Fleet23

After a long weekend of waiting, my advisor responded and said it was fine for me to make these changes and submit to the library. 

Hi! So I can't answer if you could get into grad school or not, and computer science/computational biology is not my expertise. Hopefully some folks will jump in and give some thoughts on that. And if you are seriously thinking about it, I would reach out to past professors, and have a conversation with them about what they think. They know how you think and work. Plus, if it is even a possibility, you want to stay or get in touch with professors so you aren't asking for recommendations out of the blue. 
But that leads me to why I am answering this question: Why do you want to go to graduate school? Is it for career options ? Do you have particular research you really want to do? Knowing why you want to continue on in a subject is huge and admissions offices can tell the difference. I am not saying you have to know exactly what you want to research, or exactly what you want to do with a MS/PhD, but I would say don't rush into it unless you know your "WHY". I am biased in the sense that I took 5 years between undergrad and my MPA and another ten before I am applying to PhD's programs this year. But I can tell you that you don't want to go to grad school just because. You should have a clear goal in mind, even if it is just to be able to complete deeper research in a field. 

I know this is kind of an old thread, but I wanted to add some info in case anyone finds this and is in a similar spot. A professor of mine said that this sort of this is usually just about the number of applications, not the quality. Schools sometimes require getting a certain number of applicantions in order to allow a search to proceed. Sometimes searches can be called off because the pool is too small, suggesting the job ad was too narrow or unclear. The unfortunate thing is that usually when they extend a deadline right after the previous one, they likely haven't even looked over the applications yet. They might only have a count. So for anyone else in this situation, it probably isn't about your specific application, nor does it mean anything about your chances.

Hi @HiFiWiFi,
There are lots of previous threads on this. See 
for starters

@mav160 Here are a few resources I read:
 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xoezGhbtcpg3BvNdag2F5dTQM-Xl2EELUgAfG1eUg0s/edit#gid=0 for example applications.  http://grfpessayinsights.missouri.edu/ https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker/preparing-award-winning-nsf-grfp-application http://rachelcsmith.com/academics/nsf.htm

Teaching is a very good profession; it is one of respect full profession. Teaching to graduate student is very interesting than other students.

Yes! I hope they don't do that in January, though. Any email from the admissions office makes my stomach do somersaults.

This has been my experience as well. My department has an almost weekly happy hour frequented by grad students and faculty. Some people talk about random things (sports, news, etc.), others talk about teaching, others about research. I've found that in some of these small conversations I've gotten great ideas or insights into my research that I hadn't gotten otherwise. Sometimes just being asked to give the 30 second version of your research can force you into thinking about it in a different way or allow someone else to say something you hadn't thought of. Without those conversations, my work would definitely suffer.
 
And yea, I'm one of those people who can't work all the time. Back when I did my comprehensive exams (which were multiple questions over like 10 days), I remember people in my department (mostly those not yet at the exams stage) being surprised that I was still attending the class I was TAing (I was mostly grading but went to every single lecture), working out, and even watching an episode or two of a TV show online. But you know what? You can't work for 16 hours a day for the 10 days without a break. And really, since I was limited to like 25 pages double-spaced per answer, I would've ended up writing way more than I needed if I'd worked that long. Instead, I rode my bike to the gym, worked out with friends (including some who had PhDs and thus totally understood what comps were and why you might need a break), cooked myself real food, etc. It's about knowing what you need to work efficiently and be productive and taking the time to do whatever that is.
 
Back to the original question though:
- Be open and willing to learn.
- If you're in the humanities or social sciences, take the time to just browse the library shelves in your general field and in your intended research area to get an idea of what's been published and what research resources are available to you. (Even better, meet with a librarian early on to make sure you know what your school has and the support s/he can give you.)
- Skim through recent journal issues in your field to get a sense of what topics are current and which are becoming dated. Pay attention to book reviews if there are any and use those to help you find relevant books for your discipline and research area.
- Learn to use reference management software (EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley, etc.) and start keeping track of your references that way.
- Figure out an easy to use system for staying abreast of current/new research in both books and journals that may be of interest.
- Read your graduate handbook (and TA handbook if needed) so you know what is expected of you. Ask questions if expectations are unclear.
- Start figuring out what, if any, courses outside the department you might want to take, how often they're offered, how difficult they are, etc.
- If you're going to need research methods training, figure out how to get that ASAP. In the social sciences, this often means taking courses in qualitative methods, statistics, and/or GIS and seats in those classes can fill because they're attracting students from an array of disciplines. Getting your methods coursework done means you can start collecting data sooner.
- Get to know whomever helps oversee grant apps (NIH, NSF, SSRC, Fulbright, IAF, etc.) at your institution and ask them what you can do beginning now to prepare to apply in the future, when you should be applying, what you'll need to be competitive, etc. And, while you're there, get them to help you set up some alerts for grant announcements.
 
