Ennue

It's an adaptation of a big hit that you guys might recognize. (
) (warning: language!) I wish I could actually sing and make a video for this song, but I'm only the Uni OF Cee-Lo, not Cee-Lo himself. How unfortunate.

NOTE: this is not directed at any professor, student, or university. It's just a celebration of a great song and a way to cope with the painful application (i.e. rejection) process. Warning: language!


- - - -


Fuck You

CHORUS
I see you applyin' 'round town
With my POI and I'm like,
Fuck you!
ooo-ooo-OOO
I guess the grades on my transcript
Just weren't good enough
I'm like,
Fuck you!
And fuck him too!

I said, if my GPA were better, I might be admitted (ya)
Ha, now ain't that some shit? (ain't that some shit?)
And although there's pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a...
Fuck you!
ooo-ooo-OOO!

VERSE
Yeah I'm sorry, I can't get cum laude,
But that don't mean I can't publish there.
I guess he's an XBox, and I'm more Atari,
But the way you play your game ain't fair.

I picture the foooo-oooool that applies to work with you
(oh shit he's a mean professor)
Well
(just thought you should know, loser)
Ooooo-oooooh
I've got some news for you
Yeah, go run off to your big shot conference

(CHORUS)

Now I know, that I had to study,
To deal with that grad school itch
Trying to sway ya, trying to persuade ya.
'Cause applyin' to yo' program ain't a cinch.

I pity the foooo-ooool that applies to work with you
(oh shit he's a mean professor)
Well
(just thought you should know, loser)
Ooooo-oooooo---ooooh
I've got some news for you
I really hate yo ass right now!

(CHORUS)

Now proffy, proffy, proffy, why d'ya wanna wanna reject me so bad?
(so bad, so bad, so bad)

I tried to tell my advisor but he told me
"this is one for your dad"
(your dad, your dad, your dad)
Uh!
Whhhy?
Uh!
Whhhhyyy?
Uh!
WHHHHYYYY PI?
Oh! I love your research oh!
I still love your research. OOOOOOHHH!

I see you applyin' 'round town
With my POI and I'm like,
Fuck you!
ooo-ooo-OOO
I guess the grades on my transcript
Just weren't good enough
I'm like,
Fuck you!
And fuck him too!

I said, if my GPA were better, I might be admitted (ya)
Ha, now ain't that some shit? (ain't that some shit?)
And although there's pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a...
Fuck you!

ooo-ooo-OOO!

Admissions is definitely a complicated dance, because there are so many players and things can change slowly or quickly. The first hump applicants need to wait for is the processing of their materials. Most everyone puts off actually submitting their materials until the DAY of the deadline, which can sometimes double or triple the workload of the office for processing these.

Then, as you've described, the first tier people are identified and go through interviews and perhaps receive offers. These accepted individuals will most likely wait until close to April 15 to decide, which leaves those in the second tier doing their own thing while HOPEFULLY the school is letting them know where they stand. An offer can be made after April 15, and usually it's for someone who didn't get in anywhere [that they liked?] or maybe only applied to the one school.

Some programs send out more offers in the first round, with the thought that a portion will accept (such as make 40 offers when you're hoping for 30). In this case, there may not be a second tier if they've already over-offered.

It's not a smooth process, that's for sure!

Um - can we keep this thread on topic? If you wish to discuss the merits of stat vs. intangibles-driven admissions, and its implications for less-privileged applicants, please feel free to start another thread. Thank you.

Well everyone who comes to the US as a foreign student would be starting with no credit. There are ways to build up credit...I think some stores will allow you to buy furniture or other goods on hire purchase and once you make your payments on time, you will start to build up good credit. You can try to get utility bills in your name, if you pay on time that will add to your credit rating. You should try to open a bank account and try to get a secured credit card - that way you cant spend more on your card than you've already put in the bank, so it's easier to get than a regular credit card. Pay the bills on time and it adds to your credit rating.

It sucks really that credit is so important in America, but that's just the way it is. Just don't bite off more than you can handle and you'll be alright.

Ha, ha, ha :-)




Well, for cheap international calls our best friend is Skype. I use it to talk to my family. If they are connected to Skype, it's free. If they are not (or if I'm calling someone that doesn't have Skype) it's 3 cents/min. I think (my calls are to Spain).
As for contracts, well, it depends on your needs. I use prepaid for two reasons: first, I don't spend enough so that the contract is worth it; secondly, I don't have credit history in the US (yet) so I had to leave a deposit of $500. Since I had to pay rent, food, books, some tuition, etc. I decided not to do it and keep my prepaid card.

