GenderMediaGrad

I was curious about this so I started a poll...

I've lived in the Palo Alto area for 24 years and I can definitely recommend some good places to live. You don't want to look north of Palo Alto because things tend to get more expensive as move up the Peninsula (so I would avoid Redwood City and San Mateo). The best place to look for housing would probably be Mountain View (Sunnyvale is good too). Mountain View is only 10-15 minutes south of Palo Altos and it is a nice, friendly city with a good downtown area (with coffee shops) and quite a bit less expensive than Palo Alto. Sunnyvale is similar just about 5-8 minutes further south. I have a friend who currently shares an apartment in Mountain View with 2 roommates and she pays $650/month. You can definitely get a one bedroom for $1,000 or less. If you simply go south down El Camino Real from Stanford Campus, you will arrive at El Camino & Castro in about 15 minutes-- this is the heart of downtown Mountain View. If you drive around in a 10 block raidus, you will find several nice apartment complexes and I would recommend checking prices there. It is a good, safe area that should be in your price range... you'll even a little money left over for that cofee!

1. April 15 is when the letter MUST arrive. However, it will likely come sooner, probably near the end of March. I was accepted on Feb. 2 and am STILL waiting for my official packet to arrive. 2. April 15.

Rather than going through a company like Kaplan or The Princeton Review to find a tutor, I recommend finding an independent tutor who has taken the GRE, done exceptionally well (like a Ph.D. student) and now works as a tutor. It is MUCH less expensive (think $40 vs. $140) and the quality is often better because they are tailoring everything to your strengths/weaknesses and not teaching a cookie cutter method/course. Perhaps I am biased because I AM a tutor, but that is my recommendation!

Does anyone know how highly regarded Minnesota's Ph.D. program in Comparative Studies in Discourse & Society is? Do you know of any other programs that would be considered comprable? It is soooo hard to get any kind of ranking information on interdisciplinary programs.

Wake. Refresh. Shower. Refresh. Eat. Refresh.

I'm in the same boat. My SO and I had hoped to return to the city where I got my undergrad degree and where her whole family and most of our firends live. However, since I was not accepted, that is no longer an option (for me). Throughout the application process, she has been saying "I would move to city X, maybe Y, but definitely not Z." It almost became our joke. However, now the only acceptance I have received is from City Z. It's actually a great school with a great program, but neither of us are thrilled about its location. She is now unsure about whether she will move with me, even though we've been together for 4 1/2 years (living together for 3 of them) and have never been apart more than 2 weeks. I don't think long distance is an option for me. If it were for 1 year, I could do it-- but not for the 5-7 it will take for me to earn my Ph.D. She is coming with me to Accepted Student Weekend at the end of March and we've already made an appointment with a realtor to look at houses (my attempt to make her want to move with me)... but she is staying very non-committal at this point. I moved across the country with her 2 years ago so she could pursue her MSW, and it was sort of understood that she would follow me when it was time for me to pursue my Ph.D. And if I were accepted in the two cities we both agreed upon and discussed, she would without question. In fact, if it were ANY city other than this city, she would probably agree to it after a few weeks of discussion. However, I'm honestly not sure what she will decide and it's making me feel as though my stomach is being turned upside down.. once by the schools that have rejected my application and then once by the possibility of not living together (which would probably lead to a break-up). I'm just REALLY hoping that she decides to move with me... but she might not.

For those of you considering moving companies, my only advice is NOT to go with ELITE MOVING & STORAGE. My girlfriend and I used them when we moved across the country for her MSW program and they ruined everything we owned. We had to take them to court (we won) but it was an absolute nightmare. Since it looks like we will now be moving across the country AGAIN for my PhD program, anyone know a BETTER moving company we could go with? I just don't think us, our 2 dogs, furniture, etc. can all fit in my little, 2-door car.

How realistic is $14,000 in Minneapolis, MN?

Yup, I'm still waiting on NYU- Media, Culture & Communications, PhD. Other people have already posted acceptances, wait lists and rejections for the program, so I feel like I'm in a weird, limbo position. Guessing that probably means rejection, but we'll see...

