yinyangwriter

Another first year grad here...I'd add that you should trust yourself and know when you need to make a change (say by dropping a course, otherwise changing your courseplan for the year, or hiring a tutor sooner rather than later for a subject that is required but you aren't familiar with).

I'm also moving across the country, in the opposite direction...MA to CA. I'm trying to figure out what other people do with their things when they move across country....Should I bring my books and all of my clothes, including the winter clothes? I don't want to burden with parents with storing all of my things, especially since they are planning to move to a new house soon...but moving or shipping multiple boxes across the country is both expensive and problematic because I'm not sure I would have enough room in graduate school to store these things for the whole of my doctoral program. I'll probably be living on campus with roommates with one good dorm size room to myself. Any ideas? I did call PODS and they said that it would cost me over 3300 dollars to move my things to CA and that they really are targeted more to people who have a lot of furniture/appliances that they want to move. Right now, it looks like I'll have to ship everything with FedEx, UPS, or the Postal Service...But I won't even have an address until Sept 1st so I'm not sure where I would mail everything...Ugh.

Going to Caltech in the Fall to study Environmental Science and Engineering and to do research in geobiology (searching for life on early Earth and on other planets)!

I will be in the PhD biology program.

Both were great options, grad_wannabe! It was definitely one of those situations where you couldn't go wrong either way. I was similarly frustrated though at having to make a decision with limited actual experience at the schools where, in my case, I will spend 5-6 years of my life. I think you made a fine choice, by the way! You will probably be able to make a lot of great contacts in Cambridge!

Thanks, intextrovert. I am sure I will feel better about it once I start the program but you are right that it is that whole imagined future that I have to let go...

The decision was so close and I ended up turning down a pretty prestigious program so I felt sick about it this morning...even though it was surely the right choice for me. I feel better now (at the end of the day), partly thanks to all the kind folks who have reminded me of what a great decision it was and that the school I chose is still a top-20 program. But this morning, I felt like I had really screwed up maybe. I just wasn't ready to make a choice by April 15th but also wasn't getting any closer so an extension seemed useless. Did anyone else have a similar experience of feeling really uncertain or even bad about your decision at first? Thanks for your responses, as always :-)

Hi, afritz...just seeing your reply. Thanks. I am trying to decide between University of Washington and University of Oregon... I love the research in Oregon but want to be in a city so am leaning towards UW. I'm worried that if I go to Eugene that I'll end up an old maid because there is no diversity in the area and I'm at that age, you know...Anyway, I have to decide now.

Eugene is a gorgeous little city and the people at UO are very nice and low-stress.

If your employer is going to promote you to a senior position then they must really want and value you as an employee...why not ask them (if and when you are promoted) for a sabbatical so you can go back to school with the possibility of returning to your job if things don't work out?

Nancy, Chicago is misspelled in your signature and it's driving me crazy.

Hi afritz87! I am very interested in ecology but not quite as "big" as you might like...I'm primarily interested in microbial ecology and studying microbial diversity in general. As a fellow ecology person however, are you at all worried about funding issues and about the unfortunate perception that eco/evo is a 'softer' subject than the molecular stuff? Just something I'm keeping in mind as I choose a program and then a thesis topic.

Thank you to everyone who replied to this thread. It really helps to get feedback on my decision. I think that Caltech might be disastrous...The professors don't seem terribly supportive, the program requires chemistry knowledge that I don't have, and the profs have been largely unresponsive to my questions. Actually, I'm also a little worried about all the recent suicides at Caltech. Two undergrads, one graduate student, and the famous chair of the Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy division? It just confirms what I saw when I visited...that everyone there is under a great deal of stress. Not the most pleasant environment for a PhD. I'm leaning towards UWashington right now actually.

