nari27

I'm actually kind of on the verge of accepting School 1 becuase they gave me a deadline, but I really want to attend School 2. I may accept school 1 and then recant to attend school 2. The way it works (I've heard) is that you need to write to school 1 and tell them that you no longer wish to attend. They will release you as a student, and then you can attend school 2. Although, if your school is part of the council of graduate schools (many are) you can withdrawl your name by writing them and telling them that you no longer wish to be a student, as long as you do it by April 15th. You won't have to wait to be "released" and they can offer the position/funding to someone else. It does kind of sound like program #1 is pretty good and more affordable. Don't feel like the smaller town won't be as accepting, or that you won't meet anyone. Most college towns, even the small ones, tend to be pretty liberal and nearly every campus has LGBT groups on campus that can help you feel more at home. Is there any way that you can visit program #1 and see if you would like living there? Get a feel for the place and see if you could picture yourself waking up there everyday. The choice is up to you, but if I were you I would make sure that you feel comfortable no matter where you end up. Last thing you want is a year from now ending up hating the place you live and wanting to leave. But trying new things and moving to a new place is all part of the grad school experience right?! Good luck with your decision, and congrats on getting two acceptances!!! :-)

Hey two acceptances isn't bad!! At least you got in. I was feeling pretty bad about my situation (one official acceptance and one verbal) until I read on here that people are applying for the third year in a row and have zero acceptances. A lot of the programs you applied to are SUPER competitive. Even with perfect grades, GRE scores, etc you never know what it is they are looking for. I only applied to 4 schools. I'm happy that I got accepted somewhere. Rather than concentrate on volume, I just picked the programs that I felt were the best fit based on my interests, and where I could really see myself living. I considered UCSF Tetrad but ended up applying for the Biomedical Sciences program. Found out later it was #1 program in the country!

I think that it is a good idea to bring your mom with you to see the campus and new town you will be living in, but I don't think it's a good idea for her to come with you to pre-scheduled events or meetings with potential advisors. It would make you seem less mature and able to handle things yourself. It's a good thing to include family in your decisions, even if they're just along for support. However, if you think she would more of a hinderance than help then perhaps she should sit this trip out and come visit after you've settled in. Last month I brought my mom along to my interviews in another state. I brought her becuase my potenital new school is 4500+ miles away from home and I knew she would be more comfortable about me moving so far away if she saw the place for her self. I was right, now she is fine with me moving that far away and even encourages it! I went to my interveiws during the day while my mom relaxed in the hotel room or went walking/shopping around campus, and at night we went out and had dinner together and walked around the campus. It was a nice mini vacation for my mom, and now she won't be freaking out that I am in the midwest going to school with "the children of the corn" (her words, seriously!). Congrats on your admit!!! I'm sure your mom is just very proud! :-)

STILL Under Review!!!!

Got an admissions letter from a school and they asked that I respond to the offer by April 2nd or they would give the funding to someone else. I should have known about this but didn't. There is a council of grad schools that has a resolution regarding graduate scholars, fellows, trainees and assistantships that states that once a school in this council offers you financial support, the student is under no obligation to respond until April 15th. I freaked out and emailed someone I know in admissions at another school who let me know that as a member of the council....they couldn't actually do that to me. Plus they are supposed to let you know about the resolution and give you a link to it. So if you've recieved an offer with a deadline other than April 15th, check and see if your grad school is on the Council of Grad schools. It may save you from unnecessary freaking out! Resolution Regarding Graduate Scholars, Fellows, Trainees and Assistants : "Acceptance of an offer of financial support *(such as a graduate scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, or assistantship) for the next academic year by a prospective or enrolled graduate student completes an agreement that both student and graduate school expect to honor. In that context, the conditions affecting such offers and their acceptance must be defined carefully and understood by all parties. " "Students are under no obligation to respond to offers of financial support prior to April 15; earlier deadlines for acceptance of such offers violate the intent of this Resolution. In those instances in which a student accepts an offer before April 15, and sub- sequently desires to withdraw that acceptance, the student may submit in writing a resignation of the appointment at any time through April 15. However, an acceptance given or left in force after April 15 commits the student not to accept another offer without first obtaining a written release from the institution to which a commitment has been made. Similarly, an offer by an insti- tution after April 15 is conditional on presentation by the student of the written release from any previously accepted offer. It is further agreed by the institutions and organizations subscribing to the above Resolution that a copy of this Resolution or a link to the URL should accompany every scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, and assistantship offer. "

TV in moderation!!! Well, I started watching that show "doomsday preppers" until I was nearly convinced that I need to make a bug-out bag. Now I'm laying off the TV for a bit and reading books....started "the hunger games" today so that I can watch the movie when it comes out. Also started playing one of those solitare games. Might try a recipe that I've been wanting to try!!! I'm trying to stay away from academia and give myself a little detox!!

