Piparoo

We were able to find a nice rental house for $650 so thanks all for the info. We did notice that it seems like March was when a lot of these places were being rented so we were glad we looked when we did. Congrats Lethal on doing the MBA, we may have some stats classes together!

Okay, so now that I've accepted my offer from Alabama, I have some obsessing to do about the move for the next few months I'm wondering what is the best time to secure your rental for the fall. We were thinking of heading to T-town in a few weeks and seeing if we couldn't get a lease signed now to move in Aug 1. Anyone else going to Alabama in the fall?

My 2 cents. Go with School X regardless. It's where you need to be to pursue your research interests. Explore other funding options, grants, scholarships *cough* loans if you have to. taking a roll of the dice on a program that might not be the right fit just for a more generous stipend/fellowship whatever is a recipe for trouble. I have a wife and child by the way and will be starting my PhD in August so I understand the importance of this decision. Good Luck!

I'm in a similar situation. I'll be starting my PhD program in August. I have a position of leadership with my current employer and am trying to decide when to notify them. My predecessor gave 6 months notice, but she was retiring. The job will take quite a while to find a replacement because of its specialized nature and because of organizational bureaucracy, maybe 3-6 months. I'd like to give them advance notice of several months but I have a family and don't want to jeopardize our financial situation. Any advice?

The Matrix comics. Good stuff to stop head spinning about admits.

Can anyone elaborate more on the housing situation. I would be starting grad school in the fall with a wife and small daughter. We'd like to rent a house if possible and in a safe area. Can anyone say a bit more about what areas may be safer and offer house rentals and what to expect in terms of rent $$?