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reimaginethis

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Everything posted by reimaginethis

  1. This is sort of a funny topic for me. I don't drink. 1) I don't like the taste of alcohol. 2) I'm diabetic, and alcohol is the mortal (literally) enemy of diabetics. So everything in my program involves alcohol. Conferences? Alcohol. Meetings with advisor and research team? Alcohol. Receptions for guest speakers at school? Alcohol. (I'm at a university that has no problem serving alcohol at on-campus events.) Social gatherings with other students? Lots of alcohol. Lunch with other students? Alcohol. It never ends. And I always drink water or Diet Coke. Yes, sometimes I get looked at funny, and occasionally someone will make a strange or funny remark. I just roll with it. I'm not all that interested in fitting in anyway. Grad school is full of clones. Be yourself. Do your thing. Don't worry about it.
  2. I'm 34 and am currently a first year Ph.D. student at a top-tier university (interdisciplinary / social science program). I have full funding, insurance, and a generous travel award. Age should not be a barrier. If you're motivated, go for it. I am surprised that a professor would even bring up the age issue -- especially since you're still in the admissions process. That can (theoretically) open the door to all kinds of problems for the university in the future. During the application/admissions process, no one mentioned my age to me. Since arriving on campus, however, there have been several subtle remarks regarding my age -- none negative. My advisor knows that because I'm older and have a family, I don't want to dilly-dally and take forever to complete the program. Having that understanding has helped me tremendously.
  3. The GRE scoring mechanism narrows your score down to a certain range following each question. The range gets more narrow the further you go in the test. So if you get question 1 right, you get a harder question for question 2, then a harder question for question 3. If you realize all of a sudden at some point in the test that you have a question that's much easier than the previous question, that likely means you missed the previous question. As an example, let's say your first question asks what 2+2 is. You answer 4. The GRE has narrowed you to 500-800. The next question asks what 3+3 is. You answer 6. The GRE mechanism narrows your range to 550-800. Then you answer another question right, so the score narrows more, say 580-800. Then you answer a question wrong. Well, at this point, you've established 580 as your floor, so you won't fall below that. However, you've also knocked 800 out. So your score range has now narrowed to 580-760. And so it goes until you reach your final score. (I don't know the exact score formula, how much the questions are worth, etc., so the score increments I used are examples only.) All that being said, and as others have said, spend plenty of time on the first few questions. Once you're locked into a score range, you can't get out of that range. So it's important to establish a high range on the front end of the test. Best wishes.
  4. Has anyone else here been invited to join a research team before the fall semester starts? I'm joining on July 1st. I have no idea what to expect, and I figure I'll feel really strange when all the students return in August and are like 'who the heck are you?'
  5. Just to make sure I was giving correct info in my previous post, I did a quick search on Google and found the following from Miami University: "In order to remain compliant with federal regulations, the amount of a graduate assistantship is subtracted from the COA to determine the student's remaining financial aid eligibility." I then found similar statements on several other sites. So yes, as I stated, assistantship/fellowship/stipend is considered when calculating loan eligibility. Best wishes.
  6. Each school calculates its own Cost of Attendance (COA). Besides tuition and fees, COA takes standardized housing cost, transportation cost, and several other factors into account. After your fellowship/funding is deducted from the COA, you can borrow (via federal loans) up to the COA; however, all of your funding sources, when combined, cannot exceed the COA. I don't know of any schools that set their COA as high as $27k after tuition and fees. However, you may be in a really, really expensive place. Keep checking with the school's financial aid office, and ask them about the school's COA. Best wishes.
  7. RE Legality -- Yes, it's perfectly legal. The Council of Graduate Schools' April 15 deadline is nothing more than a "gentlemen's agreement" among schools. You, the student, are simply a third party who benefits from the agreement. You're not really a signatory to the agreement, so you don't really have any standing to challenge the agreement. Just thought I'd add my opinion on that since the legality issue seems to come up frequently in these discussions. Best wishes.
  8. My award letter for my Ph.D. program says that I'll receive $16k for each academic year. I'm assuming--and hoping--that means $16k over 9 months, not 12 months. Am I correct?
  9. Thanks for the kind words, everyone. I'm going to do it. Spouse doesn't quite understand why I seek advice/guidance from strangers on the internet instead of taking advice from close friends and family. I explained to her last night: I need words from people who've been there, done that, and no matter how much I love and appreciate the people around me, none of them have been in my shoes. Again, thanks. You guys are great.
  10. So I've been accepted to my dream Ph.D. program (fully funded) and already have been invited to join a top-notch research team. I'm thrilled but nervous. I'm in my mid-30s, am married, have a child in school, and have a huge debt burden. I'm worried about my child having to leave his school and friends. I'm worried that I'm too old and won't relate to other students. I'm worried that I'll fail miserably. I'm worried about sacrificing my salary for an assistantship that's worth only a third as much -- though I know we can make it on that and my spouse's income. But it's what I've always wanted to do. It has taken me a while to get there, but I always wanted to get there. Spouse is on board. I've been given a ton of advice by people around me -- great people -- and I respect their opinions. But none of those people are in my shoes -- or even close to being in my shoes. So to those of you who've been around the block and who are facing nerves and moving your family, what's your opinion? Advice? Thanks.
  11. For the Stafford loan, call your lender and request a deferral form. You'll take the deferral form to your (grad) school's FA office and ask them to complete and return it. If it's a Direct Loan (meaning the lender is the US Dept of Education), go directly to the (grad) school's FA office and ask them to submit your enrollment info electronically. Perkins loans are a bit different because they are administered directly by the undergraduate institution. You'll need to contact your undergrad FA office to ask about deferral options.
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