rising_star

It really depends on what your reservations are about. To be honest, I had some doubts about the PhD program I decided on but enrolled anyway in August. Those doubts have been reaffirmed throughout my time here but, at the same time, I'm not sure that things would be that much different if I were anywhere else.

Honestly, defer the option at school #1 and apply for PhD programs this fall.

Could you pursue something like this while in grad school?

I would never take out $80K in loans for a master's degree.

Let me be blunt. You can network yourself into job prospects in any part of the country, if you choose to do so. So, going to UC Davis doesn't automatically relegate you to postdocs on the West Coast, just as going to school in Florida will not get you a postdoc in the state necessarily. I think you should go to the school with the best research fit and the facilities that will enable you to do your research. If all are comparable, then decide by comparing the funding offered and then the cost of living.

It's definitely tough on the eyes. I try to minimize the strain by always working in decently lit areas and trying to do a mix of reading on the computer and on paper (books or printed out articles). I also try to watch less TV since that's just another screen putting strain on the eyes, though I'm not always successful with that one. My vision has definitely gotten slightly worse over the years of grad school though.

You may be able to get your spot back. I'd talk to someone about this on the phone, rather than trying to handle it via email.

There is a lot of great discussion about whether or not to finish (and people sharing their experiences about what they chose and why) available on the main forum over at versatilephd.com. I really do suggest you head over there and check out the relevant posts.

See if you can find a graduate student that is looking to sublet their place for the summer. That will give you the time to make more permanent arrangements.

Check out versatilephd.com.

Duplicate post. See here:

I sent announcements when I graduated from undergrad but not when I finished my MA. That was, in part, because I didn't participate in the graduation ceremony (much to my family's chagrin) and in part because I knew I was headed to a PhD program. In hindsight, I kinda wish I had because there were second cousins and such that never knew I finished my MA. (And also because the gift money would've helped with moving expenses.)

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I find it so interesting that everyone is encouraging people to read the work of professors in their department. Maybe this comes from being in a large and varied discipline but, I definitely don't, haven't, and never will read the work of many of the professors in my department because it will never be relevant to what I do. In fact, I haven't read the work of most of the faculty on my committee and none of them have suggested that I should (or should have!). YMMV, obviously.

1) Don't take your wife to your meetings with professors. 2) Ask questions about the program. Course offerings, professional development opportunities (research, publishing, career workshops, co-authoring opportunities), funding for summer research/conference attendance/language study, etc. 3) If you're not that interested in the person's research, don't waste you time reading articles/books on it. 4) Ask about life in the area, what people do, cost of things, etc.

If you've already accepted an offer, then yes, you should withdraw your other applications.

It's not all about the money. It's about who you are going to be working with. Go with the better (note that better means a lot of different things) advisor.

Dude, I totally had that experience as an undergrad. Except it was 3 hours and I was a lit student so we also had to analyze the text in addition to translating it. Afterwards, we discussed how each of us translated the metaphors differently, resulting in completely different explanations of what the poem was about. It would've been funnier if I hadn't suffered through it.

wine in coffee cups, I'm not talking about Dean's Scholarships/Fellowships or whatever since it isn't up to the department who gets those. Sure, they can nominate top candidates for them (assuming such a thing exists at the university as not all universities have this) but that isn't an avenue through which an applicant can negotiate for more funding.

I've found roommates in various ways: the local alternative weekly newspaper's classifed ads; roommates.com (back when it was free); and Craig's List. Each had its pros and cons but they all worked out.

It's been 4 years since I made my decision and I still second guess it periodically for various reasons.

Better question. Why are you still at that university?

Well, you could also look into their leave policies. It may be possible to attend for a year, take a semester or two leave of absence, and return.

Hmmm... I guess you should weigh the costs and consider a multitude of options. Middlebury is supposed to be amazing but, it sounds like you'd be going into debt to attend. If you're already moving to a particular area, why not see if you can get a job at the local university or one nearby? Many university jobs come with benefits that include free or reduced tuition, which would eliminate the need to pay out-of-state tuition. And really, you should go ahead and ask that specific program how taking 9 hours as a non-degree-seeking student would affect your chances of getting in there.

I don't really know of any schools that do it that way. In fact, why would they if it means they risk losing out on their top applicants? In my department, all incoming students get the same offer. You can ask for more money but they always say no. And yes, that's the case even if you tell them that you're being offered more money elsewhere. They want everyone to be paid the same to eliminate that potential source of contention amongst the grad students. Like I said, none of this works in my department or, for the most part, in my discipline. Our department wants its top applicants but, they can't and don't throw extra money at them to get them to attend. They don't match offers, they don't have other sources on campus they can hit up for an extra $1K for incoming students or anything like that. So, while it's nice to negotiate and whatever else, be prepared for it not to matter at all in some cases. And, be prepared to have to make a decision between more money and better fit or more money and better POI. In the end, I turned down offers that paid more and required less work because it's more about the advisor than anything else. The money is just a way to get yourself sidetracked from that. P.S. I find it interesting that the topic of negotiating offers has come up far more frequently this year (anecdotally, because I didn't run stats on it) than it has in years past. Perhaps ironically, it keeps cropping up in various subforums on the site and the answers are basically the same each time. Thus far, I haven't really seen anyone proclaiming success from their negotiations...