Eigen

I was able to get my results as well as a few friends through the search, though it took a long time. I got it! I'm stoked. This will nest with my current funding to give me a full 6 years.

I can think of quite a few that do offhand. Med Chem, Organic Synth, Bioorganic- all are valid options towards industry. I've even seem job listings in Pharma that *specify* a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry.

This is my last year either way, but I'm sure I'll be around to comment next year at least.

I hang out with my cohort and my SOs cohort both- they each offer different things. I also have friends who are grad students in departments not related to either of us. There's no need to explain, you have two groups of colleagues who give you different experiences- you go out with some one time, and some another time. There's no need to restrict yourself to only hanging out with your cohort.

I was also married with no kids when I applied, and I found the spouses opinion meant a lot to me- it needed to be a place that both of us were going to be happy for 4-6 years. IMO, both of you should visit the campuses if at all possible, and see where you think you'd both be happiest. Your wife can explore the areas while you meet with faculty/students.

This is incorrect. There is a general agreement among the schools that are signatories of the CGS resolution that you can change your mind after you accept an offer (but prior to April 15th), but it is in no way binding. Should a school choose to deviate from this resolution, there is nothing official to stop them- they just might not be able to continue as signatories of the resolution. Make sure you check with the school before you try this. Technically, once you accept an offer you have a legally binding contract to attend the school, and I have heard stories of schools that will sue for the costs of attendance, especially as many administrations won't allow funds to be reallocated to someone else after an offer has been officially accepted. On the other implicit points in the original post: It's not courteous to accept an offer just to give yourself more time. If you don't attend the first institution after having formally accepted their offer, there's a large chance you deprive them of that funding altogether for a student for that year. An acceptance is a legally binding contract, not something you should just sign "until a better offer comes along". It's not polite to either the university or the students on the waitlist at that institution to treat it as such.

Actually, they still can. The Resolution is not legally binding, and the worst that will happen to infractions is a loss of reputation/slap on the wrist from CGS. This assumes that the school is even a signatory of the resolution, not all are. And even if they are, they are in no way "forced" to follow it. None of this makes pressuring early right (and in the case of the OP, the head of the adcom at the school said it was wrong and shouldn't have been done), but people need to realize that the graduate schoools "can" require you to make an early decision, revoke your offer, etc. It's not right, but there is nothing that prevents them from doing so and accepting the possible consequences. There are certainly no legal prohibitions to doing so. Having an offer held until April 15th isn't a "right", it's a general courtesy that most schools consistently extend to the applicants. Equating the former with the latter just leads to confusion all around.

If you're interested in Med Chem, I'd focus on the ties to the respective medical schools. Having the ability to work with MD/PhDs at the medical school in actual drug testing has been hugely beneficial to me, and I'd imagine having that range for recommendations (as well as industry connections) would be very beneficial.

I see nothing in the OP about (a) undergraduate debt or ( upcoming diagnostic exams, so I have no idea where this advice comes from. Neuropsych: I'd definitely reach out to the program and see if you could get, say, a month of early funding for some research- it might work, and this time of year is when PIs start budgeting for the summer. That would give you some time to travel, but then give you a bit of income before the start of school, and let you get acclimated to the area. Unless you're in really dire financial straits, I'd try to avoid working a meaningless job before grad school- either dive in early, or take the time off. This is one of the last summers you'll have, spending it working a job you hate is something to avoid if you possibly can.

There are only a handful of courses that are required for med school, you can major in anything you want. I know people in English that got in fine. Any of the engineering majors gives you a nice backup plan.

There are quite a few threads on this topic already. The range of what they can do depends on the school- but it can be everything from "nothing" to requiring you to pay back a portion of the financial aid that they offered you for the next year (and now can't pass on to someone else). Once you agree to go to a school, you are taking what was an informal offer (from the school) and turning into a legally binding agreement- you are agreeing to go to the school, they are signing off that they will admit you with whatever funding they've offered. Until you officially accept, the school is not bound to the offer, and neither are you. After you accept, you are both bound to it. There have also been stories of the "second school" rescinding admission should the "first school" be miffed and contact them. If nothing else, it can effect your reputation within your field. In the majority of cases, the school will probably let you out of the contract, but since it's a legally binding agreement, they can make it difficult for you if they choose.

It's a very good rule of thumb, and the polite way to do things. There's no reason not to compare two schools as you have them, and tell the "loser" that you won't be attending so they can move on and give someone else a chance. There's nothing to gain from "hoarding" your admission offers. Generally, schools won't ask you to reply before April 15th, and I think it's not right that some pressure applicants to do so. I think it's definitely worth having a talk with the admissions director about the e-mail, but if the head of the adcom said the e-mail wasn't supposed to be sent, I wouldn't let it effect your decision too much. As to it being "illegal" for them to require you to make the decision early, legality in no way enters into it. The only thing the school has to lose by requiring an early decision is reputation, or if they've signed the agreement, perhaps being removed as a signatory if it happens consistently. But there is question that they can "legally" require you to decide early.

Slightly can be very subjective, so it's kind of hard to give you specific advice. I'd say to keep in mind that placement records can be spotty over the years- you might have a few breaks, or there might be a more recent slump in graduate students. Generally, I'm of the opinion that placement is important, but if it's only a "slight" increase, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I believe they sent out disqualification notices a few months ago, so I'd assume your application was considered "complete" or you would have received one.

Hey now! I think it's more like Hyena's waiting for a juicy bone... Hmmph. Vultures.

Ours scales by hours. In addition, the "fees" drop once you're done with your required classes and are on dissertation research. Here at least, Diss. Research is 3 credit hours.

My rent + utilities is about 40-45% of my income... Higher than I'd like, but I cut corners in other places.

Oh yeah- now that I remember, tutoring is the one thing exempt from our departments "external employment" rules. The basic idea behind them is that if you have time to be doing something else, and they're paying you to get your research done.... You should be spending that time in the lab/library instead of at another job.

I've mentioned this in other threads, but make sure the terms of your TAship don't prevent you from working elsewhere. The TA/RAships in my program have an exclusivity clause- they can pull them if you are found to be working elsewhere while receiving departmental funding. It's just something to keep in mind.

My last understanding was that the dose was very minimal.... But I admit I haven't been following it that closely in the last month or so, so something new may have come to light.

My point actually wasn't just for international students, but any student (domestic or international). The restriction on "external jobs" at least at my school, is read as "anything outside of the department", so it would not be possible for someone here (on a TAship, say) to get a job working anywhere else in the school. If you're funded, you don't work anywhere else. That was what I was suggesting you check on.

Or, just buy very inexpensive locks so they're easy to replace should TSA happen to break them! How much do these special "TSA" locks cost? And if they have a master key, how long do we think it will be before less scrupulous people get copies of said master key?

Just like crime, however, it's also very easy to take a few very unpleasant stories and generalize them into normality. And far more people will take the time to write/talk about the unpleasant experiences they have had than the times where it was easy, quick, etc.

Eh. I think people make too much out of it. I've never experienced any such problems on any of my flights.

You mean the controversy that really only exists due to the media stirring the pot?