teaganc

I know, right? Just wait until Decision Monkey rules the world. But seriously. Someone already went with the "Georgetown." approach, so I had to do something. And sometimes I give advice, not decisions, like when people PM me--if they've taken the time to seek out Decision Monkey, I can take the time to write a few sentences.

I would never suggest a laptop as the primary computer of a student; they are not powerful enough (or rather, what power you get comes at a large price) and they have tiny keyboards and screens (or if they don't, they are too big to be portable, thus making the laptop a desktop that was more expensive). However, as bryan suggested, you could easily turn your laptop into a desktop with a keyboard, mouse, and a nice monitor. (And since you already have a desktop, they could just share peripherals). I would DEFINITELY suggest a netbook. You will not only save in price, but also in total weight; trust me, a few extra ounces/pounds means A LOT when you are carrying them every day, with books and notebooks, etc. I would also suggest the Acer Aspire One. When I first touched this netbook, I seriously fell in love. It was elegant, came in a lovely blue color, was lightweight (less than 2 pounds), and was less than $400! I love the keyboard on it. You can easily upgrade it to 1GB (or more) of RAM, and RAM (even SO DIMMS) is so cheap these days. It can also come with Windows XP instead of linux if that's what you prefer, and with upgraded RAM it could probably even handle Windows 7, when it is released. I'm not a huge fan of buttons on the side instead of below the trackpad, but you could also just hookup a mouse. Seriously, I love this netbook. So at $400, that still leaves tons in your budget for a nice carrying case, an extra battery, upgrades to RAM and/or hard drive (or an external hard drive), etc. etc.

Fair enough. I say, "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." Also, I'm considering switching from a no-reason-given decision process to a proverb-only decision process.

Decision Monkey has many responsibilities. She was probably helping some poor soul on another messageboard. For all of 2006 and 2008.

As a native of the tiny first state, I would be happy to answer any and all questions about Newark. The only thing I know about the actual school, though, is what the campus looks like/that some of the buildings are easy to get into, but difficult to escape from.

This. DC's not that bad, and you can leave after your MA anyway.

It's for cash-harvesting, no doubt. Are you already in a program, or are you reapplying next year? Either way, you could devote the summer to: 1) Writing/Editing a paper for a conference/publication 2) Studying a language 3) Reading anything that people say you must read but you still haven't gotten to yet 4)a If you are already admitted, enjoy a vacation already! You are entering a program that is meant to prepare you, and if they let you in, they already think you're prepared for the program 4)b If not, solidify your list of schools/programs for reapplication, see if any programs who rejected you can give you an answer why (and fix that), perfect your writing sample/write a new one, and write a SOP specifically tailored to each program.

Oh noes! Someone just outed themselves as a Fox TV employee!

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Oh man, Best Description Ever.

mmm, I can't decide which part of this "funding" package I'd like more.

Most schools do not have an appeals process; they've probably already offered all the available spots to other people by now. You should contact them, ask how to make your application stronger, and reapply.

Kamin's says they don't have any housing that allows pets. Much like the rest of Western MA. I don't know why everyone in Amherst hates pets. I mean, come on. Who hates pets? They're cute and they love everyone.

No. It's a MA, not a PhD; it's not a top-name program, so it might not even help you apply to PhD programs; and most programs, if you aren't funded in year one, you are never funded.

Ohhh, I see what happened here. Liszt, people typical refer to stipends in their yearly totals, which is why $950 is absurd. However, I believe you are referring to a monthly total, making the total yearly stipend a little under 12,000 take-home. That's still a little ridiculous in Los Angeles, but if you are willing to make serious sacrifices, doable.

Shhh! They'll discover our plans just in time to thwart them!

Tritonetelephone, I'm going to help you out here. I vote... USC. I know, I know, it was a difficult decision, but let's face it. You want to be around people, not just deer, and UMass isn't near anything.

Schools generally cannot fund you before you've enrolled, which will be on the first day of Fall 2009 classes, especially if they are a public school and thus following federal aid guidelines. Even if you could, most schools don't increase funding for the summer just because you took classes; you can take classes, and sometimes you have to pay tuition (even if you have a waiver for fall-spring), and sometimes they'll increase your waiver to include the summer, but that doesn't obligate them to increase your funding. If you are desperate for money, you should get a full-time job during the summer. It will pay more per month than your stipend anyway, unless you are making minimum wage (and even then, it's close).

Instead of reading random classics (although that's not a bad option, certainly), I would find out what classes you are taking next semester, ask for a syllabus/book list, and start reading those books. It will get you into the habit of reading critically/taking notes/whatever, and also allow you to start the semester already ahead.

You're my favorite person today.

I'm spoken to other International students who lived in NY and they said they had to a) pass a written and a driving test, and give up their international license (which was something they were displeased with), so they just planned to tell anyone who pulled them over that they had only been in town for the appropriate amount of time (it was more than 10 days in NY, but I don't remember what it was). Apparently, it's an easier process in NJ, so if you live outside of the city, that might be more helpful.

So, you're my trusty decision monkey side-kick? I think this makes you a kitten. I'm okay with that. You can wear a little mask over your eyes and I will wear a cape, and we will fight application indecision around the world.

Oh, definitely Berkeley.

I will happily do so. I shall name it, "Allusions to the Drama Llama in the Gothic Novel: An In-depth Look at Camelid Appearances in The Castle of Otranto." I hope that's okay.

I'm glad other people think it's funny and not just terrible. I really mean to be uplifting the general worry of this board into absurdity, but sometimes I'm not sure if it's actually humor or if I've started to go crazy with lack of sleep. But then again, if you don't appreciate decision monkey, maybe you take the internet too seriously.