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FutureEdPHD

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Posts posted by FutureEdPHD

  1. It depends on the housing market in the city you're moving to. I would suggest generally looking about 1 month or so in advance. 2 months would be the earliest though, unless you're looking at living in grad student housing. 

  2. After the 15th deadline, you’re going to have to get a written release from CSU since they offered you a funding package. I’d assume that they’d be willing to do so since nobody wants to have someone in their program who wants to go elsewhere but sometimes departments/grad schools can be a little petty.

    Advisor fit is huge in this process since you’ll be working closely with them for the next few years so I’d definitely take that into consideration. Ranking can also matter too but it’s not everything. You have to look at which program will best set you up for the future that you want. 

    Good luck making a decision! 

  3. 14 hours ago, trollsloot said:

    One main factor to consider: will you have a car?

    LA is massive, are you looking at places near USC? If you live in say Venice, it will be a pretty long commute to USC, no matter what form of transportation you use. Where do you need to be close to? 

    Yes I'm bringing my car because I figured that I would need it. I'm looking to be close-ish to USC but also open to other areas depending on how far. It looks like I'll have class Monday-Thursday and I'm also working on campus so I'll need to be near there most of the time. 

  4. Looking to move to Los Angeles in early August but have no clue where to look! Anybody have any suggestions? I'm totally fine with roommates and don't really have many requirements except that my bedroom door has a lock on it.

  5. 7 hours ago, bookworm2 said:

    I was invited to visit a department where I was accepted into their graduate program. The secretary emailed me my itinerary and I thought I might pass out! I've never been to a formal campus visit before and didn't realize their was going to be a series of one-on-one meetings with several of the professors. I'm glad to have the opportunity to see their school but I'm kind of freaking out at the prospect of talking with all these professors. How did you prepare for this? How did your visit go? Is the experience pleasant or stressful? Do you get grilled? Any advice is greatly appreciated!!   

    It'll be okay! I freaked out when I first saw my itinerary for the schools I visited too. The meetings are usually really low key because they are just trying to get to know you better and convince you to choose their program. I would brush up on the research interests of each of the professors and maybe have a few specific questions for them but truthfully you may not get to them because the meetings go by pretty quickly. 

  6. 3 minutes ago, bookworm2 said:

    Excitement: Accepted into PhD program with funding. The program isn't a perfect fit, but it's relatively close to my home and there's  a couple of professors with similar interests. 

     Worry: Accepted into another PhD program that's a perfect fit, but waiting to hear back on funding. The other graduate program wants a decision soon. I have only a few days left to decide. Desperately checking email every few hours.    

    Don't worry about the timing! At most schools, you have until April 15th to make a decision, regardless of the pressure from individual departments. It's understandable that they want a decision soon, but it's also important for you to be able to take your time making such an important decision. 

  7. On 3/13/2019 at 8:41 AM, crackademik said:

    As someone who knows both cities pretty well. This made me die ? There's a reason people say Philly is the armpit of the mid-atlantic. Both cities have lots to do but as others have said DC is more expensive. That being said, college park is actually a bit cheaper than DC because it is still in MD and it's in PG county, which is another armpit. Temple is more integrated into Philly itself, but College park has a "college town" feel because it's not actually in DC and the entire city exists to serve UMD. If you're looking for super urban city feel then you should go with Temple. College park is definitely urban, but not like Temple. The public transport in DC is pretty good, but I would still want to have a car at UMD because it's not actually in the city. 

    After I visited Temple yesterday, I decided to commit there. It came down to cost of living and the type of life that I want to live and Philadelphia won out pretty easily. I've always loved living in the heart of cities and College Park is just too much of a college town for me. Even though it's super close to DC, i'd never be able to afford living in DC as a grad student. Thanks for the help!!

  8. I feel like I was much more competitive than I would've been straight from undergrad because I have a solid 6 years of work experience in my field. Those experiences really helped me explain my "why" for pursuing the PhD in my personal statement. Good letters of recommendation helped a lot because my undergrad GPA wasn't amazing and my quant GRE score was pretty rough compared to my verbal and writing. I have a feeling that some schools definitely were more focused on the GRE, which knocked me out of the running but thankfully I was still able to land somewhere! 

  9. 49 minutes ago, paraent said:

    If I had the choice, I'd pick Philly. It's much cheaper to live there and that your stipend there is *higher* relative to the DC one aggravates the difference. Not sure how big a load the contact hours requirement is, though.

    I'm somewhat leaning toward Philly because the cost of living is so much cheaper. I can easily find a room share close to Temple for 500-600 and I've seen a few others that are even cheaper than that. The only issue with the fellowship is that it's 29 hours that I'd be actively working for a nonprofit each week. With that amount of work hours plus 3 doctoral level classes, I'm unsure what my personal quality of life would be. I worked full time as a teacher while I was getting my masters, so I'm not stranger to working and going to school BUT I was hoping that I wouldn't have to live that life again while getting my PhD.

  10. Excitement: I have 2 good offers to PhD programs that are excellent fits for me. When I first applied in the fall, I was scared I’d never get in anywhere.

    Worry: Making a final choice is much harder than I thought it’d be. I’m super nervous about finding housing that isn’t going to eat up the majority of my stipend.

  11. 8 hours ago, Aatt said:

    I don’t have much experience with Philly, but am likely moving there in the fall to do my masters, but I currently live in DC. I’m not sure how concerned with money you are but the cost of living in dc is quite a bit higher than in Philly, so the stipend won’t go as far. However there are a lot of things to do in dc and many of them are free like the museums and such so there are some ways to save money. As the other poster said, rent and food and drink are pricey in dc. There are lots of group houses where you could get a room in a house of 3 or more people for like 1000 in an ok area, but living alone or in a 2 bedroom will be quite a bit more. As the other poster said no need for a car in dc and if u do have a car insurance is really high if you register it to dc. I lived in dc and va and had the same insurance and it was $60 cheaper a month in va. 

