psycholinguist

• If you only get a single acceptance, panicking and jumping on it can be a worse choice than turning it down and waiting for the next application-season. If the school and department are a poor match for you, nothing's going to remedy the situation. • Have an extremely good idea of what you would love to do research in. Demonstrate your enthusiasm by describing the sorts of projects you'd like to be a part of. • Don't be shy about emailing a supervisor or two that you would absolutely love to work with. Face-to-face meetings are valuable, too. • Being waitlisted can be good news.

Heh. I can understand that, though; I lived in that part of North Campus in 2008-09 and my route to the suspension-bridge went right by the Fall Creek Apartments. I get the feeling that a lot of undergrads don't really know about the actual Fall Creek neighbourhood at all; they stay too close to campus and the Commons to have been over there. So maybe they misinterpret any references to it as that area comprised of the west end of Thurston Avenue and its surroundings. Couldn't agree more. I'm allergic to pretty much everything (including food-preservatives) and therefore gave up on the whole Cornell Dining thing after first year. (Manndible is awesome. In particular, the cookies there are fabulous. Whenever I go to Ithaca I go out of my way to buy some, especially the cherry-and-chocolate kind.) If my experiences with suitcases on campus are any indication, then yes, avoid wheeled things. I used an everyday well-made backpack for all four years at Cornell and it worked fine.

Yeah, it'd probably be more convenient that way, unless you don't want to haul one around when you move. I got through my undergrad degree at Cornell without buying one, but there were a few close-calls when it came to getting papers printed out on time, etc. Heh!

Georgetown does have a better-known linguistics-department than UW does, but really, I don't think you can go wrong either way. They both sound like really good bets (I know undergrad linguists at both places, and they've all been very happy with their departments), and DC and Seattle are both great cities. (Is climate an important factor for you? Seattle's lovely, but it gets six months of rain in the winter with hardly a single break; DC is also lovely, but its summers are hot and very humid.) Though since you don't know whether your interests might change, I'd be tempted to favour the cheaper option, as BKMD said; that way, you'll be able to put more money aside for a Ph.D. if you decide to go that route. Anyway, good luck!

No problem! Hiking-boots would probably be fine provided that they have enough insulation. For the sake of comparison, even a good pair of running-shoes will usually have enough traction to walk on snow; the only problem with those is that they aren't warm enough. I'd say the best places to look are stores that specialise in good walking-shoes; I got my winter boots from Naturalizer back home in the Northwest and they're fantastic. (Not sure about shoe-stores in Ithaca, though. I've heard good things about Fontana's in Collegetown, but that's about all that I have to say. Anyone else have any recommendations?) No idea about those attachment-thingies! I'd ask a salesperson about those. Yeah, you can always count on warming up quickly indoors! That surprised me; in fact, I've since realised that I spend more of my life cold while I'm on the West Coast than when I live out East. Go figure.

Hello! I know how that is; I grew up on the West Coast and had no idea how to dress for winter. Fortunately, it's pretty easy: Boots: get some really nice warm ones. (Worth the investment; don't just buy a pair at Target. I learned this the hard way. * laughs *) Make sure you can walk comfortably in them, too; it's a big campus. Jacket: get a warm one, but make sure it's large enough that you could put a hoodie or a couple of sweaters underneath. Layering is a good strategy, especially for the autumn and spring days when the weather gets very unpredictable. Hat: a good idea even underneath the hood of a jacket; your head will get cold quickly. Scarf: ditto, unless your jacket has a heavy-duty zip-up thingie that goes over your chin. And even then, get one if you want a bit of extra face-coverage. Thermal underwear: very very useful. These are just thin layers of comfortable polyester that go underneath everything except your actual underwear. Usually available in sets of an undershirt and a pair of leggings. Hugely helpful. The other nice thing is that even when it's bitterly cold outside, buildings are all heated well. That was a pleasant surprise for me.

