pietjekanarie

I don't think they'll give me any funding. Anyway, I can of course say that I'm waiting on my external funding decision. This decision however, will come the end of the month. I'm more worried about my #1 school that says I can expect a decision "in the next couple of weeks". I have no clue how much extension I should ask them for. This is such a pain. If I ask for extension to wait out my funding decision, it might still not be enough time for my #1 school to make up their mind. I'm pretty annoyed by this school. They can not even indicate when decisions are about to come out. Maybe I should just not wait for them and decide when the funding decision comes out.

Anyone familiar with asking for extensions? I have a few offers right now. Two of them are interesting for me, but I am waiting on the decision of my #1 school. I asked the department when they expect decisions and the answer was: "You can expect a decision in the next couple of weeks". Well, that is not even an indication when the decision will come out. It might be somewhere in May.... I'm pretty annoyed that it takes this long. On the other hand, I'm still waiting on one external funding decision (without I can't go to school #1 anyway). But, here comes the problem: On April 30 one of my offer will lapse and on May 5 the other one will as well. I'm expecting the funding decision at the end of April, so this might be kind of tricky (I can't accept anything without this funding). Also, my #1 school might not even have a decision by the end of April :S If I get the funding, I definitely want to wait for that decision, but I have the April 30 and May 5 deadlines of the other schools.... I might just get rejected after all by my #1 school. How does this work? Should I ask for an extension? I cannot really give them a certain date though, because the #1 school only indicated that I'll get my decision in "the next couple of weeks". Whenever that might be... I only applied to Masters programs and they don't come with funding (or very rarely). The offers I hold now, do not include any funding! I applied to external funding to finance this. I read a lot that it is common to just accept an unfunded offer and then withdraw later if your situation changes. How does this work though? From what I understand, accepting an offer means that you have to sign a contract. Your stuck then, right? One of my offers is from NYU. They ask me to pay a $250 deposit if I accept as well... Does anyone have experience with these kinds of situation? Or some advice?

Thanks Bumblebee I already found out that it isn't possible everywhere. Preferably I arrange everything soon in Amsterdam, it would help if I receive decisions of remaining universities and scholarships soon so that I can actually decide myself whether I want to go to the US, Canada or the UK..

Thanks Kalapocska. Which country were you at that you could go to the US embassy without appointment? That seems way more convenient! I might have to go to the Baltic States for a couple of weeks for work, so if I can't get an appointment because it is already full I might have to arrange it there. Hmm.. I had the Canadian visa before and it went pretty fast. Only I had to sent everything to Germany, since they don't have an embassy here. But it didn't take long when I had all the forms..

Thanks! The website of the consulate in A'dam states that they will send your passport back within 5 working days. That's really fast that they did it in less than 24 hours in your case! Your IU offer sounds nice! Congrats and good luck over there!

I think the 5 year thing isn't too bad. Of course it sucks if you have to write the GRE again, but a lot changes in 5 years and your scores might not be comparable anymore to the newer scores. They do revise the test every now and then. I think it is bigger nonsense that my TOEFL score is only valid for 2 years. What? After 2 years my ability to speak English just disappears miraculously? Of course, ETS is happy to charge me another 200 Euros for a TOEFL and 20 Euros for every score report I want to send out. Of course, non of the universities think that after studying in Canada, completing a whole MSc degree in English and learning English from the age of 10 up until now will prove that I actually DO speak the language.... Cambridge even didn't want to accept my TOEFL score and asked me to write an IELTS as well!! Fortunately, the director of the program was able to exempt me from any further testing. I'm not even going to calculate how much money I spent in 2009 writing the TOEFL and the GRE and sending out all the score reports to 8 universities...

Thanks again for sharing Bumblebee. It doesn't seem to be too big of a hassle. I'm still waiting on one US university and one Canadian (that would be a different visa procedure before I can decide anything. Because I'm applying to MAs, the decisions will come even after April 15, so I was a bit worried that I might be in trouble getting an appointment at the embassy in time. I think it should be okay. If I end up going to the US, I will check with the embassy if they need a certified translation when I make an appointment. Let's hope they did learn their languages over there and I don't have to get one..

