jonpkduq

I was at both open houses. Definitely was impressed with Georgetown...they definitely seemed to be trying to woo admits with their 'star power'. It's really great that people like EJ Dionne and Paul Begala teach there. I really enjoyed the little talk Dionne gave. I had to miss the second half of the open house due to GWU's starting at 5:00pm. I'd be interested to hear what you thought of the mock classes, and the rest of the activites. I was also generally more impressed with the admits at GT than at GWU, but that may just have been a result of GWU having two open houses that weekend. That said, GWU did a great job in terms of having the faculty available to the students. Their day started off with a mix and mingle, and several of the key faculty were there, and all very willing to engage. Their career services guy is impressive, and they had an alumni panel that was pretty informative. I got a sense that it's a pretty collegial atmosphere there. In the end, I was going to both to see if there was anything about GT that would justify 50-60k in debt (I have full funding at GWU, compared to only 10k at GT). So GT needed to make a REALLY strong impression. It seems like a great program, and if the funding weren't an issue I would probably choose GT. If you have any specific questions about the GWU day, I'm happy to give them a go.

Hilarious! And much needed.

In with 21k...glad to finally hear from them. Wish I got the same love as the first two admits in this thread though!

I received funding information from gwu and cmu, but both at later dates. American said that funding information will be made by mid-march...aka, now. Still haven't heard anything from them yet.

I believe it was the 5th of Feb when I received the email from GWU. American was maybe a week or so later via snail mail...the only snail mail I've received other than CMU. But seeing as how I live 5 minutes down the street from them, I was not expecting as much of a delay . I received notice from CMU on the 27th. Hope this helps!

ditto on the above...got my notice today after zilch on Friday. 10k also. have to say I was hoping for better since it's one of the pricier schools and in an expensive town, but maybe they have separate funding through assitanceships/work study programs on top of the scholarships. Anyway, seems like the notices are coming out sporadically, so I doubt anyone is out of the running yet.

Yeah, ditto. Mine says 3/15 as well. I'm guessing it isn't a typo. I'm pretty sure I won't be ready to make a decision by then.

Yep, just heard on the 11th via email.

Is anyone aware of repayment plans through the federal gov? I seem to remember reading somewhere that employees were eligible for something like 10k a year in loan repayments, up to 50k total. For the life of me I haven't been able to find that information again, and I'm starting to worry that I somehow imagined it. If it were true, and one wanted to work in the federal gov, I'd have less qualms about taking out the loans to go to a strong program. The link posted at the beginning of this thread had some good info. It sounds like if you qualify, you basically get a much lower monthly payment (therefore you don't pay off the total in ten years, like you might otherwise) and after ten years the rest is forgiven. Did I read that correctly?

I second this sentiment. Especially if one is planning to pursue a PhD. What are people's thoughts on going to a lesser-known school that provides more funding vs. going to a well-known school with no funding, if the end goal is to pursue a PhD?

I selected research. I've been doing research for 2.5 yrs at a University since I graduated. However, also spent 3 months volunteering on organic farms in Ireland. Shastika, were you in the WWOOF program too??

Public transit is mostly fine for the area around CMU and for the neighborhoods nearby. I use it everyday. I don't trust it in the evenings however. You know, when it's late enough that one bus is supposed to come every hour? Sometimes that doesn't happen. So, I would say it's functional, but not nearly as good as other large cities that I've been to.

Not to butt in, but as a Pittsburgher I can comment on living here. Here are some thoughts, in no particular order: 1.) Incredibly affordable/cheap to live here. I shared a whole house for <$350/mo for three years. I am scared to move to another city because I have been so spoiled here. At the same time, ready to move . 2.) Pgh gets a bad rap, but does have great amenities no matter what your interests are. Great opportunities for sports (watching and playing), art, theater, museums, etc. And Pitt's Cathedral of Learning is probably one of the coolest buildings in the world. 3.) My one main complaint is that the city isn't as progressive as others...but it's trying. 4.) We have some great parks/green space here...if you're into that kind of thing. 5.) Lots of young, educated types...again, if you're into that kinda thing. 6.) Finally, Pittsburghese (the native language) is fun both to learn and experience.

Yeah, I wish they were clearer about this. My anxiety is starting to shift toward funding since the schools I've heard from have said those determinations are made at a later date, but have not provided any kind of time frame. And I agree with udf65 re: early notice equaling aid...wishful thinking for sure.