adinutzyc

I'm still waiting on a lot of programs, was really surprised when I actually got 3 positive replies from some last week - I thought it was rejection time... So, don't give up hope! And I can't understand them either...

Unless they are rolling, UCI and OSU seem to have already made their decisions... I am waiting on UCI too (well, honestly I am waiting for a confirmed reject, but maybe I am wrong...) Have you tried calling the Admissions Office? Even if they tell you to wait, at least you will have done something... Sorry for not being of much help. I think the funding situation for your schools is pretty bad - maybe you can email/call them and explain your situation and ask for a deadline extension, explaining that the funding is the main reason you cannot say a definite yes... Good luck!

Well...(quotes from wiki): I always eat mine with chicken, some sort of garlic sauce, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, french fries, all rolled in the pita. It might not sound that amazing, but the taste sure is... Come to think of it, maybe this is the traditional way to eat it, but I wasn't able to find anything comparable at Arab restaurants around NYC (it's probably because I hate lamb and that is the staple meat)

I am a senior in college, and I have applied only for PhDs. Most of the schools I have applied to accepted me (whoop!). I was actually shocked in my first school visit to see that most people had masters degrees already... was not expecting it...

I don't think I have anything against getting the emails of other people that have been admitted (so no, not 1500 people). I would even email them to ask what they thought about the program for example (after meeting them in the visiting weekend)... And I wouldn't mind getting emails from them either... Am I really that creepy?

There are ways to get a roundtrip with an open return... although you may want to try a travel agency, and it will probably be more expensive. But are you really saying that you found rountrip tickets less expensive than one-way tickets? I mean, dividing by 2 will turn out less expensive, but if you're not using the return then you shouldn't divide by 2... Anyway, after this trip, you should buy rountrip tickets starting in the USA, because you will always know when you have to get back to school, as opposed to when you will leave school! Good luck!

Hey, thanks! The thing about that post was not that I was desperate but that I forgot I had already written something in this thread . I tried deleting but I guess they don't allow it.. I would really love to live in Clayton (don't know if I can actually afford living in CWE), and wouldn't mind the driving (provided I actually ever manage to get a car lol), but my main problem is that I am in NY and I won't go to STL until June 1st or so, and then back late in August. So I have a few options, but some are more feasible than others: get an apartment through the graduate office (although it is on the Loop, there seems to be only grads and professors nearby, so it doesn't seem that unsafe... I see many grads do this their first year): the nice thing about it is that I wouldn't have to bother too much with getting one, there are a lot of students nearby, and lease can start pretty late as far as I understandgo apartment hunting in June: the problem with that is that I can't think of any landlord willing to keep an apartment until August, so I would have to spend $1500 at least for the summer I won't be theredon't get any apartment, come back early and hunt then: this is risky from all points of view. I might not get an apartment, plus I would be completely alone in STL, without a home or anything (my mom will be visiting in June, so I wouldn't be alone in June)... Also i am kinda scared about being tricked into paying for rent in an apartment that's already rented to someone else lol. Anyway, do you have any advice? Any trustful landlords/real estate agencies? Also, I do not actually have any credit history, so the only reference I could provide is a letter from the University stating how much I would be making per month... This is really scary.... All of the apartments I've lived in until now have been found by other people (that I roomed with)... Also, I am basically all alone in America - even if my mom comes visit, I am not sure whether she can actually help (except to make me feel more confident lol). Also, I will be on the Danforth Campus, so Laclede Ave doesn't seem that close actually (the Delmar Loop, although I admit I read mixed opinions about it, is probably closest), and even Clayton seems closer to it. Oh, and I forgot to say that I wouldn't mind paying $800 for a nicer apartment in a nice neighborhood...

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I am near making my decision (am down to two schools, and the proportions are hugely in favor of one of them), and have already started emailing schools I know I am not going to attend telling them that. I have received emails wishing me good luck from each and every single one! It is really impressive that they have put in the time to personally reply to me (although of course the emails were just a sentence or two)! I really wasn't expecting that, and I really appreciate these little gestures! I'm just so sad to see some of these schools go out of my life, as I know I would have been happy there too... Oh well, good luck everybody!

Alberta. Better school with better funding. Why go with no name and pay for your education (well, at least for living expenses and my guess is taxes)? Is Aberta's MS a research oriented MS? I think the most appropriate name is thesis MS vs coursework MS. If it is not, then pick Alberta. Otherwise, you can still consider both options... though I have never heard of the other school...

Bump! Anyone else considering moving to STL?

