antecedent

I applied to 5, got 3 MA offers, got no funding at all and no PhD admissions offers. Next time around I'm applying to 10, at least, simply because I want to span the range of reach for the stars dreams schools to schools that would likely accept me (though I do recognize that there is no such thing as a "safety" school). So I had the choice of scrapping the season and starting over or taking the hit for an MA and hoping it adds strength to my app next time around. I would say it's worth it to apply broadly the first time around, as someone who didn't. It really is partially a numbers game, both in the amount you pay and the amount of applications you submit.

I did! Applied back in March I think. I've written them an email pointing out that 1) I didn't apply for what I got 2) I can't afford what I got 3) the three places I did apply for were all cheaper than what I got, and asking how I can get allocated somewhere less expensive. Also, I didn't mention this, but I would like to end up somewhere where I will have fewer than 11 (!!!) other flatmates. I know they don't promise to offer you what you requested on the application, but this seems a little silly. I had really been hoping for one of the 77 pound/week rooms at Mylnes Court. The place I ended up with (Roxburgh Pl) is 111 pounds or so per week, which ends up being like $730 per month USD. Sigh.

Aargh, not only did they allocate me housing that I didn't select on the application, they also allocated me something I can't afford! I think this means I have to re-submit my application if I want to be placed somewhere else, and run the risk of being placed somewhere more expensive. This application cycle has been nothing but bad luck from start to finish!

Yay! Good for you I'll keep my fingers crossed that tomorrow will give me some more information!

So does that mean you found out what housing the allocated you? Did you get Mylnes Court? Still nothing for me...maybe next week?

You mean you already know which halls you'll be living in? I can't find a link anywhere that tells me where I'll be staying, all I know is that they have allocated me a room in a house somewhere. Sigh. I'll keep my fingers crossed!

I'm not sure where my last response post went, but anyway I'm looking pretty seriously at this one. I need to make a spreadsheet comparing all of my options I think... http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+13.3%26%2334%3B+Folio+Ultrabook+Laptop+-+4GB+Memory+-+128GB+Solid+State+Drive+-+Steel+Gray/5020909.p?id=1218597399995&skuId=5020909&st=HP%20Folio%2013-1020us&cp=1&lp=1

Hey, look what it says in my MyEd login: You have been allocated accommodation, a link to accept this accommodation will be posted shortly. Come on, guys, don't be such a tease!

Hell yes. My thoughts exactly. Also noooooo and it's killing me! But this is great and exciting news! I'm relieved because I really want to know at least where to google map obsessively for the next two months. Did your top choice end up being Mylnes Court too?

Hey! I can't give you any advice on how it will be received, because I'm in the same boat as you! I'm heading to the University of Edinburgh for my M.Sc. in English Language. I'm hoping that the work I produce there and the skills I gain (as well as the ranking as a top 10 school in my field) will overshadow the fact that...yeah, it is a cash grab in many respects. I'm also planning on taking as much advantage as possible of all the resources (prof office hours, postgrad conferences, EU conferences, grant writing seminars etc) I have for that year to really refine my interests and my application. Eeek! I'm nervous but I can't wait to get started.

In regards to the optical drive, my only concern about not having it is that some programs have not switched over to being available online yet, so I'm concerned about getting them set up on my new computer (for example, my Garmin Forerunner needs to be loaded on to my computer and I can't find the software for that online anywhere). The Microsoft Surface looks waaay too fancy for me. I'm mainly interested in an ultrabook for it's form and function, not so much the cool factor The samsung that nicolemc posted looks pretty sweet. I wish Canada had more stuff so I can see it before I go to home for a week and have to buy it blind in the States. I'd really like to test it out!

Yup. I totally didn't get the hype on that one. Also for Canadian lit, I have to throw in Michael Ondaatje, William Gibson, and Joy Kagawa as Canadian authors that don't blow (and are in fact quite engaging/relevant/important).

Boo! I'm sorry to hear that Jon. I'm a tiny bit resentful towards the university for being so expensive and not offering at all to help (by contrast LSE costs about the same and offered to pay half my friend's tuition for "need-based aid". I have need too! *grumble*). I plan on working out this resentment by taking advantage of every free service the university has to offer

Bah, looks like I'm 0 for 2 in the scholarship game. Waiting for two more responses. Sigh. Did anyone here get the Saltire? It would be nice if at least one GC-er got it!

