untrachel

I studied at NYU and continue to live in the area/collaborate with profs there so if you have any questions about student housing, the area, etc. I'm happy to answer them. I will say this, NYU is EXTREMELY safe. NYC is not a dangerous city at all when you compare it to places like Glasgow or Baltimore, etc. There are areas of the the city that are dangerous, but as long as youre not in those areas (which you likely won't be as they are nowhere near NYU) youll be safe. I'm born and raised in NYC and have never had a safety issue

So, I haven't attended Duke MEM but I know multiple graduates and I've been working with NGOs and in biological research for a few years now. I can say that MEM has an incredible reputation and that students I've seen graduate from this program do better in terms of finding jobs than students coming from any similar masters program that I've seen thus far. It's reputation is very high, particularly among NGOs and policy organizations in DC where I'd say most people that you meet working there were Duke MEM grads. So if that's what you're into, I'd say you can't go wrong! Also, if you're into GIS work, Duke is a great institution for that with lots of profs doing good work in that field. I will say that for those going on to science PhDs, the duke MEMs don't seem to be so great, and I think that's because the program places an emphasis on working after graduating rather than going on to grad. school so most of the MEMs do a more professional degree than an academic one. I hope this helps

I recently got accepted to a program that I think I will love with a PI that does great work. When I interviewed with him, we had an amazing conversation and really clicked personality-wise. However, he's a very big name and very busy, so I worry that it might be hard to work with him. More worrisome, I've spoken to some other professors since this interview that say that while they don't know from experience, but they've heard that he can be very difficult to work with. That he either loves you or hates you. Now I'm concerned that maybe I just met with him on a good day and that he might actually be quite difficult to work with. He only has two students in my program and they are both first years. They both said that he has been good to work with but they don't really know him well yet. He has three other more advanced students but they're in a different program, so I was never connected to them. Would it be okay for me to reach out to them and if so, is it appropriate to ask them what it is like working with this PI? I'm concerned that it will either get back to him or that they will not answer honestly. Any opinions would be appreciated Thanks

Okay so then I should treat this as an interview, I suppose. I'm applying for a PhD in biology Thanks for the advice, and especially the dress-code recommendation.

Hi I was invited by two universities to come for 2-3 days for campus tours, meeting professors, city tours and a party. They didn't describe it as an interview, they just made it sound like a meet & greet sort of thing. Should I treat this like essentially a multi-day informal interview? I haven't been told that I am accepted, so I have to assume that this is part of the decision making process, no? Has anyone gone to one of these sorts of things before? If so, what was it like? Most importantly, I have no idea what to wear! I'm a field biologist so I basically live in hiking boots, hiking pants and a t-shirt. I'm guessing I should wear something fancier so I need to buy clothes. Can anyone recommend what sort of clothing a woman should wear to these sorts of things? I don't want to buy something too casual but I also don't want to appear to stilted and business-like. Thanks a lot for your advice! Cheers