I say you go with your gut on this one. Take the state school for your masters, and then the expensive one for your PhD. Especially since the state school has a good research program. Your gut is telling you state for a reason!!! Good luck to you!

Oahu is a bit more mainlander friendly because there are so many tourists there. Most locals don't have a problem with people from the mainland, it's the attitude. Eaxmple: People come to Hawaii from the mainland and love the atmosphere because it's laid back and relaxed. They move here because they loved their visit, and then they move here and try to change things to make their lives more convenient. The other thing is they move here and keep the same attitude that they had in the mainland rather than appreciating the laid back style in Hawaii. Sorry in advance but you'll probably be called "haole" at least a few times while you're here. Its modern meaning is "foreigner, particularly white" but it depends on its context and use. I'm a born & raised 1/3 Native Hawaiian, yet I've been called haole becuase I speak with good English and go to college, not because I look white. I think it is more of a way that you carry yourself and attitude that is perceived as foreign. Since you're moving to Oahu.....be prepared to see a plethora of Japanese tourists. Also white people are the minority here, so be prepared for that. Honestly though most people really don't care about race. Hawaii is such a melting pot that most people I know are multiple ethnicities. If you're studying language or culture this is kind of the gold mine, because you also see the interaction between cutures. The food.....amazing!! You're gonna find lots of different kinds, plus hybrids of several cultures. As for areas to avoid....I would stay out of Waianae for a while till you gain a bit of local cred. The more country areas are like that and not so much in town....beautiful, but rugged!

My last interview I got asked a lot of questions trying to get at how well rounded I was. They asked about the conferences I'd presented at. They asked specifically about the types of presentations I had done poster/oral and if they conferences were local/regional/national/international. I also got asked about my work and volunteer activities. They wanted to know about the kinds of extracurricular activities I was involved in. They also asked if I had been the recipient of any grants which i had written for, or if I had received any awards or merit scholarships. Asked about my writing experience and also wanted narratives of each of the research projects that I had been involved with.

