Jae B.

Serious question: Will having a degree with the exact right focus open doors for you that a slightly less focused degree with 2 years of additional work experience cannot? Like, will the School 2 or 3 degrees help you get a job that the School 1 degree can/will not? If the answer is no, then I think you already know what the right answer for your career is. Then you just have to decide whether to prioritize location or your career. A master's is 2 years, maybe 3. But if you choose something now that will not improve or will narrow your career options, that can follow you for years to come.

My short answer: now. Better sooner than you'd like than later than you need!

But you might want to gauge the area's employment rates and opportunities in that field, to decide how soon to look.

Also, if your boyfriend can freelance, he might not need to be in such a hurry.

This school has a responsibility to you. They should be the ones arranging your transfer AND you should be compensated.

If it was me I would get a lawyer.

If you're going to suggest dual-booting, the VM route is far easier and might be all people look for anyway. The only catch is, I think most people will look at you and ask "what is VM?", but it'll catch on.

Anyway, someone mentioned workspaces, on that basis I will advocate Linux for the same reason
My point is... it's great you like that feature, but don't assume it's not available in other operating systems. It's not a good basis for advice.

I can't believe this is even a topic. Seriously?

I LOVE my new Mac. It's changed my life.

I see in your sig, matcha, that you're coming to Cornell. The Cornell Store has a special deal on Apple products. Usually the academic rate is 5% off or something, but Cornell gives 8% or so. Don't know why. A $1000 basic Macbook is $911, in any case. The nicer version, the one with the aluminum shell, is well under $1000 with the Cornell discount.

Office for Mac is mixed. Entourage, the Mac version of Outlook, is nimble and nice looking (unlike the Windows version?!?) AND has a really powerful, fantastic project management feature that lets you integrate contacts, messages, calendar items, notes etc, into one project. It is really, really great for my own productivity. Excel and Word, on the other hand, are sort of a mishmash of comfortable Mac design elements/features and Windows-style features, which makes them tougher to navigate. Academic licenses, also at the Cornell Store, are $75 or so for the entire Office suite.

When Macs die, though, they die spectacularly and suddenly, and the only way to get them repaired is to send them to Apple. BUT Apple has fantastic warranties for up to 3 years, I think. You can buy the warranty - which is usually less than $200 - at any time. So, you can wait until your computer breaks, and as long as it's within that warranty period, you can then buy the warranty, and report the breaking the next day and get it fixed under warranty.

Also: Spaces. You can have different desktops for different tasks. It's great for limiting internet time-wasting when you're trying to do a paper. Put them in different spaces, and it's easier to ignore the distraction!
Wireless networking is effortless on Macs, too. They're so smart. Mmm...

I had a horrible, horrible experience with an HP laptop. The fans started dying within a year, which put extra stress on the electronics and it slowly and painfully died for the next 3 years - barely limping along to the end of my undergrad, and then swallowing up 4 years of my life.

Ok, that's enough. You see where I stand.

Despite what you may want to believe, admissions committees generally are not swayed by displays of dedication by people not admitted to the program. Most likely they will find you annoying.

I applied to a particular PhD program four times. You could call it my "dream school". The first time I was rejected, but I got accepted somewhere else, and got my masters degree. After I completed that, I applied the following three years. I was rejected each time.

During those years, I worked and lived in the area, talked with professors, and kept up on their research.
I tried to better myself in every conceivable way.
Since it was practically impossible to get research experience unless I was currently an undergrad or already had a PhD, and I was obviously in neither category, I offered to do research for free, and was denied.
I sat in on classes.
I improved my exam scores for every admission season, spending tons of money on ETS. (Fuck ETS)
Every year I was more qualified than the previous year.
All it got me was earlier rejection notices.

I only applied so many times because I was forced to stay in the area due to family issues, which are for the most part over now, so this year I was finally able to apply all over the country.

Did they care that I was passionate about their work? That I had a professor that wanted to work with me and assured me that I surpassed any expected criteria for incoming students?
No.
Did they care that I still have family members nearby that need my assistance? That staying in the area would mean that I can go to my dream school I've worked my ass off to impress, and continue my career with a place that would have been a great fit for both parties?
No.

Do you know what the head of the admissions committee told me? That admissions were random. No, I'm not shitting you, he actually said that. He said that almost everyone who applied was qualified, so people who are picked are essentially picked at random, and that many times people were picked based on criteria that have nothing at all to do with academic performance or research potential, such as interests and hobbies that an applicant listed on their resume that a professor shared. It wasn't exactly the most heartening talk I've ever had.

This year I was accepted to places that are easily peers of this school, so combined with this one professor's word, I know I wasn't rejected because I was unqualified.

