RNadine21

Yea, it seems like when I said no they gave up on me. Honestly I just didn't feel ready for a PhD (and I know myself - I would've felt like I failed if I left with a MS. I'm one of those people who hates to "give up." I didn't want to grab whatever was thrown my way without really thinking about it. Honestly, after my crying (oh yes, there were tears) I remembered that this school has been stressing me out for over a month now. The reason I never went up to visit/interview was because all three people were telling me different things/times to visit/etc., it seems like no one was talking to each other, so we never got around to settling on one date before this went down. I do have another offer, so this isn't the worst thing in the world, but it still blows/hit my ego a bit.

Well....I emailed the director last night to tell him that I would accept the fellowship. He just emailed me saying that the two professors committed to other students in the month we've all been playing email tag, so nothing unless I find another potential adviser. I feel like I've just been punched in the stomach.

Hahaha, good point. Basically the main things that are keeping me from outright applying for PhD programs are: 1. I have no desire to spend my career in academia (while I have all the respect in the world for teachers and professors, I have little patience and I can see myself turning into one of those crappy bitchy professors that students are scared of lol) 2. While I love to learn, I'm starting to feel that I'm at the end of my rope. I seriously feel like I can knock out 2-3 more years of school so that I can work in the field or lab for more money - I'm just getting more and more ready to work. 3. Judge if you must, but personally it's becoming very important for me to eventually have a family, and I don't care about a PhD enough to put it off/give it up altogether. Although if it turns out I do want a PhD, I would love to get it at this school. *Sigh* I'd just feel like I'm cheating them out of money if I take the fellowship knowing full well I only want a MS lol.

Yea, it's starting to look a lot more appealing. To add to the appeal, the director pointed out that the program as far as course time, etc. is exactly the same either way, the only difference is the length of time I'd be spending on research.

1. Get some Timberlands. I used to hate them but my family bought them for me in high school because I'd slip around on the ice in my school shoes. They basically saved my ass this winter (I was home in DC when the snow storms started) 2. Once again, layers. Find some nice sweaters and turtlenecks, lots of thinker jeans and cords, a good scarf, hat and gloves. You can start buying some now but warmer clothes also come out in stores before they're really needed, so you can get to your school and buy more clothes then. Oh, also invest in a good peacoat (or whatever style of coat you fancy). I don't know where you're from, but I'm in FL and I've seen lots of warmer clothes in stores (not that I feel they've been necessary until this winter but whatever) 3. You should be find on public transportation. Buses and trains should be heated, the drivers know how to work in bad conditions, and usually the system should be good about acting quickly (whether that means moving a route around to avoid excessive snow or any road damage or outright stopping all transportation - in which case no one in a car or bus should be on the road). The problem might come if you end up living way off a main road, because the city will first try to clear them off and could leave side roads untouched or a bit (I know people back home who were literally trapped at home for days because their roads weren't cleaned)

So I applied to this school last month and they seem to really want me. They offered me a three-year fellowship if I switch my application from a MS to a PhD. The thing is, I'm not sure that I'm ready for a PhD. I would've rather started a MS program and decide then that I could handle that amount of work. However, the program is having a hard time finding an alternative way to fund me if I remain a MS candidate. I really like this school, but I don't want to accept a PhD offer and then cop out. That wouldn't be the way that I want to earn a MS (the director outright told me that if I was tired after a couple of years I could write a thesis and leave with a master's - although he said that would be disappointing, and I agree) I have no idea what to do....this is my second-choice school. The money is very appealing but I don't want to be in over my head. Also, I have another offer that I have to decide on by Mar. 15, and if I remain a MS candidate it could take until mid/late-April to hear from this school. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH#$#TRETT (/screaming)

Thanks so much for the information! As was mentioned, I was offered a TA position and from what I heard from current grad students it seems like it's mostly running undergrad labs on the main campus, thus my problem. I really like the program and I love the city, but between growing up in DC and doing undergrad in Miami it was never a priority to get a license or a car.

Damn, that blows about Columbia, USC is my current second choice. I'd hate to have to hide for 2-3 years. Well I'll hope for Raleigh, lol.

