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Hanyuye

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  1. Downvote
    Hanyuye reacted to cyberwulf in I am also reapplying next year for PhD in Statistics, any suggestions on my profile?   
    If that 2.8 undergrad GPA isn't a typo, I think you might be setting your sights too high. A sub-3.0 GPA is a tough thing to overcome, even with two Masters degrees. Honestly, I think that several of the places on your list are out of reach, including Chicago, Wisconsin, NCSU, Princeton, and CMU. I don't think your chances are too high at Minnesota, Iowa State, Purdue, UNC, or Davis either. You *might* have a shot at Iowa, Northwestern, and UIUC, but those places can get dicey because of how small the departments are.
     
    Given that you're getting shut out this year, I think that going "up the ladder" in terms of school quality is a bad idea; at best, you should keep the average strength of school the same and improve your application to get better results.
  2. Upvote
    Hanyuye reacted to 1Q84 in When Did You Start Grad School?   
    I know this may be a sensitive subject for some, but I'm curious. I took 5 years between my undergraduate because I was disillusioned with the system and suffered a lot in my last 2 years of school due to personal issues resulting in some low grades.

    As a result, I feel REALLY behind in my timeline. I'm going be 27 if I start my Masters next Fall and I feel like all my friends have either started or finished their grad school or are in their full-fledged careers.

    My partner is a consideration too. Making him wait for 8 years or so with no real income while I finish my school stuff feels pretty crappy. By the time I start working (if I'm extremely lucky and can find a job coming out of grad school), I'd be 35 or so. Only starting to have a real income and start saving for a house, etc. that late in life is really, really stressing me out.

    Anyone else in this same boat? Or anyone been through this same thing and came out unscathed?

    Sigh. Age is just a number right?
  3. Downvote
    Hanyuye reacted to onedayslp in Macbook Air for grad school?   
    Hey all,
    I'm having difficulty deciding if a 2012 13-inch Macbook Air will be adequate during grad school...
    I purchased one this weekend because Best Buy was running an amazing sale on them and I got $200 off.
    Now I'm having second thoughts of whether I should have gone with the Pro. My main concern: will 128 GB be enough storage for me? I plan to use it a lot as it will be my main computer. I'll be writing papers, using Excel, and maybe using some data analysis software. My iTunes library is fairly small, ~3000 songs. Anyone else using a MBA as their primary computer for grad school? 
  4. Upvote
    Hanyuye reacted to EnricoPallazo in New York, NY   
    It's tough. You need a car or means to escape.  A lot of people ride out of the city via the GWB, but biking here is dicey.  Dodging tourists in Central Park gets old.
  5. Upvote
    Hanyuye reacted to SydTheKyd in 2013 Applicant Profiles and Results   
    I don't really like giving out details about my life, but this may help someone so...
     
    Undergrad Institution: U Pittsburgh
    Major(s): Bioengineering
    Minor(s): None
    GPA in Major: Not sure
    Overall GPA: 3.33
    Length of Degree: 4 yr program + 1 yr co-op rotation = 5 years total
    Position in Class: No idea - probably average?
    Type of Student: African American female
     

    GRE Scores:
    Q: 156
    V: 153
    W: 4


    Research Experience: 
    - In total, >1.5 years lab experience with tissue engineering research, which includes biomaterials research for a summer in Germany
    - In total, 1 year industry experience, which includes 2 semesters co-oping with a highly regarded medical device company in R&D and 1 semester co-oping at research equipment company in R&D
    - no publications, no big poster talks, etc
     
     
    Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 
    Tau Beta Pi, two corporate scholarships from NSBE, university scholarships (that I had upon entering), Dean's List
     

    Pertinent Activities or Jobs: 
    - Heavily involved with National Society of Black Engineers university chapter, including regional level position
    - Mentored freshmen engineering students as part of diversity program
    - Engineering school tour guide for 4 yrs (I talk a lot at student recruitment days)
    - 1 yr volunteer work with mentoring high school students about bioengineering/tissue engineering, and other outreach activities
     
     
    Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:
    I think I had pretty good letters - I never saw them, but I trust my letter writers!  One was from a professor I have a good relationship with, one is from a current PI, and one is from an R&D manager at my previous co-op
     

    Applying for [ MS ] or [ PhD ] at:
    Applying for PhD in Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering (regenerative medicine/tissue engineering focus) at:
     
