new_to_kin

FWIW, I would be wary of doing a UK PhD if you intend to teach in the US - because there are no comps the field of knowledge is less wide, plus you might not get the same teaching experience as in the US. I speak as someone from the Eurpoean system - it's different and IMO not very compatible with the job market in the US

LOL

They very likely have a policy not to tell you over the phone - I mean there is so much info if you're accepted - support etc. So just wait another couple of days and then you'll know for sure.

I read it as this: That there are more grads than TA positions. You haven't been offered one. If someone declines you might or might not be offered their spot. It would depend on where you are on the list of priority (you could ask) and prob whether you are a Masters or PhD student. They will prob give preference to PhDs. HTH

I would go wtih Syracuse. Honestly, the snow is not a good excuse. We lived in Rochester, NY and now live in SW Ontario and it is also v snowy here and we bike year round. It can be done. Get studded tires. And I am from Australia, so it's not a case of being used to it. Hawaii - it's a long way from family, conferences etc. I think it would be very easy to feel isolated professionally and from family/friends.

I will be going to UWO. I feel very lucky that I'm in the position that I am. My husband is a prof (Asst) there so we are financially stable enough that it won't impact us. In fact, my funding is actually slightly more than what I currently earn, plus my older child will begin school in Sept, so we will probably we better off!! That said, we're not exactly rolling in it - it's just that we will be in pretty much the same place.

I'm 33, but I have many of the same issues as the rest of you because I have two kids - almost 2 and 3.5, plus a house etc etc etc. If all goes to plan, I'll be starting my PhD in Sept.

I would go with NYU. It's going to be the best place to make long term contacts for your field. You'll be in the midst of it all and able to hang with the movers and shakers. Major artists and curators will be on your doorstep. This is definitely a field where location matters, IMO

Is Lenovo any good? Reliable? Also what are the disadvatages of Ultrabooks?

When I moved from Australia to the US, I brought 4 suitcases and paid the extra baggage. This was far, far cheaper than shipping stuff. Also, I ended up re-buying some things as this was cheaper than shipping. Also, do not bring bed linens etc. I did, and the sizes are different. Towels are also super small in the US (like in Germany, another place where I think they are small) so if you are used to large towels, bring them! Also be aware that any A4 size papers are going to be a pain because they use different sizes and the photocopiers etc won't copy them properly (it will be confusing) and you can't get binders etc to fit. So don't bring paper or lecture pads!

Make suyre you enter at a large border crossing. The little ones won't know what to do with you. Trust me on this.

This. Exactly. I did OPT - beware though, going in and out of the country on OPT isn't easy unless you have employment in the US

Yes, my tuition was covered with a combo of this TA and other GAs.

Keep it coming! I'm really interested in what people do if this is literally the only screen they use (i.e. is 13" too tiny?) Thanks!

I've applied to a PhD in Health Sciences. My app was only complete last week. Turnaround for that dept is apparently 2-3 weeks.

OK. I am a native English speaker, however I am not from Nth America. Writing conventions are different where I am from (and did my undergrad). My husband laughs at me because he thinks I am old fashioned. I use phrases that aren't in common use here. It's a topic of comedy for us. For example, we were reading a paper and the author said something like: "she placed the cup on a saucer, the which was covered in flowers". This kind of stuff didn't affect my Masters grades. And I don't think it should. It's stylistic. I suppose I "write with an accent". I do think that it is reasonable to expect mostly correct grammar if this is a writing course. Otherwise, if the student is able to be clearly understood, even if the style is different, I would not grade it down.

I would also start a bit more formal, but I think that as the term wears on, a button up and (nice) jeans would be ok. I think the key here is to always wear a button up shirt, myself. IMO a tie is overkill unless you're recording you're teaching for a job application. It also depends on what you look like. If you look young, then I would def dress up more. If you're an older student or have a grizzled beard and basically look like a prof without trying, then I'd not owrry too much.

I think it would depend on the discipline. I would guess that you're grading all the papers that come in - there just aren't that many assigned. In my previous field (music), TAs would often grade over 100 quizzes a week, every week. Brutal.

I had a TA in my Masters but it was nowhere near enough to live on (think $150 a month!). The better TAs were given to doctoral students. I would talk to the admissions person. FWIW, my doctoral program gives automatic funding which may or may not include a TA (same money regardless)

If you use your laptop as your primary computer, what size is it? I'm wanting something that is tote-able yet still a decent size to be comfortable to use. Specifics on the laptop are welcome, as are suggestions!

Ugh. I did this for my masters, from overseas. It was a disaster. The place was really close to school, but it just so happened it was in the direction of druggies. There were deals going on literally outside my apartment. I was followed home a couple of times. I'm from a big city, so I am streetwise, but this was pretty bad. I should have paid the extra money to stay in a hotel for the first week or so to ensure it would be ok. Even the dorms as a temp measure would have been better.

Here I go. I have no background whatsoever in my desired field. None. I haven't taken a science or math course for 18 years (high school). I have never taken a university level science course. I've never taken anatomy. etc etc etc. My previous field is related to my research but not at all to Kinesiology. Luckily, my prospective advisor is right behind me and I have a perfect GPA from my (unrelated, non-research) Masters, but still. I've had assurance that it won't be aproblem, but I am still freaked out that a higher-up will determine that I'm not eligible to even apply for this PhD.

Haha, this is the reason I decided to change fields. My ultimate goal is to get some adjunct work or even research work at his/our current university. If I were to get a TT position there, great, but it is unlikely. I don't think we would actively pursue spousal hire positions elsewhere, but who knows. Most of the academic couples we know have either managed a spousal hire (usually one spouse doesn't have TT) or the spouse does adjunct. We were in a similar field up until now, so this is why I am changing. Our uni doesn't often do spousal hires within the faculty and I've applied for teaching positions there (and been passed over). I don't want to wait forever for something that probably won't materialize, so I have decided to make a change. The thing for me is that I want to keep my current very part time job within my field (it's tenured) while also doing something new - academia is one of the few options that would allow this. Does that answer your question?

It depends on the home country. For example I was not able to do this in Australia as it is not typical to borrow money for school - nothing is set up to facilitate this.

I was an international student in the US and I feel your pain. The only loan company that I found without a co-signer was one of the Maes...not the main one. Fanny Mae? Not sure. You had to pay the interest on your loan while studying. Luckily my parents were able to finance my living expenses and I had basically full tuition. Be aware that you're not allowed to work off campus and you will need to prove you have the money to support yourself while you have the visa (proof of stipend or bank statement in a US bank).