v834
-
Posts
39 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by v834
-
-
I am also looking at deferment as an option, though I wasn't sure if this would even be possible. Have you already contacted someone about deferment?
Yeah I spoke to Stephen Dougherty about it.
-
Just wondering, for how many people here is finaid going to be a deal breaker?
Yeah I won't attend without it, but I think I may defer since that can change things.
-
Seems like they've decided they can't afford to fund the program any more so it will have to become a cash cow masters (where people pay out of pocket) or die off. It really is a pity, since it seems to be one of a kind.
-
I've had to switch to part time. Is this make or break for anyone?
Yeah, I'm out without funding. All well, current life's not bad... Not sure I'm cut out for the normal world anyways.
-
Bad news guys. I got a response; it's posted below.
That decision does include LEAP scholarships.
We consider need and merit when awarding LEAP scholarships. We do our best to offer scholarships that provide the most relief for students with need, while helping as many students as possible. Unfortunately, the LEAP budget does not allows us to award aid to every applicant who qualifies. We had a strong applicant pool this year, and the decisions were difficult.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Sincerely,
Steve
Stephen Doherty, CAS '91
Graduate Programs Director
Boston University
College of Engineering
44 Cummington Street, Rm. 114
Boston, MA 02215
617-353-9763
ssd@bu.edu
-
Oh thank god! I immediately sent Helaine an email because I was so confused. I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one to get that email!
Thing is, the autoresponse from Helaine says to contact the guy who sent out that email about financial aid or anything else related to LEAP financial aid stuff, so now I'm not so sure. I really hope that doesn't include the scholarship because I won't be attending otherwise. I suppose we'll see.....ETA: She is out of the office till tuesday, but if I get a response from her I'll be sure to post it here.
-
I've held off emailing because I figured news would pop up here sooner or later
. Still, I'm getting rather impatient...I'll probably email next week if there is still no news. -
Anyone heard anything on funding yet? I've recieved the letter, but it's radio silence on the rest.
-
I too suffer from serious imposter syndrome. I think it's pretty common. Since I'm a non-trad applicant it's particularly strong. Not to mention I'm still somewhat waiting because I haven't heard about financial aid.
I would say distract yourself by planning for your new life. Especially if you will be moving! It can be a great distractor from the insecurities! -
I am in a quandry and would like people's thoughts on it. I think more of it is a personal ethical dilemma rather than a real problem.
I finished my Masters at a top 10 school and got into a fairly selective PhD program at a research institute (not in the rankings or anything). The pay is unheard of in academia (esp. with multiyear support), the benefits are amazing (we get dental!) and my adviser is the coolest I've worked with so far. The project is great too (v. cool) with real implications (unlike much of the engineering research these days).
Now I before I got accepted and took up the position at this research institute, I applied to a bunch of schools and recently got accepted to a selective top 10-15 school which has all the makings of a great education. They also offered me a double fellowship and really want me to attend. More critically, however, the person who wants me to do research is someone I've wanted to work with for quite a while and the research is at the heart of my interests. I can't say the same for my current position (the research area is interesting but I can't see myself doing it in 10-15 years). I am now considering leaving my current position and going to this other school for my PhD mainly for the research area and the opportunities afterwards (better reputation, more access to industry, etc.)
I've talked to my current adviser about it and he recommends I ignore the material benefits and follow my passion, that there is no pressure from him, etc.
My question: Is it right for me to pull out after a semester of this program and after he already funded me for travel, etc.? In mentioning that there is no pressure, he said that the student-adviser relation is based on trust so he doesn't want to wish something he wouldn't wish for himself - and that is really how he has acted so far; going out of his way to help me even when it would not be in his best interest. But shouldn't that standard be expected from me as well? The idea of this type of "disloyalty" (if that is what you want to call it), is really eating me up inside and I can't get myself to do it, even if I did decide to leave (it is not a given just yet).
Has anyone else been in a similar position (recently)? Your thoughts?
I wouldn't look at it as disloyalty to anyone, but rather integrity to yourself and what you want to do with the rest of your life. It's in your advisor's own best interest in the long run as well. Think of it this way, he is better off having someone working for him who absolutely loves and is passionate about what he is doing; he might not be happy that your are leaving, but he will be happy for you and ultimately have someone working under him who wants to be there and isn't there because they feel obligated. The person who your funding will go to if you leave (it's not like it's lost; it will go to someone else) will now get the chance to follow their passions and you get to work on something you are passionate about. It seems to me like it would be good for everyone in the long run. PhD is a big choice and a long track; it's best to do exactly what you want and are passionate about if you can!
-
Brace yourselves, I've been keeping a list of the insensitive stuff people have said to me throughout this process in order to try and get a laugh out of all the misery.
• "So what are you going to study?" Honestly? IF I get in, I'll do whatever they tell me to do and love the heck out of it.
