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Michelley262003

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Everything posted by Michelley262003

  1. I would do it earlier. I took my GRE in June and then again in July. The exam is not hard. Even if you are an okay test taker you will do fine.
  2. I really know very little about mechanical engineering, but your stats seem good. What I think is really interesting about your description of your credentials is the amount of experience you already have in your field. You could really capitalize on this experience with a SOP that highlights these experiences and how they relate to your future goals and ambitions. Best wishes
  3. Awesome! Best of luck with everything. Also some really helpful resources: The Reader- It's a magazine (free) that comes out every week on Wed. You can find them at any 7-11, Circle K or convenient store. It is really helpful with getting to know the area, tons of ads and cupons for local restaurants and attractions/ events (concerts, music, bars, local fests. etc). Also has excellent classifieds for apartments. Signonsandiego.com- really great resource
  4. Hey I'm from San Diego/ lived here my entire life. I think you can live in a very nice place for way less than 1600. Clairemont is very reasonable- A little to suburban for my taste, but definitely on the lower end for rent. If you look you could probably find a really nice place for 1100 a month. Pacific Beach- if you're social, like the bar scene, the beach etc. then PB is the way to go. Look for a place that is not directly on the beach. Try Lamont street, Hornblend st, Noyes. These are all do-able places for your budget. Downside is- crime is higher, rowdier area...etc. University City is a nice area, and the area I live in now. It is right by UCSD and within close proximity to a lot of SD. It's super quiet. NOTHING goes on in UC. So if you are looking for a party UC is not the place to go. Linda Vista- the area around USD is very reasonable, although not as nice, a little more crowded. But if you look here you can definitely find something that is 1) nice 2) affordable 3) a socially place to live. Areas I would avoid: La Jolla - way too pricey, difficult to get in and out of, somewhat pretentious crowd, Rancho Santa Fe- unless you're related to a Senator or a Kenedy you are not living here. Coronado: beautiful place to live, just so so isolated from everything, Chula Vista- high crime, dirty (nick name: Chulujana) Logan Heights- highest crime rate in the city, Downtown- now this depends on your tolerance for traffic. Downtown SD is beautiful and fun. Really classy place with lots to do and see. But the traffic... yuck. Hope this helps
  5. Ive moved four times (cross country- from midwest to west coast to midwest to west coast to midwest etc etc etc...) and will move again, this time to the east coast. I have saved papers and projects that have been graded. All as electronic copies. I've saved a few final drafts of papers and ALL of my text books within my discipline. Everything else, notes, tests etc. I've tossed right after undergrad graduation. Hasn't had any negative effect. Do it! Get rid of it all. It feels wonderful and it is so much easier to move.
  6. hey Im kind of curious... where did you choose to go? I was kind of in the same situation. One school- really good reputation, more money but not so great city/living conditions vs. School 2- not as great a research reputation (still good though), less money (although completely funded and livable) and in an amazing city I know I will love. I chose school 2; and am really happy with my decision. Just curious what you chose.
  7. I am so out of my discipline here... but I came across this post and felt like I had something to add. (Gender studies minor as an undergrad) - Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Fienberg -Drag Queen Dreams by Leslie Fienberg -How I learned to Snap by Kirk Reed -Me Talk Pretty one Day by David Sedakis -Handmaid's Tale By Margret Atwood -Dawn and the Xneogenesis series by Octavia Butler -Anything by Jenett Winterson (her short stories are pretty good) -Persepolis by Marjan Satrapi (also a really good movie) - Just thought I would give my two cents.
  8. From what I can gather, they are somewhat disorganized. I called a few weeks ago and found that I did in fact have a place. I had to call again to get them to fax over my address and all other information. They told me I would hear from the current occupant of the house. Yet to hear that either. I understand your frustration. They are annoying, and that really sucks that they have yet to tell you if you have a place.
  9. Would you want to go to a school that did not require its future students to prove they have acceptable writing skills? You are probably thinking: I know I can write. That is all that matters. But would you want to be accepted to a program that has not put forth the proper challenges to determine the quality of your future colleagues?
  10. I think it really depends on the program to which you are applying to. I applied and was accepted to a program that did not require me to have an advisor right away. I also applied and was accepted to another program, on the condition that I found an advisor who would be willing to take me. The program I ended up choosing was one in which I expressed interest in a few of the faculty's research areas, not their specific research interests. My advice to you would be to find out exactly how much your admissions and/or funding is dependent upon the advisor. You can find this out via the program director or through a graduate student already in the program. Best wishes
  11. Find a school that will accept you with funding only. When I applied to schools last go-around for my PhD, I only applied to school I knew would fund me. Meaning, they would not accept students they were not going to fund. There are many schools like this out there. You just have to find them. Best wishes
  12. I did better on the Q- 670 vs. V-540. I think it really depends on the form you get. The GRE is crap anyway... I don't think they will place too much emphasis on it.
  13. I don't know if this will help. But my three recs were 1) my academic advisor 2) a professor I did research with 3) a professor completely out of my discipline who knew I write well. I agree, make sure they are good. This can be done by asking the following: Can you write me a good recommendation? Emphasis on the good part.
