ucdude
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Posts posted by ucdude
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As in, what are some things you're doing before you admit?
I don't know if I should be browsing housing already, or things like that, planning for the future....but I just don't know how to finalize my decision
School A
- has a better feel
- has better research for me, I believe
- has a better environment for me to succeed in (I'm worried about being in a small college town...versus a city, theres Meetup, I can go out of my way and make friends if I can't within my program for whatever reason)
- I am in contact with two professors of the three I am interested in. I am reading their research, trying to understand what I might be doing in their group.
School B
- has a better research according to my PI (I told him I'm planning on going to A or B and he said that B is a better program)
- was a lot more inviting/friendlier, but I didnt enjoy myself on Visitation weekend, socially wise. Just didnt seem like I fit in as much.
- pays slightly better, and is slightly cheaper to live in than school A....although both A and B will be cheaper than how I am living now, I think.
- I am in contact with one professor, and another professor seemed to recruit me but I am not in contact with them (haven't gotten around to it // mainly because I feel I am not going there). I am not so interested in reading their research, although I suppose I should...
I don't know what I can possibly do to make myself feel happy with a decision. That I will have no doubts. So how are you finalizing / did you finalize your decision, and leave no doubts in your mind that you made the correct choice?
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@ Eigen, Sorry for a possible dumb question, but why is research dollars per grad student important? My instinct tells me that its more qualitative than anything, as if the per capita funding is 0 lets say, then that means all your money is funded through TA'ing or scholarships...perhaps I am looking at it wrong.
@ Rising_star,
Summer funding is important, but does that come from the specific PI or from the graduate department itself? From my understanding (very little understanding, at that...) it seems like you get funded from your PI over summer, I thought this was a universal thing. Maybe it's not, as the grad student I work under TA'd during summer...
I also figured that all professors have their named tagged at the end, I thought is just how things work (in the chemistry field)? I always thought it was, in order: Writer, various people that helped, undergrad, professor*.
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@ Eigen - My instinct told me one school was superior over the other in terms of environment and how I felt there, but I'm hoping to quantify things, hoping that the qualifications my instinct gave me match up with the quantifications a simple pro/cons list will give. If both match, then great....if my gut tells me school A while all signs are pointed to school B then I guess I have some more soul/re-searching to do.
@ Eteshoe - thanks
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You should also look at placement statistics and distribution of those that earn a PhD from the programs
How can you find these?
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I made a bit of a list of some basic stuff I thought was important, and things that I thought I should consider.
I made a little excel spreadsheet obviously yet to be completed, and I was wondering if you guys can tell me things you guys are considering that will help be your deciding factor, as it might help us out in the decision process.
# of profs I would like to do research under
Can I start with those (^) profs over summer
# of potential/maybe profs cost of living stipend
How much tuition is covered
Medical insurance coverage
Requirements for PhD Candidacy
Requirements to receive PhD
Average Time Completion of PhD
# of Years Funded and How
There are my factors, not necessarily in order of importance.
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Bump! I'm having a hell of a time comparing these two schools. Any more options?
I saw around here someone said that a poster made some kind of point system to compare schools, and would choose whichever had the highest points. Anyone know this post?
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Are these questions able to be found through either the graduate student coordinator of a program, or the respective websites?
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Take my advice with a grain of salt, but I'd say just wait out the next three weeks or so. If you have other options, keep them open too. If you have no other option then I assume it wouldn't be the worst thing to accept admission, but I would personally wait until visitation weekend. Why? You might have a different feel of the school. A professor might not seem like the right choice. Another's research is different than what you've seen, as that is his past work, perhaps. A lot of things can come up that might change your mind or leave you wondering if its the right place.
I'd say hold on for a few weeks!
- rainbowpink, doyleowl and MathCat
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Can you link this post? I think that has a lot of potential for me, but I don't know how to even assign values to arbitrary things.
You mention the location of A is expensive. Will your funding cover all of your costs or will you need to take out a loan or use some of your own money to make ends meet? If school doesn't give you enough money and school B does, I'd lean towards school B. If funding for school A is sufficient, I'd lean towards B.
It really is a close call though. A lot will depend on where your priorities lie. I saw someone on the forum resolve this problem by creating a score sheet for each school. He attributed a value for each category based on how important it was to him and graded each school on its pros and cons. His decision was made by counting up the points and picking the winning school. If you really cannot decide, perhaps you would find this system helpful too.
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I have some questions that can help start up this thread. Just list questions you are asking yourselves to decide between schools.
- # of profs I would like to do research under
o Can I start with them in the summer?
- # of profs I would be willing to do research under
- Cost of living
- Stipend
- Tuition covered?
- Medical insurance?
- Requirements to reach PhD candidacy
- Requirements to receive PhD (Defend thesis?)
