Gneiss1

SPSS will work on a mac they just have a little tutorial on how to install it. It isn't too bad if you follow the steps and it will work fine. I un mine on my Mac partition but I'm sure running it on my windows partition would be just as easy.

For me I havent had any troubles really using my Mac. The programs limited to windows I just use bootcamp and use those on my windows partition without much issue. I'm thankful for my mac and I think I will be sold for life on them. My fiance has a thinkpad and he likes it. It was definitely cheaper. He has experienced more problems with upkeep than I have but that is to be expected. I think it comes down to personal preference.

SPSS will work on a mac they just have a little tutorial on how to install it. It isn't too bad if you follow the steps and it will work fine. I un mine on my Mac partition but I'm sure running it on my windows partition would be just as easy.

For me I havent had any troubles really using my Mac. The programs limited to windows I just use bootcamp and use those on my windows partition without much issue. I'm thankful for my mac and I think I will be sold for life on them. My fiance has a thinkpad and he likes it. It was definitely cheaper. He has experienced more problems with upkeep than I have but that is to be expected. I think it comes down to personal preference.

Stipend money used for personal use (i.e. not tuition/school related expenses) is taxable. Some of this may vary by school and state as to how exactly they go about it as to whether you need to withhold the money yourself to pay the IRS or if your school will doit for you. For my RA I had to fill out a W-4 form (I'm in VA btw) and so they withhold the taxes for me and all is good at the end of the year assuming I withheld the correct amount. I have heard from others of needing to set aside tax money on their own (similar to a 10-99 employee) in which you have the option of paying the IRS quarterly which I would recommend as a previous 10-99 employee myself or paying annually. Your school should have information listed somewhere on their website in regards to how they classify their graduate students (i.e. are they considered actual employees or not) and the regulations they use.

Either way your income is taxable and you can estimate what you should be having withheld or witholding yourself here:

http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96196,00.html

Tuition and school related expenses (books, supplies, etc but NOT rent/room & board) are tax deductable. More info on that here:

http://www.irs.gov/individuals/students/article/0,,id=96674,00.html

It depends. First I would make sure grad school is really something you want and need to do. I'm not sure what your field is, but before investing so much time and energy into a grad degree you want to make sure it will truly prove to be significantly beneficial in the end. I would say it will probably be fairly difficult to get into a masters program with funding from where you are starting. It isn't impossible, but you have a few things going against you. For starters, there is a lot less funding given for masters as opposed to PhD. There also is a lot more people applying with the economy as it is and less funding in schools, so it can be a bit of a tough market out there.

If you do decide you want to go and are confident you can excel, then as lily mentioned you can always go and show them what you are worth then applying for funding. Good luck!

Agreed. However, it definitely doesn't hurt if you have a weak area on your transcript and a relatively high gre score in the subject area.

For most schools, you are officially enrolled on the first day of classes. Until then you are not officially a student. Your department can easily provide this information. Send an email or give them a call, then you don't have to spend your days worrying about it.

Grad school makes you nerdier, causing increased usage of glasses.

Ahh! It is a yes:) With funding! I'm beyond happy right now, liek cloud TEN happy. Best of luck to all of you there is definitely still hope!!

Ahh! It is a yes:) With funding! I'm beyond happy right now, liek cloud TEN happy. Best of luck to all of you there is definitely still hope!!

My boyfriend found that hilarious (as did I) but he wanted to ensure I let you know "no calls and no emails make me something something" lol...

Emailing hourly sonds horrendously obnoxious. I wouldn't do that. I would just call and make sure you werent supposed to confirm online somewhere or something.

My boyfriend found that hilarious (as did I) but he wanted to ensure I let you know "no calls and no emails make me something something" lol...

Emailing hourly sonds horrendously obnoxious. I wouldn't do that. I would just call and make sure you werent supposed to confirm online somewhere or something.

You are definitely not alone. I am still waiting to hear back from all of my schools. It is amazing to see how in November when I applied I was confident and excited, then with each passing month the optimistic confidence has dwindled into this state of frustration and utter pessimism. This is somewhat ironic I think because to my knowledge the schools I have applied to have not made their decisions yet so I know in reality I am in the same boat today that I was in back in January, but the outlook is completely different. I can honestly say I never imagined applying to grad school would be such a mentally and emotionally taxing endeavor. I recall one of my favorite undergrad professors telling our class that applying to grad school is a "very humbling experience". I definitely understand what that means now and while we hope to hear good news from our schools all I can offer is that at least if that acceptance letter comes it will hopefully be worth it. I am sure I will be very, very grateful if that day comes as well as relieved! Also, if the letter does not come with good news then know it's not the end of everything and you can always try again next year better prepared for the crazy journey the application process entails.

I think it really all depends on where you are renting citywise and the types of options you have available with the house/apt. As someone who has lived in a few different houses and apts in different cities though here is a really basic breakdown of some pros and cons to consider:

Housing pros:
- Neighbors are at least not attached to your building so you have less chance they are going to be obnoxious (walking loudly, loud music, staying up late, fighting, etc)
- More space/better layout (usually)
- A yard (this can be a pro and a con, for me personally though I used to love studying outside in a hammock by my garden, I cannot do that in my current apartment)

Housing cons:
- Upkeep, more space inevitably means more upkeep. Also yard maintenance? I have heard of some landlords handling yardwork for tenets, but in every house I have rented that was the tenets responsibility and also required I buy a lawn mower.
- Utilities are more expensive. This is especially the case with homes that run off of oil, gas, or the old-style electric heating. I see you are headed to Illinois, you are going to want heat ;-) Air-conditioning too can be more expensive. Houses tend to be older than apartments (not always, but more often than not). Older appliances come with higher electric bills. You also will have to see what your city trash regulations are. One place I lived required I drive trash to the dump and another required either an annual can fee or trash tags be purchased.

Apartment pros:
- Onsite landlords (or at least close by ones hopefully!), if something breaks they fix it. No yardwork, no filter changes, etc assuming you are in a decent apartment complex.
- Communal and often include desirable ammenities. If you are lucky enough to have good neighbors (perhaps you can find an all grad student complex) you can have close by friends. Also it is quite nice having an on-site gym and swimming pool.
- Cheaper utilities and some places include utilities. Trash is generally included and I have seen some places that offer free internet and/or cover water/sewage bill.

Apartment Cons:
- Neighbors (Bad/loud ones and there is no real surefire way of knowing who you will get)
- Space/position. Generally less room internally and if you end up on the third floor you will seriously take into consideration the size and weight of the groceries you buy.


In the end it all will come down to what you like and location. The cost may balance out depending on your options. You could alwyas look for a more expensive nicer place and get a roommate, but that of course comes with gambles of its own. Figure out what is most important to you to narrow down some of your options (location? do you want to be right on the busline on do mind driving a bit? Do you need complete silence to study? Will you feel secure in a house by yourself? etc etc) and go from there:)