pterosaur

HUH is a lot like renting a normal apartment, but your landlord is Harvard. It's market rate, so it's still pretty pricey. If you're going for anything other than a 1 bedroom/studio you'd also have to worry about finding your own flatmates (who have to all be Harvard affiliates). GSAS housing is dorms for graduate students. You put down your preferences and get assigned a single room. You have communal bathrooms, access to a kitchen, and a meal plan at Dudley House. You don't get the same independence of living on your own, but it's really convenient. I lived in the dorms my first year, also coming from overseas. It was also conveniently located across the street from my department. I'm definitely glad I went for that option my first year because it took a lot of stress out of my arrival, and it was also a nice way to connect with people and make friends.

I'm a current PhD student in CS at Harvard (so, of course, completely unbiased since I really like it here). I can't really speak to UW, since I didn't apply or consider it. All of your "Pros" for Harvard are some of the things I really liked about the program, and why I came here. CS and all of SEAS is really flexible, in terms of coursework, advising, etc. It's also a nice collaborative community, which I think the size definitely helps with. I've also taken a couple of classes at MIT, which is nice. For me, the Boston area was a pro rather than a con; I went to undergrad in Boston and already knew I really liked the area. (I think the concern about winter is generally an overblown concern, since the winters are pretty mild by my Wisconsin standards; I can easily bike all but probably a week or two of the year without any special gear.) As for your "Cons": I've definitely gotten the "not as well known" thing; when I tell people (outside the field) that I'm doing CS at Harvard, I have gotten asked a couple of times "Why not MIT?" But the program is still very strong, and students go on to have good options when they graduate. I even know a few people in my cohort who turned down MIT in favor of Harvard. If you're considering not staying in academia after graduation, the glow of the Harvard name in general is a plus. What facilities felt old and cramped to you? Maxwell Dworkin? That's where I'm based, and I really like it here. It's not as shiny as someplace like the Media Lab, but we're well-supported. Space is definitely at a premium right now, though, as the department keeps expanding while the new building is being built. I'm not a huge fan of them splitting SEAS and moving some stuff to Allston, but having purpose-built facilities for my group's research will be awesome. (I know my group will be moving there, frustratingly 3.5-4 years into my PhD, and I have to deal with moving a ton of robotics hardware, which will eat up a bunch of time...) Putting the new SEAS stuff in Allston, they're also hoping to strengthen the connections between it and the business school, which is already based over there. But all of that seems pretty secondary to the major issues: funding and advising. It definitely sounds like funding is way more tenuous at UW, and even without a fellowship Harvard SEAS guarantees funding. Those comments at UW also sound kind of concerning -- do they tend to have a lot of people who leave after quals? (Our quals here are very chill; I have mine in less than two weeks and I'm not really stressed about it.) In terms of advising, the rule of thumb I've heard is that there should be at least 2 or 3 people you could see yourself working with, in case the first option doesn't work out for whatever reason. I have a couple of friends here who have changed advisors for various reasons (change of interest, advisor leaving, not a great personal match) and have pulled it off without serious mishap. One ended up with a primary in Canada and a co-advisor here, but that's sort of the exception. I also know of a few people in CS who ended up with a primary advisor at MIT. For me, there was one person I really clearly wanted to work for, and the others were somewhat tangential in their interests, but I could make it work. That was enough to convince me I had options. It definitely sounds like a tough decision, and both are strong contenders. Hopefully my thoughts can help a bit, though!

Allston is fine. I have a number of friends who live there; it's full of students and some of Harvard's stuff is over there (business school, athletics/gyms, soon part of SEAS). As a mid-twenties woman myself, I personally wouldn't have qualms about living in Allston. It's is about the only place in Boston proper that would be reasonable to live (transportation-wise) if you'll be primarily based on the Cambridge campus. Harvard grad students also live all over Cambridge and Somerville, the latter generally being the cheaper option of those two. As far as transportation, the 66 bus is the most readily accessible and will take you straight to campus. Depending on where you are, the green line is also close-ish (but it's the green line, which is sort of the least effective of the T lines) (and it's not the way you'd get to campus). By foot it's about a 2 mile walk, but it's also a very reasonable bike ride (about as fast as the bus, under 20 minutes).

There are definitely people out there trying to scam, so do not take a place before you have been able to see it in person! I'd look into Harvard University Housing (off-campus, university owned, but some restrictions on who can live there), or consider arriving in time to find a place while staying in an Airbnb.

For GSAS dorms, the only building where you can do 2 to a room is Childs, in a 2 room suite. (They're dorm rooms, with a single twin bed.) And I believe that you both have to be Harvard students/affiliates for this. I don't think the dorms would really suit what you're looking for. I'd recommend finding off-campus housing.

Allston has a ton of students, and it'll be more affordable than Back Bay in general.

Depends on where you are in Sommerville. In general, lots of Sommerville is cheaper because it's not on the T, but the busses are pretty good unless the weather gets atrocious. It's definitely bikeable, though in the winter that might get messier.

Did they say how many people were in the cohort this year?

Last year there were only 2 people who posted results on the survey here, but this year there are at 6 so far. Random chance, more engagement, or more applicants this year? I also enjoy the rejection comment: "Darn you Rick Perry."

They told us last summer that the funding was restructured after the fears of a couple years ago. Now, instead of the money being allocated year-by-year, they put it all in the budget "up front" so when they select a class of fellows, their funding is already in the bank account for all 4 years of funding. Also, when there was the concern about the CSGF being eliminated, apparently a lot of higher-ups in the DOE went to bat for it, which suggests whey're quite motivated to keep it around.

From my experience, the grades are achievable. I'd use a rough conversion of pass = C, merit = B, and distinction = A. They just don't have the same kind of inflation that we do here, so you don't get people topping out the scale.

I did my bachelor's in the US and engineering MRes at Imperial. One of the big differences between North America is that the marks come down entirely to a final exam (or in the case of more hands on engineering fields, an exam and a project). There is generally less you are required to do during the term (unless it's a coding-based class, in my experience), so there's a lot more personal responsibility required to stay on top of the material. Also remember that the grading scheme is different: 50% is passing, 60% is merit, 70% is distinction. Getting a 90%+ like you would for an A here is not the norm. (However, I studied my butt off for a statistics exam thinking as if it was the US grading scheme and ended up with a 93%.)

I missed the phone call when they called with the acceptance last year, but they left a message to call back. If you had a missed call but no voicemail, that probably wasn't it.

Some of the delay caused in previous years (before last year) was funding uncertainty. Last spring I was expecting to hear mid-April, so I was surprised to hear back before the end of March with the good news.

A lot of leases (outside the hardcore undergrad areas) seem to go up 90 days before the end of the lease. So I'd expect a lot coming up at the end of May/beginning of June for Sept. 1 leases. But if you're looking to fill a room in an existing place, that's a lot easier. (Also, I got an awesome place with a June 1 lease! I'm stoked.)