michpc

speaking of which...anyone doing anything fun? I'm not really, but I am planning to do some Irish cooking...stew and boxty (Irish potato pancakes, which is a little sacrilegious for me since I'm 50% Polish, but I'll give it a try anyway!) And some Guinness of course.

i think I'm going to feel shell shocked too as soon I as I send in that deposit. But in the meantime, I'm jealous, because I currently have NO clue and about a two weeks to figure it out!

side stitch

walking dead

i've had some not so great roommate experiences, but look at it this way (well except the complete maniac part! ha!): you'll have your own room, and you're a grad student, so you can spend half your life in the library, and the other half in your room and hardly ever seen each other. it's not ideal, but it's not forever, and maybe after the first year you'll meet some other students interested in getting an apartment together.

Most leases are one year, but occasionally you can find shorter ones if you do some work; or you may be able to get a landlord to agree to one. I'm not sure what the previous poster meant but contract, but i'm thinking lease. Yes, even if you move in with roommates to fill a person's spot that is leaving, you want a signed lease. Also, make sure to check out tenant-landlord laws in the state you'll be moving to. You'd be surprised how many rights tenants have regarding things like heat, standard of repair, and when deposits need to be returned. Never let a landlord or roommate take advantage of you!

I can take a stab at this...I love it here, so I'm happy to sell the city I'll soon be leaving, unfortunately! From a cursory look, it does seem like Cleveland Park/Woodley Park have similarities to Cambridge. I'm not sure how long you're planning to be here, but with a 1 year old, I'm guessing schools aren't a major factor since you're renting. I'm not sure that Cambridge and Somerville have terribly good public schools, which is why I mention that. From experience, because Somerville is a bit cheaper than most parts of Cambridge, the spots near subway stops at least tend be mostly young professionals. I've found there seem to be more kids in Cambridge. The immediate Harvard Square area is beautiful and pretty quiet (despite having several large apartment buildings near the 4 unit I live in, we've never had any noise issues). It doesn't come cheap though; my tiny (630 sq ft) 2 bedroom goes for $1600, so it's generally more than that if you want a decent amount of space, which i'm sure you do with a 1 year old. The area called Agassiz, between Harvard and Porter Squares is also very nice...mostly single and multi-family homes mixed in with some Harvard and Lesley University properties. Other options to consider, which are probably a little less expensive, are Huron Village, which is a little bit farther off form Harvard Square and not quite walking distance; East Arlington/Arlington, anywhere off Mass Ave, where you can catch the 77 bus to the square; there is also the east Belmont, Watertown, and outskirts of Cambridge area, near Fresh Pond and Alewife subway station. Fresh Pond is the water source for Cambridge and also parkland, and it's also near the Minuteman Bike Path, so plenty of family-friendly recreation to be had, plus shopping like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. Cambridge is pretty bike friendly, in my experience, with a fair number of bike lanes, TONS of other bikers, and great bike shops (I'm partial to Ace Wheelworks in Somerville). I'd totally recommend biking to school if you're not walking distance when it's nice out (or when it's not if you're hardcore, unlike myself!) Sorry, I don't have experience with Harvard Real Estate Service, since I'm not a student. Boston.com real estate section also has some rental listings, which are apt to last a little longer than Craigslist since it's not as popular. In my experience, well priced and good quality units go fast. Good luck and feel free to ask me other questions!

Tell me about it!! and congrats on Columbia!

Agreed with the previous poster. Separate GPAs, and if they are relevant to your field of interest, I think they can be extremely helpful. I had a fairly low undergrad GPA and my work experience was in a field totally unrelated to either undergrad or what I want to do. However, I took courses in my intended field while working and did really well in them. I've done much better than I could have ever expected on acceptances, and I can't help but think that being able to list those courses/grades on my applications was a great help.

Happy to help first time renters. I have more experience than I wish I did!

urban renewal

Congrats!! So happy for you!

update: they let me in after all, even though I'd seen other acceptances on here via email almost a week earlier! Didn't expect that!

business card

confession: I've totally been avoiding the subject of "so, uh, are you going to move with me or not?" If I'm being completely honest, I think the move would benefit him as well...he has a good job, but it pays really poorly, and I think he can do better. Plus, his family all lives in the same area they all grew up in, mom has never lived outside a 1M radius of where she is now, etc. I think it would be a good experience for him to really live somewhere else that's not an hour and a half away from home (I don't count college, since we all moved back for summers, winter break, etc.). blah!

Without reading the other responses, I think this depends very much on your program and school. My sister is in her first year of an Art History phD and was told by the program director that the students should dress business casual as they are representatives of the University. Now, in the preservation classes I took at BU, coming straight from work I was probably the only person dressed business casual. And of course, if we're out on a site visit, everyone's going to be in jeans! Likewise, I'd think that jeans would probably be a better choice in a lab as they're not synthetic and are a thicker than most sweatpants. just my 2c.

I see someone got notification from Oregon today, congrats if it's one of you on here! Still no word for me, but if the person who received theirs is in Oregon, that makes sense! Really hoping to hear from the rest of mine this week.

space case

white trash

chocolate milk

Well, regarding this actual article, I would never sell something worth much money on Craigslist. As for apartment hunting? I've used it several times and never had a problem. If you're especially nervous, it's a good idea to bring a friend, sibling, or parent along. It's good to have an extra set of eyes when apartment hunting anyway.

hot mess

I haven't made or really looked at any brackets yet, but Syracuse is my undergrad alma mater, and I was there when they won the national championship in 2003, so in short, GO 'CUSE!

Speaking of SCAD, one of the reasons I didn't apply there was because when I requested information, I just got a generic grad program booklet. It made me feel better when schools sent program-specific information and/or a letter from the program director, rather than just mass mailings sent out from a main admissions office. I think Savannah would be a cool place to learn in, but that threw up at least an orange flag for me.

same.