MarineBluePsy

For you Purple Mattress fans, are you able to roll it back up when you want to move? I too want to upgrade to nice mattress but when I have to move for intern year I'd like it to not be a huge pain in the ass to move. If it rolls back up like it was when it came and can be put in a car then this might be something to look into.

This late in the game I think its best to make a decision with what you have. You have 2 official offers, one that will be financially challenging and the other that is financially doable with an excellent housing option. Those are your choices and the latter seems great. Holding out hope that you might get off the waitlist at that other school, that they might have comparable or better funding, and that you might find an affordable place to live is an awful lot of hoping that may not pan out. If you had no other offers then holding out for this waitlist would make sense, but that isn't the case.

Secondhand embarassment?

@hippyscientist @marycaryne Yep I'm with you 2, it's ridiculous how long some adcoms take to respond to applicants or how some don't respond at all. We're not asking for a detailed analysis of our application with suggestions for improvement, but a "we're interested" or a "good luck on your endeavors" would suffice. I've also learned that many programs that fund their students through the University (not necessarily the Department) have very strict deadlines (usually January or February) of when they must submit candidates for funding or they risk missing out. So knowing that shouldn't make it impossible for them to provide an update to all applicants at that time.

Congratulations!

I'm trying my hardest not to start any new shows lol. In fact I also fired Young and Hungry because the whole Gabby & Josh mess made me want to scratch my eyes out and the other characters are hilarious and under utilized. I'm also wondering what's up with Castle. Beckett wasn't even in the last episode at all and I didn't even notice until I was giving someone a recap later lol. When I first started the show I really liked the Castle & Beckett dynamic, now its boring and I'd rather not bother with it. I think the show would be great if it just focused on Castle and his PI business and worked with Ryan and Esposito's, no Beckett needed.

I'm wondering if John Cho didn't return because he was filming another Star Trek movie. Regardless that weird new guy is awkward. I'm sad this show has sucked so much lately, but on the other hand I really need to cut back on tv when school starts lol.

@The Interdisciplinarian @raaawr Ok so New Girl is dead to me. My interest has been hanging by a thread the last few weeks and has officially died despite Jess' return. So there's no more John Cho?! And then Jess and Reagan are bff's that love to chop it up about Nick and how great he is? Not at all believable and Reagan is just gross. I was so irritated I kept falling asleep trying to watch it lol. It's off my list, no more New Girl blech!

Yeah I didn't realize the R1 thing was a legitimate ranking given by a prestigious ranking entity lol. I just thought it was more something people say to indicate that their school had research labs and symposiums and they took pride in that lol. Now I'm even more overwhelmed realizing I actually got into one of those R1 schools and am on the waitlist at another. And that's after doing my BA and MA at non-R1 schools. Wow. Your thoughts about the program you've gotten into echo mine about the program I've gotten into. I figured it was mediocre until I interviewed and learned more about this R1 thing. Plus the lab is collaborative and fun which works for me, so yes exciting indeed.

Ok so not really whining or waiting (though there's been plenty of wine) at the moment but I am totally laughing at my latest *duh* moment. So for years I've heard people talk about R1 universities and I knew that meant research, but I didn't really get it. I just kind of nodded and smiled when people mentioned going to or applying to R1 universities. So for whatever reason I got seriously annoyed hearing people mention the mysterious R1 today and finally looked it up. Totally makes sense and then I realized more than half the schools I applied to are classified as R1. Wow I aimed pretty high lmao!

This seems like the kind of thing you need to consult a lawyer about. Anything that comes up in a background check has the potential to prevent you from being chosen for certain opportunities. Some of those opportunities may give you the chance to explain yourself and decide from there however.

Wow I hadn't even thought to be excited about this. Wait a minute, are you sure? There aren't fellowships or intern programs that use GRE scores even though you're in a PhD program or just finished one are there?! Once we get into a program we're truly done with the GRE and won't ever need to order a score report? Ever?!

In regards to dental insurance, be on the look out for coupons in the local papers because often you'll find pretty steep discounts for first time patients. Just double check their reviews online and such and it should be fine. I did this regularly when I went without dental insurance and even though it meant always going to a new dentist the money I saved was worth it. As for free birth control it looks like the ACA requires that whether your insurance plan is through your employer/school, private purchase, or discounted through the marketplace. I found some info about that here.

Yes of course keep it professional whether you choose to inquire about not being selected or not. So are you still in the running at some other places? I dunno it just seems like if you continued doing research and published/presented then you could save the money on a second Master's. Are there labs/professors at UCD that would let you do that? I don't know anything about the GRE expectations for Neuroscience, but the comments you were given about your scores aren't encouraging at all. Just doing research instead of a second Master's would likely give you more time to prepare for the GRE again.

