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'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 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.

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'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'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'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'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'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'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'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'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'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.

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 would have given myself enough time to take the GRE a second time. I ended up not needing it, but I really wanted to take it again but couldn't. Take the GRE early.

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'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'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.

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'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 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.

A doctoral degree is very research focused. You won't be getting the background required to teach at the high school level unless you are trying to get a MA. Even if you TA classes, teaching high school is completely different. If you want to be a teacher later you might look into an alternative certification program or something along those lines. As far as I know all PhD programs are to teach you to research not really to be a teacher. Being a good teacher is hard and you will need a teaching specific background to be effective. I think you need to nail down which one you want to do. Research or teach. After all when you write your SoP, you'll have to have a clear picture of what you want to do. If you haven't established you're true goals, it will show on your application. Admission committees are looking for someone they think is certain in their goals and will therefore finish the PhD program and get a job. Its important for them because you are their investment. They are going to be giving you a lot of money so they want you to succeed and make them look good.

Right now it sounds like you are looking at teaching as a back up. You need to decide what is your main goal and go for that 100%. You can't have both teaching and research.

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?