AnxiousNerd

hey! I'm going to WUSTL havent gotten much into housing searches yet, but I'm thinking university city or central west end? maybe? how about you?

(I did not read the other replies so this may be a repeat, sorry!) I moved to a different continent completely alone and I did not speak the national language. I am not a very independent person, so it was VERY difficult for me. I will say maybe the one thing I wish I had been prepared for is all of my friends/family back home asking me every week or so if I've made any friends or done anything exciting. I was honestly just trying to get used to being there and settle in. Making a life long friend probably isn't going to happen in the first month, and it got SO SO SO annoying to constantly get those questions. BUT I do realize that they just love me and want to hear about what's going on. Moral of the story: it may be sort of difficult at times to stay connected with them at the beginning, but that get better.

For fluffy sweaters - buy some space bags

Yeah, that sounds a little fishy. In my experience, it's been the director of graduate studies for the department that has given the funding. If you can't find anyone in your desired field that is willing to take you on their team, that might be a red flag. I would definitely suggest trying to go somewhere where they're explicitly looking for students that do what you do. It's very easy to accept students unfunded, so that's probably why you got the acceptance without actually having room for you. There are very few external scholarships, and they're very difficult to get AND the deadline has probably passed (look at The Bank subforum.) I recommend not accepting this institution.

It's definitely not rude to keep them waiting. Everyone understands that you have to wait and weigh your options first. Even if it bothers them a little, by April 16th they will go right back to not caring. However, it does read like you prefer the other school. Definitely go where you think you'd be happiest and have the most success in your field. Good luck!

Black eye

I can definitely relate to this. My parents have 1 high school diploma between the two of them, my mom is physically handicapped, and my father was in and out of prison. We were very poor and my resources were slim. Luckily, my mom recognized that the way for me to have "a better life than she did" and to "provide for my kids better than she could" is through education. She isn't too educated, but she would spend her last penny to get me a tutor or a book or a calculator if I needed it. Now I've graduated with a math degree, I'm doing paid research in Europe, and I've been accepted to 2 PhD programs for math. I am SO excited that my kids won't have the same struggles I did, but I also am very grateful for what I have experienced and the skills it's given me today. Big respect to everyone posting in this thread, even if it's 6 years old. We killed it.

death star

Honestly, I feel liken they could just offer it as a competition to web design students with, like, a $200 prize and they could get some really user friendly and 2018-looking websites...

No matter the program, we have all been there. Some school seems perfect, but their website is god awful. There's no information on funding, the research interests were last updated in 2009, or you just cannot find the deadline to save your life. On the other hand, some websites have everything, are amazingly user-friendly, and very very clear. I'm interested in seeing your favorites and least favorites. For me personally, my favorite website is University of Nebraska - Lincoln's math department page. They have every piece of information available. They talk about funding, funding rates, health insurance specifics, old qualifying exams, and so much more. Look how good!! http://www.math.unl.edu/graduate/ I also like TAMU's math page http://www.math.tamu.edu/graduate/ I also like how WUSTL groups faculty research by topic: https://wumath.wustl.edu/people/faculty I'll update with my least favorite when I decide. If you don't have a favorite or least favorite to share, then what specific things are important to you? What things do you hate? I'm hoping maybe when all of us become successful academics, we can ensure our pages are good. I'm hoping to get STEM and non-STEM alike. I personally love a good FAQ, numbers in the funding section, checklists, and an easy to use research interest page. I, of course, LOVE when schools give an estimate of when you'll hear back, but I understand why that's rare. I really don't like when everything is on one page (http://mathstat.slu.edu/graduate-programs).

No problem! Here's all of the SLP posts: https://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/95-speech-language-pathology/ And just in case (I don't know what CSD is...), here's audiology: https://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/96-audiology/

Of course, this is hypothetical because rejections are fake and aren't going to happen (right..? heh....)

I am not SLP, so I have nothing to contribute with regards to the therapy, but I'll give my two cents when it comes to the timing. Being open and honest with the schools is a good way to buy your time. If you're applying for funded PhD programs, they cannot request an answer before April 15th. Additionally, if it's getting close to a deadline and you're still waiting to hear back from your first choice, it is entirely appropriate to email them and tell them "hey, you're my first choice but I got into another school as well, would you mind telling me where I stand?" Hopefully someone else can come in and answer as well. You may consider posting on one of the SLP/CSD specific boards!

I cannot believe that one school I applied to has their deadline as March 1st.... why did they do that............................ I'm gonna die

I was having a really really hard time at home (two deaths, flooded house, pneumonia) and I guess it was showing in my normally cheery attitude. So my favorite professor asked me to come into his office and he said "I just wanted to check that everything is okay" and I just broke down. I was a little embarrassed, but he was very kind and very very encouraging. I think about him a lot. I wrote him a really nice letter when I graduated.