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mjej

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    University of Delaware

    in Meet and Greet

    Posted

    My visit went really well. I liked the size of Newark, I think the campus is beautiful, and I like that it's located close to big cities-- but not in them. However, the most important aspects in a grad school decision are the strengths & "feel" of the program. I liked my department, the curriculum, and the assistantship work I'll be doing. So I accepted shortly after my visit & I'm excited to get started. Good luck in your decision!

    Newark, DE

    in City Guide

    Posted

    There is some turnover from year to year, as people graduate. As far as I know, most students stay in the apartments for the entirety of their grad experience. It depends on how many people are graduating any specific year. I'm pretty sure there aren't any open units- I believe that they are all full.

    Thanks, Nikara. One other question: Someone above (from a previous year) mentioned that the apartments feel kind of "dorm-like," noting that they have a cinder block wall and tile floors. How do you feel about that? Do they feel like fairly normal apartments? Is there decent light/windows?

    Thanks again!

    Newark, DE

    in City Guide

    Posted

    In my program we have one person who commutes from Philly and two (!) who commute from DC, and are full time masters students (but not funded). Lots of people commute in, and it is generally against traffic, since most people are going into the big city in the morning. I live in Conover Apartments, and I enjoy it. It's very quiet, and there are plenty of families with here (one family with two kids out of our set of four apartments). There is a small playground, and lots of grass to play on out front. The kitchens are sort of pathetic if you enjoy cooking (like I do), but function for basic needs. I consider the value of the apartment to be excellent, but I come from Los Angeles, so all of the housing here seems super cheap.

    I don't know anything about the other apartment complexes, but I can ask one of the other students in my program tomorrow who was also here as an undergrad and knows more about the area. In my very small department there are three students with children/wives, and they don't seem to have many additional difficulties because of that. It's also fun to have the babies at some of the events for the rest of us!

    Nikara.....Thanks much for sharing! My wife & I are actually hoping to look into Conover Apartments while we're in Newark on Friday. We like the idea that they're right there on campus & all the utilities are packaged into the rent price. A couple of questions:

    Do you know if there is a lot of turnover from year-to-year? The housing lady said there is already one family ahead of us on the waiting list if we apply now, and could be more in front of us if we wait very long.

    Also, do you know if they show open units? I'm guessing not, since they are probably all full.

    Thanks!

    Newark, DE

    in City Guide

    Posted

    is living in Wilmington and commuting possible/recommendable?

    Hi "User_Name".....

    This board has proven to be inactive thus far in 2012. I've been trying to get info myself. That said, I spoke with someone from UDel who said one person in their department communtes from Philadelphia (!). Not recommended, but she does it. So I've gotta imagine that Wilmington is possible: Mapquest says it's a half-hour commute.

    Newark, DE

    in City Guide

    Posted

    Hey all! I thought I would "bump" this Newark/UDel thread to see if we can get some discussion going for 2012...

    I am considerting a Masters program for Fall 2012 & I'm looking to explore Newark during a visit there next week. I have a wife & a 3 yr old who would be moving with me, so I'd love to have some advice about affordable places that *not* party complexes.

    Can anybody weigh in on the atmosphere (and value) of the following complexes, and/or add new ones for us to consider? Any info is greatly appreciated!!

    West Knoll Apartments

    260 Elkton Rd, Newark, DE 19711

    302-368-7912

    Victoria Mews Apartments

    12A Odaniel Avenue, Newark, DE 19711

    302-368-2357

    Studio Green

    91-2 Thorn Lane, Newark, DE 19711

    302-368-7000

    Apartments at Pine Brook

    1314 Wharton Drive, Newark, DE 19711

    302-731-9253

    University Courtyard

    100 Scholar Way, Newark, DE 19711

    302-894-1500

    Foxcroft

    120 Wilbur St., Newark, DE 19711

    302-456-9267

    Conover Apartments

    (On-Campus, University Grad Housing)

    Pride's Court

    LeSussex Road

    University Village

    207 Mederia

    Cavalier Country Club Apts

    Chelsea on the Square

    41 Winterhaven Drive

    Apple Chase

    2102 Ashkirk Drive

    Anyone in Historic Preservation/Planning?

    in Architecture and Planning Forum

    Posted

    Yes, it would appear that way because it is "PennDesign" but the Historic Preservation program has different concentrations where mine would be Preservation Planning and I would only take one studio class (probably involving just drafting - the course description is vague on the requirements).

    Oh, OK, that makes sense then. I guess I didn't realize Penn had different concentrations.