    Vanderbilt - Rejected, 1/??/13
    U Washington - Rejected, 1/??/13
    Carnegie Mellon - Accepted, 2/7/13, full tuition + stipend
    Rice University - Accepted, 2/26/13, full tuition + stipend
    U Pittsburgh - in cahoots with high level dean/professor who is "very sure" I'll get in...so I'll take that as an eventual yes?  o_O
    U Michigan - Still waiting
    Northwestern - Still waiting
     
     
    Regardless of Michigan and Northwestern decisions, probably will end up going to Rice - I'm ready to escape the cold!  
  6. Upvote
    Hanyuye reacted to Usmivka in Buying vs. Renting during Grad School   
    http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/business/buy-rent-calculator.html
     
    Be sure to use the advanced settings to take into account things like security deposits, local taxes, etc. I also think their default assumptions for increasing property value are too high for most parts of the country, and the assumed rent increase too low.
     
    We bought a year after starting grad school, and it looks like we'll save 30-60k over renting in just those four years (depends on whether the unit gains value or not, and even greater savings than that if rents continue to rise at 7-10% in our area as they have been). But we live in a very expensive rental market where condos, and our unit was bought far under market value so we are very confident of selling it, so the math was more in our favor than it might be for you. Origination fees should be fairly minimal compared to the unit cost, but if your margin is only 15k it probably isn't worth the hassle and lack of flexibility that come with home ownership--for example you can't move quickly if your neighbors are shitty or circumstances change. I honestly don't think it is worth it unless the savings are something you will really notice (eg more than a few thousand a year) or it is your dream unit. Better to save your money for a home wherever you settle for the long term after grad school, in my opinion.
     
    Mortgage apps and house hunting were also essentially a full time job for a few months. Also, unless you can pay full asking price in cash, you will probably need to find a "non-conforming" loan (exceedingly hard to get post 2012 finacial reforms)--this is because most of us were previously in the work force (got W-2s), and when we switch to getting fellowships (1099-MISC) it is considered changing job type to "self-employed," and you are expected to have a 2-5 year work history proving sufficient income on the 1099s. Rediculous, I know, but try convincing the bank that your income is gauranteed despite the 1099 and you'll see how difficult this is. I had better luck with local credit unions that offered "portfolio loans," Fannie/Freddie and the big banks won't touch you.
  7. Upvote
    Hanyuye reacted to na3eem in Which one, Harvard or LSE?   
    harvard... less time... u dont have to write a thesis, and the best school in the country
  8. Downvote
    Hanyuye reacted to Edugy in Which one, Harvard or LSE?   
    I'd go with LSE if you want to get a PhD down the road, it's a well known school for international development, and the thesis would help set you up for a research focus.
  9. Upvote
    Hanyuye reacted to Burkis in The sub-3.0 GPAs ACCEPTANCE thread   
    What an inspiring and helpful thread!
     
    My story: When I graduated with a very low, sub-3.0 GPA from McGill I pretty much felt devastated. My grades made a perfect "U": strong at the start, weak in the middle and strong again at the end once I switched programs. Most advisors made me feel like a leper once they looked at my transcript and never bothered to ask what happened. One advisor even laughed and said, "I guess science isn't your strong suit" in a room filled with other students.
     
    I applied to an MA program at an OK school, made a great connection with my POI, had my travel costs paid so that I could visit, but was rejected in the end due to my marks and received a rude letter from the program's coordinator. My POI told me that my only hope would be to complete another bachelor degree. I relocated to my hometown, completed a funded-MA at a local, no-name university, and pretty much thought that might be the end of things. However, since graduating from undergrad four years earlier I had managed to rack up significant experience in my field through research work, UN positions, and government opportunities while completing my MA. I took the GREs, did horribly, applied to two PhD programs and was rejected, but I had applied mainly to my dream schools and not programs where my research interests were a good fit so I wasn't entirely surprised.
     
    Despite my poor undergraduate GPA I knew that I still wanted to attend programs at well regarded, internationally recognized universities. I gave things another shot last year, spent a great deal of time researching schools, wrote more refined and honest research proposals/statements including an explanation of my poor grades, secured stronger references, and made contact with POIs. I secured interviews for good doctoral programs at universities such as LSHTM and Oxford and in the end I was accepted to 3 out of the 5 programs that I applied to, including one school which only accepted 36 out of 330 applicants.
     
