dinnerdate

I've lived in Berkeley and San Francisco for a combined six years. I'm so sad to be leaving this beautiful, special place. Housing can be very difficult to find in both cities, so I would recommend (a) watching Craigslist/PadMapper like a hawk, sending out emails with abandon, and trying your best to set yourself apart from other applicants, and (b ) networking -- asking friends, acquaintances, etc -- as you never know who will be able to connect you with an excellent set-up. The blessing/curse of the Bay Area is that many apartments are rent-controlled, so that many people end up renewing their leases for ages in order to keep their decades-old rates. I've been lucky enough to find roommates with rent-controlled places a few times over. It can be done, but it's not easy. Berkeley: It's not the hippie enclave it used to be, but Berkeley is still quirky and charming. Safety is an issue throughout the city, but you'll be fine if you are smart about urban life (for example: don't engage with people behaving erratically, don't use your cell phone walking around, don't walk by People's Park late at night, etc). I also loved being able to safely bike everywhere, though the hills can be killer. As for places to live... The area southeast of campus (near Telegraph and into the hills) is full of undergrad dorms, frat houses, street punks, dive bars -- basically way too fun for anyone in their mid-20's. Instead, if you want to live close to campus, I'd recommend looking at a few neighborhoods. North Berkeley: Most areas north of campus are going to be quiet, safe, and more family-oriented. There are few businesses, with the exception of those in the Gourmet Ghetto. That stretch of Shattuck Ave is lined with tons of foodie-centric shops and restaurants. A great choice for grad students. Downtown Berkeley: A bit more commercial in feel, there's lots to do and the convenience of the BART station (the metro that takes you into San Francisco) is fantastic. I lived here, in a Craftsman home by Berkeley High and Trader Joe's, and absolutely loved it. The nearby police station didn't hurt. If you go a little south of that, you can live near the most wonderful grocery store on the planet, Berkeley Bowl. West Berkeley: This sprawling area can really vary block by block, but there are two areas that could be good for grad students with cars. One is the bougie Fourth Street neighborhood, where you'll find Crate and Barrel, Anthropologie, the Apple Store, etc. The other option is staying close to the main thoroughfare, University Blvd, which is pretty busy and offers a lot of diverse food options. Ashby, Oakland: This area is further away from campus, down Telegraph and on the border of Berkeley/Oakland. Oakland gets a bad rap, but, again, it's pretty safe if you exercise common sense. A friend of mine lived in a beautiful apartment steps away from Whole Foods, coffee shops, and the bus stop to campus. San Francisco: Obviously, you know it's going to be expensive. Not just rent, but all of the other costs of living, too. If you're financially constrained, I'd highly recommend watching your budget, as it's easy to adopt a $5/day kombucha habit or blow an entire paycheck during brunch. Neighborhoods are also rapidly changing due to tech start-ups gentrification blah blah etc. Otherwise, however, this place is the absolute best. SF has lots of districts with very distinct personalities and weather patterns, so you'll want to make sure you're living in a place that feels right for you. For example: the Marina is full of rich yuppies and good weather, the Mission has its hipsters and tons of sunshine, the Sunset/Richmond are always foggy and home to surfers/Asian families... SF State: Whether you have a car or not, I'd highly recommend living along a direct bus route to your school. For SF State, that can include the 28 and 29 bus lines, which will run through down 19th Ave and Sunset Ave in the Sunset district. The Sunset is an excellent choice for grad students, since it is far removed from the busy (and expensive) districts. If you live near the light rail (the N on Judah or the L on Taraval), you'll also be very close to shops/restaurants and a straight shot from downtown. You can also live further north along those same 28/29 bus lines, on the other side of Golden Gate Park, in the Richmond district. It's less busy/happening than the Sunset, but still affordable and full of neighborhood gems -- especially near Clement St. Alternately, the M light rail runs to SF State, so you can look along that route as well. UCSF: The Parnassus campus is one of my very favorite neighborhoods in the city, especially because of all the cute storefronts near 9th and Irving. I'd highly recommend living close by, or anywhere along the N Judah. If you'd rather not live where you work, you can look at the UCSF campus shuttle map to identify other easily accessible neighborhoods. The shuttles are free and go to many locations throughout the city, so you can arrange a pretty stress-free commute door-to-door. For ex, I know one shuttle runs to and from the Laurel Heights/Pacific Heights, a really chic area. As for those considering Oakland -- it's a great option, especially if you live close to BART and make sure that your specific neighborhood is safe. Oakland is enormous, so you're really going to want to zero in on where you're living. I have friends who love living in the Lake Merritt and Rockridge areas. Compared to its neighbors, Oakland is often much cheaper, culturally diverse, and parking-friendly (!!). Speaking of which, parking is going to be a bear... but it doesn't negate the usefulness of a car. For reference, I've lived this entire time in the Bay Area happily car-less -- but am also very thankful that my partner has one. I would highly advise against bringing a car if (a) you live in the more popular, public transit-accessible SF neighborhoods, e.g., northeast of Twin Peaks, or (b ) if you have to pay a fortune for parking. If you don't have a car, don't buy one until you get a feel for city life here. If you already have one, consider the costs (including the tickets you will inevitably get) and benefits. They can come in handy... especially when you're tired of grad school and want to escape to wine country for the weekend.

Big pats on the back to everyone in this thread! To future applicants: I echo the sentiment of taking anonymous/online advice with a huge grain of salt. Instead, seek out people who can give you better insight -- current grad students, faculty, alumni. Do not be afraid to cold-email and talk to people! I'd also encourage you to read up on grad school itself. You should know exactly what you're signing up for. My reading list: Getting what you came for – recommended by many professors as essential reading. If nothing else, I suggest you read this. A PhD is not enough (available as PDF here) The PhD grind and the N=1 guide to grad school Should I go to grad school? Surviving your stupid, stupid decision to go to grad school – laugh to keep yourself from crying Other fun things: PHD comics, 100 reasons not to go to grad school I applied to 9 PhD programs: accepted at 5, waitlisted at 3 (1 eventual acceptance, 1 eventual rejection, and 1 withdrawn), and rejected at 2. Feel free to PM me if you have questions about any of these: Penn State, Michigan State, George Mason, DePaul, University of Maryland, University of Houston, Portland State, Rice, and CUNY Baruch.

Just let go of an offer from DePaul! Hope it helps someone out there.

I'd love to hear more about this too! Is it better to negotiate funding early on, so that programs will have time to find money if necessary? Or should I wait until I am more sure in my decision-making process (e.g., I'm down to 1-2 schools and will attend if funding is matched)? For context, I have three programs I'm interested in attending and money is a funding factor... However, I don't want to cause undue grief or burn bridges if I ask for more money and still decline an offer.

Could the person who posted the Rice acceptance please PM me their POI? Thanks in advance!

PM'ed you!

Congrats Wrellie! I might be sending a PM your way soon, too. I received an offer from Michigan State -- I'm so pleasantly surprised, as I thought it was a long shot. I'll also be attending University of Maryland's visiting day. So excited (and nervous)!

Hi everyone! Gearing myself up for this fall as a first-time applicant -- best of luck to us all. I've been seeing NYU listed as one of top doctoral programs in I/O, but their website doesn't list a PhD option. It seems some of the Social Psych professors do related work, but I'm not sure it's strong enough that you could reasonably expect to enter industry afterward -- looks to be more organizational than industrial. Any thoughts on this? Also wondering if anyone considered applying for a degree in Management. It seems as though there can be some overlap, though obviously more applied/business-oriented.