Stories
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Agreed. This person clearly already knows what he/she wants to do and is simply seeking affirmation from equally amoral people.
This person knew what he was getting himself into. Oxford works on a very different timescale--as do most UK universities. There is nothing selfish or unethical about these programs abroad.
However, what this person is set on doing is very much selfish and unethical. Period.
Keep in mind by taking a spot in a program that you know you probably won't be enrolling in, you're screwing other folks on the waitlist. So it's not just you and the university/department you're screwing.
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Your Master's is only a stepping stone, right? Go for the cheaper option. Who cares where your stepping stone degree came from? Is it really going to make or break your PhD apps? No. The point of doing this is to improve your chances of getting into a PhD program, and if the one you can do at SFSU is in your field and not some random unaffiliated field, it'll improve your standing in that field for future applications.
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Even though I'm more of a city person,
I do understand that being a full-time Ph.D student is a huge commitment
and that I won't be able to do much outside school for the next 5 years or so.
That's a big misconception. Yes, being a full-time PhD student is a lengthy process, but it's a marathon, not a sprint. You pace yourself so that you don't get overwhelmed and do good work.
Is city important? Of course. If your happiness and overall work ethic is significantly worse in the "lesser" environment, you should definitely go for the environment where you can be sane, happy, and productive.
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If you have the right mindset and good ideas, it won't matter which undergrad you're coming from. Those intangible qualities that grad programs look for shine through in interviews and applications, regardless of your undergrad institution.
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Since it's a state school, you can gain state residency in your 2nd year. So you're only looking at super expensive costs that 1st year, anyway. Go for the new program. It's always nice to get in with other people and gain perspective.
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Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I am an international student; will have a US B.S. degree next month.
I thought I could get about 450-500 in GRE verbal but it went terrible. Honestly, I am not offended by the question asking if I am an international student.
New situation from my side is as follows:
I have an option to continue in my current school where I will be funded $18,000/year if I join Ph.D program. But the reputation of the school is not that good. If rejected by remaining schools (TAMU, CWRU, UTK), I am thinking abt joining my current school (Ph.D. program) and may be I can produce couple of papers in first 2 years and apply to better programs. I will have to leave my current school with M.S. and I will officially be Ph.D. drop out. Will there be any problems in joining other programs when one is Ph.D. drop out? I cant just join M.S. program because I wont be funded for that and I cant continue w/o funding. Please share your opinions or experience or whatever story regarding it.
In the mean time I plant to retake GRE and build a better application. Might be a silly question but how the heck do I improve in verbal section in GRE? I memorized about 1500 words (seem to forget most already). Its just that the time limit of 30 mins in verbal section seems to be really short for me. How did u all prepare for GRE? Especially other international students' experience might become really helpful to me.
I sincerely look forward to hearing from you all and I appreciate all the help.
It's generally frowned upon to leave a PhD program unless you have an understanding with the department that this is your intention. And if you enroll at your undergrad institution and you plan to reapply to schools while doing the PhD at your undergrad, who is going write your recommendations?
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In the sciences, doing a post-doc is almost as necessary as earning a Ph.D.
This. Very few in sciences go straight into a tenure track position from grad school.
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Or join the network, but adjust your account settings so only friends can see your wall and photos. Facebook privacy settings have gotten more sophisticated over time, and there's no reason to think of network membership as anything more than a convenient way to make yourself more search-friendly for people in the same group. I'll join my grad school network and keep my membership in my current employer and undergrad networks, too - not that anyone I haven't friended can see anything more than my basic resume info and music preferences, anyway.
Bingo. My profile is limited to ONLY my friends. The way it should be. Employers, students, and lurkers can't lurk that way.
Yes, I did join my (second) grad school's network
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Mine functions transparently. All the funding is provided to Yale and then it works as if Yale is paying me my stipend and tuition. The only difference is that I have advisers in two places (Yale and the NCI) and I'll physically be doing my dissertation work at the NCI.
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I got lucky enough to meet someone this semester (my last semester at my current grad school before I transfer out for PhD work). The dating was great. But...when faced with the possibility of distance, he decided it wasn't THAT great (LoL). It is possible though. Several of the PTI's in my department are actually couples who met and married while getting their PhD's.
Academic couples are kind of adorable in their own nerdish way. I only hope to someday be so lucky
The PI I worked with while I was at BU was married to another academic. The woman i worked with at BU got her doctorate at Harvard, and her husband got his doctorate at BU, he now is a professor at Harvard
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Prestigious? If you mean a degree that will be more recognized by the lay-person, it's the PhD, no doubt.
If you're even having the PhD vs. DrPH debate, you're probably thinking you want to do more practical applications of public health rather than strict research, right? Figure out a little bit more what you want to do and then this will be an easy question to answer
Research = PhD
Practice = DrPH
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Getting a MA/MS in Geography will boost your chances of getting into a PhD program. It will also enhance your geography knowledge so that you can hone your research interests.
