luvalicious

I just find it incredible, I guess, that this is only the first time that you've called. But at least you've gotten your resolution. Doesn't sound like you wanted to go there much anyway.

How many schools did you apply to? 3 What kind of variety? (i.e. 3 long shots, 3 safety schools, 4 moderate . . . etc.) Hm, at the time I felt that all 3 were long shots; all were top, competitive programs. How many offers did you receive? 3 Of those offers, how many were funded? 3 fully-funded (tuition, stipend, health insurance) My initial list had about fifteen schools on it, but I was very selective (maybe overly so), considering that although I got my BA at a good liberal arts college, I was at that time in a MA program at a state university of little prestige in my field. In short, I knew I was applying to schools that were somewhat out of my league, but I took the risk. Things I used to pare down my list were funding, rank, the number of professors I would be interested in working with, size of the department, graduate placement at the types of institutions I'd like to work at when I'm finished, length of time to complete the degree, geographic location, and factors about where the schools were located - cost of living, public transportation, that sort of thing. All of the schools I applied to gave fee waivers for the application process as well, which wasn't really a huge factor but didn't hurt. This ranking tool http://graduate-school.phds.org/also came in handy,for helping me prioritize what I wanted.

I'm not even sure how one goes about asking for a refund of a non-refundable fee. I don't think it's remotely appropriate. I sympathize, but no.

In general. get the best recommendations you can, regardless of whether they are in your field or sub-field. It's usually better to have letters from professors who have worked with you in your intended field of study, but a recommendation from professor/supervisor in an unrelated field who really believes that you are capable of the work is better than one from a professor in your field who is less enthusiastic. (When I went for my MA in History, one of my letters was from a Political Science professor, and the other two were from History professors who were out of my subfield. When I went for my PhD, all three of my letters were from History professors but none of them was really in my sub-field - their interests intersected with me.)

In a way, I think stressing about moving is keeping me from stressing about the rest of the stuff. I do wish I had the option of living on campus for a quarter or two so that I could use my fellowship to pay some of my moving-related expenses, but at my university you have to rent for the full year.

You would get the full 1600 a month, because in most cases the school does not deduct taxes from your stipend for you - you have to pay the taxes yourself, usually by making estimated tax payments. As far as your tuition assistance, I don't think you pay taxes on that. Here's the general IRS page on it: http://www.irs.gov/publications/p970/ch01.html And you might benefit from calling your Financial Aid office/HR Block and seeing if you can get someone to explain it all to you. ETA: I must have missed the part where you said for TA, which I assume means that you'd be working. In which case, what I wrote probably doesn't apply and I can't help. I'm going to leave it up just in case. Sorry about that.

These are just two general things that I know or have come across: You can still look at apartments now even if you aren't planning to lease - you probably won't get what you actually see, but you can at least have an idea. You might also look into whether there are apartment finder services; I'm moving to Chicago and there are several which scout out the places for free. I have rented exactly one apartment sight unseen and it was a disappointment but hardy unlivable, but frankly I think I got lucky. I did all the paperwork via fax and mail and then signed the lease the day I moved in. This time, I'm planning to make a trip back out to check out places and hopefully sign a lease, but I'm waiting until the spring quarter is over in hopes of there being more availability. Renting a moving truck is extremely expensive if you are not moving in-town, far more so than I initially realised, as I found out last night (I've always used a car before, but I'm not driving and the vehicle is staying where I live now (with my boyfriend, sniff)). I'm moving just under 300 miles away; its an easy half-day trip but these rental places will book you for three days minimum, may limit your mileage (so don't get lost!), and of course you have to pay for gas. If you are moving more than 300 miles away, a "you pack, they drive, you unpack" service might be cheaper for you. My journey is too short and my origin is too "out of the way" but if you're going from a metro to a metro, it might work.

