HockeyNerd

Called MIT - was told that the admissions will all be completed by the end of the first week of March. Admission decisions will be sent out in batches. So close! Cannot wait to find out a decision.

I wish I stopped eating when I get stressed. I have just avoided the scales during this whole process. I don't really do candies, I have a big downfall for carbs. Boxes and boxes of crackers.

Sooo.... Updates Illinois - Accepted (funding pending) Berkeley - Accepted (unfunded ) Washington Seattle - Visiting/Interview (March 12th) High hopes, I was told they do not accept PhD without at least some partial funding so at least I won't have a Berkeley situation. MIT - No Contact (anyone heard from them, do they conduct interviews? I know visitation is not until April) Michigan - No Contact (implied rejection or wait list since interview/visit weekend is in two weeks) Texas - Unofficial Acceptance - (possible tuition waiver)

So I was accepted into Berkeley's MS/PHD program for environmental engineering. The email an unofficial admit from the department, a straight congrats with a note that I will receive official notice in two weeks. I called to inquire about the visitation weekend invitation which was attached. I was promptly informed that Berkeley offers no compensation for the visit, had no recommendations or help with hotel or booking trips and then was told that my letter was an "implied non-funded program." Surprise surprise, probably the reason I was accepted so early. Of course I was devastated, I asked if there was any chance I would be considered for TA, RA really anything later on in the process. The woman answered that all decisions were final..... My question is that surely some people offered partial funding or working position do not all accept their offers. What happens to that money. Has anyone heard of students receiving funding information in late March or April. I was even in discussion with a POI who said they were nominating me for funding... Is it acceptable to email this person and politely state that while I was overjoyed to be accepted the financial burden is heavy, and ask if there is any chance they may have funds later?

I think it is not over until the you actually get an email one way or another. Chin up

We will be together again this June! My SO has decided to make the move to come live with me for now. We realize we may have to go long distance again as our careers progress but having already been through it it hardly seems as daunting now. Hopefully if we have to do this again we will have more money to spend on visits. My goal at the moment is to obtain the best education possible in order to have more career options later.

Make sure you do at least one Music/Film/Food festival at one point. This city loves to throw parties so make sure you let yourself relax enough to enjoy it. The food is incredible, Hopdoddy's is the best burger joint (it is well worth the wait), anything Tex-Mex or barbecue is also awesome. Austin is also super fit. It seems like someone is always out biking, running, walking dogs, going to yoga classes, kayaking. I would suggest finding joining a club or finding an activity you are interested in. The bad thing about a large school is that you can feel lost in a crowd, the good thing is there is something for everyone. North campus tends to house older students and families, you can rent houses, duplexes and apartment. West campus is mostly undergraduates, fraternities and sororities. There is more places to eat and drink but it is significantly more noisy. Where ever you end up, car or no car, ask about the nearest bus stops. There are a ton of "hippies" here. At one point you will be harassed by peta or greenpeace. Consider it a right of passage. Austin Bucket List (in my opinion) ACL or South by Southwest Austin Film Festival Run in or Cheer on the Livestrong Marathon Walk a dog at Austin Pets Alive Barton Creek, hang out on Lake Austin Order one of Austin's Local Brew See at least one person who comes in UT's Speaker Series Food: Hopdoddys, Mozarts, Kirby's, Home Slice, Uchi, Chuy's Visit the top of the tower Go to a sporting event ** On campus there is an old school (1920?) telescope, you have to climb up this creepy ladder into this tiny room in Painter Hall, it is usually open to the public, most of the times you catch a grad student working. Many of the old building have "hidden gems" that are not really advertised. Apologies for the longest post.

