magnetite

If you're not already actively looking, then I think you have some time, but I hope you're already actively saving for the move! I'm moving cross country and it's adding up to be much more than I anticipated already, the fees you don't think of like utilities set up, random deposits, higher than average security deposits, etc can kill your budget if you don't plan ahead. Luckily, I'm moving in with my partner and I planned for the worst in terms of cost, but I still feel the stress.

Hi!  We have an entrance exam where it is expected we know and pass tests that were at the undergraduate coursework level.  If we get below a certain percentage they will make us take their university's equivalent of the UG course again.  Regardless, in my field (STEM), the grad courses build upon the undergrad so I'll definitely be reviewing certain course materials before I head into the fall to stay afloat.

I think this is going to vary for everyone.  I took a number of years off between undergrad and grad school and while I was a good student in undergrad I still felt I needed a review of statistics and some core content.  It wasn't something I spent months on, just did a crash course consisting of skimming my undergrad textbooks (yes I kept mine lol).  I felt it helped when I enrolled in classes and wasn't struggling to remember basic concepts.

Listen, I know this is semi-standard for some schools and I should just suck it up. But there are two (highly ranked!) schools that I applied to that have released both acceptances and rejections, yet I have heard nothing. I've already committed to a program I love, so its not that these would've necessarily swayed me. But we put tons of time, energy and MONEY into these applications, and they can't even bother to acknowledge we sent them anything? It's rude and unprofessional, imo. Ugh. Anywho. I'll get over it, but thought it was likely some of you might be feeling the same way. 

Update on this.
Accepted Alberta, declined Arizona.  Hopefully I did decline Arizona quick enough they can pull somebody off the waitlist. 
Onward to Canada!

I've seen a couple other podcast threads posted in the past so I've included them below. I'm not sure if the focus of the podcasts that are included are helpful to you but I'm sure it's worth perusing.
 
 
 

Finally heard back from UNLV, got rejected. CSU Fullerton offered me a TA position though!

Generally speaking: stipends are income and are taxed accordingly.
Despite a close call involving shithead Republicans in congress, tuition waivers and scholarships used to pay for tuition are still tax free.

I will never understand people who say they are "surprised" to get rejected...I wish I had that kind of confidence.

I've read this thread so many times... Can't believe I can finally comment.
I'm an international student from Israel. Only applied to Columbia's BME program and didn't really think I have a chance to get in. Yesterday around 2AM we came back from our friends and I was putting my baby to sleep, when suddenly I got an email to check the portal. The email said I a new tab is added called "offer".I logged in and a congratulations video started to play, with an official letter added. I still can't believe it's real.. I asked my husband to slap me in the face to make sure I'm not dreaming ???
Now I have to find out how are we going to pay for this...

I will be living with a roommate next year. It'll also my first appartement (I still live with my family). At first, I was thinking of moving out on my own, but one of my friends introduced me to this girl who will also be starting her PhD in the same university as me (but in another program). I also googled her and found that that she wrote op-eds for newspaper, did humanitarian work in Africa, considers herself to be a feminist, anti-racist researcher. I met her a few weeks ago at a café, and she also doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, doesn't party much (just like me). I think my friend did a good job in thinking we would be a good fit. Plus, we're going to support each other during the first year of PhD studies.
 

From my experience at the school you're going to, you'll fit right in! A person passing by you on campus will just think "Another day at [school]!" I also feel that individuality is strongly celebrated there and you will probably get a lot of positive feedback. (I'm avoiding mentioning the school name even though it's in both of our signatures in case you decide to not include this information later on and don't want the school name to stay in this thread).

I was in the middle of sneezing when I saw the email appear in my inbox. 
It feels really good to finally be able to post in this thread after getting shut out from eight programs in 2016. 

Dallasite checking in. Feel free to PM me!

