studdent

How generous is the funding from school A? No matter how ignorant they may seem, if they offer you as much funding as everyone else, that would mean that they are willing to invest in you. Each dept pursues the student in different manner... And ultimately, picture yourself there for the next 4-6 yrs - at this point, this is just what you ought to do. At the end, both choices might turned out to be good / bad...

If your GPA / GRE is a lot lower than the baseline, then you might get rejected. Regardless, the department chair/grad adcom usually know the criteria in which the grad div uses and will put a recommendation / explanation if your stats are below standard. Another factor is where your undergraduate degree is coming from? An applicant from the same university might have a slightly (in some cases, much more) difficult time. But if you were recommended by the department, in general, you shouldn't worry (I had the same fear before )

You mention science? there is an endless possibility in science and research in general is so interesting, so I wouldn't count on a specific topic. But that's just me, I know many believe they truly know what they should work on, and sounds like only a few follow through / stick to their original plans to pursue a specific topic. On the other hand, it sounds like you and your boss are not the best match, so I wouldn't want to work with him to begin with. Remember, it's not only his reputation / prowess that will make you successful, but your own performance and happiness are what the determining factors. On this note, if school A is number 1 and offers sufficient funding/attention/excitement for you, then go for school A. Bridges won't burn out if you end up doing amazing work in your field (exception: those overly prideful ppl). Btw, I am curious how can funding from one school (A) be better than the other school ( if school (A) requires more teaching? Good funding should be defined as adequate to support your career and does not interfere much with your study (less TA the better). And again, you hate the location! Location should not be a number one factor, but for those who get depressed or need some moments to refresh: living in a place where you don't absolutely hate (perhaps, if you love the area) can be quite beneficent to your development. Hope this helps!

lol waiting until April 15th is a bit extreme, but some are waiting for funding offers from the remaining schools. #5 out of 6 with special fellowship can triumph over #1-3 out of 6 without comparable funding. But I totally understand the feeling of being wl-ed, cuz I'm also wl-ed! :roll: I plan to let go all offers but my top 2 choices by April 11-12th, so ppl can hear back by 13-14th (I am pretty sure or hope that grad adcom will be on the stand by with edited drafts that only need a single click.

I had a different experience: I wasn't expecting too much from a number of school visits, but all of them really 'wowed' me. As a person who deliberate extensively in choosing a graduate school to attend and as a fairly well-rounded person (as opposed to those who solemnly care about the research prowess/fit), I would vote for YES - there are more than one right options; in fact, this is what profs have been telling me regarding my options / dilemma. Choose what's best for you logically (include all tangible factors) and where you can really picture yourself working hard for the next 5 yrs (include moments/times where you might need help from mentors/friends/family or perhaps, a refreshing moment/opportunity to have a desirable life outside of academia on your free time) GL!

Stanford is great/the best/whatever! But you have your own portable fellowships, so you are greater/better/awesome! Unless Stanford is the only school that offers the type of research you're seeking, you should not waste your time there - working for someone who is not truly - extremely excited to mentor a bright student with his/her own funding and a matching research interest. What is your main goal? To be a prof? Admitted to Stanford which you did? Or perhaps, to actually enroll in Stanford? Remember, there are more factors than just PI's reputation / power. Your own performance will probably make a bigger impact in your career, so finding a spot where you can maximize your potential should be your priority. Other factors that might affect your performance: PI's love/attention, departmental bureaucracy, lifestyle-location-cost of living-funding (most well-funded programs will add on top your fellowship for the first year, and match the amount for the remaining yrs). GL! let us know if any of the profs emailed you and begged you to join their labs.

What's your hobby? If you like to play computer games, basketball, weight-lifting, or other simple activities, then location should not be weighed heavily. Now, if you need the superficial scene, great spots for hiking or snowboarding, love the beach, etc, then location would be a huge factor. I think most people who say "it's all about the research fit" is correct in a sense that you will be spending most of your time on academia, and some ppl do think research is the only / one of the few fun things to do. So, they will be happy wherever they end up. But in reality, there is a portion (albeit, small) of PhD applicants who need to have fun outside academia. So it comes down to your own lifestyle and personality. Personally, I need a day break once in a while (once every 2 weeks at the minimum) and I also like to explore new things. I ranked research, funding, and non-academia factors in this order (without much distance b/w each criteria). You can add family, prestige, and more factors; write it down, so you can weigh your options in an old school scale fashion.

I think "thank you note" is a nice gesture, but I am wondering if it is analogous to: 1. sending email prior to submitting application to show interest (when it is obviously stated on the sop or somewhere in the application; exception: if the guidelines explicitly say not to) 2. sending email to show continuing interest before admission decisions are made I believe these extra steps could be beneficial and have yielded positive results according to a few grad students that I talked to; however, I've heard from the adcom, grad div officer, and faculty that these steps are not always necessary as the adcom will read the sop and conduct interview. Plus, the typical faculty is very busy and giving them extra load may make them unhappy. What do you guys think on all 3 cases? Specifically for the "thank you note" example, I feel that it is not necessary (wouldn't hurt much to do it anyway) as long as you contacted them as soon you decided to take/decline the offer and especially, if you already said thank you in person during the interview =). I know most people in science dislike redundancy.

Seems like Wait-Listed applicants still have a long way to go! For those who have already heard back from their top choices (including funding), it'd be nice to decline offers from your "safety" schools... Visiting and deliberating the pro/con of each school are crucial, but once you have a clear decision, it's time to drop the other sweet offers

I am also contemplating between a few offers. Most likely, I will drop schools that I know I won't attend this week and keep my top 2-3 choices. By the end of March, I hope to drop the other 2 (at least 1 school). There is really no point in holding until April unless you feel like there is 1% chance that you may take the offer. We all undergo the pain of waiting, so we should do our best to help out fellow applicants to get what they deserve in timely manner. Saying that, visiting your top choices should be your priority and take sometime to think about the pro & con for each school. I believe 2-3 weeks should be enough time for the adcom and wait-listed applicants (assuming the wait-listed applicants accept/deny their offers within a week for the sake of the other wait-listed applicants). Why should you care? Imagine that you were accepted to all your safety schools but wait-listed at your top choice! Imagine if you eventually get an offer form your top choice by April 16th and have already accepted offer from your other schools!!! Not everyone who is wait-listed can wait patiently due to the April 15th deadline~