qbtacoma

control variable

pregnant bride

I'm accepted to UBC too with funding! I am so jittery, excited, relieved, happy!!!

powder blue

Strangely, crickets get me. I think it's the way they move. As long as spiders and other critters don't crawl on me, I'm actually okay. Now, you need to Google kitties. Kitties. Not centipedes. Yes, they are soft and nice and have only as many legs as they need. Kitties.

I would say something like: Hello Dr. X, I just got notice that I haven't been offered a space this year, and while I'm disappointed I understand that there are many factors that go into the decision-making process. May I ask if there is anything I can do to make my application more competitive for next year? Just be polite and I'm sure no one will take offense.

Ooh, speaking of ellipses, my older relatives on Facebook have this problem where they do not capitalize the beginning of sentences or use periods...they just trail all their sentences together...and punctuate them with lots of LOLs...now my mother has picked this up from them and thinks it is okay to do this...I am deeply annoyed but I don't know how to tell her to stop.

stormy brow (Victorian fiction anyone?)

What an excellent topic. Thanks to everyone who replied - I'm in a similar situation to the OP in that most of the professors I want to work with are not yet tenured, so this was a good topic to read.

I'm waiting on U of Washington, UBC, and Michigan - my top three choices!

The pretty little bugs which eat paper, the glue in book bindings, skin flakes, etc.

Freudian cigar

Yeah, those are good suggestions. Thanks!

Fellow academics, and especially you fabulous librarians, help me out! How do I keep silverfish out of my papers? Currently my storage system consists of my stuff in a cardboard box. I've noticed the silverfish but there doesn't seem to be much damage (yet). What should I do to store things properly for the long term - put them in plastic, or...what?

Unless you already have an acceptable funding package for B, you really should wait until you hear back on funding for A. But if you know 100% that you will be taken care of, either by A or B, then yeah, go ahead and inform your third choice that you have made a decision. They're going to ask why, though, and it is still early in the process. Going to the waitlist in mid-March isn't *that* bad - it just seems late here on GradCafe because we've all been talking about our up-to-the-minute acceptances. Thus, I would still recommend waiting until you hear back on funding from A. Good luck, and congratulations!

I do agree.

broken mirror

That's about right. Leaving off component 3 would be best, even. "We regret to inform you...many qualified candidates...best, Grad Program." I would not be offended that they didn't wish me luck, and that seems to be where they get tripped up.

Okay, I'm going to come out and put my experience on the table, because that is directly relevant to my following statements. Of the four years of my life I've been in serious relationships (with two different people), three of these have been long distance. My perspective on the long distance relationship, especially for two years, is that it isn't that much of a hardship, especially when you've already had five years with someone AND when you are planning on spending the rest of your lives together. Part of being a good partner is supporting your loved one in their chosen career as far as is possible instead of making it a zero-sum game between the loved one and a career. Plus, getting into six-figure debt (if that truly is your only option - I hope the local schools give you some kind of aid!) is a crazy bad idea. It is so bad that I cannot convey how bad of an idea I think it is. I don't know your field, but chances are you will never, ever make that back, even your partner's income. Most of our waking lives are spent at work, so being fulfilled in your career is a reasonable goal. Your partner should want you to be fulfilled. Have you talked with him about this? Do you think there needs to be a "sacrifice" of your relationship because that's what you fear, or because that's what he told you? I should hope, if you are planning on getting married, your SO cares more about your happiness in your career (and not committing financial suicide!) than the short-term annoyance of a long distance relationship.

Only you can determine which factors matter most to you.

barbecue pit

Broken again today! I think I missed it again.

open season

I would mock the desire of med students/government interns to show off how important they are, but if I become a professor I am totally getting a vest and a watch fob. And I'm wearing spats.

What is with these letter rejection writers? It isn't like it is hard to refrain from being jerks about it. "I hope you find someone else who wants you," is something (mean) you say to the person you just broke up with - and it isn't terribly wrong, because there actually are lots of people to date out there. "I hope you are accepted to a different history program that wants you" is just stupid.