studentfromLA

Minnesotan, I hope he was kidding, too. He was on the younger side for a head of Grad. Studies, and I could see him joking about it. Still, it was like a two line email, and that was part of it, so kidding or not, it was on his mind, and he said it.

Santa Barbara is one of the most beautiful places in the world to live, and I don't think you will suffer from small town syndrome living there. You are 90 miles from LA, along a famously gorgeous drive at least part of the way into the big city. It's a spectacular place to live, scenic beauty and weather-wise. In terms of University housing, search their database: http://www.housing.ucsb.edu/hchoices/ch ... l-home.htm

I turned down my first choice program today. It was hard. Granted, it was only my first choice at the beginning of the application process. It was the school I dreamed I would be admitted to, and the one I'd hope to go to, when I started applying to grad school. After I applied, however, my second choice accepted me early and with enthusiasm. I got a full tuition scholarship and a stipend. And, I'd already made the arrangements to visit second school and was practially on the plane when school #1 told me I was admitted. My visit to school no. 2 exceeded my expectations. School no. 1 never came through with funding, even after a visit. So I accepted school no. 2, pretty much without reservation, but telling school no. 1 was hard. The response from the dean of grad studies was something like, "We know you would have made a good addition to our program, but good luck at school no. 2 (even though we are better)." He even said that! I know I made the right choice, and that's what matters.

I think only your department can answer that question. I'd call them on Monday and see what they say. In my case, I accepted via email and they told me to "send in the formal acceptance" when it was convenient for me.

I think the real issue is not whether it would be a good idea to buy a home while in graduate school, but whether you could even qualify for a mortgage on a graduate student income. The lending market is super-tight right now; most mortgage companies have really heightened their criteria to make loans and are being super-strict with underwriting. Assuming you have a 20% down payment saved, and assuming an average graduate student stipend of $20,000 per year, the most they would qualify you for in a mortgage is around $100,000 (monthly payment of around $583 at an interest rate of 5.8% not including taxes and insurance). So you could buy something for $120,000. If you are going to a school where houses are that cheap, it would probably be a good investment, but I would assume that is NOT the price of houses in most university towns. Now if you have a dual income or a much higher stipend, it might work out, but unless you have an outside source of income, the average graduate student stipend is NOT going to be high enough to qualify for much of a mortgage.

I had a friend who tried to transfer from one Ph.D. program to another and it was a nightmare. The professors he had worked with really did not want him to go to another school, and thus did not enthusiastically support his application. Have you visited the program? If you have visited and still are unenthusiastic, I think it would be a mistake to go into the program planning to transfer. Does the program offer a Master's Degree? Maybe you can ask if you can enter that program instead. Otherwise, I would wait a year and re-apply, doing what you can this year to bolster your application. 29 will not be too old to start a Ph.D. program, so long as what you have been doing in the interim (since you left college) was mostly productive. I have a friend who was 39 when she started her Ph.D.

For me it's been more of a roller-coaster ride. When I got my first acceptance, I was beyond ecstatic! I have been out of school for a while and have spent the past two and a half years getting ready to apply for graduate school, as I had to take a bunch of undergraduate classes to qualify for my field. The application process was grueling, and when I sent them in, I really had NO IDEA if I was going to be a competative candidate. So when I actually got in somewhere, it was a big thrill -- especially since my first admittance was one that came with funding. I was like, well, if this is the only offer I get, I'll be happy, because it's a good program and I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO GRADUATE SCHOOL! Then I got two more acceptances, and all of a sudden, I had a CHOICE to make, which made everything more complicated, and excitement turned to confusion, anxiety and fear that I'd make the wrong choice. Where was I going to live, which program was the best one, which was the best fit, etc., etc., etc.? I finally accepted one program yesterday, and at this point I'm mostly feeling relief that the decision has been made, although I do have some regret over one of the programs I turned down. I think my enthusiasm will return and excitement will replace relief and regret as the fall approaches

