locura81

University of Georgia, Master of Public Administration

Diver, Congrats on the TA'ship / decision. I, too, will be at UGA in the fall. I had the same experience - the faculty,student community (I was lucky enough to have Pace serve as my tour guide:), etc. made such an impression, I just couldn't go anywhere else. PM me - it'd be cool to hear what you're interested in studying/pursuing career-wise. Plus, the more "familiar faces" in a soon-to-be new place, the better!

Britt, I don't know much about geography, but overall I've been pretty impressed with UGA. I hope your program turns out to be a solid one. I've been trying to figure out the living situation thing too. Seems to me your best be is to try and get in contact with current students and get their advice - the ones I've been able to talk to have been most helpful.

a guest, sounds good to me! i lead a pretty simple lifestyle as it is, so i figured that that sort of money would go a good long way. gotta love those cheap cost-of-living locations

Britt, it ends up at like $16,600, though that is for an entire year (you get paid during the summer in between your first and second years). Still, it comes out to (before taxes) just under $1390/month. I knew it was a really nice award, but the more I've been able to hear what other schools offer, the more I realize how amazing it is. i.e., I know here in Phoenix that the typical TAship for PhDs at Arizona State is like 12 or 13K. To know I'm getting quite a bit more than that as a masters student makes me feel like I'm a thief

Sorry to pour salt in the wound, but...although departmental TA'ships get 9 - 10K at University of Georgia (I think), the graduate school offers one worth 16.5K. And, much to my good fortune, I received one of those. So, I cannot comiserate, but I will definitely cross my fingers for extra bits of funding for you all!

Perrelli and Britt, I'll be attending UGA in the fall for my MPA - Master of Public Administration. I'm super excited about the program AND life in Athens! Hope your decision processes are going along nicely:)

Shelly...CONGRATULATIONS! That is amazing news; couldn't be any happier for you! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Yeah, Yin!!!!! That's fabulous, incredible, amazing, fantastic, absolutely and utterly splendid news! I'm so very happy for you; you've definitely, definitely earned it. So, CELEBRATE! Your efforts have not been in vain!

Klf, awesome news! NYC does seem a little intimidating, huh? I didn't know that the program was so large either. Still, that's an awesome bit of information to stick in your back pocket - if you decide against UChicago, GPPI, etc., choosing NYU wouldn't be picking from the bottom of the barrel. Decisions, decisions indeed...but kind of a nice spot to be in!

Eek, quite the dilemma there, klf! The good news (or bad news, depending on your perspective:) is that you have another month or so to make the decision. Some of these schools, though, don't seem to be in any hurry to get fin. aid info out - don't they know how that complicates things for us?! I've never lived or studied in Chicago, but as a visitor I was pretty taken with the city. Not more than I was with some other places (i.e., San Francisco - I nearly applied to Berkeley, despite it being a complete ill fit for me, just so I could be near SF), but still, it was very nice. All that talk about large class sizes, though, would give me pause too. In general, it's such a large department...I went to a big state school and actually enjoyed it very much, but the more I consider, the more I think I'd like to be in a smaller environment. So when the heck is the usnews board going to open back up? They had said that by the end of the week we'd get the info via email, but nothing yet. Argh!

Meridion, Congratulations!!! Was that full tuition plus stipend? Geez, you've got UNC on a leash! That's truly fantastic news. Though it'd be sweet to see you at UGA (if I end up there), I can't argue with going to UNC. The program, the funding, the environment - you've done awfully well for yourself. So, enjoy! Oh, and KLF, if you're reading, I'm so bummed our beloved usnews board is out of commission right now. I saw on autoadmit that you got into UChicago w/ a schollie! Congratulations! That's such fantastic news. You've got a veritable trove of schools to choose from now - which one will it be? I know you really liked GPPI, but suppose that a darkhorse came out and offered you big cash (like NYU or American) - would that change anything? Regardless, I'm so happy for you. Celebrate!

I definitely don't think that it would be improper to write a nice thank you email - professors are ever aware of the fact that we students (or students-to-be, as it were) aren't rich. As I'd said, I'm going to go with the small gift thing simply because I've had such good fortune. But sincere words probably speak more than trinkets, so I don't think you can really go wrong.

David, Let me hazard a few answers to your questions. Re: American-ness. Without lapsing into a rant about what exactly constitutes the American spirit, I would say that you'll find Tucson to be very American. In a way, it's more American than you'd find in major cities - there are more independtly-owned establishments. That means Wednesday nights at Lucky Strike bowling alley (does it get any more American than that?) or stopping in March to enjoy Rodeo Week (four days of rodeo, my friend - it's a sight to behold). Are there pockets of non-English speakers? Definitely. Welcome to living an hour and a half from Mexico. But that's part of what makes Tucson so endearing. Moreover, I'd temper comparing whatever experiences you have with Spain to those with Mexico/Mexicans. Those are two entirely different places, and though they share a common language (albeit different dialect...of course, within Mexico there are a number of dialects), their cultures are very distinct. Re: Cultural atmosphere. A nice mix. The campus has outspoken members of both sides, as does the community, though I'd say that, once outside the university-area, it grows a little more conservative. You definitely won't be scoffed at for attending church (I never was), but there isn't much scoffing at the liberal groups/demonstrations within the city either. Whatever your persuasion, you'll find like-minded people here. Re: Transportation. Like any place, it's a mix of cars. On-campus, you'll see a surprisingly high number of luxury-type cars. You can thank Arizona's low out-of-state tuition and our close proximity to California for that. A Mustang or pick-up, though, would definitely be the ideal way to slip unnoticed into the fabric of society. Please, if you go Mustang, at least go for an older one. Same can be said of the pickup. Tucson can be a little dusty, Western-y, so the more you feel comfortable with that vibe the better. Once again, I cannot voice loudly enough my support of attending the UA/living in Tucson. She may not be that blonde bombshell like Boston or DC, but she's definitely the kind of girl you want to spend the rest of your life with, if you catch my drift...

I've been waiting to do "real" thank yous. Like you, guest, after initially receiving the copies of their letters for mailing, I sent them all notes of thanks. I've been thinking of doing something along the lines of the following - once I decide where I'll be attending, I'm going to try and select some little gift that is related to that school. Maybe a coffee mug with that school's logo or just something creative-like. I figure that it would be a nice personal touch in addition to the standard formal letter of thanks. I've been lucky to receive some great financial aid offers, so I figure the least I can do is get my writers a parting gift!