Ishouldbewriting

My partner and I do this now. She is doing graduate work in a different state than me and driving 9 hours one way is definitely out of the option. We split the cost of plane tickets and manage to see each other on weekends about twice a month. It has put some strain on the relationship (especially at first when we were getting used to the transition), but we think that the separation has actually made us stronger. Calling/messaging regularly has definitely been key, though! I guess making the long distance thing work really depends on the couple, but it is definitely feasible! I wish you luck with whatever you end up deciding

I'm a current MA student and prospective PhD student at UConn. If you want, we can DM and I can give you an insider perspective about the department.

The number of courses required and the rigidity of those requirements greatly varies from department to department. For instance, my department requires we complete at about 18 classes before we go on to do comps. Conversely, I've heard of other departments who allow students to have entirely customizable plans of studies that are tailored to a each students' individual interests. Since you are going into an MA/PhD program you'll likely have to take more classes than someone just doing a PhD because you have gotten a MA yet. Honestly, burnout is a big concern. Speaking from experience, talking three classes and having a 20-hour TA assignment can be stressful dependent on how demanding the classes are and your responsibilities as a TA. It is manageable, though. You just have to be sure to carve out time for yourself, separate from your studies.

Well, received a rejection from UPenn. I'm kind of relieved, to be honest. At least now the wait is finally over and now I can just focus on actually deciding between the options I have. Good luck to everyone that is still waiting on different programs!

You're posting on the Communication forum. You know what must be done!

@maengret Absolutely! I've been talking with several of the people in my department and so many of them have been saying that they made their choice based off of which school gave them the best offer. I'm going to visit both schools next week. I wanted to wait until I get a feel for the departments before trying to negotiate anything. If I end up not clicking with the first choice school, there's no sense in trying to get more money!

Same!!! I applied to my top choice program thinking it a long shot that was unrealistic. I had no hopes of getting accepted, but then I did. They offered to fully fund me for all four years, but another program (my second choice) gave me a far more generous offer. So now I feel kind of... stuck. I want to go to my top choice, but at the same time I don't want to accrue more debt. I feel guilty not accepting that school because of its reputation, but it is honestly a bad decision to turn down the school that gave the more generous offer. I'm visiting both schools a week from now so hopefully that will help settle it. Still waiting on one last school. I'm kind of hoping that I don't get into it to be honest so that the decision is easier.

I am first generation for both undergrad and grad. Growing up, college was never really something that I thought of as a possibility. My parents did mostly manual jobs (driving school bus, janitorial jobs, cleaning houses, factory work) so around the dinner table, the prospect of attending college was never really brought up. The guidance counselors I had in high school were unsupportive. Mine tried to push me towards a trade school instead of a university, despite me having no interest. When I was thinking of initially applying, my family fell into hard financial times. We lost our house. We ended up living in a tent for a few months during my senior year of high school. Despite the economic hardships, my parents urged me to still go to school because they saw a degree as an escape from our circumstances. My parents were always supportive of me pursuing further education. My dad especially because he always wanted to go onto do more school, but different things (getting drafted, having my older siblings, etc.) prohibited him from ever going while he was young. Though they encouraged me to go forward with school, navigating through the system was definitely challenging. I had to figure out things like deciding on what schools to apply to, what major to select, how to change a major, and financial aid on my own. Then for grad school, the process was entirely alien. I was lucky to have good mentors during my undergrad to coach me through the process. With my parents, I still can't really talk to them about the research I do or my classes (last time I tried, my mom started talking about how it was like an article she read on "the Google").

I just got an email 30 minutes ago from my POI at Utah letting me know (unofficially) that I was accepted! In the email, he seemed to suggest that the formal offer letters were going to be sent out very soon. Hopefully you get some good news!

My condolences for you and your family. Also, don't let it get you down! It is still very early on in the process. I'm sure that something will end up sticking. What other programs are you waiting on?

Congratulations on MSU! Between the two schools, which welcome weekend do you think you would rather go to?

I don't know the specific policy in your department, but you should see if there is anyone (either your supervisor or another graduate student) who would be able to cover for you during your absence. As you indicated, the prospective school hasn't formally admitted you yet. They are definitely interested in you since they have already paid for your ticket and invited you to the recruitment weekend, but not going could indicate to them that you aren't truly interested in their program, or, it could look bad since they've already spent money on your ticket. I would just try to be transparent with your course supervisor about the situation and see if there would be any way for someone to proctor the exam in your place. Worst case scenario, your supervisor says no and you break the news to the prospective program. I would, however, do this sooner than later because if you tell them quickly that you won't be able to attend the recruitment weekend due to prior responsibilities, they may be able to refund your plane ticket and not actually lose money. Best of luck! This does seem like a pretty tricky situation. I hope it ends up working out!

I'm in the same boat with UPenn. I heard a rumor somewhere else on the forum that they will be sending out notifications of acceptance/rejection in mid-February. I'm unsure of how credible the rumor is, or not, but it is something!!

@E-P Most of my research has looked at analyzing and assessing the efficacy of mediated health campaigns! As for the weekend, I live on the east coast so I'm planning on flying in.

Best of luck with Michigan State! I still haven't heard back from them yet so I'm starting to get nervous. In November two of the faculty reached out to me in order to say that they were excited about my application and then I spoke with them again at NCA, which made me optimistic. But who knows how/if things have changed since then. May I ask what your area is? Also, I'll see you at Purdue's Welcome Weekend!