TulipOHare

A. I second that the job placement rate says it all.

UNC.

Well... I guess we can't really tell you if you built things up too much or not. But if all the places you visited left you feeling indifferent, it's certainly possible that none of them are quite right for you. Then you have to decide whether you'd rather go somewhere you're not totally jazzed about, or try again next year. Alternately... are you maybe not that excited about the whole idea of grad school? Is it possible this is a deeper issue of not knowing what you want to do? If so, there is absolutely no shame in taking some time to figure it out (i.e., in not going to grad school this year).

Seconded! eek...

For anyone who had to support themselves while going to school in NYC: how did you do it? I will know next week about funding, but it could well be zilch. Current students have advised me that I will not have time to work during the day. Are there part-time jobs could I get at night* that would actually pay the bills? Is it even worth trying? Please DO tell me "no" if that's the answer, as I'm having silly New York dreams that need puncturing. * Yes, stripping, I know, but my SO has vetoed it.

word (Or, to quote "Greed, Hate, Envy" by Nelly: "F--- the game, don't let the game f--- you, now!")

Damn straight! I do get very tired of the assumption that you must be a rich snob if you went to school or went to a certain school, though. Even if you tell them "no, I busted my ass in high school, and I got a partial scholarship, and I took out loans, and I worked part-time jobs the whole way through" they still don't let go of the first impression... I try to laugh it off as academic penis envy, but it does get to me sometimes.

I have been very nice to School A and they have been very nice in responding that they absolutely positively cannot tell me a single thing. I have been nice to School B by e-mail and have been rewarded with silence; I will be nice to them by phone today, and see if that gets me anywhere. If it does, I'm going to continue with #4 a bit longer; if it doesn't, I'm doing #2. If School A gets pissed that I pulled out because I got a good deal at School B while School A was sitting on their hands, they can suck it. UPDATE, 90 minutes later: Called Financial Aid and they told me that they didn't have me down for any funding and that almost all programs have sent them funding decisions, but I should call my program and ask. Called SLP dept and the secretary said they have not made ANY funding decisions and will probably do so early next week; she advised e-mailing the grad coordinator to double-check. So I have, and I included paeans to the program's greatness to boot. Meanwhile, the clock ticks! April 15th mocks me...

Wow, what an ass!!

To me it looks like the decision comes down to either Georgia Tech's positive job prospects or OSU's funding and family-friendliness... and that is a really tough one. Good luck -- I envy your four great options, but I don't envy you having to choose between them!

Wow, that is tough! I am leaning toward Harvard. The slight mismatch in research interests could be a plus and a minus: there will be no one to give you expert advice on your own research, but being part of an active and interdisciplinary academic group will be very stimulating -- unless the faculty are really cold, and your fellow grad students are total stuck-up pricks who shun you out of fear you'll crowd their spotlight. Also, I personally would like having my boundaries pushed. YMMV.

If you get decent loan terms, $40k in student debt will come out to $400-500 month in payments under a standard (10-year) repayment plan, or $200-300 under an extended (20 or 30-year) repayment plan. Will the jobs you're looking at allow you to repay that?

If NYU or GWU will be limiting in your future career options, then LSE is definitely the best choice. The only reason I can think of where it might be better for you to go to NYU or GWU is if you could get an internship with great work experience that would look really good to employers in your home country (or wherever it is you'd like to work). But I'm not in your field, so I have no idea what the odds of that are. Someone else on this board probably knows.

Update: I got some more details about the NYC DOE program, and I would actually have to commit to working for them for SIX years. That's a little much. Two years -- where do I sign? Four years -- maybe. Six years -- insanity. I could have Temple totally paid off in six years. Barring some miracle (I'll be making some phone calls today regarding miracles), Temple it is.

E. Use the lack of stress to do work that makes you really stand out.

I thought I would be able to be rational about the cost... but logic is now failing me to the point where I feel like I'm making a mistake no matter what I do. (bitchy details have already been whined about here: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=17208 and here: viewtopic.php?f=67&t=17033 )

UVA. If you do great work while you're in school, that will far eclipse any lack of variety on your CV.

How much of a bridge-burner would this be? (I am considering doing same.)

I feel you on that. It hurts to say goodbye to the books.

Try the New York thread in the City Guide forum.

[keanureeves]Whoa.[/keanureeves] I'd assumed at this point that I wasn't in, because other people from my program have heard, and because the grad coordinator didn't answer an e-mail I sent over a week ago... but then she answered it today, and you posted this. Craziness! Maybe there's a letter in my mailbox at home!

I posted this in Tumbleweed's thread about admits with no funding, but now I'm rooting around in my lockbox for some strategery and wanted y'all's thoughts. So I'm going for an MA and am well aware that these are not usually funded. The confusing bit is that both schools have said they MIGHT fund me... and can't tell me yet. School A: Enrollment deadline is April 15th. They will not be able to say anything at all about any funding (scholarships, grants, or assistantships) until June. I asked them if I can know anything about my chances any sooner and they said no. I asked them if I can enroll after April 15th and they said yes, but it will substantially reduce my odds of getting anything because the school only considers you for scholarships if you met the deadline, and doles out budgets for assistantships based on the headcount as of April 16th. School B: Enrollment deadline is May 15th. I am being considered for some kind of scholarship, and results of that go in the mail on April 15th. I asked them if there's any way I can know about my chances sooner -- no response (e-mailed Friday afternoon). In response to this very shady situation, I am considering doing one of the following very shady things: [1] Put in deposits at both schools, then pull out of one later. (Can I even do this?) [2] Put in a deposit at School A. If School B comes through with something before May 15th, pull out of School A, enroll in School B. Watch bridges burn at School A (right?). (And again, is this even possible?) [3] Make decision assuming I will get nothing. Be happy if the school I chose eventually comes through for me. Be sad if the school I didn't choose later sends me money. Be indifferent if neither give me anything. [4] Sit around and hope for some kind of miracle (this is what I'm doing right now, but it's not working). [5] Other (suggestions?)

I vote Yale. Close research match + lots of help getting a job = win.

Never! It will make you stand out as an applicant. Go for the gap year.

I either will not be moving at all, or will be moving to New York City. I have no problem selling everything I own down to what I can fit in the car and then ditching the car... SO is a different story.