  14. I agree with the last post. It would benefit you to take your GRE's ASAP, that way you will not have to worry about waiting for scores to report. I took my GRE's in June and July right after I graduated from my undergrad. It worked out well for me. But if you feel like you need the time to really study for them, then take the time. It's not that hard of a test. Im sure you'll do fine without real intense study. best of luck
  15. I would advise you to contact them. It can never hurt to get your name out there. I applied to 10 schools. I made contact via phone with half of these schools. I got into half of them. The school I ended up choosing was the school I applied to first and with whom I had the most contact. Applied: 10 Interviewed: 5 Accepted: 5 Going: University of Vermont Program: Neuroscience (PhD)
  16. 1700 a month... is do-able with a roommate in Pacific beach or the University city area. If you're looking for a social scene then Pac Beach is the answer. If your looking for quite suburban life (think highlight is Surf soccer cup or the UC 4th of July celebration) then go with UC. Bike paths are everywhere... although if you live in PB you better get a car. UC on the other hand is walking distance to the University. There's a Henry's Market Place, Bristol Farms (think super expensive health food store), plenty of fast food joints. I did not go to UCSD, but I am from San Diego and grew up in the UC area. It's not the most exciting place if you are a broke grad student. Im sorry to say, but a lot of the fun of san diego requires money (money I do not have either...Im not trying to rain on your parade or anything). Sure there's the beach...yes it's free...and the bay....but to get there you must have gas and a high tolerance for traffic and people who can not drive to save their life. But other than that the main attractions are pretty expensive: Sea World, Zoo, Wild Animal Park, really good restaurants, comedy shows, casinos, even movie theaters..... and I do not imagine that you will have a whole lot of time to delve into a lot of this, with school and all.. good luck with everything if you ever need any pointers about the city or anything at all just let me know. Also: just a word of warning. The housing market right now in SD is really bad. Many homes are in foreclosure. There has been a lot of shady stuff going on with people renting out houses they do not own and pocketing the rent money. It's a huge scam. So if the rent appears to good to be true...it probably is.
  17. How about Burlington, Vermont... can it be done without a car? From my understanding its quite small, and can be done in the summer just fine. Im more so worried about the winter. Im not exactly Lance Armstrong and do not expect my tour de france to be anywhere in the near future.
  18. Get a job as a tutor. You can make your own hours, charge your own rates. I'm sure someone would be dying to have a grad student help them with a paper/ math homework/ science etc. Whatever your skill maybe. Also, if you are a decent test-taker and did well on the GRE you may try applying for a job teaching at Kaplan or princeton review. They are always looking for teachers for the suckers that take those courses. best of luck
  19. I don't know if you would care to hear my 2 cents. I would NOT hire an admissions assistant. Those type of services are designed to exploit those who are anxious, worried and insecure about their credentials. They are EXPLOITIVE and will prey upon you and your willingness to fork over a lot of money. Anything they can offer is stuff you already know and have pointed out. So your GRE scores suck. Probably not a big deal as long as you have a GPA that's descent. If not, maybe you should consider taking some extra classes in your discipline. I don't know what that discipline maybe, but I'm sure you can find courses that could boost a possibly subpar GPA. Or a job in which you can home in on the skills you would need for the PhD program.(Which could be really good with recs.) You could work on your personal statement and really hit them hard with an awesome, well written response that outlines exactly why you want a PhD. I don't know if that all helps. I guess if you haven't gotten in this time around, you could work on a number of things to make your application strong. And I saw that you mentioned you had only applied to a few schools. I applied to 10. I got into 5. Many of the schools I applied to were the best in the country in my discipline. I ended up getting into a really good school that I am extremely happy with. Although it wasn't my first choice, I am glad that I am going there and am excited about the adventure that lies ahead. I wish you the best of luck.
  20. As much as I liked the people at IUPUI... I found Indy to be unfriendly and kind of dull. I chose to go else where. The more I think about it, the happier I am with my decision to go to Vermont. I think Indianapolis is a nice place, and the school is very good in many respects. Not for me.
  21. Hey! I got the same message from housing... which is a relief. I am tired looking for a roommate and a place. As far as the commute...its really not a commute...its like less than a mile. You could walk on nice days (and take the bus...everything is on the bus line) see you around
  22. This is a good question! I want to know the answer to this too!
  23. To ASTRAROTH I do believe the 575/mo apartments are furnished. I wouldn't be too concerned about not knowing your roommate. It is graduate housing after all. Undergrad days are for the most part over. The person you will be living with will most likely/ hopefully, be a serious student who is older and more mature. I wouldn't worry too much about it. I applied for this as well but have yet to hear anything back. I wish they would get back to me. I've heard from numerous people, including many of the people in my department, that they are very nice, and super convenient. It sucks not being able to visit burlington before I move out there, so I'm just going to hope that it all works out for the best. And if worse comes to worst I will move next year. Have you looked on the UVM listserv? They have listings of people who are searching for roommates and roommates searching for housing. Hope everything works out for you.
  24. I emailed the program director and will be reg-ing in the summer at some point... I've been looking at apartments lately... still waiting to hear back from graduate housing. They said they would get back to me towards the end of May. At this point i just want to get into grad housing... then look for something else (if I don't like it) later on. Im from the other side of the country, so am not going to get the chance to visit Burlington before I have to be there... I figure grad housing is my best bet.... unless I can find a roommate who already has a place. How's everyones apartment hunt going?
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