spacezeppelin

Just to clarify, I want expecting them to process it in a week. I emailed asking for a form to fill out and just to start the process. I thought I would get an acknowledgment or a form or something. I guess I just thought it was strange because the person in charge of the refunds has responded to my almost immediately in the past. Like within a few hours. I guess that’s maybe just because, while I was still considering the school, I was a higher priority. I guess I'll give it some more time then try to figure out who is the best person to call if its still an issue.

So something kind of strange happened with one of the schools I visited. They said that they would cover half my flight (another school I visited covered the other half) and the hotel room for the two days I was in the area. I went to the visitation day and really did like the school. Ultimately I decided to go someplace else, mostly because the other school gave me better funding and the first school was in a very expensive area. I just decided I couldnt really justify the extra costs. Anyway, at the visit there was no discussion of where to turn in reimbursement forms. At the very end the person in charge of that sort of thing said to send her an email or a fax with recipts. Or at least that was my understanding, now I’m starting to wonder if I misunderstood... I sent her an email with the attached receipts just a day after I got home. At that point I hadn’t decided where I would go. I didnt hear back from her and I declined a few days later. I still havent gotten a response, and its been well over a week. I feel VERY blown off. Do you think I should email again? Its pretty awkward because I decided to go to a different school. Has this happened to anyone else? I guess I’ll survive without my reimbursement, but frankly it was kind of a lot of money...I couldn’t really afford to go on my own dime right now, but I guess I essentially ended up doing that.

I'm not married (I do live with my boyfriend though, so theres that), but I am female. I kind of think that her reaction sounds really normal, and really healthy. Obviously I don't know her or you or how shes feeling, but your description sounds like something that anyone would go through when they are facing a big move. I think the fact that she is excited at all means that it will work out once shes there and settled in. I would be worried if there was NO excitement. Its a big change for her too, as you well know. I think that it might be best if you dont try to "sell her" on the move. Time is usually the only thing that really helps me deal with high anxiety. I would just understand how shes feeling, make sure she knows that you are grateful for her support, and let her work through it. Sometimes people focus on "fixing" rather than just understanding. My boyfriend does that a lot. I really appreciate all the effort and thought he puts into my problems. However, sometimes I'd prefer just to be able to talk it out. My boyfriend was having kind of a hard time getting on board with my relocation. I just let him feel how he wanted to about it, and made sure he knew that I cared about his quality of life as well. I made an effort not to be fake, but also really not to dwell too much on the negative on my side. Make sure she knows that your life will INCLUDE grad school, rather than being completely consumed by it (even if thats not true in the beginning). Just my thoughts

I asked for an extension as well. I gave the reason that I had'nt visited all the schools yet. That part was true, but it was more that I just hadnt made up my mind at all. They said it wasnt a problem and they wanted me to make a good decision. They granted it no problem. I think you should just say you are still waiting for funding options and need to have all the facts. Thats fair enough.

Yeah, I promise you this problem can be remedied with an internet cafe and a bit of effort. An email to anyone (even its not the ideal person) is better than just blowing them off. There are probably people waiting for spots at all 6 of the schools you are turning down.

I dont think this is even a remotely answerable question. I mean yeah...of course its possible. I'm sure people have done it. That being said, we have no idea what your abilities are. It is possible that you are one of those people who are not going to do well on the GRE. They exist, and we cannot know that. You could also be one of those people that get in the 80th percentile with no prep and then come on this site and ask if you should retake it. We simply can't know. I think you should take an honest assessment of yourself. In your genreal academic life do you perform better than 80 percent of your classmates who intend to go to graduate school? What kinds of grades do you get in analytical classes? What does "bad at math" really mean to you? Does that mean you got a B in calc or did you fail advanced algebra? Did you do well on the SAT math portion? None of those questions will be a sure thing. Doing well or poorly on the GRE does not nessesairly say much about your overall intelligence, but it is a decent indcator. I'm sure you know yourself better than we do. Honestly, I could take a pretty good guess at what my scores would be based on an honest assessment of my abilities in reality and on standardized tests. Whatever you come up with, remember that grad school will take up between 2 and 8 years of your life, and contribute to your future success. The GRE is a part of that, and I think it would be wise to give it due consideration.

Haha...I really wish I read this thread before applying as well. I sent in a fairly condensed resume. I dont have a lot of work experience but I listed all of the relevant positions, then research, relevant courses, and leadership positions. I think it was two pages max. I think that it should be as long as it needs to be to accurately convey what you’ve done. But seriously...I cant imagine that schools want 5 pages of padding (if its not padding, then good for you). Follow the directions to the letter, and if you have questions I seriously recommend calling. The people answering these questions are discussing their experience, but they probably don't actually know for each individual school and applicant.

