FingersCrossedX

I'll start with this one. There is no such thing as a safety school. A school is either a good fit or not. A poorly ranked school doing research in everything you're not interested in, will reject you. Before you apply make sure the program is a good fit. What about everyone else. What do you wish you'd known at the beginning?

I thought this would be a good topic for people new to the boards. A little advice so those that apply next year and the years after don't have to make the same mistakes we did.

If you find something and want to know if its a decent area, feel free to PM me. I'll look at where it is and tell you what I can about the area. However, I'm not much help with the LSU centric housing but I can try.

I've used PODS in the past. I had a move where my leases didn't match up by a few weeks so instead of packing, renting a truck, moving to a storage closet, renting a truck, reloading from storage closet and finally moving into my new place, I used the POD. It was a life saver in that situation. It was also to a different city in the same state so I didn't have to drive any distances in that terribly uncomfortable truck. The people that dropped off and picked up were very nice and were great about a few weird obstacles in placing my POD. (an overgrown, gnarly tree and a low hanging wire) I too will be moving cross country. The only furniture I have here that I can't part with is my bed. My VERY comfortable bed. It weighs a ton and is queen sized. Not sure how I'll move it, but it will be done.

I lived in Baton Rouge for a year. Not as a student so I don't know the student apartment complexes. I can tell you this about the different neighborhoods that might be listed on Craigslist. Garden District- Neighborhood near campus. Nice old houses many of which have back apartments. Those are sometimes rented by families, sometimes just the back apartment to a house that is also rented out. Either way they are unattached and bill are usually separated. The garden district is mostly families or grad students. Safe, but there is a sketchy part. You'll know if you see it driving or look at the address on google maps. The houses are in bad condition. Tigerland- Undergrad central. Enough said. Beauregard Town- older neighborhood. Safe enough but has iffy pockets. Look on google maps. Spanish Town- Downtown but a nice area. Not lofts or anything like the gentrification in most cities. Its the oldest part of the city I believe (could be wrong). Its next to the state capitol. Its full of 20 something idealists and middle aged hippies. Everything is recycled, people walk to things downtown. I think the only hybrids in Baton Rouge are there (kidding but not really). College Heights- Nice houses. A lot of families and professors. Super close to campus. Anything that says LSU is probably student housing. I really have no idea what housing is mostly undergrads and what isn't. Anything on Brightside/Nicholson is where students live mostly. That housing probably isn't listed on Craigslist yet. Driving through neighborhoods when you get there you can probably find a place that's not student housing. However, if that's what you're looking for. Also the traffic in Baton Rouge is surprisingly bad. The interstate is a standstill at rush hour. The city grew so fast after Katrina and the suburbs grew enormously. I'd stay away from them just because of the traffic. That's areas like Walker, Baker Denham Springs, Zachary, etc.

My personal opinion is that you should go with the program more centered around teaching. You have a very strong math background but no teaching. That part is much harder than it may seem. As for working at the DOE, I'd be surprised if they would hire anyone without 5-10 years in the classroom for a specialist position. There is so much about being a classroom teacher that can't be learned in any graduate program. The practice of teaching is a great teacher itself. As far as I know, there is no required level of degree for admin positions. however, I think that a EdD is the norm.

If you are in the US, I believe you must take the CAT.

Diversity means things other than being non-white. You are female in the sciences, which is less rare than it used to be, but its not 50/50 by any means. Being the first in your family with a bachelor's and going on to get a master's is also a big deal. Its easy to think that diversity means race only, but it doesn't.

Have you visited the school in the South? From how you described it it seems like you didn't. College towns are often not what you'd expect. A constant influx of young people has a distinct impact on an area. You might end up liking it more than you think. If you have, I say go with your gut. Your happiness is always important so if you think you couldn't be happy there, I think its a pretty big strike against that school.

Since the American schools have to make decisions by April 15th, you'll have to hear by then. Hopefully good news too.

I agree. The EdD and PhD are very much intertwined. At Harvard there is no PhD program so the EdD is a research degree. Its a good point. The EdD can give you a great research background too. You just have to do your homework before you apply I guess.

It depends entirely on your friend's career goals. If he/she wants to go into academia or research, PhD. If your friend wants to go into administration Ed D. If the plan is to continue in the classroom, do curriculum design, increase their skills in a particular specialty to be more appealing in the job market, get a raise, or a career change with a bachelor's in something other than education (in some states) the master's is the way to go. Really, I suggest your friend decide the end goal and find out which degree is needed for it.

