plasticities

Yes, I am! I'd rather not say where I'm going, but it's certainly far away from here. And cheaper...

And Portage isn't bad. Traffic can be a bit much at times, but I definitely think it's possible on a grad student schedule.

If you're willing to drive a little further, look into Gull Lake. Stay away from Concord Place and pretty much all of the apartments on the eastern corner of KL and Drake. The apartments on W Main are much quieter than those a little closer to campus.

So is it safe to assume that everyone has a "home" for next fall?

I was considering it until I saw there is no "partial" participation. I have a prior engagement the weekend that it occurs over. So unless you get the weekend off, I can't attend. It's a shame--it looks like a great program.

To answer your questions: - It was my impression that mostly international students lived in the campus apartments/dorms. Rent is pretty cheap, but stay away from the big complexes (like Copper Beach). They tend to cater to undergrads and have a lot of drunken, useless, crime. The "student ghetto" isn't bad, but usually best to stay away from there, too. - It is necessary to have a car. The bus system is horribly unreliable and has very limited hours. Parking can suck at times, but as long as you're not running extremely late, it's doable. Parking permits are expensive, too, so that might be something to consider. There isn't much walk-able housing that isn't exclusively undergrads either. - Getting residency is pretty easy. If I remember correctly, you have to prove that you were residing in the state for a year or two. I didn't even change over my license or registration from my home state. I just provided pay stubs and rent receipts for the two years. Overall, it's a nice little town, not the greatest, but nice. If you have time to go out on the weekends, there are a bunch of nice breweries and bars. There's a really swanky cocktail bar/restaurant that used to (not sure if it does) do $4 martini Thursdays. Top shelf. It was amazing. The "food scene" is also really great. The school of music's jazz program is phenomenal and they do a lot of shows downtown, so if you're into that sort of thing, there's always something to do.

Any advice for turning down offers? Particularly with a university with which you have been corresponding? It came down to school A and B and I've been emailing back and forth with both, but decided on school A. I don't want it to seem like I was simply "leading them on," especially since I'd still like to work with one professor in the future (they're in my subfield).

Harvard rejections ARE up. I missed the small "a decision has been made" link. I never thought I'd be so excited for a rejection! I'm accepting my top choice now

So it's looking like Harvard has sent out rejections to other programs within the GSAS. I checked my status and it still says "submitted" -- is this the case for everyone who applied but hasn't heard from them? Even though I know I've been rejected, I still want the official rejection so I can accept my top offer and turn down the others!

I THINK someone I spoke to in an interview mentioned they had already been accepted to SUNY Stony Brook, but that might have been ethno. This was over a month ago and I am not too certain.

Congratulations! I'm happy to hear that something worked out for you. Not getting in anywhere was my biggest fear.

Is there an etiquette for receiving a form letter acceptance? Should I be emailing someone in the department to acknowledge being accepted, or should I just wait until they contact me about funding? (they said it would be "soon")

Congratulations!

Has anyone seen the Carnegie Mellon screw up? That's my worst nightmare! I heard that happened at the University of Michigan a few years ago with a few performance areas, too. Whatever rejections will inevitably come in this week for me, I'll be thankful that (hopefully) won't happen.

Thanks, though I'm assuming no news is bad news. Everyone I asked about the interview was kind of surprised, too. I don't how many "finalists" they pick for interviews. Does anyone have any idea?