gingin6789

I really do feel fortunate that: 1. All of the schools got back to me quite quickly 2. I received an acceptance and a recruitment visit invite BEFORE receiving my rejection 3. I only had two acceptances to choose from (turning down one of them was really hard for me) 4. I received two acceptances in the first place I hope the other schools get back to you soon!!

I'm an awkward December graduate, which left eight months of downtime between December and August where I'm mainly sedentary. My full-time "job" is as my grandmother's caretaker (at home!!), and I have a part-time job in retail (only 5-10 hours per week, but at a good wage). That, coupled with the fact that I need to be on birth control, and active tabs ONLY at that (meaning I never skip a week; I never stop taking the pills), sets me up for a possible weight gain scenario ... And, I love food ... I am usually a stress eater if my stress is rational, if that makes sense. For example, if I'm stressing about conferences or the like, then I'll eat more. If I'm stressing because of irrational thoughts in my head, then my appetite shuts down. And, I'm pretty sure I've gained some weight since December, maybe about 3-5 pounds. My clothes still all fit, thankfully!! I'm not used to gaining much weight since my metabolism has treated me well (except for when I was on a treatment when I was 19 that set my estrogen levels below that of the average 60-year old woman's estrogen levels), so I hate seeing the number creep up on the scale ... I've been trying (TRYING) to eat healthier, and I have been going to the gym more often, thankfully! GOOD NEWS: The school I'm attending in the fall is on a freaking MOUNTAIN. A current grad student told me my calves will be killer by the end of it!! Pretty cool!!

Ahhh sorry for not replying earlier, but thank you SO much!! *hugs and lots of cookies*

Columbia has just been rather enigmatic about their admission decisions procedure... First, I heard that they sent out all acceptances. Then, a couple more applicants got accepted a while later, then they say they've sent out all notices again, and now the postal service notification... I hope everyone who has applied there gets an answer soon! There must be some kind of reason behind this procedure, but I know it's confusing for the applicants...

Microwaveable hot and sour soup that doesn't taste like hot and sour soup but is still tasty, and I also like the frozen mushroom ravioli meals . they're not that good compared to some of the other yummy things that folks have been posting here!

Hey, luckyone!! I'm not sure about any of these schools, specifically, but I'm willing to bet that other users in this forum will be able to chime in!! My suggestion is to look in the "City Guide" forum here!! You can use the search bar to search the city, or you can just keep scrolling until you find the city where the university is located! The City Guide gives advice on housing, safety, places to eat, location grocery stores, etc ... it is a very helpful resource to browse until you get more specific answers here! Good luck!!

Not a problem, PvZ! I went to a recruitment visit at the university I'm not attending because I wasn't 100% sure of where I wanted to go at the time. The visit was such a pleasure and was very informative. It made my decision very heart-wrenching, but very clear: I couldn't be there at this point in time, but it was the place where I want to obtain my PhD (the program I'll be attending is a terminal MA). The only reason I couldn't be there, again, was because of my life situation at this point in time (financial and family reasons, basically. Both programs are FANTASTIC and very equal in terms of program quality, at least for me and my fit). So, I understand your wish to visit! I think it sounds like you have a good plan! I ended up calling the DGS of the university where I've declined the offer today ... I was just very forward and emotional about it. I told him how incredibly difficult this decision was, how it wasn't a decision made lightly, that I was in no way taking their offer for granted, and that I knew that the other program is a better fit with my current life situation. I also told him that the visit verified that I wish to obtain my PhD there in the future. He said he understood my situation completely, and that those factors need to be taken into consideration when making these decisions, told me that he was glad I let him know sooner rather than later, said he'd look forward to seeing my application again in a while (with a lighthearted chuckle), and just generally let me babble on until I got everything out. He wasn't upset with me at all. I hope that's a relief to you. Please do remember this --- If this professor genuinely has your best interests at heart, he WILL understand. It's the mark of true selflessness or having someone's best interests at heart when they understand your situation and how it affects you rather than thinking of how your situation affects themselves!!!! Best of luck to you, and if there's anything else I can do to help, let me know!