• "So how are you doing?" Honestly? Been better. What I'll tell you? "Fine."
• "What are you doing after you finish undergrad?" Don't know yet. Wish I did. What I do know is that I dislike you right now.
• "What's your first choice?" The place that wants me.
• "Where did you apply?" Do you really want the full list or can I save the oxygen?
• "So uh... what are you gonna do after grad school?" How about we cross that bridge AFTER I get decisions.
• “I’m so excited for you!” Well, that makes one of us because right now I have no reason to be excited.
While I get some of them, especially the "you look tired" one and the really nosy ones, the ones above to me just seem to be expressing interest in you as a person with things going on and I fail to see how they are insensitve, though I certainly understand that perhaps it's more that you are oversensitive, because I became that way myself. Just do a little reality check sometimes, because there is a difference between someone being insensitve and us being overly sensitive, even if they look the same to us in the moment. I swear I was getting to the point of being "OMG, you said hello to me! How DARE you aknowledge my existence while I'm applying to grad school! The nerve!"
-
Is it possible to defer for a year? You could take the new job and see how you feel and then decide after getting some practical experience if you want to go back. If you just graduated in 2010 I wouldn't look at grad school as now or never; you have plenty of time to decide and taking a little extra time might be a good thing.
-
Me: "So I got into Cambridge, but there's no offer of funding. If I get into UofT for my MA though I'll be getting a SSHRC worth $17,500 plus a potential entry scholarship from UofT. My partner can work and by the time I'm done my MA we should be able to afford a down-payment on a house."
Boss at my retail job that currently pays the bills and who continually asks about my grad school status so he knows when I will be quitting: "You should go to Cambridge no matter what. Man, I'll slap you silly if you turn down Cambridge. I mean, it's Cambridge."
Me: "Yes but I have a better research fit with UofT and will have a better supervisor, won't have to live away from my partner for a year, can buy a house, and will be funded vs. gaining $70,000 in debt to do one year in Cambridge where there is no one doing the research I want to do."
Boss: "I don't think you understand what it means to go to Cambridge."
Me: "Have you been there? I wasn't aware that you had done any post-secondary schooling."
Boss: "I haven't but you don't need to be a genius to know that you should go to Cambridge."
*sigh*
Well, apparently you need to be a genius to know that you shouldn't go to Cambridge
. -
Helaine mentioned to me that that financial aid info should be coming out first week of April...
All I've received so far is an email from Helaine saying I'm in, and that an "official email" will come later, tho I have yet to receive that..anyone else?
Haha, they're all over the place...
Yeah they are a bit. I emailed and she said they are behind, but that everything is coming and then she sent me my letter and curriculum sheet and told me the offical letter and financial aid will be coming soon, because I was afraid I wasn't recieving the emails (I had an incident a few weeks ago where email wasn't gettin through). Anyways, long story short is that we aren't missing anything, it's just taking them a bit longer than they expected. I'm hoping everything will start to go out the first week of April, but who knows for sure, perhaps they got more applicants than anticipated.
-
water mark
water slide
-
"You only applied to ONE program?!?"
Just got accepted! No longer need to defend myself from incredulous looks/questions!
Hahaha! So this is the second time I'm going to grad school and it is again the second time I've applied to only one school. The first time was because I was only interested in that program. This time it's because it IS the only program that exists for someone with my background (and I've been admitted to both so no need to defend myself anymore).
My boss "You should write your disseration on [program I am currently working on]" me: "Uh, I want to study electrical engineering and not of the kind that's even remotely related to this." Boss: "lalalalala you should go to MIT and write your dissertation on [current program]". Oi.
My project is cool and all, but this program is his baby and his kool-aid ain't my kool-aid! -
The official letters or the FinAid packages? The other day Helaine said FinAid packages should be out by the end of the month...right after she said mid-March, haha.
The offical letter, she said it would be later that week and that was the 5th. I dropped her an email and hopefully she'll get back to me today (Monday). Yeah I kinda though the financial aid would take longer than mentioned.
-
Yeah, I got the official e-mail/letters on either the 6th or 7th of March. Just waiting on that aid package now...
Strange, I emailed Helaine to see since she did say they should go out that week....
-
Thanks!!
This email says "you will be receiving an email with a formal letter of admission as well as information regarding your LEAP advisor and the minimum number of courses you will be expected to take in Phase I. We are currently in the process of determining applicant eligibility for scholarship awards and federal financial aid....."
Ah okay good to know. I figured they might wait until they made all the financial aid decisions.
-
Finally!! Congrats!
Have you gotten the official email yet? I haven't, but I'm wondering if they are just waiting till they make the FA decisions and will send it all out together. I'm starting to get paranoid
. -
oh BU is on spring break right now, so I have a feeling you guys won't hear anything until next week at the earliest.
