Vulpix
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Posts posted by Vulpix
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This is only distantly related to your predicament, but I've been speculating about to what degree existing educational debt makes a program more likely to give you more funding down the road (i.e. if you have 70K masters debt, your PhD program will give you fewer loans. Or if you have a lot of undergraduate debt, your masters program will offer fewer loans). This is certainly something I've heard to be true in my masters programs financial aid decisions. It's what I thought your post was going to be about when I read the title.
Personally, I think 70K would be too much debt, but if you feel a masters degree would be the only way to become competitive for a PhD, then perhaps. You should look into other ways to make yourself competitive, or maybe reapply to cheaper programs....
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2 hours ago, Kathleen517 said:
Hi, I applied for three FLAS fellowships for Russian. I was selected for the fellowship at one program and I am an alternate at the other two. I'm not altogether sold on the program that has given me funding and have a few questions about the process. Is everyone who applied generally nominated as an alternate? Do you all know of anyone who has received FLAS funding as an alternate? If so, when did that happen (spring, summer, etc.)? Finally, if I reject my offer of admission at the two schools that nominated me as an alternate, would they still contact me if funding became available (or do I have to accept the offer on April 15th with no knowledge of whether I will have funding)?
Any insight would be extremely helpful.
If you reject your offer, I can't imagine they would contact you for funding (unless the FLAS committee is in zero communication with admissions... which may in fact be the case).
What schools did you hear back from? I haven't heard a thing
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22 minutes ago, Shahed_d said:
Thanks Heather,
Do you know what neighborhoods specifically in BK or Queens would be best to try and look for a 1000-1200 1br (not studio) in? Trying to figure the neighborhood with the right balance of affordability and commute to NYU, so just looking for an idea of how far away from Brooklyn Heights and Williamsburg you have to get before you start finding apartments in that range.
Also, does anybody have recommendations on how to convince landlords to rent to two people who are new in town and thus have no proof on income from NYC? My girlfriend's brother lives in Manhattan and is well off, would that kind of a co-signer, plus proof of my school grants and loans, plus some savings in the bank suffice? I've been reading that you really want to have your application together in order to grab something quick, so I'm trying to get an idea of what people that are just moving into town need to be able to close a deal.
One last thing, what is the best way to find apartments once you've decided on budget, neighborhood, etc. Is to just go looking around for signs? Any good websites? Or should I just go to an agency? I'm also a bit mystified by the broker-fee concept, do they take SO MUCH money that people are just reluctant to use them? I feel like it would be a worthwhile expenditure if they didn't take more than 500-1000 dollars to close a deal.
I know that's a lot of questions but I've been really getting a lot from reading the forums on this website. Thanks to everyone who has been so willing to help the newbies.
You have to get significantly far from Brooklyn Heights for that range. Crown Heights or Bed Stuy might be a good place to try (Crown Heights is slightly "better"/safer). I also suggest Kensington, Borough Park, Midwood, or Bensonhurst in Brooklyn. I live in Kensington and I think it's possible to find something at that rate, and it's about 30 minutes to the Village. You may also want to try Flatbush, there are definitely good deals there.
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23 minutes ago, MicMac said:
Hi All,
I am interested in hearing if anyone is considering the Teacher's College program? Right now I am trying to decide between Vanderbilt (33% scholarship; 2 years) and TC ($13,000 scholaship; 1 full year or 1.5 years depending). I think Vandy has the stronger program, but it's location is a little more removed than I would like (I plan to end up on the east coast after grad school). I like Columbia's location and I've been surprised by how much weight the name has been carrying (in my head, since I know Vandy has the stronger program I thought they were pretty neck-and-neck name wise, but I've been finding that Columbia's name recognition is holding a lot of sway when I tell people which schools I'm choosing between.) I have heard that Columbia's program isn't as strong, but I'm wondering if anyone knows if the program is still very strong, just not quite as strong as Vandy, or if there is a really big discrepancy between the two?
Also, if anyone knows how easy or difficult it is to get assistantships at either of these, that would be really helpful as well!
