Usmivka

I also have house bunnies (rescues, of course, and elderly to boot). They moved with me from Seattle to Boston. Bonding was a painful experience, and it took them like 2 years to actually get really comfortable together. But now they are super cute, lounging around together like an old couple. And they run to the door to greet me when I get home, clean themselves, are litter trained--the perfect pets! I'd attach a pic but am having trouble figuring out how. I should get back to studying for generals anyway...

Yes, although why this allowed and outside jobs aren't is beyond me. Well maybe not incomprehensible, but frustrating. I miss my mountains and am jealous of your location.

Absolutely true. As an undergrad (and a couple times as a grad, in fact), others' laptop use has been so distracting that it effectively nixed my learning for a class. Bright colors and movement from a flash game, constant scrolling through ebay? It is like a TV in the backseat of a car--maybe it doesn't effect the driver but it is crazy distracting for the person right behind you. I think it is reasonable to make folks with laptops sit at the rear of the class at least so they aren't distracting others. The whole perception of privilege and "I paid for this so I can mass around if I want to" does not fly when it impacts others. I'm not getting into the disabilities discussion, as this clearly wasn't what was prompting the question.

It can and does happen if there is a higher level of administration that decides on finances. A department can want you, but they may not have the money to take you--even programs where you are paying are partially subsidized by the school and undergrad population. So maybe they have low enrollment, or the state cuts funding (very likely given the budget in fact)--then the department may want 3 students but only get money for 1. My program regularly "wants" many more students than it can actually support. Until you have it in writing, there is no contract requiring them to support you--you're just another line item on a budget. Now all of that said, it would be a very crummy department that actually told you they wanted you before knowing if they were likely to be able to finance you. My bet is they have it all worked out for you to come, and are just waiting for somebody to dot the 'i's and cross the 't's over at admin. But bug them to make sure!

USC's Annenberg School is very highly regarded, and involved in all sorts of great journalism (NPRs Planet Money springs to mind). On the West Coast that degree is as good as a job, given the reputation and the absolutely incredible Almuni/Good Ol' Boys network (nothing like it anywhere else as far as I'm concerned). Regardless, a fellowship means someone has said, for the benefit of your CV "You are special!" while going to Columbia you'll be just another fish in the barrel--lots of smarties get in, but without a stipend you are just subsidizing someone else's education. Combine that stipend with the much lower cost of living in LA, I it seems like things worked out for the best. Yes, Compton is scary for some people (Rodney King riots, anyone?)--so don't live there if you don't like it! Use your fancytastic stipend to rent in Santa Monica (surf daily!) or someplace else you like. LA is a big place, you'll probably need a car regardless (I say this as a lifelong bike commuter who's spent time in LA--bring a car!), so you might as well live someplace nice and drive to school or the closest bus station that gets you there.

I may be overly negative, but there are four scenarios that seem possible here: 1. The manuscript needs a lot of work, and she is prioritizing work that is closer to a finished product (only you can answer this one, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt). 2. The PI doesn't like the work or want her name associated with it. This seems odd if similar work is being published now. 3. The PI is working on an extension of the research that she wants to publish, using your currently unpublished data as part of a larger set. This is fine for her, and you would undoubtedly still get authorship (maybe further down the chain though) but it clearly is hurting your application prospects. 4. The PI really is very busy (3-5 year paper turnarounds aren't unheard of), and there are other things more important to her career (young, untenured?) since similar work has at this point been published. So she sees no benefit to putting in the time, and is not sufficiently motivated to do it solely for your sake. Some people are like that, and when you apply to grad programs you will know to avoid others like her. My suggestion: You have a manuscript. Presumably there were others involved besides your PI that you can talk to for feedback, or even former classmates and profs for generic editing. Tell your PI you plan to submit it on your own withing a certain amount of time (long enough she can provide feedback, short enough she can't write up their own version and leave you out entirely). Then submit. Your money, your submission, let peer review do the rest. Of course in this case you'd best choose a cheap journal!

I'd consider contacting a current student in the program--they will know what the backgrounds of their current peers are, and will have looked at other similar programs. If you contact the admin office, they will probably suggest a student talk to. I'm in a different MIT department, but I get blind e-mails asking for this sort of thing occasionally, and try to help out, and I assume others would do the same.

