latte thunder

Avoid Pat McGrivey. I may have spelled his name wrong but he is a notoriously bad campus landlord.

Well, what kinds of things interest you? Are you looking for musuems? Do you like to volunteer? Do you like to party? Camping? Bowling green is a small town (Bowling green is IN Bowling green, right? ) and Toledo is a repressed city right now, but if you give people more of an indication on what is exciting to you then it will be easier for people to help you out. There are alot of schools in that area so there may be more to do at UT or U of Findlay's campus as well.

Very few employers are going to care about your GPA. I've never even been asked for a transcript! The one's who do typically conduct on campus interviews anyway, so if you've already graduated its too late for them. Trust me, I've been out of school for about 3 years now and GPA is NOT a factor in where people ultimately end up. It really does boil down to motivation, networking, risk taking and persistence. BIG emphasis on risk taking. I've seen some people make crazy decisions, but it was what they wanted and liking what you do goes a long way towards being sucessful. One of my classmates who tried so little she failed gym class has now won awards for motivational speaking and community engagement. Some very smart and intelligent people still have entry level sales jobs. I know quite a few people with sub 2.5 GPAs, and you cannot tell who is who from what they do. From a lot of your posts it seems as though you want to go back to school only because you feel you won't have a lot of job opportunities and not because you want to learn something new. If this is the case, DON"T GO BACK. You'll probably just stress yourself out more and it will negatively affect your work. I suggest that you get a temp job then do some informational interviews to determine where you want to work and what you need to do to get there (this is unlikely to be school unless you have some very specific interests). I wouldn't waste the money or time it takes to apply to grad school until you are CERTAIN about what you want and have a clear path to get there.

Is this because of your program or because of the schools you're looking at? If it's the program, are there other related programs you could look at instead? This may not be fesible if you want a phd, but if it's for better job oppurtunies alot of majors will get you to same place (ie, degrees in finance and accounting could both land you in a companies business office).

See if you can find a temp agency who places statistians. I may be off base here, but if you applying to these jobs you don't want that makes me believe that you're kinda just throwing out applications. Its very hard to find a job when you haven't tailored your resume for each position. I know, when you just need to find SOMETHING life is too frantic to really take the time and apply right, so maybe a temp position will help you step back and really look at your job search. Also, I'm not sure why not knowing the software has led to you not getting a job. How do they know you aren't good at it until they've hired you? Are you not applying to positions out of fear and discounting yourself? You shouldn't do this as most companies will train you once you're hired. There aren't many entry level jobs that expect you to be an expert in anything. I would apply to a entry level analyst job anyhow, and if they ask you about your experience with software, just mention that you had some coursework in it (assuming of course that this is true). When you get hired take copious notes and be sure to ask any questions you have. Also, see if your local library has any guides to whichever programs you'd need. This might make you feel more confident.

Well, How do you feel about your other choices? Would you dread going to one of them? Or would you be ok with attending another school?

I had a similar situation. Master from OSU (unfunded) versus Masters from Clemson (Funded). I chose Clemson and I'll tell you why. Even though OSU is the supposedly the better school in my field, and I'm from Columbus so I didn't really have to worry about living expenses, paying back student loans sucks. Really, truly, sucks. I'm not sure if you're going straight from undergrad and have not had to experience this yet, but I pay more on student loans a month then I pay for rent or even my car payment. I didn't even borrow that much, it was originally about 23 thousand (unsubsidized). Even in State, you'd need to borrow more than that for two years at OSU. It's not worth it! Plus, you can't be certain you'd be able to get a Phd offer with funding two years from now. Unless you've inherited money (or can guarantee you'll make plenty of money), when you graduate from school you'll have NO savings and will need to find a way to pay rent, get a car, feed yourself, start planning for retirement, and maybe even have a little fun. This is all harder to do when you have a hundreds of dollars payment due every month for the next 10 to 25 years.

Who else will be attending clemson next fall?

