Stories

Foolish for wanting to go to MIT? No. Foolish if that's your #1 dream school and you'll be unhappy anywhere else? Yes. Like Frank said, even if you're an absolutely fantastic applicant, there'll be 400 other applicants that are VERY strong, as well.

From the first word to submit phase? About 3 months. Several revisions, several professors taking a look at it, getting peers' thoughts on it, etc.

Yes and no. The very prestigious private universities with lots of money to throw around will have more opportunities for international folks. Lesser known schools with less money won't. State schools will always be at the mercy of the economic state of the state it resides in. Schools that receive a lot of federal funding (fellowship in particular) can only give those fellowship out to US residents (my fellowship is a federally funded one, so only US residents are eligible).

Apply anywhere there's a good fit for your research, and it's in a place where you would be okay living. I applied to 17 schools this year. I got into 5 (and never got anything back from 2). 5 out of 15 isn't too bad (got into 1 reach, 2 good fits, and 2 safeties).

Your GPA is brutal and GRE is below average for a science person. I'd think you have a tough time getting into those other schools with only a year of experience... may I suggest you try taking a few classes as a non-degree student and then demonstrate that you're capable of doing graduate-level work? That will significantly bolster your application on the GPA side.

Wow, that is an impressive GRE... you really shouldn't need to take them over. I had way lower scores (520V/730Q/5W).

Any folks moving out to New Haven a bit early and looking for some friends? I know my roommate and I will definitely be looking to meet some new folks! We're moving out in the middle of July. We'll be living in the middle of the main campus

For the heavily traveler, 13" is a no brainer. They are usually under 4lbs, unlike 14" and 15" laptops which are usually 5-6.5lbs. Keep in mind, with the battery, all of these weights will go up another 1.5lbs or so.

The schools are just curious about what other schools their admitted students were considering if they're curious. Two of the schools I sent declines to were just curious to know what school I was going to, and they encouraged and backed up my choice to attend there (especially with the fellowship I was awarded). What Joel said, they just want to know how they can position themselves to lure more students in the future.

It's obviously important to have the 'Research Experience' area of CV as thorough and complete as possible.

As long as you don't get a iPhone, you can get decent deals with AT&T. If you're going with Verizon, you're paying a lot no matter what, but Verizon has absolutely wonderful coverage and service.

T-Mobile is horrid on the east coast. I switched away from them after a year of frustrating service with them (this was in Boston, MA). Verizon was leaps and bounds better than T-Mobile. I still use Verizon to this day. I'd gladly pay more for usable and reliable service.

You're fine.

Here's my honest opinion: unfunded master's for a non-professional degree is not worth the financial burden. Only go to graduate school if you're sure it's what you want to do. Take the year between now and the next application cycle and truly determine if it's what you want to do. You NEED that energy to get through the many years of graduate school. If you're questioning it now, how much will you question yourself in the future?

An advanced degree will help you move up. But a MBA won't do it for you. Your skills will move you up in the business world much faster than any degree.

If you think that your writing sample and personal statement were crap and that's what held you back from gaining admission, don't bother with the MA program. Here's the red flag for me though: schools offering you admission to a MA program to me indicates they aren't sure of something on your application which makes them not want to offer you admission into the PhD program. And it's obviously not just a single school, but several that have that worry. Keep in mind, year on year, there are going to be more applications per year per program. Look at any school and you'll see over time that their apps are up every year. While this year saw a bigger boost in apps due to the economy, you won't be facing LESS applicants next year.

I don't know how useful a database like that is for research-based graduate programs since GRE and GPA aren't the only characteristics that influence admission decisions. As we all know, research fit (from SoP) is also a critical factor in the admissions game. This website might be more useful for medical school or law school or other professional schools, where your application is almost entirely weighted upon your scores.

Brookline Village would be great for you. You can walk to the MFA in just a few minutes and you're close to the "E" line T-stop, too (although Brookline Village is on the "D" line). Brookline Village is very pricey, though, which is the only real draw back. The area is rockin'. I lived in the area for 2 years.

It's pretty much "yes" to almost every question you asked. Getting a professor job is difficult. Particularly in fields that aren't expanding or have a private sector where PhD graduates have an alternative to academia (ie. humanities). Some schools might have one or two professors in each department as "teaching faculty", but the big schools all do have their professors publish and research. That's what brings in the recognition for the school and how future PhDs are trained. Without the publishing, it's just high level teaching. This is more commonly found at community colleges and non-prestigious schools where many faculty members only possess a master's.

Drexel isn't the only school that asks for a enrollment with a tuition deposit. The other schools on my list besides Yale asked for a deposit (Yale funds ALL of its PhD students).

More than anything else, you need real-world experience. I think the median age at most business MBA programs is around 27. The degree is really intended for someone who wishes to move up into the administration level of businesses. This is particularly true of executive MBA programs. Probably less so of other concentrations.

:roll: ...that's all.

You're on the right path. Your GPA is fine. Keep on working in the industry you're wanting to get the degree in and refine your research goals. Once you've set out what your true research goals are, you can then tackle good fits for doing a PhD. If you want to do a MS, just in case you're unsure if the PhD is the right path for you, go ahead. But if you know you want the PhD, apply straight for it. Keep your options open, though, and don't set your heart too much on one program because you're setting yourself up for disappointment if you do (graduate admissions are in no way predictable).

Well, it is a breach of contract if you don't attend and you don't ask to rescind your decision in attending. What the school would do is up to the school. Will they do anything? Probably not. But that option is always there. Besides, it's generally screwing some poor chap on the waitlist, so for fellow human sake, it's the courteous thing to do.

On the east coast, Verizon's service is pretty damn tough to beat. The coverage area is phenomenal and you rarely get dropped calls. They are expensive compared to other carriers, however.