ClassApp
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Posts posted by ClassApp
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On 4/15/2016 at 2:20 PM, pro Augustis said:
Congratulations on WashU! I have a friend there who loves it, though he isn't doing Classics stuff. Also you get Karen Acton, who seems super cool (though admittedly more on the history side).
Thank you! I'm actually super pumped about going to WUSTL, particularly about Tim Moore and Catherine Keane.
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@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.
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3 minutes ago, yayspace said:
Yeah - I'm definitely going to talk to my vet. I feel like taking them on the road will just prolong their misery. Flying them would mean their journey would be over in 5 hours, total, as opposed to a 15 hour car ride. It'll cost me more, but I think it's worth it. As long as my vet okays them for air travel, of course.
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!
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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!
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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.
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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.
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9 minutes ago, rack_attack124 said:
And you seem pretty rude. It's pretty ridiculous for you to accuse me of not doing research. I thought this forum would be a supportive environment but I see now that it is not.
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.
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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!
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44 minutes ago, Danger_Zone said:
Thanks! I didn't realize it was possible to get funding from schools to learn languages. I was going to possibly take a summer course in German once I had enrolled at the school, but if I can find more efficient ways to do so that would really help me. I've always been rather poor at speaking/listening to foreign languages (this was my weakness with secondary school French), and I know reading comprehension is more important in grad school, so I'd rather find ways to focus on the latter more if I can.
I might also pick up a grammar book or two as well. I really don't mind this approach as long as it doesn't end up being too dry.
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).
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Yet another GRE thread. May be helpful--they talk a bit about study strategies.
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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
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10 hours ago, Elagabalus said:
Been lurking on this thread for a while, but now that it's down to the wire I have two questions-
1) Anyone have a spot at Rutgers with an interest in Roman history that they're planning on giving up? Been on the wait list and wondering if I should just go ahead and accept an offer elsewhere.
2) in at UWisconsin, but no guaranteed funding- does anyone have experience with them? Is funding possible?
Thanks!!
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.
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2 hours ago, Danger_Zone said:
So I got a reply from the wait listed program telling me that there is no change in my application and it may be up until the deadline that I hear something... But that there is still a small chance of me being admitted. I don't want to take away options but if there is only a small chance of me being admitted and subsequently accepting the offer, maybe it is best to withdraw soon and give someone else a chance? It's so difficult to know what to do..
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
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On 4/2/2016 at 10:27 PM, Danger_Zone said:
Yeah I was thinking about emailing them soon, but they did update me a few weeks ago after I emailed them and nothing had changed.. And they said they'd let me know as soon as something changed. So would it still be alright to inquire? I guess I could wait until the 15th but it would feel great to make my acceptance.. I almost want a rejection so I don't have to worry about reconsidering my top choice.
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...
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Hello! As we're all figuring out our plans for next year, I have a question that doesn't seem to have come up yet. What's the deal with deferrals? It seems that few graduate departments have their deferral policies listed on their website, and certainly no mention is made of it at visiting weekends so far. I know that our cohort sizes are quite small, so discouraging deferrals to an extent makes sense--but to what extent are they discouraged? What are acceptable reasons for deferring, if any?
I haven't made my decision about graduate school yet, and I don't want to frighten any grad schools by asking about this and making them think I won't come next year (I do intend to attend grad school next year... but there is another great 1 year thing--originally a back up plan--that I'm waiting to hear about). Help?
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16 minutes ago, tsatsang2129 said:
To people who got waitlisted officially : did you got any interviews before or simply notified that you are wait-listed?
I emailed the admission officer, who never wrote me back. I simply am assuming that I am waitlisted by UW Biology. Yesterday I emailed a potential PI and he said he help checked my file and I have not been invited to interview so they probably wont be accepting me. I am a bit confused now. So if they wont accept me, why not reject me yet?(People have been rejected from the program, according to result search here) Or maybe the professor simply does not know that I am waitlisted? Must people get interviewed before being waitlisted? This is so frustrating.....
I agree--it sucks that schools do this sometimes! I will say that I've been wait listed without an interview, but I'm in a very different program. It sounds like they sent out at least one round (maybe more) of acceptances/rejections. This means that they admitted their top choices and rejected the people that they definitely absolutely for sure will not accept. The people that they're not sure about are essentially on a silent wait list. The school will then send out another round of acceptances/rejections for the people who could go either way. However, it's late in the process now, so if you haven't heard specifically that you've been wait listed or gotten a call/email from the DGS, unfortunately, it's unlikely you'll be accepted :/ but you never know! Hopefully it works out in your favor
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4 minutes ago, Danger_Zone said:
Has anyone been admitted to their top choice but wait listed at what they consider their second? I don't think I'll accept the wait listed offer if I do get admitted but I can't help but be very curious and anxious at taking myself off of the list if I don't even know what - if any - offer they would give me. But I feel bad for taking up a spot if others are waiting as well.. Any advice? I've been on this wait list since early February..