I did undergrad at CWRU in psychology, and I'm afraid this isn't a very good description of CWRU or the city. Oberlin is VERY far away from the center city and case... I wanna say closer to an hour. Case is NOT in a "nice" area of the city. Honestly, you should be OK with urban grime is you go to school here. This isn't to scare anyone away, a lot of my classmates were from suburban or rural areas and had a hard time getting used to it. If you're from a large city you should be fine. Downtown Cleveland is NOT empty at 5. I actually worked downtown in tower city. There's actually an entire warehouse/club/river front district that almost always has something going on (not necessary good), not to mention the 3 major sports teams centered downtown. Traffic is only bad during evening rush hour, so its true after 5:30 there aren't many cars, but there is a decent public transportation system so there are always people. Also, Cleveland has a very well established China town. You should not have had to drive far for Asian grocery. Actually, driving 2 hrs in any direction would have put you in...Columbus? Toledo? Erie? There's CAM Cleveland on Miles rd and a couple of Asian bakery's on the near east side I believe. I'm not even Asian and I had plenty of Asian food! Winter's ARE very cold and windy though.

Why do you wanna go if you;re not sure you wanna go?

LOL, I definately understand this. I got accepted to a program (email and official letter recieved) and online it still says that they have NO application on file for me at all! I've called and told them about it, but they still haven't updated. I'm kinda worried... How do I accept if im not in the system?

From what I've seen, generally people are only charged if they dont finish a semeter/quarter. If you were to drop out at the end of a term and no money has been given directly to you yet for the next term, then you shouldn't have anything to pay back. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on this. Also, I would call financial aid and see what they can do. Maybe check and see if they'll allow you to TA and be a RA in a dorm at the same time?

Hi Bhikhaari, I see what you're saying, and as an adult i'ts not that hard to navigate the racial issues of the United States, but its a different animal when you grow up with them. I distinctly remember the feeling of "otherness" as a child.

Do you care about transportation? If not, you might like the downtown area. Strange as it seems, Downtown is cheaper than on campus (and victorian village), and is not all that far. I have a good friend who lives on campus (summit/20th) I live in the south end of downtown and Its less than a 10 min drive for me. Also, high st is very easy to navigate by bus. Problem is you're unlikely to run into any students and the atmosphere my be a little different. Under 300 a month would be possible with a roommate. I always hear good things about the Tivoli Apartments.

I would choose the better program. Unless its an issue with having family/friends in one area and not the other, I wouldn't make a decision based on the city.

I do! I did my undergrad at Case and am heavily involved with the Alumni Association so I might be able to help you out. 1. The schools administration wasn't that bad? I've dealt with worse from grad schools I'm applying to. There was one woman in undergraduate affairs that i absolutely HATED, but that's about it. 2. What do you mean about the road? Last I was in cleveland there was a lot of construction on Euclid, but from what I understand they're building a more student friendly retail complex (more food, more bars, cheaper apartments). Also, Cleveland has a glorious public transportation system, and the was rapid (rail) stops on both end of campus, as well as a zillion bus stops on Euclid/Mayfield/Cedar. You do not have to drive to go to school here. 3. Case's food is bad. However, the dining hall nearest the graduate housing is the better of the two. Now that I think about it, it wasn't THAT bad. They had a swipe and go meal program that could be good at times and involved a varierty of items (sushi, for example). There were some abominations in the lunch hall (egg and zuchini pizza?) but I had comparable food when visiting friends at other schools. The South end of Campus is very close to a Dave's grocery store, and the north end has a food co op, so you could easily cook for yourself. 4. Case Students did tend to me more conservation than the typical college kid, but not uncomfortably so. I don't remember having any political discussions and although there were probably more conservatives, there were plenty of liberals. 60/40 i'd say. It was definately NOT anti foreign. It is majority white, and alot of students are from northeast ohio, but there were a good number of Indian and Malaysian international students students (I believe Case does some type of program with Malaysian highschools). I can't say for certain if other students were international or not, but there were alot of other asian and african students and of course african american students. I must admit there isn't much of a hispanic presence though. Cleveland has plenty of medical stuff going on, so it's not uncommon to find Asian/Arab immigrants in the city. Also, the west side has a sizable Puerto Rican population. 5. Dead zombie city? Maybe a little? Not nearly as bad as detroit, but there is alot of urban proverty, The suburbs however, are full. I believe the metro area is around 2.4 million, so you won't get lonely. Case is in a poorer area of the city though. It's on the border of Cleveland and its (somehow) even poorer suburb, East Cleveland. I'm not sure what you background/comfort level is with poverty , but you may feel uncomfortable walking off campus. It can get a little unsafe off grounds and I would NOT advise walking east, north, or west off campus at night, male or female, even in a group. This isn't to scare you, you'll be fine on campus (or if you're driving around/on the bus) but this may be were the zombie city thing is coming from. Crackheads sometimes have a zombie air to them =) Oh! Actually, you should definately be OK with a poorer area if you attend here. Now that I think about it, there are people begging for change on campus daily. Expect to see a few on your walk to class. None are dangerous though, and all the ON CAMPUS security alerts I remember were non violent. Most actually just sounded like a homeless guy asked for change, and some kid gave them their wallet and ran, lol. Just give people respect, and you'll get it back. Anything else I can answer for you?

