awvish

I agree that it seems sort of tacky...but then, a lot of people's CVs are sort of tacky in the self-congratulatory arena, too...

I've heard that e-mailing the department and asking them if any of their grad students are looking for roommates/know anyone who is looking for a roommate. It seems a little bit haphazard, but certainly keeps the search out of the realm of axe murderers, or, given the 7 degrees of separation thing, at least out of the realm of bots and e-identity theft. Do you know anyone in the city to which you're headed? The same process could be used with them...or with anyone from the area on TGC you've interacted with to some extent (it's still Internet, but it's also not a magnet for scammers, I would imagine). I'm also having this problem, but I haven't decided for sure on a school yet, so I can't take steps to solve it yet.

Wait...if you get an award like the NSF GRF predoc and you don't use it (say, you go to an international institution, for example)....you can still say you got it, can't you? After all, the winning it is the important part, not that you were capable of spending the money.

Another question in the same vein--one place to which I've been accepted is a fairly prestigious school in my field and has a pretty good (although not the most stellar) financial package. The POI though, I know to have had a falling out with a former student (who is an acquaintance of mine), which negatively impacted the acquaintance's career. Having gotten all the information I can out of the acquaintance (who is a reticent person and not close to me), I still don't have a lot of information. I've contacted current students, none of whom seem to have a problem with the POI (although would they put it in writing? For the sake of someone they don't even know?)... The program also states that switching POIs is not a big deal, and so I'm hoping that this provides enough of a way out for me to not have major worries about accepting. Should I be more careful/worried about this?

Gunner24--I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound elitist and condescending. Texas' stereotype/reputation intimidates me... Apologies. Leopolds and Gunner24--Thanks so much for the input. Best of luck!

I have an acceptance, too. They're very welcoming and responsive, very enthusiastic about my potential attendance, and are bending over backwards to offer me a good financial package. Everything about the offer is great... Except... I've never lived in Texas and I'm a bit apprehensive about accepting the offer. I know that "Austin isn't Texas"...but I visited and it kind of seemed like it ...you know....was. A lot of the buildings in Austin were new, fake-Colonial-Spanish style tan stucco with red tiles and it felt like...I dunno. TexasLand, for someone who has never been to Texas. Having said that, let me emphasize that I have never been to any other part of Texas and only spent about 36 hours there in December (at the end of a grueling visit schedule to other places, so I wasn't the most alert of people), and I know it's unfair to (a.) dismiss Texas on stereotype and (b.) dismiss Austin on a Texas stereotype it doesn't really fit, according to everyone I've talked to about it. Questions about it are probably better kept to the 'City Guide' section, but other general impressions of the campus/city would be appreciated.

I have an acceptance to UM, too, and am just waiting on financial packages from everywhere else to come in so I can make a decision... Tornadoes sound exciting--I've never seen one, and would like to.

Also, I've heard (but like, fifth-hand) that even if you do get a reversal-acceptance from a school because you got an NSF (or similar), the school won't necessarily promise to fund you to finish your Ph.D after the three externally-funded years are up. Anyone else heard anything about this phenomenon?

I've been hearing nasty rumors that the budget situation is going to do a number on the GRFs. Either the decisions will be made (i.e. applications ranked) and they won't have a budget so they won't be able to disburse money, or they won't have money to award... Or the number of GRFs will be drastically decrease. Can anyone contradict these rumors? (Please?)

Been a while since this thread was bumped. I'm going to do it with a small rant: I got an email from my tied-for-first school today saying that their final admissions meeting is today. And that they will being to mail out decisions tomorrow. Probably. And so I should expect something in two or three weeks. They've got to be kidding. Can they afford to not send e-mails at all? When they had a-no-other-options, absolutely, completely online application? Are they kidding? I know the world isn't supposed to make sense, but can someone give me some perspective please? Why this might make sense to them? Are they trying to avoid being swamped with something by distributing the receive-times by admitted people? Trying to avoid litigious rejectees accidentally being on the "accept e-mail" list? Actually planning to e-mail but unwilling to admit it? Just plain mean? Covering their butts and planning to e-mail a few top choices their unofficial admission, and giving the two-to-three-weeks business for those of us who will end up not in the first cut of either, and will thus be notified later? I know I'm not the only one, but I'm vascillating between staggered at the weirdness of snail-only decisions from an e-application (What, seriously?!) and shocked disbelief that I might have to wait two or three more weeks when they will know today (You can't do this to me!*). Help? Thoughts? Opinions? *Oh, but they can

I visited a place right before the holidays, and went to a grad student reading group. They were serving (rather strong) eggnog, and as a guest, I got a (rather large) serving. I normally barely drink, but I didn't want to be rude, so I drank it...and felt sleepy and lightheaded all through the discussion group. Also, I kept not being able to turn the pages of my paper very well, although I was sitting behind everyone, so I doubt they noticed. This isn't an impressive story, but I don't think I sabotaged my chances, either. I'll keep you posted...

I emailed the office this afternoon (stating that I had "other offers" and needed to know what their timeline of notification was for that reason) and they told me that I'd hear back "within 24 hours". Here's hoping; best of luck!!

Okay UMich. Want to let the rest of us know, since your AdComm obviously already met and made decisions? O.o /sarcasm /whine Sorry guys. Like we were saying. The waiting.

Completely! Waiting sucks, but then when it finally starts to end...I dunno. It's like those moving sidewalks in airports "Caution: The moving walk is nearing its end. Please watch your step" except now instead of feeling sarcastic ("Oh no! The moving walk is nearing its end! Let's hold up picket signs!"), I feel sort of proto-bereft. That may not make sense. I think Ecology must be slower than other departments--certainly feels like it's slower than most other Biological Science fields. Amen, and best of luck, Langoustine.

