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hlsny

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Everything posted by hlsny

  1. I want to leave my PhD program and am in the process of looking for jobs. I am wondering how to report the "future graduation" date, while trying to avoid confusion and having my application outright rejected by recruiters.
  2. Before I started my PhD, I did research with a professor my school. I really enjoyed the project and the group (the project itself is not based at my university,) and we made plans to expand it into a possible thesis. However, I am extremely unhappy in my program at school. I have been debating on whether or not staying in the program and being miserable will be worth it in the end to continue my research, but lately, I am feeling that it is not. My research mentor has invested time and resources into me, and she is under the impression that I will be continuing a fairly important project for the group. How should I tell her that I am seriously considering quitting the program? Even if I do leave, she gave me a great experience and I don't want to burn any bridges.
  3. So, I've spoken to a few older students, and honestly, from what they say, the future sounds just as bleak. I definitely wouldn't try to reapply anywhere this year, but I would hate getting a Masters just to have to redo all of the Masters coursework somewhere else. I definitely don't think unionizing will be a magical solution to my problems, but it does at least feel like it might make a difference for someone else down the line.
  4. I am in a semester system, they are three credits each. At my undergraduate school (I also took graduate courses there) a typical three-credit course was an hour and fifteen minutes twice a week. I knew that DC was expensive (went to undergrad in NYC, so I pretty much knew that I was going to be spending 50% of my income on rent in such a place,) however, we don't always get that much choice in which programs we get into, or which ones have our research topics.
  5. I am a first year and am very unhappy in my current PhD program. The pay is barely above food stamps in a very expensive city, the expectations of TAs are far beyond what I have seen in other schools, I am not connecting with my cohort, and I am feeling lukewarm towards the research group I am with. I am living 45 minutes to an hour away from campus and still spending more than 50% of my income on rent. I can barely get 6 or 7 hours of sleep a night because between homework, the very long classes (classes are in two to two and half hour blocks twice a week and often run overtime,) and my extensive TA duties, I spend upwards of 14 hours at school each day. I guess I've even been outwardly unhappy enough (even though so far my work has been submitted on time and I've gotten good grades) that I found out someone reported me to the university counseling center. But, here's the thing--I really like my field of study, and I can't see myself doing anything else. I think I would feel better in a lower cost of living area, or somewhere with a better stipend, or more reasonable expectations for TAs. (To put it in perspective, my program is in Washington DC and pays the exact same as the program in my field at Michigan State.) Should I make steps to transfer somewhere else? How would I even go about that? Or should I try to make the best of it here? I am trying to help organize a union to at least advocate for better conditions, but has anyone in a similar situation found other ways to make the best out of things?
  6. I will be a graduate student at GWU this coming fall, and am looking to rent in NW Washington. For those of you with experience renting in DC, do you think $1000/month is a reasonable budget for a shared apt with 2-3 roommates in this area? Like within a 30-minute walking radius of GW? I've heard it can be done but honestly I am having trouble finding anything online that looks like it would be in this price range.
  7. Hi! I'm most likely attending George Washington University and am looking for apartments fairly nearby. From what I can tell, around the Georgetown/Foggy Bottom/DuPont areas, I've only seen studios for $1400/month or more. Since it would be ideal for me to be close to campus, I think I will be looking for roommates in this area, as I have heard you can get triple digit rents in DuPont w/2-3 people. If you can stand the longer commute, I have seen studios for rent in NE Washington DC that rent between $835-$950. SE DC seems to be similarly priced but again, somewhat more inconvenient. Would you consider Arlington/Rosslyn? I think you can get stuff slightly cheaper there but I am having trouble finding apartments in that area on the metro, honestly.
  8. Has anyone heard anything from them? The last I heard from them, they said they would make decisions mid-March. Now it's past the middle of March, wondering if anyone has any updates.
  9. Hi! Has anyone here who applied to University of Hawaii for the Physics PhD program (not astronomy) heard anything? Alternatively, if any of you applied here in the past, when did you receive a decision?
  10. I also feel this way. I got one acceptance and two rejections, still waiting on 4 more schools. As much as I told myself I wouldn't care about rejections as soon as I got accepted, it still REALLY HURTS to be rejected. It makes me question why I was accepted into the one school in the first place--was it just a fluke? It's a huge blow to your confidence. I think if I only get in to the one school my confidence will be a lot lower than it would be even with two acceptances. I don't think you're being ridiculous, and it's a tad unfair of others to say so.
  11. First acceptance a half an hour ago! I was chilling in bed, procrastinating on my problem set. Got an email to check the website, which when I was applying to undergrad usually meant I hadn't gotten in. So it was a great surprise and a huge weight off my shoulders. Not doing this problem set tonight!
  12. I'm applying for physics PhD programs and haven't heard a peep from any of the schools I applied to. One, I know for sure emails all decisions in March, but that's it. I'm really worried that I haven't heard from any of them. I see other people already getting in. I have this horrible feeling that February will pass and I won't hear anything, which will surely mean I've been rejected, and then I'll have to wait some MORE for the inevitable rejection email. At this point, should I be assuming that's just what's going to happen? Should I contact the departments about my application status?
  13. It seems like Wisconsin-Madison and MSU have sent out a bunch of acceptances for their physics PhD program. Does anyone know if I should give up on them as I haven't heard anything? I'm feeling extremely disheartened.
  14. This may be a long shot, but I'm not really sure what to do and I wanted to check. Has anyone applied to GWU for a PhD in the hard sciences? Their statement of purpose has no prompt and no information on the application, however, I came across this page https://www.programs.gwu.edu/graduate/physics which states: In an essay of 250 – 500 words, state your purpose in undertaking graduate study in your chosen field. Include your academic objectives, research interests, and career plans. Also discuss your related qualifications, including collegiate, professional, and community activities, and any other substantial accomplishments not already mentioned on the application. If you are applying for an assistantship or fellowship, you should also describe any teaching experience you have had. Now, in the other programs I have applied to, I have included all of this information in my SOP and it's come out to be close to 2000 words. Most schools seem to place 2500 words as their max. I don't see how it's possible to put all of this information in 500 words, my research experience alone is over 400. Has anyone applied here before and do you know anything about it?
  15. So, I am taking a subject test. I decided I would take it both in September and in October as I am applying to schools this year. I need religious accommodations to take it on Monday rather than Saturday, so I had to send my registration in by mail. For those of you who don't know this process is a total mess, I had to call and email ETS over and over again for over a month (after they charged me for both tests,) I probably called them twice daily, before I was finally given an email with a registration number and test center information for the September test, and was basically told my registration for the October test was still being "processed" (remember, I have been charged for both tests.) Fast forward to today, I took the September test this Monday, and know it's fine, though, not spectacular, but I'm alright with that because I now have a great idea of what I need to study for October. I am feeling pretty good, call the GRE customer service again to check on the status of my October test. Lo and behold they have no record of my registration for the October test at all, including the fact that they charged me (even though the charge is still on my online banking transaction statement.) The deadline for Monday test registration has passed. They gave me a case number and told me to call back in 4 business days and see what happens. I am absolutely panicking, there seems to be a good chance I will not be permitted to take the test in October and even if the money is refunded, I'm afraid my chances for graduate school will be seriously hurt by this even though my grades, letters of rec, and research experiences are very strong. Does anyone have any advice? Is there legal recourse I can take with ETS? Should I tell graduate schools this story if I'm not permitted to take the October test? I'm completely furious, this is not my fault in the slightest and they must have records of the dozens of email exchanges and phone calls I've had with them in the past few months. What a nightmare.
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