The first thing to do is get your visa. Your school should send you visa forms depending on the kind of visa that you'll get (an I-20 form for an F-1 visa, or a DS-2019 form for a J-1 visa). Your I-20 will contain your SEVIS number, which you need to schedule an interview at the US embassy in your country. There are other forms you need to fill out which may change from country to country, so you should read the requirements on the US embassy website for your country. If I remember correctly you need to fill out a visa application - DS-156, DS-158, in some cases also DS-157 and/or DS-160 - and to have visa-approved photos (the website will have instructions on that). You also need to pay the SEVIS fee and the visa application fee and bring the receipts with you to the interview. In the interview you'll need to prove that you have enough funding to support yourself while in the US; your school will send you documents detailing how much support you will from them, and they will tell you if you need to provide bank statements for any additional funds.

After you have the visa, you can use it to enter the US up to 30 days before your program begins (according to the date on your I-20). There are several ways to find a place to live - some people sign up for dorms. Others find a short summer sublet or live at a cheap motel and search once they get to their new city. Sometimes you can find an acquaintance or current student who will host you while you search. It's possible, but not recommended *at all*, to find a place from afar; if you try that, you should at least have someone you trust see the place in person for you and send you pictures. you should not sign a lease for a place sight unseen. Home owners in university towns are versed in renting to international students so it's not too hard to find a place that doesn't require a credit history, though some options may be limited and you may be required to pay higher down payments than others. Apartments in the US (unlike dorms) usually come unfurnished, so you'll also need to buy furniture. You can rent a U-Haul and drive to the nearest ikea or find used stuff on craigslist. There may be other local options that you should ask students in your department about.

Opening a bank account it easy. Some schools have credit unions that are very good at catering to the needs of students and will know how to handle an application from a foreign student. Large banks like Bank of America and others will also know what to do. You should ask about branch availability near your university; current students will be able to give you good recommendations. Once you have an account, get checks and a debit card. You should learn about how American credit cards work before you get one.

For utilities, phone, internet, etc - you can do all that without a SSN, but you may be required to pay a large down payment.

You issue an international driver's license in your home country, if I am not mistaken. However, I'm not sure you necessarily need one. Check out the agreements between your country and the US - in some cases your license from home will suffice. You should get a local US license once you move. States differ in how long they allow you to drive with your foreign license, you should find out the specific rules for your case. It can be anything from 10 days to 3 months or more. You'll have to retake the theory exam, get a driving permit and take a practical exam. You do all that at your local DMV. You may need a SSN, or a waiver if you can't get a SSN, to start this process. You should be able to find all the details on the DMV website.

Hi All
I'm new here but I've read some threads in this forum. I'm so sorry for bypassing. I got accepted into MMEF program in Pantheon-Sorbonne, as well as Master of Finance in the Australian National University.

Just wondering if any of them is a better option if my goal in the long run is to do a phd in LSE or top 20 US (I'm thinking Berkeley, Carnegie-Mellon, or even MIT )

My profile:

Undergrad: IIA (2nd Upper Class) Honours in Mathematics
Undergrad GPA: 3.3.
Teaching experience: Tutor for calculus I and II, and Stats I
Research experience: Undergrad Honours Thesis monte carlo/parameterisation of Stochastic Differential Equations, summer research scholarship under school of maths (pseudo-random number generator)
Advanced (PhD/Hons) Courses taken in Undergrad: Advanced Analysis and PDE, Financial Calculus, Algebraic Methods in Mathematical Physics, Advanced Probability and Stochastic Processes, Complex and Functional analysis, Coding and Cryptography, Advanced Experimental Design

GRE is yet to come

Hello Zouzax,
I see you're from Turkey. I'm from the Netherlands and I've been looking at grants for doing a PhD in the USA for myself, but I've also seen some grants from students coming to the Netherlands. Most of them are for students from either Europe or developing countries, though.
You could try the Huygens scholarship, but the application for fall 2011 was this February: http://www.nuffic.nl/international-students/scholarships/scholarships-administered-by-nuffic/huygens-scholarship-programme
I'm not sure about this one, but you could take a look: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus_mundus/results_compendia/selected_projects_action_1_master_courses_en.php
The most useful resource is this website: http://www.grantfinder.nl/content/index.asp It lets you search pretty much all grants that exist in the Netherlands, filtering based on some basic information (country of origin, etc.).
I hope this helps!

In the Netherlands, getting a PhD is more like a job than like being a student. So there is less focus on the learning aspect than in the USA - but you do usually take a few classes. A major upside is that you're paid a salary. I'm not sure how that works for international students though (although I know that many of the people getting a PhD in the Netherlands are international). As far as I can tell, you get more responsibility as a Dutch PhD student and you are kind of treated as an American post-doc.
In my field, as far as I can tell, getting a foreign PhD is not academic suicide if you want to work in the Netherlands - however, that's not because an American PhD is seen as particularly prestigious, but because getting international experience and broadening your horizons is seen as a positive thing.

Good luck to both of you on your decisions!

