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Has anyone been inside one of the grad college rooms? Is it right to assume "double" means that you share a bathroom, NOT a bedroom with someone else? Is it also right to assume that all of the rooms have a single twin-sized bed? I can't seem to access the floor plans - how big are the rooms exactly?

I live here now, but I'm not a student. Personally I like living downtown a lot I'm not really in walking distance from campus (25-30 minutes), but biking would be pretty easy. Rents downtown are the most expensive however, so for a grad student it might not be the best option. A lot of grad students live in the JPA area (but a lot of undergrads do as well) because it's the only area within walking distance that isn't in frat central/bar central. There are a lot of houses in that area. There is one leasing company in particular I would avoid: Godfrey Properties. They are terrible from what I hear. As for finding a place, start looking NOW. The market here sucks - a lot of undergrads sign a new lease in October, and then there's slim pickings after that. There's another surge in March/April for grad students, but it really seems like properties are limited in this town, so I advise finding a place now! As for the really far out places like Sterling University Place (is it still called that?), Eagles' Landing, etc. they're fine but you will be far from the university and everything else. Personally I think they're overpriced for being so far away. Parking around the university is near impossible unless you buy a parking pass.

I contacted one of my programs about their wait list today.. quick response from the DGS. I just asked if they could give me any info about how the wait list works, where I am on it, and whether or not, given past experience, they could give an estimate as to my likelihood of admission. Ok, so my wait list position is "strong" but they have to go through other depts before taking me off, and several other candidates would have to say no (I have a feeling that NO ONE says no to this program), so at the very least I wouldn't hear until around decision time. THe DGS's overall opinion was that it was unlikely I would be admitted, but not impossible. That was enough for me to decide I'm not saving a vacation day to visit this school. If I'm admitted and feel compelled to visit, I'll just fake sick or something I would have taken a different approach if this had been my absolute dream school, but I feel about the same regarding all of my programs.

I ended up wait listed for Stanford, but they mentioned that the grad student stipend was 19.5k for 9 months for my program and 3k or something for summers. That seems pretty dirt poor for this area to me. (A totally different story at other schools) Does anyone have any experience in grad student housing at Stanford?

What's the best housing option here? Grad student housing or finding your own place? Grad student housing at my home institution is really lame (you're housed like an undergrad). I didn't even want to live like an undergrad, and I moved out after my first year into an apartment. It was a little more expensive, but only because you had to pay for a year's lease, rather than 9 months. The prospect of living in a graduate "dorm" frightens me.

How nice is graduate housing here? It seems like the only reasonable place to live with a grad student stipend. Does it have a dorm feel or an apartment feel? Is it the option that most graduate students choose? Is a meal plan the best way to go? I find it a really weird concept for a grad school, especially being that I haven't had a meal plan or lived on campus since I was a freshman in college. Do I need a car to reasonably do grocery shopping? Is there much of a graduate student life, or do undergrads rule the campus?

I received an informal offer of admission from UC Irvine two weeks ago and I know one other person who did as well... "with funding details to follow." I recently emailed to find out what's up, and it seems like they still haven't sent out the formal ones, as they are still waiting on funding finalization. I'm pretty sure they have an internal wait list, which is why a lot of people haven't been notified.

Check out: http://research.unc.edu/pub/oic/library ... sthcol.pdf and http://chronicle.com/stats/productivity ... &year=2007 UC Irvine has a good program... what do you want to study though?

I think most grad students have this problem to some extent -- I've noticed that the people who do go to grad school usually aren't the people who dominated discussions in the undergrad classroom. A lot of the professors I meet (and admire) are just painfully socially awkward. Then they get up in front of a classroom and do their own thing, and students love them for it. Remember, these profs are much more like you than most other people in this world are. I would write out questions you think they'll ask and answer them ahead of time. You'll definitely need to explain any previous research you've done, what got you interested in your field, what got you interested in their program, and so on. Also, be sure to have some questions of your own to ask. You can even practice by talking to yourself... Mostly you just need to calm down though. The more you stress over it, the bigger of a deal it is..

I'm guessing I'm gonna be dirt poor on a grad student stipend in this area?

That was me, again. I had a feeling it was you in the post below me when you mentioned your French cell phone Congrats!

Has anyone been to visit Stanford? I think it's my top choice from program fit and location... but I am not so sure about location, since I've never been there. They haven't accepted me, but I like to daydream... How far is Stanford from downtown San Francisco? My significant other wants to live in San Francisco next year, in the city. Is it practical to live in San Fran while attending Stanford, or better to live near Stanford while visiting San Fran often? How far does the BART extend? Is it necessary to own a car in this area of California? How much does it cost to live in downtown San Fran vs near Stanford? What's Palo Alto like? Any input anyone has would be much appreciated!!

If programs are passing you off to French, you may not have emphasized your interest in learning another national literature enough. My initial instinct on my SOP was to harp on my abilities, interests, and experience in one language, but then someone pointed out that I may as well have been applying to a program in that language, rather than Comp Lit. At one school I visited, I met a girl who had changed from language departments to the Comp Lit program, so I think inter-departmental changes are possible at some institutions. You should ask if you have your heart set on Comp Lit. (Maybe it's a funding thing though?)