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qed67

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  • Application Season
    2013 Fall

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  1. Postmarked? Emailed? In their hand? All of my schools want to hear back by April 15th, but My last visit ends on Saturday the 13th. 15th is a Monday, and all the accept/decline forms they've sent me are snail mail forms. No way it's getting across the country on a Sunday. They didn't exactly say who to email if I wanted to do it that way.
  2. What if I change my mind about wanting to visit a school?
  3. I'm 20... This topic makes me feel like I'm going to be in class with all old folks ha! Maybe I'll hang out with undergraduates instead!
  4. I guess they would be right if we were talking about humanities, bragging to people on the street, or something, but if you're going into industry as a scientist... I can't really get through to them that there are schools who's names match or beat Harvard, and also that grad school the name doesn't really matter, but who you work with. "Why are you even visiting that school if you already got into this school?" "Because I like the professors there?"
  5. Did you wait a day or two to see if you got an email? They don't send them all the same second you know. You probably know the answer to your own question.
  6. "Oh man Harvard is the best! Way more prestigious than some tech school." "But I don't think their science and engineering is really better than..." "Even if that's true, you'd probably get a better job if you went to Harvard since it's more famous. Obama went to Harvard!" Every time.
  7. To break to trend of the acceptance/rejection topics in here, how about some soul searching while waiting it out? I posed think question to myself and I thought it would be good for anyone to seriously think about it: Why? Why put yourself through writing all these essays, taking GREs, spending hundreds of dollars, stalking grad-cafe, go on tough interviews, etc... All to spend 5-6 years of your life to putting even more pressure on yourself until you finally get through it? Most people do fine without a PhD... why do you need to do it? Don't answer like you're telling me, or like you're writing a SOP... what's the reason you used to convince yourself that this is right? Imagine you're trying to convince yourself from 9th grade that this is what you need to do. Have you ever put these feelings/ambitions into words? Think about it even if you're a lurker, or you don't want to share for everyone to see. You might learn something about yourself. I'll tell you why I'm doing it. Because statistically, I can't do it. Statistically, I'm supposed to want to grow up to play in the NBA and sell 1M records as a rapper, not to win a Nobel Prize in physics. I should just settle for working at Walmart and have a few kids I won't take care of, and probably end up in jail before I turn 25, not rock the boat and dare to dream different. I only know of one person from my HS actually got to the NFL, and all he does is sit on the bench, the rest... some are doing okay, but 90% completely lack ambition; they're so complacent with... "mediocracy" for lack of a better word. I'm not trying to say I'm better than them for going to grad school, but I'm disappointed that all these people that are still young are wasting their potential. You can't become the next Einstein unless you try to become Einstein. I'm doing it to prove I can do it. Why live your whole life and not aim high? You only get one chance... Even if your first path was misconstrued, you ain't dead yet. That's something to consider even if you don't get into the grad school you like or even any at all... you ain't dead yet, so don't act like you can't get higher.
  8. You guys are talking about $1000-$1200 per month for rent, but how much do you think is enough to reasonably live on? I've never lived on my own before (always parent or dorm). My stipend is going to be $2600/month, do you think I'll be able to live in Cambridge/Boston on my own, or is it a stretch? Also current grad students... do they take taxes out of your stipend checks?
  9. You know, I don't know if I'll be happy at A or not. It's like a dream school but there's a running joke that everyone hates it there. I think I was a little depressed over the summer because I was convinced that everyone else was smarter than me and I only got in the REU by some twist of fate. Now I've learned to deal with the 'impostor syndrome" thing (why would I get accepted to the PhD if I'm not good enough?) I think I will handle it better the second round. I think the everyone hates it there joke comes from how stressful it is keeping up with all the work, but if they can do it... so can I (I hope). I don't want to give up because I was afraid of the pressure when it turns out I might have been capable. I mean, I got in right?
  10. Hey guys, I'm trying to see what the "moral" thing to do is in this situation. It's gonna take a few sentences to explain this. I got into like 5 schools, all top 10 or so in my field. Here's the scenario: School A: I think this is my #1 pick... did research here for a summer and know the guy I would work with if I were to attend. School B: Just as pretigous as school A, but never been here before. Don't know anyone. School C: Same academic "tier" as A and B. I've visited the department before and sit down the guys I would like to work with. Schools D&E: Litte lower in "prestige" than the above. Never been to either so I don't know if it's justifed to say so. Now school A I like the research, but the enivorment was a little depressing. School C, I like the departement/city/vibe, but I don't think their research is as good as A or B. The people from school C called me a couple weeks ago and asked me if I really wanted to come to C, because when I visited it "seemed to them that I was more interested in A since I had already worked there." Now at the time I had no idea if I would really get into A, so of course I said I really liked C, and was offered admission to C a few days later. Here's what I need help with: Now I'm not sure what the best way to handle these offers is. I'm going to decline E because the visting days conflict with A. School D, I don't know what to do with. It's a very good school, but the only way I would go is if I visit and I find that the environment beyond amazing. But this may be unrealistic to expect, and I don't want to visit and waste their time & money when I could decline now and let someone else that really wants to be there have the spot (If they have a waitlist that is... IDK). Now C... I feel I'll make an enemy if I decline, because he was basically asking me if I will definitley come. I think I was being "bullied" with that call though, so this can't be helped. I just need to think about it some more before I make a decision because I think I might be happier at C despite the research being not as good. Anyway, should I visit C again? Is there a point in going to the open house if I already met the faculty? A and B I will visit because I haven't seen B and I just so happens to be near A and their visiting days are back-to-back. Any thoughts on my plan? Should I just decline C and D right off?
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