I got into one of the top 10 graduate programs in my field. I also got into another program that is much less prestigious, ranked around #57, but where I would have a well-known and supportive advisor and an equally is not more supportive department. I think that the prestigious program is somewhere where I would have a better chance of having a social life and possibly finding someone to spend the rest of my life with. Not unrelated to this is the fact that I like the students at the prestigious program much more and already have made friends with some of the other prospective students that will probably constitute the incoming class. I didn't click with the students (current or prospective) at the lower-ranked school but almost all the professors were just absolutely wonderful. The program at the less prestigious program is also significantly easier than that of the higher-ranked program. While I know I could complete the program at the lower-ranked school (and maybe even excel while I was there /be a star), the prestigious program is a bear to get through in one piece and there is the possibility that I wouldn't make it through the first year of grueling classes (although they did let me in, I have not taken all the prerequisite courses for the first year curriculum and there is no wiggle room for catching up). Also, the faculty at the prestigious school are eccentric and I didn't really click with any of them and...I am not passionate about their research. I realize that that last part is a killer when deciding on a grad program but it is a top 10 program/school and the research is close to my interests or I never would have applied. My current goal is to continue in academia and become a university prof. Anyway, what do you think? Which program should I choose? I'm hoping for many votes and some reasoned commentary as well. Thank you! social life + excellent training + prestige of program + possibility of flunking out vs. no social life + great advisor + fun research + almost certain PhD at end

Lol. Sooo, right. That is why I'm considering living in one of two places that I don't particularly love but that are home to more prestigious institutions. Here is a question for pjizz or anyone else in Eugene, How is the social life for a single person?

I had to cut out exercise to make time for grad school applications. Add to that all the stress of applying and I've never been heavier (not morbid mind you, just plain 'ol fat). I just calculated that if I lost just one pound a week from now until I start grad school then I should be in pretty good shape but I was wondering if anyone else is finding their pants a little bit of a tight fit after the months of work put into applications? Of course, this cold weather isn't encouraging me to return to my previous active lifestyle either. :-( How has everyone else managed in balancing apps and health?

I was rejected from the Plant Bio program. :-( I had a seriously crappy application because I did it at the last minute but given how competitive they are, I'm not sure it would have made much difference even if I had done a better job of applying. If you are in communication with a particular professor or professors who you are interested in working with then I would suggest that you contact them again just to reiterate your interest in working with them and your interest in their particular research and maybe ask if there are particular dates that you should save just in case you are lucky enough to be invited to visit the school. Good luck getting in!

I'm worried this might happen to me next week. I have one interview a week for the next three weeks. If you can go visit the school anyway and just stop by to see the professors you are interested in working with, open house or no open house, any personal interaction is probably better than none where you can demonstrate that you are a professional and sane individual. If they invited you out then they are probably interested and just need to know that you are a reasonable character who can hold a conversation, etc. You don't need an open house to demonstrate that and could even talk to them over the phone to do that (call them for a change). But I'd definitely go visit...make sure the school is just as impressive in person as it is on paper.

28 now, 29 next month, and still 29 when I start grad school in the Fall. I'll should be 34 when I finish and then 35 after postdoc and about 38 or 39 when I get tenure...should I decide to go into academia after getting my PhD. :-)

I like both the original OP and UnlikelyGrad's questions too so... If I wasn't majoring in the life sciences (microbiology, biology, environmental science & engineering, geobiology and planetary science, oceanography, etc.) then I would consider getting a masters in Asian studies since I've been studying Mandarin Chinese anyway. I've also always wanted to study art and learn how to draw properly. But I've already changed fields, from mathematics(undergrad) to microbiology(grad). Careers: International Rock Star Business Consultant who travels around the world advising companies on how to "do it better" Steve Jobs (What, that isn't a career?)

Saints, most definitely.

Okay, I don't know for sure if I'm going yet but this is where I am leaning towards and I'd love to know who else is going. :-)

You have to be absolutely certain before going to grad school. It sounds like you have been dealing with a lot of stuff and I would recommend that you finish your undergraduate degree, take a break from school, and get a job for 1-3 years. When you are feeling more sure of yourself and your ability to handle the pressures of academia, apply to grad school...your credentials are fine. Good luck! By the way, you can bone up on the analysis or other weak points in grad school...You don't have to be strong in everything when you start out. Also, usually the math comps test you on two of three core math areas so you can test on Algebra and one more subject.