neuroJ

So, I am in the very lucky position of having multiple offers to choose from. Yesterday, I got an offer from what is probably my top choice (I was quite giddy all day). However, this puts me in a bit of a spot. I am scheduled to go visit two other programs I have offers from this month. One is a program I'm still considering, the other is a program I don't think I'm likely to enroll in. I will definitely go visit the first, but I'm wondering what to do about the second. While communication with that program has been a bit stilted from the get go, they have been very accommodating. Just this week they arranged to provide me a plane ticket to fly out on a weekend after the official one. I don't want to waste their time and effort by going (I'm sick of traveling, too!), but on the other hand, I don't want to be rude and turn them down flatly, especially after how great they have been. What should I do? I'm thinking I'll will contact my POI there and tell him my situation- that I'm leaning towards another program and that though I appreciate the offer very much, if the program/POI would be better able to make use of their time/resources pursuing another candidate they should go for it. Still, that is going to be one awkward-ass email. Any input would be appreciated.

Hi! I just wanted to add a little weight to the Madison side. I think I have a pretty good perspective on both places- I have been living in Madison for a year and a half and I grew up in Michigan (near Lansing) and though I went to school at MSU (which admittedly colors my perception of Ann Arbor, but to be fair, I didn't really want to like Madison all that well either), I spent a lot of time in Ann Arbor and have/had a lot of friends who still live there. That said, I think Madison is the hands down choice in terms of quality of living. Don't get me wrong, I like Ann Arbor, there are great and fun things to do (ABC, Ashley's and Zingerman's will always be favorites of mine) but Madison just beats it on all fronts. First, Madison is just a gorgeous city. It's hard to appreciate it during the winter, but once spring and summer come it's amazing. The city is sandwiched between 2 lakes and there are so many beautiful places to go for a run, long bike ride, or just sit outside and have a beer (especially the Memorial Union Terrace) that it's really mind boggling. You really don't ever need a car- the city is unbelievably bike friendly and in the winter, you can always walk/take the bus if you prefer. Also, There is a surprisingly good restaurant scene for the size of the city, and there is always something to do. The people are friendly and down to earth (I doubt you'll ever hear anyone in Madison calling the UW the 'Harvard of the Midwest'). Additionally, the city's economy has weathered the recession pretty well. It seems like that's a strange thing to think about, but it is nice to not have the spectre of the dying auto industry hanging so close overhead. Moreover, Madison may not be as close to Detroit as Ann Arbor is, but Milwaukee is only an 1-1.5 hours away by car and Chicago is not much more (2 or 2.5 hrs) if you ever need to get some big city back in your blood. The live music scene in Madison is pretty OK (the high noon and the Barrymore get some pretty great acts going through) but anyone you'd ever want to see ever will likely go through Milwaukee or definitely Chicago, so you won't miss out on anything by living here. The cost of living is probably a shade less than in Ann Arbor. You can overpay for some of the condos downtown, but it's easy to find a really great place really close to the downtown/campus area for around 900-1100 for a 2 bedroom place. If you're looking around, I would recommend looking near East Johnson St, or Williamson St. (on the east side, near some really cool independent bars/restaurants or in the Vilas neighborhood (super close to campus, tons of grad students). In my own grad search, I've been trying to estimate cost of living by the price of a good pint of microbrew. Around here it's about 4 bucks a pint for something good quality and local (definitely goes lower, can go a touch higher). Which leads me to another point- the Madison area has a ton of micro breweries, and some of them are really, really good. There are downsides of course- Madison is a little colder than Mid-Michigan in the winter (especially in December) and though Madison has plenty to do, it's not a major city. Also, Madison's not a very racially diverse city. From my time here I get the sense that the minority communities in Madison are not nearly as large nor as visibly present as I have seen in other cities. I think that has been the one thing that struck me as a bit strange. So, if that is something that would be important to you, it's worth bearing in mind. All in all though, I think between the two, I would choose Madison every time. The weather and the geography just get me every time, Madison is just unbelievable in the summer. (Did I mention it's much much sunnier here than in Michigan?) Anyway, good luck deciding. Since you are picking between 2 really great places, you can't go wrong either way!

I hope you will be successful, but in the off chance you won't be I think there are a few common patterns I've seen from other applicants who are doing well. The first is simply age, just being a year or two older certainly helps. The extra time helps crystallization of your own research interests- which leads to a more focused (and easier) grad school search, makes your SOP way stronger and even indicates you are a more dedicated, mature candidate. Also, many applicants seem to have had post-bach research experience. One thing that I wish I had known a couple years ago is that you can definitely can find funding for doing lab work even without direct help from contacts. There are post bach research programs at some schools or even at the NIH/NIMH. I have met several people who found positions simply by cold-calling profs and saying they were interested in their work and inquiring if they were hiring lab managers/RAs. These positions do a number of things for you- they give you time to further invest yourself in psych research, they broaden and expand your knowledge of your sub-field/practical research skillz, and can give you a really another outstanding LOR outside the network of your undergrad institution. Plus, it's really valuable to experience research outside of the context of something which you do in addition to undergrad classes. It's definitely not the easiest path; it can take a lot of effort and persistence to find a position in the first place (and if you are lucky enough to get funding, it is definitely not going to pay very well). But, it is a great mechanism to explore your own interests in research (not just topically but whether or not research is for you) and it's a good way to demonstrate your dedication and potential for a research career. Good luck!

If you don't get in (god forbid), it may be worth it to take it again (one of things I did for my second time applying). It will be hard to maintain that 800, but even if you were to go down 50-100 points in verbal, your score would still be in the phenomenal range. If you could raise your math score enough, you could become competitive for university wide fellowships at some places (typically large public research-oriented schools). Depending on the program, that possibility of university funding could encourage a POI to consider taking you as a student even in situations where they might not have the grant support to take a candidate. This same logic also applies to fellowships like the NSF or Jarvits. If you have your own funding (which, regrettably can be quite influenced by GRE score), you suddenly become a different class of candidate and will probably have some pretty significant success. Best of luck!

I'm interested in working with Wil Cunningham mostly, although also some with Mike Vasey (even though he's clinical). I'm going out for the recruiting weekend, but I'm trying to learn all I can about the program before I go. I was hoping someone else on here might know more.

I agree with with @cleisthenes that most public schools are in terrible shape because of the budget crisis, but there are at least a few notable exceptions. For instance, my POI told me that Ohio State is actually in really good shape because the state government's reaction to the recession was to flood education with money (not a typical, but certainly a welcome response).

Anyone else looking at Ohio State for social?