hydrangea

For anyone else who has applied at OSU and is reading this post, I believe the use of the app status IS department specific. I happened to hear from the department by email, and didn't see any change reflected on the web page. Which reminds me - every once in a while I get an email from schools still trying to get me to apply. ULTIMATELY aggravating at this particular time.

OK, I take it back, maybe they are wound up...

I absolutely think the biggest motivation for email response is environmental, and partially economical. I also REALLY REALLY think they should respond, some way, some how. Official mail is nice for the tangibility of it. You could cherish and frame an acceptance letter, or rip up a rejection letter and watch it burn in the fireplace. There is a certain ceremony to the treatment of the object. Then again, Berkeley is a pretty big undergraduate school, and they have at least twice as many people applying as they do actual students (very likely more). They must be saving a ton of trees by using online notification, at least at the undergraduate level. And how many times have we all read, 'we are no longer accepting paper applications'? I think it is really a move in the right direction for the environment. As far as checking your online status, I don't suppose it's very much worse than keeping an extra digital clock going during the day.

I got a result on Monday just before noon (California), from a school in Penn. My BF got two responses, both on different Mondays, and I got my other response on a Friday, end of the working day for the university. My guess is that if it's not going to get to you by mail, you are likely to hear at either end of the week or the end of the day. I don't think the schools are as wound up as we are, and a few hours or a few days isn't a big deal for them to wait to notify us of their decision once it's made. It would be a bit disrupting for a secretary to have to drop what they are doing and send out a notice several times a day.

Shit man, I would be so pissed if they told me that! I would feel compelled to take some sort of action. I would be emotionally writhing. I think I would have a heart attack. They would accept me, but I would already be dead. Maybe that's the point, a sort of encouraged natural selection. Take all the qualified applicants and try to thin them down to a number that you can fund without the guilt of rejecting any.

So I like, really really like you post. I wish I could hit the plus button 5 or 6 times. And, if it's any consolation, I had a friend who double majored in English and Physics.

This topic started out pretty fun, as a place to catch the humor we had missed on the results page (even though that wasn't the intent), but now that it's turned into an argument (with a clear favorite from the audience), I don't think I am going to follow it anymore. Fun while it lasted.

I expect to be a professor, at a four or two year institution. I also wouldn't mind the idea of developing science teaching programs for K-12 school districts. (PER stands for physics education research.) I currently work in a math tutoring center, and there have been plenty of times that I have been working with someone who is clearly struggling with algebra (but working at it, to their creddit) and I hear them say, "I just need to get past the CBEST." It's a teaching credential test in California. I cringe at the idea of this person giving our youth their first exposure to math and science. Then again, I wouldn't be the best person to be teaching them how to spell. Ideally, I would want our elementary school teachers to be comfortable with math, to see it as a tool and not as a hurtle. Interestingly enough, in the beginning math was just a thing I did, like using MLA format for a paper or learning the correct spelling of a word. It was little more than a tool, but once I got to calculus it opened up into being a way of thinking. It was years and years of practice before it actually became a rich experience. There must be a way to get some of that experience across at the elementary level. But that's just kind of a pipe dream at the moment.

On at least one of my applications I could list another person to release information to. My first thoughts on this topic were to discuss things during open house with them, as this of course is the largest factor in choosing a school for me. The thing is my SO is in another (closely related) department. So of course Physics isn't going to go make things happen in a different Ad Comm on my behalf, so I would want to talk to the departments in person. Our worst case scenario is that each of us gets in somewhere the other didn't. I think the chances for a re-application being accepted would determine which town we move to. I was looking to see if the "two body problem" had it's own topic yet, and I might create one, as this topic is maybe more specific.

I grew up in Redlands, and left the area in 2006. That is a quaint town, and largely conservative. In fact, I think the whole Inland Empire (IE) is largely conservative (I moved to Berkeley when I left, it's a much better fit for me). Readlands is to the north east of Riverside on the 10 freeway. It's largely the same as most of the other towns that cover the landscape between Riverside and Orange County. The smaller towns (like Paris) can be pretty depressing, unless you like smaller towns. One has to pick between strip malls and rusty tractors. The fortunate thing about the IE is that you are a one hour drive (two to three at rush hour) to just about everything. Beach and Mountains. If you are willing to live close to Riverside to start with, you might just be happiest living in Riverside. The freeway traffic can ware on a person's last nerve. Paris is a decent commute distance, as is Corona (~30 min drive depending on time of day). Of the two, Corona is more populated, and looks to be much like Riverside. Murietta makes for a long commute, and although I have had friends who did that in school, they were leaving the house at 5:30 all the time. Moreno Valley might be a good pick. It's not too far from the 215, and it's a little nicer than Paris. Unfortunately, I don't have a decent estimate on cost of living in these places. Just make sure your car has air conditioning (And that you have a car!!!). Claremont is the only town with a college in the IE that ever felt like a college town to me.