I'm having the same issue. I was accepted into five schools, and one was in my hometown. I have since essentially narrowed it down to two. I'm still considering the hometown school and my "top choice" which is about four hours away. The hometown school is still in the running because its close, and because I can do a dual degree there. The other school is better overall though not so much better ranked in terms of the program. Its a really hard call. I'm not really sure what I will end up doing. I sort of have a game plan for deciding though. First off, i'm going to try and decide which school would I attend if they were both in the same place. Only then, if I pick the further away school, am I going to factor in location. Is the further school better enough to outweigh the drive? I'm kind of leaning towards the further school, but I still have to visit. Four hours really isnt that far, and in terms of grad program locations its actually really close. Most people seem to go WAY further. I dont think I will ever regret going away for a few years, but I think I probably could regret not going. I think my family will understand.

I want reports too! I know its silly, but i'm a little bit nervous. Next week is going to be INSANE. I coincidentally have FOUR visiting days all stacked up. USC is second, so hopefully I wont be too overwhelmed by then. Thanks to everyone who responded to my question. They were both good answers. I guess I have a lot to think about. On the financial side of things...does anyone know what kind of financial support we might get outside of department scholarships? I'm kind of expecting just a bunch of unsubsidized loans, but maybe I’m wrong on that.

I was at work for all five of my acceptances. My co-workers were very unimpressed by the last one, which is actually the one I was the most excited about. *sigh* Most of your stories are way more interesting.

I'm going to go ahead and bump this. Anyone want to talk about SLO? I'm considering it for Public Policy for fall 2013.

Question for everyone: How did you pick USC over the other schools you were admitted to? If it was the only school you applied to, what made you decide to go that route? I assume the decision is based on funding for a lot of people, but were there any other reasons? Also, in your opinion, do you think its worth paying more for USC over a school like Cal Poly or UC Irvine? Both their programs are super new, but they come from reputable universities and are a lot less expensive (especially with the funding, but even before that). Thoughts? p.s: Sorry, I realize this is essentially just a "WHICH SHOULD I PICK?!?" post in disguise. Its totally cool if you don’t know the other programs, the initial questions are my priority.

I wouldn't say anything. I had a 3.2 GPA overall because I did very poorly in science classes my first two years. Like you, O Chem didn't do my any favors. I got all As and B+s in my last two years. I got into all the schools I applied to. Granted, they weren't Harvard status, but they are perfectly good programs with nice rankings. Apply to a range of programs and work on making your application the best it can be. You cant change your GPA now. Also, don't sell yourself too short. I wish I applied to a few tough programs that I ruled out based on my GPA. It sort of sucks to have such a strange regret. I had no idea this round of applications would go so well for me. It really is about the big picture!

I wish I applied to more selective programs. I ended up getting into all the schools I applied to, including the schools I thought were "unlikely". I think part of the problem was that I was too focused on my GPA, which really is on the low side overall. I think I discounted the importance of a steep upward trend, really strong letters, and a good SOP. If I had it to do again I would just apply to where I would like to go, and hope I get in. It really doesnt make any sense to apply to program just because I thought I would get into them. That not to say i'm unhappy with my options; I now have 5 good ones. I guess its a pretty good regret to have. .

I wanted to share the news with you guys because you have been so tolerate and supportive. I was accepted into my last school today, which means I officially went 5/5! Grad school sweep!! Thanks so much for obsessing over signs with me and sympathizing with my hallucinations and nonsense.

Hello, USC is still in the running for me. I'm going to the event on the 5th as well. I wanted to go on the fourth because the more time spent the better, but I couldn’t take that much off work. UCI's visiting event happened to be the following Monday (that was lucky...). I'm excited to learn more about the school! The finances are still a really big hang up for me. I'm still struggling with the classing "funded lower rank" or "unfunded higher rank". I'm also a bit concerned about the housing situation. On campus is very expensive and off campus means south central (unless you commute, which may be the way to go). I'm from San Francisco, so LA is sort of like a foreign planet. Do any of you natives want to comment on living / finding affordable housing in LA?

I was accepted into a grad program and CSU Sac months ago ( I was shocked by how early it was). That being said, it was from the department and I STILL havent heard anything from the graduate school. I'm going to call and withdraw because ive ruled it out. It seems to be very varied.

