PhDerp

I think it's interesting we always assume people are 21 when graduating. I'm 24 and graduating. So, am I exempt? XD I know I know, it really depends on life experiences, not just the number.

...Groucho Marx is a comedian. This thread is about a joke. Not about some psychological issues. EDIT: Or at least, that's how I felt reading it. Am I wrong, OP?

Whom did you ask? I'd like to try this, but I'm not sure whose e-mail address I need to find.

If at all possible, get to know people who have already taken the classes. Ask them about their experiences, including about the teachers. You may not be able to do this so easily until you're already there in the fall.

Same here. I heard 8-12 a lot, depending on your confidence. Usually around 4 if you have a back-up plan.

It really, really does! So excited to do this!! Thank you so much!! I do, too. Best of luck to you, too, and do awesome things!!

I did! It turns out this advisor in particular is up-and-coming (well published and cited in the past 5 years)*. That seals the deal for me. I can't imagine being happier about my future!! ^____^ Thanks again for all of your advice, everyone!! I'm going to accept my offer from USC tomorrow. * Restricting the search to the past 5 years, my advisor-to-be was ranked #24 in the "Natural Language & Speech" category when organized by publications and field rating, #29 when by publications and citations.** ** I know that "rankings" aren't the best to go by, but I don't know how else to find out about the professor's reputation. I asked profs at my university, and they knew him and his work and said he was well-known. So yay!

When we discussed applying to grad school at my REU this summer, the people who led the talk (we are involved in admissions at the school) said they get way more international applicants than they do domestic ones... Something like 4-to-1. They said it might be because international applicants will apply to way more schools in order to increase their chances of getting in somewhere, but I'm not sure if they were just exaggerating this effect? I've also heard that's why international applicant fees usually can't be waived. This is what one computer science department had to say, for what it's worth!

OMG love that, thanks! Will upvote when mine respawn (if I remember)!

Still waiting to actually hear any news from OP. The responses in this thread are rife with assumptions! (It seems to be hard to come to any conclusion without making a few.) Definitely want to hear from OP again, though.

She hasn't! She went to a technical school 40 years ago and started studying physics, but switched to a math degree. So she never even was an engineer, not even an engineering student. But she calls herself "an engineer" all the time! I don't get it. It shouldn't matter, but she has this crazy sort of elitist perception about engineers. Like in her mind, there's some categorization for human beings where you are either an "engineer" or "other", and she decided that she was an honorary engineer because she's smart. Or something. Oh, but computer scientists aren't engineers. They're not useful / smart enough. And it's so easy to study computer science. They do neither the math nor the engineering. They just put together other people's work. I dunno. My mom's crazy. Lol XD Thanks for letting me vent about it!!

Thanks for the heads-up!! I'm stoked to be surrounded by the health culture, and to get involved in the outdoor activities. I haven't done anything since summer! EDIT: And I will be very wary when biking. Thanks for that warning! I just hope my SO stays safe. He insists that biking is never dangerous, and rolled his eyes when I told him about how it's different in LA...

~87 times commuting by train, probably fewer? I would definitely go with the commute, if the program is better for your career!

...Reading those two posts was the most confusing thing in the world. @_@

Thanks for all the input, everyone! Here's a quick round of responses: @Munashi: I e-mailed them a bit ago, still no response. I tried calling, but the machine just told me to write an e-mail! Lol. I would try e-mailing POIs, but for an embarrassing reason, I probably won't... I was really applying to the program more than I was to any specific professor. I really didn't know what I was doing in the fall... @the_sheath: Haha, sorry! I'm slow to graduate! XD @Rantar: The thing is, you mention vaguely UCSD has amazing programs... But I don't see how it's at all better for my field! They don't have as many researchers available to work with, and they aren't as renowned in natural language processing. USC takes the cake on that. So it's nice that UCSD has great programs overall... But it doesn't really help if that doesn't include the one I'm interested in! That's really why I'm posting. I want to know what does UCSD have that should make me consider it? I really don't know! Is there anything? So far, the reputation and living areas are the only things to consider (thank you very much for that input, these are very important!). But I don't think the reputation of the school is worth losing out on a more-reputed advisor, and I know I'll be fine living in LA. (I shouldn't visit UCSD and see how much I'd prefer to live there... I can't regret it if I don't know what I'm missing out on! Lol) I'll upvote you as soon as mine respawn, because that post was exactly the kind of information I was looking for. And since it turns out the things you mentioned are not enough to sway me, I really might just accept at USC soon! "Don't trust US news rankings" Already on it! It just helps when posting here to mention them, I think, since so many people bring it up. I'm more concerned about the Microsoft rankings which have to do with the sheer number of publications in conferences, but I know even that isn't an ideal metric! Also, I remembered the other reason the earlier I decide, the better: my SO is moving with me, and he wants to look for jobs sooner rather than later. But just like the housing, this isn't necessarily a good enough reason to rush a decision. Still, it's not really rushing a decision if UCSD has virtually nothing going for it. What could they possibly offer me to make it a better program for me? $1,000,000?

I haven't looked at my professors the same since I was accepted into a PhD program.

I definitely expect to lose weight in grad school. Part of it is the environment; I usually get to (and stay at) a healthy size during the summer, and I wanted this to be a regular part of my life, so I applied to places that are summer year-round.

Retroactively, I'll add that my first choice has amazing research opportunities!! Even better than I expected. I'm new to research, so this wasn't something I considered much when I applied, but it's huge for deciding between schools.

Whoa, that's crazy! I've never thought about this sort of thing. And I never thought it would be OK to require sharing such... personal information! But I guess it's not just personal.

"I'm sorry I can't stop talking about this... I'm so excited!" "Well yeah, you deserve to be excited. I'd be worried if your weren't!" <3

More from my mom... Long story short, it's a laughable education because I'm getting it in computer science, not something that ends with "engineering". It's much easier and less meaningful to do CS according to her. ._. Also after describing the different sources of funding for my lab (which includes celebrity charities, apparently), she laughed and said "No wonder [your brother] hates this school." I asked, what? What does he have to do with this? She said she was just teasing. Sooooo this is just a strange passive-aggressive way to say she hates the school? Blech. I know I'm picky about this, but it's just the way she talks to me... She's not at all supportive. It's really frustrating. The good news is I have someone in my life who is supportive!! I will focus on funny / silly contributions from now on.

UMass is more lenient than the website suggests. There are English majors who are PhD students now, with just some computer job experience.