After reading through all 23 pages, I think I've managed to compile the most salient (at least for me) and still relevant pieces of advice as far as grad school supplies 
Laptop - While most people have a laptop, it was recommended by several people that folks in a new laptop (unless yours is less than two years old) and make sure you get an extended warranty (one that will hopefully last the entirety of your program).  Note: look into funding opportunities for laptops within your department. Some will finance a new laptop for incoming grad students!  Desk - L-shaped came highly recommended, given the extra space. While i love my little desk, I may invest in a larger one by year 2.  Chair (Desk) - Investing in a good chair was stressed many times. You will likely be spending many hours hunched over a desk. get one that will be comfortable for your back, but won't put you to sleep.  Chair (Reading) - a separate reading chair was recommended for those hours upon hours where you'll be reading. a comfortable chair or couch was recommended. Printer - there was some debate regarding the pros/cons of a printer. In an increasingly digital age, I don't think a printer is completely necessary. ESPECIALLY because so many universities have printers available and printing costs included within stipends. But this will depend on the person Scanner OR File Cabinet - One person had recommended getting a file cabinet and regularly organizing it so as not to fall behind (if you are someone who likes having physical copies of everything, then go for this option). HOWEVER, someone then chimed in to say screw a file cabinet. just get a scanner. and i thought that was an excellent idea! just scan everything you need and chuck the physical copies (unless its like your birth certificate or something)  Coffee - Coffee maker, coffee carafe (to keep it warm for those days of marathon working), french press. you get the idea. ALTERNATIVE: electric kettle for tea drinkers  Large Water Bottle - lets be sustainable folks!  Snacks - for those long days  Wall Calendar  Dry Erase Board  Noise Cancelling Headphones  External Hard Drive Dongles - actually didn't see folks write about this, so I'm adding it! Dongles/adapters are constantly changing based on your device. Get the one that is specific to your computer to HDMI and VGA, and you should be set for most campus systems!  Paper shredder - unless your campus has a shredding removal service like my current one has. I'd say take advantage of that Travel - Luggage, toiletry bag, international travel adapter/converter, etc. You will presumably be traveling a bunch! Get the right travel accessories if you can Desk accessories - post its, highlighters, pens Notebooks - it seems like everyone has been unanimously pro-moleskine notebooks on here. mmmm I'm not! What *EYE* recommend is going to your local art supply store, and buying sketchbooks from there. They are usually so much cheaper. And most art stores have artist and student memberships available, so you can get major discounts. I just showed a sale and got all my notebooks and pens for less than $30. Just my opinion  Software - Just some of the software that came highly recommended and that I felt like was still relevant today: Evernote. Zotero. Scrivener. CamScanner. Nuance. iStudiez  Most of this is hella obvious. But some of these I hadn't even considered! And its nice to think about these things early so you have enough time to save up or search the internet for deals. I curated an Amazon wishlist based on the information i listed above. Let me know if you'd like me to post it here and make public! 
And remember: 90% (if not all) of this is OPTIONAL. Let's not make academia seem more inaccessible than it already is. You will excel regardless of whether or not you have these things.  There's always borrowing. lending programs through your university. free services through your libraries. There are options! 
Hope this is helpful to those reading this post 8 years later! It was certainly helpful for me. Aside from curating a great list of things i want, it also helped distract me from decisions this week ://////

Oof. Yeah. I got two fresh rejections in my inbox this morning. I have a job, so I wont be unemployed, but it is not in the field I want to be in. Not even close. I have been applying for other things, but it doesn't look like those are going too well either. 2019, starting off with a swift kick to the shins.
On the bright side, the only schools remaining are my top choices and it doesn't look like they've released results yet. One of the schools I have a personal connection who recommended me to the committee, so I guess I'll have to see how much that matters to them. If I don't get accepted even with that backing, I guess I'll just become a Buddhist monk.
 

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

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

When I was moving my stuff cross-country, I checked into PODS and Penske was more cost-effective than PODS. I didn't check U-Pack. However, I was moving my stuff from Austin to an undisclosed location on the east coast (lol) so, had it been in the other direction, I don't know. I did just run a quote on U-Pack's website and it's about 2x what I paid for my Penske 3 years ago. I hear you on the not wanting to tow your car behind you though. 
You can also look into getting a trailer to attach to your car and tow some of your stuff in, rather than towing your car. I know U-Haul has those; I don't know if they charge by the mile on their trailers though. 
My best advice is to use the website quotes and call these places asking for quotes. Calling is nice because you can usually negotiate a little, but the web quotes will give you a ballpark idea. 

Update: I GOT IN!!!

From what I've seen, school rank doesn't matter too much at the PhD level. The research you do. The papers you publish. The advisor you work with. Those things are important. Good luck!

At least for biosciences, that "max" is completely meaningless. Many students are spending >50-60 hours per week on their research. Anything less than 40 and your PI is gonna be pissed.

If you have received offers from other universities, it is completely acceptable to reach out and check the status of your application. I had to do something similar for one of the programs I applied to; I emailed to let them know that I have received offers from other programs and that I would like to check the status of my application so that I am able to get back to each program at a reasonable time. I got a response pretty quickly that they were still reviewing and it was going to take a while but that they would make sure to get back to me ASAP so that I have time to consider all of my options. They sent me my status 2 days later. So, I think the worse they can tell you is that is going to take a while, but I think it makes a big difference when you ask with a purpose (you've received offers and need to decide) vs. pure curiosity. 

That was an incredibly helpful post, @Moods. I'm not sure how I'm the first upvote!
I found the following two individual posts in those threads particularly useful to get an idea of how much in taxes I'd be paying:
 
 
 

That was an incredibly helpful post, @Moods. I'm not sure how I'm the first upvote!
I found the following two individual posts in those threads particularly useful to get an idea of how much in taxes I'd be paying: