synthla

You got a fantastic package from UCSB; far above the average funding there, from what I understand it to be. I have to think that level of enthusiasm for you would make for a great learning environment!

From what I understand, only a very small minority of people (if any) are offered admission without funding, so if you make it off the waitlist, you should be fine.

[quote name="Louiselab

Seems like the history conversation has dropped off recently, possibly because people are making decisions. I know a few history people have already announced where they'll be attending in other threads, but I thought it would be nice to have a thread dedicated to announcing decisions. So when you've made the big decision, post here!

I've been admitted to IU and am fairly certain I'm going to attend, I just haven't made the official decision yet.

I remember graduating from law school a few years ago with a job starting in October, which is pretty typical because you're expected to study for and pass the bar exam over the summer. Firms often give you a summer stipend, but even in New York, it was barely enough. I can't imagine how screwed some of these new law school grads are - many of them are probably living in $2500/month apartments they ran out and rented assuming they'd be fully employed by early fall, and now are being deferred with no compensation. I have no idea what I would have done - default on the lease? Not that I advocate feeling sorry for lawyers, but I can sympathize with anyone in those circumstances.

Ouch; I agree - doesn't seem fair. I think it's a universal wish on these forums, but it would be nice if graduate departments would be more transparent (that's all the rage these days anyway) - if they only have limited funds and it's first-come, first-serve, they should tell people. But don't just say "oh we don't pay for that." You're probably right in any case, so I wouldn't let it bother you (beyond the actual pain of the expense!). Enjoy your visit!

Maybe it's based on distance from the school? I could see programs being willing to pay for travel expenses if you have to fly, but making a cut-off when they perceive you to be within driving distance? I really don't know otherwise; just a guess.

I'm glad that's working for some people; I emailed my only outstanding school several days ago and have been completely ignored. And I believe they're going into spring break next week, so I probably won't hear anything then either. This despite being fairly sure that all admits were notified long ago.

I know exactly what you mean - Indiana was basically at the top of my list from the start and they were my first acceptance and still have the best overall package and I really enjoyed my visit, so I feel quite lucky. I really just need to accept, but I'm still waiting on one school, even though I'm sure it's a rejection at this point. Last time I did grad school applications, I didn't wait until I heard from everyone before deciding, and this time I'd really like to have every card on the table.

actually I would give someone an even harder time for that, because that just exposes a complete lack of seriousness. But really - I accept that ewurgler was probably being a bit hyperbolic in his/her original posts, but just because we're on a web forum doesn't mean that there can't be serious discussion, so to dismiss one's previous statements in that manner seems a little too easy. But whatever - personally, I come down on the side of diversity in perspective within a department being a valuable thing. Some would say that intellectual give and take within a context of mutual respect is the entire point of academia, so while it may be personal preference, if one avoids being exposed to other perspectives because it makes them uncomfortable or refuses to take viewpoints with which they disagree seriously, it's hard to take that person seriously him or herself.

Strangelight: Congrats on accepting Pittsburgh! I know it wasn't an easy decision, necessarily, but for what it's worth (from a complete stranger), I think you made the right choice.

Well "fit" is the aspect of graduate school applications that people usually stress the most; I think that any department you would be applying to would by necessity have at least a few people who are dealing with the same topics and approaching them from the same general perspective, otherwise what would attract you? But I hope you're kidding about fearing for your safety in any academic department; I had a friend travelling through Zimbabwe last summer - she had to fear for her safety. The real world is not always going to be welcoming, and I appreciate that is even more the case when coming from a GLBT background, but graduate students should probably start dealing with that now, which means coming to terms with the fact that you may have to defend your approach, you may have to struggle to make yourself heard, and you may encounter people who don't support your point of view and may even (perish the thought) try to prove you wrong. And maybe you (and I and everyone else here) are. If so, I would like to know - that's half the reason I'm going back to school; I'm tired of debating issues with myself - it's not as productive.

I'm surprised at the number of people who would prefer to be in an environment where they will just have their existing views approved and reinforced. Seems sort of solipsistic to me. Everyone wants to be comfortable rather than challenged. But I suppose that sort of thinking is rampant in our society these days. Personally, I'd rather be exposed to different (even radically different) points of view. I'm sure enough of myself that I can take a little criticism without being reduced to an ineffective puddle on the floor.