Albert Einstein: Jan 12-13, Jan 26-2 Baylor COM (MCB): Mar 1-4 Baylor COM (Immunology): Feb 23-25 Brandeis University (Neuro): Feb 3, Feb 17, Mar 3 Boston University (GPN): Mar 4-6 Case Western Reserve University (BSTP): Feb 3-4, Mar 2-3 Columbia (Biological Science) March 1-3 Columbia (Integrated CMB): Jan 20-22 Columbia (Neurobiology & Behavior): Feb 8-10, Feb 29-Mar2 Columbia (Pathobiology & Molecular Medicine): Feb 3-5 Cornell (Weill): February Cornell Tri-Institutional (Weill/Cornell/Memorial Sloan Kettering) Computational Biology and Medicine: March 4-6 Dartmouth (MCB): February 16-19 and February 23-26 Dartmouth (PEMM) March 2-3 Duke (Toxicology and Environmental Health) February 2-4 February 16-18 Emory (PBEE): February 2-4 Emory (IMP): Feb 2-4, March 1-3 Emory University (neuro): Feb 9-11 or Feb 23-25 FSU (Molec. Biophysics): Feb 16-18 Georgetown (Biochem): Feb 27 Harvard (BBS): Jan 26-29 and Feb 9-12 Harvard (MCB): Feb 1st - 4th, Feb 15-18 Harvard (neuro): Jan 19-22 Harvard (BPH): Jan 26-27 Indiana University - Bloomington (Biology): Feb. 16-19 Marquette University (Biological Sciences): Feb 1 MIT (Biology): Feb 11-14, Feb. 25-28, Mar 10-13 MIT (CSBi): Feb 9-11, Feb 16-19 Mount Sinai (Biomedical Sciences PhD): Jan 9-10, Jan 17-18, Jan 24-25 or Feb 13-14 MSU: Jan 5-8 MSU (Zoology): Feb 2-3 Northwestern (IBiS): Feb 13-14 or Feb 27-18 Northwestern (Neuro: NUIN): Jan 19-20, Feb 2-3, Feb 23-24 NYU Sackler: Jan 19-20, Jan 26-27, Feb 9-10 Ohio State University (IBGP): Feb. 9-11, Mar 20-21 Ohio State University (Neuro): Jan 18-20 OHSU: Feb 1-4 OHSU (neuro) feb 5th- 7th Princeton (neuro): Feb 16-18 Princeton (EEB): February 8-10 Purdue (Biological Sciences): Feb 14-16 Rockefeller: March 1-2 and 8-9 Scripps Research Institute-CA campus: Feb 24-25, Mar 2-3 Sloan Kettering: 1/17-1/19 Stanford (SCBRM) feb 29th - mar 3rd Stanford (Biology) feb 29th - mar 3rd Thomas Jefferson (neuro): Jan 26-27 Tufts-Sackler (Integrated Studies): Jan 27 Tufts-Sackler (Genetics and ISP) Feb 10th Tufts-Sackler (Molecular Microbiology) Feb 2-3 Tufts-Sackler (Neuroscience) Feb 17th USUHS: Feb 27 UAB (BMS): Jan 19-21 University of Arizona (Medical Pharmacology): Feb 9-12 University of Arizona (Physiological Sciences) Feb 16-17 University of Cambridge (UK): Jan 18th-20th University of Chicago (BSG): Feb 23-25 University of Chicago (Molecular Biosciences): Feb 16-18 University of Chicago (CEB): Feb 15-19 University of Colorado Denver/National Jewish Health (Immunology): Jarnuary 26-29 UC Berkeley (Biophysics): Feb 14-16 UC Berkeley (MCB): Feb 5-7, Feb 26-28 UC Berkeley (MBN): Jan 26-27 UC Davis (BMCDB): Mar 1-2, Mar 5 UC Davis (GGG): Feb 16-17 UC Davis (MCIP): March 2-3 UC Davis (neuro): Feb 9-10 UC Irvine (CMB):Jan 26-28,Feb 2-4 UCLA ACCESS: Jan 28-30, Feb 11-13, Feb 25-27 UCLA ACCESS (Molecular and Medical Pharmacology): Dec 22 UC Riverside: Feb 24 UC San Diego (Biomedical Sciences): Feb 9-12 UCSD Biological Sciences: Feb 1-2, Feb 22-23 UCSD (Bioinformatics and Systems Biology): March 1-3 UCSF BMS: Jan 26-28 OR February 9-11 UCSF iPQB: Feb 9-11 UCSF iPQB (Bioinformatics): Feb 16-18 UCSF Tetrad: Feb 2-3 OR Feb 24-25 UC Santa Barbara MCDB: Feb 23-25 or Mar 1-3 UChicago (neuro): Feb 10 or Feb 13 (but travel times drag it out several days before and/or after) U Colorado - Denver (BSP): Feb 2-5, Feb 9-12 U Illinois Urbana-Champ (neuro) - Feb 16-19 U Iowa (Micro): Feb 23-26 U Iowa (Neuro) - Jan 26-28 U Kentucky (IBS)- Jan 12-13, Jan 26-27 UMASS Worcester: Feb 2-4 and Feb 16-18 U Maryland - Baltimore - Feb 3 U Miami (RSMAS): Feb 3-4 U Mich (PIBS): Jan 27-28 (Cancer Bio), Feb 3-4 (general) U Mich (EEB): Feb 16-18 U Minnesota (MICaB): Feb 9-12 or 16-19 U Minnesota (neuro): Feb 23-26 UNC Chapel Hill (BBSP): Feb 2-4, Jan 26-28, Feb 9-11, Feb 23-25 UPenn (Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics): Jan 19-21, Feb 9-11 UPenn (CAMB): Jan 12-14 UPenn (neuro): Jan 20, Feb 10 UPitt (IBGP): Jan 20-22 URochester (BMB): Feb 3-4, March 2-3(environmental medecine) Feb 2-4 University of South Carolina (Biomedical Sciences) Feb 6-7 USC/Univ of Southern California (MEB) Feb 26-28 UT Austin (CMB): Jan 26-28, Feb 16-18 UT Austin (MSI): Feb 10-11 UVa (BIMS): Jan 12-14 or Feb 2-4 UVA (Biology): Feb 23-25 UW-Seattle (Biology): Jan 13 or Jan 20 UW-Seattle (MCB): Jan 25-27,Feb 8-10 UW-Seattle (GS): Feb12-14, Feb 26-28 UW-Seattle (Neuro): Jan 24-25 U Wisconsin - Madison (Biophysics): Mar 1-3 U Wisconsin - Madison (CMP) : Feb 27th, March 5th Vanderbilt (IGP): Jan 12-14, many others (just got back from the 1st weekend, they said there would be 8-9 other weekends) Virginia Commonwealth University (Biomedical Sciences Doctoral Portal): Feb 3rd or Feb 17th, Feb 24 or Mar 2 Washington University in St. Louis (DBBS-MCB): March 1-3 WashU (neuro): Jan 27-28, Feb 3-4 Yale (B.B.S.): Feb 2-5, Feb 9-12

