Eigen

It's not the only state that will be having this problem. We've been having cuts to higher ed funding for the last couple of years- and many of the Cali schools are in the same boat. If you want to be more "secure" in future funding, look into private colleges that rely less on state funds. Past that.... Not much that can be done. As far as things go, funding students (many from out of the state) for graduate programs is probably down on the list of fiscally responsible moves when you're heavily in debt, I'm not surprised to see it cut.

Lots of good advice here. We were already married when I started applications- both interested in PhD programs in the sciences. My wife wanted to take a year off before grad school, so we chose institutions that would have one or more good choices for graduate programs in her discipline close by- either at the same university or nearby schools. When I went on interview trips, she scheduled tours/visits with the departments she was interested in, and we chose the right school together. It's a bit different from your situation where your SO is already in a grad program- and I'm guessing you didn't talk about this when he applied to school(s). We know we'll probably be apart for 2+ years at some point in the future- she's a year behind me, and I doubt we'll get post-docs at the same place. I think if the relationship is strong, the long-distance thing is very doable, especially if there's a defined end in sight (ie, you get your masters and move back to the home that you two own together). For an interesting look at the two-body problem throughout academia, I'd check the Chronicle of Higher Education forum devoted to it.

While the 6 figure incomes of industry might seduce me away, the reason I'm in grad school is that I really want to teach... So I'll likely end up in academia. 10 years should put me a few years into a TT position somewhere, hopefully- I've got 3-4 more years to finish my PhD, then one or two post-doc positions, and then the big job search. I'm married now, so with all luck and probability, I'll still be married in 10 years. I really don't see myself with children quite yet, although that's getting to about the point in our life we plan on having them, so it's hard to say.

All of mine went in a "graduate school" file in my filing cabinet. And are still there to this day. But then they were all acceptances, no idea what I'd do with rejections. Probably stick them in the same file- I'm big on keeping stuff around in case I ever need it down the road.

I'm going to disagree with this. I know a lot of prof's who sign e-mails with their first name but wouldn't really want to be addressed as such. Unless you have a pretty close working relationship with them, or they've specifically told you to call them by their first name, I'd stick with appending "Dr." or "Professor" to their name. I still do it with about half of my department (mostly professors I don't talk to more than once or twice a week), and call about half of my department by their first names. It's the same with most of the other graduate students- everyone calls the prof's they work with a lot by their first names, and is a bit more formal with the others.

So what do you want to go to grad school in? Pol Sci/Public Admin are in quite a different vein than an MFA in creative writing! I think you might need to refine your area of interest, instead of looking for "useful" MAs.

Make sure that your funding terms will allow you to hold alternate employment- many university TA/RA positions exclude outside jobs. That said, tutoring is usually lucrative and nearly always allowed.

Granted, you said these are interview weekends, and not post-acceptance visits (which I'm more familiar with), but in my field it is quite common for the good applicants to be up front about where else they've been accepted and that they're trying to choose. I discussed my options and the pros/cons with the professors I met on my visits, and I do the same thing now when I'm talking with prospective students at my graduate program- we ask where else they've been accepted, what their thoughts are, and then give any helpful information we can. I think it's going to be reasonably well known that if you're one of the top applicants, you've probably applied to (and been accepted at) other good institutions and will have to choose. I'm definitely glad I went and met with professors at all the schools, I have more contacts now than I would have otherwise. I actually ended up running a recruitment booth one table over from one of the recruiters I met a few years ago at a conference recently- we were able to catch up, etc. Take this with a grain of salt, of course- some people/programs will be less accepting of you choosing somewhere else over them than others will. I was quite careful to make sure they knew it was about choosing the program/faculty that I felt was the absolute best fit for my personal interests. I'll also add that I think visiting all your choices is a good idea... I ended up going to the school that was not my initial top choice- and finding that my initial top choice was the program I felt like I fit into the least well. Meeting prospective bosses and coworkers in person is so much different than reading profiles online- and in my opinion, the personal fit matters a lot. You're picking someone (and somewhere) you want to work with for the next 5-7 years of your life.

I'm not saying the necessarily are in your case, I just know they often can be. I'd certainly ask about the particulars in your case. It also may be that you would be unfunded for your first semester/year, but might be able to pick up a TAship after that.

Also note that you probably stand a much higher chance of getting an external fellowship at Berkley- NSF, DOE, DOD, etc. There also might be better funding options once you've gotten through your first one or two years- it's certainly something to ask.

It sounds fine, but it isn't the way I would have gone. I would recommend personalizing each e-mail, perhaps talking about some facet of the interviewer's research you found interesting- even paving the road for further conversation on their research.

