yinche

Declined Maryland, Illinois, Indiana (funded IR); also Iowa and FSU (unfunded IR)

Go for Clayton Village if you are going live in Vestal

Any info on the department mood/culture at Penn State (subfield IR)? I will appreciate it much!

Thanks expatbyern and polisciphd. I just have one last question: I'm waitlisted at UNC and Rice (I don't know about my position yet though but they said that they will release decisions before April 15th), and how would you compare them vs. Penn State/Illinois/Maryland? I'm interested in IPE, but I'm more leaning toward conflict and foreign policy. Thank you!!

Thank you, FWIW, polisciphd, and expatbayern!! How would you rank for studying foreign policy theory? I'll leaning toward Penn State because I believe its department is the safest bet with most diverse range of faculty interests (conflict ~ IPE ~ foreign policy). What do you think?

@Ville Thank you SO MUCH!! This is a great advice. I did my undergrad at Binghamton and we had same problem of landlords scamming on the deposits, especially on international students. What do you think or heard about Imperial Towers (they're at across the Nittany Garden)? I also heard that the R buses are very crowded and often just pass the bus stops when they are full. I'm also very interested in Allenway after your recommendation and research. How about noise coming from the street? I assume that the apartment itself will be quite since it is an apartment for graduate/professionals, but I'm worried about the location. Thank you so much about the advice!! Can I PM you later as I continue the search?

Thanks for advice Ville! I'll will reconsider getting into White Course Apartments. The fact that I have to be in the 4-bed apartment sucks. I don't know why the school built it like that. What do you think about Nittany Garden Apartments and other places on the N bus route? (such as Parkway Plaza). Can you recommend other quiet apartments for grad students (N, downtown, and R bus routes)? I do not plan to get a car right away, so I'm most worried about attending the school and going for grocery shopping. Especially the fact that I'm a foreign student and can't take a look at the apartment worries me also. How is Pepper Mill? I also heard that the R bus is really crowded and sometimes pass the bus station because they're full. How often does this happen?

Hello FWIW, Thank you so much for your advice. How can I measure whether the dept. "really *really* want me there and will take seriously their role mentoring me?" Also, could you please tell me reputations of IR subfield in Penn State, Illinois, Maryland, and Indiana? My interests are in between conflict & IPE, role of domestic politics, etc. Thank you!!

Hello, What do you think about staying a year or two at White Course Apartments? I'm a single international student so I think staying there for my first year would be good. Are there undergrads in there? Is the competition to get a unit fierce?

I got 18k for UIUC, guaranteed for 4 years (Unlike other schools that offered 5 years). I asked the grad director about this and she said that "The guarantee in your offer is for four years, but we have never had a student making good progress not get funding for the years beyond that." If then, are there any reasons to why would UIUC guarantee the offer for 4 years? Or am I just not good enough to get a 5-year offer? I'm quite ignorant on this issue so please enlighten me! Other than that, Penn State offers 17k and Maryland offers high 14k.

me too! I had to be in the military, but it was a mandatory service.

Thanks, studentized. I also applied to UNC and FSU, but not TAMU. What is your main area of interest?

Thank you, polisciphd!

Hi people, I just received e mail from Illinois grad director saying that "Thanks for your interest in the graduate program at Illinois. The admissions committee and I have begun our deliberations, and I wanted to follow up with you via phone with a few questions." Is this some kind of a phone interview? What kind of questions are asked? How should I prepare for it?

Thank you coachrjc. Once I become a grad student too, I'll help out tomorrow's applicants.