I may have been quick to say "don't worry about housing filling up". If there is something you like you should investigate the situation and contact people about availability. I will bet that the undergrads haven't found out about their admission status yet, so you don't have to worry for the time being. There will be housing whenever you decided to show up, but it might not be exactly what you're looking for. There will be chances to move, as I did. You can also check craigslist.org, which is very active in the bay area.

I attended UCB as an undergraduate, and I live there still. I currently work in Oakland. As far as filling up for fall goes, I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure the department you applied to will have a prospective weekend where you get to stay out here with a current grad student and get a feel for the place. It's not going to be cheap. I have a good studio apartment reasonably close to campus, BART (trains), and Bus (AC Transit) that I nabbed in November 2006 for $800/mo. There is rent control in Berkeley, so I now pay $840/mo. When I got the place, the manager said he had another studio vacant below mine, and he would list it for more. I also lucked out in having to pay only first month's rent and deposit. A lot of places wanted first, last, and deposit. When I first moved here I didn't go the apartment route. Berkeley has a large Co-op association. I believe that's by far the cheapest option, but it's like staying in a youth hostel in Europe. I believe the organization is (oh they changed the name), here's a link: http://berkeleystudentcooperative.org/ They have a graduate only house, which is nicer than a lot of the others. I lived in Cloyne for one semester. I was very thankful to have a community to belong to while in a new place (I had transferred from southern California), but frustrated over the lack of control over the bathroom. Another thing Berkeley grad students often do is rent houses together. You can end up living in a very beautiful space this way (typically on north side). A lot of students live on south side, and the further south you go the more you are in Oakland, with cheaper rent, but not so safe. Also, bear in mind that Berkely PD does not round up homeless people. They as much define Berkeley as the university does, and you have to be aware of walking by certain parks at night. Personally, I love Berkeley and I am going to miss it! I didn't apply anywhere in California. The weather just oscillates around 65 all year. I don't own a car, and I don't miss it. The place is so rich in quality. I love that you can get Indian or Thai food at 20 different places in a two mile radius, and go to a farmar's market 3 days out of the week. Also, everyone in Berkeley will agree, THERE IS NOTHING IN THE WORLD LIKE BERKELEY BOWL. Whole Foods, eat your heart out. And you have this great access to theater, San Francisco, and camping. It's just a beautiful place. If you have any other specific questions I would be happy to answer them as best I can.

I would keep an eye on the results but search the school name and concentration to see when replies have gone out in the past, and if any have gone out yet this year. You might just have to be patient. If you mean Michigan, I have heard of people in physics who received word via email in their junk folder. Be patient and keep an eye on your email. I would guess that if others in the department have been notified, it isn't unreasonable to call the graduate secretary and ask if any applications are still pending.

I have two applyyourself applications. I was admitted (notified via email) to one school (UPitt), but my applyyourself main page has not changed. No decision link/word has appeared after several days. If you have an applyyourself app. and nothing is changing, it might just mean that the school/department isn't utilizing that feature. Thanks so much for the info about where the link should appear. I was really curious about that.

How 'bout the Guitar Hero, with a DDR option for fellowship consideration? That way small hands aren't a problem for girls (or guys...), and agility determines funding. http://www.collegehu.../tag:ddr/videos (sorry for the repeated response. I didn't see the second page till after posting, but I'll leave this up for the link )

I heard back from a school 8 days after the deadline, and I'm still waiting for all the other schools that were due a month before. It's hard to know if its bogus or not. My friends and I are in debate about the validity of the Berkeley Physics post: University Of California, Berkeley (UCB)Physics, PhD (F10) Accepted via E-mail on 8 Feb 2010 A 10 Feb 2010 large female genital disability I think it's bogus. My friend initially thought it was a rejection (as if Berkeley physics has a problem with girls), but was completely baffeled once they realized it said accepted. Furthermore, they're American. We got a good laugh despite the fact that none of us can make heads or tails of it. I also like this one for Berkeley: Whatever, your state is broke anyway. But we're gonna get high speed rail if it kills us.