There's probably more you could do, especially related to conferences and networking, but I don't want to overload anyone with suggestions.

Oh I do hope you do not intend to pursue an academic career. Life gets significantly more difficult after you graduate. There are fewer jobs than PhD graduates so getting that postdoc won't be easy, not to mention that first TT job. And once you're on the TT, it's publish or perish (and teaching and service) for 7 years until you're up for tenure. Maybe then you could start having a life, assuming you're not particularly rushed to get that Full Professor rank?  Assuming you're one of the truly lucky ones who gets the perfect job straight out of school and can fast-track the TT, we're looking at a minimum of 10 years of everything on hold. If you're one of us mere mortals, you're probably looking at closer to 15 years of school-postdoc-TT job celibacy. I don't know about you, but I value the rest of my life just as much as my career. Being successful but completely alone for over a decade does not sound appealing at all. You need to start learning how to have a full and balanced life now, because it will not get easier later. 

I was lucky enough to be accepted into IEPM at Vandy, International Education Policy at Harvard, and ICE at Stanford. Since then I have been doing a lot of research into the different programs and faculty. I also attended Vandy's visit days at the end of February.
 
If I am being honest, I was pretty blown away by Vandy's program when I visited. They REALLY support their students on a personal level, and they seem to stress career support more than the other universities. I had several in depth conversations with Vandy's IEPM faculty, and their backgrounds are very strong-- they are definitely as well regarded in the field as Harvard's and Stanford's faculty, if not more so. I felt that they really prioritized conversing with potential masters students, and did so in a genuine way.
 
What is really making the decision for me is the length of Vandy's program-- 2 years with a built-in internship. In the past, many masters students took their internship aborad, which is huge if you are studying international ed policy. Another thing I loved about Vandy is that you can audit any class for $10. Harvard and Stanford may offer a similar deal, but with all your education crammed into one year, would you have time to audit, say, a language class? Probably not.
 
I am visiting Stanford at the end of March, and I am really hoping they will sell their program to me as well as Vandy did. Until that happens, Vandy is my #1.

You have a tough decision to make... no one can really tell you what to do because in the end, it depends on which factor is most important for you. I do think that an ivy or pseudo ivy is going to have connections everywhere. However, It sounds like the internship/field work is a very important factor for you as you won't be getting your PhD and according to you, it seems that program at Stanford would focus on that. Is there a potential to get an internship/fieldwork at Stanford even if it's not required? Is that something they would be willing to work with you on?
 
If you were to go to Georgetown, is it doable financially or is it just a bit more expensive? If it's not doable, it really is out of the question. I don't think the subfield thing would be too much of an issue. It would open your eyes to new things that you hadn't thought of while still letting you concentrate on what you are exactly wanting to do. Who knows? Maybe your idea of what you want to do would change slightly if you had that extra background information.
 
UPenn seems to be the one that gives you what you want-- practitioner-wise and financially, in the type of area that you want. If the director has that kind of experience, I really don't think you're going to run into many issues. People are not going to read your resume and say "Penn? Why would you go there?" However, if it's newer, do they still have the faculty that you want?
 
Good luck making the decision! I know it's going to be very difficult. Hopefully that's given you a few more things to think about. Ultimately, it really is going to come down to which factor is most important to you. You'll figure it out . And really, if you have only good options, no matter what you choose, you are going to make a good decision.

I know what you mean. And your friends don't want to hear you whine about your first-world problem, haha.

I could be wrong, but as far as I understood it the super specific awards were only the FULL scholarships. My 20k total was a combination of a merit award plus need-based grant. The grant was 12,400, and the other award 7,600. 

You can also get merit awards on top of the grants that make the total exceed $16k. They try to give you a competitive package.

While many Ed Policy programs do have a K-12 focus, there are at least some that don't. The MPP from Vanderbilt Peabody, for example, has three concentrations one can choose from: K-12, Higher Ed and Quantitative Methods.

