Rachel B
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Posts posted by Rachel B
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I've done this and I think it's an essential part of applying to graduate school. It gets your name out and may give you a huge leg up when it comes to the adcomm. Prior to calling I would go on the school website and see what information they have posted about the professors. Look at what classes they teach, what their research is on, etc. and write down a list of questions you want to ask them. It's also a good idea to drop them an email first to briefly introduce yourself and ask when a good time to speak on the phone is.
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Is your university a reputable or well-known school? If they are looking at your GPA, which translates to a 3.2, they probably won't care too much since your application is being compared to people across the globe and not people whom you went to school with. Just because you have a high GPA among others at your school doesn't mean you have a high GPA period. If it is due to a lack of grade inflation, I would have a recommendation writer point this out since it's more credible to hear it from a faculty member.
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Accountability to whatever equity/anti-discrimination policies most decent universities should have in place? I'm not dumb enough to think that they'd come out and say so but I think if people were to hold them accountable (a systematic change) instead of just saying "adcomms will be adcomms"...
There has to be proof, which may be nearly impossible to get, and many universities stand behind the administrators and faculty making those decisions.
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What kind of aid are you receiving? My institution told me that my federal unsubsidized stafford loan will be disbursed 10 days before classes start.
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I've looked into NYU in the past, but I'm not sure if I could handle spending a lot of time on health reporting. I did a lot of medical reporting at CTV and it wasn't really my cup of tea. I'm also not that passionate about living in New York, Boulder appealed to me because it offered such close access to the wilderness and outdoors, which I feel could be more beneficial than an urban metropolis. But thanks for the advice! I'd choose Columbia because it's Columbia, but other than that I'm quite enamoured with the University of Colorado.
And I've seen that before on National Geographic's website, I don't expect getting in there will be easy, but I'm a pretty determined person and I don't want to let one line on a website defeat me—you'll always miss 100 per cent of the shots you don't take, as the saying goes.
I don't want to discourage you either. But there's also a saying that goes "don't put all your eggs in one basket." Being so limited and focused can sometimes be a liability. You want to make sure you can support yourself on your journey and you have a back-up plan.
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My federal loan isn't going to be applied until August and it will have to cover all my fee costs first. You might want to call VaTech and ask if you can get it disbursed early, but I'm not entirely sure if this is possible. I also noticed your school has temporary short term loans available for student-related expenses (including rent). Although it only goes up to $600, it might be worth looking into: http://www.finaid.vt.edu/types_of_aid/loans/short-term/index.html
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A friend of mine applied to Columbia's M.S. program and was accepted. She double majored at her undergrad institution in environmental studies and creative writing with a GPA of 3.8. She also had numerous honors and did an internship with the New York Times. However, she ended up declining Columbia's offer and instead is attending Medill at Northwestern. I would say you have a fairly good chance of getting in, but you might also want to look at other programs, including NYU's M.A. program with the option for an Advanced Certificate in Science, Health and Environmental Reporting. NYU is also a very prestigious journalism school.
Also, this is directly from the National Geographic website:
Vacancies on our editorial staff are usually filled by men and women who have had quite a few years of experience in the newspaper or magazine publishing fields. In preparation for such work, many of our writers have made a thorough study of the sciences, journalism, and English, and in some cases know several languages. A solid academic background and a proven record of success in one's chosen field are most important. However, because we cannot know a person's particular talents nor assure employment after a completed course, we do not encourage gearing a career or educational program specifically toward employment by the National Geographic Society.
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What kind of information are you looking for? Just because a school accepts a large percentage of students doesn't mean that its a low quality education. However, IIT doesn't seem to be a top ranked school and what you should think about are the job prospects of a food science degree. Since you've been offered no financial aid, how are you planning on paying for your expenses? If you only take out loans, you're looking at about $36,000 in debt for each year of the program. I'm from Chicago and while I love the city, it is expensive to live there. If you're worried about the quality of the degree and the finances, why not wait a few years to strengthen your resume? This could help you get into better programs and possibly get better financial aid.
