Dianali

I've really enjoyed seeing everyone's recommendations! Now I've found that I like Timbuk2 Candybar backpack. It has everything I need and more.

I feel ya.

Gradschool....it seems surreal...

*Cue Queen*
Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide no escape from reality.

At times I catch myself looking over the department website, school website, driving routes, and the college paraphernalia. But I stop myself. I have one month left to earn my bachelor's degree. I need to stay focused and in the present. I can get excited after finals week. I have all summer to freak out and revel!

I also have friends that are still waiting for a final say from the grad programs. I feel horrible getting excited in front of them. It feels like I would be rubbing it in.

I did my undergrad (B.S. Arch) at Taubman and was just accepted to their M.Arch II program. If I had done my undergrad anywhere else, there is no question I would here for grad school. They are a fantastic school, I just feel that I have learned so much here that I would like to get some more perspective from another school. Their facilities are almost unrivaled (especially by Columbia), and they have a great Urban Planning department as well. Forget the Ivy League crap. We are not business majors, and an Ivy education does not mean nearly as much as it would if we were. What matters is design faculty and fabrication/research facilities. While I'm sure both schools have great faculty, Columbia does not even come close to Taubman's fabrication/research capabilities. 
 
I would choose Taubman. Especially if they're giving you money. While you're right, it is nothing like NYC, but Ann Arbor is a great place to live as well. 

I've been accepted to USC and UCLA! I am now waiting to hear back from Columbia. I'm glad the application/decision process is almost over!!!

I know what you mean. We get so comfortable with what we have like the people, program, campus, food, lab, colleagues, professors, and more! And now you find yourself realizing that you kind of have to start over. But I feel we have an amazing opportunity 'starting over'. We will gain new experiences, friends, colleagues, professors, food, labs, knowledge......and the list goes on. But there will always be one constant, you will always be you.
 
Good luck on your new adventures!

April 15 is the commit date. The problem with programs like the one you are applying to, is that they do not tell you about funding until after you accept their offer. So if you are planning to go there, the earlier you tell them the better because then you will be privy to funding opportunities. So your options are the following:
 
1. Accept at Buffalo, meaning you can not accept anywhere else. You've chosen. You will get funding info from Buffalo.
2. Weigh your options. Wait for all your offers to come in and then decide. If you end up choosing Buffalo you may be at a disadvantage, as people who have chosen earlier will have gotten the better funding packages.
3. Realize that Buffalo is not the place for you, and go somewhere else with a funding system where they don't essentially hold you hostage.
 
Two schools that I was very interested in (and was accepted to) do funding the same way. That was a dealbreaker for me. I personally have to know abut funding before I commit. The choice is of course yours....

It's a great question. I was surprised by my application package... Yes - my own. Because you need to present yourself in a certain way in the application process, and at some point you look back and - "Hey, this IS me! At least one appearance of me. And it's pretty cool!" I found this reveailng, because in my attempt to run ahead I rarely have the chance to look back and relect on myself. Which is also why I like this question - another opportunity to do that.
Lital (LLM, SJD, founder of gradtrain).

I was surprised that I got into...anywhere.  

Background story:

I only have a 3.2, and a guidance counselor told me not to bother applying anywhere.  She said I wouldn't get in anywhere decent.  I went ahead and applied anyway.  And I guess all the undergraduate research paid off.  I think my grades were offset by the fact I was in ROTC for the first half of college... it was tricky to juggle a math-heavy major while in the program (I'm not a math whiz).
 
And here I am, 12 months after she told me not to bother applying, getting ready to go to Hopkins, the top school in my field so glad I didn't listen!

Just know that schools send notifications out in waves. As someone in the Sociology forum reminds us "it's not over til it's over." I know this wait is torturous!!

Hi PhDerp!  It's totally possible to find apartments with 2 parking spaces in LA.  I used to live in Marina Del Rey, which is about half an hour from USC, and our second parking space was $55/mo.  I think this was unusually low, though, and offset by a higher rent....From what I remember of the apartment hunt, most places charged between $100-$150/mo for an extra space.  
 
Does anyone know of good running trails around campus (i.e. ones close enough to be used on a daily basis)?  I like to run early in the morning and found this article from 2011 that wasn't particularly encouraging....

Let's start the discussion for 2014!!

Is it impossible to find apartments with 2 parking spaces in LA? Are there alternatives for the second car if we can only find apartments with one space? I'd like to get a 2BR apartment with my SO after my first semester.