I think everyone else should heed his advice, while I continue on with my Ph.D. ambitions. :wink: In all seriousness though, while I'm not the biggest fan of my current job, it does involve having one of those professional degrees mentioned in the Boston Globe article, so I feel better knowing I can fall back on that in the worst-case scenario. And hopefully it will make me more competitive on the academic job market as well.

Agreed - I didn't see a box for "Overqualified," so absent that, I'm not sure what they could identify. :wink:

Anyone have any follow-up on the Davis weekend? It's the only school I haven't heard from and I assume that I've been denied, but it seems they're taking their time telling us rejectees. :wink:

Personally, I'd talk to them as long as it's over the phone and doesn't cost you anything. You're right, it is sort of hard to imagine turning down your Penn package, but the last time I went through the graduate school application process, I had my heart and mind set on one place, and ended up going somewhere else at the last minute based upon an unexpected great experience over the phone and then on a follow-up visit to campus. So if it's free to you, you might as well, and at the very least they see you as a professional who talked to them and just decided it wasn't for you after all, as opposed to someone who applied and then didn't really respond to their expression of interest.

Knowing that the possibility for tuition waivers exists at the Georgetown program is good information though, so glad you pointed that out (even if you already did so in some other discussion).

Good point, provided, of course, zeldacrash also gets into Princeton. Otherwise he/she will probably be getting by on less than $22K per year stipend, and possibly (probably?) much less. This scenario is a great example of what can be achieved by paying for an M.A. first, but I wouldn't call it a likely outcome. Even if it was, paying the full cost out-of-pocket at not less than $52K just for tuition (based on ~$35K per year found on the Georgetown website) and more likely at least $70K all-in with living expenses, is going to significantly off-set even a Princeton level stipend (if you figure it will take 5 years to finish the Ph.D afterwards, it'd be like subtracting $14K per year from your award for those 5 years, but having already paid it in advance of course). I have to agree with the post above - paying out-of-pocket for the M.A. first probably only makes sense if it's in-state tuition at a public university, in the majority of cases.

That's no lie: Wow... guess I've been looking at public university tuition and fees for too long and forgot what private school charges can be like. Sorry to hear about Chicago though. I know it's a great school, but rather an unforgiving place to study, from what I've heard from graduates (including faculty at schools to which I applied and who are Chicago grads) - of course, there are probably many who would disagree I'm sure.

That sounds like the average commuting time of some people in Southern California, except 4 hours commute probably comes out to something like 300 miles in the midwest, as opposed to 75 here. I know what you mean though and I feel for you if you have to sell in this market. I think part of my motivation is just fear that if I don't use some of this money for a house now, I'll find ways to piss it all away over the next 6 or 7 years, and wind up with nothing to show for my first career. Besides a nice car that will be a decade old at that point. :roll:

Now I feel a compulsion to go home and measure the cats... This is sounding worse than I expected though. The cat height thing is silly - it's like like we're flying to Hong Kong and the cats need to worry about arterial thrombosis so they need to be able to stand up comfortably the entire time. EDIT: If anyone is curious, I just checked Northwest, which is what I fly most of the time, and from what I can tell on quick glance their policy is that the kennel itself may not be taller than 8 inches, but your pet just has to be able to fit inside comfortably and have room to move around. Combined weight of pet and kennel cannot exceed 15 lbs. Best of all, they charge you $150 one-way per carry-on animal. For WHAT? It's not like the cat is getting free soda. Airlines are a joke.

I've basically spent the last five or six years living and working in places where housing prices were/are ridiculous, so I saved money but could never afford to buy anything. Now I'm looking at moving to an area where a 1500 sq ft house costs 1/4 the amount of the 2 bedroom condo I live in now (and rent for 1/2 the monthly cost the guy next door is paying to "own" his), so it's hard to resist the opportunity... It's still up in the air but the mortgage payment would probably be less than renting an apartment and there's the tax incentive this year, so it's an appealing option.

Ha - I've packed and unpacked myself several times now, each time with more and more stuff, and I've decided that I am not doing it again. Since I'm probably moving 2000 miles, the additional cost of having them pack it and unpack it for me will probably only be a fraction of the cost of the overall move, so I'm just going to pretend it's not optional and grin and bear it.