have2thinkboutit

I agree with juilletmercredi! I think B looks like the least attractive option on paper as it is extremely expensive when considering cost of the course and living costs together. And while being able to work abroad for one summer are definitely a nice feature (fully funded - by you. Through your fees.) I think that looking for a longer paid internship or job (at least a 1 year contract) after you graduate will be lot more feasible (you actually get paid...) and and beneficial for your career. You should be able to network and get necessary info for doing that in any of your programs. Program C seems very good to me as you can finish it in your own time, which means you won't have to depend on loans as much but can afford to work for your living. And you'll like that once you are done. I know I did - I did my MA part time while working (at least part time with extra hours during breaks) and was relieved to have zero debt once I finished. I also like that it focuses exactly on what you want to look at which suggests that professional networking opportunities will be in your area as well. And program A sounds very solid (I like efficiency like that) and feasible in terms of money. And if you can finish the program within 13 months I don't think that the city needs to be a major factor to consider as you'd only have to face one winter. But that's just me

I'm with ttf on this - it will be very difficult for you to get into a PhD program in the US, especially if you want to continue right after finishing you undergrad. Is there any reason why you would not want to graduate with honours and work on a thesis? Because if you have no other research experience (or work experience related to your subject area) it will be very difficult to convince an ad.com. that you are ready to embark on a PhD. I myself am wondering if you know what you are getting into if you are even reluctant (that's what it sounds like, but I may be wrong!) to graduate with honours from you undergrad. Many prospective grad students even get a Masters first in order to increase their chances. Also, bear in mind, that it is generally a bit more difficult for foreign students to get accepted simply because it costs a university a lot more money to support them. As for the UK - I think it's not much different. I am UK educated and I know that it is possible to go into a PhD program straight from undergrad, but (at least in Scotland) this was only ever possible for anyone graduating with honours. All in all I am not saying that it is completely impossible but based on my experience and from what I have learned from others in the past I do think you are really hurting you chances if you take this kind of short cut.

If they are waiving the application fee you could submit it, but I'd ask the same as Jujubea - why do it of there is no fit? Unless there are other themes they are working on you could see yourself become interested in I would not waste their and my time.

Just a few thoughts: 1. You need to have it properly proofread - phrases such as "it pounded me" do not work. 2. Your topic says this is supposed to justify a research grant? I do not know what exactly the grant proposal is asking you to do, but if it really is about JUSTIFICATION then I think your text does not work. You are telling us how you developed an interest in your research area, but how is this relevant to the utilization of grant money? What you are briefly summarizing in the last paragraph seems to be more relevant - unfortunately it is very vague. I would suggest to use your last paragraph as your starting point and give specific examples of how the grant would benefit your research. You say it would allow you to gain essential research experience - well, that's what it's supposed to do - tell the reader what this essential research experience is (talk about your research proposal, the topic you are going to study; show why it is an urgent/important topic so that the relevance of funding becomes clear) and how the grant would be applied to gain it (what exactly will you use the money for within your research?). Overall, I would say, be as specific as you can and try to avoid generic phrases like "benefiting me in my future career". Good luck!

Yes to what TakeruK said - I should have been more precise. I also was talking about simply having applied for scholarships - having already received some could definitely be worth talking about. And yes, if the university doesn't ask directly you could absolutely mention it in "extra information". However, I am not sure if simply having applied for outside funding (no guarantee yet) will do anything for your application.

I did not (and would not) do that - you SoP should really be about your proposed research and what qualifies you to do it as well as how the school you are applying to fits into your future. Talking about scholarship that you have applied to seem distracting. Also, the application for usually provides space to speak about that (all mine did) so I'd say, don't waste space on it in your SoP.

Definitely! And yeah, I suppose it's clear that they are all great fits cuz otherwise you'd have never applied there... honestly, just tell them what you've just told me! Thanks! And the same to you too! And yes, I also hope that universal academia will be able to reform itself slowly because the adjunct system (and similar ways of "saving money" in other countries) are not sustainable at all...

Thanks! That really helped me understand! I have actually read a bit about the adjunct system in the US and was APPALLED... so if this is how money is allocated I completely understand why anybody would want to leave. As I will be heading to California for my PhD I am now hoping that the faculty is treated well, not only because I wouldn't want people to leave but also, because it will have a huge affect on the the atmosphere in general and I'd like to that to be good for their and also my benefit.