I’m having a very hard time deciding between three schools (I’m still waiting to hear back from one more, but then I’ll just be struggling with four because I’m not sure I’ll go). I know that sounds a bit crazy, but it’s a masters program so “fit” isnt quite the same as PhDs. They are all good schools, they all have professors I’m interested in working with. They are all good for REALLY different reasons. I just cannot decide. They all offered pretty good funding, except for one. Did anyone else experience significant indecision? How did you overcome it / what helped you decide? Did there come a point in time when you just KNEW? I kind of feel like a jerk for keeping multiple schools waiting. It doesnt seem fair, but I just really don’t know.

I'm pretty sure there is a substantial thread dedicated to talking about waitlists. They won't have any concrete answers for you because there is no way for any of us to know any of those things for sure, but they can at least offer moral support and share their experiences.

I dont really think that generalization works. I'm not just saying that because i'm still waiting for an acceptance (I have a few). My last school's deadline was March, so its only been two weeks. Thus far no one has been notified (or at least no one has posted on the board). It really depends on the program. However, if your program started notifying last month or earlier, then yeah, i'd say most of the acceptances have gone out. The easy way to answer this question is to head on over to the search results. If a bunch of acceptances have gone out for your program, then that’s your answer. If you don’t see any then there are probably more coming.

I dont know about your specific program, but I had a school that didn't stop taking applications until July! Thats completely crazy considering the school year starts in September. They had a 'scholarship deadline' of December 15th. They sent out the vast majority of their admissions as if this was the "deadline". It seemed to me that most people considered the scholarship deadline as the real deadline, because who really wants to be excluded from getting money? Anyway, the short answer is I am 90 percent sure that the school will send out a big batch of admissions / rejections than review the others as they come in. March 15th seems late to meet for the first time, but I guess its possible. Maybe they make quick decisions. I am pretty sure one of the other schools I applied to didn't start reviewing applications before then. I just got a notice two weeks ago saying my application had been sent to the graduate department. Ugh, it seems to take forever. I don't think you should be worried yet.

I dont really know anything about the programs or having kids, but the second option still sounds better in my opinion. Not being able to get out in two years might be motivation to finish, which is probably what you want. If your husband makes a good amount of money you don’t really need more anyway. Being closer will make your life SOOOO much easier. To me, it seems like a pretty easy choice. AND the school is "better." Four hours in a car? I think I would PASS.

I have a sign! Though I have no idea if it is good or bad. I only have one school left to hear from. I sent in my application on feb. 1st. Then, I got a notice that my application had been sent to the graduate committee for review. THEN, I got another message from an "admissions advisor" saying she noticed I was missing a trancript from a community college. I only took one class from that school 7 years ago, and I frankly completely forgot about it. I had it sent immediately (hopefully it won’t be considered ‘late’ but we will see.) I have no idea how they even knew I attended that school. None of my other schools said anything about it. Do you guys think it’s a good or bad sign that they want that one class grade? It probably means nothing, but I do think it’s a little strange how my application has bounced from the graduate office, to the program, BACK to the graduate office..

I think its safe to say that you should apply...if "average scores" deter you from following your dreams, it might be time to rethink what you want. Just saying... Secondly, its also safe to say that top schools are better than mediocre schools. Thats not to say the midrange schools aren’t worthwhile. Seriously, this website sometimes makes me feel like there are only 20 schools in the country. That is absolutely not the case, and there are high quality institutions that don't make that list. As someone who just went through it, let me tell you that applying to graduate school is a long and emotionally draining process. Don’t let yourself believe that one aspect of your application will get you in or keep you out. Its about the bigger picture. I’d recommend that you think about if this is what you really want. If it is, then stop thinking about what can keep you out and start thinking about how to make it happen. It’s the only way to stay sane

I encourage you to apply to whatever schools you want, while still having a less competitive options. I was in a similar situation with a stark difference between the "types of GPA". My overall was low because of some bad chem classes, but my major GPA was quite high. I've been accepted to every school I applied to thus far (i have one more to hear from), including my reaches. If I known this would happen I would have applied to a few tougher programs. You never know where you are going to get in. Qualified people get rejected everywhere, people get into super reaches. It really does happen. So just make sure you apply to a range of schools, so no matter how it turns out you wont have any regrets. I have learned that schools really do seem to pick the students that THEY think are the best. They aren’t robots that take data inputs and spit out a ranked list. I think the adcoms at my schools must have looked at my terrible chem grades and realized they had absolutely nothing to do with my ability to succeed in a different felid. Think of your overall application and pick your schools based on the big picture you present.