LeftField
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Posts posted by LeftField
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Yeah, I still haven't gotten any info from the school. My landlord wants me out at the end of June, so I'll be moving up there July 1. I'm looking at the Germantown area for public transportation and being centrally located so my SO won't have too much of a commute once he gets a job. I'm getting antsy about not having info ... I feel like I should be registering for classes by now!
Any plans on when you are going to start looking for housing in Philly? I am not sure how early I should go up/sign a lease. I don't even really know when classes start. I am assuming they start the same time as the undergrads on the academic calendar online, but I still haven't received very much in the way of information from Temple.
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Yeah, me too! I've been in Charleston, SC for the past few years, so the descriptions of the scary area around Temple and the cost of living aren't a change for me, but it's a huge city! Right now everythings pending on my S.O. getting a job. Wherever that is will determine where we go. I've heard Germantown is a nice, safe, suburb with good access to the campus. I'm aiming for there or Old City/University City if it's possible. Where are you looking at?
I"ll be at Temple come Fall. Pursuing a degree in Pharmacology, and getting nervous about trying to figure out where the heck I'm going to live.
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I'm going to be in Temple's Religion Dept. Anyone else heading that way? What will you be studying?
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All the places I mentioned (Umstead, Lake Johnson, Falls Lake) have hiking/biking trails. Lake Johnson is a short trail, 3 miles, but close to campus if you just need to get out. Umstead's trail is 7 miles I think. The Falls Lake trails are part of the Raleigh greenways, and just the small part of them I've been on was over 7 miles. If you're into hiking and camping, there's the Appalachian Trail, but while I'm sure there's trails with camping closer than that, I just don't know them.
WoW, thank you guys for your tips. There is another thing that I really want to know about Raleigh and the surrounding area. Setting bars, museums and cultural places aside, I am really into hiking and bicycle riding. Does Raleigh offer some natural and beautiful places to do these kind of stuff??
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yup, that's exactly how I'm feeling. I'm going to make a campus visit up to my school next week. maybe being there will make me feel better about it!
I am in a similar situation, almost. All schools that I would love to attend without a second thought have rejected me. *sigh* now I am waiting for the other two that I have applied with not so much enthusiasm. After the rejections, I cannot stop but think what to do if one of them accepts me. I like the curriculum of the programs, schools are fine but there is not a faculty whose research is exactly fitting my interests. CMU and UCSD were such perfect fits for me that I am still unhappy to be rejected after more than a week's time passed and my mind is still stuck there.
If by any chance one of them accepts me, I am not so sure that I want to attend. this process is painful, reapplying may be a madness but on the other hand, with a stronger application I may have the chance to go to better schools, my dream school. I know that my profile will be better when I graduate even if I don't do any extra work; it is highly likely that I will be graduating with two publications. with a masters or voluteering in a lab for a year, I can make it even better.
ahhh, my brain is gonna explode from over-thinking... am I being so mad to think like this??
edit: damn!!! just after finishing this post, I have read my rejection letter from Brown. now I am waiting only from my back-up. *hits head to the desk to open a big hole*
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One of the schools I'm deciding on is Temple. Is anyone out there a student there that would be willing to share their experience with the program? Or if not, what's the general impression of the quality of their religion department? I'm coming in from out of field, so I'm winging this
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Out of all I applied for, I've been accepted at my backup school, and I'm waitlisted at another school I like much better with little or no hope of getting in (pessimistic, I know). At first, I was excited that I got in anywhere. Now, I'm not so sure. With my pessimism rampant, I'm afraid that my acceptance at the backup school is a sign that they're an awful program and that going there will ruin my career. But I also don't want to wait another year and reapply on the off chance that I'll magically get in somewhere else next time. Anyone else dealing with backup school heebee jeebies? How are you dealing with it?
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Money and waitlisting are hampering my movement at this point. I've been accepted to Temple, which is ok, but without funding. I'm waitlisted at Syracuse, and I'd really rather go there, especially if there's a possibility of ANY funding whatsoever. But waiting on them is killing me. I want to wait for Syracuse, because if they say yes I'm going there. But if they say no and I end up at Temple, I need to be hunting for scholarships and grants yesterday! bah.