Personally, I wouldn't pay for/work my way through a PhD program... but for the programs I applied for, working was prohibited (since acceptance almost always meant guaranteed funding) so I didn't even have to think about that one. Is the school you're adjuncting at the same school you're thinking of attending? Because if that's so, then that might be why they didn't give you funding -- implying that they probably don't value you less, but are already - in a sense - funding you. I agree with studymom that you should look into what funding might be available via the program in later years, and also start looking on your own for fellowships, etc. If the school normally does offer funding, then you could ask why you did not receive any and work on those things, and maybe consider re-applying with the hopes of getting funding next year. If they don't... well, what are your career goals? Can you achieve them at the local school? What would look really bad is if you paid to get a PhD from a low-quality/ill-fitting program that could not prepare you for your next step. But if the school fits you, you can afford it, you have the time and resources, and you would be happy there... and you want to do it, then you should.

Well, hopefully, you'll find out one way or the other today. I don't know how long this process of coming off of waitlists or last-minute accepts goes on, but maybe you should start getting your application materials ready just in case; at least it might take your mind off the waiting. Good luck.

ditto on that... And how cool is it that your advisor/department pulled for you like that?

If the award required a 3.5 GPA and you told them that your final GPA would in fact be less, it seems odd that the school would give it to you anyway... Did you know that you had to have a 3.5? Put your projected final GPA anywhere on the application in writing? I wonder why this didn't come up sooner though. There's obviously some miscommunication going on here. Unfortunately, I think that most likely they will say that this is your fault and not give you much recourse. Other than appealing the decision in writing and maybe on the phone, I don't know what else you can do.

It's really going to depend on your program. Many will allow you to take a leave of absence and place everything on hold for a year if necessary, but since you'd be an incoming student they might not allow you to defer/withdraw without having to reapply again the next year. As far as I know, it's not very common to do successfully put your first year on hold; I assume it's because many people will choose a school and be unsure, and try to hold onto other offers. I don't think it will weigh poorly on you, with this school or any other, so long as it is handled well. I think the best thing to do is to make absolutely sure of what you're going to do, and let the school know as soon as possible. Keep in touch with any faculty contacts you've made, as they may remember you if you need to reapply next year. Best of luck.

It's hard to do it without overanalyzing - I don't know what makes one great and one good-ish - but I'd choose great. I've settled regarding education/career for a relationship before, and the less than happiness resulting from that bled over into the rest of my life.

I'm taking it to mean that you'll have to compete for your funding in subsequent years, i.e. not a guaranteed multi-year funding package.

I had a hard time turning down one school; there was really nothing wrong with the program, just went with my initial top-choice/good feeling, but I could have been happy at the other one. I also had a program try to make me feel bad/regret about my decision, which in its way proved to me that it would have been a poor choice.

You should find out what your program says, because in the three programs I applied and was accepted to, it explicitly said that either outside employment was prohibited or that the amount of compensation funded students could receive was regulated and required permission. I do know that at one of my choices - different field, though - a student was kicked out because he was working (as a waiter). I don't know all the details, but I'd think you'd consider whether you've limitations. If not, consider how much of a time commitment it might be. Try it out, and then maybe you'll find you don't have time for both. I don't know any full-timers who work, though. (I have a freelance job, in my field, btw. I've every intention of keeping it. In my campus visits, a few professors mentioned it, as it probably made my c.v. sparkle a bit. At any rate, it didn't seem to be an issue in my "compensation limited" program so, who knows?)

I completely agree with this. People do change their minds in graduate school - for example, my research interests between undergrad and my MA coursework are only vaguely related. Also, I think that it is more beneficial to go the school where there are people willing to work with you and expose you to different thing than a school that has one person doing what you are already interested in. You might find that the professor who is in your same interest area may retire, or leave, or not be as on top of things. (And for the record, I have always been interested in history but it was never my intended field of study as an undergrad. Just saying.)

I thought about buying a house, briefly, but I decided I'm not ready yet... then again, I'm also of the mind that I'm not really throwing my money away renting, either, especially for such a (relatively) short period of time. The amount it costs to upkeep a house far outweighs what I pay/will pay in rent, for example, even though like rising_star, I could get a fixer upper and do most of the work myself or with family. In my mind, I'd love to do just that but I know I don't have the time or resources right now. I do feel the need to make a more 'home-like atmosphere' which white walls don't really give. But I have my ideas

It would probably be easier - and look better - to apply to a PhD with a stand-alone Master's than one earned in the course of PhD study. But, and you may already be aware of this, some PhD programs will not allow you to transfer graduate school credits or even your Master's - meaning that no matter what, you'd basically be starting over. This may feel like a waste of two years. Might not apply to you, though. On the other hand, you may prove to be a stronger applicant to your choice schools with more coursework under your belt. So I guess: take the fellowship, get the MA.