    I'd have a hard time deciding between living in Ithaca & Philadelphia. Obviously, if you're looking for a city experience, it's an easy decision. You have to feel good about your living situation. That being said, have you visited the departments? For me, that is HUGE. Meeting the faculty (or a couple of them) is helpful, and if you can meet a couple of the current grad students to measure the "vibe," it can be invaluable. In my experience (I already did one Masters), current grad students will be very candid with you about +s and --s, especially if you speak with them without faculty around. Facilities mean a lot, too. I assume Cornell & Penn have top notch buildings, etc, but in the past, I've visited schools where I was so turned off by the department's facilities, campus location, grad student offices, etc, that I ruled out the school. But perhaps most important to me is funding. If I have a full tuition waiver & a sizable stipend offered at one school, but far less than that at another school, I think it's kinda silly to go into debt --- unless you feel VERY strongly about one school over another. This is related to your comment about being "guaranteed a job." I would think that's quite unlikely. I think your work experience, networking, & your personality are *far* more important than the school on your resume. Just my 2 cents.

    Departments funding for visits?

    in Decisions, Decisions

    Posted

    Well.....the results are in......and I wasn't offered travel funds for my visit.

    The DGS said they don't have any funds to support student visits, though she hopes they will in the future. lol.....I hope so, too, but it doesn't help me much now! Still the email was friendly and I'm looking forward to my visit, even if I will be shelling out several hundred dollars :-( .

    Departments funding for visits?

    in Decisions, Decisions

    Posted

    If nothing else, they'll probably try to arrange for you to stay with a current student, which would cut down on the cost significantly.

    I'd feel sorry for that grad student . . . I have a wife & 3 year old now. :-) You're right, though . . . That arrangement would be helpful for a single student

    Grad School Decision - Advice?

    in Decisions, Decisions

    Posted

    Frankly, if all else is equal, then just go with what "feels" right. Where do you get a better feeling when you visit? What campus is nicer? Which has better parking (lol). ntangibles & "emotional" factors are sometimes just as important as the nuts & bolts. Certainly, one must "feel" better than the other when you visit, right?

    Departments funding for visits?

    in Decisions, Decisions

    Posted

    Thanks for weighing in. I'm glad to hear these opinions, since I threw caution to the wind last night & emailed the grad director to inquire about travel funds. I haven't heard from her yet, but I'll report my results.

    I didn't play hardball . . . I said right up front that I'd attend either way, but explained that I'd spend 2 days on the roard & 2 nights in a hotel, and that any help would be very helpful, if funds were available.

    Departments funding for visits?

    in Decisions, Decisions

    Posted

    I was recently accepted to a program with full funding & tuition waiver, and invited to attend a prospective/new student open house in a couple of weeks. However, I do not live in the region (east coast) and will have to travel for the better part of a day to get there (from the Midwest), plus pay for 2 nights in a decent hotel (no discount places available....definitely $130+/night).

    Do you think it uncooth or presumptuous to diplomatically inquire about department funding for candidates' travel? If not, how would you approach it?

    New GRE Test Scores are up.

    in GRE/GMAT/etc

    Posted

    UGH! I took the test on 11/7 (scores are up early) and here we go:

    V164/670/94% (Estimated range 700-800)

    Q147/580/40% (Estimated range 520-620)

    A4.5

    Pretty pissed to report that the verbal estimated range was so off. I get that ETS is dealing with a new test, but it doesn't seem right that they get to give crazy score estimations for verbal and then surprise you with a lower score. Anyway, anyone who took the test around this time, I'd be wary of your verbal estimated score.

    Otherwise, not going to keep myself up at night over what translates to a 1250...which is EXACTLY what I got on my SAT. Math has never been a strength, and I can always retake before PhD applications in a year or two.

    I'm not sure if you saw my posting above, but we had the exact same scores on Verbal & Quant (I'm still waiting for AW, but wouldn't be surprised if it's in the 4.5 range). It seems rare to see such a huge difference between V and Q percentiles, so I'm glad there are others!

    New GRE Test Scores are up.

    in GRE/GMAT/etc

    Posted

    I took the exam yesterday (11/17) with mixed results. I'm 34, already with an M.A., applying to M.A. programs in a related field to the first M.A.. I've got a pretty strong CV, and personal statement, I think. But I haven't seen any posters on this thread with a wide variation in scores like mine!:

    V- 164 (94%) --perfectly fine as far as I'm concerned!

    Q- 147 (40%)--not perfectly fine. Math has never been my strength, but I had been scoring mid-50%s in practice tests. I have been away from college for over a decade, so whatever math skills I had have faded considerably.

    AW -??? still waiting on my scores. (I feel like I kinda choked on the Issue essay, which had a ridiculous prompt, but I feel like I nailed the Analyze an Argument essay. So I'm really anxious to see my final score on the AW).

    So.....I'm torn......I honestly can't see retaking this test unless I believed the 147 Quant score would prevent me from making the "minimum" cut for total scores for some programs. Question: How common do you think these "minimum totals" cuts are with various departments, since they are just getting the hang of the new scoring systems?

    Any thoughts?

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