Jae B.

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Definitely know what you mean about walking! And somehow it always seems to be 75% uphill and 25% flat or downhill.... I haven't spent but a little time at North Gate, too, but that's going to change. Shattuck & Hearst is great! Thanks for the suggestion. I've never been to a game myself, but I got invited a lot, if that's any indication. There were all sorts of popular football parties and meet-ups on "cheap-skate hill" to watch games, from what I heard. I followed basketball more than football, however I gauge from that that we have a healthy -- but not entirely pervasive -- sports culture in general.

You're welcome! I'm an SF Bay Area native, but from the North Bay, not the East Bay where Berkeley is. So I've had to get acclimated to the area, too. Over my past two years of undergrad at Cal, Berkeley quickly became one of my favorite cities. I'm probably going to attend Berkeley. I love their Journalism school, know I'd be happy there, feel completely welcomed, and they offered me impressive funding for a master's program. During my time as an undergrad, I have always been enamored with Berkeley's J-school. When I was in community college -- considering transferring to Cal -- people told me, no no, don't go there for undergrad if you're interested in graduate school there -- they won't admit their own! But I was stubborn and went anyway. I'm so glad I did! Go Bears!

Berkeley is an expensive place to live, but that's true of the Bay Area in general. The sales tax in Berkeley is pretty high, but that's what makes certain parts of Berkeley so nice.... Don't worry about finding cheap eats -- there are plenty of options near campus. And there's Trader Joe's for groceries, which is popular, or you could go to El Cerrito's market places. With your AC Transit bus pass, a sticker that goes on your student ID, you'll be able to ride nearly all AC Transit buses for free. This has equaled major savings for me, because the bus system here is quite good -- it's easy to get most places. (Unfortunately, Berkeley does not get you any kind of BART discount.) Yes, we go to San Francisco. I go every day now. The F bus (I still giggle at the name) goes there, so you can ride that free if you're not in a hurry and don't mind some extra walking. I usually opt for BART to go to SF, because it saves so much time. Whenever I go to Japantown, one of my favorite hang-outs, I recognize other Berkeley (undergrad) students there. So people get around!

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I'm struggling with the same thing! Well, the funding package I'm concerned with isn't "great," but it's at least above average for that school, from my research. It still isn't enough to bring the school within my means. I'm trying to figure out how to tell the school that, with my career expectations, taking out the loans they require would not be smart on my part -- but without making them think that I'm not worth it because of that. It is tricky to sound grateful and ask for more at the same time. I'm trying to convey that their offer is an honor, but the cost is still more than I can afford. It sounds like you're pretty sold on this particular school anyway, though, so maybe you should convey the difficulties that would be eased by more funding, and ask if they can work with you on that, so you can be even more productive as their scholar.

I was required to fill out the FAFSA. Some schools appear to use it for determining need-based financial aid, by looking at your EFC. Make sure you have no aid amounts pending FAFSA-verification. If you are positive your aid is finalized and you don't need federal loans, you don't need to fill out the FAFSA. Personally, I'd fill it out just in case. If you're single and have your taxes squared away, filling out the FAFSA is quick and easy. I was surprised by how much easier it was for me this year, now that I'm not classified as a dependent.

No, you're okay! Thank you notes are great, and some professors don't even want gifts. I broke the $10 rule...gift cards usually come in $15 and $25 denominations. I hope that wasn't too awkward.

I like the North side, it's pretty. But everything seems more expensive over there. I've also found it to be snobbier, rather boring (I prefer a city-vibe, but I guess that's just, ahem, a "supposed 'cool factor'"), and I dislike the food and coffee spots (coffee being my vice), which means I end up meeting up with people on campus -- and I like to get off-campus as much as possible. In my opinion, as someone who doesn't party or drink, and eats healthy vegetarian food, I've found plenty of quiet, safe, cheap places on the South side, and can't start ruling it out because of the bad rap it gets. But does anyone have good off-campus meet-up suggestions on the North side?

^… Ditto this. It sounds like you really want to go to UW, though. I think I'd make the leap if I were you, and just commit to trying my best to find funding down the road, either with the school or outside sources. Good luck!

Interesting topic. But is this really a "legitimate issue" for applicants? You do quality research on programs, consider your odds, try to be confident, hope for acceptances and what happens, happens. Your responses are indications of how well you researched programs, provided fitting applications, and whether that school can fulfill your needs as a student as you contribute to whatever environment they seek to maintain. If you can get into top schools you'd be excited to attend, does it matter if you don't get into less prestigious programs? I think this is more of a curiosity than a concern. I think the bottom line is, don't apply to programs you have little interest in attending. It could turn out to be a complete waste of time and energy for yourself, people who help you apply, and admissions committees, whether they admit you or not. If your research shows you have the stats for big name programs you care about, skip applying to lesser-ranked programs unless you have a compelling reason -- enough of a compelling reason that you'd still consider attending one, even if you're accepted to big-name schools. This way, you'll save yourself time and application fees, as well as your recommenders and admissions committees' time. If your thought process is, "Oh, I got into [top-ranked school], but not [low-ranked school], that's weird," and not, "Darn it, I really liked that school!" that's a good indication you didn't need to apply to said low-ranked school. I don't mean just a bruised ego, but real remorse over losing that option. Regarding the curiosity: Some applications ask you what other schools you've applied to. Maybe you filled that in? Despite being thoughtful in your applications, it could still be possible to read between the lines and know you had other aspirations. This is not a consideration to be taken lightly. You may respect a low-ranked school enough to apply, but it may be someone else's perfect fit. Your back-up schools may be other applicants' dream schools. I'm sure you meant well, but you can't expect something like that not to come across to an admissions committee. In my own application process, I started off considering about six schools of various ranking. In the end, I only applied to the two schools -- that happen to be prestigious -- that I would honestly consider attending. But I'm not about to start speculating whether I would have been accepted to lesser-ranked programs. I may have been rejected. I have not automatically earned or deserve a spot at any school, and every admissions process has different considerations. Of course I would have only submit thoughtful personal statements and writing samples. That -- and getting into top-ranked schools -- doesn't mean I'm in every program's target audience or their ideal match.

Whoa! Sounds like you need to make a serious phone call on Monday.... Good luck! Are you interested in going to this school, if the program listed on your acceptance is just a mistake? I'm surprised they took so long and still made an error like that.

I only spent a maximum of $4,000 per semester in undergrad, as well, in a relatively expensive area to live in. I bought coffee or tea and some sorry excuse for a snack every day. But I don't have a car, rode the bus (for free around school), am a vegetarian, don't drink or smoke, etc. My entertainment is my computer -- free from a scholarship program -- and wifi. I only spent money on the basics. At first I didn't dress very well, but after I worked over the summer, I bought myself some dressier clothes. I've also started buying more textbooks, but some semesters I do all my reading in the library or online to save money. Grad school is going to be tight, but with a TA-ship and summer work, I think I can get through this without loans.

I also use Zotero, after a friend recommended it to me. So far, so good. I use it on Flock, which is a browser based off Firefox. I also make use of the syncing and online library, but I can just export or copy my citations into a file and use Dropbox to access them anywhere -- I'm trying to avoid buying extra storage space. But I have come to terms with the fact that, no matter what, making formal citations is always going to be a drag. I love the simple citing in journalism: "According to...." "...said."

broken-hearted detective