peppermint.beatnik

eucalyptus Boston is not small! It also has higher crime rate, but students, for the most part, don't live in crime-ridden areas.

congrats postbib! I know you were really in a quandary!

Just out of curiosity, what are your thoughts re: UCSB? I absolutely love their program, and would love to go there. Unfortunately, they don't fund internationals.

I was on a hiring committee as a graduate representative. The committee categorized like this in a methodological sense, not based quality of education or research production. The "name" only went so far . . . some "names" are lacking in other areas.

congrats lateantique!

This is a common first time mistake--I made it too. No, it's not dishonest at all, it's smart.

It's not true, but it does look good if you get your degree from three different schools.

I agree with this. Especially since it's short-term. You don't have to spend your life living there.

This would make perfect sense if someone had posted a PhD acceptance for the programme. I find it extremely weird that no one has, based on past year's postings. Also, no one can confirm if the short list e-mail was mailed to PhD applicants. I also don't know what to make of the wait-list posting, earlier--I guess it doesn't add up for me. Maybe this year is an anomaly. The grad admin said they were still reviewing files, which leads me to speculate that they haven't made any offers. I've made all but the last cut, which will happen when the committee meets again. I really don't know. I'm not good with uncertainty, so I obsess over what may be going on.

I received another [unprompted] e-mail from the graduate admin assistant: Dear peppermint, I'm afraid all the news I have is that you are still on the waiting list. We should have more news by the end of next week. Take care Fereshteh Does anyone have any insight into how they run their waiting list? Have any offers been made? What are my chances?

Find out what your potential roommates schedule is like. First year, of my MA, I lived with a girl I didn't know beforehand. She went to bed early and got up early. I go to bed late and get up late. Needless to say, it led to a lot of conflict. Second year I lived with a friend I made in my program. We got along much better: had same schedule and could appreciate one another's perspective. It made everything so much easier.

I saw your post on the results page--I'd love to do that program at NYU!

I read the paragraph prior to others posting. I was surprised no one understood, maybe under the guise of disagreement, but . . . It wasn't well written, but you could still get the point.

I couldn't imagine doing an unfunded PhD, anywhere, unless I was independently wealthy.

we socialized pretty much on a daily basis, but I guess it differs

I know in this information for the Fall 2009 Ph.D. application cycle at Columbia (from a personal e-mail): "In addition, because of the financial crisis, the number of students that the Religion department was allowed to admit last year was cut substantially--in the end, we were awarded funding for only five students despite having an applicant pool of roughly 140 . . . we can expect no more than one acceptance [per sub-field] in the years to come: we have been asked by the administration to decrease our number of acceptances given the economic downturn."

That's a really difficult situation, but I think the above advice is good. I went to one of the schools in your list, for my MA. I had more than enough to live on. Unless the cost of living has risen dramatically since then, it could be similar. Even if your not considering that school, it might give you a rough idea of what's doable. I didn't need any loans/outside money to get by. I realize the costs vary by city/province. I can PM you if you'd like more details.

To people interested in a response from UofT Religion (which can't just be me!)--I e-mailed the graduate admin assistant today. Here is my e-mail followed by her response: Dear Ms. Hashemi, I applied to [the] Ph.D. programme at the Centre. I am wondering if you could inform me of the timeline for a response Thank you for [your] time, [i forgot to put "the" and "your" in the email; don't think she'll hold it against me, or I should hope! I wrote it at work and was distracted] peppermint Hello peppermint, Our graduate director hopes to review the admission files again by the end of this week so we should have some news then. Fereshteh - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I didn't mention the short-list e-mails, or anything, because I couldn't confirm if they went to PhD applicants.

I meant to get more money for an MA, upon asking. Definitely Canada funds more than US, for MAs. Sorry for the mix-up

I second that. Pamela Klassen got her MA, at Laurier, before moving on to Drew, for her Ph.D. I applied to Waterloo, Ph.D. (joint-programme). Of the four schools, to which I applied, it's definitely the best fit, and has the most resources for my area of study. The faculty member, at Waterloo, with whom I spoke, was really excited about my work. LisaTO--For the type of research you describe, it sounds like an MA would be better--if you want to continue your studies. But, only you know what's best for you. I also think that a lot of Americans are way too obsessed in with brand name, but maybe they have to be. In Canada, we have less tiers in our education system. I know many people, at my MA programme, who got TT jobs at excellent institutions in the US and Canada. My SO is an academic, in a different field. He continuously reminds me that it's not where you do your Ph.D., but what you do with it. As for going south, it's a possibility, but I have no idea. I applied to 2 US schools, and 2 Canadian schools. I've heard from one, Drew, a rejection. My other US school has not, yet, started to notify (end of March, I think). U of T, well, you know that story, and Waterloo, who also hasn't notified.

I just meant that it's uncommon at the MA level (at least in Canada!) The fact that the school gave you that much money is a good sign that they'll treat you well, and that they want you.

The apartment. If I lived with my parents during my MA, I never would have finished (wasn't an option, anyway, as school was far from family). However, if your financial situation warrants living with your parents, I would do that.

Wow! I'm so impressed! You've got some balls--good job

Happily for the chickens, you got into a school. Congrats!

I don't think it will make a difference, but do what you feel is right.