Thanks Bumblebee No, you didn't bore me out, haha! I was just trying to see how much time it takes. I might be going abroad for work and if I decide to go to the US (I also have UK offers), I have to arrange an appointment somewhere in between. I think it will depend on the country how crowded the embassy is. I have to go to Amsterdam, but I would say it shouldn't be too crowded in summer. I mean, it's not that EU people need visas to go to the US on holiday... So people applying for visa are usually people on business or people who are studying there. Unfortunately, I can't find any info on how many weeks after your call you get the appointment. I suppose you showed info about how your were going to pay for grad school? Did you have information of your bank account translated from Spanish or something? If I end up in the US, I'm going on a Dutch scholarship. I suppose they need proof that I can pay. That scholarship will cover the costs, but it's not a US scholarship so I'm not completely sure how this works since all info about the scholarship will be in Dutch. (I know I can call the embassy for this, but that costs 15 Euros every time you call them). If I need to arrange a certified translator, that's going to take up some time as well. On the other hand, there must be Dutch speaking people around at the consulate in Amsterdam..

How long did your visa procedure take? From the moment you accepted the offer till you had your visa? How long does did it take the school to send everything to you, how long did it take you arrange other forms/documents you needed and to get the appointment at the embassy? Did everything go smoothly? I'm trying to get a little more insights in this procedure. I'm from Western Europe (I know Canadians have much easier procedures). Any EU passport holders with experience?

Litvak, it seems that Columbia is not very generous when it comes to funding masters degrees. I think I remember that their online application stated something like "the GSAS freestanding Masters degrees are not considered for funding". I'm not 100% sure, maybe it was only applicable to international students. However, I'm counting on them giving me nothing (if they accept me). If you have a great offer from IU, it makes no sense to wait on Columbia since the chance of funding is small and the chance that the funding will cover your expenses in NYC is even smaller. I'm also not really sure how long this waiting is going to take. Their website says the following: "The notification of M.A. decisions varies by department and application deadlines. Although some M.A. decisions are sent out in early Spring, decisions may be rendered as late as July." It's not that they give you the slightest idea when the decisions will come out like this... It can be early spring, or it can be JULY.. I think it will take a while, since the deadline was only March 1 if I remember correctly (although NYU's deadline was April 1 and I have an acceptance already). I will probably wait on Columbia for now, since Oxford is giving me a lot of time. I'll hear about a very generous external scholarship in a few weeks. If I don't get this scholarship, my decision will be Oxford or maybe U of T (I received an email that my application is considered for funding there) regardless of Columbia's decision. I'm not going to take out a 100,000 USD loan to live in NYC for 2 years although I would love to live and study there.

It is hard to compare completely different systems. From what I understood (and I'm still learning ) are you more of a student than an employee in your PhD if you do it in the US (I'm not really up to date about UK PhDs). You apply like a student and you have to pay tuition fees and all. You are hoping your school will offer you some kind of funding package. But from what I read on this forum, that is not a guarantee. Some people only get partial funding (I don't have a clue what they do? get an extra job or loans I suppose). It seems it also differs per student. Some will get more than others. My friend from the US got something like 15,000 USD a year + tuition waver. That is nothing if you have to live in a city like LA, NY, Chicago. I get the impression that the UK system is a bit of the same, but with even less funding options? I read all the time that students won't do a PhD in the UK, because there is no chance of getting funding? Here it goes as follows: You apply (which is more a job application than a student application - you do need a research proposal of course), you get hired, sign a contract and you just get this salary. Every year it goes up a little bit. You start at €1900 and end at €2300 a month in your last year. This is the same for every grad student in your department. I have to say that €1900-2300 isn't too much when you are living in Amsterdam. It is not unreasonable, but costs of living in Amsterdam are way higher than in, let's say, Bloomington IN. Also, our PhDs are more research based. In the US, you do 2 years of coursework before you start your research. That is why it takes 5-6 years. We don't do coursework (it is possible to do some, but not so common), so a PhD takes 4 years. On the other hand, we did do coursework in our Masters because it is mandatory to hold a Masters before starting your PhD. A PhD after undergrad does not exist here. But I suppose it is like that in the UK as well. I think every system has its advantages and disadvantages. Our government is a little more generous in general towards students than the US government is. However, I think this is not applicable to the TO, since he/she is trying to do just a part of the PhD in another country.

