Cheshire_Cat

Well, I love the people I am working with, so that aspect makes me sad to leave. My employer treats me well, and I'm really glad for the experiances I've had here. It makes me feel 100% better about choosing the Ph.D program because I know I'm not just going back to school to escape a crappy work enviroment. But the actual work is boring and complicated at the same time, and I really dislike the project they put me on, so I'm ready to be done with that. It has made working a lot easier though, because I know I can survive 6 more months of this, whereas before I wasn't sure how much longer I could survive this project. It is harder to focus though, because I'd much rather be thinking about the Ph.D program. I know it will bring it's own chalanges, but they will be challanges I've asked for instead of ones I've had no choice in.

I'm in the same boat. I've been working at my job for 2 years now, and I think everyone knows that my eventual goal is to go into acedemia, just not when. I was planning on telling them 1 month before I leave, but maybe I should hint at it earlier to give them time to hire someone for me to train. The people at my firm are amazing, so this will be the hardest part. We also have a problem finding people for this project, so I doubt they will let me go early if I tell them.

I'm just not sure how wondering if someone else is discriminating against you is helpful. If there is any other reason for them to act a certain way towards you, then maybe you can fix it, however if it is discrimination, then it is a lost cause. There are obviously instances of blatant discrimination that can be fixed, but aside from that, I think assuming discrimination just builds walls instead of bridges. I also think we use that word too much and it loses its meaning.

I sent my dad the acceptance letter with a note saying we needed to talk and I would call him later, lol. I mean, I felt like it was a big deal, but I guess I didn't act like it much.

I'm not saying some gender discrimination doesn't happen. I have an engineering friend with stories. However, if it isn't easy to detect, and easy to dismiss, then maybe it has nothing to do with your gender. Sometimes people just don't click. For instance, I have one manager who I don't get along with. We are difference races, so someone could think that that is the reason. However, my favorite manager ever is also that race, so I know that isn't the reason, at least on my side. We just don't get along.

I think a lot of it depends on your persona. And just because they approach you more doesn't mean they don't respect you as much. I carry myself like I know what I'm doing, and that is just how it is. Subsequently, I think I am the only person on the planet who is stopped on the subway to be asked for directions more frequently than to be asked for money. But it is because I apparently seem like I know what I'm doing, and that I'm not an easy mark. My boss has the biggest smile on the planet, and he always gets asked for money.

There are several things to consider such as return on investment and what you are actually using the money for. Basically, everything affects your bottom line, no matter what you budget it for. If you say you are taking out $50k for your education, and then go drinking on weekends and spend $40 bucks each time, then you are really taking out $10,000 of a loan to go to drinking on weekends($40 a week x rounding to 50 weeks in a year x 5 years). Is it worth it? I dunno, it was just an easy roundable example for me to use. Personally, I'll probably end up with a little debt because I want to keep my horse, and she's expensive. For most people, it wouldn't be worth it. But she is therepy, so definitely worth it to me. It will probably be considered "educational debt" but I know what it is really for. However, I also know that when I get my Ph.D, in one year I could pay off the entire amount and still be living better than I am right now.

I had one of these. It is just them welcoming you and checking your interest to make sure that they are not holding a spot for someone who got a better offer somewhere else and isn't going to come. You've marketed yourself to them, now it is It's their turn to market their school to you. Ask them questions about the program if you want to. And celebrate, you've been accepted!! You don't have to give your answer yet though, just say you are interested and will get back with them.

I always joked that I was going to move to Peru and start an orphanage.

I doubt it. Waiting for CPA exam results was still really stressful even though I knew the day that they were coming out. It was very acutely stressful, sweating, heart racing, refreshing the results page every three minutes... whereas this is more of a dull, long lasting ache. And just because I knew when they were coming out didn't stop me from worrying about them beforehand.