I think you're best resource might be the university you will be attending! My small college offered a lot of resources for undergrads when it came to banks and the like. They even had a deal with a local credit union (like a free savings account when you open a checking one).

As for my experiences with banks, I am with a federal credit union for state employees (through my mom). They've been nothing but helpful when I've had problems arise. My boyfriend has had serious problems with his national bank and recently switched to a new one.

Definitely do research. Some banks will offer accounts without fees if you deposit a certain amount at once. But like I said at first, ask around at your university or attend a merchant/vendors fair during orientation.

my experience with US banks has been very good so far. am an int'l student, and opened my bank account within a week of arriving at my university. my university is pretty big, so it has a bank-branch inside campus area. i am sure most big schools do. opening the accounts (checking, savings) was free, and most if not all banks will charge you nothing for opening bank accounts. also, i don't think most banks charge you for getting new check books, but each bank might have its own sets of rules, and you might want to double check. most banks also have online resources, so e-managing money should help you save time, commute to the bank, etc. i never have had any credit-related problems (such as bank card theft, loss, overdraft, bounced checks, etc), so i can't speak from that angle. but whenever i needed a bank card replacement for whatever reason, the service has been great. and most american banks are good about issues related with customer relations. i have found most banks to be very cordial and helpful whenever needed. but other people here might have different opinion.

while choosing bank, it is important to choose one with many branches. wells fargo is mostly in the western and midwest parts of the US, US bank is almost everywhere but the number of branches is little sparse in out-of-the-way states, bank of america is another good one with a good spreadout frequency. chase bank is also gaining momentum lately. and there are more, which i can't remember. you can withdraw cash from atm of any bank, using your bank's card, but there is a nominal fee (around 3-5$ per transaction i believe).

hope this helps!

A friend of mine did this for exactly the same reason and the university (Purdue) allowed him to defer.

In my opinion, this is a very reasonable request especially if your offer is not funded and the university will almost surely allow you to do it.

I suggest you ask if you can defer your admission for one year based on financial reasons...let them know you are still very interested in the course but would rather earn some more money before commencing so that you can focus on your work when you do start rather than stressing out about money issues.

Don't knock the liberal arts schools. I went to one for my undergrad and I am just fine as far as my education goes. I think I might have a bit of an advantage because a lot more was expected out of us there. We were expected to write professionally and produce high quality work, even if it is a simple assignment for a class. Now that I am in grad school at a large university and I am a TA, I am often shocked at how little effort a lot of the undergrads put into their work (and this is an upper level course). That would not have been tolerated at my school.

I've done very extensive but informal research on this subject (the scoring algorithm of the computer adaptive test), using the two ETS-supplied Poweprep (OLD) tests, together with lists of the right and wrong answers. I've experimented, deliberately answering a question or two wrong, then answering every succeeding question right, just to see what happens.

The short answer to all of this is: to get an 800 (or high 700s) on both Verbal and Quantitative, respectively, you must
EITHER:
(1) answer all of the first 20 questions correctly, then make no more than two or three mistakes in questions 21-end (30 or 28, respectively)
OR
(2) if you make even one mistake in the first eight questions or so, you must answer all succeeding questions correctly to score above about 720.

Also,
(1) answering all questions randomly yeilds a score in the low 300s at best
(2) answering the first 15 or so questions correctly, plus totally random guesses for the remaining questions yeilds scores in the low 600 range
(3) if you make more than one mistake in the first five questions, it is next-to-impossible to score above 750

All of this is with the OLD POWERPREP program, and of course, ETS has probably improved their scoring algorithm, such that it's not possible any longer to take tons of time on the first 15-20 questions, then rapid-fire guess at the rest.

Hope this helps.
John

Agreed with the previous posts. Although the test doesn't explicitly penalize you for answering wrong, the difficulty of the next question will drop.

I've been told the best strategy is to really focus on getting the first 5 to 10 correct, because they determine the majority of your score, say 400 vs. 700. After that it finds the ten point interval you fit in. So 750 vs 780.

It's always best to never leave a question unanswered. If you're running out of time and have many questions left, it's best to intelligently guess the most likely answer to make sure you answer all question.

I can't speak for the new versions, but the old ones worked like this:

they start you out at a 500 point (average) score, and give you a question. If you get it right, you go up 200 points, and get a 700 point question. If you get it wrong, you go down 200 points and get a 300 point question. The point swings slowly drop (200, to 150, to 100, to 50, etc), zeroing in on the "point range" where you can consistently answer questions.

For each question you get right, you move up in difficulty, for each question you get wrong you move down in difficulty. The highest level question you can consistently answer correctly determines your score (hence the adaptive part).

The earlier questions have a much larger impact on your score- if you get the first question right and the second one wrong, you would be sitting at around a 600, whereas if you get the first question wrong and the second right you'd be sitting at around a 400. You're better off spending the time on the earlier questions as opposed to the later questions. You can still end up with a high score getting the first question wrong, it just takes much longer strings of consecutive answers.

