psycholinguist

Lamb is my favorite, too; I ended up doing my master's thesis on it. Three chapters on how the use of humor, the personal connections, and the theological constructions all create a more complete retelling of the life of Jesus than pop culture (or even some church sources) do. For being fiction, it was a beautifully researched novel like that. And the crucifixion was so heart-wrenching. You know what's coming the entire novel, but that knowing still doesn't make it any easier.

I sadly have not had the chance to read Fool. I'm chin-deep in high literature at the moment and craving some "fun" reads like you wouldn't believe. I'm telling myself that I can't buy anything new until I have to travel at the end of the month, which is when I'm going to need some brain escapism. (Ten high-strung, perfectionist, driven-to-win, Type A grad and undergrad students corralled in a very small space--yay?)

3rd? I'm so ashamed.

And martizzle: it's not an honour that really requires an acceptance speech.

I use Dear Professor ---, until it's obvious a lower level of formality is appropriate, which usually comes for me after knowing them for a while. But for older Professors I still use the more formal address even after I get to know them better because I think many of them like to see that. In fact, maybe I fabricated this in my imagination, but I feel like one older professor has responded quite positively to me partially because I am very polite and deferential towards him while some other students just treat him as if he is from their peer group. He is so nice that he would never say anything about it, but I think he appreciates the respect that some formality reflects.

Also, just because they use your first name doesn't mean you should use theirs in return-- like it or not there is still a great distinction between Professors and graduate students, which some faculty care about and some don't. But you don't really want to find out who does care in the wrong way.

I've been using 'Dear Dr [last name]' in all correspondence with potential advisors until I asked them directly what they prefer. Most of them prefer first name so I follow their preference.

There's some intrinsic things about academia that I think select for liberals, or promote liberalism.

1. It's not the highest-paying field in the world.

That's going to select for people who don't put the highest priority on money.

2. It's creative work, done on a fairly free time schedule.

That means that you aren't earning your pay on a 9-to-5 job. That changes your attitude to money. You're less likely to think "I earned every penny of this with my own drudgery." You're more likely to feel lucky (rather than justified) to be paid for playing with your brain. Since productivity waxes and wanes, you're also more likely to feel undeserving some of the time. There's a more tenuous relationship between effort and pay; and I think that makes us less likely to resent taxes.

3. Respect for authority is built in.

It's school. For a long time, into our late twenties, we work for teachers. Then we are teachers. People who like that setup tend not to be either very anti-authoritarian, or very much in favor of arbitrary authority; if you've spent your life admiring good teachers then your ideal is a thoughtful and considerate authority.

4. The pen is mightier than the sword.

To be an academic, you have to believe that persuasive writing is worthwhile, compared to physical force or economic clout.

The thing is, whenever I meet a conservative who's a die-hard academic, complete with the academic personality, I find myself liking him or her. They tend to be either libertarians or religious conservatives. Mainly, conservative academics agree with liberal academics on point 4, which is why we get along. I think I would have trouble getting along with anyone who didn't see the value of reasonable debate.

I like how I seem to have started a sociologist brawl.

I can't speak to the influence of binge drinking, casual encounters, and frat parties on the development of political ideology. But I can say that if you are one of those liberal academic wannabes, this week has been seriously depressing. Between whimpering about the Massachusetts election and dissolving in angst over the Supreme Court decision, I've barely had time for my regular what-if-I-don't-get-in mindgames.

I'm just not sold on the type casting idea. The survey data is indisputable, the GSS is the best representative sample of the American pop. But I think there may be a better theoretical explanation. Education itself has a way of liberalising individuals. I think the causality might be opposite, maybe higher educations lead to liberal attitudes. You can't tell from the survey, cause the GSS doesn't use panel data. I bet the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (might have then name wrong in sequence...) would yeild interesting results. Tracking political identity over time to see if there was political identity shifting during the education process. Interesting study that would be!

"even though the comments are not about your submission they bear some merit"... WTF? I am surprised they actually had the balls to say something so ridiculous.