This is an excellent thread. I enjoyed the discussion between criminologist and everyone else. Mostly because the type A part of me is just as insistent that I will have to give up everything I love and hold dear in order to finish the Ph.D program. The numerous people providing example after example of those who had succeeded while having a life and explaining why outside interests are important has really helped me realize that it is possible and necessary to have a work life balance in the Ph.D program. Which is a relief. I had no life for 9 months while I was getting my CPA and don't really want to repeat the process.

How nice Ph.D students are. I mean, in my experience, most MBA students are the devil, so I was afraid that Ph.D students would be even worse. However, the ones I've met seem a lot nicer... not as likely to stab you in the back and then charge for stitching you up. From what I can tell, there is a lot more camaraderie among Ph.D students than there was among master students. Foxhole friends I guess. The second thing that suprised me is my reaction to getting into a program. First, I thought I'd be nervous waiting for results, but I pretty much forgot about it until I got my first letter. Then, I thought I would feel so relieved and excited to finally know where I would be for the next 5 years, but instead I freaked out and got a little scared, haha. It didn't last long though. I cried to a friend in a Ph.D program about it, and he reminded me that it was a completely rational reaction. And I found Grad Cafe. Now I'm getting excited. Six months feels like forever!

So, the school I am most likely going to end up attending is within walking distance from where I work. In fact, one of my favorite lunch places is right beside the business school. I visited once for a Ph.D interest meeting, but didn't see very much. I am wondering if I should check out campus some more, and if so, what I should visit? My POI said that I could come by any time if I wanted a tour. It would be really easy for me to visit during lunch or after work, so I am thinking about it.

Nope, not deductible. And graduate education expenses are not given the same treatment as the first 4 years either. I have a question though, that I don't recall learning about, but I'm sure someone who is already a student should know; Is tuition reimbursement taxible as income? From what I recall, it is only taxible in so far that it exceeds tuition and fees, but I'm not sure.

If funding runs out in 4 years, then you find a job ABD and work while finishing your dissertation. ABD in business make decent money, but you can only do it for a year or two.

No comment on what type of roller bag to get, but around where I work we have both a university and a downtown with a lot of beggars. So we play the game "grad student or homeless person" quite often, haha.

I was not all that serious about applying my first round, but after I didn't get in, I got a job, beefed up my qualifications, and retook the GMAT, because my scores were sub par. I got in this round, so I suppose it worked. The other thing I would suggest doing is finding a way to get face time with professors at institutions you may want to attend. One of the reasons I got into a program is because I attended an informational session there and they noticed my passion for the Ph.D program and for the subject. There are probably also other ways to get face time as well. The one thing you don't want to do is waste your time. Don't look at it as a year down the drain. Use it to prepare yourself better for next round. It will go by faster than you think. The worst thing you can do is get depressed because you didn't get into a program and sit at home and pout. I can tell you that if I would have gotten in my first application round I probably wouldn't have had the maturity or experience needed to succeed. It was hard waiting out a couple of years, but in the end, I think it was productive and it was worth it.

Interesting topic. We really don't talk about it enough. Most of the time I am pretty even emotionally, and if I'm sad or depressed there is a reason for it that is rather evident, such as the death of a friend. I'm not clinically depressed and I generally consider myself very healthy emotionally. But there was one time I remember knowing without a shadow of a doubt that something was wrong and I was depressed. It was the second semester of my masters program. That experience led me to realize what a problem depression could be. I couldn't fix it. I couldn't make myself happy or give myself the motivation to do school. I couldn't self soothe or just be better like I normally can. In the end, I was able to get better with support from my family and better nutrition, but I was very close to seeing someone about it, and it was a very trying time. Now that I am heading back, I am concerned that something will happen again, so I'll probably get some sort of counciling. I have a good friend who has been open to me about her mental illness and I think that has helped me to realize that it is okay to get counciling if you need it, and that it can be benificial. Mental health is a lot like physical health. There is a lot of things you can do to keep yourself mentally healthy, just like there are things to keep you physically healthy. Meditation, adequate rest, good nutrition and excercise and a good support group are all extremely important for mental health. However, just like a compound fracture needs to be set by a doctor, and no amount of excercise and healthy eating is going to set that bone, some mental health problem need professional help. It does take both parts though. The doctor can give you something to help your mental health, but if you choose to continually have unhealthy habits, then in the end, no amount of medication will fix that. Lastly, and may be a little off topic, a drink can be a nice way to relax after a hard day. However, self medicating with alcohol is a bad idea. If you find that drinking is the only thing keeping you going, then it is time to see a professional or change something. In my experience, excessive drinking causes more problems than it solves. It's a pain killer, but it doesn't fix anything, and you need to fix it to live a better life. Just my two cents.