The point values/question numbers here are approximate- they don't release exactly how the algorithm works, but they give you a general idea. It's not a test like the ACT or SAT where there are sliding scales for questions answered right/wrong and scores- it relates to the difficulty of questions you answer correctly- each question has a score value attached as relates to its difficulty level.

It also lets you feel how your performance is going... If you're getting lots of hard questions (or the questions seem to be getting harder) that's a good thing! And usually, getting the easy questions right is more important than getting the really hard ones right.

The CURRENT (the test chances Aug 1st!) test on a computer is adaptive. That means it adjusts the level of difficulty as you continue the test and considers difficulty of the questions in the score. This means that if two people get the same number of questions right, their score will be different because the computer adapts to their skill levels. So working for a while on a harder question might be to your advantage because it can be worth more points, but it is probably best to not worry about it. There is no meter telling you what level difficulty the question is. Focus your energy on doing your best on each question, not the difficulty of the questions.

Also, unlike the SAT, the GRE does not penalize for wrong anwsers so guessing is to your advantage. If you can rule anything out, then take a guess.

The ets website specifies that you can take it once per calender month, which implies for example anytime in Jan and anytime in Feb, however, you can only take it 5 times in a 12-month period.

I believe the first 10-15 or so questions hold the most point value then all the questions following those tweak your score to a smaller degree. As just a rough example it would be something like, the first 10-15 questions determine what 'hundred' you are at and the following questions will determine what 'ten' you are (this is obviously not accurate since you can't get 1500 on one section, but just an example of the different level of points).

I'm not 100% sure how wrong answers work, other than it drops you down in the 'hardness' of questions. The easier the question, the less points it is worth. So essentially, if you get a lot wrong in a row, you will be getting a lower score since the question you do get right would be worth way less points.

I've heard people say that you should spend extra time on the first questions which are worth the higher point value and then less time on the later questions (if you run into trouble solving). I ran out of time on the quantitative all together, but I'd say I spent equal time on everything for the questions I actually did complete. I only took the GRE once, but I think if I were to take it again my pacing would improve. If you are taking the practice exams, make sure you work on pacing.

I remember asking the guy at the testing center about the dates you can retake, since I took my exam at the very end of the month and he said it was once every calendar month and then said I could basically take it the next week. So to me that is you could take it July 25 and take it again Aug 1st. I'd double check on that though because the guy at ETS that I asked didn't seem too confident in his answer!

You may be able to make it cheaper by baking it into two parts. Amsterdam to NYC can be fairly cheap, whether one-way or open return. And one-way from NY to Minneapolis can be very cheap .
Besides NYC, you can also look at Chicago.

Ha, I've been thinking about that lately!
I am going to buy a return ticket and then not use it. I am afraid that buying an open return ticket may be more expensive that a regular return ticket and even without that I will pay plenty for my trip! And using the return ticket is also not an option. I want to go back home next summer (2012, I mean) and I can't buy a ticket for this time just yet...

First, how much $ or euros are we talking here?
Also, try this - fly to Frankfurt first. I remember paying about 20 euros for this flight about 2 years ago. Then get tickets from big/cheap airlines that fly regularly from Frankfurt to the US. Few that come to my mind are Air India, Cathay Pacific, Delta, American Airlines and such. If flying directly to Minneapolis is expensive, choose other airports as your port of entry and then get another plane to take you to Minneapolis. Seattle, Denver, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Los Angeles, New York, etc all can be good options. I think I paid about 500$ to fly from Frankfurt to Denver in June (can't remember the airlines). Just keep looking.. you'll get a good deal.

Are you never planning to go back to the Netherlands? Because you can use a lot of return tickets within a year. If not than still you can buy a return ticket, no one will look for you and drag you to the airplane, and there will be no questions when you get the visa (you could still return to visit!) . I did lose a few return flights during my long career as an international student.

Are you planning to visit Netherlands regularly (like twice a year)? If so maybe you can buy an open return ticket. Some airlines allow you to do that.

BTW - I noticed that you're from Utrecht. I'm visiting Amsterdam this April with my family. Is Utrecht worth visiting? We'd like to see Dick bruna huis.

Hey Kathiza! Like other issues on Grad Cafe I think this is an issue with fields. For the sciences I think it's considered very lucky if you get out in 4 years! Generally I have heard 4-6 years. A lot of funding packages are 4-5 years...I am crossing my fingers I am done in 5!
My mom last night was talking and it turned out she thought my PhD was only going to be 2 years! 2 years!!!! Not a Masters, a PhD!! I had to correct her and at first she did not believe me...like why would I lie. Anyways, I think they are longer in the US because of more coursework in the beginning. There is also the qualifying exam you need to pass too after the 2nd year....