I'm not sorry for it all, because I'm going to a place that is peer of this place, where everyone is a lot friendlier and seems happier with life, will give me more connections and probably help my career more, and isn't filled with jerks.
Also studying hard to get my subject GRE score up so high has helped me immensely.

In a nutshell, I learned that admissions committees don't care about your personal story.

I'm not saying all of this to get you down. Just be realistic. Your life is not the move "Rudy". However working hard to get in will make you a better person at least.

There's something about turning 25 that switches your body into old-person mode, and it only gets progressively worse. It happened to me, it's happened to lots of my friends. It felt like it happened overnight, too. Glad I took care of undergrad before it happened. Just means I'll have to actually learn some decent study habits for grad school.

I can't speak to either school's programs, but I can speak to the debt load and NYC. I went to undergrad at NYU with a scholarship but still came out of it with about $70K in debt after 3 years. New York is a phenomenal place to live, but if that's where you want to be, try getting a summer internship or really focus on getting a job AFTER grad school. The difference in funding you're mentioning is so extreme - with your loans from New School, your options for jobs after school will be limited to those that can pay for your debt load! I've spent 8 years working to pay down my loans, and it's restricted my ability to live where I want to and take lower paying jobs that actually apply to my passion. Be sure that you're prepared for that before you accept so much debt.

Hmm, to me, the fact that you're considering an MS over a fully-funded PhD opportunity at Carnegie Mellon says maybe you don't really want a PhD -- at least not yet.

I got accepted to all 3 PhD programs I applied to last season (I'm at the end of my first year). None of them were able to guarantee me funding. Times are tough and this year seems to be worse than last.

I can't advise you what to do, but I can tell you what I did. I moved 900 miles and prepared to start the fall without funding. My goal, of course, was to seek it out when I got here. I spent the weeks before my move cold-contacting potential groups on campus and was very disappointed when those leads got me nowhere. About a week before classes started I got lucky and was offered to interview for an assistantsip with the Graduate School. About two weeks into the semester, I started work and my waiver and stipend all kicked in. Provided I keep my grades up (no problem), work hard (no problem), and the funding is still available (iffy with the state budget, but as of right now it's still there), I will be renewed for next year. That should buy me a little time to cast a net for grants and see if I can't fund myself for my last year and a half of research.

I'm a big Palahniuk fan (I've heard it pronounced Pal - a - nook) I started with Fight Club the movie is pretty close to the book although the book adds more. I've also read Choke which I saw the movie after reading the book and preferred the book. I also really liked Haunted. The thing I really like about his books is that every time you read them you get something new out of them, it just makes more and more sense the more times you read it.

Anyone read the Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris? It's what the HBO show True Blood is based on. I need some short, quick, beach reads. I do like the show but it might be all the southern accents.

My beef with Twilight is that it glorifies a relationship where a girl gives up absolutely everything for a guy who's essentially dangerous and predatory. I wasn't so vehemently against it until I was talking with 3 of my little female cousins who were in the target age range who thought it was all acceptable and expected to meet a guy to take care of you and end up barefoot and pregnant. They don't have many positive female role models and the attitude is mostly a product of that but it was upsetting to hear.

Yes, I've read all of Miss Sookie's stories. The show takes some liberties with the storyline, but I think you'll enjoy the books. The last one was a bit of a let down, but authors can't be great all the time can they?

I understand your beef with Twilight. Taking it at face value it's a story of love. When you really break it down and examine the female - male relationships within the story it does seem as if Bella was more than ready to give up her life to be a wife and mother. Now that I think about it, Meyer didn't even seem to give Bella a life outside of ol' Ed. We don't know anything about her hopes and dreams for the future outside of being a wife to Edward. That aspect of the story, to put it shortly, sucks.

I had one program that accepted me over the phone. I reciprocated, when I declined that offer, by calling that person directly. He thanked me specifically for calling, and said he wouldn't have wanted to find out via email.

If a potential adviser or department chair called you to give you your acceptance, give them the same courtesy.

As a urban / city person who became accustomed to rural areas, is there any chance you could become more open-minded about city life?

I don't think you can go wrong either way, but school A sounds better for your long-term goals. I still think you could have a great experience there.

Throughout my academic career, I've taken as many classes at once as I could stand. I figured it was the best way to make the most of my time and money. I enjoyed the challenge.

With multiple deadlines on the same days -- and, okay, maybe my aversion to doing schoolwork on the weekend had something to do with it -- I frequently found myself pulling all-nighters to finish projects. It wasn't a big deal to me, and I got adjusted to writing at night and enjoying the quiet atmosphere.

