historygeek

I recommend that you look into doing your outside field in LIS before making a formal switch. I suggest that you look into the backgrounds of incumbents at jobs you would want. Also, I would take a very long hard look at how vulnerable LIS may be to disruptive technologies/firms. (Are you going to be competing for jobs  against ASIs designed by Alphabet?)

Agree to disagree, I guess. I've spent years working with rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals of all kinds, and I would still say get a kitten. 
 
Should you leave them home for 8 hours straight? No. 
 
Can you generally make it a priority to break up your day so you can come home for lunch in grad school? Yes. Is it worth it long term? Definitely. 
 
A cat is going to be a pet that you will have for 15-25 years. It's worth taking the extra time early on to (a) get a young one that you will bond with, and ( take the time to make that bond. 
 
I find a lot of people that don't get a young cat, especially for a first one, don't end up bonding with it nearly as much, and it either becomes a quasi-forgotten "it's here" pet, or one that they end up trying to rehome when they move, etc. People are more likely, in general, to bond with and commit to a pet that they got young. 

No offense, but getting a kitten if you have ZERO cat experience and not much time is terrible advice. Like any baby, kittens need lots of attention and care. You are much better served by getting an adult cat. Don't get a kitten. My friends work in rescue and fostering and kittens take a lot of work. Kittens are needy and want attention and some shelters insist upon adopting kittens in pairs because they NEED company and socialization. 
 
I strongly recommend adopting an adult cat. Two will keep each other entertained, especially if you look or ask for a "bonded pair" of cats who keep each other plenty of company. If you never want two, or think this is too much, look for one cat, or a cat who wants to live in a single cat household. They need food, water, attention, and love - cats aren't houseplants - but you can ask shelters for independent cats, cats who aren't highly needy, but perhaps older and calmer. Ask for a calm, independent, adult cat. 
 
Also if cats are kept indoors all their live they A.) live longer and B.) don't tend to be as needy about missing the outside. 

I have a cat and spend oodles of time in the lab. She seems okay with it. Sometimes she wants attention when I get home. Sometimes she acts annoyed because I woke her up. I find it quite relaxing to have her sitting/sleeping on my lap.
 
My suggestions - and feel free to disregard:
1. Get a cat from a shelter. The cost is much lower than a pet store and the cat will already be spayed/neutered.
2. If you get a cat that isn't spayed/neutered, have it spayed or neutered. Female cats are very very loud when they are in heat and will wake you up.
3. Keep the cat indoors. You won't have to worry about fleas/ticks/etc, it won't run away, and it won't get hurt or killed.
 
I was able to toilet train my cat so I don't have to deal with litter boxes. My cat isn't declawed and she's really good about using her scratching pad. It's one of those cheap $10 cardboardy ones that she can stand on. She really likes it. She scratches her claws a lot. Way more than other cats. I'm a little worried she's plotting to kill me.

I'm glad you two were able to see eye-to-eye. Admitting to your misjudgement doesn't make you an idiot. It shows respect for your daughter, and I'm sure it means a lot to her. Congrats to you both!

Hey you guys, OP here. 
I'm an idiot. Your comments helped though.  All calmed down here....and D is happily heading towards the school of her choice....

Are you sure she's actually "intimidated"? Because it doesn't sound that way to me. She's not worried it's going to be a hard program, she's worried it will be a poor fit for her. And I think she's right to do so.
It's normal to take classes you hate in undergrad, but this should not be the case for grad school. If you hate 4 of your classes (which is a LOT in a program that only requires 3 courses per semester), then you've picked the wrong program. Each of your daughter's courses should be preparing her for her career -- otherwise you're not spending your money wisely.
I know you're trying to look out for her, but she's probably done way more research on these programs and their alumni outcomes than you. She may still be young, but she's the expert.

