pterosaur

Is someone really upset about being offered only $27,000? And thinking that their masters degree and a reasonable (but not awe-inspiring) GRE score entitle them to a halo or something? Sounds like someone I wouldn't want at my school.

I've entered a new form of paranoia: I got an unofficial acceptance from my top choice (saying the department recommended me and it needs official approval by the graduate school), and they said I should get official notification after this "typically routine" step in mid-February. Now I'm paranoid that the graduate school will deny me. I'm sure it won't happen (and other people in the results section are experience this same last step waiting anxiety), but still...

Oh man, you just gave me a really strong craving for a great lunch cafe for burgers and malts in my home town. Too bad I'm thousands of miles away and this continent doesn't do malts.

@glueear - does advisor's years of research count entirely as a pro or con? I've heard that a younger professor will devote more time to their students and focus on really getting publications out moreso than an older professor - you'll get more attention from them. Interesting list, though! I'll keep those things in mind.

At University B, would you be guaranteed funding after those first 3 months? I would be very cautious about accepting a spot where you might end up with no funding, when you also have a fully funded offer on the table.

I've been doing a bunch of googling and looking through threads on here, and this is the categorized list I've come up with that I plan to draw my questions from. (I might be over-thinking/over-preparing.) Graduate Students Research What research are you working on? How quickly were you able to start your research? Life/social How much of a student community/social life is there (including within cohort)? Is it an inclusive environment? Have there ever been problems with harassment? Where do you (and students in general) live? How is living here? What is the area around campus like? How are the housing options? Is the university helpful with finding housing? Is the stipend enough to live on? Advisors How is working with your advisor? (intentionally open-ended) How would you describe your PI's advising style? (hands on/closely supervised or hands off/independent) What strategies have worked well to maintain a successful relationship with your advisor? How available is your supervisor? How frequently do you meet with your advisor? Does your supervisor support support interest in a career outside academia? How regularly/quickly does your advisor publish? Would you choose this advisor if you were doing it over? Program/University What do you think of the program? Biggest pros and cons? How easy/hard is it to customize the program? (i.e., taking different courses) What do you think of the courses? Useful content, well taught, relevant to your research/goals? How big is the program? What would you change about the program? Does the environment feel more collaborative or competitive? Are students generally collaborative or competitive? How easy/difficult was the process of joining a lab? What are responsibilities of TAs like? What is the workload/time commitment? How many terms do you TA? Group/lab How would you describe the lab group? (Intentionally open-ended) What is the culture in the lab? How much time are you expected to spend in the lab? What kind of schedule do you work? How much collaboration is there within the lab? Other Are you happy here? What do you wish you had taken into consideration when making your decision about where to attend? Who is on your committee and why? Do you get to attend conferences? How is it being a female in this generally male-dominated department/university/field? Professors & Potential Advisors Students Do students create their own projects or work on something already developed/in progress? What are the expectations for a graduate student in your lab? (i.e., working from home, fixed hours) What advice would you give to a student who wants to be successful in your program? Are there any specific pitfalls to be avoided? How much do students RA vs TA? What is the funding structure/guarantee for students? How often do you sent students to conferences? How long do students in your lab take to complete? What do students from your lab typically do after graduation? Research I hear you study X. I've only studied a little bit of that so far, but I remember learning about Y. Can you tell me a little bit about your work? What are your current projects? What research projects do you have that would be looking for graduate students? What directions or projects are you thinking about for the future? University What is the big picture/goal/focus/priority of the department? What's the biggest strength of the program? What professional development services are available? How/when are students paired with advisors? What percentage of students complete the PhD? Pass quals? What are responsibilities of TAs like? Would any of my master's coursework transfer? Other How is your lab organized? What collaboration goes on? Within/between labs, departments, other schools? How would you compare this program to X and Y? Is there funding available for attending things like conferences or summer schools? Do you have lab/group meetings? What do you discuss? (papers, research in progress)

@katpillow - holy cow I just saw how many schools you applied to! 22? I can't imagine the stressful process of checking all of those hoping for updates. Why did you apply to so many?

I got my last acceptance... on a Saturday. Kind of weird. And it was also the weirdest acceptance letter. It amounted to "You got in. You will come here, so here's how you register and when you start. Also, IF we offer you funding you'll get an email at some point." It basically assumed I would be coming there and wasn't exactly congratulatory. Funny since a prof said I was apparently their top choice.

@magnetite - Or it's just a sign that they're busy. I'd try not to read too much into it!

@Pink Fuzzy Bunny - It looks like that's also the last school you're waiting to hear from. I know the feeling of just wanting to have all the options on the table!

I'm in a similar situation - I have a clear top choice but a couple of other options. As much as I want to accept immediately, I'm going to wait until I visit all of them in a few weeks before making a decision. But I'm not sure - should I tell my top choice that they are my top choice? Would there be any advantage/disadvantage to this, since I've been accepted?

