demogragirl

To EVG14: One of my friends from undergrad is at Rice too. I visited this last year, the campus is really awesome. To the prospective applicants, I can say that my friend loves the program and actually is getting more attention from their advisor than I get from mine. It seems like the faculty are pushing the students there to publish/present a lot. So the expectations are high, but the pay off will be great if the manage to place their students well. In general, I say if you are curious about a school, apply to it. During visit weekends you get a feel for what is the right fit for you. During my app year, I knew right away during visits where I wanted to go.

I use EndNote -- it is expensive compared to free options but if your advisor or other source can offset the cost, I think its worth it!

Pretty funny about the bakers! I agree, its tough to turn things down, so when I do have the willpower to say "no", support me in my choice! I dont know if I could share a desk, just because I am so particular about the way I arrange things!

by ear