CornUltimatum

I am going to be a TA next Fall semester, and I am curious how much power a TA has to deal with problem students... I ask because through my undergraduate there were several instances were there were loud and aggressive students in labs - and the TAs didn't seem to feel they were allowed to do anything about it. I remember in one Chem lab I heard a student called the TA a b*tch after discussing some common mistakes on a lab... Another student kept derailing and aggressively arguing with our TA over climate change and we ended up far over time in our lab. There was also a time a student was playing extremely loud music in a lab, and the TA asked them to stop to allow other people to work and they got into a huge yelling match over it. I doubt the issue will be rampant, and perhaps it may not become an issue at all, but I am generally curious about the proceedings of this... Can you dismiss a student from the class if they call you a profanity? Or if they disrupt class too much and so forth?

I'm officially grad as of last Thursday. It's been a rollercoaster of emotion. I'll be getting a funded M.S. in Geology at New Mexico Tech. Hooray! I think I'm going to be moving in July, but it's not set in stone yet. The one bad thing about New Mexico Tech is finding housing is a bit difficult as a lot of stuff is not put up online. O_O I'm going to need to figure out how to reach out to current graduates, but that time will come near May since apparently most houses don't go on the market until then. I'm pretty anxious though! I've never lived outside the state of Texas, this is all going to be a whole new thing to me. Also New Mexico has some of the best geology in the U.S., so I'm also just pumped about that!

Well, University of Nevada at Reno got back to me and they still don't have funding and it does not look good. No professor stepped forward to sponsor me. I emailed my potential advisor to inquire a bit further - as he indicated I would be on a RA-ship my first year. I'll hold off a bit longer but I can't wait past the April 15th deadline.

That's weird that one school wants you as a TA but isn't offering you a TAship package. I would go where the money is. After your bachelor's you can only take out unsubsidized loans and it gets crazy expensive. If you're going for a PhD it would be sometime before you can pay it back! So the interest would be crazy.

I have a full funding offer from Oklahoma State I am seriously considering and just got a funded offer an hour ago from New Mexico Tech! So currently I'm in a great position. I called UNR earlier today and it seems as though the official graduate advisor (who does the money things) is out of the country this week. I won't hear anything until next week, I think. I thought I had a deadline this week but it was a typo. So currently it's fine. As for UNR I am thinking about sending my potential advisor who I would be researching with an email - since at least one year should be an RA-ship (due to how the project will be funded) he should be able to give me a bit of insight on funding I think.

I'm getting pretty ancy since I'm still waiting to hear about funding from Reno, and the schools I'm waitlisted at may also give me an offer.

snowboard boots

I contacted mine and he told me essentially the same thing. Not a lot of funding, so it sounds like they're waiting to see what personal funding professors may be able to provide. He said he won't be making an official decision until the 15th of April.

Ah look like we're in the same boat! Good luck! I suspect funding at this point hinges on what grants the professors have to support their student.

I got official word back from ASU telling me that I am on a waitlist due to funding, but am a strong applicant and to talk to my advisor about funding. So I dropped my advisor an email and will be waiting to hear back. I have a deadline for another school coming up (they're offering a full ride) that I won't pass waiting for a "maybe," at any other school so I am getting a bit nervous! I have until next week.

Oh yeah, on March 21st! I was hoping to get an idea of where I was - if I was on a waitlist and such. ASU is a school that I am quite interested in but I wasn't given much of an idea of where I stand. From what it sounds like they're still in their first wave or so? It wouldn't be too odd since first decision waves are coming out from other schools.

Fortune Cookie

So I was checking out the results page for Arizona State. A different field posted stating that Arizona may not of notified those who are rejected yet due to it taking some time. I have seen this sort of issue pop up for Arizona State a few times in the past several years. On the other hand I also saw a post from a Geology applicant just a short while ago that said Arizona State, in fact, has yet to make much headway in their application process. Should I call in to check my status? Or should I wait? Their deadline was December 15th for applications, it is a bit bizarre they are taking so long on their decisions.

Check out crime rates in the city and near the University. This was also something I am weighing into my decision - especially since I am hoping to bike to most places which makes you a bit more vulnerable. Other than that it looks like a tough decision ahead of you. I can't really tell you which way to lean because it just comes down to preference - everyone weighs things differently. I suppose if you're leaning more towards academia you'll want to pursue a strong research project opportunity - the issue here is, is Boulder's isa better project but not currently funded while Washington's is funded. Some other things to consider: Are these programs academically oriented or industry oriented? Does either program encourage you to pump out several papers to bolster your academic record? What sort of assessments does each program have for their degrees? Typically, how sucessful are your potential advisors' graduates - what do they tend to do? What affiliations and collaborations between other departments does each program have or have had? Networking is important for academia too.

I have gotten interview/recruitment visits for two Universities. However the remaining four have been completely silent - including the school I did my undergrad at (I was told I was a shoe in and to do it for a back up, those nuggets!). I haven't been officially rejected but I suspsect I won't be getting in since March is starting to come to a close. Of the interview/recruitment weekend invitiations, those two Universities were my top picks anyways from what I knew about the program. Very good programs, very good research, awesome advisors and faculty. So I'm pretty excited! I've been officially accepted at one and waiting for the final word on the other - should hear back sometime this week I still am going to wait a while to hear from the other schools of course, but I am thinking about sending an inquire email soon on the chance they have rejected me and haven't notified me yet.