Sorry, could someone please one-up the above post? I was trying to and hit the wrong button! FAIL!

I've run myself out of one-up votes two days in a row just by reading this thread. Even when the advice got a bit inimical, it was still usually very perceptive and thoughtful. And here's to an OP who dealt with it all calmly and tactfully! Is it any wonder that this is a great community?

To everyone feeling this way: wait for it! Your fears may or may not come to be realised, but there isn't any way to tell in advance; until you actually start a program, it's nearly impossible to have any good idea of what your experience there is going to be like. But if it doesn't work out, so what? You can try again next year; that really isn't the end of the world. So go out there as optimistically as possible and treat it like a great match. If it is, there'll be nothing to worry about and nothing to change. If it's not, then that'll become clear within a semester, and you'll have enough time to re-apply, with a much better idea of what you want and what you're hoping to do. Best of luck to all!

Hello! I lived in Waterloo for about six months a while back. • You don't need dual citizenship! Just get a student visa! • It's a very continental climate, but it's not intolerable; buy lots of warm clothes and dress in layers. Good boots are a must. Buildings are well-heated. • I'd recommend either living within walking-distance of campus or having a car. The buses are often late, and having to rely on them is a pain in the rear-end. Especially when it's cold. • Kitchener-Waterloo is a nice little city of about 350,000. Which is growing really darn quickly because of its connections to technology (for instance, RIM, which makes BlackBerrys, is headquartered there). Lots of parks. Waterloo is safer and prettier than Kitchener, for the record. Travelling there isn't too difficult; if nothing else, you can fly to Toronto and either get on a Greyhound bus or take the shuttle, which is more expensive but will take you to your front door. • Don't know much about grad-student-life, but there is the Grad House on campus. Most departments have lots of grad-student events, as well. • Start looking for apartments early, especially if you want a small one. 1-bedroom places go really, really fast.

That sucks! Hang in there! (Oddee.com is a good one!)

I lived on the fourth floor of a house like that back in Ithaca. It had its own private entrance and was big and private. I loved it!

I've never lived in Montreal, but be aware that in Canada many realtors use the term 'bachelor apartment'. Best of luck!

I agree; I think this is more cultural than linguistic. In my experiences in France (especially Paris), if you start by speaking French to people, they'll be really receptive to you, regardless of whether you have to stop and continue in English at some point. (To the point at which during conversations in French, whenever I paused, the other person smiled and switched to English automatically, even if the reason for my pause was trying to make up my mind about a choice rather than having language-trouble!) So I would recommend learning just enough of the language to show the locals that you're trying. I get the distinct impression that a lot of them act stand-offish around people who talk to them in English because they're sick of what they see as an Anglophone presumption that everyone in France is just as happy to speak English as French.

* laughs * I've had that happen too! Agreed. No one can choose more than one grad-school. Anyone contending with a tough decision is to be applauded for making a selection at all! Furthermore, the decision is not irreversible: even if it doesn't work out, there's always next year's application-season!

They wouldn't put you on the waitlist in the first place if they didn't want you. It's just a matter of how many they can take and/or afford. The people who don't get in off the waitlist are likely the ones the program is the most sorry to have to reject. (Going to top choice with funding! Oh yeah, there was a waitlisted period in the middle. So?)

No, I did my BA there. But by all means go recruit some people from the Cornell threads and have the party! * grins *

Congrats on making the decision! (And let me be the first to welcome you into the Cornell community. * grins *)

Nifty. Could be anytime, you know! Wait for it! Aww, thanks! * laughs also * I feel very lucky to be in the company of people who find things like that funny.