I hate hearing about schools that treat their applicants poorly-- what's the point of being rude to your future students? I am just as frustrated as you are, after I recently attended The Worst Interview Ever. I was really excited to go because it was my top choice school and (what I thought was) a great fit for me. The interviewers were incredibly condescending and aggressive, and kept pressuring me to change my answers. It was a group interview, and they didn't ask any questions directly relevent to the program-- only very personal questions about each person. There was SO much tension in the room, and a general feeling of competition between the interviewees to give a better and more impressive answer than the last person. After I sent a polite followup email, the interviewer replied by simply stating he wished me luck at [name of competitor's school]. I doubt I will get in now, but I could never imagine going to a school that treated me so poorly.

I've put a lot of stock in how schools have treated me in general. I was in a lucky position of having multiple schools to choose from and I chose the school that treated me the best - the one that answered all of my questions promptly, responded thoughtfully to anything I sent them, took the initiative to call, etc.

But there were two schools on my list that I rejected straight up pretty much due to their general asshattery. Never answering questions, never talking to me directly, ignoring me once they realised they couldn't match the financial offers I got elsewhere, etc. And I'm sure I'm not the only one. A lot of schools screw themselves out of their accepted applicants.

Despite what you may want to believe, admissions committees generally are not swayed by displays of dedication by people not admitted to the program. Most likely they will find you annoying.

I applied to a particular PhD program four times. You could call it my "dream school". The first time I was rejected, but I got accepted somewhere else, and got my masters degree. After I completed that, I applied the following three years. I was rejected each time.

During those years, I worked and lived in the area, talked with professors, and kept up on their research.
I tried to better myself in every conceivable way.
Since it was practically impossible to get research experience unless I was currently an undergrad or already had a PhD, and I was obviously in neither category, I offered to do research for free, and was denied.
I sat in on classes.
I improved my exam scores for every admission season, spending tons of money on ETS. (Fuck ETS)
Every year I was more qualified than the previous year.
All it got me was earlier rejection notices.

I only applied so many times because I was forced to stay in the area due to family issues, which are for the most part over now, so this year I was finally able to apply all over the country.

Did they care that I was passionate about their work? That I had a professor that wanted to work with me and assured me that I surpassed any expected criteria for incoming students?
No.
Did they care that I still have family members nearby that need my assistance? That staying in the area would mean that I can go to my dream school I've worked my ass off to impress, and continue my career with a place that would have been a great fit for both parties?
No.

Do you know what the head of the admissions committee told me? That admissions were random. No, I'm not shitting you, he actually said that. He said that almost everyone who applied was qualified, so people who are picked are essentially picked at random, and that many times people were picked based on criteria that have nothing at all to do with academic performance or research potential, such as interests and hobbies that an applicant listed on their resume that a professor shared. It wasn't exactly the most heartening talk I've ever had.

This year I was accepted to places that are easily peers of this school, so combined with this one professor's word, I know I wasn't rejected because I was unqualified.

I'm not sorry for it all, because I'm going to a place that is peer of this place, where everyone is a lot friendlier and seems happier with life, will give me more connections and probably help my career more, and isn't filled with jerks.
Also studying hard to get my subject GRE score up so high has helped me immensely.

In a nutshell, I learned that admissions committees don't care about your personal story.

I'm not saying all of this to get you down. Just be realistic. Your life is not the move "Rudy". However working hard to get in will make you a better person at least.

I agree that it shouldn't be an issue. I had a discussion with a colleague (a retired professor) who claimed that getting a PhD in Canada would doom me to working only in Canada for the rest of my life, but most other informal advice I've received has been to the contrary. I think I'll be one of the only Americans, if not the only one, in my program. It should be interesting!

The UBC brochure for grad students actually says that Americans can apply for the study permit at the border on their way in, which makes me believe that our countries have some kind of special arrangement. I'll be applying for the permit earlier, regardless, but that seems to suggest it may not take too long.

Graduate Admissions let internationals know of the decision earlier than its domestic counterparts due to the VISA processing time. You should contact the schools you are waitlisted and explain your situation and ask for your chances of getting in/funded/whatsoever needed. Uncertainty is worse than a rejection...I feel for you. Good luck!