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It would be painful, in my opinion. You'd be looking at Burlington, which on a good day with the wind at your back is 50 min from each. But the traffic in Greensboro (on the WS side) and in RTP (on the Raleigh side) is hateful. During high traffic times you'd both be looking at a 1 1/2 hr commute each way.
I'm considering going to NCSU, and my partner has been offered a job in Winston-Salem. Can anyone comment on how feasible it would be to live in the middle and each commute? Anyone know of good areas to live that might work for both of us?
Thanks!
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Ok, true story. Applied to 7 schools and had 5 rejections at that point. I had totally given up hope and was already making plans to talk to my boss about staying on for another year. On top of all the stress of the rejections, my doctor had decided that a funny looking bump needed to be removed, so after work I went for the procedure and came home with stitches in a place that made it difficult to sit. So I'm freaked out about stitches (I'm a pansy) and worried about the labwork (it was either nothing, or melanoma, fun choices!) and when I walk in the door my husband hands me a skinny envelope from Temple. I was so emotionally exhausted I nearly threw it in the trash unread. Thankfully, I opened it anyways and had to read the first sentence 3 times before it clicked. I laughed for 5 minutes at the irony and then cried for 15 from all the stress lifting. And the bump turned out to be nothing.
- psycholinguist, ondrejba, psi456 and 1 other
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I did the transition when I moved to Philly from Richmond, VA for college four years ago. When I decided to head Nawth, I didn't own a winter coat, hat, or shovel. YOU WILL NEED ALL THESE THINGS. It has snowed like you wouldn't believe in the last two years; if you're bringing a car, you should especially consider things like 4WD or snow tires, neither of which my car has. It's not going to be as much of an issue as if, say, you were in the mountains of Vermont or something, but I was completely incapacitated during the most recent snowstorm because my car simply couldn't handle it.
As far as clothes go, layering is the thing to master. That, and snow pants. My mom bought me snow pants, and they're the best thing I've ever owned. Philly is notorious for its wind tunnels because of all the buildings, so biking/walking to class in the winter can be absolutely hellish. The wind cuts through your clothes like they're not even there. Snow pants will solve many of your problems. Your friends from up there might laugh at you---I don't care! All my pride disappears when it gets cold. Good luck! Personally, I wouldn't mind if I never see snow again.
Excellent, thanks all for the ideas!
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I went to NCSU for my undergrad and grew up in the sticks north of Raleigh. The campus is great, but the on campus housing was pretty scary when I was there. They've done a bunch of construction since then, including oncampus apartments, so the newer stuff could be good. There are a lot of apartments and houses for rent, especially south of the campus along Avent Ferry road. The further you go from campus, the nicer they get. I lived near Lake Johnson Park, about a mile from campus and it was lovely. Great park with a walking path about a mile from campus. If you are willing to live farther from campus, Cary is a very nice area, quite family friendly.
For entertainment, it really depends on what you're into. There's great cultural stuff on campus and in downtown Raleigh, and even more if you're willing to head to Duke or UNC (20 and 40 minutes away, respectively). There's a First Friday of the month Art Walk in downtown, and lots of nice restaurants and museums. If you're a nerd like me, I recommend a visit to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. It's a kids museum, but lots of fun. If you're into outdoorsy stuff, the area is dotted with lakes and parks. Check out Falls Lake, Kerr Lake, and Umstead Park. There's also some good shopping at Crabtree Valley Mall and a nice Farmer's Market just a few miles from campus. Really though, the greatest attraction to the Raleigh area are the available day-trips and weekend trips. The beaches of Wilmington and the Outer Banks are 2 hours away, Asheville and the Appalachian mountains of NC and VA are 3-4 hours. Great camping at Hungry Mother State Park, Douthat, and the Peaks of Otter. Also, there are some nifty little wineries an hour west of Raleigh in the Eno River area, there's a neat isolated park called Medoc Mountain an hour and a half east of Raleigh, and you can go skydiving in Youngsville. If you're living in Raleigh and don't make it out of the town, you've missed out on the best the area has to offer. Not that the town itself is bad, there's just a lot of fun to be had!