I just received an acceptance to the College of Charleston (woot!) While I did stay in the area over the summer for an internship, I wanted some general information from people more familiar with the area/from the area. My biggest issue is transportation. I currently can't drive, and even if I get a license (which is my summer project), I can't afford a car at the moment (although if people have any suggestions for getting a decently priced used car, I'd appreciate that as well). All my classes would be on James Island but I also received a TA offer, which means I'll have to move between James Island and downtown. Would that even be possible without a car?

Yes, many programs (especially in the sciences I imagine - though I'm only speaking from the POV of biological sciences) require a faculty member to accept you into their lab before the program as a whole accepts you. I do know of people who contacted faculty members after applying, but I imagine that was right after applying. Just do all that you can for now and keep contacting people. Are there other programs with later dates that you can look into to give yourself some peace of mind?

I'll take a swing at this. - 3.2 GPA, 3.1 major GPA at a well-known research university (and even more known in my field) - Gold Member of Marine/Atmospheric Science honor society - Participated in a well-known REU program with well-known faculty - SCUBA certified and trained to assist in marine mammal strandings Hey, it was good enough for one school

My deadlines were Jan. 15, Feb. 1, and Mar. 15. I've already heard back from the school with the Feb. 1 deadline, and I've been in a lot of contact with the Jan. 15 school. Hopefully the schools with deadlines in March won't take too long.

I'm so happy someone decided to bring this up. I consider myself a first generation and low-income student (people on my dad's side have undergrad degrees but they haven't been in my life in a long time emotionally/financially, so I don't consider them family) I had some help with college; my family was really excited for me and wanted me to do well. It's a lot more lonely now. I'm the only person (on either side) applying to grad school, so I've been leaning more on my friends and advisor. My family has actually been more annoying than anything. On top of the stress I put on myself, I'm constantly getting questions of "Have you heard anything yet?" "What are you doing with your furniture?" "How will you find somewhere to live?" Sometimes I want to yell at them to back off, especially as I can't do anything more until I get decisions. I'm also starting to feel that my family misses me and wants me back home. My entire family is back in my hometown, so it's difficult for them to slowly realize that I'm probably not coming back other than for visits, especially my grandma who helped raise me (Oh yea, I come from a close, loud, immigrant Hispanic family) Overall, it helps knowing that everyone seems so proud of me for getting me this far. It really gives me hope

Where exactly do you live right now? Can you move close to the Metro stop? Then you're still in College Park but only a train ride away from DC. Another thought, if you move near the red line (maybe in Silver Spring?) you can hop on and hop right off in Dupont Circle.

I'll just give a big thumbs up to DC where I grew up. I love going home because I can be so independent and it's so easy to get everywhere by myself. I interned in Baltimore, which also has a pretty good system between the buses and the light rail. It's not difficult at all to travel between the two cities with the MARC train (just don't use the Camden line if you're in a hurry..bahhh!). I'm currently finishing up my undergrad in Miami, and the system here is so-so. It works for me since I'm walking distance from the busway, but it does take a while to get anywhere (actually, that's true whether you have a car or not. Traffic in Miami is ridiculous). I've even made the trek to South Beach on the Metro....though I only do that if I REALLY want to hit the beach and my roommates are gone. I personally feel safe on Miami's Metro, but I'm probably the only person who'll say that since I've never owned a car and I'm just used to it. It's also annoying that the Metro consists on one line that runs north to south (like I said, I'm from DC). There is also the Tri-Rail, which connects Miami-Dade, Broward, and West Palm counties I believe. I know you can get to both airports (Miami and Ft. Lauderdale) on the Tri-Rail. I've been told that Raleigh has a good bus system since it can be a pain to drive (hoping this is the case since one of my schools is there).

I'm glad someone else is doing this. I'm doing the same and as someone else said, Raleigh and the surrounding cities appear to be very gay-friendly. I haven't really seen much about the other areas I'm looking at. If anyone has info on Wilmington, NC or Columbia and Charleston, SC, that'd be awesome. Good luck with your search OP