The_Hanged_Man

While I agree that is a heavy workload I don't think transferring is a good solution. First, you don't really "transfer" with PhD programs, rather you re-apply and start all over again someplace else. Perhaps some credits may go with you but you would be losing at least a semester of progress. Next, what reason will you give to the new schools you would be applying to for leaving your old university? You could come across as lazy and/or flighty which might finding another funded offer at a good school difficult. My advice would work your butt off and demonstrate that you can balance a tough workload while developing as a competent researcher. Once you do that most likely more desirable funding options will open up. Besides once you are you are the tenure track (assuming you finish and find a position) what you are doing now will seem like a walk in the park in comparison.

Click me too please! https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTY3Nzk1NjY5

Why even bother applying to other schools if you holding out for just the one? Settle. The process is just too random for you too bet the farm on any one school. You could do all that extra classwork and have a 'perfect' application, only to discover that the department's funding fell apart or your subfield at that school is over-subscribed or the professor who shares your interests died/retired/relocated or... As long as your 2nd choice schools have a solid reputation (i.e. you can get a job once you finish) and you are being funded I say go with one of them.

I think you answered your own question. No funding from Minnesota plus uncomfortable about being in a big city makes staying in Iowa the smart move in my opinion. Of course I know nothing about your field and the relative strengths the programs that might justify Minnesota if there is a big gap between them in terms of quality. I also visited both universities last summer when I was deciding where to apply to and I definitely liked Iowa City better. Minneapolis as a whole I liked, but Dinkytown (the area right around U of M) I found to be run-down and a bit unsafe. While Iowa City is small, there was a great vibe there and I didn't find it lacking in the arts and entertainment department either.

Actually that's exactly what it is, and there would be no legal repercussions if the school violated their agreement. The most that would happen would be that the school could be kicked out by the CGS which, while embarrassing, would not affect the school in a direct way. Schools are not required to participate in the CGS. For example, my undergrad school (a lesser known state university)is not on the list and that has not prevented them from having a thriving graduate program.

I just accepted a university apartment at Hawkeye Court. While I hear they are run-down, they are at least cheap at $485 for a one bedroom that includes cable and internet. I'm living overseas right now and wasn't willing to rent sight unseen from a realtor, so I thought sticking with university housing would be a safe bet. If the apartment really sucks I can always move out after one year when I am on the ground in Iowa City.

Yeah, like the other people said you can do pretty much what you want with the money. I know people who maxed out their loans when interest rates were low and invested the money in the stock market. The banks don't care. They have a 100% iron clad guarantee from the government and you can never discharge the loans through bankruptcy, so they are more than willing to let you loan your life away. Not a good idea perhaps, but you can do it.

Congrats! I'm still waiting myself. I have an RA already but that fellowship would be definitely sweet.

I visited last summer and was surprised at how cosmopolitan Iowa City was given it's size and location in the middle of nowhere. I'm definitely looking forward to moving out there in August.

Small departments can be problematic when it comes to finding advisors too. What happens when the one guy at Harvard who shares your interests already has too many advisees, has a personality conflict with you, or kicks the bucket? Your interests will probably also change over the course of the program so the bigger program at Chicago may be more accommodating.