Walter!!! Thank you so much!! I would love some cookies!! Let's share them and have a cookie feast!! :-D

I have officially accepted Lehigh Unversity's offer of admission to their MA program in sociology. I'm very excited!

You said your partner has a good job, which is great! I guess my question is how much can your partner help out with the kids at home while you're in the UofT program for 10 months? Another question is whether other folks in the program have commutes that lengthy before. If so, I wonder how they coped with it! It might be something worth looking into, if you can get in touch with any other UoT commuter grad students!

Thank you so much for this thread. I have the exact same question. What it comes down to, for me, is my personal situation at this point in time. Both universities I've been accepted to have phenomenal programs, funding packages, locations, cohort solidarity, and faculty (all-around: research, friendliness, teaching ,etc.) Universities can't do anything to change my personal life situation that calls for me to (1) be as close to home as possible and (2) be able to come home easily if need be, and (3) POSSIBLY take an extended break after my MA. So, the flaw doesn't lie within the university! The MAIN factor that made my decision is my life situation! However, the program I'm turning down is full of just the friendliest faculty who are genuinely interested in me as a person and who have told me (multiple times) how strong they think my application is (which just makes me want to keel over on the spot because it's such an unexpected honor). What I've decided to do is this (unless I get feedback telling me not to). I'm calling back tomorrow, and I have a letter written out that I really want to read to the DGS that fully explains why I decided to turn down the program, and also expresses my desire to attend graduate school there in the future for my PhD (offer I'm accepting is for a terminal MA). I'm just going all out to express my gratitude so that they know I didn't take their offer lightly or for granted, and so that they know I put some serious thought into this decision.

I agree with this! I start sweating and feeling anxious just thinking about those programs! I do know cutthroat atmospheres really help for some students, but I don't know if I could make it in those programs! Collegiality really is hard to pinpoint. Talking to graduate students is a must! If you hear "Yeah man, don't leave your flash drive alone ... it'll be wiped clean when you come back," then that's likely not very collegial or laid back!! Usually, if the cohort solidarity is STRONG, it'll be one of the FIRST things grad students will bring up when they talk with you!! As for whether your scores will land you in the top 30 ... Yes, I certainly think so! I mean, it depends a lot on fit as well, but top 30 programs should have some diversity within their departments (I think). Oh, and as for specific top 30 schools, I don't have any to recommend, but I do recommend getting in touch with current grad students to learn more about collegiality if at all possible!

Sitting here, sipping coffee (2nd cup of the day). Phone rings, "Newark, DE" shows up on caller ID. Holy crap. I get accepted, DGS tells me again how my application is so strong and that they'd love to have me. I don't end up crying on the phone this time (they called me before to have me for a recruitment visit, and I cried tears of happiness). I just keep sputtering "Thank You" like a bumbling idiot. This is me "keeping it cool." Tell him I'll call him in a couple days with my decision (only have one other school to choose from). A great Monday indeed.

OFFICIALLY accepted to the University of Delaware!!! The DGS called shortly before 1:10 PM today. Offer for full funding in the form of tuition waiver, TA or RA position (they decide that late in the summer), and a stipend of $16,650 (9-month stipend -- no stipend during the summer, but you can apply for summer funding). If anyone has questions, let me know! Stats are in my signature!

It's not exactly a quote, but it looks like someone has been time travelling ...

OH jeez!!! Did they bother to think that maybe your parents wanted to help you get a good education so that you could have a good life?! It just goes to show they don't know much about grad school at all, otherwise they would know there are ample funding options!! You obviously never took your parents' financial help for granted!!! I wish your extended family members would realize there are students who not only take their parents' help for granted, but don't even bother to THANK them, let alone pay them back! I'm so sorry you have to put up with that crap! Awww that prof sounds so sweet =) I'm glad you have that support and inspiration from professors! I'm sorry to hear your mom had that to say =( Again, wouldn't a graduate degree just HELP make raising a family that much more financially feasible?? Marriage/family and graduate school are not mutually exclusive! Folks make it seem like you have to choose one or another, and I'm just sitting here like the girl on the taco shell commercial, saying "Why not both?" (or one after the other ... )

My friend is also on the UCONN waitlist!! I'm wishing both of you luck!! You're both excellent candidates!!

