CarlieE

LOL That was awesome and EXACTLY what I was talking about!! I also agree about the thinking twice before wearing the "Here's some sage advice" hat. it just all depends really. Sometimes my younger friends ask for the advice, sometimes they really don't want to hear it.. I think that's an "ageless" thing, but worth mentioning in this thread

I agree with the responses above. I'll be 31 when I enter my first year of the PhD program and will be older than most of my cohort. We met each other already at the interview weekend and we all got along. Age did not really factor into the experience and everyone seemed mature and pleasant. I don't think they'll be any "age" problems. However, I think maybe the concern is not so much "age" itself as a number, but the cultural/generational/social "age". I mean some 22 year olds act really "old" for their age, and some 40 year olds act really "young" for their age. Usually, we're talking about maturity - but sometimes it can mean other things too... Like sharing common experiences... As a 30 yr old finishing up my UG now sometimes i find myself completely out of touch with other UGs who are part of my cohort. I might bring up a reference to a cartoon from the 80s like Thunder Cats or She-Ra or something like that (Seinfeld) and they'll look at me like they have NO IDEA what I'm talking about. Or vice versa. And while this is just a small thing, sometimes I can make me feel out of place... unintentionally, but it still feels... odd nonetheless. Sometimes I get in on the jokes. When we go have a beer I LOVE when people card me. And my much younger friends will get a HUGE kick out of that. We all poke fun at my "age" which is nice, but sometimes - like when I turned 30 last year - the "fun" of it felt like stabbing to the chest. Some of friends noticed that and they went out of their way to make me feel "young" which was nice. And some other friends completely didn't notice my funk. But I'm still friends with everyone.. To be fair sometimes I don'tunderstand their funks either - though I recognize them and remember when I also thought that the world was going to end because so jerk dumped me. Either way... to the OP, I think it will all depend on you and who you meet there. I'm sure all of us "oldies" will be OK.

So maybe the dept has approved you but perhaps it is going through the graduate office for funding approval?

Thanks Chronos

Hi All, I got into a PhD with full funding and a monthly stipend, but I have FAFSA student loans from my UG. I'm not sure if I need to file a FAFSA for 2012-2013 so that the government knows I am still in school. The reason I ask is because, as I understand it, I don't need to begin repaying student loans until I am out of school completely... Am I misinformed? Any advice? Do I file for FAFSA as normal, but then reject the FA offered? Or do I file some other kind of form? I haven't heard from the PhD university yet but then, it is only April and I am sure they are waiting until April 15th... Maybe I am just getting ahead of myself. Thanks in advance for any advice!

I have a kitty - the one in my avatar. Her name is Bella... I got her a from a shelter 2 years ago and now we're moving to grad school together... not to hijack the post.. but has anyone thought about how the furry roommates are going to handle the move? I am wondering how Bella will handle the whole day drive it will take to get there...

I still use paper for notes, for the most part. I think it just depends on the class format, the lecturer and so on. I have one lecturer to talks REALLY SUPER fast and I just can't keep up so I record the lectures. @far_to_go - thanks for the tip about asking if it's OK. I never really thought about it being NOT ok, but it does make sense when you think about the legality of it... Do you have any insight into the issue where the prof wanted the grad student expelled? Were there extenuating circumstances? It seems like a small thing to get THAT worked up over... I mean, unless the student was selling the lectures or posting them on youtube or something.. If you could update us, I'd appreciate it!

Thanks All for responding!!

I agree that it depends on the school entirely - I heard back 2 days after the interviews were over. I don't think it hurts to ask when you can expect a response.

I think I.S can have some benefits actually.. That little (LITTLE) bit of insecurity can act as a fuel to keep pushing us to do better, revise, improve, rewrite - whatever. And it helps keep us modest and thereby open to other people's ideas and thoughts. I think having that little insecure voice in the back (very back) of our minds can act to prevent us from becoming over-confident and arrogant.

One of my current professors mentioned that switiching programs or taking the Masters (not finishing the PhD) can be detrimental sometimes, especially if one goes ahead and gets into another program and finishes and begins to look for a tenure-track job. Your future employers - if they are universities - may question what happened there and why. Also, pissing your advisor off might not help with letters of recommendation from him/her when it does come time to job hunt.

I agree with all the posters above: you should take the offer. In reading your OP I am not clear on what you might hope to get next year or what you really mean by "prestigious". From yor post, I think you mean national rank... While I think ranking is an important factor, I think IMO it should not be the deciding one. if the POIs at this school fit your research, the resources and labs are good and they have given you full funding (which it certainly looks like), it sounds like a solid deal. PLUS, you did say their rank jumped up from 5 years ago which means that this department has a lot to prove and will probably not bungle things up.

If it makes you feel any better, my experience with US schools is that they provide a lot of assistance with visas especially if you are already accepted. In fact, when it gets closer to the Summer their department will usually begin contacting you about documentation etc. However, perhaps to ease your fears, now that you are IN the program perhaps you can set up a phone conference so you can relay your concerns and ask them how procedure about visas works at their school.

ranpi - I don't think you should zero in on A program, but zero in on several. In the competitive grad market I think you (and everyone) will need to apply to several programs. I applied to 5, got rejected at 4 but got into my top pick. Some other people on this forum can attest that they've applied to 10-15 programs. The fit isn't going to be perfect as you said, but if it's close then also try seeing what the other faculty at that department do since they might also inform your research, if peripherally. The best fit I think will be when the faculty fits the best, and then the courses will - logically - tend to follow the fit too.

