rising_star

When you say that School A would be more expensive overall, do you mean that a TA position wouldn't fully cover your tuition and living expenses? If that's the case, I would just wait on School B.

Jalapenos aren't that spicy, at least not in my opinion. You should definitely experiment with different peppers to see what works for you. I vary the pepper depending on the recipe. You can also look for peppers in any Mexican/Latin American grocery store, though you may find different ones there than you find in an Asian grocery store. You could also ask the salespeople or other customers what they recommend.

That's fine because they aren't going to force you to make a decision as soon as they let you in off the waitlist. I guess if you have a lot of disposable income, visiting while on the waitlist wouldn't be a problem. But, visiting is not necessary. I say this as someone that did not visit the PhD program they attended.

I don't know that it matters. I loved my master's cohort, but I hadn't met any of them before I began, and we were a mixed cohort of incoming MA and PhD students. I actually got along better with the PhD students, some of whom I still talk to. The year I started my PhD, I was in a cohort of 16. I became friends with... 4 of those people, and then made friends from a few other cohorts. I actively disliked being around about half of my cohort, even when we were all in the coursework phase. We just did not get along inside or outside the classroom but that doesn't mean they're terrible people. At the PhD level, I tended to stick with friends who did research in similar areas and/or were on my approximate timeline (seriously, all my PhD friends and I graduated within the same 9 month period, though we began at different times). All that said, I don't know how much value I'd put in to getting along with the potential cohort. It is definitely less important than the advisor, funding, available committee members, opportunities to publish, etc.

I would wait to visit until you've been accepted.

I've found that many hotels are willing to match the price you find on hotwire or hotels.com if you book with them directly (either via phone or using the hotel's website). I also always ask about discounts at hotels when checking in. I've gotten discounts for being a Sam's Club member, AAA member, etc. It never hurts to investigate what those options are and see if anything might apply to you. For flights, Kayak and Google Flights are good resources, but I also always check JetBlue, Southwest, and Spirit, which aren't listed on those sites. I'm partial to flying Southwest but, I definitely vary it based on what's the least expensive.

I went into college wanting to study marine biology. I toyed around with various humanities majors before finally settling on one. Then, I went to grad school in the social sciences, in a field related to an area I developed an interest in during my final two years of undergrad.

It would probably be really hard to get good rec letters a few months after arriving. For some UK programs, you'd be asking for strong letters a month after meeting them! So yea, in that sense, taking a year off after the MA would probably be necessary unless you want to also do your PhD in the UK/EU.

You can always accept and then withdraw your acceptance later...

No, I'm definitely not saying that. I'm saying you can tell X that you turned them down for Y. Tell Y that you've accepted the offer and are excited about it. Y doesn't need to know who you turned down.

You should pick the one that has the most interesting research opportunity for you. That's hard to say without knowing the specifics of your program and your interests. Also, if any of the programs offers free GRE prep, you might want to consider that program more heavily. Good luck deciding!

Being an RA totally varies based on who your supervisor is. I mostly had easy-going supervisors who would give me tasks to complete and a time frame in which to do them. Then, I'd prepare a summary or memo and report back to them on what I'd done.

You need to find an Asian market and try out the different brands of curry paste they sell there. For generic mild curry sauce, I tend to just buy the bottled stuff at Trader Joe's but that definitely has no kick to it at all.

I went to the school with the better research fit, which meant breaking up with the person I was dating at the end of my MA (I moved across the country for the PhD and neither of us wanted to have a LDR). I don't regret it because I wouldn't be wear I am now in terms of my scholarship and my career had I gone to the other school.

I talked about grad school like I'd talk about a job when I was dating a non-grad student. Ironically, in the final part of my PhD when I was dating another grad student, I talked about grad school a lot less. Not sure how to explain that other than perhaps dating someone that's in a completely different field whose work I don't understand toward the end of my PhD. But, I also think it's unreasonable to date anyone and expect them to be super-interested in the minutiae of my job, whether that's grad school or something else. Congrats on finding someone to date, wildviolet! I guess this means we can ignore your online dating post?

Can you talk to your DGS or a senior student you trust about what the proper procedure is here? In my department, the DGS would be to go-to for those considering switching advisors.

The OP has said that they already did this demonstration. So, I don't know why you'd question whether it should be listed at this point if it's done...

I'm not in your field but yes tor reading all of the labs published papers. You should also read articles about the specific techniques you want to use, focusing on the methods section to see how they did what they did.

I wouldn't ask your POI. I'd ask the DGS or the Grad Program Administrator (the one specific to your program/department) since funding decisions are usually made by the department.

Congratulations! I don't know how to do it but I know it's possible because my mom did it with me. You'll need to make sure you have solid child care arrangements and an advisor that is both supportive and understanding of the fact that you're a parent. In other words, if someone expects 12 hours a day in the lab, they may not be the best advisor for you. Good luck!

Handwritten because it's something people don't do as often anymore.

In sociocultural anthro, who your advisor is and their placement record is incredibly important. Their funding record too (that is, do their grad students get the big research grants to do their dissertation research?) Also important is whether the broader university has the resources you need (language and methodological training, library resources, etc.). None of those are listed above so, I'm unable to say what you should do.

I feel like you're being really pessimistic here. There are lots of potential options. For example, could you find a new advisor, keep the POI (the "original" advisor as you described him) on your committee potentially as a co-advisor, and do research in the area you want. Or, you could wait and try to join the original advisor at the new university after your wife has finished her coursework (assuming she's in a field where working remotely is a possibility). Those are just two possibilities that you didn't describe originally. FWIW, I would also see if the university is planning to replace your original advisor with someone in the same field because, if that's the case, that person could potentially become your advisor in Year 2.

Let them both know, since they'll find out either way. I did something similar when I chose a PhD program, except that it also happened at a national conference so I got to tell basically all my POIs in person, and have them rib one another about it right in front of me. Be polite, express your desire to collaborate in the future, and you'll be fine.

Different airlines have different baggage policies, which you should look into if flying. Southwest gives you 2 free checked bags, each up to 50lbs. Other airlines charge for each checked bag. If at all possible, try to get a friend to come out with you, to help you move. That friend packs all their stuff in a carry-on, and then can check a bag or two for you as well. Greyhound also has fairly reasonable freight charges.