Just wanted to comment on a few of the points you made:

Currently, the UC System's financial resources is probably the most unstable it's ever been thanks to the large budgetary cuts on public education in the state. While it might not directly affect how your education will be funded, it is likely it will affect how much money your department or college gets from the university. That, in turn, could affect what classes are available, shared resources within the department and how many more graduate students will join the department in the coming years. Sounds like wherever you go, you're going to need a car. The Silicon Valley actually refers to the Southern part of the Bay Area where a lot of technology businesses/firms are located (e.g. San Jose, Santa Clara). It's about a 4-6 hour drive from LA depending on how fast you're going and traffic. San Diego is closer, but that's also a 2-3 hour drive. The weather might be milder than Ithaca, but I can assure you the air pollution in LA is far greater. In fact, driving into LA you can often times see a yellow haze suspended above the city. If you're susceptible to lung infections, that's something you might want to consider. Driving is not only a hassle in LA, but so is parking. I'd try and find an apartment with a garage. If not, permit street parking is the next best thing, but make sure you're an expert at parallel parking (seriously, the curbs are lined with parked cars, bumper-to-bumper). Are the profs at Cornell aware of the kind of research you want to do and welcome to take in your interests? If so, you can always carve your own path at Cornell. Are you planning to stay in whichever town (or the surrounding area) after receiving your PhD? If you're planning to move again, then remember this is going to just be a few years of your life. How well do you get along with the faculty and graduate students at UCLA versus Cornell? That's something I would also take into consideration. So basically, I think you should go to Cornell. I think it's a safer bet, especially if the faculty there are willing to help cultivate your research interests even though it's not exactly what they are doing. Plus, it sounds like you might have a better support system at there versus UCLA.

As a disclaimer, I actually did my undergrad at UC Berkeley and my sister is doing her undergrad at UCLA right now, so I have nothing personal against LA, UCLA or the UC system. I love LA, but after visiting there several times I've realized it's more of a place to visit rather than to live. I've never been to Ithaca before, so I can't really say much about what it'd be like to live there.

Goooood luck!

I doubt MIT would have a problem with your situation, and you should tell them about it. Tell them you want to accept, but if you get it, you'd like to defer a year.

I want to know - you said that your research interests haven't so much changed as you articulated them incorrectly and thus got the wrong people. First, is this something that can be fixed/addressed at the school that made the offer to you? Is there someone there with whom you can study what you really want? If not, then the rest doesn't matter. Secondly, if the answer to the first question is yes - do you think that was the number one factor in your rejection to the other places, and do you think if you had articulated yourself differently that you would've gotten in? Do you think that just clarifying your interests will get you in next year, all other things being equal?

About the location - it seems like that's your primary focus. Let me speak about this from the flip side, as a city girl whose parents moved her to the suburbs and who was DYING to get back to the big city, and got that wish when I got into my top choice. I love living in New York; I really do. HOWEVER, knowing what I know now, I would've gone to a smaller city and done my grad work had a smaller city been a better fit and given me the support I needed. While there were certain places I was 100% unwilling to go (Birmingham, AL - great program, and a great contact there, but heck no. I didn't even apply. Good thing, too, because my potential advisor moved to another school one year in, also in Alabama), one thing I've realized since I've been here is that you don't have the time to experience the surrounding city the way you think you're going to when you plot location. A small town or suburb is absolutely FINE for graduate school even if you consider yourself a big-city girl. The vast majority of your time will be spent reading, writing, meeting with advisors and other professors, attending classes, attending conferences, and doing other things that are NOT out enjoying the city. Even when you do have a social life, you quickly realize that city amenities can be very expensive! I would check out what the town has to offer before dismissing it whole cloth. Remember, it's actually a pretty short period of time - I'm almost finished with my 2nd year and I cannot believe it.

Yep! I am looking forward to it. And having a hard time concentrating on my current schoolwork.

Oh, no! Someone's not using perfect grammar on the internets! D:

Personal happiness and emotional support are important for graduate school. If you really want to do this, your boyfriend will understand. And it won't be the end of the world if you lose a boyfriend while pursuing your career goals.