Hey! Thanks for the quick-n-dirty on ultrabooks. I'm vaguely aware of how they stack up against eachother/regular laptops, but it's always helpful to have it broken down. You're right that hardware (along with price) is the only real negotiating factor. I wish there was a store around here that had all of them in stock, but the only ones I've really been able to test are the Asus Zenbook (too pricey) and the Acer Aspire (too flimsy). Thanks Canada, for not having good stuff. Luckily I'll be buying in the States so I won't have to contend with Canadian prices! I've been using this list to go off of, with perhaps the Lenovo U310 substituted for the U300: http://www.pcmag.com/reviews/Ultrabooks+Screen+Size+13+to+13.9 I'll check out Verge for more comparison info. I like the Macbook Air, but I just can't afford one. I would also be shunned from my family for owning an Apple product (I come from a family of opinionated engineers!).

I read Contemporary Linguistics by O'Grady et al, and now I'm making my way through the more engaging but still fairly academic The Language Wars: A History of Proper English by Henry Hitchings. I tried to read Austin's Doing Things With Words but I found his style too dry, and now it's packed up in a box waiting to be shipped to my dad's! Oh well. Hahaha nice!

Hi everyone, I've been making noise in various threads about this, so I thought I would centralize my thoughts and see what wisdom you all have to add. I'm doing my Masters next year and will have to replace my laptop before I start. I'm looking for a light-weight computer with a long battery life. Additionally, I'd prefer a 13" (at least) screen as it will be my primary computer during the school year so I'll have to do a lot of writing and researching on it. I won't have any heavy programming to run, and it's possible that all I will really need it for is writing, word processing, and various media downloading/streaming. I definitely can't spend more than $1000 on it, and I'd like to spend a good deal less. So, does anyone have any experience with Ultrabooks? I've been looking at Asus, Lenovo, HP, Acer, and Toshiba, and while they all look great it's hard to wrap my head around all the details. Ultimately I need the computer to work relatively quickly and last for a few years. Any personal experience or recommendations would be very much appreicated!

During any cardio/endurance workout of an hour or more, you should be fueling every 30 minutes and drinking water every 15. Runners and cyclists deal with this by taking sports gels or chews and wearing water belts. I honestly thought that was BS until I did my first 1h30 run and didn't fuel properly. I was in so much pain afterwards I could hardly walk. From then on (including race day) I hydrated every 15 minutes and took a gel every 30 and both the hunger and the physical pain were greatly reduced. Now, I don't know if it's possible to do that during workout classes, but there should be some way to make sure you can fuel while you're exercising. It's also possible that you might want to consider nutritio, as you should be able to go an hour without eating (this is coming from someone who eats 6 or 7 times a day).

I'm buying a new laptop for my masters, and I've been eyeing the ideapads. I mean, the X1 Carbon looks great, but I think I could get by on something a little less powerful. I wish I could afford a Mac some days...ultimately I just want something lightweight with a long battery life and a 13" screen, as computing power isn't so important for browsing and word processing

I didn't get the Global either! I was/am quite bummed about that. For both of them, did you just submit one app and click both scholarships or did you submit separate applications? I'm relieved to know that not hearing back yet about the Santander doesn't necessarily mean I'm out of the running. I was called by a uni Edinburgh student yesterday and she said that things like housing are typically a month behind, so we won't hear back until July or so. Basically, I just need to stop worrying and love the wait. September, hurry up!

That just made my day.

Word. I'm taking four weeks off between the end of my job and the beginning of school (one week at my dad's house, two weeks hear tying up loose ends, and then one week in the UK). I think the rest and mental preparation will be worth the two paychecks Im giving up.

Hey, has anyone who applied for university housing been allocated a room yet? I'm getting kind of antsy because of how little correspondence I've had with the university, and having a confirmed roof over my head would at least make me feel more like this whole thing was real Also, has anyone who applied for the Santander scholarship heard back? I heard back from the Global Masters in late May but I haven't heard back about the Santander yet and I'm curious if they haven't made their decision yet or if I just fucked up the application. Thanks! Hope your guys' summer is going well