Tuck

I agree, but I expect it was an accident out of nervousness, or maybe they thought they were speaking to a staff member rather than a professor, or who knows what. Either way, big mistake... I feel bad because that person is probably kicking themselves now. That being said, if "do not contact me until you have received a letter, and obviously you have not received a letter yet," is verbatim... that's rather rude also!

Okay, the people having discussions in the results search are still driving me crazy. I have started reporting all the non-results entries as spam. However, I don't know if this is helpful to the mods or if it drives them crazy. ??? Anyone with me? Also, did y'all see this gem from results search? It was regarding the Univ. of Nebraska - Kearney: "DO NOT call them with questions until you receive a letter in the mail and DO NOT address a person by their first name when they have their doctorates. I made this mistake and got this response "oh you were the one who addressed me as (first name) and not as (dr. ____) yes I said do not contact me until you have received a letter and obviously you have not received a letter yet." I might have ruined my chances here. But do I really want to go to a program where the people are THAT rude?! Yikes. What are other people's experience with staff here???"

Last night I had a dream that I mis-dialed a number at work and accidentally called the graduate coordinator at Vanderbilt. Somehow in my dream I remembered her name and everything. She said she'd be happy to look up my admissions decision and let me know, but then I couldn't manage to say my name to her so she could. Lol! I've had "work dreams" before, but this is a new take!

On another note, I am belated in giving my congrats to those of you who've gotten acceptances recently! I've been busy at work and have had TGC fatigue the past few days. I'm thinking encouraging thoughts for everyone else... this may be a big week!

Thanks, you are too kind. I think I will be happy with any of the schools I applied to, so it may really come down to financial aid, but I want to visit before committing anywhere. I'm somewhat worried about making short-notice travel plans, though!

This video of Siku, a polar bear at a Danish zoo, is my all-time favorite cute thing on the web. I especially like the faces he makes near the end when he's getting scratches: The zoo has an English-language site about him with tons of pictures! I check it out when I need a happy fix. http://www.skandinaviskdyrepark.dk/index.dsp?area=399

I haven't, but I talked with one of the professors on the phone quite a bit. Unfortunately, my fall was pretty crazy on the work front, so I didn't get to make any visits. :-( I am hoping to do some post-acceptance trips, if I'm lucky enough to have more than one acceptance to pick from.

emelki, hang in there! I also applied to Vanderbilt and the University of Utah. Have you visited U of U? What are your impressions? I have done a lot of online research and talked with some people there, but I haven't been able to visit. I hope to make it out for a look if accepted.

I think this is the right answer - you said you're working on different projects. One grant just comes with more funding for stipends. It sucks, but I doubt it's the PI's fault. I would follow zapster's advice and talk to the PI about ways you could get more funding without complaining or bringing up the other student's funding.

I think you should say just that. You appreciate that they took the time to evaluate your application, you really like X Y Z about the program, but due to factors A and B, you've chosen to attend School U. You enjoyed corresponding with him you will continue following his work, and you hope to have the opportunity to work with him in the future.

What is your field? That would make a big difference. Unless you're independently wealthy, I would rule out C. I see no reason to pay a lot more than necessary unless it is much better than other options. I also don't think that having to take a broader set of courses is actually a con. Some variety in your skills may be handy in the future.

I really enjoyed IQ84. Some people have complained that it's too wordy... and I suppose it could be more concise in places, but I like the way Murakami writes so much that I don't mind having extra pages. :-) I've also read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Norweigan Wood, and Kafka on the Shore. I haven't decided which of his books I want to read next - it will probably be whatever I can find at Half Price Books, haha. Any suggestions?

Most departments award some combination of scholarships, tuition waivers, and assistanceships (teaching, research) to their top applicants.

Another note on GREs: Check to see if your unversity offers any help. The school where I'm doing my pre-reqs (UT Austin) offered free prep courses through the tutoring center. I took a quantitative prep course that met weekly for 6 weeks, which helped refresh a few math concepts I hadn't seen in 10+ years.

