jendoly

I can get behind that. Sounds like we won't know which department is who until the list is released?

Dang, there goes that theory. WTF, ASEE... Also, can't recall - what field are you in, fluffy?

I don't think I've given out a -1 here ever. I'm certainly sensitive to it enough that I wouldn't do that unless someone was being flagrantly obscene. I truly wish congratulations to the winners and I have no hard feelings towards you at all! I ask simply that you understand and commiserate somewhat with the frustration that we feel (which may be difficult, I understand, given the way we've responded to you), and also the desire to not look the fool if someone really was trolling us (my pride requires of me that I do not accept something at face value without serious study of the people and potential motivations involved). Fluffy, you were the person who received notification who had the most significant presence in the forum before their notification, so I was inclined to immediately believe your post, except that you disappeared and didn't answer any of the questions that were assuredly going to come. It's certainly allowed and understandable to go celebrate and not stick around and field our frantic concern, but please understand why our suspicion thus grew, especially when no other notifications then came (which I doubt you were expecting, therefore you didn't anticipate that you would be one of the few subject to questioning). In the case of the NSF, everyone pretty much found out around the same time, so there wasn't much time for the frustration and concern to grow re: our own respective statuses. kala tim, I'm pretty sure I rated you up at the time. I'm sorry that someone did not feel the same way. As boneh3ad said, none of us really know. The people who got notifications didn't choose to get them when they did (though I'm sure they're glad they did!), and I apologize for any unfair accusations that were thrown out. Much of our supposition was, as stated, out of good fun and interminable boredom, as well as the desire to keep egg off our faces. I know the GradCafe crowd - everyone here is smart and clever enough to pull off a really good prank if they wanted, and that is a compliment. EDIT: I should rather say re: the NSF that enough people found out at the same time that it was pretty quickly believable, along with the Fastlane maintenance and sporadic accessibility of the list. Also, as ecbbce mentioned, if some of the links on the award page aren't working yet, I'm going back to my theory that some were released to test the system or as an accident. We could pull the NSF theory of that they pulled the first few alphabetically by name, if that's the case.

Worth noting: This blog (and comments) from 2006 reflects that results were sent out at differing times. http://quantombone.b...bout-ndseg.html

We have a ginormous wind tunnel, but I don't know how "upkept" it is. I know it's pretty dang old, and as with a surprising number of our lab spaces, I bet it desperately needs renovation. (FYI to whoever gave me a -1 on the handicapped spot comment - I actually have a handicapped placard/status; it was a little inside joke with myself that I probably ought to have clarified. I'm not that terrible of a person, promise!)

An airport? At least when that day inevitably comes wherein you have to turn to the person next to you and say "We have to leave the country", transportation is the easy part?

The true benefit of a fellowship - being able to remind yourself in those moments of sheer terror that you cost him nothing except his time......which is *usually* reassuring enough... I just show up, see his door is closed, and disappear back into my windowless office for another week.

Your advisor TELLS you when he's gone? ...oh man, that would be the life. To know when not to show up for a 9AM meeting that isn't going to happen for months on end...

If I were him, I would so park in handicapped spaces anyway. xD

Ughhhhhhhh. I just can't imagine having to relearn ALL of those things (I was a MechE undergrad too). I'm gonna need to start studying this summer for next January as it is. Good luck - it definitely sounds like you'll need it! ): I think we have to wait a year to retake ours if we fail the oral section, 5 months if we fail the research section.

You are missing the point a bit. Yes, it could still be a troll. However, I am impressed enough if it IS a troll by their efforts in spite of none of us knowing when NDSEG will actually mail that I am willing to accept it and move on. If they are a troll, they didn't do a great job by saying that there was a rejection, because that's what is making none of us too worried or anxious at the moment. *shrugs*

That is super frustrating - I don't think I could pass quals like that (a major factor in school decisions >>) because I wasn't an aero undergrad. Materials/structures is pretty much my main overlap between the disciplines (and heat transfer). If you don't pass, is there an option to retake?

Ugh, when are your quals? And are they general quals? We have specific "topic" quals, so we (presumably) don't have to relearn all the different subdisciplines (but the systems quals cover most of the disciplines anyway because of how general they are, unfortunately).

The Monday-that-is-not-a-holiday. That's when my interview is. Gotta figure out how to reliably record a Skype conversation before then...

I am....writing a NIAC proposal and writing questions for an interview. ):

Sorry to treat you with such KGB-style suspicion. We clearly have nothing better to do on a Saturday night. EDIT: Okay, I have lots better to do. I'm just clearly not doing it.

Not impossible (never know, could have been from a previous year, doesn't say 2011 in there anywhere, but I doubt someone would have just HAD that page on hand), but I will concede defeat if someone put THAT much effort into trolling me when they aren't even certain whether or not their efforts would be foiled by the real NDSEG releasing results before they finished their carefully crafted faux page xD

I mean, I think it's legit now, unless someone is putting WAY more effort than necessary into trolling me, in which case I'm ready to say Good Game if they are (welcome to the GradCafe NDSEG Corps, fortytwo!) Yeah, I'm pretty certain that they'd send us a deferral email at the same time, so I think something went wrong earlier and they had to abort, or for some super weird reason they are releasing the different sponsors at wildly different times.

There's being paranoid, and then there's being sure. Totally different psychological states!

Your pic has had 111 views already (;

We aren't already?

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh. Okay, I see what you mean, haha. Good point. Totally thought you meant the subject line, since no one had posted the text of that yet.

The idea for the PMing of headers is that no one has posted a header yet, so if they independently submit the same subject line to someone privately (kinda like giving a middle man money and goods to conduct an exchange such that neither party gets ripped off), then we think they're legit. Then again, it's completely undermined if they are the same person on different accounts. So... *shrugs* and yay Suicide Prevention Days! Hmm, screencap looks pretty legit, and just adds to the confusion. I could accept the fact that all the acceptances were sent out already, but there's one rejection which just messes everything up w.r.t. us not hearing anything...

Cambridge, but close (; At my undergrad university, we didn't even get July 4th off (for summer school classes or employees) until like two years ago. MLK was our only holiday...and now I get 4 day weekends for a holiday I've never heard of before now...

Haha, independently, right? We set up a board to examine and compare private submissions of supposed headers?