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Ok, this may seem like a silly question to some, but what's the weather like? I'm heading to Temple this fall, and I'm coming from Charleston, SC. If there's a possibility of frozen water falling from the sky, everything shuts down here until it's over. Anyone out there that's made the South/North transition and would like to comment on it? I'm not sure if I need to start buying sweaters or what
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I was just curious if anyone knows anything about where they're at with their PhD admissions process? A friend of mine is sort of holding onto hope that he'll get in, and I haven't seen anyone here talk about it yet. Just curious, thanks in advance for any info anyone here has.
Glad to hear there's someone else out there waiting on them as well! I emailed them last Friday to inquire, and they said they'd have letters in the mail in 2 to 3 weeks. Good luck!
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I'm glad I'm not the only Baptisty person out there. I grew up very conservative, and am just graduating from a very conservative seminary, but the process made me lose some of my conservativeness
Now I'd identify myself as a background Baptist with a huge love affair with Anglican and Eastern Orthodox theology. Weirdness, check. -
I just got a snail mail acceptance from Temple (my first acceptance! yay!)
I had totally given up hope after a string of 5 rejections, so if you're still waiting take courage!
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I received an official letter of admission this week through email. Someone I know at Fordham mentioned at least two others that she knew had been offered spots.
Anyone have Notre Dame news?
I emailed them Friday and they said I'm in waitlist purgatory.
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Thanks for the insight all! I'll definitely look into these next time around!
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Still waiting for my rejection too
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Thanks, I'm actually preferring a secular social science/ethnographic approach. I looked at Harvard, but they got pushed iff my list because didn't have any professors that had any experience outside of the major religions. They may be worth another look if I have to make a second go round of it.
For modern religions, eh?
If you don't mind studying them from a virtually completely secular hermeneutic, then try Harvard of Duke. For these places, theology is something of a dead-art. And Scripture, to be sure, is to be treated like an autopsy on a dead-letter.
Just my observations for scholarship and students.
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Anyone know of any schools that offer good programs that would be compatible with an interest in newer relgious traditions (JWs, Mormons, cultural/social influences)? I'd like to focus on that area, and I'm having a dickens of a time finding programs that will give me the time of day. I applied to Duke (American Religions), UNC (American Religions), Emory (Person, Community and Religious Life), Notre Dame (World Religions and World Church), Temple (Religion and Society), Syracuse (Modern America), Indiana (Religion in the Americas). I applied to all of them because they had professors or something in their program description that implied that they might be compatible, and I emailed my professors of interest to make double sure. So far, no go, though I'm still waiting to hear from some of them.
My question is: did I leave anyone out?
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De-lurking to add my 2 cents so far
Duke - rejected
Emory - rejected
UNC - rejected
Waiting on:
Notre Dame (emailed them today and they said I'm not a finalist but I'm being held in limbo until they get decisions from other people)
Syracuse (emailed them today and they said it would be a couple of weeks)
Temple (same email, they said I'd be hearing something in the mail over the next week)
Indiana (their website says it will be a while, so I'm not bugging them yet)
Acceptances: 0
My interest is new religious traditions, so I'm a little oddball. I think that's why I'm getting punted, even though I have ridiculous numbers and teaching experience. It was very hard to find programs that had anything that could remotely fit. I haven't worked up the nerve yet to call the rejectors and ask them what the problem was for my next time around.
Good luck!
Chapel Hill, NC
in City Guide
Posted
I can't speak to the Zipcar, but I lived in the Raleigh area of NC for years, so their utilities are pretty familiar. You're right, utilities are usually not included. About 2 years ago, I had a 1000 sqft house, and the electric (no gas) ran between $200 at the peak of summer/winter and $80 in spring/fall with the windows open as much as possible. Water was $50/mo. It will run you less in an apartment/duplex, of course.