If you could provide us with a little more information if would be helpful to provide us with more context. Why do you want to change schools?
 
If your research or field of study will be different, you could easily say your research interests have changed. If you hope to live and eventually begin a career in North America then this is a valid reason as well as grad school is the perfect opportunity to make connections in your field that may lead to employment.

I obviously don't know what your conversations with this student have been like, but is it possible she isn't flirting with you?  I only ask because I've often struggled to make friends with men who didn't catch my drift of "let's be friends."  If I want to spend my personal time with someone, man or woman, I'll start with the obvious suggestion of inviting them to dinner or drinks.  "Have you seen this movie yet?"  "We should hang out when finals are done with."  It can get pretty frustrating.  One guy even told me he thought it was a date just because I wore a skirt.

I would pick one person and write exclusively to them—either the department heads or someone in admissions. Make it clear that you've written ONLY to them in the email. Like Taeyers said, my guess would be that each of the six people assumed that one of the other people copied would take care of the scheduling.

That slightly embarrassing moment when you realize ROSI has a tab for "Tracking Activity" for every time you log in and check your status, the admissions committee or who ever updates that must be finding that amusing....
 
 

If you check on page 4 you will see a thread on Montreal and McGill with lots of comments. After reading it, if you have any more questions feel free to send me a PM. I used to live there for many years.

You are still waiting from one more school that's your top choice? I'd say, it's not over til it's over. You still might get accepted. Otherwise, I'd be inclined to ranking the four offers and asking your top choice to defer for one year and reapply to your favourite 5 again next year. If you don't get in two years in a row then it might be time to move on.

I'm not sure if it's an indication of a good sign, could just be that they need all documents before they begin the review process.
 
I also recently got a similar email for one of my "reach" schools that I'm pretty sure I don't stand a chance for. Although I got slightly hopeful, I looked around this forum and saw many people in the past who got the same email also got rejected a week or two later.  

7 replies and nobody has bothered to ask for the relevant data in this situation?  
 
Pictures, man. We need to see pictures of this girl before we advise on the correct course of action.

I think it all comes down to priorities. Do you value convenience, less travel time and more free time every day (being able to go home for lunch or go home if you accidentally forget something at home ,etc) or do you want more space for yourself and space to entertain guests (providing that the location is easily accessible by your guests, of course)?
 
If you like convenience, consider space saving furniture like a murphy bed, loft bed, sofa bed or futon, for instance. Some murphy beds even have a built in desk that swings under your bed when it's open - you don't even need to remove your books from the desk! There are many options out there if you look around for this kind of specialty furniture. ie: coffee tables that open up into a large dining room table, etc. If the apartment has lots of storage space, shelving, or if you have the ability to store out of season clothing at a family members' home then a bachelor suite could work for you.
 
If you enjoy having parties or want to invite your lab, friends or date over for dinner or drinks on occasion, a one bedroom would be better as long as it's not too far away or difficult for your guests to get to, which would then defeat the purpose.
 
If you do not have a car or don't want to use it daily, also consider local bus routes. If you live in an area with poor bus service your social life could be negatively impacted and buying groceries and running errands, etc will become a lot more inconvenient if you live further away. 

You seem to have many reasons to feel angry about this situation. Before taking further action, take some time to assess your priorities and what outcome you realistically hope to achieve given the current situation and what you know about your professor and the department. Then plan your steps to getting there. You may have many valid reasons for feeling angry and it's important to get that anger out. However, when communicating with your supervisor, it may be wise to temporarily put the boxing gloves aside and work towards agreeing on a plan that keeps both you and your supervisor satisfied. Perhaps you both won't get 100% of what you want. But if you can agree to a solution that is acceptable and satisfactory to the both of you that would seem to be a win-win situation. The PhD is your ultimate goal. Remember that sometimes losing a battle is worth it if it helps you win the war. 

I think it all comes down to priorities. Do you value convenience, less travel time and more free time every day (being able to go home for lunch or go home if you accidentally forget something at home ,etc) or do you want more space for yourself and space to entertain guests (providing that the location is easily accessible by your guests, of course)?
 
If you like convenience, consider space saving furniture like a murphy bed, loft bed, sofa bed or futon, for instance. Some murphy beds even have a built in desk that swings under your bed when it's open - you don't even need to remove your books from the desk! There are many options out there if you look around for this kind of specialty furniture. ie: coffee tables that open up into a large dining room table, etc. If the apartment has lots of storage space, shelving, or if you have the ability to store out of season clothing at a family members' home then a bachelor suite could work for you.
 
If you enjoy having parties or want to invite your lab, friends or date over for dinner or drinks on occasion, a one bedroom would be better as long as it's not too far away or difficult for your guests to get to, which would then defeat the purpose.
 
If you do not have a car or don't want to use it daily, also consider local bus routes. If you live in an area with poor bus service your social life could be negatively impacted and buying groceries and running errands, etc will become a lot more inconvenient if you live further away.