abeilles

this comment is offensive & entirely unnecessary

Just posting to disagree -- in my experience Cary is a quiet suburb, great for raising a family but not a whole lot to do

yes!! maybe this is because a number of students come straight in out of undergrad and haven't had a lot of full-time work experience, but looking at job dissatisfaction in any one industry isn't going to tell you much if you don't look at job dissatisfaction as a whole

I'm getting increasingly nervous about finding an apartment from out of state --somebody talk me down! -I'm thinking I'll be looking for an August 1st lease -looking for a 1 bed likely in uptown or northeast (close to a bus line, since I'm car-less) -I'm hoping for sub-$900 (I'm sure I could go cheaper, but after seven years of roommates and shitty apartments I've started paying more for quality). It sounds like I should start looking around June 1st? I'm considering trying to book a weekend trip in june to look at places, but a. that means shelling out for a plane ticket (and using precious PTO!) b. I'm worried about signing on something just because it's the best I saw in those two days any/all advice is appreciated!

Perhaps you're right! My SO went there for undergrad and said he was only able to park because he was taking evening classes, but perhaps he was wrong or things have changed!

Have you looked into getting parking at BC? It can be pretty tough

I'll be paying 5% of the cost of my health insurance, but there's no vision or dental and (for someone with terrible vision and crappy teeth) that's extremely frustrating!

Thank you!

I have one POI waiting on an NSF and another waiting on DOD funding -- and neither can give me a firm offer until the budget is resolved!

I'm leaning strongly towards U of M at this point, but I'm getting increasingly anxious about trying to find an apartment from out of state! It looks like classes start 9/3 -- do leases pretty much always start on the 1st of the month? would everyone recommend moving in a month early (8/1)? obviously I'd prefer to save money but I can see it being a bad idea to move in and start classes two days later. I've been told that most grad students, at least in my program, live in Uptown. it's looking like my SO is going to be staying in New England, so I'm trying to figure out whether a 1 bed would be affordable... I'd really rather not deal with roommates anymore -- I spent six years of my life living with at least 3 other people and I'm over it. I've been cruising craigslist and it looks like I'd probably be paying around $900 for a decent 1-bed in Uptown -- does that seem reasonable?

thanks!

I worked full-time and did my master's part-time... it was awful but I couldn't have afforded it otherwise

my offers have been between $17k and $28k. I think I can easily make it work in an area with a lower cost of living, but $17k here in Boston would be tough (thankfully, the programs I've been accepted to are in cheaper areas!)

what would be a good time to start looking at apartments for the fall?

yes!

I know this was true for some of the students in my master's program!

well best of luck regardless!

I'm just under the impression that (at least in my field) a master's doesn't really make you any more likely to be admitted to a PhD program

I'm not sure, but maybe this would help? http://bikeduke.com/biking-at-duke/ Or this? http://nicomachus.net/maps/durham/

If you don't mind a bit of a commute, you might want to take a look at Jamaica Plain! It's still in Boston, just near the southwestern end, and it's FULL of quiet thirty-somethings : )

I'll admit, it's nice being the only result on google! the downside is that my name is often misspelled and almost always mispronounced... but it's worth it to me : )

seconding temp agencies -- I used one to get summer positions while I was in college, to great success!

This is all great advice!

I've asked at every interview both what grad students have gone on to do, and what the faculty HOPE that grad students will go on to do. in my experience (within my field), the majority of the faculty I have spoken to have stated that they would like their students to go on to careers at R1 research institutions, while acknowledging that some students may follow other trajectories. there have been a few exceptions (at one university, every faculty member I spoke to said they just want to their students to pursue a career that will make them happy -- a pleasant change!) but on the whole, it's been very academic-focused.

has anyone heard from university of washington?