magnetite

I did just that! And it's been a first-name basis ever since.

Weird. I still haven't heard anything from UNLV. Did they email you?

I've been out of college and working in an unrelated field for three years. My knowledge of most of my undergrad material is a bit hazy at this point. Is it usual for students entering a graduate program to need to go back and review undergrad material, whether or not there's been an extended period of time between graduating and starting grad school?

Mine will be taxed as well. Both federally and at the state level. I've also read that if your funding package includes payment of tuition, it's possible that could be taxed, too. See the article below: http://pfforphds.com/prepare-grad-student-tax-return/

Using everyone's first names seemed to be the norm for this department when I was visiting, but I'm still addressing the professor as Dr. in all correspondence so far. Even though when asked on the visit who I was wanting to work with, I'd use her first name. I even had a conversation about how to address professors with a current grad student in the program; he thought it was very odd that my physics professors didn't go by their first names. The next time I see her in person I think I'm going to end up asking. This is only because on the visit, there was another student who wanted to work with the same professor. When leaving for home, he addressed her as Dr. in front of a few other professors and students, which seemed very out of place. With the professor I'll be working with, I met her a few years ago and was introduced by her first name. So, maybe I should have been using it this entire time. I feel like the new thing where people add their pronouns (he/him/his, etc) to their twitter profiles should extend to how professors prefer to be addressed!

Ah, hey. Thanks for the update about UNLV. I emailed them last week about my status and got a response that I'm currently waitlisted. They said they made a few offers, that there were a lot of excellent applications, and only a "very limited number" of spots available.

I"m currently looking for an apartment within a mile from campus, if anyone has suggestions. I saw Campus Hill mentioned a few years ago. Is that complex still a decent option? I'm also looking at Waters Edge and Bethlehem Towers across the river from campus. I'm leaning toward renting a place by myself, but I'd potentially be interested in living with a roommate. I should mention that I will be bringing my cat with me. @sarahchristine Did you end up finding a decent place to live in Bethlehem?

They don't want to come to Dallas, either. Housing prices, and by extension apartment costs, have increased tremendously in recent years. Not that I care much anymore, since I'll be moving north of the Mason-Dixon line pretty soon!

If you're interested in a perspective from an astronomy department, the following article is a really good read: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2008/01/29/the-other-side-of-graduate-admissions/#.XH2CVVNKjOQ

Twice the cost of U-Pack, including gas, too? This is going to be a hard decision. I've got a one bedroom apartment full of decent furniture, all of which I was planning on moving. Maybe I'll try to downsize enough to fit things into a small trailer.

My cat is currently having some health issues that could cost quite a bit of money to address: $2,200 just for a diagnostic. Then even more for treatment, assuming the diagnostic finds anything wrong, which it might not. I've already spent about $2,000 trying various prescriptions and treatments with no luck. She's only 7 years old, so assuming any issues aren't too severe, she should live for quite a while longer. If I weren't going to graduate school, I wouldn't hesitate to pay for whatever treatment is needed for her. Unfortunately, since I know that money will be tight while I'm working on my PhD, I'm very reluctant to schedule the diagnostic. I originally adopted her from a no-kill shelter that has veterinarians on staff. I volunteer there, too, so I'm considering returning her there because I know they'd be able to take care of her. I also think that her health issues are behavioral and may go away with a change of location. I'm still not sure it's worth the risk of moving her 1500 miles across the country in case she still has the issues after the move. Has anyone else been in this situation? I'd hate to return her back to the shelter, but I need to make sure I do what's best for her. I don't think I'm going to be in a very good situation to provide care for her after the move, which wouldn't be fair to her.

@Nothingtown do you know how Penske compares to a service like PODS or U-Pack? I'm moving 1500 miles away by myself and I'd rather just drive only my car. It'd be great to not have to drive a huge truck that's towing my car.

I emailed the two programs I hadn't heard from, letting them know I was evaluating other offers and would like to make a decision soon. They both got back to me reasonably quickly: one waitlist and one rejection. I think it's definitely worth contacting them to politely ask about your status, assuming you have genuine interest in attending their programs.

I'm experiencing a considerable case of impostor syndrome. I'm well past 30 years old and, after a very mercurial existence since high school, I graduated with a bachelor's degree about 10 years late. To this point, I've never committed to or been interested in one particular thing long enough to excel and attain mastery. I also just got my first acceptance to a PhD program. It's in a different field than I studied as an undergraduate, but the opportunity is perfectly aligned with my interests and my goals. I'd just be going in without a lot of experience and therefore a lot of catching up to do. Having a prolonged interest like this is new to me--7 years and still going strong. I'm just really afraid that I'm too far behind and I'll be wasting peoples' time and money if I accept. There's also a lingering feeling that I've accomplished very little to date. Most if it relates to my net monetary worth, which is far less than a lot of people I know. I'm not in the best position as far as retirement; the opportunity cost of five years in graduate school is sobering in this regard. Is anyone else's impostor syndrome motivated by similar experiences? That summarizes most of my worries, but here's what I'm excited about: As I mentioned, this really is the perfect opportunity for me. I'm incredibly excited about the field of study, the professor I'd be working with, and the area I'd be living in for the next five years.

Their website doesn't have an estimate for when to expect decisions. My POI there has only said that they start reviewing applications right after the deadline, but it always takes a lot longer than he likes for them to make decisions.