biscuits

Congrats!

Aside from laptop/clothes: a towel, a good frying pan - preferably cast iron, and if it's deep enough you can cook most anything in it, a Kindle or other reading device to prevent lugging boatloads of books, at least one set of cutlery so that you can eat without your fingers, and a toothbrush.

But it's so much quieter and faster...I hate loud, wheezing laptops. And quicker boot-up times are always a plus. I shall ponder.

How comparable are the two choices? If there's a serious difference in term of course offerings and career opportunities, the unfounded option MIGHT be better - but only if you have the batman butler. Don't get caught up in things like rankings unless the discrepancy between the choices is enormous. Instead, take comfort in smugly counting your pile of savings at the funded option. This is best accomplished while stroking a similarly smug cat, or rolling in piles of Monopoly money. If you truly hate the funded option, take a year to work on your GRE/work experience/published goodies (depending on your field), and reapply. With a stronger application you may have more funded offers!

Does he want to continue in the hard-science vein? Keep in mind that many university-related positions will be gobbled up by current students and/or summer interns. Check the government agencies as well!

This discussion raises a lot of very valuable points, particularly regarding the hidden costs of home ownership. My issue with condos is that you are stuck living with other people, with very minimal outdoor space. After years of renting apartments, I don't want to have to worry about upsetting the neighbors, and I'm tired of dealing with their antics. (Holler, Boston on St. Patrick's Day!) I also yearn for some amount of green space. Pressing my face to the glass doesn't count. I realize this makes me sound like a crochety old lady. I'm cool with that.

Definitely agree about Duke. Very smooth and low-fuss application process, early decision, and a stellar admissions team. They call! They email! They send you extremely detailed reports on local apartment complexes! In short, the Duke team makes you feel very wanted and welcomed, and they seem to be sustaining their activity rather than petering out. LBJ has also been fairly good regarding contacts and regular updates. I missed my Michigan call last night but followed up with an email exchange. The response wasn't particularly detailed, but they did address most of my questions.

Hee, Texas Jail. For what it's worth, several folks in various states' agencies have tipped LBJ as one of their favorite schools in terms of producing graduates. It might be something in the Austin water, but LBJ apparently produces people who not only can do the work, but who are also nice people and great collaborators. I've heard that LBJ grads have an easy time fitting into existing teams. These sources have rather...different...impressions of HKS. I only mention HKS specifically because multiple government employees have indicated that those grads do not play well with others.

Do folks have opinions on SSD vs normal hard drives? I'm going to be doing light to moderate work on the little beastie (Word/PP/Excel, probably data crunching in STATA).

Having a Masters vs PhD option would also be great...but would be much uglier to look at! Thanks for putting this together!

Hi all, I was offered $20K/year at GPPI, but will likely end up declining due to more generous offers elsewhere. No debt versus $40K plus is not a terribly hard decision, and it looks like GPPI doesn't go much beyond the 20K/year level so I don't think I can wheedle more money out of them . We'll see if Partner Dearest gets some sort of ridiculous stipend at his nearby institution. At any rate I will likely have an answer for GPPI within a week! MPPgal, do share your impressions of Austin! I have to wait until the 8th to form a final impression.

Huzzah!

But he brings us so much entertainment in these dark winter hours...

It appears this wasn't an isolated error, then. I'll definitely ask about it if I get a call during tonight's Calling Night...I'm curious to see how they will respond!

Perhaps you should have done this research before deciding not to apply to fellowships? I enjoy reading our (sometimes shrill) discussions as much as anyone, but I wouldn't base major decisions on the word of internet strangers.

Daaaaang. This is terrible. I agree with Molly - Michigan should have just let the acceptances stand, both out of decency and to avoid looking like they can't manage a basic mail merge. Ugh. This does not set a warm and fuzzy precedent for ensuing Michigan escapades...I'm now envisioning mistakes in funding awards and class registration.

Wow. That is ridiculously unprofessional on Michigan's part. Was your name on the original decision letter?

Congrats to everyone that got in!