Huh, seems like an early spring break...especially for Boston
. The final deadline is today ( 3/15) so I imagine responses are going to be going out soon ( I hope). -
So glad I'm not the only one who's this oversensitive! I'm starting to actively avoid a couple of friends who demand to know my plans each time we talk. Once *I* know, I'll tell you!
Definitely not! I got some relief, but it required moving almost 7,000 miles away....and I still have to speak to my mom
. I found out unoffically last week that I got in, but I'm not ready to celebrate because with my program, the real competition is on the financial aid, not the admission, so it's not much of a victory....yet, just a small step. Peopler do not get this. Meh. I don't know my plans, stop hassling me!Oh yeah, I'm definitely guilty of being overly sensitive lately! haha
Hopefully we'll all get some good news soon so that we can finally be sane again! After putting up with all of our insanity, our friends and families might be more grateful that this whole process is over than we will be!
Yeah I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case. It's kinda like when someone dies and no one is quite sure what to say. Only this seems to last longer
and it's our hope dying .SO TRUE. I feel like there should be a thread that is just Sh*t Moms Say When Applying to Grad School....my personal favorite is when I got rejected to multiple schools out of state, my mom couldn't help but excitedly exclaim, "Who wants to live in California anyway? At least now you may end up close to home!" GAHHHHH!!!!!!
Oh dear, perhaps she just reached the hysterical "OMG I HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING *insert verbal diarrea* " stage. My father did the whole "say the wrong thing" to me when I was getting undergrad rejections. By "say the wrong thing" I mean "say anything" of course
. -
Not really making me feel any better. The reason I applied to grad school was because I don't want to work the sort of job that I have been doing. These 'transferable skills' would be helpful if I wanted to stay in my current realm of work.
Ugh, I've been there, but some people don't get it. My dad never had the luxury of changing his mind because he had a family to support and doesn't understand that I don't want to change my career because a single job has issues, I know every job has ups and downs and I've had more than one in this industry, I just don't freaking enjoy this work or lifestyle as a career to want to do it forever, which I think he gets sometimes, but is still stuck in the "suck it up mentality" until I remind him I have no external obligations like a SO or children.
That said, I have to laugh, because if this thread shows anything, it's that there really isn't anything that can "Make you feel better" except an acceptance. I feel somewhat bad about people having to deal with our insanity because I'm well aware how sensitve grad applicants can get to anything. For awhile there people asking "hey how's it going, anything new?" was making me twitchy. I half expected to cut a b@#$ for saying hello.
- Stacy Hill, wordshadow and comp12
-
3
-
So I started out in LEAP as BME, but because I was pre-med in undergrad and had about 5 years of research experience in neuroscience, I was already decent in the sciences. I also knew that I wanted to be hands-on and gain a strong technical background for the possibility of industry. After lots of advice from various advisers, it made sense for me to switch to electrical eng with a concentration in bioelectrics. That was one of the best choices I have ever made. I love BME which is why I will be doing a BME PhD, but to me, because it is so specialized, I don't think it is a particularly good route to take in undergrad or even a Masters. I am a pretty big proponent in getting a classical eng training in either mechanical, electrical, computer, or software eng, especially if industry is important to you. When career fairs come around and BU compiles a spreadsheet of which companies are looking for which engineers, those "classical" disciplines are ALWAYS sought after. The more specialized disciplines have much less opportunities. And I actually think getting my Masters in EE really helped me in gaining admissions to PhD programs in BME because of the technical experience I have.
At BU, my research and thesis is on neuroimaging and signal processing. I work in a BME lab, although almost everyone in my lab has either a degree in EE or math. I also particularly study how different forms of modalities of neuroimaging relate and the physics involved in scanning the brain. I too am interested in devices so my PhD and post-doc will involve brain-computer interface and neural prosthetics. In fact, I am also looking to join a lab that does functional optical/photonics imaging and builds their own imaging devices.
Interesting stuff. I spoke to some people while I was there about bioelectrics because I couldn't get a complete handle on what it entailed which seemed to be a bit of everything from what they said. It sounds like you are interested in the same side I am; the imaging devices and applications. Very cool. Thanks for your input; I was coming from the same idea that it's better to have a classical eng background first, which is why I wouldn't do something like the photonics masters, but rather the emag/photonics concentration within EE, which would seem to be a better choice for industry since it doesn't read as a specialized degree.
Boston University LEAP Program
in Engineering
Posted
Hey CMC_Kid, I was curious if you heard about FA yet? If I recall correctly you were in the same boat as I was last year regarding admission but no scholarship. I defered as well, but I pulled my application a few months ago as I decided not to attend and didn't want them wasting time processing my application ( I wouldn't make the need qualification for scholarship anyways as I earn too much money in my current job and I won't attend without financial aid, not to mention it wouldn't be the greatest career move for me...5 years ago sure, but now not so much). I suppose I'm just curious to see if defering would have made a difference if I still qualified under the need requirement.