TulipOHare

Deliberately waiting until the last minute IS a flighty way to handle things. But so is rushing yourself just because you know there are people on the waitlists. The latter sounded like the OP's situation to me.

No. Not a bit. The acceptances are yours to do with as you please until the day you have to respond. If you decide tomorrow, great. If you decide on April 14th at 11:50 PM, great. Neither of those choices are worth any more than the other, and the only person you owe in this process is yourself.

Well, your pros and cons for both are the same except that you think Philly's boring, Penn's name isn't big enough, Penn's too loosey-goosey about who it lets in, and a department that was founded in 1893 isn't old enough. Sounds like you'd better go to Columbia.

I checked OWLnet (Temple's internal registration system) this morning and found out I was accepted as of last night. If they sent you a TUID after you applied*, you should be able to log onto http://owlnet.temple.edu/. Look at the tabs at the top of the page and there should be a light green tab in the top right that says "Graduate Applications." Click through a couple more screens and you should see a big list of the parts of your application and the dates they received them -- at the very top is "Decision" and "Date." If this part is blank, then they haven't made a decision yet (mine was blank until today). * Some of the schools I applied to sent me student ID numbers after receiving my app, some didn't. I don't know if Temple does because I already had a TUID before I applied.

It's probably deeply wrong, but I really enjoy all the misdirected e-mail. Maybe I'll save them all and write a book someday.

Maybe not -- a lot of schools are on spring break this month. They could be on break, or swamped with pre-break or post-break work.

I just got a rejection... but not from a school... and it's not actually for me. My main e-mail address is based on my (real) name and it's pretty generic. I get a lot of e-mail for people with similar names. So "my" abstract was not accepted at the annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. (Also, "I" am already a doctor. Screw this grad school jive!) Second sentence of the e-mail: Oh, the disappointment! It's so real to them they can almost TASTE it!

PhD at A and then postdoc at B?

That happened to me too! It's really hard to avoid leaping to these conclusions...

Here's what I'm hearing from you: - School #1 is expensive and will be very stressful, but will definitely take me to the places I want to go. - School #2 is cheap/free and probably not stressful at all, but it'll be harder to go where I want to go from there. I'd pick #1, and here's why -- in a field as tight and competitive and arbitrary as yours (art/film), that name and alumni network will be absolutely invaluable for getting a job. The free MFA from School #2 won't count for much if you can't get a job in your field with it. This is not to say that School #2 sounds like crap. It sounds pretty nice. And debt is scary. Debt is not fun. Debt will limit your ability to spend money on other things in the future. But if you have a decent-paying job and any discipline at all, you'll be able to pay off the debt. Maybe it's just me, but in a choice between "definitely in debt and definitely gonna get a job doing what I love" or "no debt and maybe I'll get a job doing what I love," I'd prefer the first.

Hey, props for that! Someone else posted somewhere on here that they QUIT smoking due to app stress. A new day dawning The sun kisses the skyline Time to check Gmail Cruising into work Swipe in, drop bag, hang up coat Time to check Gmail Thirty minutes in I don't HAVE to work yet, right? Time to check Gmail Glorious lunchtime Microwaving leftovers Time to check Gmail It's after lunch now Blood flows from brain to stomach Time to check Gmail...

heehee -- Dear Dinali, Prof. Smith is still sort of embarrassed about her behavior at the bar last Friday night and can no longer look you in the eye knowing that you know she knows you know. Due to this circumstance, we are unable to offer you admission. Sincerely, University

I could not help but read that as "were-single," pronounced similarly to "werewolf."

Aww, y'all are sweet. But BIG props to whateverneveram3n for making this thread. I think it's the best thread on thegradcafe.

!!! !!! Win. With a hot rofl and extra syrup.

My boyfriend of 3 years and I had a lot of long talks about this. He has a great job where we live now, and isn't sure whether he wants to go to grad school in the future or not. I'm the one applying to school, obviously. So we stressed out about how to prioritize our careers, and being separated or not, and such... but we were able to come up with a plan we were both happy with. All the places I applied are where we live now or fairly close by, and that was my decision; we've done long-distance before, and I could handle it again, but I'd be substantially happier if we could at least visit often. If I go somewhere outside where we live now, I will probably go alone, at least for a while (he will look for a job where I am but will not leave his current one without a solid offer, and we all know the odds of that right now). My tuition, and rent on my place if I move away, are up to me to figure out. Living expenses are up to him (he makes significantly more than I do -- not hard, because I'm a research assistant :wink:). Then, when I'm done with school, it's his turn to go to school and my turn to pay the bills. Luckily, speech therapy is a job that pays pretty well and is in demand almost everywhere, so it's extremely likely I'd be able to go anywhere and support both of us. If he can get funding too, so much the better.

(Disclaimer: I'm not Canadian, and not specifically familiar with the current Canadian job market beyond what I read in The Economist.) It looks like you're in, from your signature. How long does the Master's take? Will you be funded, or have to take it on loans? And how much does the Master's improve your chance of getting a job?

I did hesitate a little, but I couldn't come up with any really solid reasons to not answer. I thought they might think I was full of myself for not applying to more schools or to lower-quality schools... but then I thought they might appreciate that I wasn't just applying anywhere and everywhere... and then I just figured "ah screw it, if they're gonna be petty about this I don't wanna go there anyway" and filled it in. But it was probably pretty safe for me, 'cause all the places I applied are about the same quality in the field.

Not strange or pushy at all, as long as you keep it short and simple like you said. Do it.

A month or so ago I freaked out that I should have applied to more schools, but then I thought... what did I want? A good clinical program in NYC, DC or Philly. I'd applied accordingly, and wouldn't have gone to a worse school or a more research-bent school even if I did get in. So I was OK with it. I did throw out one school that fit those criteria, because communicating with them (both the department and grad admissions) got so frustrating that I didn't want to try anymore. I threw out another because it required students that didn't have the prereqs to attend for an extra TWO years. fwiw, that's extremely common in the States, too. I own this t-shirt, as do many other Penn students and alums: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2350/151 ... 84.jpg?v=0

One of the places I applied (I forget which, it was either NYU or Columbia) had a blank in the application asking you to list the other places you were applying... I was honest. I'm a bad liar anyway.

Aggh, I'm waiting on the same two schools! >_<

I had two due on Jan 15 and two due on Feb 1. Turned them all in a day or two before deadline. I got an accept from one of the January schools on Tuesday -- so that's just shy of two months. Still waiting on the other three.

Dear TulipOHare, The admissions decision is non-negotiable. You may not challenge the funded accepts or the DGS to the "field of honor." Sincerely, Everyone

Haw! Who says CS folks ain't literary? Nice work. Ok, here's my attempts: My brain on display Adcoms poke and prod solely For own amusement My study patients want you to fund me fully. Don't let them down please. Our new god: website that says "Pending decision." Wtf? Come on!