I had a 2.9 uGPA and got into my MPH program (at Boston U.). I had a 3.5 gGPA and got into my PhD program (at Yale U.). GPA is only a small part of your package.
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If you have a TA at my school, they pay 75% tuition, and you get a stipend in the $18k range. So, you could look at it as "fully funded with at $16k stipend", but I guess this scenario is what the OP had in mind with "partially funded + stipend".
Yep. You have to use some of your discretionary funds to pay for school, so partially funded + stipend hits it on the dot.
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There are other forums in which the main desire of everyone who posts is to work for investment banks, big law and any other entity which will line their pockets. It is refreshing to find people who have a goal that does not revolve around money. Sure we want things... but wanting things and being consumed by the appeal of owning things are very different.
I truly believe that if you have a masters level (+) education, you are willing to relocate and you have good work experience, you will be alright financially. Finding something that you will wake up everyday with an amazing amount of motivation for is the tricky part.
Well, PhD life isn't exactly lined with money, so I think you'll generally find most PhDs to be very level headed. Most folks with PhDs are generally interested in advancing the field, which is the key part of everything.
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1.) Will you be able to improve your application next year? If you can't improve it, don't waste your money reapplying and go to school now.
2.) Who cares what other people think? Are YOU okay with going to this school? If you're not then don't bother.
3.) Not to be an ass about it, but no matter how good your undergrad GPA was, no matter how great your GRE scores are, no matter what you've published and have done, you are not guaranteed acceptance anywhere. Everyone that applies to PhD programs are going to be super qualified. You'll be 1 of 400 applicants with similar qualifications, this is even more true of "elite" level schools.
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One thing to keep in mind is that various schools are known for having low GPAs amongst their studentss. My undergrad institution falls into this category (Boston University). Also, all the schools I applied to that had "GPA requirements" said that the cutoff was more of a recommendation rather than a strict cutoff. Obviously, if you've got research experience (which nearly all PhD applicants do) and a clear objective, you shouldn't have any problems.
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It's not unheard of for folks to rescind their decisions at schools they've already committed to. If you do get into your top choice, just call up the department and admissions office at the school you've accepted enrollment and let them know you've had a change of heart. They should let you out of the commitment to attending.
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I had a low undergrad GPA (2.85), an average master's grad GPA (3.45), and average GRE scores (520V, 730Q, 5A). I got into several schools. My master's IS the same field as my PhD, and my undergrad is a related discipline (Biology). There is no undergraduate programs in my field, so that might be why my undergrad GPA isn't a huge predictor of acceptance into schools.
I had no idea what my shots of getting in to any schools were. So I applied liberally.
I don't know if I compensated for anything on my application, but here's what I did apply with. A clear purpose and knowledge of what I wanted to pursue and why. Why school X was a great fit for me and what I could bring to it. Extensive research experience dating back to undergrad and two years of full-time RA as a MPH student.
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I'm a power user and overall computer junkie so keep that in mind.
If you're looking for solid build quality, go for a Lenovo. They break the bank and are boring as nails to look at, but they are solid (think Toyota or Honda).
If you want something with design flair, great hardware for the price, go for a ASUS. They don't have much of a reputation yet and some would say they look silly, but they pack a lot of performance for the price (think Mitsubishi).
If you want something that's very mainstream without many frills, reasonably priced, and fairly reliable, get a Dell (think Hyundai).
HP, Gateway, and Toshiba are other mainstream companies which don't really stand out in any way. HP offers many different SKUs so you can get pretty much what you want, but their reliability and build quality leave something to be desired. Toshiba is kind of, meh, all the way around. Gateway makes a few great gaming laptops (their FX series), but their mainstream laptops are a bit big and unwieldy compared to the competition.
That's my $.2
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If it's that important, CALL. Email is super casual, anyway.
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Yale
in 2009 Archive
Any advise on how to find an apartment? Among the avenues I am exploring:1) Yale Office of Housing off-campus housing postings
2) Craig's List (so many scams!)
3) An acquaintance in New Haven with an apt who will move out this year
4) Calling realtors (Seabury Hill?)
Current students: how much should I expect to pay for a studio within a 20 minute walking distance of campus or on a Yale shuttle with a place to park my car?
That many scams? Please do tell.
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I'm a pragmatic person. So my vote is for the professional degree in the MPA. Just my $.2
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This is especially true of the sciences where very few PhD graduates land a TT position immediately. Almost all of them will do postdocs.
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Buyer's remorse. Remember, in the end, you will really make or break the experience. Go in with a smile and good attitude and you'll be great
Dating in Grad School?
in The Lobby
Posted
Interesting. When I had my interview day at Yale, several of the current students were married. Go figure.