Well. If studying modern Chinese history is your dream, and finishing quickly and having more options at home (wherever that is) is important, then Cambridge. I can't speak to the strengths of the program, being unfamiliar with it, but I presume you picked it because you thought it was a good one. If you want to teach in the U.S., it may be more difficult coming from Cambridge, especially without teaching experience; however, you might be able to pick up that experience outside of the program. On the other hand, if you really want to do Sino-American diplomacy, with some concentration in modern Chinese history, then I would choose Georgetown. I can see how the first couple of years might seem redundant, particularly if you already have an MA, but depending on what your MA is in you might benefit from it. It also seems that you'd have more flexibility and range at Georgetown. You have guaranteed work for two years, which might end up being a breeze, but you may have to compete for the rest of your funding later. Are you comfortable with that possibility? If not, then it sounds like Cambridge (with it's (presumably) more concrete funding) might be better. There's nothing wrong or particularly abnormal about the Georgetown offer, though. How did you initially rank the schools? I initially thought Georgetown was the top-runner until you believed there would be no funding, but correct me if I'm wrong.

What are you studying in History? I'd assume that in some subfields, one school may be better than the other. If you plan on teaching history, though, you're going to want that teaching component. In terms of the package, I'd say it's fairly normal in terms of stipend- there are higher ones, but there are lower ones as well - but I've yet to see a History package with TA/RA work in the first year (usually that year is just coursework). Let me get this clear -they only offered you one year of that package, with the possibility of funding down the road? Or is this a five year plan?

I found it difficult to state why I was rejecting the programs - in one case, it was just that I fell in love with another school upon visiting and had a minor concern about fit (2nd choice), and in the other case, the concerns about fit/funding were larger (3rd choice). The fact that one of the professors at the second school had a snotty reaction to the fact that I hadn't immediately accepted, and told my current advisor during an unrelated phone call that s/he didn't believe I was taking the offer seriously (I was, I just happened to be speaking with six other people than this one) made writing that letter harder. I had only emailed with any of the people I was supposed to inform of my decision once or twice, none of whom I would be working with, and being that there was no relationship there it was kind of hard to be much other than perfunctory or polite, even though I was told that I should soothe the ego a bit. I ended up not personalizing the emails much for that school beyond changing a few words, and maybe that was a mistake, but I figured that I shouldn't waste more of their precioustime trying to hand-hold them through a rejection. I resented the implication that because I had not spoken with him (who isn't even in my subfield) that I wasn't taking it seriously, or that I was taking too long to decide. There wasn't alot of room between my three choices, because I only applied to programs I felt strongly about... I needed to be able to visit and speak with alot of people to make my decision. That took time. I know there's a distinction between selfishly holding onto offers and really needing time to make a decision, but the only person who can know which situation that is, is the person making the decision. As soon as I was absolutely sure, I informed the other schools, but from the conversation I'd had with my advisor two weeks prior she knew that one of those schools was 3rd choice and agreed with me as to why. Does that mean that two weeks ago I should have rejected? Because two weeks ago they upped my funding, and two weeks ago I had no contacts at the school I eventually chose.

Having been "orphaned" twice, it bothers me that the professor at School B doesn't have tenure though. And having tenure has never stopped anyone from jumping ship before either, even if they hadn't planned to. At the same time, most professors with superstar status tend to have the matching attitude, and the drinking thing might or might not be problematic, and you may have no way of knowing which way those winds will blow until you get there. But the fact that you seem to want to be leaning away from the 'old acadame' you believe the professor at School A represents indicates that School B would be the better choice for you. (For myself, I'd be leaning towards A.)

Many programs do not allow admissions deferment, and for those that do you have to have a pretty good reason for deferring, like a life-changing event.

My best friend is a doctoral candidate, same age, not repulsive...and single as single could be. He tells me that in his department, people starting pairing up from day one. So advice? Uh, start fishing early?