I haven't heard back from any of my schools yet, but I would be happy at any of them, I think. I'm hoping to visit places I get accepted to confirm this. It will almost certainly come down to funding for me. In retrospect, I wish I had applied to 1 or 2 more programs where I would be quite likely to get accepted based on stats from past years. I would be feeling less anxious right now, and in theory, being at the higher end of the applicant pool based on GPA and GRE would increase my odds of getting good funding.

That really annoys me too. I freaked out when I saw Vanderbilt show up 3 times, but it was just people asking about dates! Also, lots of people are asking others to post stats when their stats are already there under the red diamond. Pay attention and be resourceful, people!!!

@jmarti, I just saw that you're the #3 poster on TGC last month:

I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that, but I imagine you'd be able to find something in Columbia, Charleston, or Greenville. So sorry!

Sorry! I had that question in mind when I started talking about rents, then got carried away. I think it is doable, if you find an inexpensive place to live and are frugal about eating out, entertainment, etc.

Nothing here. I just checked both the GATS page and my ApplyYourself account. I wish I knew how they define "early March"! I'm hoping to hear something this week.

Columbia is sort of a blend of mid-size city and college town. I really liked living there when I went to S. Carolina for undergrad. Disclaimer: I still visit Columbia a couple times annually for 4-5 days at a time and I have a lot of friends there, but my info may be dated, as I haven't lived there in about seven years. Rent: fairly cheap. In 2005-ish, I rented a whole house (2 bedroom, 1 bath, garage, office, living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry room, fenced in back yard, 15 min. bike ride to campus, right across from a park) in Rosewood for $600, but I'm sure rents have gone up some. Check padmapper.com, perhaps. If you want to live in biking distance to campus, I'd check out the following neighborhoods, in order from "nicest" to "less nice but fine": The Vista, Arsenal Hill, Elmwood (varies by street), Old Shandon/Shandon, Rosewood, West Columbia (technically a different city, but right over the river from campus), Olympia. There are also tons of apartment complexes near campus these days, concentrated around the stadium area. If you are commuting, you could go a little further out in West Columbia, up to Earlewood (street-by-street here, look before leasing), or out to Forest Acres. I personally wouldn't go all the way out to Fort Jackson, Harbison/St. Andrews, northeast Columbia, Garner's Ferry, etc., simply because there is no compelling reason to be that far away from campus. Politics: Yes, there is a confederate flag at the statehouse. It's awful. That being said, Columbia is the most liberal city in South Carolina, and there is a strong counterculture to be found there. I doubt you'll find the political attitudes intrusive during your graduate studies. And you can always visit one of the flag protests for fun. Outdoors: Strolling around the beautiful Horseshoe area. Kayaking on the Broad, Saluda, and Congaree rivers, which run right through the city. Walking, running, or biking on the now large and ever-expanding Riverwalk. Visiting the huge swamps and cypress trees at Congaree National Park, about 15 minutes out of town. Heading upstate or to western NC for backpacking trips on long weekends. Culture: Cool cats and good vibes at Papa Jazz Records in Five Points. Awesome theatre at Trustus and awesome cinema at the Nickelodeon - the Nick has some amazing stuff going on for a town the size of Columbia. The visual art scene in Columbia has really been picking up, but I'm out of the loop on that. Pick up a copy of Jasper. I know there are some good comics stores too, but I don't know enough about that to make a recommendation. The Columbia Art Museum is surprising good and has a lot of programs. The Richland County Library has won a bunch of awards. They have a great film & sound collection. There is a children's museum too. WUSC, the college radio station, is pretty darn good. Food: Yelp.com can help with this, but here are my favorites: Fantastic, traditional-style (as far as the local choices go) sushi and Japanese food at Camon on Assembly Street. Mediterranean food at the Mediterranean Tea Room, Lebanese Al-Amir, Indian at Punjabi Dhaba and Delhi Palace, Thai at Baan Sawan. Be Bim Bop and other Koren goodness at the Blue Cactus in Five Points. Cheap sandwiches and great cookies 24/7 at Beezer's, right next to USC's Horseshoe. And, of course, there are plenty of amazing southern food options. Southern cuisine is the heart of American food, in my opinion. Drink: Microbrews and food from Hunter-Gatherer, just a couple of blocks from campus. Dive-bar/funky atmosphere with good drinks at the Whig, underground near the statehouse. The Vista has a lot of more "grownup" bars. In Five Points, places that aren't swarming with undergrads include Jake's (iffy?), Tavern on Greene (iffy?), Speakeasy, and Goatfeathers, which also has good eats. Drinking + dancing with the alternative crowd at the Art Bar. Coffee and cafes: Cool Beans, Immaculate Consumption, Cafe Strudel (amazing breakfast), House Coffee and it's various new-name permutations on State Street, and a new, awesome one: Drip in Five Points. Road trip options: Appalachains/Great Smoky Mountains, Charlotte (2 hours away), Atlanta (3-4 hours, hit the DeKalb Farmers Market to stock up on international food), Charleston (2 hours, great historical stuff and beaches), Savannah (beautiful old city), miscellanous beaches. Groceries: Columbia has Publix grocery stores, which are totally awesome. :-) Although Bi-Lo and Food Lion are cheaper for some items. Transportation: As far as I know, the city bus system remains sub-par. It's possible to live close to campus and meet your needs by bike. Sports: I don't know a lot here. Gamecock football and basketball are king. There is also a professional ice hockey team and a minor league baseball team. What am I forgetting?