Thank you for your thoughts!
I know very little about Vandy's program other than people speak very highly of it. i have attended 4 info sessions at TC, including with the professors of the IED program. They all seem very strong and personable and willing to meet with students (I went to talk to Mary Mendenhall as a prospective student). I think TC as a whole is not as good as Vandy, but IED may be stronger. If you want a better experience, go to Vandy. If you want more internship opportunities in NYC, I'd say TC is a better choice.
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7 hours ago, ravyn said:
Hi guys,
I am already a student in NYC (in a PhD program for speech language and hearing). I was wondering what places are okay (meaning the place isn't super run down/bad plumbing with rats/bug issues) with a budget of NO MORE THAN $950 a month (meaning that everything combined... utitlies, hot water, heat/air conditioning and internet... will add up to at most this amount).
I plan on trying to find a place with a friend/building mate that I met this year (this person is in the first year of a PhD program in sociology). We don't mind if we end up living with a third person.
Do you guys think it's doable with such a budget or am I doomed?
Yes, it's doable, but you can't be too picky about where you live. Further out into Brooklyn/Queens, or in "bad" neighborhoods, you can get waaaaay cheaper than that. When I first moved to NYC, I lived in Bath Beach/Bensonhurst, which is a lovely enough area, and I paid $600/month including utilities. It just took over an hour to get places in Manhattan. I currently pay a little more than 950 in my place much closer to Manhattan, but my roommate pays less, about what you want to pay.
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21 minutes ago, Fleet23 said:
I know what you mean. And your friends don't want to hear you whine about your first-world problem, haha.
They definitely do not, haha
I'm simultaneously waiting on a FLAS ($33K grant) decision from Penn... it's nuts, because I don't take much stock in horoscopes, but I am SUCH a libra when it comes to decisions---I can't make them, because I just weigh every aspect of both sides. A month ago I was hoping I'd get rejected from Harvard so I wouldn't have to decide between Penn & Harvard. Now that I'm in, and leaning toward Harvard, I'm hoping Penn rejects me from the scholarship so I won't have to feel torn on THAT decision.
SO many first world problems.
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3 minutes ago, Fleet23 said:
It was called an "Impact Award."
Thanks
I think I'm more nervous waiting for this than I was for the actual acceptance! Ha! Like, I was pretty zen/OK with maybe getting rejected from HGSE, but the $$ is the real kicker.
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8 minutes ago, Fleet23 said:
I could be wrong, but as far as I understood it the super specific awards were only the FULL scholarships. My 20k total was a combination of a merit award plus need-based grant. The grant was 12,400, and the other award 7,600.
So did they specify what the merit award was, or simply that you got an unnamed merit award? I'm comparing this to my Penn award, which simply stated "merit scholarship" based on my application. It isn't clear from HGSE's website that they do that.
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9 minutes ago, palabracrush said:
Hi! I'm about to graduate with an MA in TESOL. Congrats on your admission. My advice is choose whatever program is cheapest once you calculate cost of living and tuition together. Then look to see if there is some sort of practicum training, and coursework in grammar and pronunciation teaching. TESOL is a rewarding career, but finding a full-time job can be challenging. Please don't go into a lot of debt for a TESOL degree. I'm finishing up at UIllinois and thankfully have been able to finish debt free.
I would echo this sentiment. My best friend studies TESOL at CUNY Hunter, very affordable. She turned down Columbia. If your goal is teaching, do not go into inordinate amounts of debt!
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1 minute ago, Fleet23 said:
You can also get merit awards on top of the grants that make the total exceed $16k. They try to give you a competitive package.
Thanks for the info. It just seems like the merit awards are super specific (the 3 that we all applied to ... leadership, urban scholars...), and that those would be very hard to get.
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I didn't get an email about anything, but I just checked the admitted students' page again, and on the Financial Aid Award Letter section there appears to be an update. Mine used to just say the $9,072 grant, but now it also has $7,000 work study and loans. Don't know if this is the final package, but I'm guessing most likely. Just an FYI everyone!!!