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What is your tax situation with your parents? Unfortunately, that will be a big factor. If you're able to claim your parents as your own dependents, you may open the door to more financial aid. If you're not able to, it's very unlikely that you'll find financial aid for your situation. Here's a helpful article on claiming your parents as dependents http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/18/can-i-claim-my-mother-as-a-dependent/
I would suggest making some phone calls to financial aid departments to further your search too.
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80%- four acceptances, one rejection
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Make sure that you know the conditions of withdrawing your commitment at Berkeley before you accept Stanford's offer. The only reason I say this is because the conditions differ from school to school and some schools may require you to still pay for a full year's worth of tuition and fees.
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Even though so many people have tattoos today, I don't think the professional world and tattoos are in harmony by any means. If you're looking to work in an office or a professional field, you should expect to cover up any type of tattoo. I have three tattoos: one on each shoulder blade and one below my collarbone. I attended an interview for an internship last summer and just because the edge of my tattoo was showing, the office coordinator told me I would need to change tops or wear a scarf. So like you said, location is the biggest factor. Of course, avoid the face, neck, and hands. But if you're considering your lower arms for any reason, ask yourself if you always want to have to wear long sleeves while at work. Because of my one tattoo, I have to make sure I buy tops that have a higher neckline or make sure I pin my shirts so that my tattoo is covered. It's just something else to consider.
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I'm majoring in environmental studies at my current institution and will be attending an M.S. Environmental Science program in the fall. I've looked at a ton of Environmental Studies graduate programs so I can share with you what I was able to find out. While you don't have to have a science degree for ALL environmental studies program, many programs have prerequisite requirements like biology and chemistry. Because it's so interdisciplinary, environmental studies programs welcome students from other degree backgrounds like political science and the humanities, but because the emphasis is still on "environment," those science classes are important. ALSO, there are M.A. and M.S. Environmental Studies programs and the M.A. requirements may be very different from the M.S.
I suggest looking at specific programs, their concentration options, and what kind of academic background they desire. I'm just including some links to programs I looked at and if you have additional questions or need help, feel free to PM me.
CU-Boulder http://envs.colorado...am/C22/Masters/
UPenn http://www.sas.upenn...ps/graduate/mes
Kentucky State http://mes.kysu.edu/
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I'm not sure about the school you're applying to, but I am attending an out of state school and they've provided me with a full tuition waiver but I still have to pay "in state" fees. Anyone with a full tuition waiver, whether a state resident or not, at my school is only billed for in state fees. But your situation sounds super confusing and if you want clarification, you really should call the department or financial aid, whichever is in charge of distributing tuition waivers.
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I even suggest to people who aren't considering grad school for another few years to contact potential recommendation writers now to write a letter and keep it on file until it's needed. Whether they apply in two years or ten, there's that letter waiting for them that was written while the professor still had a good memory of their abilities.
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Hi: I have been admitted to UChicago -SSA MA and the department offered me a scholarship that covers half the tuition. I also received a preliminary aid package (loans and work study) but with a shortfall of $13,000 (as per COA) that is not guaranteed because it is a Gradplus loan and depends on credit check,. What happens if one's credit is poor and cannot secure a co-signer? Are there any other options apart from, worst case scenario, withdraw for a local state university that has given me a financial aid package with loans half the cost? The problem is I am still an unclassified student because I have not received an acceptance letter from SFSU. Furthermore, their MSW program is not as attractive as UChicago's.
So, I am kind of stuck in the same "sinking" ship right now.
Are there opportunities to work on campus? Have you looked at outside scholarships or fellowships? What about private loans through a bank?
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You should check to see what UPenn says about withdrawing from your commitment after April 16. Sometimes it's just a written release, in some cases you might have to actually still pay for a full year's worth of tuition and fees.
