LizKay

I got my decision at 4:26 PM EST.

Thanks. This is my second graduate degree, so I’m aware of the time commitments, but if it is too much, then I’ll definitely make it every other week. Plus, I know some weekends won’t be possible anyway. But yes, Bolt and Megabus do seem like my only two options.

I might be going to school near Boston but I have family in New York City. I would like to visit and stay over with them every weekend. What’s the cheapest public transportation option for this? I’ve only taken Megabus before between NYC and Boston, and it would be about $50 round trip every week. Does anyone know any better options? I don’t mind the 4-hour journey. Just wondering if there is another alternative. Thanks.

Congrats on your acceptance! Btw, I found this little gem on Wikipedia: “His first name was inherited from his grandfather Johns Hopkins who received his first name when his mother Margaret Johns married Gerard Hopkins.” And this: “Milton Eisenhower, a former university president, once spoke at a convention in Pittsburgh where the Master of Ceremonies introduced him as ‘President of John Hopkins.’ Eisenhower retorted that he was ‘glad to be here in Pittburgh.’”

Apparently it’s Johns Hopkins, not John Hopkins. Weird...

Yeah, I was shocked as well. I mean, I know that there are many other qualified applicants, and I understand that the full tuition fellowship was competitive. It certainly went to people who were deserving. But to just leave me with nothing but a loan? That was pretty harsh. I reached out to them politely about my options. I certainly know I’m not entitled to any aid, but it almost feels like I was being led on, and it just felt so abrupt. But I just got emails congratulating me on being chosen as a finalist and that it’s a high honor and also how I can look into supplemental loans... I mean, I give up. I don’t even know what to say anymore......... If Harvard offers me any aid left over from people who don’t enroll, then I would go. Otherwise, I don’t have an option but to go to Columbia since I have family there and can save on living expenses.

Hey, at least you received something, and that’s quite a lot already. I got nominated as a finalist for a full tuition and stipend, got interviewed for no reason, and then given absolutely nothing but a loan as an “award.” I wish they hadn’t gotten my hopes up. It just leaves a sour taste in my mouth about the whole experience. I guess I’ll be going to Columbia instead.

Did you guys all get grants? I just got a $20k direct unsubsidied loan as an award.

I finished all of my applications, and then I had questions and was curious about other people’s experiences and did a search. Most of the Google results kept pointing me towards this site. And the rest is history.

I asked whether any scholarships were still available and got an email. It mentioned, “merit scholarships, including the Urban Scholars and Saul Zaentz Early Childhood Awards” have all been decided for 2019-2020 and that the selection process is now complete. It’s unfortunate because I had really wanted to go to Harvard. The email did mention though that we’ll get notified about need-based aid and any restricted scholarships from late March into early April, so I guess there’s some hope for that. Also, I don’t know if they have finished notifying everyone who got a merit scholarship or if this only means that they finished making decisions and that’s all.

It seems like all the merit scholarship/fellowship decisions have been made. ? Congrats to those who received an award.

I applied last weekend, heard nothing for a couple of days, so I emailed them about it, and they said that my acceptance letter didn’t show that I was entering a full time program for the upcoming year. It would have been helping if they had messaged me on their own about this. Well anyway, I sent them another acceptance letter I got that did say “full-time” and then it was approved.

If it says your name in the portal, then I think you’re in. Congrats!!! I got an official email like two days later.

Of course, many people have lived safely for years with no incidents thankfully. But crime is still a problem throughout the city, given the high density. My father was a yellow cab driver and in his 30 years of work, he was mugged at knifepoint, gun point, and carjacked (sometimes related to work and sometimes not). I’m just saying that people should also be careful and do their research. I had lived in Brooklyn and Queens since the early 90s and upstate before that (which was pleasantly nice too) and I think I know the city well by now. I do love my hometown. But I’m just saying that cheap rent shouldn’t be the only or main consideration.

A few days ago, I got an acceptance from Columbia through the admitted students portal but no email, and the application portal also hadn’t changed. Then a day later, I got an email telling me to check my application portal, which had a link to my decision (on the admitted students portal).