Gunner24

I didn't think you specifically sounded that way! I was sort of being facetious...I think it's hard to convey the subtlety of my humor attempt in simple text I think you will really enjoy the Austin community vibe...there's no need to be intimidated! You'll fit right in, and we are very welcoming. Part of being an Austinite is defying stereotypes. See ya there hopefully!

Make no mistake, Austin is still Texas, and Austinites are proud to be Texans. They're not trying to be cool wannabe New Yorkers or LA/San Fran hipsters. There is a uniquely Texas vibe to the feel of Austin. That said, yes-- they are much more in tune with what's going on in the country/world, have good taste, are tolerant, lots of diversity...."keeping Austin weird". Yes, it's an anomale for Texas, but the Austinites I know don't look down on the rest of Texas like arrogant, elitist NE folks. (you totally canNOT tell I'm from Texas Just my two cents! Best of luck and when it comes to cities to be able to live in while attending college, you're damn lucky if it's Austin.

Nothing reliable that I've found...and believe me I've looked ...there are so many schools, so many programs...that's a lot of info to aggregate. If you're zeroing in on a few schools, many have average stats for the past 3-5 years of applied/accepted/enrolled in each graduate school program.

Simon & Garfunkel - The 59th Street Bridge Song (aka, Feelin' Groovy )

how high

First- RELAX. You still have eleven to go! Don't psyche yourself out. You will more than likely get accepted to one of those. Second- I'm not saying this is you at all, I don't know your exact situation, but I see some people on here get devastated that they didn't get accepted to any of the schools they applied to- but they only applied to the absolute top-tier programs in their field. If this is what you (general "you" )really, really want to do, then maybe don't just apply to top-level national schools....consider the next tier or even a regional school. There are loads of successful people who didn't have to go to the top-notch-reputation school to succeed and be happy. Also, and many people in the northeast don't realize this (not you, of course), but the United States continues on west for quite a while! And there are many great schools in your field that you might have success with. If you really really want to stay in NY, or on the east, then......well, you can't always have your cake and eat it too. I'm not trying to be a wet blanket or negative...just trying to be a realist and provide a perspective that's hard to come by on these forums. Often others just tickle your ear. Either way I expect some might give you some different advice which is great. I'm sure you have what it takes to succeed and accomplish what you want. Best of luck to you!

First, congratulations on the offer! What a feather in your cap. It would crazy for you not to be freaking out and feeling unworthy, especially after the previous rejections. I can relate to an extent- I started as a community college transfer with an associates and a crappy GPA to go with it...fast-forward to now, I have received a fully funded offer + TA/RA from a top-tier national school. I'm kind of freaking out about the upcoming recruiting weekend with similar fears...that the current grad students or other admits will somehow automatically know that I'm nervous and call me out in front of everyone. I like the sharks circling in for the kill analogy. However, ultimately I'm going to have to just choose to be confident in my abilities and know that they chose me....and you will too!! You'll do great. Walking the anxiety gauntlet is a necessary rite of passage, I'm sure Best of luck!

A low cumulative won't necessarily preclude your acceptance anywhere, but the lower it is the more you will need to make up for it with other items in your application packet. For a national top-tier school, most - if not all - of the applicants have a high GPA to begin with, and many have high GRE scores as well. Then from there you have acceptances rates that are consistently in the single digits. That said, if you have a strong and clear research fit, LORs and statement of purpose, you could do just fine. Grad school admissions is much less of a numbers game than undergrad in the US. There are cases every year of applicants with less than stellar numbers who get accepted to top programs. You can find "stats" all over these forums from applicants in different fields so you can get an idea of where you need to be to have at least an outside chance. Best of luck!

super bad!

Well said! The banks would have you believe that's a good reason to use them over a credit union. And a credit union is not just a down-sized bank...it's actually owned and operated by it's members (like me..!). They are very different. And there is no set cost for ATM fees....they can range from $.50 to $3.00, depending on the ATMs owner (the bank, gas station, etc.)

It's not really true anymore that a lot of software isn't compatible with Mac. That used to be a problem, but SO many programs/software/____________ are Mac-compatible now, and even work better on Mac. Yes, the short-term cost is greater, but you are much more likely to not have to worry about having silly problems like a battery that won't last, crashing, freezing, whatever other issues computers have (I'm not a computer geek). Many people I know who have the time, savvy and skills to work on computers themselves prefer PC...but that's certainly not me, and certainly not many (if not most) other grad students.

Welcome. One of the big benefits of a big corporate bank is convenience- they have branches/ATMs in every city, which is nice for people who travel a lot. Chances are, as a grad student you'll be pretty much staying put, so I don't see a compelling reason to put up with all the crap they pull

Absolutely. There are no set rules for CVs, just some basic dos and don'ts...if it demonstrates your research/teaching ability, then you should include it. Just find a way to make it flow and look professional.

Into Thin Air - Kraukauer That Hideous Strength - Lewis

The general rule is two weeks notice minimum. If you can give a month, then great. Will it hurt you to have a 3 month gap on your resume? Not necessarily. Could it? Sure. There's no way to know how an HR person/adcom/_____________ will interpret that. My guess would be you will be fine, 2 months isn't that bad...just don't tell them you were "chilling back home"...I'm sure you can figure out a way to frame it to where it makes you look good

Adri, As the creator of this thread, are you able to change the title? This is great information, but there's no way that someone who's looking for info on Brown would know to click on something just titled, "Housing!" Generally in the City Guide it'll help if you just put the city and state. If you can't change it it's probably not a big deal, but for the future...! Good info!

Good assumption, Roccoriel. One follows the other- if you received a funding offer, that likely doesn't just mean you're 100% accepted, but that they REALLY want you! That said, wait for the official letter...if not just because you can You will probably feel better having been thorough. Congrats on the offer!

Can't know for sure unless you ask, but it probably means that they've sent offers to the first round of acceptances. They department may still be figuring out funding...I know another large state school in Colorado had delays with state funding so it had to wait later than usual to figure out admits/funding. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the valuable feedback, folks.

Both of these are extremely competitive acceptance rates. Obviously a 2% rate at Columbia is crazy and to be expected (it's Columbia...!), but 10% at LSU is fierce...neither are "easy"...for every school mentioned on here, competition is keen this year. I doubt that any one of these places have admit rates over 25%...at which the odds are definitely still against you! It seems every place has an oversupply of fully qualified candidates...yikes! Good luck to those who haven't heard from schools yet!

Credit union, credit union, credit union. The only way to go.

It wouldn't hurt to ask...but my assumption would be that if it doesn't mention covering travel expenses, then they're probably not planning on it...especially since you haven't even been officially accepted. But worst that could happen is they say "no, it's not in our budget". Who knows, maybe they like you enough to pay for you to go :)I'm jealous, I have to get myself to two recruiting weekends! Best of luck!

Well said, sir/ma'am/____ !

I also am weaker in the quantitative area. What helped me get a *much* better score than I expected was watching out for "trick" questions...if you can call them that. Just double- or triple-check your answers on quant, and make sure you don't fall for any traps. There were a few on my test, so be on the lookout. Best of luck.

I see. Yeah, that's not the best funding offer...I don't think your chances are great of getting a TAship at this point, as they were likely offered to other admitted applicants. But you never know- perhaps you can put in your ear that you would be seriously interested in a position, and then maybe if someone else declines a TAship, they'll think of you. Perhaps someone else has some first-hand experience with a scenario like yours.