If this is really important to you, why not move to the state where the program you want is, start working as an accountant to earn money and keep going until you've been instate for the 2 yrs or so required for residency? Then you can reapply (if you got in once it will happen again). But this time you'll have money set aside, work experience, and the cost will be lower. Or I could be totally naive about this, and this wouldn't work for any number of reasons. See what others say.

I biked to school and work in Seattle year round for about 6 years, 6 miles each way. Now doing the same in Boston, shorter distance (but it takes longer because I can't take bike paths as far as I'd like. I've tried a number of combos for carrying gear, but for me the winner is a rack (a little aluminum thing that supports 30-40 lbs should be plenty) with a milk crate strapped on. Line the inside with a black garbage bag. Then throw gear inside, put another garbage bag over the top and secure it with a bungee cord around the rim of the milk carton. Lots of space, waterproof, total cost ~$20 with the rack. If you must use a wearable bag get a backpack--messenger bags hurt like crazy when there is too much stuffed in them, and they can throw off your center of balance. Also, no need to buy a waterproof backpack, just buy a waterproof bag cover from REI (http://www.rei.com/p...cover-20-liters)--$13 vs $200 plus for a truly waterproof bag. I agree that fenders are super useful, although I've been using clip-ons for years with no trouble. And just because I haven't seen anyone say it yet, get the safety gear! Wear a reflective vest, bright helmet, have two (!) rear lights (one for the bike, one for your helmet, which is higher up and much easier for cars to see). Make sure you have a strong enough front light to be seen for 100ft (or whatever your state's specific laws require). This is important even for daytime only riding in the winter, since it could be dark or grey out--just like keeping your car lights on in crummy weather. Cars aren't looking for bikes in the Winter, and cops like to ticket bikers without all the safety gear in the summer because they are easy targets for ticket quotas. This gear is cheap, and there are all too many ghost bikes (http://ghostbikes.org/) around where I bike because their riders didn't have lights and weren't spotted in time. Finally, if you can avoid streets with lots of curbside parking during your commute. Getting doored is super unfun, and can seriously hurt you if you are on a steep hill. Just in case you do work up a sweat, it might be good to figure out where the nearest locker room is. Everywhere I've worked has had a shower and lockers hidden away somewhere in the building, and they make life better for you and your coworkers in the summer.

I'm afraid you were busy writing while I was still in the middle of editing. My final version is above. Individuals can recieve private letter rulings. Again, my bad for sending one based on an institution, which has different wording and a different focus. Please see the RR linked above. I think my case is pretty tight at this point, and as I said, I've already confirmed that my NDSEG is federal tax exempt. NDSEG sends a tax notice to everyone saying they are responsible for determining whether they are required to report the fellowship as income, but can't specifically say that most are not required to include this funding as income, because the IRS does not allow them to provide legal advice. I did the groundwork witht he IRS. I then confirmed with the program manager at NDSEG that many of the fellowship recipients have come to the same conclusion and do not include the fellowship in income. I suspect NSF does not qualify because it has progress and reporting requirements, but something like Hertz does.