If it concerns you to withdraw from the wait list, it might help to email/call the department and get an idea of how likely it is that you'll be taken off of it. If it's unlikely, that makes your decision easier.
But if you feel confident that you've been accepted at your top choice with funding, etc--there's no reason to stay on the other wait list. Accept the offer to your dream school!
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In that case, I'm sorry to hear he has been uncommunicative. But congratulations on your other acceptances! Regardless of how you feel about this particular program, it's great that you have other options.
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I think I'm confused here... Did you email him after you received your decision and he didn't respond? Or you just expected him to send you a personalized email during such a busy time??
If the second....... that's really not fair. To be honest, I wouldn't really consider that to be appropriate. It's your job to contact him if you wish to continue talking with him.There isn't really much of anything to discuss, and after the sting of rejection, not everyone would want to hear from the program.
Doesn't seem like he's hiding at all if you didn't contact him first. You just seem to have very unusual and unjustified expectations of what you think you're entitled to.
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So... You haven't really given anyone enough information to give advice??? What are your research interests? Do you fit well with the faculty? What funding have you been offered?
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I agree with @rising_star. 1.5 years also means that you'll have an empty summer during which you can intern. In addition, there are a lot of opportunities for engineering jobs around Duke--it's in Durham, which is part of the research triangle in NC that spans Chapel Hill (with UNC CH) and Raleigh (with NC State). Both universities probably have offices for international students--I would recommend reaching out to those offices and asking what support they have in terms of helping international students get internships and jobs after graduation. Honestly, public universities in the US have been taking a big hit, and the UC system has been taking a hit for 10+ years. Duke has a lot of money for scholarships, grants, and student support. With a big program, it's important to reach out to specific professors ASAP about research and job opportunities.
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I assume that these two advisors do not share the same strengths. If that is the case, perhaps it would be easiest to explain that you've benefitted so much from your current advisor's strengths in A, B, and C, that you'd like to benefit as much from the potential new advisor's strengths in X, Y, and Z. Even if it is not your ultimate intention, bring it up as entirely the current advisor's decision (though hint that you prefer having the new advisor). It might also be helpful to bring up that you think making strong connections with multiple professors might create stronger recs/better chances at a job when you finish your PhD. If your current advisor reacts negatively, just shut it down and change the direction of the conversation to something completely different and positive (go in with some good news in mind). You can figure out how to deal with that later, but do not aggravate your advisor by pushing the subject. I would recommend practicing how you intend to present the information--maybe practice with a roommate or friend so that you don't seem too nervous about the topic or freeze up during the conversation.
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I'm not sure exactly which threads you're talking about, but--no. I applied to six schools and consulted with four professors to pick them. I looked them all up online, figured out who I wanted to work with, the differences in expectations, etc. All of this information is good and necessary, but that doesn't stop me from wanting more information. You also have to realize that schools don't put up the negative information! That information is crucial to a decision but must be learned through the grapevine. Even non-negative information often isn't posted to school websites, like the academic environment, how much they push publishing, the cost of living for that area, typical funding offers, etc. There are a million factors to consider when picking a program. It doesn't hurt to ask other people their thoughts! When I talked to my professors, I also knew that they (like everyone else) have biases. They applied and stayed at my school for a reason--perhaps there are certain things about the program here that they judge to be important. Other people and professors at other programs might judge criteria differently, and I want to know what they think about these grad programs and why. I'm also applying to a newer program that has very little information about it floating around, so I will want to hear more info about it from other posters. For most people wanting to pursue research at a higher level--we always want more information! And asking others on GradCafé is a great way to get more information you might not have access to otherwise. Again, I don't know exactly what you're talking about, but I don't think that asking for more information about a program necessitates that the person asking has a "shotgun approach".
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If you had applied the year they supposedly offered you admission without an application and then been rejected, I would understand you being upset. But everything changes from year to year. Maybe you fit what they needed as far as research interests, etc. last year, but not what they need this year. Maybe last year they accepted a large number of students and this year only a couple because last year's enrollment was larger than expected. The bottom line is, you have no idea. You have no clue whatsoever that they were being dishonest but assume so anyways. Maybe your statement of purpose wasn't up to snuff like they expected. Maybe one of your rec letters was lukewarm. I guarantee you that the school is trying to accept the best people for them and their program. You were not among them--that doesn't mean you're unqualified, it doesn't mean they wouldn't accept you next year. It's not some sort of personal insult as you seem to take it. You're not entitled to just go there with full funding whenever works for you. @eternallyephemeral was right--they don't owe you anything. And no matter what that one professor said, he is not the only one deciding and actually can not guarantee acceptance, no matter what you thought he was saying. I HIGHLY doubt he was being dishonest (there's just no reason to), but he's not the only one admitting students, and in that way the grad school acceptance procedure is not obscure at all--you must have been aware of that.
Sorry to be so harsh--but you seem to have already decided that this is a sort of personal vendetta or something.
- Eigen, DC1020 and eternallyephemeral
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Consequences of burning bridges
in Questions and Answers
Posted
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.