cranbarrier

I had that same thing. I had two reviewers and one marked me quite high. The other went the opposite in some cases! Oh well.

This was my first time applying, and I got rejected. Hopefully next time!

Yeah, on the mint thing I totally get that - I do not want to link my bank accounts. I would rather enter manually. I just dislike the idea of linking anything to an outside app. I am trying to determine is a detailed spreadsheet would be more or less work than manually using Mint or Everydollar.

Unfortunately it seems that template is no longer available, but I have been checking out Mint and EveryDollar for expenses and they seem like good options!

Hey grads! I am looking to start budgeting regularly as I go into my PhD program - and am using it to predict my funding situation, as well. What is your main method for keeping track of your budget? An app? A cool excel template?

Thank you so much for your very thoughtful response! I am currently unsure of my career goals - which is why I also want to ensure that my adviser can supply good career advice and potential connections to industry research, so I can do internships in the field. That way I have a better feel of academia vs. industry. I believe I have narrowed it down not to Michigan vs. Boulder. Even in my current department, tenured faculty have said my adviser at Michigan would make me a really great researcher, because she is extremely dedicated, productive, and rigorous. I know she has connections with industry as well. So basically my conundrum is location here. Obviously funding package matters, of which Michigan's is superior again, but people make it even with little funding. You make a good point that there are still great faculty in HCI at Boulder, even if it was in other programs. I guess I just wish I had more insurance regarding the Info Sci specific program. Are the benefits of Michigan being older and more reputable more important than the love of Boulder as a city? Has anyone here chosen based on area over 100% certainty about program fit? Has anyone here chosen to go to a place they were not excited about living but preferred the program? Any and all anecdotes would be helpful!

Ah, it is a PhD. The funding for Michigan is very good. I am waiting on funding offers from Boulder and Irvine, but I know all students are living without loans fine. I also think I /could/ potentially switch advisers, but am nervous about better fits not being available if I do go there. I could definitely see myself living in Boulder. Irvine is okay, though I don't love it. Ann Arbor is okay, besides the cold and lack of outdoor activities. Also Michigan has a high placement record. Irvine seems to have a decent one. Boulder's Info Sci program is new so I have no idea but the Atlas program might be the closest thing. The most notable alum is probably Kate Starbird at UW. Also my partner does not have a degree, so would kind of be stuck with whatever odd jobs are available, as they already are.

Hello, GradCafe, I have 5 (holy moly) offers from various HCI (Human-Centered Computing, Information Science) programs around the country. I would love some feedback on making the decision. I love the cohort and students at each, so culture is not a huge factor for me. Although I am leaning towards two schools, in particular, I will post my top 3 and the situation at each: UC Irvine (Informatics): When I applied initially, this was my top choice. However, I was not paired to be advised by the faculty I had applied to work with, and was assigned to a new junior faculty member who has not published much in the HCI space (ACM conferences and such). He seems very excited to work with me, but I am a bit nervous about establishing connections in the field and gaining internship and career help because this faculty member is very new and not well known. I have reached out a bit to other people I wished to work with and they are currently at capacity or on sabbatical. I also love the weather and the housing situation is great there, though the city of Irvine is stale. UC Boulder (Information Science): I am paired with faculty who have very close research interests in mind and we seem to click really well. The program itself is junior, only 2 years old, but the two faculty are founding members and are well-known in the field. There are also some HCI heavy weights who are in the program already. I loved CU Boulder when I visited, because of the climate, proximity to both nature and Denver, and walkablility to restaurants. I am mostly nervous that there have been no PhD graduates yet, thus no internship or job data. Boulder's housing situation seems to be the most problematic of all the schools. University of Michigan (Information): One of my faculty pairs in particular is a great research match and has ideas for my project I would love to do. There is another faculty member I am not paired with but really like as well. The funding package is also amazing here. Faculty also great really great research and job connections as it is an old program with a great track record. I like the walkability of Ann Arbor, as well. The only major downside is the weather and location. It is pretty far from the bigger cities and real nature (plus, it's flat). The snow in the winter is the worst part, though. And my partner has expressed really not wanting to move north. I would love some insight from everyone here on these decisions. Thanks so much!