Dontuse

i just turned down my hasbrook apartment offering. it was a single. have fun with that.

Although this depends greatly on the professor her or himself I would go with directly emailing your target. But, in doing so, be completely clear & honest. Inform the professor that you are brand new, wet behind the ears to the field. Frankly, some labs like & encourage first-timers to join in their research efforts. Others? Not so much. You won't find out unless you ask. Also be open. Let whoever you correspond with know that you are aware of your shortcomings (& understand the difficulties this may impose). If you end up asking to join the lab of a professor who has a distinct preference of students with major backgrounds in his/her scientific work be sure to ask if she/he knows of other professors who are looking for help.

wowza! one out of ten & the last answer from all ten & it was a fully funded offer?!?!?!?! miracle hattrick frankdux. go you! it's your birthday!

Winner. :!:

woot woot! congratulations!

ha. i started off with both college confidential & grad school forums but ended up, quite happily, here. needless to say my acounts there are as idle as stone. i would delete them but that would require that i'd have to queue up the page & log on.

i inadvertantly told an adcom [who was so young nearly EVERYONE thought was a prospective student... not even a current undergrad]... ...that i was a stripper. ...'nuff said... [i later did get the offer after all]

Phedre: if i don't get the cornell parking permit [phew. that's $ i'd gladly not spend!] where would we park? i'm moving to 201 highland ave [i think this is cayuga heights?] but would likely have most of my on campus things near the biotechnology building. any suggestions [since i'm coming with my car]?

Je*us that's gold peanutbutter. simply hilarious.

im sure we both plan on many hours in the new biotech building so here is my hello to you Julian Palacios. it's really quite nice to see this thread growing. yay. you've got a good question there dentafryian. hopefully those who are already on campus can answer this more in depth than i'm about to. i visited just this past weekend (to scope out apartments) & thankfully saw a decent mix of car types. i think the majority was higher suvs but by no means were sedans & lowlying coupes no where to be found. since im also in the market for a car i ended up paying a lot of attention to that. still, other opinions are welcome.

just wanted to bump this thread up because, frankly, i think it's a fabulous idea. :!:

I'll be short about this [but will likely edit it in time if others dont mention points i'll miss]: it sounds like you're searching for someone to tell you what to do... but that's exactly the situation that got you into trouble [letting your boss tell you what to do] now, i KNOW some will disagree with me but i'll let you know what i think: Go with School B but work with your boss on as limited a basis as possible. Why? [*]you verbally agreed to do so. yes, you can ALWAYS reneg [it's your right] but frankly i feel it wouldve been better for you to have said, "i can't yet give you an answer" than to have given a shaky yes. whatever, you've already done that so let's start with what you've got. [*]don't limit yourself to working soley with your boss. unless School B has a plain old terrible program you're likely to find stellar professors with which you'll be able to work. now, i take note to refresh that you did say, "the only guy in [your] field of interest in [your] country"... this makes things tricky [to say the least]. nonetheless crosscollaboration with leaders in fields not necessarily your own may help launch your career. being in your boss's shadow will not only stiffle your progress [please don't let this sound too much of an insult but you seem to have a "Jump/How high?"-type relationship with your boss.] in research this Boss should eventually be your collaborator and fellow researcher as the superior/subordinate relationship evaporates. just be careful not to get your PhD in Boss-ology. earning your own degree will involve cutting the umbilical [spellcheck!!!] cord. im not telling you to ditch your Boss. i'm saying you chould go out of your way to ensure that your Boss doesn't become your lifeline during your degree's progression. [*]i understand youve a schoolcrush on Program A [don't we all have preferences!] but you'd be surprised how many people fall in love with schools other than the 'Top Choice'. Sure, it's a new program [& no one should suffer from being a guinea pig] but this may not be a testament to its research & to its rankings. i see you were accepted by your Top Choice School A... but what if you weren't? if School A had rejected you would you be in such turmoil or would you be looking for the silver linning of School B? if you can honestly say that School A rejecting you wouldve led to you turn down School B anyway... well then you had your answer the whole time. in the end i hope you sincerely take a breather [you sound like you need the rest!] and at least consider what i, and others, will say. ... & don't let yourself be bullied. you're a grown up.

