grad_wannabe

No question whatsoever. Go with the full funding at NUS. ESPECIALLY considering you want to matriculate to the med school there.

For what it's worth, Columbia's b-school is ranked #8 in the US. Not Wharton, but not shabby.

Thank you!!

thread for newly admitted students:

I don't have any hard data at hand, but I know that administrative costs (including insanely high salaries for college presidents) are exploding.

Hi everybody! Just accepted the offer to do a PhD in Communications at the Columbia Journalism school. I've been told that PhDs at the J-school are really unlikely to land housing, and that I should look off campus. If anyone has that link referenced above, about a housing website other than UAH, I'd be grateful!

>I am 99% sure that I know which school I want to go but this hasn't stopped me from seeking advice from every single person I can on what they think I should do. It's pointless though because when they say something in favor of a school Other than the one I want to go to, then I just argue with them. Exactly the same here. I KNOW which program I'm attending, but that doesn't stop me from consulting with other people and then arguing with them when they disagree with my decision!

FWIW -- just heard my funding offer from Oxford. Zilch. Zip. Nada. No funding whatsoever. At least that makes my decision easier.

I was admitted to UCLA for a different program and they told me the same thing: they can offer ONE year of a stipend, but cannot afford to pay for out-of-state tuition for the first year (they can pay in-state tuition when residency is established after year #1). So basically I'm on the hook for a year's worth of out-of-state tuition, and then have to find my own living funding for the next FOUR years? I'm afraid that's quite untenable.

I put on SO much weight during my MS. It was all pizza, beer, chinese food, and leftover cookies from department meetings for two years. I'm determined, this time around, not to festishize the pursuit of scholarship above getting some exercise and watching my sugar intake.

Can you expand on that?

WOW thanks for all this help, everybody! This is precisely the guidance I needed!

Call and talk to them. I've found that the people I spoke with at my federal loan office were VERY helpful and supportive.

I've been bowled over at the number of people telling me they "don't believe in school" and that "the school of life is enough!" and my favorite, "when are you going to stop stalling, and start growing up and having a family?" As though I'm moving to NYC to begin a doctorate at one of the best universities in the country just to get out of having babies.

I applied for a doctorate at Oxford and was warned by quite a few people (including my rec letter writers) that pursuing a UK PhD would all but assure a very tough time in the US academic job market, while at the same time grooming oneself for an equally tough life navigating the bureaucratic/political nightmare that expats face in trying to get a work visa in the UK. I heard many stories confirming this from people who did their doctorates as LSE and UCL. i work mainly in communications/social sciences, don't know how it is in natural resources.

>most programs accept more PhD candidates than the number of seats on offer My understanding is, they offer seats to exactly as many as they can afford to bring in. The waitlist kicks in when those preferred candidates turn the offer down.

Does her government offer any funding for students studying overseas? Are there UK equivalents, for example, of Fulbrights? (Actually can UK citizens get the Fulbright? I don't know if that's just US citizens. Worth checking out! The app deadlines may have been last fall though.)

no word yet! they typically don't fund so i'm not holding out hope.

Admitted to the Oxford Internet Institute.

Accepted to the DPhil at the Oxford Internet Institute. No word on funding.

There's a space on the application that will ask directly what sort of funding you'll be bringing with you. That's the place to enter that information. I'd also email the grad chair/coordinator when you apply with a copy of your sponsorship letter.

Many schools shuttle rejected PhD applications into consideration for the in-house/associated MA. There's usually a box on the application that says something like "if we don't feel that you're a good fit for our program, may we share your applications with others?"

CalArts is notoriously stingy with their aid. Most people I know who applied for their MFAs got only 1/3 funding. When I applied for an MFA I got 1/2 funding and that was unheardof. That being said, if you want to establish yourself in the experimental music scene, CalArts is a great place to do it. Amazing faculty and connections to industry. I mean that's where Pixar got started.

I concur what others have said -- I know people who got their masters/PhDs/DPhils at UK schools (including LSE, Oxford, and UCL) and had a VERY tough time transitioning to the academic job market in the states. I was also strongly advised against pursuing a DPhil at Oxford (but applied anyway because I love the program there). If you want to build a career in the US, go to UPenn.

Most of my official correspondence has come electronically. School A: I received a phone call from the grad chair and a few days later received an email notice to check my online status, and there found PDFs of the official acceptance letter (addressed to me and including a student ID number), a welcome letter from the dean, an incoming class stats sheet, and links to resources for housing, scheduling, logistical stuff. I then received a separate email outlining my financial aid package. School B: I was emailed a single large PDF, which contained both the notice of acceptance as well as the funding package. I was then emailed a PDF of the agenda for the visit weekend. School C: I received an informal email from the grad chair, and then a hard-copy formal acceptance letter with information for the visit weekend. No info on funding info yet.