kimmibeans

That's disappointing about JC, but not very surprising. I agree that there's not much to do in Bing. There are a couple of cool local museums, and some art galleries downtown, but it's pretty quiet overall. We're about an hour away from Syracuse though if you ever feel like you need to escape.

I continued working until about a week before I started. It was part time, so it wasn't a big deal, but I wish I took more time to relax before starting.

I highly recommend it. There was one girl who was really looking forward to working with this one PI and didn't realize in between when she interviewed and when she came back to visit he had left for a different institution. Thankfully she hadn't chosen yet and was able to pick a better fit, but if there is a limited number of PIs you want to work with be sure they are taking students!

Not always. I had one who didn't tell me I was on a wait list until I called them and asked about my status.

I don't have an office, just a bench and a desk that's kind of like a little cubicle

Don't lie about your research goals, just don't. If you do, you're likely to end up in a school that has nobody working on what you are interested in, if you manage yo get in. It also makes you look disingenuous and will make you MORE likely to get rejected. I've interviewed people before, and trust me, we can tell when you are lying. Be honest in your SOPs, it will be better for you in the long run. If you are really concerned about not having the background, take a year off and get a Master's or get a job in a related field to gain programming experience.

So I actually did get drug tested as a grad student, but this was under a unique set of circumstances. I'm getting my PhD at a medical school, and we were recently bought by a local hospital. During the transition we were onboarded like employees, including having to take a drug test. I didn't get tested when I first started school and i don't think they make incoming students do it now, but it did happen. One thing you do have to seriously consider though is that while you probably won't get drug tested for grad school, you likely will for most jobs and internships in your chosen field. Note, I think the marijuana being illegal is stupid, but if the state you move to has not legalized medical marijuana you may have some problems.

@unitstructures if you don't mind me asking, where are you going? Some schools subsidize student apartments. You can also apply for International House, which offers graduate student housing in Manhattan at discounted rates compares to the area. You can also consider living in one of the outer boroughs and commuting in.

I emailed the graduate office contact we had when I was waitlisted to say thank you and let them know that if accepted I would definitely yes. I was pulled off not that much later. I'm not sure if it helped, but it definitely couldn't hurt to let them know that you are still interested.

girl power

Call girl

It's about that time of year again. Rejection sucks, but sometimes a little bit of black humor helps. Here is one of my favorites from this year. Feel free to add your own! Stanford University Economics, PhD (F17) Rejected via Website on 28 Feb 2017 I 28 Feb 2017 doesn't matter had sex

I'm going to be honest, your application is not strong enough for a lot of American universities. Because most international students aren't eligible for a majority of government-sponsored grants, schools are stricter on who they take. You need to raise your GRE score, especially the writing, and your TOEFL. I would also do research for at least another year and show you can work on a project long term, as with the exception of your Master's and pharmaceutical job, all of your research projects have been less than 6 months long.

I think it definitely depends on how you deal with stress. I found I drink far less in grad school than I did in undergrad (which isn't really saying much, as I didn't really drink much in undergrad either). I know that when I do recruitment events, I often bring up that we have a lot of food and alcohol related events. It's not that we drink a lot, it's that these are usually social events that involve student and faculty and attract them with free food and cheap/free alcohol. However, given how much we wine and dine our prospective grad students, I think it definitely can create this idea that everyone in grad school drinks all the time (we've had more than a few interviewees show up hungover to Day 2). As the people before me said, moderation is key. If you think you have a problem, or if you are worried you may develop one, it's okay not to drink. Most social events have other options available and nobody will think less of you for doing so.

Wow. The entitlement and immaturity there is outstanding. I'm amazed the PI didn't kick him out of the room.