tulips

I heard from a friend (who asked the housing office) that after the first round, all spots are filled. And that the spots for the second round are basically from if people drop out from housing who got a spot during the first round (if that makes sense). I am really surprised at how many incoming first years did not get housing during the first round. I thought first years were guaranteed on-campus housing.

Does anyone know how long it takes for them to approve a Fellowship Status Change Request for changing the institution (since I will be attending a different one than the one I put on my application)?

Thank you for all your input! Applemiu: Yes, I visited Stanford last month, and I agree that it is an amazing place! I am leaning towards Stanford now. However, I am a bit disheartened because I had sent an email to my first choice faculty member at Stanford about a week ago and still no reply. I understand that faculty can be very busy, but it still makes me think that perhaps they are not as interested in me as I am in them. :/

Thank you both for your input! Argon - I'm interested in the bio side of chemical engineering. I guess my main worry about Stanford is that there really only is one faculty member who research/lab/attitude I'm really excited about (though, yes, there are a few others who I am interested in to a lesser extent, but either their research isn't exactly in the realm I'm interested in or I'm not sure if I would want them to be my advisor in terms of advising style/personality). And I feel like that might be a deal breaker because I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket. Though Stanford does have a rotational program, so it is possible that I may find someone else I am more interested in during my first two quarters there. But right now, I'm hesitant. I've been told numerous times (before applying and after) that I should try to have at least 2-3 or more faculty members I can truly see myself working with before committing to that program since I'm not guaranteed to be paired with that advisor.

I got it!!! E/VG VG/VG E/E

I think I'm going to go watch a few episodes of the Blacklist to distract me for the next few hours. Or any other good Netflix show suggestions?

In an effort to get some work done tonight, I turn off my laptop ...and promptly go to GradCafe on my phone. Cheers, everyone! May the odds be ever in your favor!

True, true. Let's hope they stay consistent. I think I need to ban myself from the internet for the next few hours so I don't drive myself crazy checking here/email/FastLane.

Since they apparently said "within two days" when someone inquired earlier today, I'm more inclined to think it'll be released tomorrow night.

I was fortunate to be accepted to two spectacular PhD programs (MIT and Stanford), both fully funded, and I honestly have no idea what I'm going to end up deciding on in two-ish weeks. I never thought that I would get accepted to both (even one!) of the schools, so I never fathomed that I would have to make such a decision. I visited both schools and I really liked both of them. Here are my thoughts (and I'd love to hear yours): MIT has a large department (a.k.a. numerous faculty in the area I am interested in) and amazing research that I can be excited about. I like how it's in the Boston/Cambridge area, and that there are so many things to do within walking distance. However, I don't really think I'm really a big city type of person (I've only ever lived in medium to small cities/towns), so I'm not sure if I'd like that aspect of Boston/Cambridge. I also didn't really feel a sense of a "community" among the grad students or faculty. Most everyone I've talked to works extremely long hours in the lab -- BUT they seem to enjoy it and (from what they say) do it of their own free will because they're excited about their research rather than being pressured from faculty/peers. It sounded like finding housing would be difficult, even with on-campus housing (which they can only guarantee for the first year, and it didn't look very appealing when I visited the on-campus housing options). They also have this program (Practice School) which sounds like a really great opportunity to get some hands on experience in industry. MIT would also be "closer" to family (as in, in the same time zone). Stanford, on the other hand, has a much smaller department (a.k.a. only a couple faculty whose research I am excited about and who I can see myself working with). But this can also be good because I felt like the faculty and students were more cohesive and more of a community than just coworkers. I feel like I would be happier here (but I can't really know this for sure). The buildings and campus are beautiful, and I can really see myself living here. But Palo Alto seems a bit isolated and like there isn't much to do in walking distance, and as someone without a car and who is used to be able to walk short distances to bars and restaurants, I don't want to feel stranded. It feels like the complete opposite of Boston/Cambridge. Housing is less of an issue here since I believe they offer on-campus housing for the entire time you're a student, and they're more appealing since they're set up more like apartments. The weather is obviously a plus, but I don't really want to base my decision off of that (though it would be nice to be somewhere warm for once!). I also really like that they have a rotational program when choosing an advisor (two 10 week rotations before advisor selection). I also received a fellowship from Stanford that would essentially give me a step up in choosing an advisor (or so they tell me). Apologies for the disorganization of my thoughts haha. I feel like the "smart" choice would be MIT (in terms of such amazing research opportunities), but I fell in love with Stanford when I visited (not that I didn't really like MIT when I visited). I wish I could combine the faculty at MIT and the community of Stanford. I guess it would come down to what I value more, but I'm going to be agonizing over this for the next couple weeks. I know that I can't really go wrong with either program, and it feels petty of me that I'm complaining about not being able to decide between these two amazing places, but I'd appreciate any additional insight you guys can bring. Thank you!

Since so many people are anticipating the release being tonight, I feel like it's going to end up being tomorrow night instead, just so it can torture us some more.

I actually know at least one person that this happened to. He only applied to a few top tier schools and got rejected from all of them but received the GRFP. So he emailed prospective POIs to see if they had a spot in their group, and at least one of them very enthusiastically welcomed him into their lab.

That's terrible. Sounds like Stanford is dropping the ball a little bit. Another story, although this isn't nearly up to the same caliber as what you guys experienced, they completely butchered my name in two different ways in the same email (and my name isn't that difficult to spell). It's a small thing, but it still surprised me that they came off so unprofessional. You would think a top school like them would double check their records (for your cases in particular).

I was accepted to MIT