I don't have experience with this, but I do have a friend from the US who did do some research for his PhD here. I suppose you don't have to worry about tuition fees. You just pay your school and hold the funding package from your school. Your prof might have some friends here in Europe and they might let you do some research here and maybe someone from their department will go to the US for a while. Also, at least here in the Netherlands, PhD students don't pay tuition fees and just get a salary of about €2000 a month (the same for everyone). If you'd come here, you won't pay tuition either. But as you are here for a few months and for the benefit of your own research, you also don't get a salary. You should pay your living costs with your stipend that you already hold.

I don't think my program has an admitted students weekend. At least, I can't find anything about that. I'm also not sure if they work with a waitlist. The result search doesn't show my program unfortunately. I guess I just have to wait, but eventually I have to make choices, or pay NYU the 250 dollars to hold my place...

That's true probably. However, the institute that administers the MA I applied to doesn't have its own PhDs. Maybe they do refer PhD candidates from other masters to this program, but I wouldn't expect an excessive amount. I'm not contacting anyone either for now, but I'm just very impatient.... NYU gave me till April 30 to decide and the other programs I got into even till June. I guess there is nothing to worry about yet. I just want to know which country I will move to next fall.. I think Canada is another story. U of T can take very long if I look at the result search from last year. I applied in January, so I hope they have rolling admission and don't have to wait forever. These programs are both high upon my list, so I really want to know before making decisions. Good luck to you too A. Colin!

I suppose it is normal that those decisions are coming later than the decisions for PhDs? However, I was reading on Columbia's website: "The notification of M.A. decisions varies by department and application deadlines. Although some M.A. decisions are sent out in early Spring, decisions may be rendered as late as July." ??? How can someone accept when a decision comes in June or even July? I was counting on getting a rejection, because it takes them pretty long (I applied in the beginning of January, my deadline was March 1), but apparently their decisions for masters programs are just late in the year. I'm doubting if I should contact the department for an update on my status. However, I suppose they're busy and I don't want to annoy them (I guess they get the question all the time). Anyone else waiting on Columbia? I can't find the program I applied to in the result search, so I have no clue how long I have to continue waiting.. I'm also eager to get a decision from U of T.... I need these decisions before April 30, because I have to notify programs I got into in time as well.

I think that NYU often works with rolling admission. At least, that is what they do in the Russian and Slavic Studies MA. I applied around January 10 and received an acceptance last week. So it took them about 9 weeks. I think it will depend on when you sent in your application. My deadline was even April 1!!

Not yet. I'm still waiting on U of T... and Columbia. In the meanwhile I'm talking to current students of the programs I got accepted into to get some more insights. I think Oxford is the most interesting for me until now. I received my first (external) scholarship decision today and the first €10,000 is in! Good luck at Indiana, Russophile! I understood Indiana is a great place for Russian studies

I am from Amsterdam. I personally don't like it and am happy to move away next year. But I think it is different coming from the US living here for a couple of years. For me it is too small (700,000 inhabitants). People are rude and unfriendly in public transport or on the streets, especially in comparison to people in the US (although I've only been to NYC, Chicago, Boston, DC). There is no service, people are NOT service minded. You will pay way too much for housing. The Dutch government has all kind of rules that generate affordable housing for people. This affordable housing is never for a foreigner coming here, so in the end you are going to pay about 600-700 euros for a crappy apt far away from the center. Especially foreigners are screwed over all the time by people who rent out places. Also the foreign students I know were living illegally all the time resulting in them getting kicked out when the landlord had enough of them. It is really bad and I really hate this. If you can get help from the university with student housing you might get a room for about 380 euros/month at a nice location. I think it is overpriced, they ask foreign students to pay about 100 euros more than dutch students. There is also some container housing, which was about the same price, but I think they removed it. My experience is that PhD students don't get help finding a house, but this might vary per department. I pay 250 euros/month for a whole apartment in the center, so I think the prices are too high, especially for international students who don't have a network (because that is how you get a decent place). My two american friends who studied here for a while said they liked the town, but that it was extremely hard to make friends with locals. I always say: the dutch are open-minded, but they are not open. You can do everything in Amsterdam and people won't find it weird, but they won't invite you at parties and stuff. Everyone is in their own world. Internationals often do stuff with internationals only. It is sad but true. Of course there are exceptions (I know these two americans from their time in amsterdam and I am Dutch ). According to them, Amsterdam is a nice place, but also a lonely place. Everyone also tends to think that it is a big city. When I ask foreigners how many people they think live in Amsterdam, they respond with 5 million. No, it is not even 1 million and yes it is a bit like a village (which can be an advantage). Pro's: It's old (historical buildings etc), it's liberal, museums, culture, good nightlife, job opportunities, etc. It is very different from every other town somehow. I think no other city in the Netherlands is like this city. All the other cities are smaller. If I had to choose a city in the Netherlands to live in, I'd definitely choose Amsterdam with all its disadvantages. St-Petersburg: I've lived there as well. What is your reason to go there? It is really pretty. I think it is an open air museum. If you like culture, you're at the right place. I won't advice going to Russia without speaking the language or without the intention to learn it. St Petersburg is not my favorite Russian city, but I think it is the most "easy" Russian city and the most touristic one. Russia is such a different place though (in comparison to the other cities you chose). I would much rather go to St. P than Amsterdam though. It might not always be easy and nice, but it will be an experience for sure!