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44 minutes ago, sassypenguin said:
I'm so glad there's also someone here freaking out about applying for the fall. Should we continue on this post or make a new post for 2017?
It's too early for you to freak out when those of us who just got admitted aren't even FINISHED freaking out
We're still waiting on financial aid decisions and where we'll end up... our bodies are not even cold yet!
Excited for all of us, though... admitted or applying! Best of luck to everyone in 2017!
Also, as a weird followup to my previous post about the website saying the maximum grant is $13,000.... well, it does still say that, but I noticed in the admitted students package, one of the financial aid documents says the max grant is $16,000.... so I assume that is the more updated version.
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Hi y'all,
I was hoping for some general advice on strong questions I can ask to current students and faculty in order to choose between my top two schools. I am currently quite torn (and still up in the air pending scholarships/financial aid) between Penn & Harvard and will be visiting both admitted students events on back-to-back days. I want to make sure I find a way to figure out key differences between the schools.
Do you think it's OK to directly ask students (or even faculty) about what makes your school different from ____? Is it rude to bring this up? (Especially to faculty, I probably wouldn't, but maybe to current students?) Is it OK to ask students what other schools they were accepted to, and how they chose? Should this question only be asked privately in one-on-one conversations, and not let's say in front of a whole group Q&A? What are the best questions I can ask during a Q&A with either students or faculty?
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1 hour ago, chimmu1141 said:
YES! I graduated in 2013. When did you graduate?
And thank you, that would be incredibly helpful! I am trying to find out information through as many channels as possible since I can't visit in person. I have heard from an acquaintance who is attending HGSE that classes are a little bigger than he expected, so less attention and chance to interact with professors. He said there are lots of opportunities for networking, but you also have to compete for those with the 70-80+ people attending your program. But I guess this is unavoidable anywhere. He graduated from a small liberal arts college like ours...so I guess big classes and larger cohort size are more difficult to adjust to.
I graduated in 2012! I'll PM you!
It's funny, because 70-80 is NOT that many people, relatively speaking. But I guess when you're all focused on the same few professors, you do have to jockey for time. I just hope it's not so much 'competitive' in the cut-throat way of having to edge out someone else.
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1 hour ago, Lelelena said:
I heard that Philly is quite spread out, is it a good idea to have a bicycle there? thanks=)
A bicycle is useful in any city, and there are lovely bike paths also in Philly. Spread out is a relative term... it's very easy to travel via bus or subway to hot spots in Philly from Penn. You can walk pretty much anywhere you'd likely want to go in 40 minutes, but that is a long walk, so bike is never a bad idea.
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5 hours ago, Shahed_d said:
Hi guys,
I got accepted to NYU Tisch for September and my girlfriend and I are considering moving to NYC for the two years. I would really appreciate all advice and help on this question since it is going to determine whether I go to Tisch or not.
Is it realistic at all to find a 1 bedroom apartment (Queens, Brooklyn, doesn't matter as long as the commute to NYU is 30-45 minutes by subway and the neighborhood is decent) where we can live with a rent and utilities budget of $1000-$1200? I realize there are always good deals to be found if you search well enough but I don't want to get my hopes up if living semi-comfortably with that housing budget is impossible.
I would prefer to live in NYC and not New Jersey but if the above is impossible, can it be achieved in New Jersey?
Thank you so much. I really look forward to some advice.
Yes, you can find one-bedrooms at that rate, especially further out in BK or Queens. Mostly studios, though. I have a 2-bedroom right now for $1800/month and I live about 30 minutes from NYU in Brooklyn (not an NYU student though).
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17 hours ago, pterosaur said:
It's $75 application fee for GSAS housing. It's also guaranteed your first year if you get the application in by the deadline.
I think I'll go with HUH if I don't find my own place. Dorm style and the meal plan just seems too cost-inefficient.
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11 hours ago, Lelelena said:
Thank you for the reply! yeah I reckon Philly would be more comfortable to live in comparing to NYC...
