Anxiously Hopeful

As @ray92 has rightly pointed out that if the POI did interview you then you can ask him about the status of your application. However, if you have not contacted the POI then also you can email him but instead of coming straight to the point, you should introduce yourself first, expand on your interests, let him know that you have submitted the application and you are looking forward to working with him.

You can politely let her know her via email that you have submitted the application and that you are looking forward to working with her.

Congratulations on your acceptances It is obviously your choice about where you would like to get your higher education and you don't have to feel obliged to apply to your alma mater. Having degrees from as many different schools as possible is considered great because that shows your potential and adaptability. So go ahead and enroll in one of the top schools.

Mail the professor personally and let him/her know that the deadline is approaching and the recommendation is required urgently.

The very fact that you are determined to balance your work-life and the whole application process is a brave endeavor and you certainly deserve a pat on your back. Even though I have never been in such a situation, my friends have been and I have seen many of them give up on their dreams of getting a higher education while others going ahead to pursue it. Do all you can to keep higher studies in your mind. Think about it every day and how much intellectual satisfaction it would give you which a mundane job wouldn't. I hope the best for you.

If I were you then I would have accepted the offer. I am planning to complete my higher studies in the US and my partner has decided to do the same but in Canada. When we spoke about it in the beginning, it was not a happy conversation. While he wanted to me to get the best deserving education in the US, I wanted him to accompany me and find better opportunities in the US instead of Canada. However, later, I realized that I was just being selfish. Things will be uncertain and probably my worst fears would become a reality but I don't want any sacrifice to become a regret in the future. I want the best for him and myself as well and that is what ultimately matters.

I overheard my mom talking to my grandmother about how proud she is to have me as her daughter. It lifted me up

Do not lose hope yet. Wait until March.

Anxiety is what kills me. It cripples me and saps the fun and excitement out of everything. When I was not hearing from any universities, I felt low and had a throbbing head and now when I have acceptances from two universities, I still feel the same. The questions in my mind that drive anxiety keeps changing as I face new situations. I think spending a lot of time alone might be the problem since I do a lot of over-thinking. Hopefully, when I will join grad school, most of my mental energy will be utilized in studies and enjoying the company of friends and that would be good for my mental health. ?

It is definitely the responsibility of the advisor to give his suggestions or feedback on the work his graduate student is doing. According to me, it is not going to be good for you to stay in this situation and it is better that you opt for a second advisor who is of your area since it is pretty common for Ph.D. students to have two advisors. At least this way you can ensure progress in your graduate studies.

Worries- So I got a acceptances from two universities and everything is great but the only anxiety I have is about financial aid. Studying in the US is expensive and although my parents are extremely supportive, I just do not want to put a lot of burden on their shoulders. Excitement- I feel great envisioning myself become a part of the rarefied research community and making my parents proud.

@Adelaide9216 First things first, I am really proud of the person you are right now; independent, knowledgeable, confident and humble. I think not fitting in is what distinguishes you and will also distinguish your partner from all the other men out there whom you will definitely find in the future. Don't beat yourself for not yet finding a partner and continue to do what you love doing. I have realized after being in a relationship that self-love is so much more important than loving your significant other. Also, don't consider love and career as mutually exclusive. Keep patience and you will not have to give up on either one of them.

On-campus apartments start filling in really fast so I guess you should apply for housing immediately after you have accepted the offer from the university. For instance, if you are planning to attend college in Fall and the decision deadline is April 15th then you should start looking for apartments during that period.

You can definitely email the department. You can begin by asking about the financial aids the department offers to admitted graduate students and then politely inquire if you should expect an official letter from the department or not.

What does the acceptance letter say?. I mean it should have mentioned the name of the program you have been accepted in along with the name of the department.

I also thought that if I work under a professor then it would be better as compared with working with an assistant professor, however, working with younger people has a lot of benefits like: 1)They can give you individual attention. 2)They are more open to new ideas and free from any bias since they are also exploring many new things in that area of study. 3)You can work with them as if they are your colleagues and not be nervous around them. I think Rice is definitely the place for you. Congratulations on the admits by the way .

what do you mean?

I am enrolling in the biomedical engineering masters program. I am interested in Neural Engineering and I think Dr. Gunduz is doing some really good work on it.

Nope, its the University of Florida at Gainsville.

Okay, not too ambitious but I got accepted at the University of Florida. Glad I could avoid the harsh winters in the north.. wohoooo

I was talking to my best friend on phone and accidentally checked the email out of habit. The first thing that came out of both of our mouths after going through the acceptance mail was "Oh fuck!!".

My supervisor too did not give me any of his time. Even if I wanted to discuss with him a point or two, he would show all the work he had to finish for the day and send me back. Part of the reason why he did not show any interest in my work was because he was expecting me to get a Ph.D. under him and I had denied his offer. Anyway, all other other students under him also felt neglected and were doing sub-par work which really frustrated me. But at the end of the day, after I convinced myself that no help was coming from anywhere else, I started working on my own and fortunately, the results came out to be correct. The bottom line is, help yourself and turn off the self-pity mode. The satisfaction of doing your best even if the results take time is an accomplishment in itself. All the best!!

Yup. Go for it!

I was in the exact same situation as you are right now. However, I somehow gathered the courage to ask him to give me a recommendation letter. Not to mention the amount of discouragement he showered on me from pursuing higher studies abroad and not under him. Nevertheless, he gave me the recommendation even though it was not the best. I think once you show how much you really want to go somewhere else, your advisor is not going to force you to stay and be revengeful by not giving a LOR. At the end of the day, it will be a matter of prestige for him to be sending his student to a better place and getting recognized by eminent people through you. Also, if you are planning to do research in the same as area as you did under your current advisor, then yes, his recommendation is valuable. All the best!

Yup! I agree with you completely. Thanks