I don't have a problem calling the prof's I work with regularly/closely by their first names, it's just the ones I know more casually that I can't seem to do it with. My boss and collaborators are definitely first names, though.

Heh, I know I've worn shirts from my undergrad lots of times when interviewing/touring prospective grad students. It's simple: I have lots of shirts from my undergrad, and I don't seem to be hitting the "free t-shirt" events as often as a grad student. Nor do I really feel like spending the cash to buy something just to identify me as a grad student of the institution... That's what my ID's for! And it's not like the prospective students don't know where you're a grad student.

It depends on the school. Here, anything lower than a B- is a "failing grade" for graduate students- you must maintain a 3.0 average with nothing lower than a B- to stay enrolled and in good standing. So as far as equivalency, that means that a B-/B is the equivalent of a D, the B/B+ range is a C, the B+/A- range is a B, and the A/A+ range is an A. That said, I was fine with the B+ I got in my second semester- not thrilled, but I doubt it will hold me back to any great degree in the future. Grad school grades don't "really matter" for a terminal program, but I'd worry about them a bit more if you're looking to apply elsewhere. I wouldn't worry overly much about one or two B's, personally- it's your publications/research/letters that will matter far more.

As has been mentioned in other threads, some schools now are in the situation of only being able to give out a funding offer once- they might not be able to transfer the package to another wait-listed student. Some universities have to go to the college/administration for funding for students, and it's competitive between departments. It may be that their first choice students (the ones not wait listed) could be nominated for funding, and it will be too late once it comes time for the wait listed students. That said, I still don't see how even in that scenario it is "unfair"- they are stating what they can and can't do up front. If they have no more funding to give out- or even if they have no more funding they want to give out this admission cycle- that's their choice. It's not "unfair" to you any more than some students receiving fellowships and others not is "unfair". I don't see any problem in asking for funding in the future (should you be accepted from the wait list), I just don't see it as being exceptionally likely that you'll be able to convince them.

Why is it unfair and unreasonable? They have a certain amount of funding, and gave it out. They're saying that if they have the opportunity to take more of you, it will have to be on an unfunded basis. At least they're letting you know ahead of time. You're in English, for which the funding situation is much worse than, say, the STEM fields- I would say it's not a matter of "convincing" the university to fund you, but a matter of them not having any money with which to fund you.

I have a research fellowship (no teaching required), but I'm able to TA on a volunteer basis as I want. In fact, I was told specifically coming in that I would be able to get the relevant teaching experience I needed, if I wanted to go into a more teaching heavy career. I don't think almost any department will turn down someone who wants to teach- the fellowship just gives you some freedom as to when and what you teach, in my opinion.

Hah! Someone down-rated BGK for posting the forum stats? That was... Interesting.

I sent thank-yous everywhere I visited, both to the faculty, admin's and grad students I met. More of a "Thanks for taking the time to meet with me, I really enjoyed talking to you about your research, I found XXX part particularly interesting", etc. More of a way to thank/start a dialogue with them at the same time. Thanks to the grad students for time with you (if they spent it) and the admins for setting things up are also nice.

I usually play it safe in e-mails, even if I'm calling them by their first name in other situations. It doesn't take long to type out, and I've never seen anyone be offended by it.

Math and English seem to more commonly fall under B, with grad students teaching full lecture courses of introductory and/or remedial courses.

Do, however, remember to factor in the headaches and unforseen expenses of buying a house- as well as the really slow sellers market (although that may pick up in 6 years). I wanted to buy a house when I moved, but I decided to hold off until I knew the area well- and now I'm really glad I didn't. When you're putting in 70 hour weeks at school, the last thing you want to have to do is come home and work on the plumbing. Being able to just call the landlord is really nice in these situations.

You would have to re-apply as a transfer student, more than likely. It's possible that there might be some other means (ie, applying for an interdisciplinary PhD between Comp Sci and EE with dual advisors), but to completely switch programs you will have to wait until next year, apply to the EE department, and then transfer. Also note that you would likely need the blessing of the CS department, and they probably won't look to favorably on you applying to their department (and taking up a spot) only to leave after one year.

Reminds me of the NSF Fellowship applications- 3 two page submissions. You do a Personal Statement, a Statement of Past Research, and a Research Proposal. The statement of purpose/personal statement is similar, with you focusing on your background/personal history in the latter, and your research goals/interests in the former.

Well, you get it in the sense you have to report it as income at tax time :-D But yes, practically a post-doc position in the sciences pays 40-50k per year + benefits, as opposed to a grad stipend of 25-30k.