Yikes that's awful. Have you spoken to this faculty since? Maybe there was something so amazing about the student they chose that they just couldn't overlook them. I doubt knowing what it was will make you feel better now, but it might help you improve your application next time around if you need to reapply. I will say that this possibility is exactly why I opted not to reach out to professors before applying. I didn't want to misinterpret their statements or be directly told I was their top choice only to be disappointed later.

Just some food for thought, but I wonder if the mix of programs is a good idea. Sure there is overlap in training and how the degrees can be used, but they aren't identical. Years ago I had a professor tell me it was important to research all of the degrees thoroughly, pick one, then stick to it otherwise I'd risk seeming confused. Once I picked a degree it was easier to decide what to do in order to improve one type of application rather than 2 or 3.

It'd be foolish not to take the money which was clearly set aside for your future. If your mom was smart enough to save it for grad school its because she knew you'd really need it then. If your grandparents had a problem with that plan or intended to hold it over your head then you'd have known about this ages ago.

Ouch that must have been some bike. I have renter's insurance which does cover my possessions wherever they are, but I won't risk it. I don't plan to stay in any shady places, but you never know when going to an area for the first time. If it can't fit in the trunk or my purse then I'll pay to ship it.

For those of you moving with just a carload of stuff, I'm guessing you drove with someone? I'm also going to be doing a cross country move and since I don't have anyone to drive with me I'd worry all that stuff in my car would attract unwanted attention. Plus it'd probably be a pain to unload/reload when staying at a hotel.

While I don't think its a bad thing that you or anyone else is excited to meet someone from your home state while on interviews (or elsewhere) I think what gets lost is not everyone shares your enthusiasm. I've met my share of people that were thrilled to leave their home states because things weren't peachy there, so they may prefer to not get very detailed. Although I love my home state when I'm elsewhere in the world I'm not overly excited to meet others from there either. In my experience the overly excited types tend to go straight to the "of course we totally get each other so I can ask you super personal questions and be really nosy because we're alike" or they overshare about themselves and I'm looking for an exit. I'm more the "we're from the same state? that's cool" type and am more interested in what's going on here and now. Asking if I like where I am currently doesn't bother me and I can't say I've met anyone who is bothered by that question. Its usually not necessary to ask because when someone mentions being from somewhere else I find they often either say they like where they are now or that they miss home and can't wait to go back. All the chatter about this reminds me of a really weird situation I had in a meetup group. I have a very unusual first name and a gal with the exact same first name joined a group I was in. She then emailed me pointing out we had the same name and how cool she thought it was. Had she stopped there it would have been fine. Instead she wrote an entire manuscript on the origins of her (I guess our?) name, its significance in her family, and how finding me was so amazing. Then when she attended events she told others in the group how excited she was to share a name with me, couldn't wait for us to meet, and had told all her family and friends about our shared name. Way too much for me and I have never met her lol.

Yeah I just watched the first episode and agree it wasn't great. I think it was a huge slap in the face that the Olsen twins didn't at least do a brief cameo since their entire empire exists because of that show. Adult Stephanie just wasn't believable to me at all. I dunno she liked to argue so much as a kid I figured she'd be an attorney. When the original ended I always thought they should have had Danny go to New York to reconnect with Vicky. So now we have the reboot and no Vicky. *lame* And Nicky and Alex as dumb surfer kids? Seriously? I will say it is absolutely ridiculous how hot John Stamos still is. Thank heavens Grandfathered is a much better show so I can get my fix.

Thank you for saying this. I don't at all relate because I've had to fight, struggle, hustle, and claw my way to every opportunity my entire life. I have often looked at people around me that are similar to yourself and wondered if they ever get that they haven't really had to fight for anything. Sure eventually life will happen and they'll have to deal with adversity, but until then I've wondered if they're just clueless about their good fortune or aware but don't care that it isn't that way for everyone. It's nice to know that there is a bit of introspection going on for a some.

I say give it a shot cause it may be awesome. I haven't seen it, but its on my list and I also liked the original. I was also a huge fan of Boy Meets World and the reboot Girl Meets World is wonderful. Looking forward to the Gilmore Girls reboot as well.

Thanks for posting this. Very interesting information on there.

At work desperately trying not to fall asleep because I had nothing to do and was super bored. I intended to check my email for something not related to applications, but had a new message that turned out to be an admissions offer. I just kind of sat there blankly wondering if I was reading it correctly.