Well, CWRU business school is well respected in the cleveland area. I went to CWRU for undergrad and took some finance classes there which I enjoyed, espcially money and banking which was taught by a federal reserve employee. Can't say much else about it though (finance isn't my area of interest).

I second Oldfogey. Anyone who gets bored in Columbus is boring! Something is almost always open, especially on campus. Actually, you could just walk up and down high street for a few hours and be pretty well entertained. As for your other questions, you'll probably have to take a cab to campus. There isn't a very good public transportation option in the city (actually, its comepletely abysmal for a city its size) and I'm not aware of any shuttle from the airport to OSU. I also would not recommend renting a car, there's no where to park anywhere near campus! OSU and the airport aren't particularly close to each other, but I can't imagine cab fare being too ridiculous. You should definately be able to take the bus to the greyhound station however and the station is NOT in a bad part of town. It's in the heart of downtown but Columbus is a weird city...the downtown area shuts down almost completely around 6. I live downtown and I routinely walk around after dark and don't see a soul. I have never had a problem (and I'm female). I believe the downtown area has one of the lowest rates of crime too, you'll be safer there than on campus! Somes times greyhound passengers themselves can be iffy, but you'll be safe atleast until you get there =)

Without knowing more about your specific interests and what type of location you would like to live in, I would go with the University of Cincinnati. I think most of the appeal of Portland State is the location, alot of times in the US the coasts are seen as "cooler" places to live then the midwest or south but of course that has nothing to do with the educational opportunities in the area. =) Planetizen ranks U cincinnati's program highly, and as a resident of Ohio I can tell you that the university is looked at favorably here. Especially their architecture school (in which I believe planning is located). I don't live in Cincinnati and even here If you say you graduated from their Architecture school, it does impress. Also, Cincinnati is an interesting city, Its got a pretty large riverfront area, some very interesting history, a diverse mix of people and a fairly large metro area that spands into 3 states. I would think there would be alot of varied and valuable internship oppurtunities in planning and probably historical preservation too if that's your thing. Of course, you also have to look at where you'd want to live/work after studying. If you'd prefer to live on the west coast, then portland may be a better choice for you. However, Be aware that there is potential to work in the Midwest after graduation. There are alot of aging cities focusing on revitilazation efforts (detroit, and Cleveland come to mind) and areas trying to figure out how to manage out of control growth (a central ohio county grew 59% over the last decade). Also, Some of the midwestern plains states have much lower unemployment rates than some west coast areas, which is definately a plus right now. I hope I answered your question? I'm also going for a master's for Urban planning next year, and I seriously considered U Cincinnati. I only didn't apply do to time constraints (Ok, it was really procrastination that got way out of hand).

Hi, I haven't attended Clemson, but I am also looking at a Graduate program there and just went down for a visit last week. I'm also black and I was a little worried about racism too, but I didn't notice any. People of all colors seemed to be pretty friendly. The city of Clemson is also about 12% black so you won't be a rarity. As far as money... I would bring more than that. I'm assuming you'll live off campus (There isn't much in the way of on campus housing) and that 1,000 will probably go pretty quick when you consider a security deposit, first month's rent, and utilities. Also, I think it's been said before on these forums, but you REALLY need a car. I was hoping to get by without one, but after visiting its pretty clear that a good car is a NECESSITY. Factor in driving costs too, closest grocery store I saw was about 15 miles out in Easly, SC. The city of Greenville is also 30 MILES away (they like to say 30 minutes but neglect to mention that its 30 HIGHWAY minutes). Take rising US gas prices into consideration and plan accordingly. Supposedly there is a free bus system, but with the milege involved in some of these trips you'll probaly feel more comfortable having your own transportation.