I'm trying to make the best possible list for me to choose between two schools, and am thinking we can all help each other.
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(Where) can you live comfortably on a ~20k salary?
Are there any apartment complexes that offer pre-furnished apartments? If so, what are they called and what is their rent? I'm looking/hoping to get a one bed apartment, I don't know how much they typically run for.
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What is life like in College Station? I've never been to Texas, so I have no idea what to expect of College Station/Bryan
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How exactly do you see the funding of a professor? I'm guessing # of publications is somewhat indicative of funding, and you can find how many publications they are a part of on something like scifinder...
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I dont know if this is the right place to put this at all, but the more I start to think about grad school, the happier and more anxious I am. And not the good anxious, the bad one. I have gotten good grades but for some reason I feel like none of that reflects my intelligence or wisdom. I feel so happy that I've been accepted into two top programs in my field, but at the same time - anxious, because that means I will have to perform up to par, or better. And I dont think I am.
A lot of these feelings of academic inadequacy are probably shared by at least a few of you here - so....how do you guys deal with them? How do you guys deal with the imposter syndrome? Google chrome for some reason doesnt think imposter is a word, so maybe I shouldn't either
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I'm still waiting on UIUC and Cornell. Does anyone have info on whether they're done yet?
Based on the fact that so many got accepted into UIUC already (seen on the results page, and on here), I doubt there is any more spots, which is a bummer. :/
It also seems like they stopped giving out acceptances, iirc the last acceptance was a couple weeks ago
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I got a response from UC Berkeley - they said that they don't have the information yet but almost all admissions offers have gone out (they'll take at most 1 or 2 more people). All application statuses will be announced by the end of February or even before the end of February. MIT hasn't replied yet.
So you're telling me a chance?
Haha.What did you ask them? I should do this for all schools, ask if the majority of their decisions have gone out. I mean it's not even the end of January and apparently Cal is out of admission offers. Dang. That's fast.
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My unofficial admission hasn't turned into an official admission. Application still in review according to my application status. No information on their financial aid / stipend. Clearly I am not admitted and this is all just a misunderstanding right?
But in all seriousness, my mind was playing some serious games with me, with the above information. Then I realized there's no point in worrying until I have a reason to worry.
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Not sure, if your app was in a few weeks ahead you might be okay. I submitted mine on Thanksgiving, but my last LOR wasn't submitted until Dec 7th. For some reason my CV didn't get attached so the admin emailed me to attach it on Dec 11. I heard back Dec 16th but I was in contact with a POI before submitting it so I think that might have helped. Best of Luck!!
Thanks! Cya in Austin in a few weeks!
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If the majority of deadlines for priority decisions are due Dec 15, and I submitted the application say on the 1st, will my application still be priority if my transcripts and Letter of Rec's didnt arrive until say like December 22nd or so, or even later?
Because if thats true I feel like I just wasted a lot of time and effort getting them in early, all for naught.
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Not sure about Washington or Cal, but I dont think UIUC isn't done. Based on what some other's have posted, UIUC is admitting in order apps were submitted and a couple hundred people submitted on the deadline. I talked to a prof there and she said they usually get 600 apps and admit about 200 of those. So I think you still have time.
If I submitted my application a couple weeks before deadlines, but transcripts/LoRs werent finished until like Christmas time, does that leave me at the very end of the line? :/ meaning, I will probably have to wait until Feb/March to hear anything? This is the case for most schools. I think I lost my priority status, which kinda sucks.
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My friends thought this isnt so much about making sure I am a good fit, but that there is a possibility that the financial aid package is bad, or sub-par, and thats why they are waiting till I go to visitation weekend before I get an official acceptance. Does this make more sense to you guys? It does for me. Unfortunately it also made me realize that the 1 school I did get into (out o the 9 I applied to), has a decent chance to not have a good package.
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Is it safe to say UIUC isnt giving out any more admission offers? What about UWashington? Cal?
edit - obviously there could be some exceptions, but I mean - are the bulk majority already handed out?
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does anyone know when UCSB and UIUC admit the bulk of their applicants by? those are the two I am hoping to hear back from, soon!
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Yikes. Okay, well I dont think I have to worry about that. All I would worry about is coming off too stiff in interviews (as in shy, nervous, etc.) I'm not sexist, racist, or a creep, and I am obviously who I say I am on my application....so I dont really have anything to worry about?
They didn't say anything about formal interviews, but I believe that I will meet with professors that are of my interest. Realizing this now, my friends said that they think that the admissions package isnt much, and thats why they won't tell you what you are getting for aid until you visit.
UT Austin 2015
in Meet and Greet
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Hi everyone! I accepted my offer to UT's chemistry program.
I'd totally recommend an apartment finding service, that is what I used