grad_wannabe

Oh, okay interesting! I didn't know about that. Looks like my rejection from that program might be a blessing in disguise!

I have a pretty common name. Interestingly, most of the people who share it have similar interests as me -- most are artsy, intellectual, or both. After I hit "submit" on all my apps I started working on my web presence: built a website, beefed up my linkedin and academia.edu, started a twitter, and moved my favorite posts to the top of my blog. I also linked all of these sites together for some of that search-engine optimization stuff, where I guess a site moves up higher in Google results if other sites link to it.

is either school offering you any funding? it's notoriously difficult for US students to get financial assistance in UK schools. Due to the current political climate and administration, it's also VERY difficult for US citizens to get work visas. I'd go with Chicago.

Can I ask where you got that information? From what I understand HASTS is the standard 5 years. timetable here: http://web.mit.edu/hasts/graduate/academic.html

I got a letter from one of my funding-still-pending schools. The letter consisted of a confirmation of my acceptance, assurance that they could provide a stipend "for the first year" (that's it!), and their condolences that they cannot afford to pay out-of-state tuition so out-of-state students would have to PAY for the first year of tuition themselves, until residency is established in the second year. there goes that.

It's startling how many people I know (going on four now) who each applied to multiple graduate programs (one person is in art history, one is in economics, and two are applying to MBAs) and got NO acceptances. It's brutal out there. I texted one of them and said "any word?" and hours later he wrote "nope." I replied "how are you feeling?" and he never responded.

I've heard an interesting proposal about this method. When you have a tough choice to make, flip a coin -- how you FEEL about the results of the flip will tell you where you truly want to go.

Thank you so much! I'm going to spend a few days on campus at the end of the month, these will be incredibly valuable questions to ask. And AGREED with your last sentiment. The lack of concrete funding information is frustrating, given the commitment I'm being asked to make.

for how many years did Stony Brook guarantee funding? One of my programs gave me 5 years, another (the one I prefer) gave me 3, with wording similar to what you heard.

have you looked at or talked to alumni from each program? whose activities match your aspirations?

Putting down a deposit is common, yes.

I'm dying over my decision as well. A friend of mine told me "wherever you go, you'll make the most of it" and that helped a lot.

I'm REALLY worried about this. the person with whom I spoke at school B (the three-year school) somewhat breezily said that there were "lots of opportunities to teach and do research, all over the university and the city at large, in the third and fourth years. we work very hard to make sure all of our students are supported, and I often receive requests from other departments which don't have grad programs that our students TA their classes." is this something for which I could negotiate before accepting their offer?

it's a joke, man.

I would not do this. They already have your application. There's little you can do at this point to sway a decision one way or another.

ah I see, that's entirely fair, I hadn't thought of that perspective.

I totally understand and do not find any fault in the slightest with your initial question! It was the following comments in the answers people gave to your question that led me to post what I did: “As a current PhD student I am so sick of classes. I want to be done with them so I can actually do some real work. “ “I mean I get that some people want to specialize or make career switches (which is understandable) but eventually you have to pick something and start applying the skills you gained. … I don't think I would survive more classes, especially where I'm just trying to shove a bunch of info into my brain and calling it "learning". ” “fk that lol, gotta get my free time. … why would you torture yourself like that and spend even more money and time, just for the tiny extra chance of getting a finance job where you'd torture yourself some more for some scraps? after my PHD, I'm gonna take a vacation with my life savings. Life is too short to spend slaving away in a classroom.” “There's a guy in my PhD program who already has a PhD. Seems like a total waste to me. I would never get a second PhD.”

Yep. Having a VERY tough time deciding. Especially since the school that I'm leaning away from can, I think, tell from my coolness that they're not my top choice. They're now showering me with emails, introductions, offers of extra mentors and resources, promises of the utmost attention with research projects ... it's getting even tougher.

both schools are extremely well-regarded. UW-Madison is generally considered on-par with many Ivies if I'm not mistaken.

I'm still not clear on what happens in the summer. At one school I visited, I was told explicitly that it's not guaranteed and that students have to apply for summer funding BUT that it's very easy to get. At another school, I haven't yet gotten my funding package, but I'm pretty sure summers are not covered and I have no idea what students do. Also, at school A I was guaranteed five years of funding, but at school B only three. are the fourth and fifth years easy or difficult to get covered through assistantships?

I got into a great PhD program. Highly ranked, well-funded, travel funding, tons of interesting research, perfect fit for my interests, close to friends and family ... but I just don't feel right about it. I can't explain it. I just don't want to be there for the next five years.

Concur this statement. There were a few schools on my list that I hustled HARD. Reached out to POIs months in advance, visited campus, sat in on classes, attended group discussions and open house days ... and didn't even get an interview. On the other hand there's a school on my list I never visited, ever. I never reached out to any POI. Never even had a phone call with anyone in admissions about paperwork or anything. I just uploaded all my documents and hit "submit." And I got in. It really is all about fit.

DANG HERMES!!! CONGRATS! (Could you give us a hint on the program?)

ugh this wait for funding! It's been over a week-and-a-half. still haven't received the official package.

Yes, I went through this. There was one school in particular that I'd dismissed somewhat lightly because I "didn't like the city." Truth be told I was so overwhelmed by the entire application process that it felt good to be able to cross a program off the list! After the deadlines had all passed, at least three or four people here on GC messaged me to ask why I didn't apply to that school, saying "Its a perfect fit for you!" In a bout of anxiety (and too much time on my hands over Christmas break) I started searching for other schools that I might have dismissed too quickly. I found one that I didn't apply to because it seemed like too much a long-shot, only taking four students per year. Turned out they had happened to extend their deadline ... to ONE WEEK after I was looking at them! Quick-as-catch-can I fired off an application. I ended up getting in and it looks like I'll be attending. Part of me is growing a little superstitious in thinking "things work out the way they're meant to."