waterworld

I completely agree with aquaflux. I applied last year and was rejected, being hit on the same two points. My second application was much better because of the comments and i structured my arguments more completely.

@mountaingirl and @aquaflux, just got the email too. I think you are right about it not being the "official" notification, but rather a way to begin the process to get the official word. congrats guys!

@mountaingirl, i don't think we will be getting emails until much later as the website says official notification will be sent out by july. don't worry - i've spoken to others who received the award in the past, and they all confirmed that it takes a while. congrats!! (C1 - phone call!)

good thing if you haven't received anything. went through this last year (unfortunately, wasn't awarded)...basically, the longer that you don't hear, the better. strange, i know.

hiro, you give the rest of us thus-far-non-awardees hope! congrats!

arya, i agree! they should send emails before updating online or keep the site down until its all ready. so chaotic!

the two people who saw awards, first letter of last name? maybe, by some stretch, there is still hope for those of us at the end of the alphabet?

that's a relief. thanks dasgut for the dose of calm.

Can't login either. I like/agree/hope its true the idea about the new login information being in your "congratulatory" email if you do receive it. Keeps the hope alive...

Since they have to get the list from DoD and then send out the emails, I think that they'll email during business hours.

As a commuter, it's not a big deal. You learn to work efficiently and productively while on campus, while enjoying your time away from work. It's totally doable. Regarding the location of your PhD, I think that if you plan to stay in Florida, a Florida school is a natural choice as many people looking to hire will have attended those universities. I think that UMiami is a great choice. Money and new faculty is also alluring as traditionally, new faculty are really exciting in getting research cranked out. Being a California native, I agree completely with what you said about UC Davis skewing your networking opportunities to the west coast. Good luck with your decision!

as someone else so moved TO the east coast from california, you won't regret it! on a side note, berkeley carries a lot of prestige itself in this field of work. sure, UC's don't have ivy league money, but the caliber of work, students, and faculty is second to none. good luck and congratulations!

rising sun, i have to echo some of the comments here regarding the importance of love and happiness. i'm one of the few married graduate students in my department, and actually limited applying to schools based on distance from my husband's work. lot's of people ask me how i juggle commuting to campus and having a family, but it's so fantastic to have a life outside of my work. there is no replacement for having that support system and your sig other nearby. work changes, research changes, jobs change, but if you're committed to your sig other, it's all that really matters, right? i think the suggestion that your sig other look for work nearby to your preferred school could work- or maybe reapplying again next year if not admitted this year. all the best! hope you both are able to make it work

You will need to calculate your GPA based on A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, scaling for number of credits, of course. You could do the simple metric (/10*4) which gives you a GPA of 2.84. Do you have some solid research background to back up your application?

hi coolrp, if you do get admitted to georgia tech, that would be a great choice. other wise, i think UFL for 2 reasons - it's a good school and you're getting $12K. money is a huge factor. financially, you want to be in a better place than when you started and having to pay tuition and room/board really hits hard. do you know if any of the other schools are giving you a fellowship? i don't believe there is a huge difference between MS and MS-eng...it's a masters either way, but the opportunity to write you thesis is a big part of working on a masters and something that solidifies your skills, particularly when you're looking for jobs afterwards. good luck!