Congrats on all these offers!!!! As for declining them - I'm not sure if this is the standard, but one of my schools specifically asked me to provide them with info on where I am going on what were the reasons for choosing the other school over them (they had like a small questionnaire as part of their accept/decline procedure) so I'd recommend you to give them as much/little detail as you are comfortable with. I'd say while them may not need to know the school you are going to they probably do appreciate knowing the general factor for choosing a different place (general as in 'even better research fit' or 'great financial support' - something like that). But do make sure you thank your rejected schools for their time etc. - I mean, just make sure you acknowledge their awesomeness as well, in case you will collaborate with them in the future

I'm a bit curious about this - I'm not from the US so this may sound naive, but how come that, despite these assumed money problems, Irvine is still able to fund its' PhD students fully for at least 6 years (as opposed to other schools who will only guarantee funding for e.g. 3 years)? I mean, is the money allocated to prospective students separate to financial research opportunities given to the faculty (hence, they want to leave the U of CA system)? From what I can see money is quite tight pretty much anywhere in academia and the job market seems to be extremely competitive across the US (and in many other countries as well). As for being stranded if your POI left - I honestly think that can happen anywhere at any time for a variety of reasons. Personally, I made sure that there were several faculty available within my research area and while nobody can replace a great working relationship with your POI (who may be THE expert while it would take 2 or 3 different people to cover all aspects)I do think/hope that there is more that one faculty there to support you in finishing your research and achieving your goal of a PhD without too much pain.

Tachiyaky, I was wondering about the same as you but from what I have found out it is actually enough to live on (I'm basing that on cross-checking multiple sites, scouting different forums, etc.). But when I say it's enough, I mean, it really is just enough. The grad housing options are what can make this amount of money work rather well, it seems. But that is if you are happy to live with roommates (which is something you'd probably have to do off-campus as well...

I don't now what discipline you are in so I am not sure this applies to you - but some programs do not require you to complete 5 years on campus. This may be more common for European or Australian/NZ universities, but many of the schools I know there only require you to be there for the 1st of three years. Your fieldwork as well as your writing period can be done anyplace you like. I know that this is different for people working within a lab, so this may not apply to you. Also, the American/Canadian system is different so I suppose even if they had similar regulations you would still have to be away for at least 2 years out of 5. However, don't forget that there is a long summer break that you could use to your advantage (look for researchships etc. in you hometown/region!) as well as some other breaks. I don't know how old your kids so that can change this whole scenario again (5 vs 15... big difference!). Like other have said, you can only make this decision with your husband! But I would seriously consider an offer that you must have worked for very hard! And this acceptance should not come as a surprise to your husband - again, you never mentioned how he feels about it, but I'd say ask him, discuss this situation with him, think about the possibilities and the improbabilities and go from there... Good luck with this tough decision!

It is not unreasonable to feel passionate about different areas of research - but I wonder how much you actually know about these fields and their sub-fields and themes within those sub-fields. What have you studied, where have you worked and what else have you done to give you the skills and experience to work in one (never mind ALL) of these disciplines? I also wonder how much you know about graduate school and the actual process of working towards a PhD. A graduate research project entails years of work on a very specific, focuses, narrow (I'm sure you are getting my drift...) topic that can be interdisciplinary but not in the way you are suggesting - it's all about depths, not width. Last but not least I wonder about your ability to start any research project when you seem to lack the stamina to even look for schools that may offer the courses you say you are looking for... I strongly suggest you take 5 steps back and start at the beginning of the application process - figure out why you want to do a PhD, what you want to research and then go from there.

You may wanna ask Google for help - after putting some serious thought into what it actually is you want to research.. I mean, seriously????

I agree with everything that has been said so far - the most important thing is that there is SOMEBODY there that you click with and that person doesn't necessarily have to be in your cohort. Having said that, I would still be reluctant to go with this school: It just doesn't sound comfortable... and while doing my MA my cohort was very diverse and I was grateful for that because I felt that this difference in experience and also our age difference (between 20 and early 30s) really benefited our work in terms of knowledge, experience and perspectives. So just like you I do value variety... In the end, however, I do agree with others who have spoken up in that it is difficult to know others from meeting up just once so there may some very pleasant surprises there. As you can see - it's all relative and you probably wont know until you're there.

I suppose that this is a very personal choice. Based on my experience on-campus housing makes a lot of sense for the first year, especially for an international student (well, probably most people who are not from that region) - when I moved back to the UK for my MA they had not room available and looking for a room in town was actually not that easy: I didn't know which areas are "good" (safe, good public transport, close to stores... though Google can help there) It's just soooo convenient because the college will take care of it and all you have to do is - arrive... people were reluctant to rent to me without meeting me which means I had to spend the first week in a hostel and frantically look for a place (at the same time, it turned out to be REALLY important to look at these places because there were quite a few I was not willing to live in!) The deposit required for most places was a lot and, again, landlords wouldn't want to commit to me without and there was no way I'd send money to some unknown entity Living on campus when you are new to the area really helps with socializing and getting to know fellow grads It's often cheaper (depending on the location) and a lot more convenient (you might end up next to the library) Some of these may be a British phenomenon but I am definitely opting for on-campus housing for when I start in September! Once I am all settled and familiar with the place I will probably move off-campus, because: I get to choose the people I live with I get to have a say in what I want/don't want in my place WASHING MACHINES! I get to live in an area that suits my personality (student life is great, but having my own non-school space will help keep me balanced) Basically, I can make whichever place I stay at "my own" So ask yourself - who are you? What are your wants and needs? And would you be able to/ could you afford to arrive early enough to sort out off-campus living? If you think that off-campus housing will be better for you in the long run check with your school. A lot of places offer 3 months or 6 months tenancy agreements which would buy you some time to situate yourself.

