fadeindreams

Funding going out (3:00 EST). The source, again, is my lovely wife who received a full FELLOWSHIP to attend Ford. Insurance and $8,400 stipend provided. Guaranteed the second year. I haven't received anything (yet?). That's two full rides for my amazing wife. Yay!

Accepted! No aid though.

Admissions with aid starting now (4:00 PST). Source is my wife who just got a full research assistantship (RA) via email. Crazy...$1500 stipend and insurance paid a month. I hope they admit me too. Otherwise, well, that'd be super sad.

They won't rescind your acceptance simply because you request funding. Be tactful and make sure that you are articulate and kind. Find the RIGHT person to talk to and work from there. Typically major programs have directors of fellowships. Minor programs at major universities will have a director of fellowships for the entire university. Be persistent and remember most would love to help you if they are able.

Duke's gonna lose to University of Arkansas - Pine Bluff tomorrow. Due to that, I'd pick the Orangemen.

Cornell has the name advantage. Which program has the best fit for you in terms of course plan and career plan? Which one has the better career services? Is the end price the same for you for both programs? First, I'd determine about academic course rigor and fit. Second, I'd figure out if their career services are aggressive or competent enough to serve you. Third, if all things are more or less equal, I'd visit both.

Why are the funds secret?!

I can't speak to your situation specifically, however, I work in recruitment at a major public and we would pay for any student we invited out to a meal, coffee or anything else. If they don't, I'd be really surprised!

Admitted into Rackham yesterday. I know that was just a formality but it's nice to be fully admitted. Can't wait to hear about aid! Hoping that at least my wife or I is offered a carrot to choose Ford. Just anything to make our choice easier. All the schools we applied to are schools we would love to attend.

Called Evans and they said they will be sending decisions out starting today or tomorrow via post. They will be sending decisions through next week. If you are given aid not tied to the FAFSA then you will be notified along with your decision. Via post...really? *sigh*

My understanding is this: The department, in this case the Ford school, decides that they want to admit you.The department forwards your application, materials and all, to the Rackham Graduate School Admissions Office.Rackham evaluates you to make sure you meet all of the minimum qualifications (certain GPA, et al) and that your application is complete.In the case that your application is not complete, Rackham will pursue the missing documents.Once Rackham has finished the evaluation and has signified that your application is complete and acceptable then you will be fully admitted. Sound about right? I'm willing to be wrong on this one.

Thanks for the compliment. Really, thank you. I also have a 2.9x cumulative undergraduate GPA in History (special, I know). Clearly Ford is willing to look at the complete picture. That or they are completely batty and admit students with a mediocre academic record on purpose.

Their FAQ directly says "no" in a lot of words. Search "Can I get in-state residency after my first year?"

That's for a semester (term), I think. http://www.finaid.umich.edu/Financial_Aid_Basics/cost.asp If that's true then it's basically SIPA cost! (Without the associated cost of living, of course).

Me too! My wife and I are in!

When a tactful email doesn't work I suggest a tactful phone call. Call their departmental secretary, not them directly.

Thank you for being a voice of reason. Remember people that the GRE is used to compare two applicants. Percentile matters more than raw score. Also, they are certainly changing the GRE in order to better serve admissions, not test-takers.

Please don't think I'm being rude, either. I'm just trying to be helpful. Best of luck to you in your decision. I'm envious of your choice. Perhaps a bigger factor to which program you should choose should be where you'll live for two years.

You're worrying about the prestige vs debt of a higher ed degree? Really? You know what your salary is likely to be with the degree in hand, right? I'd take zero debt and median prestige way before I'd bother with massive debt and premium prestige. That's a very easy choice. If you were speaking about a degree where prestige actually makes a difference in what job you land and where, such as an MBA, then you can start viewing massive debt as worth it. To distinguish yourself in Higher Ed you'll need a doctorate. Period. I'd get the MA in hand, work a few years in a university and then figure out what program/discipline you want to enter for your Ed.D or Ph.D. Furthermore, you might want to define your career goal so that you can question people currently in your "dream" position about how they got there. I think that their answers are likely to surprise you. Many probably do not even have a Higher Ed background. I am surrounded by people with higher ed degrees making the same amount that I do with a BA only. Some of those people are from prestigious institutions, others from the institution I work in. Doesn't matter a lick at entry level. It will, however, help them obtain higher positions than I could with my current level of education. In fact, I am at a dead end position when it comes to my current level of education. They, however, will find their dead end soon enough without at least an Ed.D. Many of them know this and are working on their doctorates part-time with the tuition discount provided by the university I work at. Do yourself a favor and contact people that have been in the workforce for awhile. They'll tell you something similar to what I am saying. There's a glut of recent Higher Ed graduates. Read the Chronicle. You'll see lots of articles about the state of higher ed jobs. Not saying there aren't great jobs available. Rather, I'm saying that you should take the free degree and distinguish yourself otherwise. Easy choice.

I wholly recommend Credit Karma to see where you stand currently. The site is ad-based and free to you, the user. After you see where you currently stand, I would recommend using a credit card comparison tool such as Bank Rate. Look for a credit card with no annual fee. Best would be a fixed rate but those are always hard to obtain with no/bad credit. They're even harder to obtain considering the current state of the credit associated industries. So you're probably looking at a variable rate. Try to obtain one with as low of a rate as possible. Obviously. The rate won't matter one bit if you pay the WHOLE thing off EVERY month. Activity + low credit utilization (the amount currently held in debt on your revolving line of credit) is great for building your score. Don't expect miracles. Be patient and prudent! As for renting your next place, don't worry about getting a co-signer. Instead, find a place that either A) doesn't check credit or will accept a note of good standing from your current landlord in lieu of non-existent credit. One or the other should be easy to find. Start with a broker or real-estate agent. Most are free for you to use. They are paid by the landlord after you sign a lease. I wouldn't worry too much about your lack of a savings account at this time. High interest debt is worse. When you get a stable job look into their retirement plans and try to max out whatever they will match.

Wow! Surely they'd have to get the admissions decisions out today or Monday if that's the case. They wouldn't want students finding out they were admitted from some random current Ford student calling them, would they? Surely they would like to give a good buffer in order for admits to check their email!

Exactly. Yet another reason that I think it appears less prestigious and weak. And I did say that I didn't discredit the academic side of the school due to using "rolling admissions". I suppose the best way to say it is that I feel less special having been admitted to a program using "rolling admissions". I think the reason is that I currently work in a major public that using "rolling admissions" and it seems too relaxed and unprofessional.

Of course it benefits late/lazy students! You can submit your application until the target class is full. It just feels like a process that doesn't have any place at tier 1/prestigious schools. Again, it's my opinion but I feel that hard deadlines show more strength and prestige.

No problem Dagger. Thanks for the info. When is the student call night this year?

Does anyone else have a negative opinion of "rolling admissions"? It is, in my opinion, too forgiving for students who don't have enough focus to get their applications finished in a timely manner. Sadly, the fact that DU's Korbel School has "rolling admissions" and recently published a blog post soliciting more applications has knocked my overall perception of their school down a notch. I don't think it's deserved, after all I know admissions is often removed quite a bit from the academic side of things, but the perception is there all the same! I still want to go to Korbel, though that might be because they are the only ones that have stated they want me at this point! (Feeling a bit like Ben on last week's "Lost") This admissions process has been all full of long, deep sighs. I ain't LOLing. I'm SOLing.