History_Nerd Posted March 16, 2006 Posted March 16, 2006 So. . . damn close . . . I'll decide as soon as they let me know on the fellowship they are waiting to finalize. . . Are you as excited as I am? I'm a little nervous about the cost of living, I grew up in Minnesota for crying out loud (though I've lived in Chicago and slummed it a bit), and whether or not I should bring a car.
Guest Andrewster Posted March 16, 2006 Posted March 16, 2006 I think I saw you post about the car elsewhere. I went to Berkeley for the first part of my undergrad so I can give you advice I suppose. If you really want to see California and the diversity it offers, you should bring the car. You don't absolutely have to have one, but it's nice. I'm quite excited. Berkeley is a great town and a great place to be a grad student in my opinion.
History_Nerd Posted March 17, 2006 Posted March 17, 2006 What program are you joining Andrewster? I've been trying to sort out the car situation . . . since I am a huge fan of travel (whenever I can have the chance to go, whenever I can manage to get time to do it) I'm leaning towards bringing "Susan" . . . the clunky old Ford.
Guest Andrewster Posted March 17, 2006 Posted March 17, 2006 I'll be joining the anthropology department, specializing in European archaeology. I can only assume you are joining the history department. What are your specific interests within history?
History_Nerd Posted March 17, 2006 Posted March 17, 2006 We will have to get together for coffee sometime, because I study the history of museums and collecting in Europe and the United States. One of the archaeology courses I took at Minnesota was with Peter Wells, the famous, bow-tie wearing, archaeologist who studies Germanic peoples during the Roman occupation of Europe. I also worked on a dig in the city of Minneapolis with another archaeologist who was mainly interested in faunal populations in villages in Ireland. Good stuff. Anyway, send me a private message and we'll talk. Anyone else hoping to join us in Berkeley?
ealc Posted March 18, 2006 Posted March 18, 2006 Anyone else hoping to join us in Berkeley? I'm e-mailing from the airport, on my way to Berkeley's visitation weekend. Barring a disastrous visit (which is unlikely), that's where I'll be this fall! Thrilled, of course... It's finally starting to sink in.
Guest LAEP or bust Posted March 21, 2006 Posted March 21, 2006 I'm going to Berkeley. Did my undergrad there (different departments: Geography/English), and I'm going back for more abuse...er...research (~;. Seriously though, Berkeley is a great place.
AliceInChains Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 I will join the Industrial Engineering & Operations Research Dept. Any suggestions on housing would be appreciated. I am considering the grad coops.
AliceInChains Posted March 24, 2006 Posted March 24, 2006 I'm e-mailing from the airport, on my way to Berkeley's visitation weekend. Barring a disastrous visit (which is unlikely), that's where I'll be this fall! Thrilled, of course... It's finally starting to sink in. I also went to the Visitation weekend but wasn't able to attend the Diversity Day thing since I arrived late Sunday. But I took part in my own dept visitation day on Monday, March 20th. Though I have a question for you.... the dept said that it is university policy to only give $150 towards the airline ticket and that they are not to support you for a hotel as well. Is this what you had?????
ealc Posted March 24, 2006 Posted March 24, 2006 I also went to the Visitation weekend but wasn't able to attend the Diversity Day thing since I arrived late Sunday. But I took part in my own dept visitation day on Monday, March 20th. Though I have a question for you.... the dept said that it is university policy to only give $150 towards the airline ticket and that they are not to support you for a hotel as well. Is this what you had????? I didn't make it to Diversity Day either. Instead, I spent the day watching a documentary, getting a very personalized Berkeley tour via car, and recovering from jet lag. ... which leads me to your question. That may very well be university policy, but it certainly wasn't my department's policy. They were generous enough to cover the cost of my entire international ticket, though at first they said they could only cover $300. I think the fact that I told them they were my first choice, that I was making the trip JUST to visit Berkeley so no other schools could offset the ticket, that I bought my ticket ASAP and was basically waving the receipt under their noses (out of excitement, not grubbery, really!), and that it's just a small department (hence, fewer flyouts to fund) contributed to their generous decision. I didn't stay in a hotel, but I don't think my department offered to cover that part. I crashed with a current grad student, an opportunity which I very much appreciated.