This is actually startlingly close to my reality... In less than two weeks, I will be visiting all four of my schools over the course of 6 days. I think I will be dead at the end. And incredibly jet-lagged. There is no way that this ends well.

@toxicdevil- Congrats! I did my undergrad at Northeastern, so I know a bit of useful information. First, Boston is expensive. You'll make way more of your stipend if you opt for a two bedroom with a roommate than a one bed apartment. I'd plan on spending up to ~$1,000 a month on rent. Also, do not bring a car! It will be incredibly expensive to park, and you won't use it. If you live near campus (like Mission Hill) you can walk to campus and take the T for things elsewhere in the city. If you live further, biking or a monthly T pass ($75/month) is an option. I bike in the winter through snow and rain, but I also grew up in the snow and have no problem with the cold. It's doable, but not a lot of people bike year-round for commuting in Boston. It takes some planning. How difficult it is also varies dramatically from year to year; sometimes there's little to no snow, but last year we had 5 snow days and meters of snow. In terms of where to live, I wouldn't do Roxbury, but the other areas are good. Mission Hill is pretty mixed - undergraduates, families, and low income housing. It's not a terrible neighborhood, but you want to be alert. Allston is full of students. The further you get from the city center, the cheaper it well be. The other thing to be aware of is realtor fees (usually 1 month's rent), which is pricey, and you'll often also need to pay first month's rent, last month's rent, and a security deposit when you sign your lease. You also have to start looking for housing early and beware of bad landlords (like Alpha management company - they are in tons of trouble for violations.)

@savay - frugality FTW! I think the easiest ways to cut out a lot of money are having roommates and making your own food instead of eating out. I average about $30/week on food and feel like I eat well. Mind you, I grew up in an extremely frugal family and have been living on this kind of budget going on six years, so there's no adjustment back from a good salary. Might you also be able to pick up some free-lance tutoring to earn a bit of extra cash? Depends on where you are, but I've discovered that in some places rich people will pay an insane amount of money for someone to help their kids with 10th grade maths, for example.

Last Friday evening I got an email that my application was ready for review and I should expect a decision in 8-10 weeks. I also know that they do Skype interviews for 3/4 of the candidates. So I resigned myself to a wait. This morning (less than 5 working days later!) I received a horribly generic rejection letter. I thought I was a strong candidate for the program, definitely at least above the bottom 1/4! My ego wants to believe I hit some auto-rejection, but I honestly don't know what to make of it. It feels like a slap in the face.

If the offers you get don't match what you want to do, don't go somewhere that you won't be happy with. It's not like undergrad where you take the best of the offers and it's uncommon to wait and apply again the next year. You're right that your problem may be that you're applying to CS programs as a non-CS major, which means you really need to highlight your CS experience in your application or perhaps build up experience on that side. You've got a good job offer, so it's not like you'll be left in the gutter if you don't take up the PhD. It sounds like you'd be better off applying again next year with a better sense of what schools are looking for, more experience under your belt, and with a refined list of programs (perhaps some that are more friendly to non-CS undergrads). I think framing your experience and personal statement and talking to your recommenders can be a big help in how your application is perceived. If the issue is that you don't have the necessary pre-reqs for CS PhD programs, you might also consider taking courses as a non-degree student before applying again.

@Cat_Robutt - as someone who plans to research bio-inspired robots for my PhD - your username is amazing.

They realize that a lot of people are juggling a lot of interviews/visits with jobs/schoolwork. Everywhere I've talked to has been incredibly accommodating and understanding. They're not going to penalize you if you've got a good reason.

I emailed an update to my schools when I became a finalist for a particular fellowship. (The fellowship even recommended doing so.) For one school I got an email the next day about a Skype interview, and an acceptance a week later. Possibly a coincidence, but like suggested, it may tip the scale if you're on the edge.

I was thinking the utilities included, lack of realtor fees, and not having to fly overseas to look for apartments would make up for the increased costs to be good for a first year option. They looked like normal apartments online. What makes it dorm-like?

Aw man, that sucks! It's hard to believe they're pulling out a ruler and checking that closely. Your frustration seems totally justified.

Curse you! You made me pull out the mint m&ms and start chowing down.

Thank you - that's very useful. Obviously the criteria will be personal to me, but what types of things should I be thinking about for criteria?

I have a couple of acceptances, including one program that I'm constantly getting more excited about - great Skype interview with a PI, feels like a great research fit, well-funded, ideal location, super interdisciplinary and flexible. It sounds kind of stupid, but I'm afraid that some really appealing aspects of it will lead me to gloss over some less desirable parts. I'll be visiting 3-4 schools (including this one) in a few weeks. What can I do to keep an open mind about the other programs and be smartly critical of my top choice?

I bought a fountain pen while stress shopping. For stress-eating, my go-to has become Bourbon biscuits (basically just British chocolate sandwich cookies). But for some cruel reason, the grocery has been out of them for a WHOLE WEEK. I don't know what to do with myself.