Probably not. I am not really sure what kind of visa you'll come with or what the terms of Canadian visas are, but my guess would be that you would at most be allowed to work on campus, which will prove actually impossible since you are not actually a student there... It is illegal for students on an F1 visa in the states for example to work off campus, and there's a 20-hour cap in the number of hours one can work on campus. You might actually end up coming on a tourist visa though, which allows absolutely no employment. And, if you want to actually come and study in that country, you will have to refrain from doing anything illegal. Also, all the labs I've previously worked in (I am international also, though studying in the US, so I did my REUs without actually getting paid or given food/housing for that matter) had me sign an agreement that I won't work during my REU....

Are you considering only these two programs? Do you think you'll be able to make a decision in the amount of days left? I read here that some schools will try to force your hand earlier than Apr 15th... Also, are you sure you want back-to-back visits?? They really are tiring (although I have to admit that I am one of those people who need to recharge after a day or so of constant interaction -- maybe you are not like me) Good luck and have fun! I think that as long as these schools are the ones you are considering, the visiting days are not that late. I am happy I had a good reason to reschedule my last visit (from Apr 8th to Apr 1st), because I want to make my decision by Apr 8th (for the sake of the other school I am considering, and also for wait-listed candidates).

I am not really sure if you guys are talking about deferring a funded offer or an unfunded offer. If it is funded, chances are that deferring will not guarantee a matching funding offer (if any funding offer at all) for the next year. If it is unfunded, there is nothing to lose, of course. And regarding the actual topic: yes, rejecting an offer and applying again will most likely hurt your chances. They might think that you rejected them because you wanted to apply to a better school next year and decided to use them as safety...

Heh, all of the schools I have declined until now have wished me good luck, but none of them has actually asked me where I was going. Well, I did fill out an online form for one of them, and it did have a field asking for the school I decided to go to, so I wrote the name of the school I am 99% going to, but it's not that if I don't end up going there I would have lied to someone specifically (or lied at all for that matter).

Ok....

I think negotiating even between different schools as long as they are equals isn't a great thing to do, as in it wouldn't actually solve anything. Only lower ranked schools are actually willing to match offers up, or schools that really, but really love you. That being said, I don't think trying would hurt you in any way... Maybe someone that actually have better experience can help you out... Good lock!

It's odd. April 15th is the standard deadline to accept a decision. So the schools should have waited by April 15, while the other school should have given their decisions out by then. Really odd... And no, I do not have all my decisions yet, but I am fairly certain that the top schools I haven't gotten back from have rejected me. Anyway, even if they will accept me, I am probably going to decline...

I don't think the difference between a 4th place and an 11th place matters. If anything, rankings are subjective - they are based on how many sections of the questionnaire a school filled out, for example. The only thing that actually matters is the quality of research you will be doing, as well as the connections your POI has in some cases. And of course, how happy you fell you would be in the program. I think there is a slightly bigger difference between a #5 school and a 30s school though... especially in that choosing the 30s school would probably make you feel guilty... Good luck to you both! I had to choose between a 30s school and a 40s school, and although the 30s school was lovable, I decided the funding the other school was giving me was worth the drop in places. And sure enough, this other school is also lovable. But now I have a matching offer from a 60s school, and I am heading down to visit soon...I am not sure if they could do anything to change my decision, but I have to be sure before I accept...

Heh, I've been to Boston only once and I totally loved it! Unfortunately I ended up not applying to programs there, but Boston is amazing. I was born in a big city, although not in the USA. I am doing my undergrad in middle-of-nowhere selective liberal arts college-land, which I hate and love for different reasons. But I am moving in a city after graduating (although anything would be more of a city than where my undergrad was lol-- it's not even a college town, it's a college campus). But yeah, crime freaks me out too. One of the main reasons I actually love my small college is the lack of crime - almost no crime, and anyway no hard-core crime anyway (mainly petty theft). But I will take the chance.

Phone plans: my friends purchased a family plan, so they each had to pay around $30. I decided to go with a pre-paid AT&T Go Phone. I don't talk that much on the phone and my phone has internet and there is this really cool VOIP provider that offers 90 free days to landlines in my home country for every purchase you make with them. I pay around $10 a month (maybe less) for my AT&T phone. I have the plan where there is a $1 access fee and then free AT&T calls and 10 cents to other carriers. The previous plan was 25 cents to any carriers and no access fee. Oh, and the VOIP service I use and sorta love is www.justvoip.com

I don't really know about Canada, but if you will be officially volunteering in the lab, then the school should be able to provide you with some sort of invitation to the country for the allotted stay. At least that's how the US does it...

Hahaha! Sorry Thomas, but congrats on your acceptance!

I know big name companies like Google, Microsoft and IBM have fellowships everyone can be nominated for, regardless of citizenship/residency. I also know I am not eligible for an NSF fellowship. So, what other fellowships are computer science international students eligible for?

There's an identical post on this board. Anyway, here is the link I posted there too... I wish I actually knew what features I cared more about lol: http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/E-book_Reader_Matrix