I think you will have a MUCH better idea of what you want to do after you visit. Definitely see if you can get a firm funding offer from NYU, but most importantly, you need to get a feel for how well you will be able to achieve your Ph.D. goals working with professors who are not experts in your field. While it is tempting to place a high value on the prestige of a program, that should not be your only consideration. I just today rejected admission at a school that was ranked #2 in my field for one ranked a little lower, because the higher-ranked school was wishy-washy on the funding, which made me feel like they were wishy-washy on me overall, whereas the slightly lower ranked school loves me as a candidate, has offered me full funding+stipend, and is really excited that I am going to attend their program. The ranking issue wasn't that big a deal in my case, since the lower ranked school is around #4-5 in the field, and people from their program work as profs at the #2 ranked school. For me, the visits were KEY, because after visiting the #2 ranked school, I realized that I would have to work really hard there to get what was already on the table for me at the other program, and it became clear the people and opportunities at the #4 program were more well-suited to what I wanted to do in grad school. Good luck!

I've had friends who had an incredibly difficult time trying to transfer from one Ph.D. program to another -- remember, the professors you are going to have to rely on for recommendations are the same people you are rejecting for a different (better) program, and oftentimes, they do not like it one bit. Since the school with the master's program has already told you it would be easy to switch to it from the Ph.D. program, I think that would be your best bet if you think you are going to want to go elsewhere for a Ph.D. Better to go into a program with them having an idea you are only going to take a master's degree, than to go into a Ph.D.-only program, stop after the master's, and expect those professors to support you in an application to go elsewhere.

I wouldn't go to a Ph.D. program with "little to no" funding nor any experts in my field, no matter how prestigious. It sounds like they are setting you up to fail, with only a promise of later funding "if your work is up to par." What does that mean, anyhow? And it sounds like, even if you are up to par, you are going to have to compete for funding in later years. Art History is not a degree for which you want to incur significant debt, and even one year at NYU without funding is going to set you back a big chunk of change. What is the placement like for graduates of the Bryn Mawr program? Are they hired at places you'd like to work? If so, then I think it's a no brainer to take the better funding offer at the program with profs in your field, regardless of whether the program is a little less prestigious overall.

I was accepted to one school on March 21st -- they gave me 30 days from the date of their acceptance to respond to the offer. My guess is that if they accept you less than 30 days before April 15th, they use a different timeline.

I'd be interested in hearing people's opinion on this topic as well. I'm admitted with funding in a field that is small -- like there are 30 programs in the country that are ranked in my field. I was admitted to the number 1 or 2 program, depending on which list you are looking at, without funding. And I was admitted to a program that is ranked 4th or 10th, depending on the ranking system you are looking at, but with full funding. I'm leaning toward the program with funding, for several reasons, the first of which is that they really seem interested in me as a candidate, whereas the top-ranked program has been much more lackidaisical re. arranging a visit, hasn't offered funding, etc. Both of the programs I've been admitted to have good placement -- indeed, recent grads from my lower-ranked program have been hired to teach at my higher ranked program in recent years, but more people from the higher ranked program seem to have placements than the one that offered me money. Is it worth going into debt to go to a school that is ranked at the top of your field, or can you go just as far with a well-ranked school that is not at the top?

My Apra page said that my "application was currently being processed or soon would be" from the time my application was complete until about two weeks ago, when the message changed to "a decision has been made about your application and you will receive notice in the mail in two to three weeks." I couldn't figure out the login on Testudo until a couple of days ago, and when I figured it out (logged in with ss#/birthdate on the former student/parent page), there was a decision posted (it said "not recommended for admission.") So, if your Apra said a decision had been made, it would have been on Testudo. If your Apra still says the application is currently being processed, I would guess they have yet to make a decision on your application -- maybe they have an informal wait list?

I applied and was accepted to the master's program in Agricultural Economics. I'm visiting next week to decide if Davis is the place for me. Their acceptance was pretty late -- around March 21st.

I wasn't. But hopefully the result will be different for you.

I finally figured out how to do it if you do not have a student ID. Go to the page linked below and click "submit." The next page should have an option for "former student/parent access." In that option, enter your social security number and your birthdate (DDMMYY). It should give you the result. I was in the same boat as you were, with the comment that "a decision has been made" and I'd be notified in the mail, and this worked for me. http://www.testudo.umd.edu/apps/gradapp/

Is LSU one of your top choices? If so, I'd follow the other recommendation and send a polite email. Otherwise, if you are already into a program you are likely to attend even if you get into LSU, then why bother?

