geekgirl87

Yay Ecology people!!! There appear to be so few of us on these boards Here's what I have: 2 acceptances for M.S. without funding, 1 rejection, 1 acceptance Ph.D. with funding, 1 acceptance Ph.D. with vague funding situation...although most likely none.

I agree with seeing if you can defer...if not, since both scenarios will advance your career in some way, maybe think about what you actually want to do. Keep in mind though, whichever one you choose is not absolutely final...I know that was comforting to me when I was making the grad school vs. get-a-job-like-everyone-else-I-know decision 8) Maybe your job will even pay for a M.S. down the road.

It sounds like the main thing you're concerned about is whether Duke has a better name for getting postdocs/ jobs later down the road. While I am by no means an expert on this (I am new to the world of grad school as well!) I don't think going to UNC will hinder you. It seems to me that if you do good work and stand out in your field, you will be wanted regardless. And to prove it...I had an undergrad professor that got a PhD at UNC and went on to a prestigious postdoc position. I feel like for grad school (relative to undergrad) it's less important where you go and more important what you do while you're there.

Here is my situation: I am deciding between two schools: one gave me funding, the other one is not being very clear about it. They have admitted me but avoided the funding issue by saying that they "didn't know and they'd get back to me." Way back when I first made contact with my prospective mentor, they had said they had funding to support me as a GA. Now, April 15th is fast approaching so I have been trying to get an answer out of them so I can make my decision. I have only heard that there "might be" a fellowship for me, but they aren't sure, and they might know before the 15th, but then again they might not. I also heard my advisor does not have funding to support a student right now (which contradicts my earlier understanding). I have tried contacting the advisor a couple of times and they have yet to get back to me. I get the feeling that I'm not getting funded, but they won't admit it... I guess my question is, what is really going on here? In situations like this I usually try to think about things from the other party's point of view...but I don't have enough knowledge about grad school yet to be able to do that Thanks!!

^ Ditto! When is the ideal time to visit/look for housing? I may be attending UMD for grad school, I'd be looking to move in August...Single, bringing my car and definitely want my own room (very light sleeper!) with an offer of $22,000. Can this be done? I don't know too much about the area, only what I've read here and what I saw when I visited for my interview...it seemed nice! Is there really that much crime?? Also, where do most UMD grad students live? Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated