Kayce

Hey! So I went to undergrad at UTK and did an internship at OSU so I feel like I have to give my two cents! 
Transitioning from Knox to Stillwater was pretty easy. Knox generally has a pretty low cost of living and so does Stillwater so prices will be pretty similar, maybe a bit cheaper. The town has a vibe of being around campus, but will be pretty low population in summer, but that's nice because it's not crowded. People seemed nice, I easily fit in with the group I was working with and they showed me around a bit. Bigger cities are only about an hour away so if you need a change of scenery it's easy. As far as things to do, there are several fun bars and places to play trivia at. Some tasty restaurants and also some outdoors things like a botanical garden and lakes. Weather is similar to Knox in summer but dryer heat. 
Let me know if you have any other questions!

Congratulations :).    Good luck with your program this fall. 
 

Other people gave good advice but I'm going to DePaul too! Woot woot!

I'm irritated that I still haven't heard back from most of the schools that I applied to this year...  Not that it really matters at this point, but considering the amount of money I've paid to each school for the application fee, I think it's unacceptable how late they are past the decision date.

Ya, I might consider doing that! I really want to get in there.

^ Same!  

MA with funding, without a doubt. Do NOT do a PhD without funding.

Just got admitted to my top choice!!!

This is my tattoo and my cat.... love them both

I'm just so paranoid about student debt. I have ~41k in federal loans and 6k in private loans from undergrad. I have a choice between Grad A which is 110% best fit, top choice forever, exactly what I want to study, well-connected and prestigious program which will require 100-115k additional debt, or Grad B which is a weak fit (but still in the right field for my career choice) but somewhere between free and 30k in debt, all-told. (Haven't seen the funding offer.)
I've asked many people from all walks of life, all areas of academia, etc. and everyone is saying to go with Grad A because fit matters so much in grad programs and because the better connections at Grad A will allow me to get a better job in an area I'd rather live, but ugh, even my tiny student loans have a 400 dollar monthly payment, and my starting salary for my field is probably only around 60k. I'm quite frugal, but I'd rather not live in a box.
I keep telling myself I can do income-driven repayment and most of the jobs I'll be looking at are eligible for PSLF; but with the political climate I'm so scared I'm going to make this decision to take on this debt then have the rug pulled out from under me and the repayment options I was relying on aren't going to be there when the time comes. It's so scary. I'm so anxious about this I keep getting mini panick attacks when I think about it. My mother did a "I'm so proud" post about me getting into grad school on Facebook and she finished it off with "I just wish college was more affordable" (Note: she ain't payin for it) and I know she means well but it's like I can't even enjoy one moment of congratulations without beign reminded of this suffocating debt.

Hi everyone,
I know it's been a while but FYI NYU's Ph.D. decisions are officially out!
(Also NYU's M.A. decisions are out too-- they've extended me an offer to the HDSI program, very exciting!) 
Hope everyone's hanging in there

Just got accepted at UC Berkeley, Vision Science program!!!! I am so excited I can't even begin to describe it!

I'm sorry you've been rejected this cycle. If you don't need to restudy for GRE, would it be too hectic for you to plan a wedding for this Nov/Dec? Since you already applied, applying again shouldn't be too time-consuming? 
If you don't need to have a huge, perfect wedding, you'll probably be able to plan something by December. I'm from the Northeast and here (and probably everywhere), the hardest thing to pick tends to be the venue. The "typical" NJ/NYC wedding plan is getting a banquet hall that includes almost everything (like apps/entrees, drinks, utensils, chairs etc), so you just worry about invitations, photographer, and flowers, and clothes pretty much. If something like that's available in your area, I don't think it would be impossible or too stressful to plan a wedding starting now. Also luckily we live in the internet age and there are a wealth of resources available because our culture is so wedding-crazed! 
Of course I'm throwing this all out there without knowing if 2017 is actually an option for you. I suggest it because I cannot imagine being in the midst of wedding madness AND worrying about interviewing. OR, planning wedding AND be in my first year of doctoral studies. IMO, it would be much better to do everything separate. But everyone's different. One of my best friends planned her wedding in her first year of MD residency at a high-stress hospital working 80+ hours a week (though she had the privilege of not worrying about $$ at all). 

