wildviolet

If you don't feel comfortable approaching the PI, you may want to try current grad students. Funding is a huge issue in grad school, and I've found that people are willing to share information about finances. Good luck! (By the way, my younger brother just finished his undergrad at Berkeley and loved it... he's still living there post-grad and working in SF!)

Thanks! Good luck to you. It's not a top choice for me, in terms of my sub-field, but I hear very good things about Austin.

Hi werd, I didn't apply to any of the UCs for that very reason, even though they are doing great research. I had contacted recent grads at Berkeley--although the funding is guaranteed only for one year at a time, you will most likely be able to find funding for the rest of your years--you'll just have to work to find it every year. I also talked to another recent grad, and the reputation of your adviser is key to placing you in a good position after you are done with the program. He told me that, as a student member of a faculty search committee, he learned that the grades in your courses do not count. What counts is your adviser, conference presentations, publications, and ability to speak cogently about your research. So, hard to say what to do, but personally I would choose Berkeley over Harvard if the PI is more prominent in the field.

Even though this topic was started a while ago, I find the emergence of personalities and opinions on this thread very interesting. Here's my take on the conversation: To answer the OP's question: it really depends on the culture of your institution and your position within the university. When I was an undergrad, I pretty much wore sneakers, jeans, and a sweater or nice cotton shirt (not t-shirt) almost every day. Now for work I wear business casual or fancy business casual, like nice dry-clean-only dresses, skirts, and sweaters. I don't own any sweatpants. Instead, I have yoga pants or black leggings, which I wear to dance class or while I'm out running errands, like grocery shopping and laundry. I like to wear cute clothes that fit me well, are appropriate for my age, and show off my best assets. When I go to grad school in the fall, I will probably continue to wear my business casual most days and jeans on very relaxed days. As a colleague-in-training, I want to look presentable at all times, even if my professors dress more casually than I do. Now, the caveat is that I'm moving from trendy California to small-town Midwest. Maybe my thinking will change once I get there and see what the campus culture is like for doctoral students. Of course, what you look like or what you wear on your body has little relation to your intelligence. However nice it would be to think that we intellectual academics are able to rise above looks, though, the basic fact remains that our actions and thoughts are (probably to a large and unconscious) extent dictated by human biology. I mean, are you telling me that you would not do a double take if a very attractive person walked into the room? So my point is that looks, including how you present whatever you were born with to the world, is a factor that influences how other people perceive you, which in turn may influence your success. Even in the world of academia, I'd rather be perceived as attractive and professional rather than not. And, really, this is the second to last paragraph... as far as makeup is concerned. I wear natural-looking makeup to enhance my features and boost my confidence. As my skin has improved over the years (no wrinkles yet) with some new products I've discovered, I'm actually using less makeup because my skin looks fine on its own. The only thing I really use is a powder to decrease redness because I have sensitive skin. Other than that, I don't use much on my face. I do like to use eyeshadow, liner, and mascara to enhance my eyes and a natural-looking lip color to finish off the look. I don't think that using makeup makes me less of an intellectual (and if you think so, then you are judging me based on my looks!). So, I guess it boils down to this: Can't I be both pretty and smart? Maybe that's the real issue here.

Thanks for starting this thread! I had the exact same question... I just wasn't brave enough to ask it (even though this is an anonymous online forum... I think someone did some research *ahem* that found that a person's online persona is actually closer to the truth than his or her real life persona, so we can be just as affected by online interactions as we can by real life ones).

coordinate geometry

LOL, okay I have started this one three times over the years... every time, I get a little farther, but I still haven't read the whole thing yet.

I love Life of Pi! Not sure if I really understand it, but I couldn't put it down!

I don't know about the environment of the engineering school, but I can tell you about the town and campus. I went to Hopkins for my undergrad and lived on or near the Homewood Campus for four years. The campus itself is pretty and safe, but like any other college campus or city, you must be aware of your surroundings, especially at night. Nothing bad ever happened to me personally, but I did hear about muggings and other stuff. Baltimore as a city is different depending on the location--there are nice places and there are bad places. The area near the medical school is pretty bad--however, I spent a summer teaching at an elementary school near the medical campus and it was fine in the daytime. There are many historic buildings and downtown (the Inner Harbor) has been re-developed and improved. Many professors live in the area just north of campus--there are expensive and historic homes there, and it's nice to walk around there in the spring and fall. The people you meet will probably vary, too. I worked for a professor in the neuroscience department who was the nicest person. On the other hand, many of the pre-med students were a**holes. I guess you will have to find your niche. Good luck!

I'm still waiting from UT Austin, too. Curriculum and Instruction--Science Education.

That's awesome, litjust!

Personally, I would wait. I know it's hard, but you've already reached out to him once. If he needs more information, I'd think he'd contact you again, especially since you've already corresponded before. Just my two cents.

I will be 33 next month, and I have two kids, ages four and six. I think my age is okay for my field--education--because many people go back to grad school after having taught K-12 for some number of years. I don't feel like this is a disadvantage at all. In fact, because of my experiences, responsibilities, and maturity, I feel like I will be able to truly appreciate the time to learn and grow in grad school, time that you don't often have working a full-time job. My thesis adviser had her baby when she was in her doctoral program, and I know of a lady who had her first born three months into her first year as a doctoral student, so it can be done! The best advice I have is to make sure that you have a good support system. I was lucky to have my mom to watch the babies and take them to preschool while I was working full-time and doing my MS part-time. Good luck!

olive oil

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences, readingredhead! It made me feel 10x better. I'm currently on one wait list, been accepted to one school, and waiting to hear from two schools. You're right--in limbo and not a good feeling!

Congratulations! Very nice to have closure and be ready to move on. I'm sure you'll enjoy sunny OC.

*Hugs* back. Take care!

Thanks, everyone! Well, I think it's going to be a tough couple of months for all of us. I'm still waiting to hear from two schools, and my visit to MSU is not until April, so I still feel like I'm in limbo for the most part. I hope you all will find something relaxing to do this weekend. I'm going to the spa for a day of pampering, but my mind won't be at ease until all of this is figured out! (sigh)

I've heard this, too, and I have the same concerns. I think it will really depend on the specific professor. Generalizing is okay to some extent, but I think you have to try and get more information. For example, I plan on visiting campus and meeting with the faculty and students. Additionally, I have also found recent graduates of the program and contacted them about their experiences and advice about potential advisers. So far, I've found people to be fairly friendly and open.

I don't know about this... how do you all feel about being wait listed? I kind of feel like, if I did get off the wait list and was accepted and chose to attend, that I would somehow always feel "second best" because I wasn't selected initially. It may just be me and my personality, but I want to be at a place where I'm wanted, not where I was the alternate. Does that make any sense when the competition is so stiff and the institution is a top school? Or am I just trying to assuage my bruised ego? I think the other thing about the rejections from Stanford is that most of you seem to have applied to Higher Ed or Ed Policy, which is pretty tough, I think. My field is Science Ed, which is very different as there are only two professors in Science Ed at Stanford. Anyway, trying to sort through my feelings about this... I didn't realize how emotional this whole process would be.

That's how I feel about MSU. Que sera sera, right?

Hear hear!

Not attending this year, but I hope to be there next year as a doctoral student!

Yes, I did. Not really an interview, more like an informal phone chat. I think the POI just wanted to make sure I was a coherent person who could talk about my background and research interests!

I agree. For MSU, I didn't mention any POIs, and I didn't contact any of the professors, and I received a fully funded offer in early January. For Stanford, I did contact my POI early in the application process, and we had an informal phone chat to discuss my background and research interests. So, until you actually hear back, don't assume anything! And, good luck!