For those interested below is a copy and paste from the report showing the ratings of the programs. I tried to clean it up, but I apologize if it is hard to read. III. Categorization of Graduate Programs Following the assessment process described above and TF discussions, the graduate programs were categorized as: Exemplary (14.4%; 16/111), High Quality (41.4%; 46/111), Good (26.1%; 29/111), Additional Evaluation Required (12.6%; 14/111), Too New to Assess (5.4%; 6/111). The graduate programs in each category are listed in the tables below by disciplinary group. Summaries with the rationale for the rating were prepared for each program by the Task Force. The summaries are provided in Appendix E. Exemplary (14.4%; 16/111) Communication Studies M.A., Ph.D. Psychology M.A., Ph.D. Actuarial Science M.S. Biostatistics M.S., Ph.D. Immunology Ph.D. Creative Writing M.F.A. CRSD: Rehabilitation Counselor Education Ph.D. Civil and Environmental Engineering M.S., Ph.D. Nursing M.S.N. Neuroscience Ph.D. English M.A., M.F.A., Ph.D. CRSD: Community/Rehabilitation Counseling M.A. Pharmacy M.S., Ph.D. Speech and Hearing Science Ph.D. Psych/Quant: Educational Measurement and Statistics M.A., Ph.D. Physical Therapy D.P.T. High Quality (41.4%; 46/111) Art History M.A., Ph.D. Accounting M.Ac., Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering M.S., Ph.D. Dental Public Health M.S. Biochemistry M.S., Ph.D. Art M.A., M.F.A. CRSD: Counselor Education and Supervision Ph.D. Chemical and Biochemical Engineering M.S., Ph.D. Epidemiology M.S., Ph.D. Free Radical and Radiation Biology M.S., Ph.D. Classics M.A., Ph.D. CRSD: School Counseling M.A. Chemistry M.S., Ph.D. Health Management and Policy M.H.A. Genetics Ph.D. Library and Information Science M.A. CRSD: Student Affairs Admin and Research Ph.D. Computer Science MCS, M.S., Ph.D. Health Services and Policy Ph.D. Microbiology M.S., Ph.D. Spanish and Portuguese, M.A., Ph.D. CRSD: Student Development in Postsecondary Education M.A. Mathematics M.S., Ph.D. Nursing Ph.D. Molecular and Cellular Biology Ph.D. Theatre Arts M.F.A. Economics M.A., Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering M.S., Ph.D. Occupational and Environmental Health M.S., Ph.D. Pharmacology M.S., Ph.D.EPLS: Higher Education, M.A., Ph.D. Oral Science M.S., Ph.D. Speech Pathology and Audiology M.A. Geography M.A., Ph.D. Orthodontics M.S. Management and Organizations Ph.D. Pathology M.S. Psych/Quant: Counseling Psychology Ph.D. Physical Rehabilitation Science Ph.D. Psych/Quant: School Psychology Ed.S., Ph.D. Master of Public Health(MPH) Second Language Acquisition Ph.D. Social Work M.S.W Sociology M.A., Ph.D. Teaching and Learning:Science Education M.S.,MAT, Ph.D.Urban and Regional Planning M.A.,M.S. Good (26.1%; 29/111) Dance M.F.A. Anthropology M.A., Ph.D. Applied Math and Computational Science Ph.D. Operative Dentistry M.S. Anatomy and Cell Biology M.S., Ph.D. Film and Video Production M.F.A. Finance Ph.D. Geoscience M.S., Ph.D. Biology M.S., Ph.D. French and Francophone World Studies M.A., Ph.D. Leisure Studies M.A. Electrical and Computer Engineering M.S., Ph.D. Molecular Physiology and Biophysics M.S., Ph.D. History M.A., Ph.D. Management Science Ph.D. Industrial Engineering M.S., Ph.D. Journalism M.A. Marketing Ph.D. Physics M.S., Ph.D.; Astronomy M.S. Mass Communications Ph.D. Political Science M.A., Ph.D. Statistics M.S., Ph.D. Music M.A., M.F.A., D.M.A., Ph.D. Psych/Quant: Educational Psychology M.A., Ph.D. Philosophy M.A., Ph.D. Social Work, Ph.D. Religious Studies M.A., Ph.D. Teaching and Learning: Secondary Education M.A., MAT, Ph.D. Teaching and Learning: Special Education M.A., Ph.D. Additional Evaluation Required (12.6%; 14/111) American Studies M.A., Ph.D. EPLS: Educational Administration M.A., Ed.S., Ph.D. Stomatology M.S. Integrative Physiology Ph.D. Asian Civilizations M.A. EPLS: Social Foundations of Education M.A., Ph.D. Exercise Science M.S. Comparative Literature M.A., Ph.D. Health and Sport Studies M.A., Ph.D. Comparative Literature Translation M.F.A. Teach and Learn: Elementary Education M.A., Ph.D. Film Studies M.A., Ph.D. German M.A., Ph.D. Linguistics M.A., Ph.D. Too New to Assess (5.4%; 6/111) Health M.S., Ph.D. Human Toxicology M.S., Ph.D. Nursing DNP Informatics M.S., Ph.D. Translational Biomedicine, Ph.D. Speech Pathology and Audiology Au.D.

I'm being considered but I haven't heard anything back yet. However, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I see you have American Studies listed as your field. Unfortunately, that program was recently evaluated as "Additional Evaluation Required" along with 13 other struggling programs. The Daily Iowan recently reported that none those programs would be eligible for fellowships. Here is the link for the report of the task force. It actually has a ton of useful stats and information concerning all of the programs at Iowa. I also found the inside view of department politics to be particularly interesting. A great read for any prospective student.

I'll be 36 when I start in the fall. No worries though. Since I finished undergrad I've been in both the Peace Corps and TFA, lived in five different countries, and earned an MPA along the way. It's all about the journey, and not the http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n3n2Ox4Yfk. (Sean Connery + Ithaca + Vangelis = Win ).

I feel your pain OP. I'm an American in China as well who applied to grad schools in the States. To top that off I am an international school teacher whose previous school was in Kuwait. So...I'm in China, two of my recommendation letter writers are in Kuwait, and my grad schools who demand physical letters (internet forms would be way too easy I guess )are in the US. I hope you can appreciate what a massive PITA it was to coordinate that mess. I was successful in getting admittance to my program of choice at Iowa with funding, however, so I am thrilled about that. However, my advisor to be apparently doesn't answer e-mails unless prodded by the dept head so I have more fun in store for me when I have to try to call him to get advice. The time difference conveniently makes 9am-5pm for him into 11pm-7am for me which is another big PITA. I'll be back in the States in late June, but until then I will just have to suck it up and deal. Hang in there OP!

I could be wrong here, but I think that at most universities if you are awarded any type of assistantship/fellowship you are classified as in-state for tuition purposes so your state of residence may not matter. For example, this is the University of Iowa's description: http://www.uiowa.edu/admissions/graduate/why-iowa/assistantships.htm "In general, people who have fellowships or assistantships quarter-time or more are classified as Iowa residents for tuition and fee purposes during the terms in which their appointments are held and any adjacent summer sessions in which they are enrolled."