HumbabaRed

I have been struggling mightly with this myself. I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but I am also unsure of how much of the space should be devoted to explaining my previous research and training compared to what I would like to do in the future.

My biggest problem is always what to put as the subject of the email.

I spent four years at CMU. The campus is nice and compact so no matter where you park, it is always relatively easy to get to class. As others have said the casino is the main attraction. I never gambled much, but the buffet is usually very good. There really is not much to do in Mount Pleasant except go to the bars or Walmart. Unfortunately the towns around Mount Pleasant are no better. East Lansing is about an hour south, so the nearest large city is not too far. As far as student housing goes the apartments in Mt. Pleasant are dirt cheap, so your stipend should go far. Unfortunately Central Michigan University is not the Carnegie Mellon University of the west, and your neighbors in these apartments will be loud, obnoxious drunk and high. At CMU there is no way to avoid it. Avoid anything owned by United Apartments though. There is not really much to say about Mount Pleasant. If you have any specific questions I'll try to see if I can remember more.

I am finishing up my undergrad program at a no name university. I was accepted to two top 50 MA programs and my safety school barely a top 100 MA . Originally I wasn't given any funding but today found out I received a full ride at my safety school. The safety school also has a big name professor i would really like to work with. Should I follow the money, or will going to a lower ranked school prohibit me from going to a top program for my phd?

Ill be there for my MA in middle eastern studies. I am not going to have a car so I am going to have to live near campus. With that being said, what area of the city is quiet and suitable for graduate students, but close enough that I can survive without a car.

Why does it look bad to ask for an extension?

As Sarah Palin says, your not retreating, your reloading.

I can imagine the email i am going to receive... Dear perspective student, We were going to give you funding but decided not to after realizing you checked your application status over 1000 times. In fact, we decided you are so crazy we are withdrawing the offer of admission.

I was hoping you guys could give me your opinions about the Middle Eastern and Near Eastern programs I have been accepted to. I go to a public university which offers no middle eastern languages and very very few courses about the Middle East. In fact, with my very limited experience with the region I was shocked I was accepted to UA's Near Eastern Studies and UW's JSIS. I was hoping that anyone with any knowledge about these programs could inform me as to the strengths/weaknesses of the programs. I apologize for being so vague, but I have very few resources here to rely on. Any information or advice will be greatly appreciated.

I just received a generic email from one of the universities that accepted me inviting me to prospective student day. The problem is that the university is on the other side of the country and I can't afford to pay 500$+ for a trip to the West Coast and back. The email says nothing about reimbursement and I can not decide between universities without first visiting all my options. Is it ok for me to ask the department or the graduate college about possible reimbursements? What is usually the policy about this?