Thanks dearly for the advice Phedre. I was looking into Maplewoods but, everytime I checked it out on Google maps [in comparison to the map on Cornell's site], it oddly looked ages away. Like noted above: I'm hoping to find something in a decently quiet area [i don't need cemetary silence but frat nights aren't my style] that isn't on the worse hill ever. Of coarse I'm super willing to compromise [who can afford not too?] but why not aim for the best? And the car thing? So many people had assured me that one isn't necessary [but a welcomed extra] yet, when we drove around a bit I couldn't help but notice that grocery/supermarkets and laundromats weren't exactly within walking distance [well, not if you've two loads or want to buy some food for the week]. So, with bringing up a car I ask this: any places known for terrible parking? Oh, and how much is a parking permit [to park on campus]? I've serached but, without calling the administrative assistants yet, I haven't yet found the information on my own. Any insight?

the financial aid office told you?!?! oh, i'm so upset with UTAusten. good post!

... that was an "i agree with the poster above" statement... or is your shumor lost on me? :wink:

yeah but i find many like to post without genuinely contributing to the topic. so very many "i agree with the poster above" statements annoy the BEEJEEZEES out of me. so i'll stick to my few but thoughtful lot.

are you asking to find out the members who will be attending USC? if so you may want to put USC in the topic title.

hey all, many put me into the 'immunologists' category [bc of past research] but my interests lie in the biochemical basis of developmental genetics. and, like others who have mentioned it, i too am pretty keen on sturcture/function predictions.

My situation is a move from a very large city to a moderately large town so I sincerely understand and am relating to the aprehension you feel. Although elated with the program to which I decided on I'm terrified about the process of adjusting &, in particular, how long I know i'll take to adjust [i know myself. In random situations I will have subpar adjustment skills]. Originally planning on an August move I only one hour ago came to read a request from my DGS that I begin my summer research in July. Don't get me wrong as I want this... nonetheless, yes, like you, I am finding this harder to handle than I had expected. Your not alone flatcoat.

Feel free to repost this here: http://forum.thegradcafe.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=16367 It would be nice to read them all together on the same thread. Plus I don't think i've seen any from musicology so you'd be the first.

Nice! cupcake_phd called Princeton out on its recycling [it's really very understandable to not have a rejection tailored to each individual but this letter gives the impression that sending an E-mail in lieu of a letter was an impromptu decision]. ... I wonder if anyone actually requested the rejection in physical form. acceptances? [shrug] i can understand the sentimental feelings from keeping that but wanting to read "...we recieve many qualified applicants each year & this season the competition was exceptional..." again? pffft. not i! Call me unwillingtobeamasochist. Then again, that sn wouldn't fit since the whole process of applying sometimes feels like an effort in futility... it's the waiting I suspect. The waiting, the not-knowing, the void; the nothingness. [Hmmmmmm. Yummy stream-of-conscienceness typing ]On second thought, maybe anyone who requested the rejection on paper simply appreciated the distinct euphoria that comes upon realizing, "it's over.' Honestly, that was a really grand feeling even when the answer was a "No, thanks."

Follow up. Familiarize them with your name... but be subtle about it. Let them know that you sort of have an idea of why you're on the shortlist [& not on the 'already accepted list] by addressing how you'll make up for it. Care to one-up that? Go the extra mile by asking if you could make up for your weakness with a class/seminar/whatever that is offered on campus [or other campuses!] during the summer without ever actually mentioning your shortcoming. Remeber: address the elephant in the room without ever acknowledging it's there.

Fabulous article. It's already been sent to many of my friends. Here is to hoping it becomes viral.

Thanks lots psycholinguist. I read this ages ago but since have been putting in the footwork in serach for a place. I ought to have noted, however, that i'm trying to avoid the noise so often associated with the undergraduate population as much as possible. Does that news change your previous posting at all?

Biology is in.