Philly is also CONSIDERABLY smaller than NYC. It's very easy to get around, you can walk or have a car. In NYC, having a car is mostly a terrible idea.
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I'm so super anxious about financial aid!! Also, I don't know why I only just saw this on HGSE's website:
"Grants generally range up to the present maximum of $13,000 and are awarded on the basis of financial need."
Which is weird because I definitely read several people receiving $14,000 last year... but anyway... I've heard that "need" might be largely determined by how much existing educational debt you have. I am fortunate in that I do not have any debt right now. But that doesn't mean I don't "need" the support too. I hope they still give me something helpful
. A small grant and work study would be nice. Just praying for not 100% loans.
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38 minutes ago, nicolemae said:
1. Finding off campus housing that is pet friendly should be slightly easier in Somerville than in Cambridge. If you are looking for Cambridge, search for East Cambridge or North Cambridge housing, or you'll likely pay a steep price for something ridiculous. In any case, pet friendly housing is often slightly more expensive, but that's the cost of having a pet here in BOS
Tip: individual landlords are often easier to sway than big management properties, esp if your pet is a smaller size. References could be big. Maybe get a note from your doctor to get your pet certified as an emotional support animal?
2. Harvard Housing lottery can be crazy if you end up on the latter end of the lottery. People literally log on at 6:00:01 AM (if the lottery begins at 6AM on a certain day, for example) and take whatever they can get. But the housing is great, everything is on a single bill, and it's somewhat on par price-wise with the rest of Cambridge. Harvard Housing is REALLY worth it if you're staying at Harvard for a long time, want to stay in one apartment, and don't want to deal with a crazy landlord (like mine) who randomly decides to raise your rent for the 2017-18 school year by $300/month. Cambridge/Somerville doesn't have rent control.
3. You can definitely find <2k for a one bedroom in the neighborhoods I mentioned in #1. I'll message you some places you can look in that have been helpful for me.
4. Harvard Housing leases, as of current time in writing, are renewable as long as you remain a Harvard affiliate during all those years. All the lease times vary based on when the past tenant is moving out. So, on the day of your lottery, you may see five Botanic Gardens apartments, all with different move out dates (the tenants can choose to move out earlier or to do a summer extension -- I believe right now is when they should be applying for summer extensions) all throughout the summer.
Is it true you have to pay just to enter the Harvard lottery?
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1 hour ago, chimmu1141 said:
I hope that visiting the schools will help you to make your decision. I am an international student, and unfortunately cannot fly to the US to attend Visit Days. I would really appreciate it if you can share your experience of Penn and HSGE on the Visit Days since I am on the same boat as you are now...Also this is totally random but reading your previous posts, I just realize that we attended the same college for undergrad!!
You went to Vassar!?? When did you graduate?
I know a Vassar grad who went to HGSE... don't know any who went to Penn GSE. I'm going to be meeting up with him in Cambridge hopefully to find out about his experience.
I will definitely share all my notes from the visit days!! Only 2 weeks *sigh*
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3 hours ago, Lelelena said:
Any advice comparing living in Philly and NYC? I'm also considering between Upenn and Columbia, thanks!
Philly is way cheaper. Both cities are cool though.
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Congrats!!!
I have heard "by April" or "in April"... I sincerely hope it's more than just two days before the 15th!
Stanford ICE vs. UPenn IEDP
in Education Forums
Posted
I'm deciding between HGSE and Penn. I had the same concerns about HGSE. Penn has done a fantastic job about promoting, advertising, and clarifying the nature of their (pretty new!) program. They are definitely exclusively focused on the developing world in ways that I think no other schools are. Sorry I don't know as much about ICE, but I would assume with the "comparative" component it would be much broader and not solely focused on underserved countries the way Penn is. However, that doesn't mean you personally couldn't make that the focus.
Penn is definitely practitioner focused, because not only do they have you do that internship, but they use the required IEDP classes as job skill builder workshops to prepare you to succeed at them, and have things to put on your resume as existing skills.