AliceInChains Posted March 24, 2006 Posted March 24, 2006 yeah, actually you are probably right. It might be the university policy but depts can obviously do as they like. at least other students that visited for my dept received the same support to attend. I will be attending the Industrial Engineering & Operations Research. Though it sucks that they won't support me until after I pass their entrance exam. They have their PhDs take 4 courses a semester to prepare for the exam and so they rarely give assistantships because you are too busy with courses so typically it is that you get a fellowship or you are not supported until you pass the exam. Though after I pass the exam I will be supported.
ealc Posted March 25, 2006 Posted March 25, 2006 I will be attending the Industrial Engineering & Operations Research. Though it sucks that they won't support me until after I pass their entrance exam. They have their PhDs take 4 courses a semester to prepare for the exam and so they rarely give assistantships because you are too busy with courses so typically it is that you get a fellowship or you are not supported until you pass the exam. Well, please DO correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like your earning potential will be significantly higher than mine after you obtain your degree. Not having financial support does add quite a bit of pressure though... especially with four courses a semester?? Yowch! That's some tough love there, but sounds like the program is designed to get you rapidly up to speed and out with a degree. And not every department is on top of that game. Good luck.
Guest uwmguy Posted March 27, 2006 Posted March 27, 2006 From Wisconsin, but recently moved to NorCal. I JUST found out I got accepted to their Grad School for Journalism/Documentary Film. Words cannot express how excited/happy I am. I feel like my hard work at undergrad has been truly valued, but I also feel this overwhelming feeling that I am attending one of the truly great schools. I guess what I mean to say, is I had no idea in Hell that I would have a decent shot at getting in. Guess I was wrong, and in only the best way one could truly be wrong! Wow! So I would love to meet/hear from anyone else attending school here. Cheers! Taylor
AliceInChains Posted March 27, 2006 Posted March 27, 2006 From Wisconsin, but recently moved to NorCal. I JUST found out I got accepted to their Grad School for Journalism/Documentary Film. Words cannot express how excited/happy I am. I feel like my hard work at undergrad has been truly valued, but I also feel this overwhelming feeling that I am attending one of the truly great schools. I guess what I mean to say, is I had no idea in Hell that I would have a decent shot at getting in. Guess I was wrong, and in only the best way one could truly be wrong! Wow! So I would love to meet/hear from anyone else attending school here. Cheers! Taylor I feel much the same way... never thought I would get in and then after going to the visitation day I got this real humbling feeling based on hearing the backgrounds from the others entering in the dept with me. So now I wonder if I really even deserve to go there and if I can pass the exams and get through it. But I think that this is all just a part of being nervous since we definitely know that this is a great school and great opportunity and we don't want to blow it. Best of luck to you.
AliceInChains Posted March 27, 2006 Posted March 27, 2006 Well, please DO correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like your earning potential will be significantly higher than mine after you obtain your degree. Not having financial support does add quite a bit of pressure though... especially with four courses a semester?? Yowch! That's some tough love there, but sounds like the program is designed to get you rapidly up to speed and out with a degree. And not every department is on top of that game. Good luck. I don't think I caught your area. Though typically PhDs in engineering make good money. But it isn't so much the money potential that is a bit disturbing. it is the fact that I will have 2 masters and have been in school for 7 years come this spring and my Dept will not accept any transfer credits so I will have to start all over again if I go to Berkeley and I feel that this is taking a few more years of my valuable young life when that shouldn't be necessary.
History_Nerd Posted March 30, 2006 Posted March 30, 2006 Is anyone else still waiting to hear back about fellowships from Berkeley?
AliceInChains Posted March 30, 2006 Posted March 30, 2006 Is anyone else still waiting to hear back about fellowships from Berkeley? it depends on your dept. But considering that it is almost April 1st, I would be surprised if they haven't made all of their offers yet because typically you have to reply by April 15th, sometimes April 1st for fellowships. My opinion would be that your only chance at getting a fellowship offer this late is if someone rejects the offer and then you receive it.
anisa Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 Damn it then... I've been waiting to hear from UC Berkeley too. They haven't officially accepted me, but I got an email in mid-March saying that they have made some more cuts since the interviews, but that I'm still in the pool. The dept head then said that "there are factors outside of our control that affect admissions of candidates." I was assuming that this meant funding factors, otherwise they would have already rejected me. Does that mean I won't get it?????
History_Nerd Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 I just heard that the grad contact in my department had to leave for a family emergency. I feel bad for her, this must be one of the crazier times of her year and she has to leave town. Looks like I'll be waiting to hear back about that fellowship a little longer.