    That’s great info!! Should I just look on Craigslist to try to find a group house? 

  12. On 3/8/2019 at 11:47 AM, maya123z said:

    I live in the DC area, though I'm an NIH postbac rather than a grad student. There's lots to do in downtown DC but going out is pretty expensive in terms of food/drinks. Housing is also pricey. One big plus is that the metro system is excellent, so you probably don't need a car for commuting or going downtown. Happy to answer any specific questions you may have.

    Housing is the part that’s making me pretty nervous. Everything seems to be at least $1000 even with a roommate. Where do grad students actually live?

  13. 25 minutes ago, magnetite said:

    Would it be considered bad practice to email the graduate coordinators at a school I haven't gotten a response from? There haven't been any updates posted on the results page yet for this school and history has shown that they usually send out acceptances very late -- end of March, to even late April in some cases.

     I'd really like to make a decision sooner rather than later, so I can get my affairs in order where I am now and find a place to live in the new city. 

    Do their websites have any information about when decisions should be expected? If the information is posted on the website, just stick to that deadline. However, if it's after the posted deadline or close to it then go for it. I totally get the desire to narrow things down and find a place to live. 

  14. I'm torn right now between two PhD programs that are both great research fits for me. The faculty in both programs seem great, the students have all been awesome, and the campuses both offer a similar level of research opportunities. My decision is now coming down to quality of life in both cities. The stipend in DC is lower but requires less contact hours for work throughout the week. Philadelphia offers a stipend that's higher and is for the full 12 months, instead of just 9.5. Does anybody have an idea what grad life is like in either Philadelphia or DC? Any insight is appreciated! 

  15. 4 hours ago, samiamslp said:

    If ya'll are wondering what I'll be doing next Friday at this time.. 

      

    I mean, it'll be reruns of Brooklyn Nine-Nine instead of Golden Girls, and there better be a boatload of ice cream involved, but. I relate. 

     Just @ me next time, friends. 

    Screenshot (27).png

    ha this was me! The rejections have been expected but sad nonetheless. Netflix and Hulu have been lifesavers every time I get a rejection

  16. 2 hours ago, PhillySciTeach said:

    Good evening! 

    I just found out about and have applied to Temple PHD in policy & organizational studies. I haven’t heard back and find it interesting to see there have been individuals already admitted. Was it an email or slug mail sent to notify you of your admission decision? 

    Hi! It was the most complicated process for me to find out my actual admissions status. I started receiving info about the admitted students day and a fellowship opportunity weeks ago but hadn’t heard anything official from anyone. Eventually I spoke to my advisor and she told me I was officially accepted. Apparently the delay had something to do with the online system. I got the email inviting me to the admitted students day on the 7th of last month but didn’t officially get my accepted email from the college of Ed until this morning. 

  17. 1 hour ago, JWalters said:

    Decisions available now, how'd it go?

    Denied but I expected it since I didn't get an interview. It could've been a good fit, but then again, who knows? Hopefully everyone else who got denied finds their happy place! 

  18.  

    10 minutes ago, dartdoc said:

    I know it is not completely over, but anybody already thinking of reapplying next year? I dont know if I can go through this process again, to be honest. It was so stressful just waiting for results, especially knowing that the chances are slim. But getting a PhD and becoming a professor someday also feels like something I desperately want. I don't know. Maybe it is too early to feel hopeless.

     

    Would appreciate some insights from those who are reapplying or have reapplied.

    Do you feel like there's a lot that you can do over the next 8-10 months to make your application stronger? Maybe retaking the GRE, attending/presenting at conferences, or getting more work experience? I think reapplying definitely works in some cases, but it might be good to also look at other programs too. Don't give up on your dreams!

  19. I learned just how subjective this process really is and to not beat myself up over rejections. There's usually no way to tell why a school/department/POI didn't choose you and it's not necessarily a reflection on you as a person. Sometimes it's because of funding or maybe the POI is doing a sabbatical next year. It could literally be anything. A former professor used to have us say this before every speech/presentation: "No matter what happens, I will still lead a full and happy life." That's what's getting me through this weird and uncertain season. 

  20. Hi @em2164I don’t know if this could work for you, but I’m taking an early morning flight up there and catching a late night flight back home that same day. It seems a little crazy but I know I can’t make this decision without seeing everything in person. The flights aren’t nearly as expensive as I’d thought so hopefully something like that could work for you too! 

  21. I’m about to start visiting schools that I’ve been accepted to, starting this week. I’m looking at the agendas for each visit and see lots of time reserved for one on one meetings with faculty. I’m not as nervous since I’ve already been accepted to the programs, but can anyone share some advice on the questions that I NEED to ask? I only applied to one school when I got my masters a few years ago, so I’m still trying to figure out how to navigate this PhD landscape.

  22. I got an email earlier today about the visit day which confirmed no travel funding :( I think since it's a college-wide event, it would just be too much to pay for everyone's travel. I'm still going to make it though because I want to meet my assigned adviser and get a good feel for the campus in person.

  23. 1 hour ago, tezzucrug said:

    Hi there! I'm another Temple admit in the Policy and Organizational Studies program. I plan on going to the admitted students day next month - but am still trying to figure out how to make it work since I live on the west coast. 

    Hi! It’s good to see another admit. I was curious about the chosen date, since it’s in the middle of the week. Have you heard anything about travel funding for the visit? 

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