linden

Yeah, my supervisor was complaining this morning about Monday, the start of the work week, etc... And, I was trying so hard to agree and look enthusiastic about my hatred of Mondays. Ha, ha. One day, I will hate Mondays again.

I hear you readyforchange... My husband insisted on buying tickets for a five-day vacation in Paris in early April. I keep telling him that there is a chance I might feel gloomy in early April and not in the mood for Paris. But, he insists that the city will lift my spirits if they need lifting; if admissions season goes well, this will serve as my celebration trip. I hope I won't be sulking around Paris for five days.

enantiomorph: I am applying to GW, as well. You seem pretty excited about GW. What are your reasons for picking GW as your top choice? I appreciate any feedback or impressions you can share about GW. Linden

Deleted

Tonights: You know, the issue of LORs from well-known people is probably like so much more in the admissions process: a big unknown. Maybe there will be a few professors in your adcoms who will only look at applicants with letters from authorities in their academic areas. And, some other adcoms might have professors who don't give a flying rat's ass about letters from well-known people. Finally, there might personal rivalries, professional jealousies, and who knows how many other situations that may make an LOR from renowned researchers worthless. Finally, let's be honest, how many well-known researchers are going to waste their time with undergrads? Come on, most of us spent our time in the hands of TAs and saw real-life, actual-honest-to-god professors only in senior-level classes. Yes, I am sure there are exceptions. But, I would bet my right pinky most people are going into this without letters--or without strong letters--from well-known professors. Good luck! Linden

FSIA: Try this site. www.facade.com If one method of fortunetelling gives you bad news, you just try the others. Linden

Another weekend is here. Which means, at least two more days since we will hear anything. At least, this weekend will not be capped with two more days off. I have been thinking about not visiting the forum until mid March. I did ask a friend yesterday to password block thegradcafe on IE and Mozilla. He said that as an adult I should be able to show restraint and keep myself away from this forum if I decided. Ha, ha. He's funny.

economist: Hard to say what your chances are. If any of us knew what our own chances were, we probably would not be on this forum. I think your stats are line with other applicants'; your Fulbright Scholarship probably will make you an attractive candidate. I use this handy tool several times a day to predict my own chances at the schools to which I have applied. (Warning: The answers change... often.) http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~ssanty/cgi-bin/eightball.cgi Good luck! Linden

gadhelyn: Congrats to your cat, too!

Thank for the info, Rutabaga. Let's hope they make up their minds soon (as in, before the weekend starts ) so that we can have something (I hope!) to celebrate. Speaking about GWU, does anyone care to share their impressions of the program? How is it perceived in DC? And, if you had to pick between American's MPP and GWU's MPP, which one would you select?

t_ruth: Congrats! Linden

Deleted

Splic: Ha, ha. Indeed. I am still slogging through those essays. Yes, many of them have ended up sounding a lot like my SOP, yet, they delve more deeply into plans or experiences that were only mentioned in my SOP. Good luck! Linden

Does anyone know when we can expect to hear from Georgetown GPPI?

It was the marching music that did it for me. I was thinking, if there was only a parade on TV every day, it might keep my mind off admissions decisions. Marching music makes me feel better.

Ah, I wish there was a way to tell. But, unfortunately, there will be no way to soften the blow of bad news. (On the other hand, the surprise will also make the good news that much more exciting.) I only wish, however, there was a way to know what my classmates are going to be like. I've already attended graduate school once, and I was disappointed with the character traits of many of my colleagues. Many were overly and unnecessarily critical and unable to be supportive of their fellow classmates. At times, we have seen that same behavior displayed on thegradcafe.com. It is disappointing when individuals--especially those in collegial situations--see it necessary to belittle others. Regardless, leahlearns' question reminds me of a family anecdote. Before my birth, when telephone communication was difficult in my native country, people would often send messages through radio stations. An aunt who lived far from the capital city sent a message to my family informing them she was gravely ill. My family members, who were not tuned into the radio station at the time, did not hear the message, but a neighbor did. However, the neighbor only informed my family about the message a few days later, by which time the aunt had died. When the neighbor was asked why she waited so long to inform the family of the aunt's illness--given the urgency of the situation--she replied that she had not wanted to give us the bad news earlier, because she was afraid it would upset us.

However... she did say you are well on your way. I wonder why she would add that if she wasn't trying to send you a coded message? In any case, it's all theories and interpretation until you have acceptance email/letter in hand. Good luck.

Mine is not on here. If I get into my top choice, I have permission to break the family budget and buy three pints of Haagen Dazs ice cream. The, I will buy a hat, shirt, sweatshirt, car bumper sticker, scarf, mug, etc... with the school's name, just to make sure everyone knows I got in.

t_ruth: Kudos for doing this with child in tow. I've barely been able to get through a one-page essay today, and I only have a dog to care for.

Ha, t_ruth, your polls are amusing. I'm still debating whether I should answer with my real age or my "public" age. At least it's keeping my mind off grad school decisions. It's too bad you guys are all in the US and asleep when I wake up. I usually have eight hours of agonizing over decisions before the fun begins on thegradcafe.com each day.

t_ruth: This a very depressing poll for some of us.

Viva Peapod! I miss them so much. That and KFC.

What is a three-day weekend for other schools is a four-day weekend for DC schools. The schools to which I am applying in DC will be closed an additional day because of the inauguration. Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! (And, before anybody tells me to take a chill pill, please know I am not really about to jump up off a bridge. I--and I suspect others who post here--enjoy this comic banter as a stress release.)

From my conversations with program and admissions coordinators at various MPP programs to which I am applying, they all said that it was preferable to take any additional economics, statistics, and math classes in a brick-and-mortar institution, even if that meant attending a community college. (Again, these classes don't count as part of your undergraduate record. They're just proof that you can do the math.) Nevertheless, they said that for students who are unable to physically attend classes (e.g., you live overseas and there are no English-language courses offered), online classes are acceptable. I took micro/macro and statistics and am taking pre-calculus through the online education branch of my state-of-residence's flagship university. I would probably avoid going with an institution like University of Phoenix, especially if you have another option nearby. Many large state schools have online education options these days, and most of them are accredited by the same body that accredits the institution. I can tell you that several schools in the DC area mentioned University of Maryland - University College as a reputable option for online classes to show that you are addressing quantitative shortcomings or that you are preparing yourself to return to grad school. I found that an online class was the perfect way to review concepts to which I had already been exposed. (I also live overseas, so I had to go with the online option.) Nevertheless, I was able to work quickly on those (few) concepts I remembered and take more time on those I did not. On the other hand, the instructors are not always timely with grading and replying to questions. For example, for my stats class the professor would take two weeks to grade each homework, making it hard to stick to the schedule I had prepared for myself. Linden

younglions: The FAFSA does have to be in by the Feb. 6 deadline. Nevertheless, the MYFAID page indicates that if you don't have your W2, you should fill out the FAFSA with estimates from pay stubs and then update the FAFSA once you have filed your taxes. Linden