.letmeinplz//

No one said it was a crime, and it isn't rhetoric. If someone wants a safety school it is because if they don't get into their t1 school they would still like to go pursue their studies anyway. So while [Top 10 private school] would be great, [Top 50 public school] would be great too. Not [MIT or nothing]. OP didn't say the safety school wasn't for them or that their interests changed. They said they still believed they could get into their top school. As I said, if that is your one and only goal, stop wasting time/effort/money on schools you find unacceptable and focus only on the schools you want to attend. Make your application better for those specific schools.

I only applied to schools I would be happy to attend. If I ever thought an acceptance from a school was unacceptable to me I wouldn't have wasted the time/money/effort (and the same goes for my LOR writers as far as time/effort goes) applying. So I guess the question is, when you applied to this school was it because you wanted to go there? If you don't want to go there then don't, but you should probably realize for next season that if you don't intend on going to a school you shouldn't apply to go to that school.

There are lots of free GRE guides/tests/help too, you just have to look for them. That way you don't have to invest tons of money you don't have while still being able to prep. Also if the GRE is very expensive/completely illogical for you, why not stay in your country/nearby countries and go to university there? Do universities in your country require the GRE as well or do they have different requirements for admissions?

So you have a choice... Department politics, bitter people, and lack of support OR Department politics, bitter people, and lack of support The world outside academics isn't better.

Thanks for your service (my father is a Lt. Col. in the USAF so the military has always been important to me). As far as prepping... For your GRE, try to get on a study plan (I used magoosh mostly but also bought a bunch of different GRE books from Amazon) and get materials that work best for you. Magoosh makes a good point in that the GRE most of all tests your ability to take the GRE. So the more you deal with it the better you will do on test day. And obviously your work experience sets you apart from most, but I have no experience in IR so I can't speak on any of that.

I miss Rilo Kiley

It is pretty expensive though. A buddy of mine works for Amazon up there and pays the same per month for his rental as I do mine. I live in a 3 bedroom townhouse, he lives in a tiny apartment. Lots of coffee up there though. That is always good.

I like Joanna Newsom a lot, but my girlfriend doesn't like her at all so I have to listen to her in secret...

There is belief that your recommenders will not be completely forthcoming in your LORs if you do not waive. It would be awkward if your LOR writer wrote you a negative/mediocre letter and you could read it. Since you should only be asking professors for "good" letters of recommendation that shouldn't happen anyway, but the letters being confidential just give them more weight in the eyes of admissions. Think of it this way... If you were asked to give an accurate analysis of a friend, do you think you could be more honest with them in the same room listening over your shoulder or with them in a different room where they couldn't hear you?

UW is a better school for that field, how would career opportunities be better? Also if he rejects their acceptance and then applies 1.5 years later to the same program and degree he rejected I doubt they aren't going to remember him.

How do you know someone does crossfit? Don't worry, they'll tell you

I like you Crucial BBQ. I'd give you an upvote but grad cafe won't let me today. It does seem like a lot of posts here like to reference prestige over all else. I really don't think that is the healthy way to decide your future. My BS isn't from Joe's Podunk Hick College of the Sticks, but it probably seems that way to most people. Yet I work side by side with a lot of people who went to a top 10 school for a company that is leading their industry (it is a big industry too). They only really care about what you can do today and what you will do tomorrow, not where you came from 5 years ago.

The thread which you are currently replying went as so... 1) OP said if you aren't TT you aren't worth anything 2) I stated (generally a non-quoted reply is aimed at the OP) that it was ok, my reason for wanting a PhD is because I want to do research in my field, not because I want to be TT. 3) Someone agreed. 4) You got sassy and echoed OP's sentiment of "if you aren't tenured you are nothing". Also something about academics being the only ones able to make an impact on a field of study which is a little crazy but ok. 5) I replied that companies (like Google) do research and require PhDs. 6) You pull some random statement about low-ranked universities working at Google. Not sure I have to elaborate more on that, but ok... If someone wants a PhD because they love the field and want to do research in the field. What do you care if they end up tenured or not? It is their life and they want to study/research what they love. That is great and has nothing to do with you. We could all head on over to the English subforum (just picking on you guys, much love) and tell them they are crazy for investing any amount of money in an english degree, but guess what? It is their decision. Whatever reason they had when they decided to go for their degree is their own. Your opinion on if it is a waste of time is just your opinion. I'm thinking their own opinion matters more to them than yours does.

I'm sure, I will tell Google that you said their "for PhDs only" research position listings are dumb because the reasons you listed here. I am sure they will take your advice.

This is the same guy who said Harvard was better than CMU in computer science (ML) because Harvard is more well known in a general sense. I believe the "ivy" status of Princeton is what attracts him to it over UW, and if that is more important to him than the actual program itself then he knows his choice already.

Several school systems have automated emails to get you to change your password as lore said (OSU even forces it I believe).

A Battle Royale with cheese

While a TT professorship would be awesome, I'd be completely ecstatic to get a research job at MS, Google, Amazon, etc. I'm not afraid of not getting what is considered the ultimate goal of a PhD, because it isn't the reason I want one. I want to do research in computer science. <- Period. If it is as a professor, awesome, if it isn't? That is awesome too.

You mean some guy with a mustache putting a watermelon on his desk and hitting it with a hammer during a lecture on computer networks isn't normal?

I think that would be a good experiment to learn about real human behavior, I know ethics is an issue for psychology these days though. Maybe studying the effects of being stuck in a war-torn country (like Syria or Iraq right now) would have similar implications. Or maybe use mice since apparently scientists can do anything to them and not draw ethics complaints. Also what do you know what they call the Hunger Games in Paris?

Try looking at the schools you applied to on results search and see when wait listed people got notified. It isn't easy because results search doesn't have unique ids that let you follow a person's result journey but sometimes people will comment their rejection or acceptance was off the wait list.

You can always work at companies like Google or Honeywell as a researcher in ME but since you don't like research... You could leverage your PhD for senior level positions -> leadership to make the big monies but MS + experience could offer you the same. I want to go to graduate school (hopefully MS then convert to PhD) because I want to do research, I'm not sure what you should do when you don't like research though.

My highschool friend's mom always said our hockey bags smelled like Fritos (hard to wash hockey pads so they just kind of sat in the bags all season). So I can't eat Fritos anymore.

So does everyone cite Newton for gravity?

Nature Valley you say?