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Hey pangur-ban, thanks again for this suggestion! Went to the one on Willy St. a few weekends ago. It was delicious!

Count me in too! I'd like to get into a routine now so that it's easier to continue making it part of my day in the fall.

Wow, what city are you moving to? Could you move a little further away from the school and deal with a slightly longer commute?

I'm glad you are keeping them! I'm sure you're feeling overwhelmed right now, but it will all work out. Did you have any luck searching other sites for cat friendly apartments or finding roommates as others suggested?

pangur-ban, that sounds delicious! Thanks for the suggestions, I think I'll try out Lao Laan-Xang when I'm in town next week!

Anyone have a favorite Thai food restaurant in Madison?

Thanks so much for your help, eliotstanton! That was really helpful I will definitely look around on the east side and south side. I've been looking up the bus route via google maps for each potential place to make sure my commute would be reasonable, but you make a good point about being on a bus route. This winter has been just miserable! I've noticed that most ads on craigslist are for summer sublets. Is it past the season for Fall 2014 rentals, or should I expect to see more this summer? I would feel more comfortable securing something sooner rather than later, but can't help wonder if I would have a better chance at living in part of a house if I waited a little longer. Congrats!!

Agreed. If you absolutely must give your cats up and you can't find someone to take them, see if you can work with a no-kill rescue. They are often over capacity, but the rescue I volunteer with will sometimes have the current pet owners keep their pets in a "foster" scenario while the rescue helps find a new home. That being said...I can't imagine starting this crazy new chapter of my life without my pets! Yes it limits my housing choices, but I would be miserable if I came home to an empty house every day. Grad school is going to be hard enough without my pets to lift my spirits I sympathize with your housing difficulties...it is stressful! However, I find it hard to believe there is only ONE apartment in the entire area that would work for you. What sites have you been looking on? Try craigslist, rent.com, apartments.com, etc. I suggest also posting in the city guide thread for your school and asking about pet friendly, affordable housing options. You might even find a roommate! Good luck!

Would definitely work with them again (sorry, hit the wrong button on my phone!)

You should look into international volunteer projects! I went to Cambodia by myself last fall. There were about 20-30 volunteers staying at the same place as me, and most of us travelled alone. It was great! The volunteer organization helped alleviate my safety fears. They picked me up at the airport and made sure my transportation to/from my project was arranged. I made a lot of friends and got to explore the country with them in our down time. Without a doubt, it's one of the best decisions I've ever made. Check it out! I volunteered with IVHQ and I w

Hi psychpei! I have a small dog and I've rented houses for the last few years in Michigan. The first year I had my dog I lived in an apartment. In general, I would say the pros of a house are: more privacy, more distance from neighbors, a yard for your dogs (and maybe a grill!), more space (maybe you'll have a basement), and you have a better chance of finding a place with a garage or at least a driveway. I love not having to brush snow or frost off the car in the morning. The cons are you're typically responsible for yard work - cutting grass, shoveling snow, raking leaves, etc. I don't really mind this because it's outdoor exercise and it's usually a good destresser for me. Occasionally this will be included - ask the landlord. A few places I rented had lawnmowers at the house for the tenants to use. You could pick one up on craigslist for pretty cheap if not. Also, with a house usually you pay all the utilities whereas some apartments will include a few utilities like water or heat. I would ask the landlord or fellow grad students for utility estimates in your area. I have strongly preferred living in a house the last few years. The garage and fenced in yard alone have been worth it to me! If you don't mind doing yard work and the price with utilities is still in your range, I say go for it! I would love to get a house for the fall but it looks like it will be out of my budget good luck and let me know if I can help with anything else!

Hi everyone! I'm an incoming PhD student in computer science. I'm from Michigan and plan on moving in August. eliotstanton: thanks for offering to answer questions, that's very nice of you! Any apartment complex recommendations? Most places I'm considering are near the South transfer point. I'm bringing my cat and dog with me and I'm having trouble finding affordable housing options without a long bus ride. I am bringing my car but I know parking on campus is not really possible.

April 15th is the deadline most schools have for you to make a decision. Have other students been posting results from the schools you are waiting on? If so, I would call and ask what's going on...and always check your spam folder

I officially accepted the offer from University of Wisconsin-Madison today I felt that it was an easy decision after visiting. It's a better research fit for me. Good luck everyone!

Hey, I was there! What did you think? The department feels like a great fit for me, but I'm visiting one other school before I make a decision.

I am planning to go the following weekend since I have a conflict on the 8th. Did the department give any hotel suggestions? I have a ~6 hour drive so I will definitely stay overnight.

What a problem to have, huh? Congrats on your acceptance! Are you going to visit both schools? I'm also debating between UIUC and a lower ranking program (UW-Madison - I think they are 12th for CS, but they are lower for AI/ML). I think that what you do with your time at a school is more important than a school's ranking. There are so many factors though...

Excellent attitude! Congrats on both of your admits

I got the standard reject from CMU today. I read on another thread that the visit days are March 3-5, so I assumed that I would have heard a few weeks ago if I was accepted. Oh well - one less decision to obsess over!

Thank you! I watched the first lecture this morning, and it is really good. This is a much better use of time than refreshing the results page and my inbox!

Thanks for the info and congrats on the acceptance!

npspace, may I ask what program you applied for at CMU? Do you know if the visit day is program specific or is it for the whole CS department? I haven't heard anything one way or the other on my PhD application. I assume not hearing about the visit day implies rejection. I didn't expect to get in, but I can't help holding out a little hope! Also, there is a similar thread here:

Thank you both so much - I'll definitely check out your suggestions! D8F1F488: What do you think about this course in April? Do you think I'd be better off doing this, going through a textbook on my own, or does it come down to personal preference? https://www.coursera.org/course/pgm ashriv: Good to know! I'm not sure if you found this already, but he has additional chapters available for download on his website for free.

I've been accepted to UIUC for a PhD in Computer Science focusing on Machine Learning. I'm waiting to hear on my other applications still, but I'm really excited! I've been out of school for a couple of years and have been working as a software developer. My current job isn't related to ML, so I would like to start studying now to help me adjust in the fall. Does anyone have suggestions/ feedback on what might help me prepare? I'm curious to hear thoughts on: Recorded courses available from iTunes, such as this Stanford ML course: https://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/machine-learning/id384233048?mt=10 Any suggested ML textbooks for first year grad students? How about mathematics topics and courses? I'm assuming stats, linear algebra, multivariable calc? I have a bachelors in Computational Mathematics as well as Computer Science but I need to brush up on higher level math. CS theoretical topics? Thanks so much for any advice you might have! Anyone else doing something similar?

Same! My boyfriend and I are planning the stereotypical backpack across Europe trip the first half of the summer. We'll move the second half of the summer and get settled in.