The bit about the windy city is true! The politicians were (are) gasbags. However, the wind still does get pretty fierce in Chicago. Shudder. Chicago doesn't tend to get nearly as much snow as other cities in the region due to the lake, but it does get very, very cold. Hats and glittens and scarves, oh my. By the way: definitely pick up a pair of glittens (fingerless gloves with convertible mittens) if you are moving to a cold climate. This gives you the dexterity of fingers when you need them as well as the warmth of mittens.

Hi Miskina, Most computers have an option to "print to PDF" when you select a printer. You might also see an option for Microsoft XPS Document Writer. Hope this helps!

Pah. As long as you aren't also cracking your gum and twirling your hair while mooning about your fiancé in class, I think it'll be fine. If you really love and want to wear your ring, do so! People will get over it, or may not even notice. Let the quality of your work speak for itself and the ring will be a non-issue. Some sexist asshats may be stuffy about it, but they'll just have to deal with the fact that diamonds and brains can, in fact, go together. One thing: it looks like you're in a science-y field. Large rings and labs may not work for safety reasons, but outside of lab, do what you want!

Hector, I volunteered at Ray Elementary School - 56th and Kimbark, just a few blocks from campus - and it's generally considered to be a great public school. Lots of professors send their kids there before sending them to the UChicago Lab Schools in middle school. The Lab Schools are fantastic but quite expensive, from what I hear. They also have a waiting list. Most other South Side schools are not particularly wonderful. There are magnet and charter schools, but I'm not familiar with them, other than the university's charter school. I would ask other current students who have families - your department should be able to put you in touch.

Just read the previous entries on this thread. That slapping sound you hear is the sound of my palm hitting my face. Folks, please don't drink the Harvard Kool-aid. Is it a great program? Yes. Will you have a fabulous network and wonderful opportunities? Yes. Is it a magical unicorn that will dust you with Special Snowflake power, granting you the ability to effortlessly achieve any job you want and make more money than anyone else who has ever held that job? No. Can you get a similar experience elsewhere? Yes. Should you accept a funded offer at a different school of similar rank versus $100K in loans at Harvard? In my opinion, yes, in a heartbeat. Harvard is extremely good at selling the Harvard brand. I should know, Boston is the epicenter of it. Just keep in mind that Harvard itself, AND all of its alums, are heavily invested in the maintenance and improvement of that brand. Of course they're going to tell you that [X program at Harvard] is an unparalleled experience that can't be replicated anywhere else. This is true of most schools, but Harvard is particularly good at it. I'm not able to share much insight into the nitty gritty of funding at Harvard, but I do know they had some controversy with their LRAP program a few years ago. I can't find the article now, but I believe they decreased the amount of promised assistance or something along those lines. In other words, I wouldn't rely on Harvard - or the public interest loan forgiveness program, given the current budget climate - to help you with your debts. If you are confident you will be able to bear the burden of these loans on the back of your own earning power, hop to it! If not, perhaps have a serious think about things - and try talking to some folks whose policy experience you respect, and who haven't gone to Harvard.

Cackle. $70,000+ for your first job after your masters is...optimistic, unless there are some truly special circumstances going on (dual degree, returning to an old employer, private sector, highly specialized and comparatively rare skills, or a ton of previous work experience). For good old government or non-profit work, I'd say the average that the schools publish (~$60,000 or so) is fair, for most people. In some government jobs you can happily trip right up the pay grades in a few years to make considerably more, assuming you perform well. Non-profits tend to stick at the same salary, unless you take on significantly more responsibility or move to a new position within the company. I think one of the biggest pay-related factors will be whether or not you have previous management experience - that is, supervising minions of some sort. Certainly management duties represent one of the major pay scale bumps in the federal government. Most of us are pursuing this degree with the goal of conducting some form of policy analysis (I assume), but you'll get paid more if you are able to effectively lead a team of analysts.

Yes, the funding delay is a bit frustrating, and makes potential travel plans rather expensive! Luckily they are offering some reimbursement, which lessens the sting.