I read a lot, but not as much as I'd like to. * laughs * Mostly into fiction, sci-fi, biographies/memoirs, and (to the surprise of absolutely no one) pretty much anything to do with linguistics and psychology. I also read a lot of YA books** because I'm very interested in writing for that age-group.) Very fond of offbeat character-studies. I just finished My Abandonment by Peter Rock*, which is the compelling story of a young woman who lives with her father in a forest adjacent to suburbia, and how they are forced to adapt to civilisation after they are discovered by a lone jogger and turned over to the local police. The novel doesn't have the most satisfying ending in the world, but it's fascinating all the same. Also recently read Seeing Voices by Oliver Sacks, which is an early-90s book on sign-languages and the culture of deaf (or 'Deaf', as some prefer) society. Very interesting, though it's a little dated by now, and I found the middle bit a little dense even with my background. Still worthwhile, though! Haven't picked the next book to start on. Looking forward to doing that. * Is it just me, or is his name redundant? ** No interest in vampires, though.

If you're really excited, spend your time getting acquainted with pretty much every little corner of your school's website and bookmarking every other page. (Just don't go too close to the online store, should there be such a thing, lest you empty your bank-account ordering headbands and underwear and single socks adorned with said school's logo.)

Heh...wishful thinking. I had a friend who went there every other week for lunch in the spring of our freshman year. But the Barn is certainly geared towards grad-students!

You're welcome! Happy to go on and on about the city like that. * laughs * Feel free to send me a message anytime if any other questions come up!

Hello! I grew up there and still visit often. Congrats on the acceptance! • The city itself is absolutely stunningly pretty. Gorgeous views, tree-lined boulevards, tidy little houses, parks everywhere, mountains and water and trees. Very moderate climate: no extreme temperatures at all. UVic itself is a very pleasant campus for the most part. Nice gardens around it, and sunny fields. Lots and lots and lots of rabbits. • Organic food is easy to find. Most of the supermarkets have local/organic sections. Specifically organic grocery-stores: Planet Organic and LifeStyle Market. Another good bet is the Market on Yates. • The vegetarian/vegan-ish restaurants I can think of are downtown: ReBar, Lotus Pond, and Green Cuisine. There's lots of great Japanese food, too, if you're into that. • Sketchy-ish areas: not many! I'd stay away from Fernwood (roughly the rectangle formed by Blanshard, Bay, Fernwood, and Pandora) and some parts of Esquimalt. Downtown can be a little gritty (avoid Pandora between Cook and Douglas), but only a little. Nothing questionable even close to the University; it's surrounded by desirable neighbourhoods (with a beach down the hill on one side). • Art galleries: the main one is the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria. Most of the rest are little local ones such as the Winchester Galleries. • Theatres: the Royal Theatre and the McPherson Playhouse are the two main ones. Smaller: Belfry Theatre. • The city orchestra is the Victoria Symphony. and there's also an opera company, Pacific Opera Victoria. Otherwise at the Royal and McPherson (and the local arena, the Save-on-Foods Centre) you find all sorts of plays, musical groups, musical theatre productions, comedy, and more. Lots of visiting performers. • Other things to do: I'd just Google around looking for these! Gardens, bookstores, quirky gift-shops, parks/hiking/lakes, ocean beaches, shopping downtown, shopping at malls, golf courses, historic sites, the Royal British Columbia Museum and IMAX theatre, sailing, paddling, etc. Never a shortage of things to do! • Anyway, yeah. As you might be able to tell, I'm pretty darn fond of my hometown. * laughs * The only problem I have with Victoria is that (along with most of the Pacific Northwest) its winters are miserable. They're not cold, but they're incessantly dreary and it can really drive you crazy. Sometime in October it clouds over for the winter, and then it pretty much just stays that way until April or May. And it's most likely raining at any given time before then. Seeing the sun in the winter is unusual, and seasonal affective disorder is a big problem. If you don't like rain, invest in some good lighting for indoor light-therapy. On the flip-side, the summers are just gorgeous: almost always sunny, never humid, never too hot, and always with a nice little sea-breeze. So...yeah! Good luck with any decisions! I can't help much when it comes to housing, but if you have any other questions, let me know!

w00t. Congrats on the decision!