--> Your Diploma will say from Columbia University not TC. Your degree is from Columbia. 
--> I disagree with MAC2809, there are no right or wrong way to say where you received your degree. It is not incorrect to say you graduated from Columbia university (a TC student is also a Columbia student). You are not obligated to say TC. I personally like to state "Teachers College Columbia University" on my resume because I'm very proud to have attended TC (it's a great school). You are not being disingenuous for stating "M.S. Applied Statistic Columbia University December 2017" on your resume. 
--I've interacted with other graduated students from Columbia University (SIPA, School of Journalism, Law School, Engineering, Business school) on many occasions and have yet to be treated less than because I attend TC. In their eyes, I'm a columbia student, not TC. I'm not sure where this notion of inferior originated from. 
--The issue with TC as an affiliation really boils down to the financial aspect. There are less financial resources for TC students compared to Columbia students.  For example, students from other Columbia's school automatically receive 40 pages of free printing while students at TC receive 20 pages (of course there's a loophope but I won't mention it here). Another example, Doctoral programs from Columbia are fully funded while at TC, we would label that as a "miracle". In terms of Education, you will be taught by the best professors and be surrounded by highly motivated, intellectual individuals (this is something that is similar across Columbia University (affiliate or not)).
--In the applied stats program, you are allowed to take Stats classes outside of the department (as long as your advisor approve...which is always a yes). I know students who have taken the required stats classes at the school of public health or the department of stats. I know other students from other columbia's school, that have taken stats classes at TC. 
--The Applied stat program is geared toward those who are interested in education as well as social science (i.e. Psychology, etc) in the sense you will be using educational or psychological datasets for your analysis. In general, statistic is very adaptable; I don't think it matters which dataset you have more experience analyzing, as long as you know how to analyze (which requires an understanding of statistical theories/proof etc).  
--The program offers two types of classes (one geared toward non-majors and the other for majors (heavily statistical/requires calculus))
My resource: Graduating from applied stat at TC this spring. 
 
 

Honestly, I would steer clear of TC. TC has a great history, but they have a huge program and it sounds as though its difficult forming relationships with the staff and fellow classmates. Really the most important thing regarding international development work is the network, particularly forming relationships with staff and your cohort. It is likely you will get your first interview and job through such means, not by writing a spectacular thesis or doing particularly good graduate work. 

@PattiJeane I really hope you're admitted! That sounds so nerve-wracking!

The diploma says "Columbia University"

You're applying to grad school.  It's a horrible experience and while some people get in everywhere, some get into a school right away, others, sadly (like myself and many more on this board) get shut out.  It's a fact of the experience.  Nobody can predict what the department adcoms are specifically looking for in a certain year because they have no idea how deep the talent pool is until they have the candidates laid out in front of them.  A prof can be all gung-ho about you because you seem interested in a topic and are giving a novel approach a shot...but when push comes to shove, if there are 10 "better" applicants in the pool, you're not going to make the cut.  I use the term "better" here because there is no real better as it is specific to the year you're applying.
What I suggest for all of you who may get shut out this year is a couple of things, if you are interested in re-applying next year:
1) Re-take the GRE (if you're applying to U.S. schools).  Study, and study well for this thing.  I got in with pretty low scores but I am definitely the exception, not the rule.  You should always find ways to make your application better, and the easiest way to do that is to re-take the GRE!  Just study your ass off for 6-7 months and blow the thing out of the water.  You'll probably have the word list memorized and be able to bang out a 4.5+ essay in your sleep by the time you're ready to go on test day.
2) Narrow the focus of your research.  The year I got shut out I had 2 people look over my SOP and both commented saying it was fine for a Master's project.  It didn't mean diddly-squat.  A good PhD SOP shows a specific research problem, why it needs to be solved, how you think you know how to solve it (i.e. using sources as evidence), and why the school you're applying to is the only school in the world where you will be successful in completing it.  Use action words and strong language that still shows you are not a know-it-all headache waiting to happen and are eager to be taught the tools of the trade by the department.  Your previous research experience, volunteer work, thesis(theses), grades, conference attendances, and publications are all a testament to your capability of completing the suggested research.  If you have a weak SOP that lacks direction, supporting evidence/research, project methodology, and less than stellar grades/research background it just tells the adcom you're not ready to undertake the ground breaking discovery they are paying you to do for 5+ years.
 
I can go on further but these are the big 2 that are the most important.

Guys. I'm getting so ancy. All I want to do is reach out to my POI and be like "hey, it's been a month or two since we last communicated. I still really want to work with you. You my numbah one choice!" 

@thepinkdragon76Best wishes!
@sjoh197Thanks! I think that's good advice. 

Whew! I know this is not my field, but I am seriously relieved to see this and know that Tuesday is over (for this week anyway)!

Just remember, there's no such thing as failing. Either situations become more difficult, or you give up.
I'm sure you'll be fine! I bet everyone else at Cornell thinks they aren't good enough either, and if they don't, they are probably arrogant jerks.

The waiting is torture.....