babybird

I sorta disagree with this. Sure, a lot of labs are feeling the crunch, but there are still many good labs with good grant funding. The positions might be harder to find, and applications will have to have a competitive application... but they are still out there. It also depends on the kind of lab you are looking at. An older lab with lots of members might be less willing to free up time/money/resources. But a newer lab that has lots of startup money and is looking for people to get experiments going? That's a much better shot. I recommend applying with newer faculty who are hoping to get people at the bench working.

And another gem. West Virginia University Clinical Psychology, PhD (F15) F**ck you, Honey Boo Boo University.

Iowa, Creative Writing, Fiction, MFA "whatever. now i can spend more time on my cat dialogue skills."

I loved this one. The mix of indignant frustration was just perfect.

There's an international person working in my lab now as a lab technician, getting research experience before applying for graduate school. My PI posted on the university job website that he was looking for a tech, and brought in applicants. It's more work for my PI to hire an international person, but this person was the most qualified so they got the job. Another way to do this is to cold-email professors with whom you are interested in working and ask if they are looking for a lab tech. I would actually recommend doing this over applying to various random positions that you find on university job listings. (Often those positions are technically posted for a specific person, but legally the PI has interview several people before extending a job offer.) In your email you can explain your qualifications and that you are international, and the PI will let you if that's a possibility for them.

Just considering "location, location, location," I think there are several things you could think about to help get some pros and cons going. 1. Weather - do you tend to prefer cold or hot weather? (North vs South) 2. Cost of living - Beyond just "survival..." do you mind spending 40-50% of your stipend on rent, or do you want to pad your savings a little bit? (Thing high big-city rent vs Chapel Hill/Durham being more affordable.) 3. Type of city/entertainment - do you want a big city, or a smaller college town? What kind of big city do you see yourself living in? (Atlanta and Nashville will be a very different big city feel than NYC!) 4. Transport - do you want to have to own a car? NYC and UNC CH have great public transit, I don't know about Atlanta/Nashville.

Fabulous! I saw your thread earlier and noted that you already had some great advice, so I didn't comment... I thought you made the tough but correct decision to be honest. You were obviously very well qualified, and I am glad the school/professor appreciated your integrity in addition to the standard qualifications!

Just because you have this wonderful acceptance (Congrats, BTW!) that looks good on paper (fully funded, high stipend, freebies, celebrity professors) doesn't mean that it's right for you! Something that I have to tell myself constantly - Just because Option A is right for some people and some people would be super excited and already signing the dotted line doesn't necessarily make it right for me. LDRs definitely work for some people/personality types. During my interviews and through my career so far, I've been shocked at how many spouses work in different cities (or even different countries!) But I also have a lot of admiration for those who can view their LDR decision as temporary step in the path of life. I truly admire people who work hard while they are separated in order to achieve a goal like a PhD that will hopefully allow them to be together with their SO's in the future. Part of making a life choice like where to attend graduate school is knowing yourself. I'm also married, and I know that I could not do a this kind of LDR - I'd probably end up resenting my choices and making myself so miserable that the pros of attending a school 9 hours away would be outweighed. I would take a year off and apply again, hoping to bolster my application and get in at places closer to home. Honestly, it comes down to your priorities and your personality. Do you view this opportunity that would force a LDR for 5+ years in an overall positive or negative light? (edit for grammar)

Personally, I would advocate for a change in schools, just because I sorta get the tone from your post that do want to go to Cornell. Especially since you did both your BS and MA at Michigan. This isn't a career breaker anymore, but I do think it would be a plus to do your PhD work at a different school. Maybe since you have done a Masters, you truly are certain that you want to continue to study the same thing - but I think expanding your research experiences at Cornell and with a new PI/project could be super valuable. I was told many, many times that people come to grad school knowing they want to study X, and end up studying Y and end up loving Y. I'm sure you've heard the same thing... Something else to consider might be your goals post-PhD, since these schools do seem to differ in the industry/academia realms. Just some $0.02 for thought. (:

I like having averages to compare, but I feel like the cost-of-living issue such an important point. For the school at which I am currently a tech in a small-medium college town, the $29k/year stipend goes a lot further than the seemingly better $34k/year stipend UCSF offers. What I wish were more accessible is information on fees and health benefits.

The schools that rejected my application outright? I'm pretty sure they have a GRE cutoff, and I want to tell them how foolish that is. But I understand they have to winnow the field somehow...

I've been contacted by them, but for a different program. I might recommend waiting until Monday if possible due to timing with other programs.

Huh. That was a nice insight into the wait list process. That "hey we want YOU, but if you don't want us please let us know" email? One of my schools sent me an email of that variety in mid-Feb, just two weeks after I visited the school! They've then proceeded to contact me about once every 5 days. It's a little off-putting. (I don't plan on going there and am emailing shortly to let them know.)

Saying no to School A after you have already signed School A's letter? I think this is probably a bad idea. If the timing of the two offers allows you to wait and hear from School B before you make anything official, I highly recommend waiting. edit - Seeing some of your other comments, I understand there is a timing issue. ): Hopefully someone with more understand can give you better feedback in that case!

Why can't you visit Syracuse anyway? Maybe you'll really enjoy the atmosphere while you are there. I don't think you'll have much luck getting other schools to provide with decisions earlier (unless PR programs are more flexible), but maybe Syracuse could extend their deadline a week if you explained the circumstances?