ANDS!

Why are people applying to schools they have no interest in? I get that it was a "safety" school (from the tone of the OP), but even your safeties should be schools you wouldn't mind attending.

The fact that this is your second go around, it seems unlikely that a graduate committee is going to change its mind on the third time; I highly doubt "lack of research experience" is what is holding back your application.

As the saying goes "A bird in the hand is worth two in the trashcan. . ."

Why are people applying to schools they have no interest in? I get that it was a "safety" school (from the tone of the OP), but even your safeties should be schools you wouldn't mind attending.

The fact that this is your second go around, it seems unlikely that a graduate committee is going to change its mind on the third time; I highly doubt "lack of research experience" is what is holding back your application.

As the saying goes "A bird in the hand is worth two in the trashcan. . ."

What was the email? I was in a very similar position. My first email simply asked if the rec could write me a letter. The second email was around 4 paragraphs long and detailed why I wanted the letter and the research I'd done for the prof. It got a response within a day. I'd wait a little bit, but make your second email very formal and act very professional when asking.

I took the exam on the 19th of September (so after you did) and my scores were bounded by 800 (V 740-800 and Q 730-800 blechhhhh). Maybe some exams are more experimental! It's possible that some students got an exam that ETS was more 'sure' of and others got material that was far more 'experimental'.


Um, I should stop trying to crack the GRE scores! Endlessly poring over the same info probably won't help me....hahaha!

Don't feel bad! You can improve your scores with practice. Re-register for the GRE and study a lot under similar conditions. Take many timed practice exams. You will be able to do it!!! The pressure is now off, anyways--you scored below what you wanted and the world didn't end! You will be fine. Programs are fine with taking the GRE more than once. Additionally, they KNOW that those who are taking the new exam are at a disadvantage. I have faith in you!

@ThePoorHangedFool, I don't think she was trying to gloat. She said that she didn't know much about the GRE.

Congratulations on your excellent verbal score! I am sure that your Q is fine for most programs you'd want to go to!

Yeah, it seems that the people who would study hard probably self-select for forum posting!

I've always been 'the baby' and got my undergrad degree at 19. I totally understand your fear, but you will be a novelty. People aren't going to be envious of you unless they are very shallow and petty. Please enjoy yourself! You will do well. Make sure to get some friends your own age lest you become too serious! haha

Bats, don't think of it like that! Maybe you have been placed on the waiting list, or maybe they have not even gotten to your application yet! Perhaps they have just offered spots to those who they already knew would be getting in (i.e. those who had already worked with the professors or those who came with funding)!!! Don't lose hope until May. Some schools are just very slow with the whole process.

A little less than the other schools, maybe, but it did mesh.



Thanks for the support and sweet words, y'all. I apologize for the wallowing post.

Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that you are being recommended for admission to the Department of Computer Science










- Master of Science (MS) program at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign beginning with the Fall 2012. With successful completion of the MS program, you can petition and with departmental approval continue on for the PhD program.

Acceptance letters are beginning to make their way to students (as we can see from the survey). Instead of an acceptance, did you get a rejection? How are you holding up?


University of Illinois-UC offered me an unfunded Masters instead of a funded PhD. It was terrible to get the email, particularly because it said that I had been "accepted". Naturally, this is what my eyes gravitated to first. I rapidly fell from extreme elation to intense depression. I'm worried that this is a sign of things to come, and I'm about ready to quit my job and run away to Mexico. It's upsetting that a 330/340 GRE, excellent GPA, and 3 extremely good letters with a year+ of solid research experience isn't even sufficient to get me a spot on the wait list! I certainly always knew that 100% rejection was a possibility, but the prospect of having it become reality isn't exactly pleasant.

STAY STRONG!

So, I accepted a school and it is now final. It was my dream school, but I also got accepted to a few other top schools. My mind has been racing--is it the right decision? I mean, I know that it is (otherwise it wouldn't have been my dream in the first place), but when does this feeling of "OMG THIS IS MY TERMINAL DEGREE DID I DO THE RIGHT THING" go away?

Where have you seen this enumerated; I would be very curious.

And it has nothing to do with disrespect/respect so lets please not get into histrionics on this issue. There is ZERO credible reason an instructor has to not allowing his or her course to be recorded by a student for private/personal use and as a study aid.

They can take the matter as "seriously" as they want; at maximum we get to have a discussion about protected intellectual property and allowable reproductions of - garauntee the student comes out on the winning end of that conversation.

That instructor is blowing smoke out of their ass and should be ashamed for having such a reaction. Theres no way they wouldn't get laughed out of the Presidents office if they even tried such a thing.

If the instructor says "no", just get a Livescribe pen, or find a spot where the instructor can not see.

Where have you seen this enumerated; I would be very curious.

And it has nothing to do with disrespect/respect so lets please not get into histrionics on this issue. There is ZERO credible reason an instructor has to not allowing his or her course to be recorded by a student for private/personal use and as a study aid.

They can take the matter as "seriously" as they want; at maximum we get to have a discussion about protected intellectual property and allowable reproductions of - garauntee the student comes out on the winning end of that conversation.

Where have you seen this enumerated; I would be very curious.

And it has nothing to do with disrespect/respect so lets please not get into histrionics on this issue. There is ZERO credible reason an instructor has to not allowing his or her course to be recorded by a student for private/personal use and as a study aid.

They can take the matter as "seriously" as they want; at maximum we get to have a discussion about protected intellectual property and allowable reproductions of - garauntee the student comes out on the winning end of that conversation.

Andsowego is right; even if this guy was Machine Gun Preaching in Africa the last 7 years - there is still a minimum that graduate admissions MUST see on a persons transcripts that wont be reflected here (at least at a majority of campuses).

Maybe they think you're a Jedi.

Where have you seen this enumerated; I would be very curious.

And it has nothing to do with disrespect/respect so lets please not get into histrionics on this issue. There is ZERO credible reason an instructor has to not allowing his or her course to be recorded by a student for private/personal use and as a study aid.

They can take the matter as "seriously" as they want; at maximum we get to have a discussion about protected intellectual property and allowable reproductions of - garauntee the student comes out on the winning end of that conversation.

Where have you seen this enumerated; I would be very curious.

And it has nothing to do with disrespect/respect so lets please not get into histrionics on this issue. There is ZERO credible reason an instructor has to not allowing his or her course to be recorded by a student for private/personal use and as a study aid.

They can take the matter as "seriously" as they want; at maximum we get to have a discussion about protected intellectual property and allowable reproductions of - garauntee the student comes out on the winning end of that conversation.

That instructor is blowing smoke out of their ass and should be ashamed for having such a reaction. Theres no way they wouldn't get laughed out of the Presidents office if they even tried such a thing.

If the instructor says "no", just get a Livescribe pen, or find a spot where the instructor can not see.

Yale's BioStats seems lost in their school of Public Health. I would definitely go for the MS at Columbia.

Where have you seen this enumerated; I would be very curious.

And it has nothing to do with disrespect/respect so lets please not get into histrionics on this issue. There is ZERO credible reason an instructor has to not allowing his or her course to be recorded by a student for private/personal use and as a study aid.

They can take the matter as "seriously" as they want; at maximum we get to have a discussion about protected intellectual property and allowable reproductions of - garauntee the student comes out on the winning end of that conversation.

That instructor is blowing smoke out of their ass and should be ashamed for having such a reaction. Theres no way they wouldn't get laughed out of the Presidents office if they even tried such a thing.

If the instructor says "no", just get a Livescribe pen, or find a spot where the instructor can not see.