What's with this school not allowing you to contact any of the current grads? Did they really say that? I'm not familiar with this school but that seems... odd. And somewhat off-putting. It feels shady, as if they are trying to hide some horrible secret that you'll only know once you sign your soul over to them..

Hi All, After perusing the forum and seeing what everyone's posting, I found myself wondering how everyone feels about being, or not being one of the top picks for their program. I mean, we're all happy to have gotten offers, but what if you weren't first string? Or if you know you were wait listed and now you're in because someone else dropped out? Has that affected your decision about accepting at that program, or affected you otherwise ie. self-esteem? Do you think it's affected your funding, or you chance to negotiate for more funding? Has it prevented you from *asking* for more money, or asking questions? Do you think you'll get less attention once you begin the program? Do you think you'll try harder to do well once you begin? For those who are still wait listed, how has knowing you were wait listed make you feel? Just thought this might be a good place to get out some mixed/bad/confused feelings and thoughts.

You could try googling "Best South Asian Departments in US Universities" - I did something along those lines to get me started. And then I looked up the authors of articles and books which I really felt meshed with my research. You sound like you have a good idea of your topic - who have you read that has inspired you or that you feel can provide good guidance for your dissertation? Also try looking up online to see which schools offer Indian languages - not many do, and so if you find a uni that offers them there's a good chance it has a strong South Asian department. If you are not looking for a regional focus, then you can try the same kind of search but in environmental anth... I would begin with googling the names of professors/authors you have read that you connected with intellectually. Perhaps think back on why and who inspired you to look at anthropology in general. Also, try emailing those professors now so that you can build a rapport or get a better idea of whether of not they'd be interested in having you as a grad student.

antecedant - I use a Samsung N150 - it's a 10" with Windows 7 starter. It's definitely not fancy BUT very hardy. It has traveled with me to Southeast Asia 3 times, once to Europe, been loaded and unloaded off planes, boats, trains and the only wear on it is a little dent on the top. I do keep it in a neoprene sleeve. I'd LOVE to have a 13" mac but I think that's too much beyond my price range. I buy off refurbished sites, generally...

My backpack is my carry all. I lug with me nearly everyday: my netbook, electric cords for my netbook, iphone and kindle, my kindle, my iphone, wallet, headphones, my day planner, my journal - which also doubles as my notebook for All Things I CANNOT Forget, my pencil case with stapler, USB flashdrive (and pens!), my course files for the day. Nearly all my readings are in my kindle or on pdf so I rarely need to bring books with me. Oh, and 40 oz water bottle.

I've been having jitters since February when I accepted. I'm excited, but nervous... Elated but terrified... And now with moving I am worrying about all sorts of things. I'm afraid I won't live up to expectations, I'm afraid it will all fall apart when I get there... the list goes on and on and on... I think this is normal... things always seem to pan out once I am THERE, so I'm going to hope that happens when I get There. Good Luck to All Of Us!

I have/had the same problem - I have to move about 1000 miles away.. I was fortunate in that I could make a special trip there to find housing.. but in the event that I could not I would have tried one of the following: 1. An apartment finder service - they get paid by the apartment complex/management, not you so there's no cost to you. They also help the paperwork and can give good advice about areas to live in, lifestyle in those areas, shopping, food etc. 2. Called a friend who lives near in the area I'm moving and begged for one day of their time to visit an apartment I was considering. 3. Contacted grad students I met during the interview for more advice OR 4. Worst case scenario, I would have packed up all my stuff and booked an extended stay hotel room for 2-3 weeks so that I could look for a place when I got there and hopefully, move in ASAP.

This is my first year applying and I applied to 5 schools including my UG uni. I got rejected in 3, accepted into my top choice and my UG uni withdrew me since they knew I was taking my top (and only) offer. I got a MA offer, but meh, it really wasn't what I was looking for. It seems as though this is a really competitive year. I applied as a UG and got in, but several of my grad friends also applied but haven't got in anywhere. And we've come to find out that many of the schools we applied to had record numbers of applications this year and last year, yet the number of acceptances were less.... Shrinking budgets but growing unemployment, that'll do it.

From my understanding this means that your POI can put in his/her 2 cents about you, but that all the interviewers weigh in their thoughts and if you get a majority of good recommendations then you'll get an offer, but if you get less than the minimum number of recommendations you won't (or you may be wait listed). This sounds like what the program committee does... Then the PC tell the Dept committee who they want and then the DC will meet and see how much money the department has, how many applicants are wanted and 1) see if there's enough money for everyone and 2) depending on the number of "votes" you get they'll decide how much money you should be offered. I think this is how it works... but I could be wrong..

I agree with the posters above. Feeling a little jealous is normal, and it's good that you're acknowledging the feeling and that it "might" become detrimental. I think that since you're aware of this yourself, you won't let it get the better of you. With that said, and this is a TAD off topic but... when the New Student arrives there might be some initial uncomfortable feelings. The Newbie might feel a little insecure too, or rather he/she might feel that they have to prove they're really good enough. Given that your professor is so enthusiastic, the Newbie might feel that they have a lot to live up to and perhaps for the first few months might go to extra lengths to "shine". Also your professor *might* spend a little more time with the Newbie initially (to make them feel welcome, get him/her acclimated etc).. This *might* result in heightened feelings of jealousy on your end... I suggest making friends with the newbie - or at least being open to the idea of building a good relationship - 1) so that you can gain the benefits of their knowledge and insight as suggested above 2) because you are going have to work with this person for a while and 3) your feelings of jealousy can melt away once you know him/her as a person and see that they have a couple of flaws too. (we all do, right?) Good Luck

Hmmm I'm also interested in this too.. If anyone has an answer I'd also love to know.