Anya: Not all masters in the UK are one year. Often there is a 1-year and a 2-year variant. I got accepted into the 2-year MPhil, but there is also a one year MSc. In the US there are also a few one year programs in my field. So I guess this simply depends on the study. Pangmao: I think it depends on the college. I'm also waiting on a college place at Oxford. I got a place offered at a college in Cambridge almost immediately after I got the offer, so I guess it differs. I think you shouldn't count on too much funding for the masters. As I understood there is often not that much available.

If your goal is living in Switzerland, I'd say you should really go to Zurich. Doing grad school somewhere also includes networking. You'll build a network in Switzerland and that will be very useful when you will try to find a job there after graduation. Switzerland is known to be pretty hard to get into. I think the EU is a fortress, but Switzerland is like Fort Knox. I think you will pretty much ruin or very much decrease your chances of getting a job in Switzerland by going to GW. Especially since you're an American. How are you going to come back to Europe after being in the US for so long? I'm not saying it is impossible, but it will be harder. I know it depends on the job and maybe it is easier in certain professions, but I would definitely try to go where you want to live. Germany seems a good option as well (although Zurich is better, I think). It also helps that you can improve your German over the years there, something that I'd think is necessary when looking for jobs in Zurich (or Germany). Edit: For the WTO it might be a good idea to improve your French..

I have a similar situation. I got into Oxford and Cambridge for master's programs, but also into NYU. I read on this forum that UK masters from Oxbridge are not considered very competitive, because they often don't give any funding. That last thing is true, but as an international student, I also don't have to expect funding from the US universities I applied to (some US universities even stated: no funding for master's programs for anyone). Right now I'm still waiting on 2 universities and on my (external) funding decisions before I can really decide. But I find it very hard to compare NYU to Oxford, US vs UK. I have no clue what would be better. The UK program is 2 years and the US program 3 semesters. On the one hand I'm leaning more towards Oxford, on the other hand: New York would be great for connections and networking and it would be nice to live on the other side of the Atlantic for a while.

What is your motivation for Universiteit Utrecht? I'm not saying it's a bad university, but I wouldn't compare it to Oxford or Trinity. I also think it is definitely NOT worth it to pay the €9000-12000 tuition fees at Utrecht for overseas students, especially because you'd just do a 1 year MA before starting law school. I have to say that I don't know the program in Utrecht, but I don't think it means a lot in the US. Did you consider a comparable masters in Sweden? I know you have Developmental Studies at Uppsala University and Migration and Ethnic relations in Malmo. In Sweden they don't charge tuition fees, so studying there will be for free.

I would say: go for the funded offer. You don't want to start a PhD without funding. Montreal is also a very affordable and great city. Toronto is probably very nice too, but I think it is much more expensive and since you won't get funding from U of T... I don't know about Information Studies, so it is a bit hard to judge about which school would be better for you. Anyway, McGill has a very good international reputation and it often recognized as the best university of Canada. U of T ranks above McGill for certain programs. I have no clue about UWO.

I can't really say which one would be better, but did you visit the schools? Which school left the best impression? It's a place where you'll be for the next 5-6 years so apart from the project you'll work on: how where the people? How was the environment, etc? If you do want to take the offer from the school that offers less funding, calculate how much you have to go into debt. If you really like their work better and the debt is not huge, why not?