These companies are getting sneakier and sneakier. I didn't need to fill out a FAFSA as an undergrad and didn't know much about it, but went to the free website and started filling out the information. I saved it with the intention of coming back later. The next day, I got an e-mail telling me to go back and finish my FAFSA as the deadline was approaching. The e-mail said "FAFSA" so I clicked on the link and went to the form. Some of my information seemed to be missing so I figured I didn't save it correctly, re-did those sections and went on and completed the form. Then, at the very end, it asked for my credit card information. Confused, I looked more closely at the website. It was FAFSA.COM. Realizing I had been directed to a paid site I felt both angry and stupid, but simply deleted my personal information and went to the free site and re-did the form. Like everyone else said, the FAFSA is easy to fill out and takes about 15 minutes. And I just have to say that sending those unsolicited e-mails to students and using company names that have 'FAFSA' in the name is rather sheisty. I know I'm about to be a Ph.D. student and should have been paying more attention, but still--- sheisty.

All of the schools I applied to said they would take my better score.

No, I haven't been given access to the admitted student protal yet. Do you have to accept the offer before they give you access? I'm trying to get all the information I can about the University, department and city BEFORE I decide which offer to accept (I'm also still waiting on new from a few schools).

Anyone else who applied to Northwestern Screen Cultures still not have a "View Decision" button on their page? I heard about the Interview Weekend and then about all of the rejections today, but I have not been included in either set. No news from the school and no "View Decision" button--- are others in my boat? Yes, I am fully aware that the result will likely be a rejection given that I was not invited to the Interview Weekend, but I don't like to give up hope until I have actually been notified.

I know-- that is why I was wondering if anyone has heard. Decisions are supposed to be announced at the end of February so if people have been notified that they are semi-finalists, then I know it's time to stop checking my e-mail.

Does anyone know anything about the cost of living in Minneapolis? Good areas to look in, how expensive housing is, etc? I do have a partner so we would be looking for a small house/condo to ourselves within 20 min. driving distance of the University. I'm still waiting to hear back from other schools, but there is a good chance I will accept my offer at Minnesota.

Anyone going to their Accepted Student Weekend March 29-31?

None of mine did. At my undergraduate University, none of the professors share those letters...I guess it is considered inappropriate. However, my professors each wrote me an e-mail after they submitted them and said something to the effect of "You better get in after the wonderful letter I wrote for you!" While I think it would be nice to know exactly what they wrote, I know it was good so I feel confident about the letters.

None of mine did. At my undergraduate University, none of the professors share those letters...I guess it is considered inappropriate. However, my professors each wrote me an e-mail after they submitted them and said something to the effect of "You better get in after the wonderful letter I wrote for you!" While I think it would be nice to know exactly what they wrote, I know it was good so I feel confident about the letters.

Anyone heard a decision from the Point Foundation yet?

If I were you nullsymbol, I'd be on the next flight to that school... I think it demonstrates to them your level of interest and, since you say you interview well, will give them a positive impression. I think it may make a big difference.

I got admitted to CSDS too.

This year I got accepted to a program that rejected me last year. Thus, re-applying and getting accepted is certianly possible! However, I think that it requires a "significant" change in your candidate profile. Just improving a GRE score or just more language experience probably won't make a difference. In my case, I significantly changed my SOP, published, and did work for a highly regarded professor in my field. My advice would be (if you don't get in this year) to spend the year doing something in your field that will really make you stand out. Apply to be a research assistant for a professor, try to write an article (or maybe publish a section of your thesis), get some unique job experience in a related field-- do something above just getting good grades in undergrad. If you're not sure what you should do, ask for some suggestions from your advisor.

If I were in your shoes, I would probably transfer. Michigan is a more highly ranked school, which would mean better job prospects in the future. Furthermore, I personally really like Ann Arbor, MI. If you prefer a more liberal environment (or simply a more friendly one), Ann Arbor will be a better fit for you than Orange County. If you're not happy at Irvine, you shouldn't stay there for however many more years of your PhD you have left. It's going to be a long ride! I know the prospect of re-doing coursework is daunting but, in the long run, I think you will be happy that you did it.

I got an e-mail today from the Financial Aid Office at one of the Universities I applied to... they gave me their school code and asked me to finish my FAFSA ASAP so they could "process" any possible Fellowships or Financial Aid. Does this mean that I will likely be accepted? I have not yet heard anything from the admissions committee regarding a decision. Thoughts? (Just in case anyone is wondering, I'm not being lax with the FAFSA...my W2 never came and I had to jump through hoops to track it down from my former job... just got it yesterday).