TheGirlWhoLived

for

Lol, mine wants me to stay too. Can you ask your mentors/profs about this person? A lot of people know each other and can tell you. I think publishing in top journals is important, but your profs should be able to speak about credibility of the person.

So, I have to agree, all things being equal, the new program is the better choice. It also depends on who you are working with though. Obviously if you are working with a top person in your field, no one is going to care that you stayed at the same university. As for contacts though, one huge reason I am considering staying my university is because I think I would have amazing opportunities to network outside of the university. But I have no idea what nueroscience is like. I could be wrong. And like I said, all things being equal, I think new opportunities is the better choice. But I don't think grad program decisions are ever that simple

I'm considering my undergrad institution for my PhD. I've talked to a lot of people about it, and it seems as though the taboo of having you degrees from the same place is more of a thing of the past. Of course, even though I keep being told this, it still weighs on my mind. But if UVA is a really good program for nueroscience, and it fits well with your research, I don't think it would hurt you at all.

I had about $19k for undergrad, which is down to $16.5k now. I am fully funded for my PhD, so I don't plan to take out anymore money. I'm really surprised that a lot of people have no debt (I thought everyone took out student loans!). That's awesome though

Schools are weird like that. I've had schools tell me that they need separate transcripts for study abroad even though the grades are clearly listed (they eventually said it was okay). I've also needed transcripts from dual enrollment for some schools even though the grades are clearly listed on my current transcript and the courses are completely irrelevant. Anyway, good luck!

I didn't have this problem since I actually had grades transfer over, but I have heard that even if you get transfer credit only, you would need the actual grades when applying for graduate school. I would keep trying to get a hold of the school you studied abroad at (as frustrating as that sounds). It wouldn't make sense for them to throw out the records of a student that attended. I think they have to keep them (or else it's like you didn't go at all). If you have skype, you can make an international call for a reasonable price. It might be something that needs to be handled over the phone.

I think they are very different programs. You can PM me if you want

Sorry you feel that way, but no, most people don't have a school chosen. Actually, I personally think you are making a mistake if you are choosing a school before you have any information about it, such as funding or visiting it to get the feel of the atmosphere. I am certainly not going to deny a school before visiting. I wouldn't have applied to the schools if I couldn't see myself at each one of them. As you would have read as well, I just turned down a school yesterday, which was two days after visiting. I can promise you that is a very fast decision time, and most applicants will take longer. I'm not holding spots hostage. And, although I am not saying it's right to hold a spot when you know you will not be accepting, most schools know that around 50% of admitted students will turn down the offer. They fund more and accept more people than they have room for. Finally, I don't even think I have extraordinary qualifications, but I did work hard to get into the programs. I think I should have the right to take time deciding between programs that I am seriously considering. I have been on waitlists. This isn't my first time applying to graduate school. I think you should understand picking a school is just as stressful as getting in.

Not necessarily. At least for me, I don't really have a #1. I'm trying to see what program fits me best.

I know the ones online are. This is what the schools have said though. They made it seem as though they get updates on rankings.

I think they are still number 7. Maryland is still number 1 and Albany number 2. I think the rankings are pretty stable. Or at least that's what the schools are saying. It is a good program though. I'm not sure why they can't get more students funded in the beginning.

I don't know about grad school, but this definitey happens with jobs. So, why not?

From the results, it looks like it was early March last year.

I think they are one of the schools that take their time.. lol Yeah, I got funded at UF, FSU, Albany, and Northeastern. Just waiting to hear back from Maryland. You? Also, I've talked a lot with FSU students. Even though it would be hard to go into the program unfunded, I heard they are very good about getting students funded.

When you go online to the supplemental form, there is a link to check your status. I don't think it would have changed. I don't know where that random post on the result section came from...

There are tons of views for this topic, but barely any replies Anyway, I ended up declining my offer to Northeastern. Hopefully someone else gets accepted off of the waitlist I loved the program, but in the end, it's probably not the best fit for me.

Anyone know anything about Maryland? I saw someone say that they were rejected via the website. Did you receive an email to check your status? Mine hasn't changed.

Everyone here knows how stressful the process of applying to graduate school is. Applying this year has gone surprisingly well, but I didn't realize how hard it would be to actually pick a program. What I want to research isn't really the norm for my field. I applied to 5 programs. In 3 of the programs, they don't really have anyone who specializes in what I'm interested in. Even though they are some of the best programs, they don't necessarily 'fit.' My bigger concern is funding. I have one program that is a very good program in the field, and they have a professor who specifically focuses on what I want to research. Unfortunately, when they fund students, they stipend amount isn't great, and I'm not positive I could live off of it. On the other hand, I was offered a fellowship at another program (about 6k more a year). This program is still a good program, but it's not a top ten in the field. The professor (who I actually work with now and like to work with) has similar research interests as me, although he does not specialize in it like the other professor does. Is it worth the loss in income to go to a 'better' school? I think both programs would be a good fit for me, so it's hard when there is no 'right' answer.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. They were asking me results of a paper I am co-authoring, but my professor hadn't sent me the analysis yet (even though he said he was going to that week). I was like "uhhhhh, I'm not quite sure yet.." Haha. Anyway, I heard you are allowed one "I don't know". I think my interview went pretty okay other than that. I'm not sure my research interests are quite compatible though because I would really like to do biosocial research. I was visiting FSU the other day. I'm nervous because they are one of the few programs that accept quite a few students, but they only fund about 5 of them. I was told that I have a good chance, so fingers crossed. Even though they are known for being good about finding funding once you are in, it would be hard to go into a program when funding isn't promised.

I also just had my interview with Albany. I feel like I should have prepared more

I'm not sure how bad it would be if you didn't go to the event, especially because you are already accepted into the program. If this were a visitation weekend you were invited to before official decisions were made, I would definitely go. Personally, I want to go because I think it's important to visit programs before you make a decision. A school may sound perfect on paper, but when you get there, it may be a terrible experience. The students may be miserable, the faculty may be unfriendly... Or it could be the other way around. I think it is important to get a feel for the program's atmosphere. Again though, I'm not sure how the department feels about it. I'm also not sure how competitive it is. There are so many factors to consider when choosing a grad program; it stresses me out thinking about it. Haha I'm sure it's harder to make a decision when you are disrupting someone else's life as well. For me, I want to pick the program that I think I will thrive in. Although you may get into a top program, it may be cut throat and you may not get the attention you were hoping for. I definitely want to go somewhere that matches my research interests best and where I believe that my mentor will give me the time and guidance to help me succeed. Of course, working with someone who is well known in the field will definitely help when it comes to networking, which is something to think about. Different professors have access to different sets of data. I would also like to make sure I will be able to research what I want based on what's available

Yes I am! I'm excited since I've never been to Boston. You?

I've decided I'm going to backpack Europe. Planning the trip has been super frustrating though, and it's been super hard to get other people to commit when everyone is in school or starting 'real life.' If anyone is interested in traveling, let me know

I was beginning to think I was the only person applying for criminology I am applying to PhD programs straight from my undergrad, although I took a year off and worked. I applied to 5 schools: Maryland, Albany, Northeastern, Florida and Florida State. So far I have been accepted at UF, FSU, Northeastern, and I have an interview scheduled with Albany.