It's her decision, not yours. If she's graduating from undergrad now, that means she's probably 21-22 and old enough to make that decision for herself (whether you agree or not). In all actuality, a degree from a top-name institution doesn't mean that much after you get a bachelor's. Work experience trumps a degree in many instances. Worldly experiences look good on a resume but do not determine your intellectual ability or how much you retain from such experiences. I'm currently a fourth year graduating senior at one of the most popular and largest institutions in the nation (also on a policy track). It's a hard school to get in to, the academic rigor is tough, all of that jazz. I can personally say that if she hates economics, she shouldn't be forced to do it. Micro is easy, macro is an awful crime against humanity. You should feel confident in your daughter's decision-making skills. The majority of students (myself included) will graduate with mountains of debt no matter what (even if we had fellowships from Hopkins). Let her go where SHE wants to go, not where you want her to go. She's lucky to have you to "underwrite the check", but that doesn't mean you get to decide where she goes to school (or even influence her one way or another).

I think that you should ask for a refund after you've spent time managing the way you feel about the outcome. I am saying that your core argument should be that you did not receive complete information about the circumstances of the solicitation for more applications. The thought/feeling behind your argument should NOT be that you were cheated or misled.
This is to say that you bite your tongue in order to get your refund and then you go on with your life. Down the line, if and when you discuss the process described in your OP, you use the coded language of the Ivory Tower: irregularities, miscommunication, and so on.

It was the hardest decision I've ever made but I have declined Penn's offer and will be heading to Yale next year. 
I honestly still feel very conflicted, but I am incredibly excited for what is to come. 
Best of luck to everyone else! 

Attended Nova's Admitted Students Day and couldn't be happier with my choice!

Admitted off of the UVA waitlist with a full fellowship offer. Best of luck to everyone else!

Good luck to everyone making decisions and hopefully hearing about waitlists today!
Personally, I have accepted my offer to Kentucky with a TA funding offer. I don't know how this happened, but I don't have to move, as I currently live about 30 minutes from campus!

Congratulations -- it's a great feeling. I just handed in my honours thesis (still have the defense ahead, but finally printing the three copies was an awesome feeling, although 90 pages x 3 copies is an expensive printing job!) and it's such a nice feeling.

Attended Nova's Admitted Students Day and couldn't be happier with my choice!

Exciting! See you in class next fall.
Not exactly grad school related, but I just got the first draft of my thesis done! I still have to do edits on three chapters that my advisor reviewed, but all of the big writing is out of the way. 

I've decided to accept my admission into Villanova's MA program

Hey! Congrats on getting into those schools!
I personally don't know a-lot about Columbias MA program specifically, but I would just caution you against going to an unfunded MA program in this field. Unless offered significant scholarships I would discourage anyone from going to them. I have heard, on this forum and elsewhere, that the humanities/social science MA programs are really just cash cows for schools like Columbia and Chicago meant to support the funded PhD programs. Now that's not saying that they aren't good programs where someone can thrive and become a better scholar/policy maker, but they are super expensive and in this field we simply do not make enough to support the loans that would come out of it. 
Now i'm not sure how law school would play into it, in theory a lawyer would be making more than people in the political science field, but even so I think that the above thinking still holds true. That unless offered significant funding they aren't really worth the debt.  

Attended Nova's Admitted Students Day and couldn't be happier with my choice!

Vienna is a beautiful city and in a great spot travel within Europe. Also, I know a couple of the PhD students at CEU if you ever consider doing a PhD there or just want to meet other graduate students. Best of luck with your MA!

Finally got some good news: I was admitted to Central European University's MA program in Late Antique, Medieval, and Renaissance Studies with a full tuition waiver, so it looks like I'll be in Vienna for the next two years. After a 4 month slog of non-stop disappointment, it's nice to end my season with some good news. 

Please note that I am completely unfamiliar with European grad school and funding.
Can you not withdraw yourself from the ESRC competition, and accept the university scholarship? That seems like the ideal situation for both parties.

Attended Nova's Admitted Students Day and couldn't be happier with my choice!

Attended Nova's Admitted Students Day and couldn't be happier with my choice!

Attended Nova's Admitted Students Day and couldn't be happier with my choice!