Anyone else attending or attended? What areas are best for public transportation? What neighborhoods are the "up and coming" type? Any advice?

Check your local public library. They often have access to online journals. Not the extent that a university library provides but databases you can search. Usually you only have to log in on their site with your library card and you have access to at least one academic journal database. My hometown and current libraries both have them.

All things being equal, I would say that funding would be my deciding factor. The UC system is getting its budgets slashed. You will be fighting for TAships and RAships. You might end up an RA in research that you don't even care about. At Michigan, it sounds like you'll be funded and without as much competition, you might have an easier time doing what you are interested in.

I would say it depends on your long term goals. If you want to be a tenure track professor and you would enjoy staying at the CC level, then take the job. If you will want to go on to large research focused universities and all of that, I'd say wait. I'm sure the decision is much more complicated than that, so if offered the job you may be able to tell the school that you will be able to come to a decision in a few weeks or something along those lines. Good luck with the decision. If I were in your shoes I personally would wait for the PhD. I'm not looking forward to teaching as much as researching, so the teaching position wouldn't excite me.

Well I guess it depends on when its due and how the person is handling things. If its due soon, then you may have to ask again. If you have some time, I'd give the person time. If she or he is handling things well enough it may be less tricky. I wouldn't ask while the professor is on leave or out of town.

I got wait listed earlier this month, so I bet you'll be hearing something soon. Keep an eye on your email. That's how they told me.

I'm surprised to still be in the running to tell you the truth. Maybe my letter got held up during Mardi Gras.

Yeah Vanderbilt too. I guess since the application was free and its a good school, EVERYONE applied. I think even my mom applied.

First, I don't think anyone will laugh at you for not drinking. As an undergrad I would have thought it odd that someone doesn't drink, but a few years out, I don't think twice about it. I would be surprised if someone made a comment about it. If you are still a little shy, you can get a drink that is inconspicuous. You could discretely order a Sprite with a lime or lemon. It would look like a gin and tonic or vodka soda. You could order a coke and it would look like a whiskey and coke. If you are trying to keep up appearances, just make sure you nurse it. If you have 5 as soon as you walk in the door you'll look like an alcoholic. That being said, I bet if you say you just don't really like to drink, people will be just fine about it. If you think they might scoff, you can just say "I make a great designated driver." Its ALWAYS good to have one of those as a friend. Cheaper than a cab and someone will always be that voice of reason for your drunken ideas.

I got rejected by my most preferred school yesterday. I wasn't sad though. I saw it coming and knew other people had phone interviews and I had heard nothing. I knew my rejection was on its way. I think I took it so well because I was already accepted by one program. It was no ego booster but I wasn't devastated. Also, it's Mardi Gras. No one can be sad during Mardi Gras. It's the most wonderful time of they year!

It's like they are just playing with our minds sometimes. Now to your question. I have no idea. Sorry, but it sounds like you are at least in the "we like these people" pile of applications.

I hope next Monday treats you much better. Actually, I hope the rest of the week treats you better!

I posted my first result which was an acceptance. I'll probably leave it alone until I know where I'm going. Then if its not the program I got into first I say I'm going to <school X>. I post it only because I'm a few years out of undergrad so my friends aren't "competing" with me for spots. Also my friends from home, my family and my college friends live all over the country so I won't see them to tell them. This is just a easy way to let everyone know. They all know I'm applying and ask me about it a lot so this way they're in the loop. Sort of. Anyone that doesn't want to see my status update can defriend me. If someone isn't happy for me then they aren't much of a friend. Also the status I put up was a little self-deprecating, didn't want to sound boastful. I think people use Facebook in very different ways depending on when and where they started using it. Facebook came into existence while I was in college and I remember when you had to be in college to use it. Oh the good old days. I have Facebook friends I knew in college and don't really talk to other than the occasional like or comment. These people keep up with me by what I share on Facebook and I'm the same with them. I figure its a pretty big milestone and they'd like to know about it. I don't think they need my GPA or SoP. I like seeing their baby pictures, well some of them, so they get to see what school is dumb enough to take me on as a student. In a different time of my life, specifically undergrad, I wouldn't have posted anything. I told my friends in person what I was doing once I graduated because I saw them all everyday. College is so much more social, so Facebook isn't necessary to let everyone know. To each their own I guess.