I'm sorry if I'm not making my case clearly. I just grabbed the first PLR I googled. As it turns out this one is from the school's perspective, not the students'. I cite the most appropriate Revenue Rulings below which are more to the point. I disagree with your interpretation of the fellowship definition link, and think you are missing the difference between a compensatory and non-compensatory fellowship. Fellowships of the type I describe, and in the letter I linked, are not scholarships or compensatory fellowships--you made that jump on your own. The second link from above still only applies to pay for services rendered (which can include pursuit of a degree if the money comes from the school), hence the big header near the top of the page--it doesn't matter whether it comes form a fellowship or scholarship, the key point is that you get the money because you are doing something for your employer in return. In reference to the end of the PLR, additional/separate scholarships that a student may receive are still taxed, per the standard hedging that the IRS puts in every one of these letters. Further, the IRS will not come out and say, "this is tax free" because congress has not regulated this type of funding one way or the other. All they can say based on current law is that this type of fellowship does not need to be reported. That is most certainly not saying that the fellowship has turned into a scholarship. The letters from the student's perspective are more to the point. For further reading: The full text of Part c of IRC117 further clarifies this point, and that noncompensatory fellowships are not required to be taxed--you can request copies from the library of congree or look in theFederal Register, I am not seeing it online right now (I'm sure it is somewhere though). This clause was inserted after the Bingler v Johnson case (394 US 741 (1969) 1969-2 CB 17), which is sort of the watershed moment in taxation of grad students. Further, Revenue Rulings 75-280 (http://www.charitableplanning.com/document/673349), 73-88, 76-463 and about a half dozen others can be used as precedent (unlike a PLC) and very clearly state that non-compensatory fellowships that largely follow the outline in these rulings are tax free. The linked RR is pretty iron clad about research stipends not being includable in gross income when the money comes from the Feds. -- The proof in the pudding for me is that I wasted 6 months on this with the IRS, and can confirm that my own fellowship is never required to be reported as gross income based on the letter I finally got from them. Again, the IRS is very specific that this can't be used as precedent for anyone else and that I can't give tax advice to anyone--what I can and am doing is referencing the appropriate section of the IRC and suggesting that anyone this is important to take a look at the references above and come to their own conclusions based on standing case law and legislation. This is a very specific set of ciurcumstnaces that only applies to certain outside fellowships like the NDSEG. Now I'm generally a pro-tax person, but since I'm not required by law to pay taxes on these, I'll pocket the extra $3k a year. I assume most of the people reading this forum will feel the same. The reason this class of "service" fellowship exists is because we get the money from the government in the expectation that we will provide tangible benefits to American science and the public that 'pay-off' the cost.

Since this is near and dear to my heart (I have a "non-compensatory fellowship") I'm tacking on the caveat that the reply above only applies to compensatory fellowships. If you have something like the the last case I outlined, money you get for non-tuition uses including housing and food is still not specifically taxed. The second link above is very specifically only for fellowships that relate to "pay for services performed," as clearly stated at the top of the webpage. Here is a good example of a non-compensatory, tax free fellowship: "IRS PLR 200607017 (dated Mar. 7, 2005: released date Feb. 17, 2006) This Private Letter Ruling confirms that payments made to recipients of National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Research Service Awards (NRSA) training and research programs and "research training programs...modeled" on them will not be considered wage compensation reportable on any IRS forms (e.g. IRS Form W-2 or 1099) nor will such payments be subject to withholding for income or employment (FICA/FUTA) tax. The grants may be eligible for consideration as scholarships or fellowships under 117 of the code." See also IRC 117c. It is also worth noting that if you get a 1099-MISC you MUST pay quarterly estimated taxes or face a financial penalty. You could pay only once a year as mentioned above, but the IRS will ding you on the order of 10% in late fees.

Depends on your state and how the University structure the stipend. If you get a W-2, yes, always. If the money is as a stipend (1099-MISC) in return for a service (ie you are expected to act as a TA or RA with job duties that the university derives benefit from, it is taxable at the federal level--many states with income tax will also tax this type of work, but not all. The opposite case is a "non-compensatory" fellowship (1098-T)--you get money just for being you, to do what you want with and no strings attached. These are not specifically taxed at the federal level, however they are not codified as tax exempt. So if your university or fellowship provider has requested a "private ruling letter" confirming your tax free interpretation, yay for you. Without this you are not required by law to pay taxes on the income, but you can be audited which can lead to a lot of extra work on your part--you will be in the right, but may be required to pay $1000 for the privilege of having the IRS make a private letter ruling specifically for you (that is their use fee)--still cheaper than taxes, but a pain. PS the above is not legal tax advice, which anyone besides the IRS is prohibited by law from providing, including your university. PPS most folks you get on the phone at the IRS have no clue about this, and can give you advice that is incorrect for this very specific, uncommon case. If you are in the last category, look up the case law and relevent sections of the Internal Revenue Code yourself, and be prepared to go in person to your local IRS office to speak with someone no lower than upper management.

No idea about the schools. but where you live has a major influence on your quality of life, and hence what you get out of the degree. UPenn was in a dangerous area, but I suspect it has gentrified in the last decade or so. Tufts Medical Center is in a rough but fine area. It is worth noting that rental costs in Boston are among the most expensive in the nation and something like 30% of the population is undergrad students, which tend to make crummy neighbors, both in rentals and in the many 'kiddie condoes' bought by wealthy parents--there is no escape. Philadelphia doesn't even come close on either count. Boston can be a brilliant city if you have money to live comfortably (even then there is the risk of bad neighbors, see above), but if you are living on a grad student stipend (or worse, paying for a degree) it can be an unending nightmare. Or or could be totally fine and lovely. Depends on the sort of person you are and how tolerant you are of people. If it were me, I'd check out the city profiles here on the forums and get a feel for the place you would be living.