Waiting for CPA exam results was more acutely painful. But waiting for these results is a much more chronic pain as it takes longer to get them and it is more random as to when you will get them. But for me, anxiety only came after I got my first response.

Ok, great! I'll tell them I am seriously interested. I was very selective and only applied places that I was sure I would be willing to go, so it isn't like this is the last school on my list. I have a wonderful job that I will be leaving and I'll only do that for a school I really want to go to. I just want to make sure I know all the cards before I make a play.

Here is the text of the letter: "We request that you indicate your interest in this offer within two weeks of this notice, if possible, and no later than April 15. Because of our policy of limited admission, we would appreciate a response from you, in writing, before April 15. If you should decide not to join us, we will then be able to offer your place to an applicant on our waiting list. You are, however, under no obligation to respond to this offer of financial support prior to April 15 as indicated on the enclosed policy statement of the Council of Graduate Schools. You may wait or change your mind any time up to that date. However, an acceptance given or left in force after April 15 constitutes a contract, which you are expected to honor. If you have any administrative questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. If you have academic questions, you may direct them to Dr. X. Please notify me within two weeks by email of your formal acceptance of this offer."

Hey, so I got into a progam, and I am pretty sure I am going to attend there. However, I do want to keep my options open just in case my first choice gives me an offer. Since it is an American Ph.D program, they want the formal acceptance by April 15th, but they would like to know within two weeks, and this was a week ago. So, I wrote this acceptance letter. Do you think it comunicates what I am trying to do in a manner that is both clear and tactful, but will let me have a way out if need be? "Dear Admissions Committee, I am writing to you to accept your offer of admission into XYZ program for fall of 2015. It is my plan to attend your school in the fall, however, if circumstances change and I am unable to do so, I will inform you of that decision no later than April 15. Thank you for your consideration. I am excited about what lies ahead and I look forward to working with you. Sincerely, Alice"

I have a friend who is in a top engineering program, and although he is funded, it is done a lot differently than business. It's a lot more work. You have to actually apply for a lot of grants and such and your program may take longer if you don't get them. Business Ph.Ds are a lot more clear cut with funding their students.

"Why couldn't you have applied to schools across the country?" - Ex BF, also a Ph.D Student (I may have pestered him about the application process a little too much) "You should have applied to schools where (cute guy, bff) is" - Parents "Congrats. Have fun being broke!" -BFF "So, you can still work during the Ph.D program, right?" & "Congrats. I'm no good at math" -Everyone else "You are absolutely insane. Why do you want to do this to yourself? You already have a CPA, wasn't getting that enough torture for a lifetime? And you have a good job. You are going to starve!" -Myself "Accounting is great and all, but you should go for a Theology degree" -Google Analytics.

Business schools in general offer full funding for Ph.D programs. The programs I've looked at, you can't get a business Ph.D unless you are fully funded by the school. At least in accounting and marketing programs. So that means, to me, if you arern't recieving funding, you aren't going to school. Business research is relitively inexpensive, and business schools get a lot of money from donor alumni and stuff, so usually there isn't quite the scramble for funding as there is in other progams. From what I can tell, business schools are the only place where this is the norm, everywhere else you have to fight for funding.