Boyfriend matters aside, you don't sound excited about the program, which is reason enough to wait until next year. The economy might improve by then, which will mean fewer competitors when you re-apply. You're obviously a good candidate; otherwise, your safety school wouldn't have offered you such a good package to begin with. If you can sit tight for a year, do it--just make sure you're waiting for yourself and not for romance reasons.

Nope. Not too much that you can do except to express your enthusiasm for the program. If you get a politician involved... it just looks tacky, I think. If you already had strong letters of recommendation, there's really no reason for your prof to write another one. If he's got buddies at this schools, he could just call them up on your behalf to see what's the story.

The admissions committee has already carefully evaluated your application, and clearly they have reached their conclusion -- which is to place you on the waitlist. This may not be any actual drawback in your application, but rather simply a reflection on the quality of those accepted. It isn't something you can readily impact. I would say keep up communications, express your passion and interest/dedication to your top choice, and IF there has been any update that materially changes your profile as an applicant (a recent publication, an award, etc.) then let them know. Otherwise, I don't think there's much to be gained by giving them additional material to evaluate.

This is the very reason no one should have "safety schools".
You said you have refined your research interest - is it something that this department wouldn't be able to handle? If not, what could you do over the summer that would dramatically change your application from this year to next? Refining your research interests is great, but if you got rejected from everywhere but this one place, it seems like other things in your app would have to change.
Also, don't be led by the boyfriend situation. If he's in graduate studies as well, he should understand. 

Dear Vivalaschwa,

If it makes you feel better, I actually got slightly lower scores than you did (610V/720Q), and I was accepted at Berkeley (although I didn't apply to Penn). In addition, my GPA was slightly below average as well (3.7 compared to Berkeley's average 3.8).

At the end of the day, numbers just aren't the most important part of your application. From what I can tell, your statement of purpose and recommendations carry the most weight in the admissions process. So I agree wholeheartedly with what everyone else on this thread has said. Don't worry about taking the test again; it will just stress you out (or if you're at all like me, you'll just get really pissed off :-)

Hope this helps.

As a Cornell alum, current Ithaca resident and very likely future Cornell grad student, I just wanted to chime in on this thread.

I really, really love Ithaca. However, housing can be kind of a pain. It's WAY overpriced for the size of the town, and a lot of the apartments are really shabby and depressing. However, you can find nice places if you are persistent and know where to look. I'm starting this process right now, reluctantly. I am hoping to share a two bedroom with another incoming grad if I stay, because I need to be shaken out of my habits and get to know some new people if I'm signing on for another 5 years here.

Fall Creek is the best area to live as a grad/young professional, IMHO. It's near a campus shuttle that runs once every ten minutes during the week, the apartments tend to be nicer and cheaper, it's closer to the few good bars, the houses are charming, and there are nice antique stores and coffee shops in the area. Downtown has a little pedestrian mall, with restaurants and several festivals throughout the year.

AVOID Collegetown (undergrad ghetto south of campus), with the possible exception of State Street or below Stewart Ave. North is ok, but the bus service isn't really as helpful as landlords would have you think, although it's improved quite a bit since I've been here. Cayuga Heights would be a nightmare for getting to/from campus in the snow - mostly downhill from campus, no real bus service. East Hill has lots of new-ish, carpeted apartment complexes, but again, bus service may not be as good as it sounds, depending on your schedule. If you want to have a social life at all, it might be very difficult to do living in East Hill, North and Cayuga Heights.

There's not really parking on campus, and it's super expensive. You may be able to drive to campus late at night or on the weekends, but you will not be able to just drive to your lab on a Monday morning. Buses and hills really start to matter!

I don't know much about Hasbrouck. There seem to be a lot of grad families with babies. Also, they occasionally thrown undergrads in there when they admit too many; it's caused friction recently. I remember dismantling the XL bed frame in my dorm back in the day with little trouble. Bus service directly from Hasbrouck to campus runs from 7ish am to 6ish pm. Otherwise, it's more efficient to walk than to try catching the bus. Bus service to Collegetown and Downtown is improving - every 15 minutes on weekends, every 30-15 minutes during the week, depending on the time of day.

I'm trying to keep my post short - feel free to send me a message if you want more details about places to live.