    Bottom line: If you have a low undergrad GPA, do not give up hope. 1. Try to rack up some relevant work experience, 2. spend time researching schools/programs, 3. reach out to POIs, 4. write a killer statement of purpose/proposal, and 5. secure strong LoR.
  10. Upvote
    Hanyuye reacted to Globaltraveler in The sub-3.0 GPAs ACCEPTANCE thread   
    My undergraduate GPA was so sub-3.0, that I still hate mentioning it. Still, I was able to get a job right out of college with a decent firm. Of course, I had to build up over 8+ years of experience before applying to grad school. I have a B.S. in Computational Mathematics (basically a hybrid Math/Computer Science degree). This was my path....
     
    1) I enrolled at a lower-ranked California State University branch campus and completed an online graduate certificate in Software Quality Engineering. That was 3 courses with 9 graduate semester credits. All A's, so that was a 4.0 Graduate GPA...albeit a lower-ranked school.
     
    2) I enrolled at my desired online graduate engineering program at the University of Wisconsin. I declared myself as a "non-degree" graduate student which allowed me to take up 3 courses before applying. The dean was aware of my undergrad grades but kept telling me "just do well in your courses". Well, I aced those 3 courses. That is now 6 courses with a 4.0 graduate GPA.
     
    When I applied for full-standing, the dean said it was just a formality. I was admitted (hell, I only had 4 courses left anyway). I took 3 more at U-Wisconsin and one more at another school (transfer limit was 12 credits) and I was awarded my M.S. Engineering degree. Since I already had work experience, the degree qualified me for advanced positions and MUCH higher salaries because I can now be billed at higher rates.
     
    Of course, I went for a non-funded, coursework-only M.S. program but still wanted to share this.
  11. Downvote
    Hanyuye reacted to yoyolulu in choose between ms program: Yale and Columbia biostat?   
    Hi everyone,
    Please give me some information you know about these two programs. I am gonna to find a job in industry after graduation and wanna know which program has better reputation and alumni network in industries.
    If you guys could also share some info on recent job marketing of masters in biostatistics ~
    Thank you a lot for help! feel helpless about deciding which one is better for me.
     
     
     
  12. Upvote
    Hanyuye reacted to PittPanther13 in Pittsburgh, PA   
    Fat Heads is by far the best, good assessment overall. haha
  13. Upvote
    Hanyuye reacted to Seatbelt Blue in Boston & Cambridge, MA   
    How the hell do you people afford Boston? I'm doing some preliminary searching to get a feel for the city, and this is worse sticker shock than NYC, where I *already live*. I'm absolutely stunned at the prices I'm seeing. How do people studying in Boston keep off the streets?
  14. Upvote
    Hanyuye reacted to Sconnie in Norman/Oklahoma City, OK   
    Just want to bump this city for this year.  My program is a great fit here but I wonder how I will fit into the surrounding community.  In Norman especially how much will a VERY liberal person stick out.  To put it in perspective I am considered Liberal by Madison, WI standards. 
     
    Where are good areas to live in with both a quiet atmosphere yet close to some nightlife when the need to unwind arises?
    Pedestrian friendly?
  15. Upvote
    Hanyuye reacted to SANDIEGO in The sub-3.0 GPAs ACCEPTANCE thread   
    This is remarkable and inspiring. Thank you for sharing.
  16. Upvote
    Hanyuye reacted to Lilac13 in The sub-3.0 GPAs ACCEPTANCE thread   
    The stories on this board are incredible! I am compelled to also share my story as it may give some applicants additional hope.
     
    Like emg28, I am a first generation college graduate. I majored in psychology. I finished undergrad with a 3.0. I had a few failing grades on my transcript (Ds and Fs). I've never been one to make excuses, but I struggled financially, mentally, and emotionally in college due to some serious family health issues.
     
    I attended a school that did not have the best resources to give me the exposure and skills I needed. Realizing this, I sought opportunities elsewhere. I spent two summers as a research intern at two major research universities.
     
    During my senior year I decided to apply to PhD programs in clinical and developmental psychology. Everything I heard from people around me was that students with a degree in psychology go on to get PhDs, so i figured it was what I was supposed to do. I took the GRE and didn't do well at all. The only score I can say I was AW. I had one great letter of recommendation from my research mentor and two average letters from professors in my department. I got rejected from nearly every program I applied to because I did not meet "basic cutoffs". Teachers College rejected me from their PhD program, but accepted me to their masters program. I was completely surprised. I ended up declining the offer though because it did not come with funding, I couldn't find housing, and I could not afford to live in NYC.
     
