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iowaguy

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Everything posted by iowaguy

  1. Yes, absolutely long hair on a guy can give some people (professors) a negative impression. Although, as I'm sure you've seen from faculty pages, some male professors themselves have long hair. But, if you're not attached to your hair (and you shouldn't be from a philosophical perspective) I would cut it shorter for your interview, it certainly couldn't hurt. First impressions can be very powerful...
  2. Hanyuye - have you visited Laramie and/or Cheyenne?
  3. Just because it was rare in the past, doesn't mean it won't be common in the future with tight state budgets, Fiscal Cliff issues, etc. I am in a similar boat in deciding between 2 schools. One provides "guaranteed support" for 5 years via TA/RA (private school). The other (a top-tier state school) is more year-to-year as you describe. I'm leaning towards the guaranteed support so I can just focus on my research/studies and not have to worry about whether or not the funding will be there next year...
  4. I would try to Skype if at all possible, try to be proactive and as much as possible take the initiative to set that up. IMHO not interviewing decreases your chances of acceptance. They want to see you in-person, talk to you, make sure you're "normal" (whatever that means for us PhD aspirants!).
  5. Si quieres también aprender la cultura extranjera, entonces un semestre sería lo mínimo (dos semestres sería mejor aún). En mi opinión, un verano no basta para aprender otra cultura... Y quién dijo que no podrías estudiar el ruso cuando estés en el exterior? Yo llevé dos clases de francés cuando estaba estudiando español en México. Es posible que puedas llevar una clase de ruso cuando estés afuera... Suerte!
  6. Lots of thoughts on this in the archives... Bottom line: how is your "fit" at a particular safety school, and does a PhD from that school empower you to reach your career/life goals? I personally don't believe in applying to safety schools, IMHO better to improve your application and try again next year at your dream schools... YMMV.
  7. Here are a couple of thoughts: Twin Cities metro was recently named the #1 city for bike-friendliness. You'll have to deal with the winter, but it is an awesome place to get around on your bike. http://www.bicycling.com/news/featured-stories/bicyclings-top-50 Also recently named the healthiest city in the U.S. - http://www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2011/09/13/americas-top-10-healthiest-cities/
  8. In some fields the top schools have a GRE cutoff, where they toss the applications in the trash that don't meet a minimum score... Some programs/schools also use GRE scores as a factor to determine who gets fellowships. YMMV.
  9. From the professors I've spoken with in the sciences, my understanding is that TA funding usually comes from the department, whereas RA funding usually comes from the prof. Therefore, if the prof can support you with RA funding, he/she has much more "pull" to get you admitted than if he can't support you with RA funding (and would then have to rely on the department to carry your weight with TA funding). A couple of universities that I applied to were very specific that if a professor didn't have research funding for you then you were unlikely to be admitted. One difference with the private universities (at least for Yale & Cornell in my field) is that many of the top schools "guarantee" funding for all of their grad admits. This might be TA or RA (possibly for a prof other than your POI). Whereas for most state universities this is not the case, the prof has to pony up to support you. In fact, one state school that I'm applying to can't guarantee my funding past year 3 (and that 3 years is all RA funding from an existing grant from my POI). Thoughts?
  10. Whereas with a tenured prof the students/post-docs usually get first authorship if they do most of the research, no?
  11. Of course it depends on the specific department/program, but generally in top 15-20 of graduate programs overall. In same league as U Michigan, U Wisconsin, etc. Plus the Twin Cities, IMHO, is one of the best metro areas in the U.S. on many levels...
  12. They will just see your scores and percentiles for V, Q, and AW.
  13. You will get your (unofficial) V and Q scores immediately after taking the test. These scores will show up right on the computer screen after you agree to make your test official (which is a no-brainer these days with ScoreSelect). Your essay score will be available anywhere from 1-3 weeks after that. Best of luck!
  14. Patience is a virtue, my friend...
  15. You risk annoying them by calling. IMHO don't call once your application is submitted and they've verified that they received all your materials.
  16. I have heard that sometimes profs on the adcom have more pull than other profs... But if he's going to bat for you, that's a good thing!
  17. Continuing with the Carrboro theme, how realistic would a bike commute be from Carrboro to Duke's West Campus? I understand that the Research Triangle is not the most bike-friendly place; are there bike lanes, trails, etc that would make that bike commute realistic?
  18. What city did you take the GRE in that all the available dates were taken post-October??? That certainly wasn't the case in my part of the country. I had 5 different testing centers within 1.5 hours to choose from (most had open dates, though some were inconvenient), and this is the rural Midwest... Would think even more opportunities in most metro areas...
  19. A POI recently emailed me about funding. She said nothing is official yet, but it looks like I will get a department stipend plus they put me up for a graduate school fellowship for additional funds. Said she will let me know when she hears back on the fellowship, etc, etc... She did not, however, say that I had been accepted into the PhD program. When I check the online application system it shows that my application is still under review. This might be a stupid question, but if they nominated me for a fellowship does that mean that the department has accepted me and is just working out the details? I'm trying to figure out this whole admissions/funding process As a side note, how long does it usually take to hear back on graduate school fellowships? Thanks!
  20. Be sure to plug in a fraction as well. I had a couple of problems on my official test this fall where fractions were the "trick" part of the comparison...
  21. No trig on GRE. Definitely don't take a trig class to prepare for the GRE!
  22. I personally wore a nice pair of slacks, a long-sleeve collarless dress t-shirt (tucked into your slacks), and a sport coat when I have met with professors. This actually gives you 2 different levels of formality. You can keep the sport coat on if you want to be dressier (for example, if the prof is also wearing a sportcoat). Or, you can take it off and you have more of a business casual look (say, when you're meeting with a current grad student or a dressed-down prof). When in doubt, dress it up a bit more. But not to the level of a suit and tie.
  23. State & federal income tax plus FICA comes out of that $22,000 as well, doesn't it? i.e. when you are quoted a stipend amount, it is pre-tax, no? So, for a $22,000 stipend your annual take-home pay should be in the $17,000 range, depending on the state income tax rate. This is based on a couple of online calculators that I tried...
  24. Powerprep 1: took it untimed 2 months before test date, estimate mid-160's on V & Q Powerprep 2: 168V / 169Q, took 1 week before test date Real GRE: 168V / 168Q / 5.5AW Hours studied: 100+
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