hakandoga

Thanks a lot for your response rising_star, I mean I have also never heard of such a thing. It is so ridiculous that I also don't know what to do. If things don't work out, do you thing there something that can be done legally? Because there are documents with my friends name, signed by the DGS.

Hello friends and congratulations on everyone accepted and good luck for everyone still waiting! I know how painful this whole process is and I wanted to write here, because one of my friends had a situation with a Sociology department and I think people here might have a good idea about what to do. Even though I posted the same thing on questions part of the forum, I believe writing here will be more helpful. So here is the situation ; Hello my fellow grad school enthusiasts, I am writing here to ask your opinion about a situation that my friends is currently experiencing and she honestly doesn't know what to do. Shortly, she applied to a Phd program in Sociology, in University of Binghamton. Firstly, they asked her to check to website and it was written that she was rejected. But the very same day, she recieved an email from the secretary that there was an "administrative glitch" and she was accepted with partial funding. As any candidate would do, she said it is not possible to afford the tuition and everything as an international student and asked them to inform her if anything changes about funding. About 10 days ago, she recieved this emal from the department with admission offer letter, full TAship, tuition waiver and all official documents with signatures of the director of graduate studies. Just yesterday, she signed the documents and sent them back and today, she recieved another email from the director if graduate studies telling her it is another "administrative glitch" that she still has partial funding. In the meantime, my friend planned everything according to this acceptance, buying plane tickets, looking for an apartment in the city etc. I am just wondering if anyone else experienced sth like this and if there's anything that can be done legally? Thanks a lot for your answers and I really appreciate your comments and suggestions on the issue.

Hello my fellow grad school enthusiasts, I am writing here to ask your opinion about a situation that my friends is currently experiencing and she honestly doesn't know what to do. Shortly, she applied to a Phd program in Sociology, in University of Binghamton. Firstly, they asked her to check to website and it was written that she was rejected. But the very same day, she recieved an email from the secretary that there was an "administrative glitch" and she was accepted with partial funding. As any candidate would do, she said it is not possible to afford the tuition and everything as an international student and asked them to inform her if anything changes about funding. About 10 days ago, she recieved this emal from the department with admission offer letter, full TAship, tuition waiver and all official documents with signatures of the director of graduate studies. Just yesterday, she signed the documents and sent them back and today, she recieved another email from the director if graduate studies telling her it is another "administrative glitch" that she still has partial funding. In the meantime, my friend planned everything according to this acceptance, buying plane tickets, looking for an apartment in the city etc. I am just wondering if anyone else experienced sth like this and if there's anything that can be done legally? Thanks a lot for your answers and I really appreciate your comments and suggestions on the issue.

Hi RJQ, My research area is Knot Theory as well, and I will start my Phd in University at Buffalo this fall. I am not sure in which particular area of Knot theory you are interested in, but Buffalo is one of the good schools. Of course there are better options. If you are interested in 4-manifold theory, Kirby calculus and stuff like that, I would suggest MSU (I don't want to refer to top schools, but of course in Princeton, Berkeley there are wonderful scholars in this area). Indiana (Bloomington) is also a good school. Charles Livingston is there, I think you might have heard of him. I am not sure if he is accepting new grad students any more, but they have a strong topology community over there. Recently, I also know that Louisiana State University is also gathering a topology community (especially low dimensional topology, including knot theory). It is not a top school, but as far as I know, they are building a community to conduct research in these fields. Brandeis is a smaller school with great funding opportunities. Also I believe it is one of the best. This is the school Levine used to teach! I know only the chair Ruberman, he is doing Gauge Theory which is quite popular in the area (specifically in 4-manifolds). If you consider going to Europe, I can suggest my former school (where I did my master's) Central European University, in Budapest. It is not that known in USA, but it is accredited by SUNY, and all scholars are from USA: The best part is that life is cheap and they have a good tradition in math (Erdös, Lovasz, Fejer etc.) especially in combinatorics and number theory. The program is coordinated with Alfred Renyi Institute and you can check Andras Stipsicz if you want to work in Knot Theory (he was my supervisor). Besides this one, you can check some schools in Scotland. I know Brendan Owens from University of Glasgow working on knot theory, he is a really good scholar. I had many other schools in mind, but I can not remember them now. I hope this helps and good luck!

Thanks, I did not know that domestic flights are not expensive, thanks ((: One more question, for the first couple of days, I will need a place to stay until I can find a flat. Does anyone know any cheap hostels, hotels in the area? Especially some place close to Main Street?

Hello everyone, I will be attending UB next fall as well, in math department. Would you have any suggestions before moving there except for bringing the thickest and warmest clothes I have? I am really concerned about going to Buffalo from JFK. I am thiking about this Greyhound, but I tried it when I was in US 3-4 years ago and it was a painful experience. Does anyone know a better option? Hope to meet you all in this September ((:

Hey, Thanks for the advice, it is appreciated. I still don't know what to do. I do not have a car and it is unlikely that I will have one. Everyone says from South to North campus, shuttle is really useful. I will be there around 20th of August, and I am planning to find a flat before my arrival. I will check this off-campus housing web site Buffalo has. Also I do not wish to live in a crowded flat (not more than 3 people). Can I ask about heating? I heard that it is extremely cold over there. Should I really check the houses where heating is included? I am not a big biker, but do you think it would be possible bike to the North from Amherst without getting frozen? Thanks!

Hello everyone, I have been through all the pages and thanks for the info form all the users! I am also accepted to the Phd program in Math department and I am thinking about accepting it. Recently, I have started looking for the housing options, and I still can not make up my mind. Department is in the North Campus and everyone posted that it is really far(I will rely on public transport also). I will be a grad student but I like to go out and get a beer in the evening most of the time. Also I'd be happy about easy access to the transportation. So I am kinda sceptical about Elmwood and Allentown. I also understood that getting to North campus from South is kind of easier. So which areas would you recommend for a mathematician ((: in South campus area? As i said, I would be happy to go out and grab a beer from time to time with friends, so this is a quite important criterion for me ((: One more question about getting to Buffalo, I will be flying to US since i am an international student. The last time I have been to US I had to go to south states, I went to JFK and took the bus Greyhound from New York. So what would be the most efficient and cheapest option to get to Buffalo? Going to JFK and taking another flight from there, taking the train or the bus? I'd appreciate any suggestion!

Hello, I have just seen the topic, I also applied to UMass for phd in Math, but I haven't recieved any news from them yet. May I ask where did you see those results, or are the ones recieved the results international students or US?