    A month after graduating, I made the decision to move nearly 2,000 miles away from home and it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. I landed a job as a research assistant at a major university. The research I have been doing shifted my area of focus and sparked my interest in education policy. I applied to and got accepted to a masters program in public policy. I finished with a 3.9 GPA and made great connections with students and professors. Nearly 5 years after starting as a research assistant, I received several promotions in my current department, lots of great research experience, presentations, and publications. During summer 2012, I decided to apply for PhD programs in Education Policy. I studied my butt off for the GRE and improved my verbal and AW scores, but my already crappy quantitative score actually went down  . I was extremely nervous about my chances of being accepted due to my quantitative score and my undergraduate grades, but I took the risk and applied.
     
    Long story short, I am proud to say I got accepted to STANFORD out of over 500+ applicants. My POI and the admissions committee had some questions about my undergraduate GPA and quantitative GRE score, but they gave me a chance to explain it. From what I was told, having a great GPA in a masters program showed a remarkable upward trajectory. Having 4+ years of solid research experience and three glowing letters of recommendation also really worked in my favor. I also did everything I could to try to make myself stand out from the other applicants (a great personal statement and meeting with my POI to discuss research interests). I am still waiting for responses from the other three schools I applied to, but I think getting admitted to my very competitive top choice is remarkable!
     
    I say all of this to say, there are certainly ways you can compensate for having a "low" GPA. Best of luck!
  17. Upvote
    Hanyuye got a reaction from mostlytoasty in New York, NY   
    I'm gonna be honest with you, I'm an outdoorsy person myself stuck in NYC. When I go on vacations, I avoid cities and go straight for the wilderness. However, NYC doesn't have what you're looking for, precisely. It does have 'hip' biking culture and only professional bikers commute long distances (excess of 5 miles one way) and bike messengers. I know a lot of Williamsburg folks to bike but that is part of their hipster-dom lifestyle, but biking in general is incredibly impractical in NYC. 
    As for rock-climbing, Chelsea and Brooklyn Boulders is your only bet. Most of us NY'ers go upstate near New Paltz for some woodsy action or natural escapes. My friends and I go as far as Vermont for hiking or Maine. 
    It is easy to get away, via car but biking in the city is hectic but once you're out of it, it's a cinch. 
  18. Downvote
    Hanyuye reacted to Sealove00 in What is considered a good score? Average score? Worst score?   
    What is considered a good score? What about average? Worst score?
  19. Upvote
    Hanyuye reacted to iowaguy in Laramie, WY   
    I think you'll get that there.  You'd have easy access to several different WY/CO mountain ranges (Wind River Range is my personal favorite, there is a lifetime of backpacking/fishing explorations there), the Red Desert, and the vast "badlands" of Eastern Wyoming.  If you exhaust your explorations in Wyoming and northern Colorado you can easily head north to explore the 30 million public acres in Montana.  If you like to hunt, fish, climb, hike, mountain bike, canoe, etc you will be in an awesome spot!!!
     
    Laramie & Cheyenne are small, somewhat isolated towns (i.e. don't expect major sporting events or big-name musical events).  But if you don't like big cities you should be right at home there...
  20. Upvote
    Hanyuye reacted to ChemLeg in New York, NY   
    I can't say anything about SanFrancisco, but I know a bit about New York.

    The transit system was built properly for the most part - subways aren't too crowded, and if you live far enough away (long commute), it usually means you get a seat (sleep, read, study).
     
    Rent is horrendous in Manhattan, and usually not worth it. Brooklyn and Queens strike a good balance of safety and rent, as long as you stay out of the worst neighborhoods (Bed-Stuy, Brownsville), and areas that are "up-and-coming" for absolutely no reason.
     
    http://mta.info/maps/submap.html
     
    A good indicator for wealth in Brooklyn - if you live along the number lines, you are probably not good for one reason or another. Either because it is super expensive (Prospect Heights), or you are in the projects (East Flatbush)
    Along the letter lines, south of Prospect Park (but just outside of Coney Island), you are actually okay. You know what, do yourself a favor - avoid anything north of Prospect Park, east of where the M-line turns north. Bed Stuy, Brownsville, Bushwick are all places to avoid.

