Jae B.

I would also probably pick Purdue, unless I knew I absolutely couldn't stand it there for some reason. There's always a scene wherever there are college students. The only thing I'd worry about is the lack of hospital connections you speak of. I'd investigate that more. Interestingly, I live on the West Coast, and yet Purdue still has better name recognition for me than University of Washington. Not that that's a big deal. But, as someone recently advised me about New York, if you're interested in Seattle you can go there after you get your degree, anytime. With just as awesome degree as if you'd gone to University of Washington, and having saved a lot of money. As your case might turn out, even if I go to New York, my program is so hectic I probably won't have time to enjoy the city. And I might do better in grad school -- which is just a short period of time -- without the extracurricular distractions, too. Saving your money now would probably mean enjoying your time more, later on, in Seattle (or wherever) -- because you went to Purdue! If you definitely want Seattle and can't wait, then I agree with the suggestion of leveraging your Purdue financial aid offer against theirs. You never know.

Amazing! Congratulations.

It's okay if... You bring them gracefully and don't seem awkward or uncomfortable about introducing themThey don't take a good seat at an event away from an admitted student, or the last flier, etc.They let you concentrate on talking with other people and don't need much attentionYou don't have them dine on the school's buck unless they're invited to do soI've seen people bring friends pretty gracefully in the past.

text message

Hmm...I definitely don't see anything about it on the results page for this year. Only communication PhD programs. But tell your friend not to fret: looking back to results last year, there was one Communication Management Masters acceptance in early May. May 7, to be specific. So it may still be some time before they hear. Good luck to your friend!

Wow, congratulations! I'm wondering, between CUNY and NYU, do you know your top choice? CUNY was off my radar until recently (is it newer?) and I don't know much about it, but I nearly applied to NYU's "Reporting New York" program -- very interesting school! Are you visiting the schools?

Summer internship supervisors are excellent for letters. I think a good balance for you would be one purely academic letter, one academic / project letter, and one internship / work letter. I agree that #3 might not be the best idea, unless this person has something really unique and special to say about you. I especially wouldn't request a letter from that person if you are also getting a letter from your internship supervisor, because that'd make two letters mainly about your work and not academics. Since it doesn't sound like #2 is someone you took classes with (?), it might be in your interest to find another professor, someone who can talk about you as a student. #4 is a great idea, because that professor can speak about your academics and your work ethic. Nice!

It would be nice to get some variety in your letters, though, and not have them all be from professors.

I would definitely get letters from recent professors. If you're worried they don't know you well enough, sit down and have a nice chat with them. Maybe bring some of your work for them to look over, and remind them of your success in their classes. It all works out. I'd worry about sending in more than the requested number of letters, as well. Who's to say they won't randomly read three and leave out one that might have been better?

Don't worry about a first test. It just shows you what you need to work on. If you've got limited time, focus on studying for the part that means the most to your schools. It sounds like you need math books, to brush up. You could be surprised how quickly things come back to you. Some books talk about strategies to rule out the wrong answers rather than than figuring out the right one, since you don't exactly have time to do the math long-hand.... The first time I took a GRE practice test, I was shocked that my highest score was in math, not verbal. (I am totally a verbal person....) Fortunately, the verbal part is easiest to study for, in my opinion. Plenty of books have the words you need. And some people have suggested playing Freerice to study. I caught up on the verbal part really fast, but I didn't end up needing to take the GRE.

The notebook idea is a good one! I'm curious, what do you mean by professors totally outside your subject area?

hot pocket

I think support groups are a great suggestion. I would also consider living in an international house, where it might be possible to meet people with similar backgrounds who are outside your field. I'm considering living in an international house, myself!

In your case, I would probably go for your top school, since you say it really will be better for your future -- as long as that means it's going to help you pay off your debt, fast! It sounds like they are trying to help you, and there are things you can do on campus to offset your costs. A lot of schools don't like to give TA positions to first semester students, so just be on the horn to get one your second semester. Plus, this situation is just for a year. As long as you can get funding in a PhD situation, paying a bit towards your MA at your top choice isn't so bad. That said, I haven't seen the numbers, and am personally completely uncomfortable with any debt whatsoever. I hope the two scholarships you have make a significant dent in your first semester costs. Maybe you will get qualified for more aid or fellowships. One of my schools qualified me for an additional fellowship after sending my initial financial aid offer. Keep after them.

