phalanges

A classmate of mine went through a sort of similar sort of realization this year. He decided that he wanted to do something a little more applied, but wasn't against continuing with his master's work at our school. He told his advisor about his plans to apply to more applied programs, but also indicated that he would also like to apply to the PhD program at our school, and would go to whichever place he thought was the best fit for him in the end. I think that there is a diplomatic way to approach your advisor for a reference letter without burning bridges, or making it seem like you don't want to work with them any more. Good luck!

The first time I got a credit card in the US my ex-pat Canadian friends told me that the US banks are willing to give students credit cards with no annual fees (though, this was in 2009, and even then some of them were dubious that this was still true what with the current economic situation in the US). Unfortunately I was in the US for work so I couldn't apply for a student credit card, so instead I decided to get a secured credit card. I had to give BoA a $99 deposit and it cost me $29 to have the card for the year. During the year I got an offer for a credit card with no annual fee, which I took, and then I cancelled my secured credit card.

Hey, I worked in NYC between undergrad and my masters, and moved there from Toronto. Hopefully I can answer your questions. 1. I found my place on craigslist, and I guess I was searching for a room with roommates, but no one seemed to mind that I wasn't an American... though, I had lived in the US before so I did have a credit history (usually the real hitch). If you are a US citizen, perhaps that'll be enough? 2. I wrote month by month cheques as they were due (and just rented a place in Rochester, NY with the same policy). Instead you usually have to sign a year long lease. 3. I was never asked for a guarantor (same is true for my current situation). Are you looking for places through a broker or something? 4. I found it difficult that in NYC people only need to give 30 days notice; since I was away at a conference a month before I needed to move this was particularly troubling. I also found a lot of places to be very expensive AND very terrible. Though, the place I found in the end was nice, and most of my friends lived in nice places (though, I don't think I met anyone other than profs / people with awesome paying jobs who found places that were roach / mouse free...). That was definitely a shock. Finding a place in NYC is rough. Finding a reasonably priced place in the city is possible, people have done it; it just may not be easy. Also, you might want to check this out: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/crime-safety-report/

I'm going to school that is a 3 hour drive from home, and I plan to cross the border at least 4 times this fall alone, and given how long the lines are for driving at Niagara Falls it seems totally worth it to me. The Nexus card is $50. Also, if I go to any conferences outside of the US and fly back, it is way faster to go through the Nexus customs station than the International arrivals customs (where they have to fingerprint and photograph everyone). The Nexus card is good for travel by land, air, or sea. I just called, and they told me to apply now, and that it'd be fine if I switched to having an F-1 after I get my nexus card.

I'm from Toronto, and am moving to Rochester, NY. The two cities are only a 3 hour drive apart, but I still don't predict that many trips home. Likely Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and a week in the summer.

Hello! Do any fellow Canadians presently / anticipating studying in the US have a Nexus card? I'm just wondering if I should wait until I get my F-1 before applying for the Nexus card, or if I can apply and then inform them of my visa status later? Thanks!

You guys are awesome! Thanks for the recommendations!

I spent about a week doing nothing but stressing out about / debating which offer to accept between 2 options. I eventually determined which one I should accept, but I knew it would require me to send a rejection notification to a set of professors I love. It took me 3 days to get the courage to do it. I started by writing a short letter to the profs at the school I was accepting. I started bawling the moment I opened the page to officially accept, and pretty much continued crying until I had finished accepting my school, rejected the other, and emailed everyone involved. It seriously broke my heart. It's a good thing I did all of this at home; it was a tad absurd. Congratulations on making a decision and for having the courage to deal with so many offers!

One of my friends is at UVic right now, she said to use: craigslist, or usedvictoria.com to find an apartment, and that Cook Street Village area is nice (super close to downtown, and a few buses will take you to the university - bus passes are built into the fees at school, so you will have a bus pass). When she moved out there she decided to live with another incoming student who was moving up from the Portland area, and he checked out places for them.

I was in a similar-but-not situation, where I felt like I wanted to go to one school, but felt like I should go to the other. Chatting about it to others didn't really help me choose. I spent hours trying to convince myself that it would be fine if I went to the school I wanted to go to, but in the end I always found a way of coming to the conclusion that the other was the right choice. I chose the school I "should" go to and only time will tell how that will turn out. I, personally, am excited about the new learning experiences I'll gain at this school. Anyways, the advice I'd give, is to try thinking as if you are going to accept one of them and then think about what the source of your nagging sensation is about declining the other. If that nagging sensation feels more valid for one than the other, then maybe you've found your choice?

Just sent in my official acceptance yesterday!