Since you have 20 years of work experience, I'm assuming your college and master's degree grades are from when you first went to school. I'm kind of in the same boat, having been out of college/graduate school for a while before applying for a graduate degree in Economics. I got into 3/4 programs (still waiting on the 4th). I think what made the difference for my application is that I took a significant number of classes in my field (10 classes in Econ, Statistics and Calculus) and achieved good grades in the two years before applying, so there could be no concern about my ability at this point to succeed on the graduate level. Taking classes before applying also enabled me to have current recommendations from professors as versus only having recommendations from people I'd worked with. Scoring high on the standardized tests is important, too, as is your statement of purpose. When I visited programs, I found that pretty much all the professors I talked to really liked my SOP. If you have more recent classes already, then you might want to look at your recommendations and work on your GMAT score, and maybe work with somebody on your SOP.

I would look at the placement records for the various programs where you have been admitted. If graduates from the Italian program are getting the kinds of job offers or higher education placements that you would be interested in pursuing after this degree, then I'd say go for Italy. It will be a life-changing experience, and one which will significantly differ from a program in the States. If the Italian grads are NOT getting the kinds of placements you hope to achieve, well then, you know what kind of odds you are up against if you decide on the Italian degree. Likewise, I'd look at what kinds of offers you could expect to get after the 1 year Cornell program and the other school you've been admitted to.

You all need to chill! Calling them a bunch of times is not going to change the decision, and in fact might interfere with their thoughts of you. Personally, I'd just wait. Get over the "need to know" now mentality, and deal with the delay. Different programs have different decision dates, and different programs have different ways of communicating their decisions. Look at the results search on this website -- some programs showered decisions in February, and some made no decisions until Mid-late March. Some seem to take even longer to decide. You calling them is NOT going to make them like you. They will let you know in good time. Treat it as a zen exercize. Take a deep breath in, breath out, and let it go. Just an FYI: I've heard from 3/4. School 1 is a great offer (full tuition remission and R.A. stipend), School 2 is out of the picture (no funding and not as good a program as school 1), School 3 I just heard from on Friday, and it was my top pick at the get-go and better ranked than School 1, but they have not offered me any funding nor even any communication beyond an email saying I was admitted, and School 4 I am still waiting on.

There's already a thread on this topic -- see "Am I Rejected," below. viewtopic.php?f=8&t=13548

I wouldn't make assumptions one way or another. Some programs just seem to decide later than others. I heard from one school late Feb., one early March, and had kind of resigned myself that since I hadn't heard by now from the other two schools I'd applied to, it likely meant rejection. However, I just heard from school #3 today, and it was an admit with funding offer pending. If you look at the survey results page, people are still posting about being admitted as of yesterday and today, so I wouldn't give up hope yet.

I also think it really depends on the program you are applying to and the circumstances you are applying from. I've been out of school for a while and in going back and applying for a graduate degree now, I felt I had to explain my motivation and justify why they should take a chance on me, in addition to explaining my research areas of interest. I pretty much did no research into the application process (i.e. I looked at no sample personal statements) before writing mine, and I got into 2 of the 4 programs I applied to, with funding. The other two, I haven't heard from yet, but haven't been rejected yet. In looking at the advice here and the sample statements of purpose, I realize I probably committed several cardinal sins (i.e. my statement was rife with personal background and anecdotes, and I didn't really identify anything personal to the schools other than the subjects I was interested in studying), but it worked for me. I think the key to a good statement is (1) that it be well-written, and (2) that it articulates your goals, passion and preparation for graduate study. A personal anecdote or two, if well-concieved, well, I just can't see how that is a problem for anyone reading the statement. It humanizes you, and gives them a sense of who they will be working with for the next 2-5 years. I don't think you can under-estimate the value of good writing, though.

If I were you, I would not retake the GRE to improve your verbal score if you are going into a math-related field, with an 800 math score. If you look at some of the data on the GRE website, including breakdowns of scores based on intended graduate area of study (see link below), you will see that many applicants who intend to go into math-oriented fields score much lower on verbal than quantitative. Your quantitative score is so good, I wouldn't risk it if I were you. http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/GRE/pdf/ ... able_4.pdf

I've been admitted to the Agricultural and Applied Economics program, and I'm curious about your last statement about departments and where they are headed. Do any current students in the AAE program have any insight on the department?