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I had a school who contacted me a week ago if I were still interested (for PhD). I'm confused. I thought that there was the April 15 agreement...? :/

JHU is very strong for NLP and Medical Robotics, other areas are so-so. UF has a unique curriculum that incorporates digital art. Not sure about Santa Cruz. Talk to current students and find out what the student outcomes are. Another thing to consider is financial aid.

Are you interested in Applied Math, Stats, Biostats, or CS? With my extremely limited experience I believe you'll be competitive just about everywhere for M.S. in Stats/Biostats. Perhaps not so much for CS anywhere. Well, contingent on your GRE score and subject score. PhD is a different story. I think you'll be more competitive at CMU Stats than CMU CS. It really depends on how PDE/computing theory is taught at your school and how much you'd enjoy learning about the topics... I'd take theory of computing just because I'm more interested in that, but that's just me.

A grad student told me about this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome It's common. You're not alone. You're smart - that's why you got in. Don't think too much and give it your best.

Do you have other options (fully funded PhD)? Is there a reason you wouldn't consider your other options? I second Sryahmay that you need to let them know ASAP.

Going to UW in the fall and looking for roommate(s). Thinking of possibly getting a room in a (community) house. PM if interested!

Try your best, don't go crazy, and have a back up plan just in case. If you try your best you should be fine in the following years. If not, something's wrong with the school/program and they are simply not worth it. You are a person before a PhD student. Don't let anything, especially lack of funding, make you feel less so.

No problem TwistedCubic (nice username btw). If you're not sure if you prefer community v.s. four year, it's definitely nice to have both options. Since you're out of academia for 5 years, going to stats won't be terribly different than going back to math Even straight from undergrad, many students take Linear Algebra their sophomore year and often forget the material by the time they become a first-year grad student. I'd say unless you have strong reasons to stay in Minnesota, definitely take the funded offer. Here's how I see it: how many times in life would you get the opportunity to "randomly" move to sunny Irvine? Yea well, life's a stochastic model but still

Agreed. Recruitment weekends are only once a year and if they can't even show their enthusiasm to prospectives.. well I don't know how they would be like during the regular school year Both are very well reputed institutions. I don't know anything about French lit but I will assume both are well ranked. Both have similar funding and are in NYC. Both have the good research fit. Go to the school that has a better vibe, whichever it is.

Hi, one of my deciding factors is also the location, so here are some things to think about/my two cents: 1. Do you need a PhD to teach? If so, then UCI is the no-brainer... Why pay for an MS when you are eventually going the PhD route? It's not impossible to get a faculty appointment in a math department if you do a PhD in Statistics. In fact, it is quite common. 2. I stand by the viewpoint (and some may disagree) that it's not too hard to switch into Statistics from pure Mathematics training. In fact many doctorate candidates in stats departments come from pure math backgrounds. How theoretical is UCI's program? If it is theoretical I don't think you should worry too much - you WILL pick up what's necessary. Funding is also important here. If I were you I would just take the funded offer and adventure... unless you have a family to worry about (aging parents that need care/working SO who cannot relocate). In my friend's words "the world is just too small to remain in one place"! Good luck deciding and I hope you have an easier time than I do...

This is so similar to my dilemma in terms of choosing a school, although I'm inclined towards industry. With the points being almost identical, my gut feeling tells me the "UW", but I'm afraid that I'll miss out by not going to "Cornell" - after all "Cornell" has a better overall institution reputation...