Amogh

Why resurrect this old troll-field! ugh.. Anyways, getting to the point, don't do what the OP intended to do. Inform them right at the start(right now). DO NOT attempt to leave in between. Not only will it be a rude shock to people who have expectations from you and who have invested in you, you will also feel an immense amount of guilty and all that anguish really isn't worth it. Given that you got into the PhD program, I think shifting you into the MS program shouldn't be difficult. Good Luck

I'm not even a grad student yet so no I'v not faced this but I think you should go down to the University Bursar's office and ask them what to do. I'm quite sure they will know best or will at least refer you to someone who does know if they don't. All the best

Get some research experience. Go to some other University in NY and try working with a prof if your own university is not into much research. Not only will this help you increase your chance of getting in, but also realise if grad school is for you. All the best .

Maybe the department admins are just trolling, and hence the subject lines.I can almost see them sitting there having a good laugh.

and congratulations on the UIUC admit btw! Good job

I'v never done an interview before but I think you should go through his recent papers and see where your fit lies. Express the skills you have and how you think you will be a good match for his lab. Read his papers and ask him any questions that arise or any ideas you come up with for further work. Ask him what other work he will be working on in the coming few years, what he expects from his grad students etc. People who have been through this would probably be able to give you a better answer D:

Well look at the bright side, in the end you can go to UIUC if nothing else works out. Maybe even get funding after a semester there? Apply to external scholarships. And really don't worry. You have yet to hear from so many places!

Guys lay off Gentlelife a bit. Poor guy. Gentlelife: Take this as a one off incident and try again with another roommate. Don't build a shell around yourself whatever you do.

@starmaker: Makes sense and yet the thought of the the latter bit being a possibility still has me very ambivalent about cards.

Why not take it up with the dean? I don't really know what you could do actually because it's a very delicate situation, almost every and any step you take could be bad for your stay at the university or it may lead to a better life. Sorry about the ambiguity but that's how your situation is. An option is for all of you to as a group impress upon him that you all feel threatened and that he needs to allow you some freedom? Not sure what the outcome will be though.

Ok i just thought i should throw my 2 cents in to the brewing pot. There is nothing wrong with people putting up their success on Facebook as long as it doesn't look like this : "@<people who didn't get in> I got in at XYZ school you dolts. Suck it bitches." If one were to put up a status such as "I got into XYZ for a PHD!!! I'm so excited! YAAAAAAAAAAAY!", there is nothing wrong with it. You live for yourself and for your family and friends. Not for those idiots who will feel bad if you got in somewhere. Those aren't your friends, they are your rivals and you can shouldn't give two hoots what they think. A friend will feel happy for you and you will in turn put your happiness aside and comfort them and ensure their morale stays up. The Facebook post has nothing to do with any of this and is just a place for you to put up your life for voyeurs. So go ahead and put up a post on facebook about your success or failure. If you are conceited by nature, it will show. If you aren't, well you aren't. Eitherway, those people who look at your success and feel bad and try to make you feel bad about it are just jealous and sore. A true friend will be happy for you even though he/she is shattered. You should only reciprocate to such people.

Going a bit off track with this one, but I was discussing culture shock/change with a friend of mine this evening and I found that people are so set in their own ideas of how to live and what not that they see everything else in a very negative light. I have noted this to be true among most International students(from what I have heard from my seniors and classmates there and from photos of various friends on Facebook). They tend to group together with other internationals, preferably of their ethnicity and not mix much with others. I understand that people are most comfortable in an environment that is the most familiar to them but that shouldn't mean that they don't attempt to indulge themselves in the new culture that they are exposed to. Reminds me of the old adage "When in Rome, do as the Romans do.". By doing so, most internationals, form their own parallel world. Not a good thing if you intend to live in the new country for a long time. Life is short. Be open. Experience everything.

I think a nice thing to do would be to graduate, get a job and then gift your advisor something for the next christmas(or whichever holiday he/she celebrates). You'll have (lots?) more money in hand and it'll be a good excuse to visit them. Otherwise, a big smile and a Thank You should be enough for while you are a graduate student.

I started this topic cos i saw a couple of topics where people were going on about credit card debt payments so I was wondering why people use cards to buy things they can't afford in the first place.

@Everyone: I see. I didn't figure in the whole credit rating thing. Discounts for using cards? Don't have either of these things down here in India. No wonder we aren't really big on the whole credit card scene. That and a general mistrust for credit on the whole. Hmmm, while i agree that cards are so much more convenient(use a debit card! but the credit rating argument..), keeping track of your expenditure when u use them as the main method of transacting is a pain in the ass. Cash is so much more visible and simple. I think the tradeoff as you guys said would be to pay it off in full every month. God alone knows why people buy anything on credit and not pay it off in full anyways. Can't afford it? Save. Is always cheaper in the long run. However, I guess i'll have to warm up to credit cards, if only just for the rating, if I am admitted to grad school this year. Ugh.

I find it quite appalling that even among so called elite university educated graduates, there is a rampant misunderstanding of how credit works. Why do people even spend via a card at all except for say online purchases(try to use a debit card wherever possible) and absolute emergencies. Given I have grown up in a family with a general mistrust of credit cards but really why use them instead of cash? Is there any point to it other than convenience?

@Jadilicious: I'm sorry I didn't mean to sound rude with that. Poor choice of words on my part. What I meant is that you don't have to pay your way through school hence my term "free ride". I'm sure you worked really hard for this admit and you totally deserve it. Not trying to indicate anything otherwise. Sorry about the misunderstanding. @Sigaba: I was going on the assumption that given the OP was admitted this early, he/she must be sort of a superstar so I assumed that clearing the review wouldn't be too much of an issue. . But very valid point.

Well i was done with 9/10 of my apps around the last week of november but was holding out one application due to exams. With the exams over, I finished my last app and now dread the long wait for answers! ugh. On another note, people have already started getting admits?!? This early!?!

Rest assured that your fees and tuition will be borne by your department/advsior's grant and the 2200 is your income(taxable :C) to do whatever you want with(probably live very cheaply but you get the drift.) Congratulations. You have just won a free ride through grad school. And been told of it this early! Awesome.

A draft Email: Dear XXXXXXXX, Thank you for the prompt admission to the PhD program. I am really excited about it and would love to come down to visit the department. I am free to visit between and . I eagerly await the funding decision. On another note, I wish to know when I have till to accept the offer as I intend to wait to hear back from some of the other schools that I have applied to before I decide on any one school to commit to. Thank you, XXXXXXXXXX

Gentlelife, while I totally sympathize with how you feel about the family gathering, I think you should get rid of the negativity you seem to have built around yourself. I think your roommate was just trying to introduce you to american traditions but screwed up the implementation. You seem to be going into a shell. Seriously, don't do that. You will hate the 4 years you spend in university and as anyone will tell you, these are the best years of your life. Look for a roommate after this roommate leaves and be ready to start anew with this person.

Ethnic Indian.

@OH YEAH thanks for pointing out. I read it as papers at SIGGRAPH and hence I was alarmed that he didn't get in anywhere last time.

My 2 cents: USF is an unranked university. The reason they have the entrepreneurship program and all that is to draw students to their program, which by all means is mediocre and attracts at best okay students. You will most probably not have your expectations met here. My advice would be to steer clear of everything else and join USC. USC's program is very well reputed and the calibre of students is much higher, which totally justifies the cost you have to bear because the value for your degree and the network you develop is what matters. You may even find people to start your own startup here.

You should write to them and ask if they consider PhD applicants who don't clear the bar for the MS program. I think you should apply to princeton given that you actually 2 papers at SIGGRAPH!(omg).