Tuck

I agree that a month's notice is adequate for a salaried job involving projects, responsibility, and long-term goals. You can start preparing for the transition now - keeping your ears open for good candidates who might be looking, organizing things, documenting all your procedures and responsibilities, and so on so that a new employee in your position can hit the ground running. Two weeks is fine for most retail/service industry jobs. I have often heard that one pay period is how much notice you should give. I am still strugging to decide when I should actually leave my job. I'd like to take some time off to visit family and friends, leisurely pack my house, and move with plenty of time to get settled in, but I know I probably ought to stay as long as possible to save money.

It sounds like your choice really comes down to whether you want to go into publishing or be a writer. I would be asking questions about what each program's students do after graduation - industries, salaries, job placement, etc.; I would also be asking about internships and opportunities for professional development. Then I would be thinking about whether any debt you might incur for these programs could be paid off with the types of jobs you are likely to be eligible for. I think the age thing is irrelevant. Plenty of grad students are older. You're not there to make friends. An aside on topic of "Not Here To Make Friends" (or "N.H.T.M.F.", as they called it on an episode of This American Life?

To lie to them about other offers would be very unethical.

It sounds to me like she is tenure-track and was put up for tenure review (or promotion from assistant to associate professor) but didn't make the cut. Tenure-track faculty who don't make tenure usually have to leave. People who are "fired," on the other hand, don't get to hang around for six months - that's a liability. While she's still here, your PI should be helping you fix this problem. Since she mentions that she wants to keep it quiet, find out from her who it is okay for you talk with about solutions - other members of your committee? The DGS? If she gets another job somewhere, it's possible you could move with her, but you probably want to find out more about what's really happening since your reputation will be linked with hers.

Sorry to hear that, O.T.! I hope you enjoyed your visit anyways. What were your overall impressions? And was anything said about when they were notifing people about funding? I know the odds aren't good for anyone.

I should do that too, just because I've put way too much personal stuff on here now. I didn't expect to become so involved! But I just changed my avatar... I don't want to be too confusing.

cahurt, did you change your username?

I am getting a new backpack too, mostly because I've been using my worn out one for at least 15 years now, and getting a new, professional-looking one will seem like some kind of rite of passage. :-) Although I've gotten a few acceptances, for some reason I don't feel like celebrating yet. After everything is done and I make a decision, I'll probably do something fun with friends. A good friend of mine is coming for a visit in April, so that will be a good time to relax. I really want to quit my job sooner rather than later, but I should probably try to stick it out as long as possible for the salary.

I think you could politely write the graduate coordinator and say something along the lines of: in light of the new application deadline, is any information available on the timeline for decisions?

Did you guys have a previous connection in some form to that university? Many universities have a massive databse of contact information on alumni and donors. Among other sources, it can draw from former student information, event attendee information, and information on anyone who has made a donation, including to entities like museums, radio stations, etc. that are affiliated with the campus. Many universities and nonprofits have something like this. It's kept updated by contact update information submitted by constituents, credit card/check payments, returned mail, the National Change of Address registry, and often by the purchase of data from vendors. My guess is that they have an old record for you in their database which got linked up to your application data because certain fields matched. However, they should have a system in place to ensure that admissions emails go to the address associated with the application.

Wow, you guys all have really cool areas of focus! Being relatively new to this field, I hope to narrow and refine my research interests during the Master's degree. I keep learning about new things that I think I'm interested in! I'm interested in all things brain: the neural bases of language, neuroplasticity (especially in older adults), learning and memory in adults, and multisensory integration. I'm also interested in neuromotor speech disorders and in patients with neurodegenerative diseases, TBI, stroke, etc.

As an Austinite, it's interesting to read these threads with people bemoaning the heat here, because I'm thinking about the reverse. Several of my graduate school options are in cold places, and I have never lived somewhere cold. I hate the three-ish weeks of cold weather we have here! I work on UT's main campus, but I had an office out at the Lake Austin Building for awhile one year. It is right next to the graduate student housing complex you guys are discussing. I can't speak to the quality because I haven't been inside them, but they are in a very quiet area of town. The area west of MoPac (Loop 1) is the more upscale part of town, so it's definitely a safe area. The bus ride to the main campus is probably about 20 minutes. In addition to the Capital Metro transit that someone linked to above, which is free with a student ID, students can take the UT shuttles. UT operates the largest campus bus system of any university in the United States (or so I've been told). Here are the UT shuttle routes: http://www.utexas.edu/parking/transportation/shuttle/index.php The graduate student housing is on the Lake Austin route (LA). In general, you can get fairly far away from campus and still be on those routes. They serve quite a few apartment complexes around town. For those of you looking for cheap non-university-owned housing that's bikeable, I would look at the East Side (east of IH 35). It's the historically lower-income part of town, but it's being gentrified in many areas. Some neighborhoods there are really neat, the housing is colorful, and there tons of good places to eat, especially along Manor Road. However, some areas there are undesirable, so look in person and ask around before you sign a lease. Feel free to shoot me a message if there is a specific place you're curious about. Hyde Park was also mentioned above. It's a fantastic neighborhood that's a mix of single family homes and small apartment buildings. However, rent is soaring there. I rented a small studio on 47th Street for $500 a couple of years ago, and it's now going for $625. As a graduate student, I would be inclined to avoid the West Campus neighborhood - bound roughly by Guadalupe, 21st Street, N. Lamar, and 29th Street. It's overrun with undergrads, parties, fraternity and sorority housing, etc.

Thank you! This is good to know. I have never driven in snow or ice before and I'm nervous about it. Hopefully my poor old car will last a couple more years. :-)

Not a thing here. Just the letter from the Graduate School that's on Apply Yourself.

That's probably what I'll do. The graduate coordinator may think I'm a dummy who didn't read the letter carefully, but I can live with that. :-)

Hmmm. Now I wonder if I should ask. But that could be like inviting yourself to a dinner party that you heard about from a friend! Haha!

Am I going nuts? There is nothing about that in my letter. Maybe you guys are being wooed. :-) Here are the first 2 paragraphs of mine: "Congratulations! The Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences is pleased to offer you admission for Fall 2013 to the Master’s Degree program leading to professional certification in Speech-Language Pathology. The two-year Master’s program begins with two required preparatory courses running from August 5- 21, 2013, prior to the fall semester. Fall Orientation will take place on Friday, August 23, and the first day of classes will be Monday, August 26." Midnight, I am still undecided. Financial aid will make a big difference.

midnight streetlight and cahurt - What open house?

Based on the filename of my letter, it appears they are going in groups - 2 yr. vs. 3 yr., in-state vs. out-of-state. My last initial is T. :-) Good luck!

There is a subforum on statements of purpose that has lots of info you may find helpful. For starters, I would talk more specifically about experiences and accomplishments that will show you are prepared for this program, and omit other material. You should find a native English speaker with proven writing abilities to work with you on proofreading, as there are some grammatical issues. Good luck!

Great, thank you! I'm sure they are slammed. :-)

Has anyone heard anything about when we could expect to hear if any funding is available? I don't know much about what they offer in terms of funding. This page looks like it should have a link under "Information for Graduate Students," but it's not live. http://slhs.colorado.edu/graduate-progams

Yay!!! Congrats!

I am in the 2-year program, as I will finish up my prereqs this summer. I'm not sure yet where I'm going. I am waiting for more financial aid info. People apply to so many places that I am sure the waitlist moves. Hang in there!

I got an email from the grad coordinator. It had a letter attached from the department. It was mail-merged with my name, address, etc. My application status in MyCUBoulder still reads: "Your application is complete. The admissions committee is reviewing your file."