But all of a sudden, I can't pull all-nighters anymore. I just fall asleep!

It's gotten so if I even try to stay up late to do homework, I fall asleep without finishing it and I am extra groggy the next day. Oh, and coffee doesn't seem to perk me up anymore for more than an hour.

I abruptly began to find this out the hard way last semester, waking up to my alarm with unfinished work in front of me, when I needed to run out the door for my commute. (Don't worry, I take the bus!) I still managed to get through a couple of nights awake -- as long as I went to sleep early the night before. This, my last semester of undergrad, however, I have not managed to pull a single all-nighter.

At this point, it is a big pain to adjust to. Writing at night is so much more comfortable for me. But I obviously can't do that anymore and expect to finish.

During a grad school new admit tour, some of the current students joked about spending whole nights in the newsroom, plowing through assignments. I thought, heh...that won't be me....

I'm 21. I don't party. I eat healthy. I walk everywhere. Etc. All that good stuff. Why can't I keep myself awake anymore?

I understand that I get sleepy around 9:30 p.m. because I get up at 5:45 in the morning during the week. But I think it's kind of scary that I can't control if I fall asleep or not.

Has this happened to anyone else? If so, when did it start?

Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad idea.

I know it seems like a good, good, good idea but it's a bad, bad, bad idea in disguise. There's a reason response deadlines exist and it's not because adcomms are evil and want you to make a split-second decision that you'll later regret. It's because they want to be able to extend offers to other people. If you wait even a month, the department could effectively lose the opportunity to offer the position and/or funding to another student. Or, by the time you make your decision, a student who badly wanted to attend but actually observed the rules of the game could be committed somewhere else. It's a jerky move.

But the people who care about that kind of thing are usually people who aren't selfish bastards. If you care more about you and the me-me-me-ness of the process, then don't forget that there are serious consequences for you personally. Academia's a small world and word gets around. People working in your discipline are going to recognise your name and usually there are friendships across departments everywhere. Especially if you're fake-accepting more than one department, word is going to get around and people will find out. You may have to one day apply for a job with one of the departments you're screwing over. A reputation as a douchebag is not going to help you.

Instead, ask for an extension. Most are amenable.

If you aren't receiving funding, you can decline an offer you have already accepted at any time. The Resolution from the link above clearly explains that you need written permission from a school only if they have awarded you funding and you accepted the funding. If you're in a terminal MS program, I'm going to guess you haven't been given funding, so technically you should be fine. Personally I think it might be over-doing it a little to accept every single school and decline them all later, but maybe accepting just your top 2 and then getting back to them as soon as possible wouldn't be too terrible.

I really would feel slimy and dishonest and probably really paranoid if I went the not-so-transparent route. Probably does happen, as evidenced by stories of people getting accepted off the WL last minute, but I have no legitimate reason to risk reputation by not taking the high road. There are other ways to make the decision easier, such as the ideas suggested above.

Thanks for the input and being a moral compass. Now I feel dirty for even thinking about it!

The South side isn't that bad, close to campus. It's lively!

I've been accepted to the Journalism school, and I'm strongly considering attending. Great financial aid offer, and I really like the program. Recently enjoyed a new admit tour.

I'm just finishing up undergrad at Berkeley, though, so my choice is between staying where I'm comfortable or being a little braver and trying something new.

True!

As saharel said, sleep helps you store memories. I've heard a little sleep, or naps, can be enough to get students by because it's healthier than no sleep and improves their short term memory -- perfect for tests. But to retain what we've learned and achieve mastery, we still need a full night's sleep.

There is some debate in the academic community regarding whether naps are healthy for students or not, and whether they should be encouraged with campus napping spaces or if naps should just be discouraged. I saw a scientific presentation at Berkeley once that argued course schedules (especially around midterms and finals) should be restructured in ways less likely to provoke students to do all-nighters or succumb to napping.

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!

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.

I think a lot of people are hearing about some of their financial aid informally and/or unofficially (i.e. by phone) following their acceptance -- but I haven't heard anything about loans. Just fellowships.

Maybe you just hear how much you have in fellowships, and figure out the rest you need in loans later, after you accept a school?

True!

As saharel said, sleep helps you store memories. I've heard a little sleep, or naps, can be enough to get students by because it's healthier than no sleep and improves their short term memory -- perfect for tests. But to retain what we've learned and achieve mastery, we still need a full night's sleep.

There is some debate in the academic community regarding whether naps are healthy for students or not, and whether they should be encouraged with campus napping spaces or if naps should just be discouraged. I saw a scientific presentation at Berkeley once that argued course schedules (especially around midterms and finals) should be restructured in ways less likely to provoke students to do all-nighters or succumb to napping.