Me and my SO have been doing long-distance for a almost a year and a half. The first six months we were not even in the same country and the last 10 we have been in different cities. When I first got on the plane to leave I cried a lot and immediately regretted my decision to put academics above our relationship. Very quickly I realized that with strong communication and commitment the distance only strengthened our relationship. We have grown so much as a couple and have only become stronger in our support for one another. Our time spent together is even more special and it has solidified our love for each other in more ways than just physical. While choosing to do long distance is difficult I think it can be a means to learn and grown. My biggest advice is to always have a plan of when you will see each other next. Even if it is three months away having a set date or week really keeps your spirits up. I agree with all the other posters as well COMMUNICATION is key, it may seem silly but even texting about what you had for dinner or what book you are reading before bed helps you stay connected. Last, I also think that it depends on the relationship - I had another long distance relationship that crumbled pretty much the first month apart. Without a strong foundation it is hard to move forward with the next step.

Hey likemythesis, I live in Austin now and I can tell you that you can get away without having a car. The biggest issue is really getting to the grocery store. Also getting to a Walmart/Target since there are not any actually located in Austin proper. Without a car I would suggest living biking or walking distance tom campus- there is a ton of bus routes through the city and through UT as a student everything is free of course. We also use the ZipCar here in Austin I've never used it but I have friends who love it. With a car you could live further from campus which can be a huge drop in rent, however parking is not only extremely expensive but UT actually sells more passes than spots so be warned. If you are used to not having a car you would probably be fine, but I know I wish I had one so I could spend less time getting to and from the lake/park/southcongress really anything over 2 miles from my apartment. As far as the summers go - Austin is not that bad. We are not as humid as Houston but we tend to get more rain than Dallas which is great. Due to the whole urban bubble effect we are usually 5-10 degrees warmer than the suburbs but you get used to it, plus other than this year the winters maybe get below freezing 8 -10 days.

I asked one of my professors on the graduate review board. She said they made all of the decisions at once but send out the acceptances and rejections in waves merely for logistical reason. They tend to get a lot of phone calls and emails from applicants either way and by spreading it out over a week or so it makes answering questions more manageable. As far as "top" students and "bottom" students she implied that is what wait lists are for.

I had a conversation with one of the professors who told me that usually they meet on last weekend of Feburary to make final decision and so I should hear back very early March. He did mention that each individual department have slightly different schedules. I see you are aerospace and I am with the environmental department.

Just got my first admit from Illinois. Pretty excited- especially since I was told decisions were not going to be made until March 1st

Completely bitter sweet day. I got my first admit about five minutes after I found out one of my mother friends had to be taken off of life support.

I interviewed somewhere in mid January and was told I would hear back on March 1st

As an engineer, scoring higher on the verbal section of the GRE leading to people telling you that you make be in the wrong field. Or people assuming that I entered my scores wrong.

As well UT Austin is hoping to have acceptances out in about two weeks. Reaching the final stretch!

Last year people were hearing from MIT the 3rd and 4th week of February with some acceptances in March as well.

Berkeley contacted me to send more transcripts (I have studied abroad and sometimes it is difficult for universities to understand the grading system). When I called the admissions office to clear things up the woman told me that just were trying to get everything in line and "don't worry this is a good sign" Sounds like they may be close to making decisions (two weeks maybe)

Congrats on your recruitment weekend invitation! If you are asking if it makes a difference for admittance, the answer is usually yes. Many universities use recruitment weekend as the final evaluation for admittance or for funding/scholarship. While in engineering being invited to recruitment weekend is a great sign, not being invited does not mean a rejection.

Yay! I was happy, now I'm ecstatic

I was told by a POI she was "recommending me for admission" I was very excited but then realized I don't really know what this means. Obviously it is a god sign - has anyone gotten this feedback before and then been denied admission?

1. Interest in research and lab funding 2. POI 3. Cost 4. Location 5. Quality of on campus coffee ( kidding... Sort of)

Peters ons has some pretty good information. Most of the larger programs have 600-800 applicants each year with 15-30% acceptance rates and it seems like 40-60% enrolling

no, sorry I just asked them about those dates, CEE is just the 13-15. They said it is invitation only and invitations are sent out in February. I haven't heard of any acceptances yet.