Kaplan won't let me view my practice test scores anymore since my online access expired, but I can tell you this: Lowest Verbal Practice Test Score: 155 Highest Verbal Practice Test Score: 159 ACTUAL Verbal GRE Score: 164 [Goal I set for myself for test day: 160] Lowest Quantitative Practice Test Score: 146 Highest Quantitative Practice Test Score: 155 ACTUAL Quantitative GRE Score: 152 [Goal I set for myself for test day: 150] Sources used: Kaplan test prep with prep books, Quiz Bank, and online class, Quizlet app for GRE vocab.

Kaplan! I took an online course through them. Every Saturday and Sunday for four weeks, I would take 5 hours worth of classes. Saturday was Verbal, Sunday was Math! I did miss one week of Verbal for a wedding, though. They gave us homework, reading assignments, told us to do Quiz Bank and full-length practice tests! It was a bear, but it really helped me improve my scores and was well worth the cost ($900+, yikes!). I could only afford to pay for mine because of my financial aid refund. (It felt good to put that toward something academic, though, because I know some folks who go on shopping sprees with their refund ... ) Anyway, I went from a 146 to a 152 in Quantitative (my highest score was actually a 155 though! I got that score on a practice test), and I went from a 155 to a 164 in Verbal (You'd think that being a sociology and philosophy major would make Verbal a walk in the park ... definitely NOT the case!! That took a lot of practice!).

Oh my goodness, that advisor reminds me of one of my profs in community college!!! He was saying I should apply to Brown, Princeton, Swarthmore, etc ... he had the utmost confidence that I would get into those programs!!! He wasn't being fake about it either! He genuinely had that strong of a faith in my abilities! That really gave me confidence, too, when applying to four-year schools to finish my BA. I still have the list of schools he made for me, with little smiley faces and stars near Swarthmore and Brown. It's so wonderful to have advisors like that!

I completely agree. I did have a professor who limited laptops and other devices to the back row of the classroom so as to cut down on distractions. If someone did have a laptop, they would go right to the back, and everyone knew to avoid the back row. And you're right about the last part, too!!! I wasn't in college pre-cell phone era, but I was in middle school and high school, and I know passing notes was forbidden in class (but, yes, folks did it anyway).

Did the email say that there would be a letter in the mail to follow? If so, that letter may hold the answers to your questions. Since it's been a couple weeks, I would be tempted to call them to talk about it. When I got accepted, I got a short email in which the DGS said that I was accepted, that they wanted to offer me a teaching assistantship, and that a letter in the mail would follow. That was almost three weeks ago, and my letter still has yet to arrive, so I'm just waiting for now!

Oh, really? Ahhh I still don't have it right! I'll just call it Maryland =) College Park makes me think of Penn State, so I'll stick with Maryland =) Thanks for letting me know!

Oh my goodness, Gnome, that example reminded me of how, at a recent conference, I went to breakfast by myself and it was just what I needed. Like you said, I love talking to all of the wonderful people who were attending, and I thoroughly enjoyed and was so thankful for our discussions about research and findings, but by Saturday, I had to just go off by myself and have a quiet meal. Roguesenna, it really just goes to show that grades don't necessarily speak to true ability, nor do gifted programs (especially since gifted programs aren't in all schools, if I'm not mistaken?). That DOESN'T mean that folks in gifted programs are not intelligent!!! I'm just saying that not all folks with high intellectual abilities are in gifted programs that really cultivate that intellect...if that makes any sense. It's been a long day! I worked with someone who reminds me of you and your theatre example, so I totally understand!!