ClassApp

I'm not sure which field you're in, but my field is pretty small. This means that all the professors talk to each other, and a bad reputation at one school can spread very, very quickly. Jobs can be hard enough to find and there are more than enough qualified candidates, so having a reputation (for backing out or anything else bad) can easily mean that you won't be able to find work anywhere after you graduate, or at least that you could significantly diminish your chances at employment.

Thank you! I'm actually super pumped about going to WUSTL, particularly about Tim Moore and Catherine Keane.

@Elagabalus I just declined UW Madison's offer/funding in favor of WashU. Good luck! I hope you're able to get funding by the end of the day.

Sounds like a good plan! I might add (though I am a dog person and don't know much about cats!) that they might be more comfortable with you around, even if it takes longer. Additionally, pets don't quite seem to process time in the same way that we do, so maybe the 5 to 15 hour difference won't be as noticeable for your cats? Not sure, but maybe something to think/ask about!

There are pet friendly hotels. Have you considered this as an option? Maybe it would be less trying for your cats if it was a couple shorter trips rather than one long one. Past that, I would recommend contacting your vet and getting their ideas on the trip. Good luck!

I just declined a fully funded offer from UCSB, so if anyone is on their waiting list either for admission or funding, I hope that helps. I now have to decide between UW Madison and WashU's PhD program. I'm so torn and keep going back and forth ? If anyone has advice, I'd appreciate it.

Hey! So if I'm remembering correctly, I think most of the applications start being available in like August or September. The good thing is that the actual online application stuff is pretty minor. The important things are all done pretty much independently of the application systems. If you have time over the summer, you'll want to knock out the GRE, getting your CV up to date, your personal statement, and figuring out which schools you want to apply to. On the last item, I would recommend speaking with your professors to get their opinions on some program to look into and then researching the programs/faculty later. Edit: Also make sure now that you have people willing to write your recommendations in the fall.

What were you expecting? Honestly, what answer did you expect to hear? I'm sorry that no one had easy ways to become a millionaire or get rich quick as you may have wanted, but I actually do think that the people here have been very helpful to you--an honest forum that's realistic about grad school is ultimately a hundred times better than fluffed up comments that don't reflect reality. It may be time for you to really consider your options. You're right that taking out giant loans is a very scary prospect, and I genuinely hope that you are able to find the information you need before you make a big decision like that because the only school you can get into costs $80-90,000/yr (not sure if that even includes living expenses in NYC of all places). I'm sure you're going to downvote me again because this isn't "pleasant" but if I were you, I'd rather be hearing unpleasant but honest feedback than pleasant but dishonest. To each his own, I guess.

You seem pretty uninformed about this topic. First of all, a 2 second Google search told me that the average salary for a "health informatics specialist" is $61,000/yr. So $60,000 is standard, not on the lowest end like you guessed. If you are really interested in pursuing a career this way, it would behoove you to do some research about both the job market and the job itself. Second, there actually are a lot of funded masters programs in general. I'm not sure about your field, but you seem to be making these vast statements that aren't really true. Third, there are pretty much always some ways of keeping costs low, like merit-based fellowships/grants/aid, research assistantships, or other scholarships. If you are not really competitive for these awards, it's going to be a lot harder. I would advise that you really start doing some research about your options--just posting about not liking loans isn't really going to be very helpful for you. Edit: LOL downvoting everyone who disagrees with you or points out problems isn't going to fix anything!

Yeah, it's surprising how many random scholarships and grants they have! Be sure to check what funding your specific department has as well as the funding for the entire university (and even outside your university). The other thing that might be helpful is to kind of cobble together multiple scholarships (ie one for travel, one for living expenses, one for the program cost, etc.) because some scholarships are particular about what they should be used for. As far as teaching yourself, flashcards never hurt and try to do some of the exercises in the book! If you're able to get a teacher version and a student version of the book, you'll be golden. Also it can be helpful if you have a friend who knows the language better (doesn't have to be fluent, just taken the language for a few semesters) to ask any questions that might seem confusing. And finally, google is your friend! If you don't understand what the book is talking about in a particular section, don't forget about the millions of resources online as well to help understand any complex aspects of the grammar. Or try peer tutoring/language clubs for these questions and regular practice, like @preantepenultimate suggested. Depending on your field, you might be even able to trade tutoring services with another grad student (e.g. a German grad student who has to take a History course, or another grad student in the history department who has taken a lot of German but struggles with your particular field of History or something).

Yet another GRE thread. May be helpful--they talk a bit about study strategies.

Well, the first thing is that schools (particularly graduate schools) often offer '____ language for reading knowledge' courses, which means it'll be an advanced/quicker class designed not for speaking but for academic reading. You should take advantage of this if you have the time in your new program. It'll take half the time or less than learning it in traditional LANG 101 classes. You might be able to have an independent study with a professor in a language department if you don't have access to the academic reading classes. You also might be able to get funding from your school to learn languages (I'm funded by my undergrad this summer to go to Germany and do an immersive German program), which is a super quick (and fun!) way to learn the language. I have to warn you that I'm a Classicist, but I'm going to recommend those old hard-core grammar books for learning languages, if you're teaching yourself, especially for reading knowledge. I personally just like to have the conjugations presented to me, the uses of the subjunctive explained, etc. That said, if grammar isn't your thing or it scares you a bit, you might be better off with a newer book that focuses on practicing with sentences and doesn't directly explain grammar (this just drive me crazy, but everyone learns differently!). I would recommend against a Rosetta Stone approach--these programs are designed for daily conversation, which is not the grammar or standard vocabulary set that you need. I know you weren't leaning towards it, but just reaffirming! So essentially, a lot of suggestions here depend on your situation. I know these aren't books--but maybe something to think about regardless

Hi! I attended the Madison visit, and I didn't have funding at the time (nor did a couple other visiting people there). I was offered funding very shortly after the visit. I do know that at least one of the funded people there is attending, and it's looking like I may as well. However, there were one or two funded people there who were less sure about the program, so they may turn down their offers and you may end up with funding. From what I've heard with my professors, there's a lot of movement with funding and waitlists in the week before April 15 (and especially that day!!) so don't count yourself out yet.

If you're already accepted to your dream school, is there any realistically conceivable way you'll accept an offer from the other school if they are even able to admit you? If you can honestly answer yes, stay on the wait list. But if you know there isn't really a chance, just withdraw. It'll give you peace of mind

Yeah, I think it's totally okay to inquire again! Especially if it was a few weeks ago--that's a decent chunk of time and April 15 is coming up fast. Not sure whether I should wish you good luck or not haha...