    Queens is also nice in most areas, but transit is a pain, so that will be more of a consideration. 

    Good news is, there's a bunch of cheap food, including Chinese, Tex-Mex, Pizza (I promise you will be in heaven compared to California) or if you go into the ethnic neighborhoods, their delicacies (Russian, Polish, Italian, Caribbean, Indian), or for the lunch-rush, the Halal food carts (which have a lower chance of rat feces and roaches than most of the restaurants). 
    And no, you don't lose out on your produce - I still get my avocados for a buck, Pomegranates are around. Actually, you might have a nicer selection because we have different groups that can guarantee demand for supplies, so we have a constant steady stream of foods that would otherwise be unavailable. 
     
     
    It is possible to live here, you just need to pinch pennies and room with 2 or three other people, and accept that you will not have space for your belongings, so take the bare minimum you can. 
  21. Downvote
    Hanyuye reacted to orthostice in Can publications, solid recommendations, etc. bypass a "low" GPA for the top schools?   
    Hey all, I'm an undergrad at a decent public school (probably a top 10 public school, but higher when it comes to engineering/science). I'm a chemistry major with a physics minor, and I plan to apply to grad schools in materials science & engineering (one reason I'm taking lots of physics/math is to strengthen my background for that). I will have at least 2 publications by the time I apply to graduate school (one 2nd author, one 1st author and possibly a 3rd author) and solid letters of recommendation from professors I did research with (during the school year + summer REUs), as well as good GRE scores. 
     
    My biggest worry is my GPA. I will have a 3.6-3.7 GPA when applying to grad schools, which I've heard is on the low end for the top schools (Berkeley, Stanford, UCSB, Cornell, MIT, Northwestern) that I would really like to go to. Do I still have a shot at the top schools or should I also include some sort of safety school? Thanks! 
  22. Upvote
    Hanyuye got a reaction from benedicite in New York, NY   
    Yes, if you live like a student should, just fulfilling necessities and nothing else. But you just have to know the nitty-gritty of your neighborhood to get the best deals as noted above. 
  23. Upvote
    Hanyuye reacted to uromastyx in New York, NY   
    Is this a legitimate forum post? Is NYC cool?
  24. Upvote
    Hanyuye reacted to truuky in Pittsburgh, PA   
    Momoms,
     
    Pittsburgh has repeatedly topped the list of America's most livable cities(http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/29/cities-livable-pittsburgh-lifestyle-real-estate-top-ten-jobs-crime-income.html).  It is also one of the cheapest places to live.  The city is a melting pot of cultures and is packed with endless activities.  The region gets all four seasons, ranging in temperature from high 90s during the middle of summer to low teens in the winter.
     
    For more information, I would suggest visiting http://www.visitpittsburgh.com/relocation/
     
    Living alone is definitely going to cost a significant amount.  I would expect a studio apartment to cost about $1000 per month.  If you pick up roommates you could pay as little as $400-$700 per month, depending on whether you live in a house or apartment.
     
    Honestly, money is not a problem in Pittsburgh.  I believe most live quite comfortably on about 2000 per month.
  25. Upvote
    Hanyuye reacted to Chai_latte in Philadelphia vs Long Island   
    I was faced with the same decision.  I chose Philly, and I'm so happy that I did.  Note: I'm a native NY-er. 
    Don't be fooled by its supposed proximity.  LI is its own thing.  IMO, there's really nothing to do out there.  If I remember correctly, there are a bunch of strip malls w/ places like Lowe's etc.  If that's what you're looking for, by all means pick Stony.  But, if you're looking for museums, "good eats", cultural events, Philadelphia Science Festival/Philly Tech Week etc., Philly is the better bet.  Now, of course, you have to take the bitter with the sweet.  While my adopted city has more vitality, it also has a relatively high rate of homelessness and crime.  It also has poor public schools, so that's something to bear in mind as a parent (but, you coud always live in one of the suburbs w/ a stronger school system or go private).  I'm pleased with the public transportation here.  It's not as efficient as NYC, but nothing to sneeze at.  LI, on the other hand, makes car ownership a necessity.  Lastly, don't underestimate the benefits of going to school near other universities (and hospitals- for your wife).  There are so many more opportunities at your disposal, if you take advantage of them.
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