Phew. Just found out from FSU that I have been accepted! No serving tables for me!
Still holding out for Washington though. That is my top choice for sure!!

I know this isn't the healthiest thing but alcohol has probably been my best friend for the past two months.

My best friend and I have a plan: If I don't get into any graduate programs we're both going to go in on opening a cat café. We've already started a rough business model. It makes exactly no money but we'd get to spend our time hanging out with cats.

I still haven't heard from 6 places, so I know how you feel.
 
On the other hand, a new Zelda is out. I really owe you, Nintendo, you waited for the best possible moment.

I get scared thinking that I'll be too busy to date during the next 5+ years and that I'll be a single, lame 30 year old by the time I'm done with my program...doesn't help that every. single. one. of my friends is engaged and getting married this summer

At least I'll have my acceptance letter to hug if I get lonely, right? haha

I think replying and asking for clarification of what "on hold" means is totally fair. It's not really obvious to me what it would be. It's not a rejection, so that's good, but beyond that it's not clear what to make of it. 

It's about that time of year again. Rejection sucks, but sometimes a little bit of black humor helps. Here is one of my favorites from this year. Feel free to add your own!
Stanford University Economics, PhD (F17) Rejected via Website on 28 Feb 2017 I 28 Feb 2017 doesn't matter had sex

1. I have a sweet tooth and binge on whatever is sweet in the house. So I've made a rule that I can have any treat I want, but I have to go to the store and get one single serving of it. One slice, one piece, one candy bar, one whatever. I can't bring any of it home again.
70% of the time I'm too lazy to go get anything, and when I do get a treat, I eat more slowly and savor it, and I can't binge. 
2. Gym membership. I set certain days and times I have to go. But I only have to go there. If, when I get there, I'm tired or don't feel like working out, I can turn around and go straight home. That caveat gets my butt there, but 95% of the time I figure "I might as well do the tread mill for 10 minutes," and an hour later I have done a full workout.

Congrats! When my bf got info on stipends last year it was always in the official letter so I'm sure it'll come along with that!

(This is my first post on Grad Cafe, hope it's in the right place!)
A small story of something that just happened to me, hopefully will cheer everyone up who is waiting to hear from universities.
Like any anxious student, I've been checking my emails and Grad Cafe non-stop for the past couple of weeks. Eventually, today, I decided I would finally make an account here, so I could post in the forum and join the discussions about the waiting game.
So, I create my account and go to my emails to confirm it. And what do I find sitting there?
An email inviting me for a PhD interview at the University of Southampton!
After weeks of agony, I feel like I'm finally on my way! Sending good vibes to everyone else still waiting it out 

Just got accepted to ASU! Does anyone know if funding info is usually stated in the official acceptance letter? My letter is still being processed and I can't find any details about stipend, fellowships, etc. anywhere else.

I am not sure if this is relevant here, but I got into a masters program with no funding whatsoever (and no waiver of the full tuition fee).  The Professor had promised about potential TA/RAships that I might be eligible for down the line. But unfortunately they never materialized. The highly enthusiastic kid I was back at 21, I rushed into the program and finished it at 23 with crushing student debts which took 6 years to finish. Now I am looking for PhD programs (and have a couple of funded ones within reach), and apart from research fit, the most important thing am looking for is the funding. This comes as important to me as 6 years of the prime of my life was spent on working in the industry on something I hated from the bottom of my heart cos it paid bucket loads of money, out of which I managed to save nothing as every last penny went into repaying the student loans. I am starting out a fresh leaf now with a near empty bank account and a clear head. So IF you are planning on taking up an unfunded opportunity for 5-7 years, think THRICE before doing it.