I agree with Between Fields. I think that the Italian Master sounds more intriguing in terms of providing you with more depths in a particular area. I also think that being in Italy for part of the program will really give you an individual angle and the opportunity to work on your language skills - something that I'm sure will be deeply appreciated once you apply for PhD programs. I'm basing this on my own experience, as I have an MA in Visual Anthropology which is a rather specific/"narrow" sub-field but has been very beneficial to me in terms of grad school applications. Most of the POIs I've been talking to were very excited about the possibilities that arise from this particular angle when looking at the topic/geographical area that I will be working in and I feel that it really helped to strengthen my own position (in terms of theoretical/methodological approaches) and made my application very competitive (so yes, I'm going to grad school! Whohooo!). I'm not saying that Dartmouth wouldn't be an excellent choice - I'm sure the program is amazing and would also open many doors for you. I can just tell you that when I read your post I felt like "yes, the program at Georgetown seems to offer so much [more]" and if Italian literature/culture is something you are passionate about I think going there can give you a very good edge.

I actually have no clue as to whether DePaul is as reputable or not. All I wanted to say is - I think you have already made your decision. You love Brandeis, you think it's a better fit and you say that it would really help you getting into the PhD program of your choice. So I'd say, go for it! Sounds like you'll be very happy there!

It's not secret it's just... European I suppose it's just not as well known in North America. In Europe pretty much every student knows about the different programs and many of my fellow students at former universities would participate in one of them. And they were all very happy about it! I never did, the reason being that I was studying abroad anyway and my school gave me the option to "study abroad" in my home country about 60 miles from my parents place - I felt like it sort of defeated the purpose.. But it seems like a great option and nobody I ever talked to was unhappy about joining their programs. So good luck to you! I'm sure you'll love it!

Congrats on your choice of Notre Dame, first of all... As for the funding, it's not really about who you should believe. Just call/email them to make sure you are signing of on the correct (best!) offer for you!

I'd also recommend Cornell for all of the reasons mentioned already - new opportunities, new people to work with, new angles to explore... I think that, professionally as well as personally, you can only grow there!

I'd take the one with better funding. Like others have already pointed out - in the long run your focus should be your research and all the experience that comes with it. Worrying about finances may be very distracting. And in the end it's not the name of the school that gets you a job (though it will probably help!) but your experience and how well you did in whichever school you went to.

The question I have for you is this - what has changed your mind about these 2 schools that made them rather undesirable to you between the application and now? Did you visit them and felt uncomfortable about something or figured that the people there may not be the right "fit" for you to work with? I'm asking because I think there must have been something great about them for you to apply in the first place and it might be a good idea to think about these things again. Whatever your reasons are - if you cannot see yourself working there for at least 5 years, it may be wiser to reapply next year. And looking at the things you have accomplished I think that you have a lot going for you! Of course, there is no guarantee you'll get in anywhere next time around, but I do think that fit matters a lot and you don't want to be at a place that is making you feel miserable. You may want to visit these 2 schools (if you can and haven't already done so) in order to see how comfortable you would be there. Because sometimes things may look good on paper (like a top-tier school) but turn out to be not the best choice for you. And other times you may feel kinda 'blah' about something before you see it up close and realize it's the best thing ever. And remember that this is a long-term commitment and that it's mainly up to YOU how you shape your experiences wherever you end up going! I hope you'll make the best choice for yourself! Good luck!

I would definitely let professor 'x' know about your decision, simply because it is polite and will show your respect to him/her. S/he knows that you are likely to have more than one offer but that you can obviously only accept one. As s/he is collaborating with your preferred professor s/he surely has a high opinion if his work and will be happy for you to work with this other person. Also, as these two are collaborating chances are you will meet him/her eventually and, perhaps, even work with him/her! Writing this message will surely be seen as considerate and professor 'x' will probably appreciate the gesture. As for what you could say - just be honest and tell them that another program is the better overall fit for you at this point in time, but thank him/her for their consideration. If you have spoken to professor 'x' before, you can obviously be a bit more open and personal about the situation. Congrats to having several offers!

I doubt you hurt other students' chances by applying to several schools - in most cases there are waitlisted students who will be offered a place once others decline their offers. Universities are well aware and prepared for the fact that prospective students may have multiple offers. I do think it's good though, to withdraw your applications to other places once you have decided where you will be going as it makes the process more efficient for these places.