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Enhydra

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Everything posted by Enhydra

  1. Enhydra

    Seattle, WA

    South Lake Union is an expensive location, geared towards tech salaries.
  2. Enhydra

    Seattle, WA

    Most of the grad students that I know live either in Green Lake/ Phinney Ridge or Ravenna. Capital Hill is a great neighborhood, but pricey. South Lake Union has a lot of new apartments, but they are geared towards Amazon employees. My advice is to look at the bus routes connecting various neighborhoods to the UW and go from there (assuming you'll be taking public transit, as driving and parking are a pain in the ass in Seattle). For future planning, the light rail system is being extended to connect to campus, which should open up in 2016 or so.
  3. Thank you! It feels really good. Just make sure to bundle up. Did he give you any indication when you'd hear back? I'm the same way. I *hate* talking on the phone.
  4. I think the distinction in my mind was that nerds were people into nerdy pop-culture, e.g. comic books, gaming, etc, while geeks were people who were really passionate about a particular subject. I count myself in both camps so I'm not sure where that distinction came from. I received a rejection from one of my top choices this morning--my first one. Surprisingly, when I read the email I felt relief instead of sadness--I think because I knew this place was a long shot and I was afraid of being stuck in waiting list purgatory for months and still being rejected in the end. This way, I know the result and can move forward. It helps that I was accepted to my other top choice, too. And with that result, I think I'm ready to make a final decision! Deciding between the two schools I was accepted at was quite difficult, but after campus visits it was pretty apparent which program was right for me. I still have two schools that I haven't heard from, but at this point I don't think an acceptance from either one would change my mind. Does anyone know the proper procedure for withdrawing an application before the program has sent out results?
  5. Seconding this--I had an acceptance and an interview request land in the junk mail folder.
  6. Here's a study that shows similar results to your experience: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10755-014-9313-4
  7. I've had the same thing happen to me several times, with a Seattle-area number. The calls wer coming from Expedia, not UW. >.<
  8. I would tell her that you are interested in the program but that obviously you can't commit to anything without an official offer.
  9. Agree with what everyone here has said: Go with an open mind.Have a good time, network. It might become your new favorite, it might not. Only way to find out it to go.
  10. It probably won't matter at all, but I would contact the grad school coordinator and explain that one of your letter writers became ill and was unable to send a letter, but that you have more than the minimum required. This way you've alerted them to the reason behind the missing letter, just in case it causes a system hang up or something.
  11. The importance of contacting professors beforehand is quite field-specific. In some fields, it's not important to do so, but in others (like ecology) it can be highly encouraged (or even mandatory at some schools). I really wouldn't worry about it now, though. To help ease your mind I've had two interviews since applications were sent in--one was with a POI I contacted before, but the second was with someone I hadn't reached out to prior (but had mentioned in my SOP).
  12. I would reply to say thanks and that you look forward to hearing from them. The prohibition on emailing them doesn't include responses to their emails. Just keep it short, enthusiastic and professional.
  13. Start with your theme! If you start by saying you are interested in the application of mathematics to compute science, which leads you to several possible research directions, you come across as someone who knows what they want to study (math applied to cs) but still retains some flexibility. It's all in how you phrase it.
  14. Generally it's seen as bad form, especially if the plane tickets have already been paid for. Many people have also reported shifting their school rankings around after visiting each program; what is your top choice now might not be so after going to all the interviews. However, if attending interviews is putting you in a difficult position financially you may have to cut some interviews... It's a difficult predicament. Hopefully some others can chime in with advice!
  15. My husband has been extremely supportive throughout this process. Although we both love the city we live in, he's encouraged me to apply to places all over the country that are a good research fit...as long as the weather isn't terrible. Luckily, we share the same preferences for climate. His career is somewhat flexible, so he should be able to find work in each place I applied. Honestly, I'm only worried about Fairbanks. Edit: We went on a big road trip over the summer to visit a few of the campuses and check out the surrounding towns, so I know we'd be okay with moving to one of those places. If I'm accepted to one of the two schools we didn't visit, we're planning on taking a quick trip there to scope the area out together before deciding.
  16. It won't hurt you because you aren't blowing off anything official. In fact, if anything it should be seen in a positive light--the programs want you to fall in love with Seattle so you'll be more inclined to accept their offer should you be admitted, and having family show you around can help that happen.
  17. Congrats! That's a great feeling... until the waiting anxiety kicks in.
  18. I haven't heard from EEB UC Santa Cruz yet. I'm not sure about the others, as I didn't apply to those programs. Things have been pretty good for me so far (*knock on wood*). The UW interview weekend seemed to go well, so hopefully I will hear good news from them. Additionally, I had a skype interview with a POI at Scripps which resulted in an invite to the open house! I'm super excited. The scary thing is I almost missed this opportunity--the email asking for the initial skype interview ended up in my spam filter.
  19. The Now Habit book was really helpful to me in terms of breaking procrastination habits. Some of the writing is a little cringe-worthy, but the tips and tricks were surprisingly useful.
  20. I *love* coffee, but a lot of places serve shitty coffee. Starbucks, for example. The espresso tastes burnt! Ugh. I recommend trying cold brew some time if you ever get the chance. Because of the extraction process (room temperature for 12-18 hours) the resulting coffee isn't as acidic as other brewing methods. The resulting concentrate can then be used in iced drinks or hot-- just add about a shot of the concentrate and cold or warm water. Very tasty!
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