AliceInChains Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 Damn it then... I've been waiting to hear from UC Berkeley too. They haven't officially accepted me, but I got an email in mid-March saying that they have made some more cuts since the interviews, but that I'm still in the pool. The dept head then said that "there are factors outside of our control that affect admissions of candidates." I was assuming that this meant funding factors, otherwise they would have already rejected me. Does that mean I won't get it????? well, it depends on the dept, but really I dont' think the factors are funding related. Top schools like Berkeley I think are all for letting you in if you will pay for yourself if you are qualified but they just don't have funding right at this instance. For me, they don't have funding right now for me but the special circumstances was whether I should be accepted. They ended up accepting me and will support me once I pass their entrance exam. so at least my dept is willing to accept you if there is a potential for funding later but maybe not right now. I know other top schools that refuse to support you the first semester unless you really really are the top student. I believe for my department, all of the support for first year PhDs are coming by fellowships and no assistantship unless you are a CAL resident cause they don't want to pay out of state tuition for anyone but after you are there for one year, you can qualify as a resident and then they will support you. but it varies from dept to dept
AliceInChains Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 history nerd, so did you go to UMN? You are from Minnesota, where? I am not from Minnesota but my mother's family is and I have been there a lot of times. I am from Seattle. My mother is from a small town northwest of Bemidji. I have family in Bemidji & outside of St. Cloud. I essentially thought for sure that I was going to UMN for ECE PhD but then I got a big surprise with my admission to Berkeley. I was accepted to UMN for the masters in Electrical Engineering 2 years ago for partial TA/Fellowship but declined the offer and actually went a bit south to Iowa State.... some people wonder why I took a school that isn't as good as Minnesota but I did it for research interests since there is a professor at ISU that is really good at what he does and the area interested me and that is essentially what got my acceptance to Berkeley cause my advisor and the Prof at Berkeley that I will work with are friends and work on the same thing. In fact, I met my future advisor from Berkeley last year when he came to meet my current advisor at ISU. Anyway, I just was wondering. My home is Seattle, WA but Minnesota is kinda second for me with the family I have there and connections. Oh, one last question, do you have the same opinion of Iowans as my Uncle from Minnesota... Idiots Out Wandering Around. I really have enjoyed my research at ISU here (it is what got me into Berkeley) but I hate the area and I can see why my uncle says that.
History_Nerd Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 Hello Alice, Ahh yes, Minnesota, born and raised. I'm living out in Denver now, and have spent time living in Chicago and Minneapolis, but my family is from Red Wing, Minnesota, which is an hour south of the Twin Cities (where I am now actually, before flying back to Denver). I love Minnesota, but it took me awhile to come realize that. I spent two years at the University of Minnesota, Morris and two years at the Twin Cities campus. I know all of the places you mentioned really well. I love Seattle too, actually, and while I was thinking about going into anthropology, seriously considered the program at UDub. Minnesotans "hate" Ioweeegans in the same way that we hate Wisconsites. We say nasty things about them, and they say nasty things about us but then when we see each other in pubs in Europe or whatever, we suddenly become best friends and talk about how much we love the Midwest. Figures. I have friends in Wisconsin and Iowa, and we can stay friends as long as they don't root for the Packers. Last year, I took a friend from New York to see Minnesota play in the Music City Bowl, where we played Virginia. In the middle of the game the fans started chanting, "Who hates Iowa? We hate Iowa!" she looked at me and was like, "I thought we were playing Virginia?!" It took some time to explain. I've never lived in a warm climate and so I hope my face will start to look like this: :oops: Anyway, drop me a private message on this board and I will send you my contact info. It would be fun to meet up with all the new Berkeley grad students on this board when we get out to sunny Cali.
AliceInChains Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 oh, just so you know, AliceInChains is a grunge rock band from Seattle in the 90s so Alice isn't my name & I am a guy. I typically don't mention the actual towns where my mother's family is from cause they are relatively small but since you are familiar with the areas I mentioned, my mother grew up on a farm close to Fosston, MN, which is in between crookston and Bemidji. and then I have some other family in Dassel, MN (not really that close to St. Cloud). But my father is from seattle, and that is where I grew up and then went to UDUB for undergrad, then ISU for masters. I really looked forward to going to Minnesota for the PhD considering I see it as a second home...I am a TC sports fan though Seattle sports come first except for the vikings & the seahawks are about equal since the seahawks sucked the most of my younger years. Definitely, I am not a Packers fan! From my mother & relatives, I know of the hatred between Wisc & Minnesota similar to Washington & Oregon. I applied to Wisconsin 2 years back for the masters & that upset my mother, especially when I said I preferred Wisconsin over Minnesota. About Iowa, being a big college sports fan and coming from the Pac10 and having to deal with some nasty fans, I have never come across such lame fans as the UIowa fans I have met here in IA. Their lives revolve around their football program and think i compares to ones like Michigan. I just always have fun reminding them that my Huskies have given them 2 big Ls in the Rose Bowl, including a shutout! And since part of me is essentially from Minnesota, I remind them of their 0 NCs compared to UMN's 6. sure, I will send you a private message.
Guest ls529 Posted April 13, 2006 Posted April 13, 2006 Anyone planning on attending the Goldman School of Public Policy next year? I just made my decision a few days ago, and I'm really excited about it.
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