I'm not aware of any MPH programs that are 'free', but it has been about a year since I looked last. That said, there are better regarded programs at public universities, which are certainly much less expensive than BU if you live in one of those states. I did my undergrad at the University of Washington (a public school), and the public health program there is basically a branch office of the Gates Foundation, which is based 2 miles away. I think comparing the costs and rewards of a Harvard MPH with a BU one is a false analogy--employers will hire someone with a Harvard degree pretty much regardless of all other considerations--that is what you pay for! And Harvard's program is considered one of the top couple globally to boot. I do think it makes sense to explore alternative paths to the same goal--why not do a degree in microbiology or biochemistry, and leverage that more technical coursework and degree into the public health work you are excited about? You don't have to be in an MPH to do public health, and depending on what you are excited about the lab-based degree can get you where you want to be with less hassle. More importantly, these are programs that tend to pay their students (~$30k a year income, free tuition), rather than rack up student debt.

Hi all, MIT just did a rent analysis for their grad students and found that rent has on average increased by 7.5% in the last two years. Most live in Boston, Somerville, and Cambridge, probably weighted most towards Somerville. Buying is looking better and better. I can also say with conviction that finding and living in an apartment in the city of Boston (which is cheaper than Somerville or Cambridge by a long shot) have been the two most stressful and soul crushing experiences of my life. If you have a family or value sleep, run for the hills! Cheers

Hi All, for what it is worth I was accepted last year something like 6 weeks after they said results would be out. It is a very small staff, and surprisingly unorganized.

Thanks for the ideas. Cheers

Same problem as above: Because my partner and I are moving to a new city and no longer getting a W-2, the bank considers us self-employed (not accurate for tax purposes, but the way the banks work...) and want a two year prior history. My partner and I are each getting stipends in excess of $30k, and have enough for 20-40% down on most places we feel are affordable, but this still isn't good enough for the banks because they don't know how to deal with stipends. So our application will be rejected shortly, unless a policy change that is in the works at the bank comes through, but even then it will be far too late to save me wasting a year's rent--this is all based on conversation with the mortgage guy helping me at the bank. It seems like if you aren't staying in the same city, this avenue is closed.

Hi all, In case anyone is still holding out for a fellowship and haunting this forum, I just rescinded my NSF GRF acceptance to take a very late NDSEG offer. So, one more fellowship is available in geosciences... Cheers

I just now (5/25) received an alternate selection letter after getting a rejection letter on the first day of results. Way late, since I accepted the NSF more than a month ago. I'm now having to go through kind of a hassle to rescind my acceptance of the NSF GRF so I can accept the NDSEG. It's still the superior fellowship financially, so worth it to me, but I wish they would have at least told me I was on the waitlist a while ago so I could be more prepared (and maybe not have declared NSF tenure).

There is a thread that might be useful in the graduate life section.

I wouldn't call this biased at all, there are decades of studies to back you up! e.g. http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=study+grade+as+predictor+of+graduate+success&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart

This really depends on the direction you are moving. Because of negotiated route prices between truckers and major freight companies, it is much less expensive to move West than to move East. For example, a single U-pack box is ~$2000 to go from Seattle to Boston, but only ~$1000 to go the other way (last I checked about a month ago--prices will keep rising as the price of oil goes up). By far the cheapest option is to use a freight expediter, which will ship partial container loads by weight. The big catch is you generally have to palletize your stuff and hire a forklift for loading on your own, and you have to find a company willing to work with an individual rather than a company. Still the price (including that forklift) works out to be about half that of a UHaul or Pods type service.

10% is a pretty high acceptance rate. Also, NDSEG and NSF select for different things. There are several instances from last year's NDSEG forum where applicants got the NDSEG but not the GRFP. I've heard the NDSEG described more as a popularity contest--more emphasis on grades, GRE scores, and prior research with big names/labs, whereas the GRFP is weighted more towards a well developed research proposal (and outreach, which NDSEG doesn't seem to care much about).