kala tim

if you do take a grad class, make sure you get an A in it otherwise it will look bad

you think the DoD cares if you have a plan to disarm atomic bombs in the ocean? maybe... but my guess is, not really. i'll repeat again, the dod is just like every other fellowship, in that it funds strong (basic or applied) research in a related field. the keyword is 'strong' (but you can go with 'nuclear' if you want) anyway, i would elaborate, but i need to go select a fellowship from the 4 i was awarded, k thx g2g bye

haha whatever, the advice is there if you want it. good luck next year

treat the DoD like any other fellowship proposal. write a strong basic research component.if you target the DoD specifically, you'll end up looking like a weak candidate

i could give you advice. but then again, i would get downvoted for trolling

and if you think gpa/gre is weighted 25%, that's also missing the point

you guys are doing it all wrong. for example, it doesn't matter if you have .mil and 202 recommendations. i can't believe this isn't obvious to everyone

except, didn't someone from aerospace get the award?

Just be honest about it. Tell school A that you regret your decision and you want to go to school B because of ________. Unless school A is absolutely terrible, they might get annoyed, but they're not going to force you to go to their program when you really don't want to go. Academically, unless it's a small field, no professor is going to remember the name of that one graduate student who, 10 years ago, changed their mind on a grad school decision. Most professors can't even remember the names of the students in their home program. It's your life- just go with whatever you think is best. And don't be unethical about it. That's just dumb

I'd take Stanford. There's a lot to be said for going to a really good school. It's nice when everyone around you is doing something cool. UCSD is really nice, just a different academic climate. It has good Ph.D. programs but it's not Stanford

The 3 programs my proposal could fit into are ARO, HPCM, and ONR. So it's one of these. Good luck everyone.

I think the HPC awards were given first, and other departments will send notifications on Monday. Want to downvote me?

yes, and i agree this is an important (and good) reason for the confidentiality however, i am surprised the professor didn't give very strong hints that this guy might be hired especially, given how close the hiring was to the april 15th deadline. couldn't your professor have told you 1 day earlier? it's not like these decisions are made overnight

Also, don't you find it strange that nobody told you they were hiring this professor? **Especially the professor you currently work with** who was likely involved most in the hiring process? (assuming their research overlaps) There is a certain degree of confidentiality in these decisions, but word definitely gets around

If this is what you want to do, then go ahead. I really hope that you change your mind, though. Since it is the weekend of the 15th, you still have some options! First, unless this guy is the department head *he won't even see that you signed your offer, provided you decline now*. Do you think every professor is involved in admissions? They will find out about admissions at some point in the future, but not immediately (and especially not on the 15th) If you are uncomfortable doing this (although it seems to be, by far, your best option) then you can defer admission for a year and stay in the same city. Then re-apply next year and take a position in the lab you want to join. This is 100% legit and nobody is going to hold it against you. In fact, if this professor is the type to hold it against you, you certainly don't want to be working with him for the next 5+ years Basically, it sounds like you are making a terrible decision. I really hope you reconsider