Elephas

It's pretty program dependent and also POI dependent. I have been accepted into programs w/ an interview and w/o an interview. I've gotten emails at all times of the day as early as like 2:30 pm until 9 pm my time.

I don't think you should be concerned those gaps may have unofficial events running during them like opportunities to visit actual labs and speak/network with grad students.

My excel sheet is really hefty adding info on the daily like oh here's how to cook on a stipend oh I can find roommates here oh best supermarket for this here and more. It does give me a sense of control and I love it.

For my skype interviews they've leaned more towards the informal side but it also depends on the personality of the interviewer. Definitely have a laundry list of questions because I had one interview (which was really just a chat) where he literally just asked me if I had any questions and just wanted me to ask him things about the program the area etc very friendly and excited. I've also been asked my research interests and how they led me to want to pursue a PhD, and also talking about the POI's research and what he/she does in relation to my research. In addition we talked about some projects/research I've done in the past and what I've learned from it. I think life goals mayy have come up don't really recall but not strength/weakness. But the most important thing is to have good questions prepped for the person you're interviewing with (not just their research, about the department, the university, etc) as it shows you've taken interest and done some background research before the call.

I'm right here with you I've been "apartment shopping" and looking at areas to live in etc. etc. it's so hard not to get too excited but everything is exciting!

Also you may consider a professor may be looking to grow their lab/group and take more than one grad student at a time so naturally they would speak to multiple students.

I think that's a question for the school in terms of how long funding is held in addition to the offer. My apps have all said the funding offer acceptance deadline so you may be able to request that date. In terms of accepting and then saying jk and choosing another school I think it would be better to wait.

When I've received emails with recommend you it meant that I was to be recommended for admission to the graduate school (to the dean of the school) so congrats!

To all those who applied to a UMich Ann Arbor program what did the portal look like when a status update happened?

Here are my opinions(take with a grain of salt) To me you seem like a strong applicant who is really interested in your field. You took time off of undergrad to improve yourself for 2 years before deciding to apply which can help compensate for your D grade. Hopefully you didn't overexplain your D in your SOP - this would have been a great time for an undergrad professor to say I'm aware xyz got a D but during that time they were also doing a b and c and I do not think this is an indication of their work ethic. The lack of an undergrad professor could be taken either way but as a person who is only 2 years removed rather than 10 I think they may at least raise an eyebrow at the lack of an undergrad professor but I'm not sure how that would sway your decision. I would wait until at least the 2nd week of February (2/16) to see if you've heard back from anybody as this will save you money from retaking the GRE. I'm not sure what the typical GRE is in your field but if you are not accepted this year only then would I consider retaking it. I would also wait until you've received all results so that if they some how happen to all be rejections you could reach out to the admissions committees for feedback so that when you apply again you do not make the same mistakes (the type of mistakes that would also keep you out of a masters program if you applied). I personally think your GPA is not low as it's above a 3.0 w/ a copious amount of experiences and different perspectives.

I think that they will understand if you do not accept for another month and that you are still weighing options. However you could write them saying thank you and if you have any follow up questions now would probably be a great time to ask them so you can make a list of + and - about the current school now and when it is time to see the other response (assuming it is a yes) you'll only have to ask one school those same questions instead of multitasking both at once.

If you're still considering other programs I wouldn't necessarily say something about accepting the position in this immediate email. However saying something regarding discussing the lab more or something being something you're eager to do may be a better topic. In my informal acceptances they mentioned funding coming out later but I would consider waiting past an initial convo or on a phone convo to ask about the funding piece so it doesn't seem all about money.

@Excelsior! You'd have to ask the department mine have all explicitly said the months.

Yeah I think it seems after reviewing to be more so of a contingent 9 months with the 3 other months tbd. I think I will be speaking more to the individual programs about what happens the other months and the grad students. I do think the 12 months is more favorable I just wasn't sure what the standard was as my "acceptance packages" have all said 9 months thus far. I would continue to appreciate any perspectives on how to approach the conversation/what you have done to secure funding in the past.

If they're a school you're highly considering I think it would be worth it to visit it. If you go there and don't like the culture at least you'd know before you have accepted. It would also provide you the chance to look around the area and see if you could envision yourself commuting or living there and to ask questions that are more appropriate on person than online/via phone. You can also read body language better in person.

So far I see the trend being 9 month funding but for those who are grad students what do you do for the other 3 months? Internships? Find a lab to do research in over the summer... etc? If you were to be offered 12 month funding would you prefer that over the 9 month funding? Any experience or advice is appreciated.

Advice: Read your interviewers website, research they're currently doing and general info about the department it is Be able to ask questions about the department and the person specifically Have like 10-15 questions because I had one interview where he literally had no questions for me and he just wanted me to ask him questions and find out things about the program etc etc. You can expect to discuss anything in your statements of purpose. Research they are doing and how you could fit into that. Maybe a point of weakness on your application if you have some. My interviews have been over the phone I just wrote a list of questions and notes and had that in hand. In an in person interview I'm not certain. Being called in could be anywhere on the spectrum: 1. seeing if you fit the college. 2. you had a weakspot want to know if it can be overcome 3. really like you but they need to interview as a part of admissions so they just throw one out there In my field not all programs require the interview and i'm sure that's similar

I've not started graduate school nor have I ever lived on "a budget" specifically but I Currently have a spreadsheet that I'm using to detail everything with projected costs and using it to compare stipends vs cost of living in the town and actually going on appt websites to do pricing in the local communities etc. I started with the "basic college budget" from excel and customized it with these headings(many are blank but i left them just as ideas of things to track: Income: Stipend , After-tax wages from a job, Financial help from family, Fellowship , Other (child support, public assistance, gifts, etc.) Monthly Expense: "Room and Board":Rent, mortgage, or dorm room , Food (groceries or meal plan) , Utilities (heat, water, electricity) Tuition & Fees:Tuition you pay, Fees you pay Books & Supplies: Textbooks, School supplies Transportation: Gas, maintenance, Vehicle payment, Transit fares, Travel at holidays Discretionary: Savings, Retirement, Internet, cable , Credit Card, Snacks, dining out, Clothes, Entertainment (movies, dates, concerts) Other Expenses:Insurance (car, health, renter's), Loans, Security System

@Aromando I'll pm you

I applied to CS but the people reaching out for interviews for me are in the CS/LS department and on the phone they said they'd probably extend offers in early to mid february according to their time line and visit days are early march.

@polyxcrunner Actually according to this PDF I just received you're supposed to accept an offer from a university by March 16th. So before then.

@wdb17 I think you can call or email GEM they would be able to best tell you your next step options @polyxcrunner I think University / Associate Fellows would be after all the employers have selected their students so all the way through june at the latest. However this is just a guess you could also call GEM.

@rising_star Thank you! Do you think an hour is an appropriate amount of time to wait (as to not seem so eager)or is right after better?

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I've been looking at questions and preparing for a skype interview (of course I'd appreciate any tips or questions to prepare for also), but one thing I've missed is the etiquette piece. After a Skype interview do you send an email saying thank you? All of the messages I've received have been a "lets chat on skype" but I'm assuming that this is still an interview of sorts. I'm not entirely sure how formal / casual to be. I do plan on dressing up maybe not a suit but a nice cardigan and blouse since it's over video call.