Hey, I went to UofT for undergrad and I can say that Toronto is not that cold (it's not much different from Boston / NYC) and it doesn't really snow that much (and most of the snow gets cleared away when it does). Beyond that Toronto is a killer city. It is filled with excellent markets, food, coffee, microbreweries, music stores, etc. It is also home to NXNW and the Canadian Music Week. I'm not in social psych so I can't really say anything about which is a better school for you, though.

Hey all, Time to start up this thread again. I just decided to go to UR, and could use with some advice. Most importantly, where to live and how to find a place. What's the best way to find a place in Rochester (craigslist? other?)? I know that I should stay East of the river, but is there anywhere that is particularly good? Secondly, does anyone know where to find the indie musicians in town? None of the current students offered any suggestions (apparently seeing live music isn't their thing... yet), but I imagine in a town with a good music school that there music be a plethora of good bands kicking around. Thanks for your advice in advance!

You should look to see if anyone is looking to sublet their entire apartment for a couple of months. That would give you time to look for places, without locking you into a whole year lease. Given that there are a lot of students in London, ON most places will probably be up for rent on Sept 1 or Jan 1.

Some schools (e.g. Harvard) have parts of the application where you can identify whether or not you are a legacy applicant, but I get the impression that in the end it doesn't really matter. I always imagine it as being like diversity statements, it might get you put in pile to be considered (if you were close to not making it due to your grades or GRE scores or something), but in the end when they are picking who to admit it won't be considered. This is an assumption I have for research / PhD programs - maybe it might play a bigger role in course-based MA programs...

Thanks for your input. I don't think I'd be unhappy at A, since I currently live in similar sized town (and have made it work), and I actually intellectually really get along with my POIs, it's just that I had a very familiar feeling with the professors at B, and really love the city (debatably my favourite US city). It just seems crazy to me to pick where to go based on a feeling / city given that these two institutions will take my research in two different directions. But maybe that is enough... I think I've narrowed down my decision to the direction / style of research by each institution, and have been trying to determine which I care more about (investigating the how (processing/language) or the why (social/cognition)).

I honestly feel like your commencement date is irrelevant, all that would conceivably matter is that you finish the work. At my current institution we have fall and summer commencement. Friends of mine defended their PhDs in December, and then started working as post-docs in January despite their commencement not being until June. The work was done, and their transcripts reflected having the intention to graduate, and having completed all of the requirements.

have you considered calling and asking? that's the best way to get the exact answer for your school. otherwise, i feel like all we can do is speculate.

I'm fairly certain that they will not care when your graduation is, typically what is important is that you actually graduate (it should be easy enough to prove that you intend to graduate, no?). My MA grad isn't until October, and no one has asked me anything about it, but then again having a MA was irrelevant to my acceptance. As I understand it, it's up to the school to decide whether or not you need to complete another master's in your PhD program (some don't even have an MA component).

Hey All, I've been struggling with this decision for weeks, here is a breakdown of my situation: School A: Ranked approximately 4th in the field POI well known in the field Research fit closest to where my interests are headed Great at placing students in good post-docs Smaller city (I'm originally from a big city) Good research fit with people, less good personality fit? Quals, slightly more money, have to work 3 semesters as a TA (total across 5 years) Good department talks / conferences School B: Ranked approximately 12th in the field (but probably a better known school overall) POI recently got tenure, but in the area of his specialty is potentially ranked ~3 Research fit is interesting, but I'm going to have to build bridges between my knowledge and that of the people I'd be working with to get a better fit Unknown about placing students as post-docs Awesome big city Great personality fit with POIs and other students No quals, insignificantly less personal funding (works out to ~$500/yr less), more personal travel funding, have to work 7 quarters as a TA Awesome annual debate between invited speakers, "too many talks" The real problem I think I'm facing is this: At School A I may encounter a fantastic fit between my POIs, but also risk the possibility of coming out slightly cookie cutter (the lab believes very strongly in one theoretical framework that I'm not certain I agree with yet). Instead, School B might be a less good fit (and is also based a bit on the research that comes out of A), but will require me to pave my own way (thus preventing me from being cookie cutter-esque). Thoughts?

I was in a similar situation 2 weeks ago. I sent an email to the grad coordinator at the school I hadn't heard from (and on the forums people had only gotten rejections from). I got an email back from someone and was formally accepted later that week (they were just behind on decisions). I've been wrestling with indecision ever since.

I've been wrestling between two schools for over a week. Every time I pick one I'm struck with so much anxiety that I can't get anything done until I have proven to myself that it is te right choice (which invariably fails, resulting in a change of choice). I've asked a few mentors for advice and in the end their opinion is, "you can't go wrong," which is unhelpful in making a decision. After all is said and done, I've spent a week feeling like I want to go to one of them, but I should go to the other. I resolved to go to the latter yesterday and I've felt less anxious about it than ever before, which makes me think I've arrived at my conclusion... but I still haven't accepted just in case I change my mind (again).