Hi. I'm not quite sure what field you're in--I'm in the life sciences, so my advice is coming from that perspective. I don't really have a full decision to give you, but here are two questions that came to mind. Could you go get a free masters (using the time you gain from the extra funding to be really productive and produce papers, posters, and professional contacts) from A and then apply for your Ph.D to B if you decide you'd like to go that route? If you decide that a masters is what you want, would your job prospects be better or worse for having had lots of teaching / RA experience? Good luck with your decision--it sounds tough, but it's also (and kick me if you want to for saying this) an awesome problem to have.

I'm a current PCV, my application process was longer than average for a single young person (it gets longer for older people and couples), and I'm going to come back to the states in July... If anyone has specific questions, I'm be happy to answer them, but I'm a bit stymied at the breadth of the question... You can also check out www.peacecorpsjournals.com/ for a ton of blogs by different volunteers all over the world.

Hi explodingstressball. I'm in the life sciences, but here's a list of questions I asked at the interviews I had. Some of them (like research funding and equipment availability) are probably not as relevant, but some of them will, I hope, be helpful. Do you have funding for ___(what you're interested in doing)___? To what extent do your grad students find/bring their own funding? Is funding for teaching assistants or research assistants? What type of time commitment does TAing require? How often? How long does a degree usually take? What if it takes longer? How big is your lab/how many students do you advise? How many students would you like to advise/how many students are you looking for this year? What is the mix (Masters/Ph.D but also in terms of cohort/timing)? What percentage of your grad students get their intended degree? Office space availability? What's your management style? (Some people prefer to let students figure stuff out for themselves, others like to be more involved in the process. Which are you?) **NB This question should also be asked to grad students to get an idea of how the professor sees him/herself vs. how the students see the professor. These are questions I ask to make the person a little bit uncomfortable (in the nicest possible way) less to get the answers than to (a.) see HOW they deal with answering and (b.) come across as really tough and intelligent. What if a student wants to change projects/do a project that isn't directly in your line of expertise? What are your program's strengths? Weaknesses? How social are the grad students in the department? University as a whole? Do labs tend to collaborate, or are they more insular? What types of lecture series/talks/seminars does the department sponsor? How often? What sort of talk? Student housing? How social is your lab? Any questions I've forgotten? **NB Sometimes this one is great because it's like a write-your-own-short-answer-question question. And sometimes it's just really awkward.

When you say "safe school" do you mean one that has already accepted you (officially)? I'm assuming so, because of the funding mention. In that case, it's important to ask questions that you have about the program, and unless your POI is *really* egotistical, s/he'll understand that while his/her last four papers are really cool, what's affecting your life right now is...well, basically, lots of stuff that isn't the most recent publication by POI. As long as you ask questions in a positive slant, you should be able to ask nearly anything without your POI getting huffy. e.g. Don't say A--Why is your program so weak in terms of the required film component? Say B--I have a lot of interest in film. How does your department regard students who want to (take more film classes/teach a new film class/insert possible solution to the problem here)? B puts the POI on your side in solving an issue that s/he is probably aware the department has. It makes you look pro-active, and lets you bring up an issue obliquely. A will just put the POI in the position of needing to defend the program, and this will get you guys nowhere. As far as funding, I suggest you ask who you can contact with concerns about the stipend. If it is indeed your POI, you can then discuss it. If, on the other hand, your POI's hands are tied in the matter, you don't look whiny (and don't force them to tell you to shut up and go talk to someone else)--in fact, you look professional. That's my take on it, but YMMV. Good luck! Oh, and remember, this is the part of the process where they want to impress you.

How many clothes do you have?! Just kidding--that sounds like a real crunch. Best of luck. I'm going to come home (been living in another country for the last 18 months) in July! Woo-hoo! I'll invite my closest friends to have a week-long workparty on my mom's organic garden-farm/bed and breakfast. After that, I'll visit the friends who couldn't make it, go to a wedding (does it make anyone else nervous that so many people our age are getting married? Ack, we're grown-ups!), and then go get settled in whatever area I'm going to go to school. When classes/teaching responsibilities start, I don't want to be trying to figure out where the closest place is to get groceries.

In re: an earlier point, I submit that by pursuing education (and therefore engaging in conversations like this one), we're all going to have a positive impact on the world regardless of field. As long as we value critical thinking and a concomitant ability to communicate it without alienating those who disagree we can encourage these qualities in other people, and that might be the only effect some of us will ever know that we have. That's not a small thing at all. To my way of thinking, it is the best long-term way to save the world/benefit humanity/your humanistic phrase of choice here.

Does anyone know where I can find reliable international rankings (better yet, field-specific international rankings)? I know about looking at publications and conferences and faculty awards and so forth, but I'm assuming I'll be less good at making a comparison than someone like the USNaWR. I'm not yet in a position to have the exciting dilemma of needing to choose, but I'd like to know where the two stand relative to each other since all else (personal fit, campus, funding, etc) is as close to equal as these things get and daydreaming about possible outcomes definitely puts me needing to make this decision.

A co-op is a house (owned by a group with a buy-in to live there, by an individual, or by an external organization like a university) in which many people live 'family style', with single or double-occupancy rooms, sharing bathrooms, laundry facilities, kitchen facilities, and varying degrees of maintenance costs. Often houses have official themes (grad student, international students, rock climbing) or ideological associations (Quaker, vegan, Libertarian). It's common to have unofficial ideological overlap among members (whole foods, vegetarianism, left wing, political activism...they tend towards leftism but are very welcoming of outliers in my experience). It's also common to have a shared mealplan (a monthly food buy-in and a regular cooking obligation), and it's very common for this to be vegetarian or sometimes vegan. That's a lot of parentheses. But I'd say that's a pretty good definition of a co-op.