Yikes! Maybe you don't want to go someplace that loses paperwork and doesn't have their act together!! Every program I applied to sent me an email after my application was complete. If you didn't get one, I would have called sooner. Sorry that happened. :-( I believe everything happens for a reason though, good and bad.

except for those big ones that fly and aim for your head.....I'm born & raised & still not used to those! I trained my chihuahua to attack them!

I'm in the exact same boat!! I've received a verbal offer from one school, but they are still working on my official financial package and won't get back to me for another week or so. In the mean time my second choice just made me a sweet offer with funding and want an answer in the next 2 weeks. If I don't respond by then they will withdrawl their funding. My second choice rarely offers first year funding, so I really don't want to let this lapse!! Is it wrong to accept an offer from a school and then decline it later? I don't want to burn any bridges, but I also don't want to lost this funding in case my first choice falls through.

Keurig coffee maker when I get to my new school city!!! :-)

I have a verbal offer from Purdue and I'm waiting on an official one. I visited the campus last month for interviews and I thought it was a great place! I will say that most graduate students (not living in campus housing) live across the river in Lafayette, rather than the West Lafayette side of the river. I had some free time and just rode the bus system around, and it is fantastic (also free for Purdue students). You can get around very easliy and many apartment buildings are located right on the bus route. I haven't heard much negativity about Lafayette, but there are a few rail lines that run close to apartment buildings so you might want to check that out before you move in and there is a 2am train roaring past!

FYI, check on shipping cats to Hawaii. We are a rabies free state and your cats will have to go through quarantine. There is a cheaper way to do it by getting your animals vaccinated and checked out by a vet before you come over, plus making reservations with the quarantine facility (see link). I live on the Big Island, not Oahu so I'm not much help on finding housing. It is very expensive to live in Honolulu, but it is a modern city and you will find just about everything you need there! http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/info

I can understand your feelings and have been having some cold feet as well. I was very excited about leaving my hometown to learn at a university on the Mainland (I'm a Hawaii native!) and was energized about starting my PhD. Maybe the semester off between my Masters and PhD has gotten my mind a little lazy....I keep thinking do I really want to start all this over again, new project, school, advisor, etc. Now that I've got a really good verbal offer (Purdue) I can feel myself getting cold feet. I'll still likely end up going to Purdue, but I notice that I find my mind focusing on the negatives about moving to the midwest (freezing winter, no family, 10+ hour plane ride) in an effort to try and change my mind. To make matters worse I received an offer from UH Manoa, which is a quick plane ride from home, and they're offering me a tuition waiver and salary which is unheard of for first year students in that program. I think it's human nature to second guess big decisions that will change your life.......would probably be more alarming if you weren't!

I got accepted into a program without an interview, and without having contacted a POI.

I had two applications due in December, and I got rejections from both in January. I had two applications due in January.....one school does interviews, one doesn't. I went for the interview in mid-February and stil haven't heard. I got accepted today from the other school who didn't do interviews. Hang in there! I know this waiting sucks!!!

They rejected you.........Well how come?!!??