EngrGirl

I visited a school that told me upfront they would reimburse my travel costs. I eventually got my check, but it took them a while (two months). Since both schools told you they would offer full reimbursement, they should honor that. If I was in your situation, I would send a polite email (maybe later followed by a phone call), asking them when you should expect to receive your reimbursement. I know that you might feel awkward asking about money, but I think most schools understand that traveling is expensive (and many of us are poor students). Good luck!

I'm going to the University of Florida for a PhD in civil engineering.

Thanks for all the replies everyone...thought I'd give a little update. So after many many phone calls, it turns out that the graduate coordinator was mistaken. Apparently the cutoff GPA for the award is a 3.0 (as determined by the graduate school). The individual departments can choose a different GPA cutoff if they desire (in this case, 3.5). Since my department and advisor really want me to attend, they're willing to waive the 3.5 requirement (and since I have >3.0 I can still receive the award). So the crisis has been solved and it looks like I can afford to go to graduate school after all. Again, thanks everyone! I really appreciate all the comments.

I really don't know what to do right now. I just received a phone call from the graduate coordinator at my school, asking me what my GPA will be at the end of this semester. Unfortunately, since my GPA will be less than 3.5, they are now saying that my award (which I received over a month ago) no longer applies. In effect, they are taking it away from me and I won't know what funding I'm eligible for until early next week. I'm in shock...I was so happy to get funding from this school (full tuition, health insurance, and a stipend) that I pulled my application from the other schools I had applied to. Now I'm not sure I can afford to go to grad school. I feel like crying :cry: Are grad schools allowed to take away funding? Should I try to fight this since it was their fault? I told them all through the application process what my GPA was (the grad coordinator says she thought I told her it was much higher...which I would never do).

I actually live right outside Bethlehem. I may be a bit biased, but I love it here. The location is great, it's close to both NYC and Philly, and there's always something to do. MusikFest takes place in Bethlehem every summer, and they always manage to get some big acts in. There's also Celtic Fest, Kriskindlemarket...there's something for everyone. We're also not far away from some nice campgrounds, if you're an outdoorsy person.

I'm glad to see that I'm not alone. I guess I'm scared in the sense that I don't want to disappoint anyone. My family, my recommenders, my new advisor and grad program...I'm just worried that I somehow won't be able to keep up with the work. I originally applied as a MS student, and am now going for the PhD (after my school asked me if I was interested), so I'm worried that I won't fit in with the other smarter, more talented doctoral students. Part of me knows I'm being silly, but I'm still nervous.

University of Florida, Civil Engineering PhD: tuition + $20,000 (for 4 years) + health insurance

Hi StudyMom! It's nice to meet a fellow Gator! Yup,I'm in engineering (what gave it away?) I'm going for a PhD in civil engineering, and I'm really excited about starting. I'm also starting to look for a place to live. I'd really like to have my own (cheap) apartment located close to campus, but I haven't had too much luck yet. I'm probably going to fly down in late May/early June to find a place, and I'll actually move to Florida in early August.

I've decided to be a lazy bum this summer and enjoy my last bit of freedom before leaving for school in early August. Not very exciting, but I'm really looking forward to it. I'm probably going to be doing reading (some fun and a lot for school - I don't want my advisor to regret admitting me!), working out in the gym, and visiting family and friends. My family and I might go on a week vacation to Mexico this summer, which will definitely be the highlight.

I definitely have senioritis. Unfortunately, I still have a month to go and big projects left in 3 out of 4 classes. I tell myself that grades don't matter anymore since I got into grad school...but I guess after all these years I can't force myself to slack off completely. At this point I'm just really looking forward to graduation and moving on to the next stage of my life!

I'm going! I actually just mailed in my acceptance today.