^… My feelings exactly. But this is a great site. Thanks for sharing! Here are all of the rules.

^… Agreed! As long as you can handle working with the boneheads that rejected you for x years. You'd get to prove them wrong!

Sometimes it's helpful to bring a laptop, if you have some kind of writing test or want to show a digital project or web page. For my interview, I brought two copies of my résumé and some writing samples. It's a good time to bring in anything you wanted but didn't get to include in your application.

You're right; English is a pretty flexible B.A. degree to have. You could go into almost anything that isn't math or science. The flexibility isn't going to help you get into graduate school, as others have said, unless you really know what you want to do. (Frankly, I designed my whole undergraduate education around my specific career and graduate school goals.) Focus on finding out what area you want to achieve mastery in, and then go for it. Have you done work already that you've enjoyed? Think about the people you most admire. What do they do? Also consider how much longer you're comfortable with being in school. I ditto DeepShadeofBlue, an English undergrad degree is excellent for journalism, but not for you since you want a payoff.

hot dog

I'm eagerly waiting to hear about funding, too. One person on last year's results page said they were offered $2,000 financial aid...heh.

I'm currently equally in love with two schools, one being my undergrad alma mater, the other a great opportunity for something totally new. I don't know which is my top school anymore, and only wish I could attend both -- not possible. I certainly didn't expect both schools to accept me, and never anticipated a choice! It's very flattering, but I'm torn. I'm happy to be accepted to both -- gives my self-esteem a boost because my work and goals struck a chord with programs I admire -- but I actually hope the institutional cost vs. financial aid rules one of them out, so I can feel confident where I go.

Oops. I didn't mean to give you any ideas! But I guess being an bestseller author wouldn't be such a bad trade off. And I don't know about you, but my parents (whom I'm very close to) would absolutely love that, despite any disappointment over a lack of grandchildren from me. I am doing journalism! I'm interested in hyper-local journalism, ethnically integrated and segregated communities, and wealth-poverty dynamics. Nothing glamorous enough to make guys like me. Regarding intimidation, how normal is it to encounter journalists where you live? Here, as one of my favorite professors puts it, journalists are kind of like unicorns. Interesting, but weird. Perhaps you can capitalize on the "interesting" part? You're going to have some great stories to tell and all the scoop on your community...they should want to talk to you. I'm still deciding which school to attend. One of the schools hasn't sent a financial aid letter yet -- that matters a lot! Whether I go to New York or not, I plan to return and have my career in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I was born and raised. So New York would be a bit of a detour for me, too.

I wrote personal notes with the good news and thank yous on some really great stationary (perfect for my discipline!) and included gift cards somewhat tailored to their interests -- thought it could be useful to them. I delivered these in-person, semi-defeating the purpose because then I explained the good news and said thank you before they opened the cards. Gifts are just a nice gesture -- your time and personally-expressed thanks are more important signs of gratefulness. One of my professors didn't even want to accept a gift. (The other two were happy to receive them!)

No no, not going to happen. Rather, that doesn't have to happen! I know it's easier said than done, and I'm not saying you can "have it all" per say, but you do not have to decide between your career and having a family. It just takes the right person. I'm sure there are happily married journalists out there -- if there weren't, there'd be self-help books just for us! For starters, one good quote I've heard is to be skeptical, not cynical. I try to remind myself of that, periodically. Second, I certainly expect to have a demanding career as a journalist. It's going to be rough at times. I'm definitely going to need a partner to make life smoother. Honestly, I believe whoever will stand by me, love me, try to make my life easier and help me be happy -- despite my crazy schedule, pressures and self-inflicted stresses -- will be the best guy! I wouldn't want to anyone else, anyway. Who knows...you may find an even better guy because of this experience! Tell your parents not to worry, and to keep the faith.

Sleep walker