I finished undergrad in three years through a combination of CLEP credit, summer classes, and taking a heavy course load year-around. I also graduated high school early, so I was 19 when I finished college. For personal reasons, it was the right thing to do at the time and it was what I had to do. The school workload, in combination with multiple part-time jobs I had on the side (waitressing, restaurant work, tutoring, lab gig at a nonprofit, and teaching SAT classes in various combinations over those 3 years) was great for developing a sturdy work ethic. Speaking strictly academically, I wish I had stayed longer, explored further outside my major, taken classes outside my comfort zone, and explored opportunities for study abroad, etc., but I didn't have the luxury of doing so. Fortunately, I've been in a position to do some of those cool things later in life: I've taken 31 hours of classes on various subjects of interest in the past 2-3 years, done some volunteer fieldwork here and there, worked on research projects in Interior Alaska, traveled abroad several times, and lived aboard a 27' sailboat. My (unsolicited) advice to people considering graduating early: Academia provides a great framework for expanding yourself and exploring. There are so many opportunities to do whatever you're interested in just waiting to be seized. After college when you're working, you may have to hustle harder to make learning opportunities happen, and family, bills, jobs, relationships, and all manner of completely unexpected circumstances can get in the way. It's okay to graduate early, but it's wise to only do it if you have to.

Thank you for taking the time to offer these tips! I'm going to go ahead and bookmark that website - it looks very helpful.

I'm a big outdoors enthusiast, but not much of a climber. I would prefer to live somewhere that I can easily access short hikes on weekends with my dogs. Austin has been perfect for that; we go to the Greenbelt nearly weekly and also to the Hill Country from time to time. I also would like to be somewhere within a couple hours' drive of good backpacking trips. West Texas has some amazing opportunities on that front, but you pretty much need a four-day weekend because of the drive time. I've had amazing visits to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Big Bend Country (which stole my heart), Fort Davis and the Davis Mountains, and various parks up in the Panhandle. Two of the four schools I've applied to are in amazing locations for hiking - Salt Lake City and Boulder. I'm excited about it, but it's only two years and I doubt I'll have a ton of spare time, so I'm trying not to let visions of the mountains influence my decision-making process too much. It will likely come down to funding.

The last book I read was Haruki Murakami's IQ84. I have read and loved several of his books. I'm currently slogging through The Brothers Karamazov by Dovstoyesky. This book is killing me. I have been trying to read more classic literature to educate myself on that front, but man, it has been slow going. I'm usually too tired to read more than a few pages of this at night. I plan to read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay next, if I ever finish B.K.