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I'm not waitlisted, but I am waiting to hear back from one more school regarding both admission and financial assistance. What makes it harder is that it's my top choice. I'm going crazy over it by checking my email a million times a day and having dreams about being at the school.
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I'm still waiting on one more admissions decision and unfortunately the school is my top choice. I turned in my application in early February following a successful campus visit. My application was turned over to the admissions committee in early March and after following up with a member of the committee I was told that it was likely I would receive my decision via email by the end of March. It's now almost the second week in April and I haven't heard anything. I did contact their office last week and the secretary didn't know the status of the decisions and referred me to the same admissions committee member.
At this point I'm not sure what to do. On one hand April 15 is quickly approaching and I have other offers to respond to. Oppositely, I don't want to annoy this person into rejecting me. I realize the second outcome might be kind of ridiculous, but I figure if they're still deciding it may just be because there are several strong applicants, myself included and bugging him won't help.
Any advice? Should I email him again? If so, what should I say without coming off as impatient? Should I emphasize that the school is still my top choice?
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Thanks for the advice everyone, I think I will stick with GW. I have come up with a plan - I will accept FSU's ooffer of admission (but turn down the assistantship) and stay for Fall 2012 semester. When I accept FSU's offer or admission, I will defer GW's admission until Spring of 2013 and then transfer my nine credits I took at FSU in the Fall toward my degree at GW. I got this little plan cleared with GW and after crunching some numbers, this plan will save me roughly $17,000 (including tuition and cost of living). What do you guys think about transfering in (with a deferal) to GW if it's been ok'd? Would you do this to save $17,000?
JAubrey - I did want to ask, what is a TTT school? I've never heard of this acronym and you used it to describe fsu, just wondering what you meant!
Is it possible GW would offer you funding if you deferred? Could they offer you an assistantship/fellowship/grant at a later time?
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I'm glad I didn't get into UCSB Bren. There's no way I could have gone without funding. I can't remember where I read it, but isn't Indiana's program number one in the country among graduate environmental science schools?
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I know it's easier said than done, but don't stress too much about it. I come from a Jewish family as well, and all I can say is that having the second marriage is better than having the first marriage that doesn't work out (and from what you said, it sounds like this girl needs help and dating someone for 4 months and planning a baby in two months doesn't sound stable at all).
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I think it's very kind of your father to be willing to help you afford GW but I completely understand what you mean. When I applied to grad schools financial aid was one of the first things I looked at. My parents offered to tap into their retirement, but there was no way I would let them do that.
With that said, you sound like you have a great academic resume, have you ever considered institutional or outside fellowships? What about finding a part-time on-campus job or an internship in DC? These might not cover all the costs, but they may help you attend GW while at least being partially financially independent.
I haven't heard back from all my schools yet unfortunately. I'm waiting on TCU, which will hopefully have a fully-funded assistantship to offer me as well. I do know TCU's assistantship is a full tuition waiver and a $16,000 stipend a year for either a teaching assistantship or a research assistantship, both of which carry a maximum workload of 20 hours a week.
As for LSU, their assistantship offer is a teaching assistantship for a full tuition waiver and $6,000 per semester. Granted the cost of living is much cheaper in Baton Rouge, LA, the stipend isn't bad. I wasn't given a choice for the number of hours a week I would work. Fully-funded assistantships come with a maximum 20 hour per week workload, though there are assistantships at LSU that carry less of a workload but do not come with a tuition waiver. I did speak to a current grad student at LSU and she told me that as a TA herself she only works about 6 hours a week. The only requirements for keeping the assistantship is to do well at whatever your assignment is and maintain good grades.
Environmental Policy/Studies Programs
in Interdisciplinary Studies
Posted
Kind of an old thread, but I graduated from LSU's ENVS program last year. They take an interdisciplinary approach. I got to take field-based science classes and also law classes in the law school. It was a good experience.