How are you coping with waiting?

[coffeeplease]

/ now back to looking at Craigslist rentals for college towns where I'll probably never live...

I've been doing this, and looking at university housing. I've got bunnies who will be coming to grad school with me (knock on wood!) so I looked to see which schools have pet friendly housing.

Edited January 19, 2012 by coffeeplease

[Starlajane]

I've been doing this, and looking at university housing. I've got bunnies who will be coming to grad school with me (knock on wood!) so I looked to see which schools have pet friendly housing.

Oh, I am so feeling this! I imagine that it's just as hard to rent with bunnies as it is a German Shepherd.

If I am accepted to multiple programs, the deciding factor will be the pet friendliness of the city where the program is located; it's no use getting in if you can't find anywhere to live.

[Grunty DaGnome]

Oh, I am so feeling this! I imagine that it's just as hard to rent with bunnies as it is a German Shepherd.

If I am accepted to multiple programs, the deciding factor will be the pet friendliness of the city where the program is located; it's no use getting in if you can't find anywhere to live.

Oh, it looks bad for Boston, then. I had a friend with two giant labs and she had to move out near Longwood Medical, the not very nice part of the city, to find an apartment that would have her.

[marlowe]

Oh, I am so feeling this! I imagine that it's just as hard to rent with bunnies as it is a German Shepherd.

If I am accepted to multiple programs, the deciding factor will be the pet friendliness of the city where the program is located; it's no use getting in if you can't find anywhere to live.

I have spent a fair deal of time in 5/7 of your application cities (not Bloomington or Storrs), and Austin is BY FAR the dog-friendliest city that I have ever been to.

Edited January 20, 2012 by marlowe

[perrykm2]

I feel like this picture pretty accurately describes what is happening to me right now: http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ligkdjdEB61qip3alo1_500.gif

[wintergirl]

Also a dog-owner here. Not looking forward to trying to find a student-budget-priced, dog-friendly apartment with charm and fenced in back yard. Perhaps I should just look for a needle in a haystack instead. ; )

[Grunty DaGnome]

On 1/19/2012 at 11:52 PM, bespeckled said:

Also a dog-owner here. Not looking forward to trying to find a student-budget-priced, dog-friendly apartment with charm and fenced in back yard. Perhaps I should just look for a needle in a haystack instead. ; )

WUSTL is a great school for dog lovers!

[Mistral]

I have been waiting to submit my last application so that I could delay being in limbo. LSU's deadline is Jan. 25 - lolopixie, have you submitted? Still applying seems better than just waiting to me. Also, I thought that I might work on my SoP and Writing Sample a bit more... but that seems painful (and futile) at this point.

Anyway, it is January 20th - we are getting close to the deluge of notifications. I wonder what the world will look like when we emerge in April!

Edited January 20, 2012 by Mistral

[Starlajane]

Oh, it looks bad for Boston, then. I had a friend with two giant labs and she had to move out near Longwood Medical, the not very nice part of the city, to find an apartment that would have her.

You're absolutely right. Even worse, I also have a cat. If I were to get in to BC, I would probably live out in the boonies and take the T to class. Or I would try Jamaica Plain, which is supposedly very pet-friendly.

But I feel for your friend--not-so-nice Boston is pretty scary. Hopefully, I will get into IU and my dog can play in the corn field behind my apartment

[Starlajane]

I have spent a fair deal of time in 5/7 of your application cities (not Bloomington or Storrs), and Austin is BY FAR the dog-friendliest city that I have ever been to.

You're right, it is; that's where I did my undergrad work.

Surprisingly, Storrs is very rural but not very pet-friendly while Bloomington is pooch paradise!

[wintergirl]

On 1/20/2012 at 5:48 AM, Grunty DaGnome said:

WUSTL is a great school for dog lovers!

That's good to hear!! Have you been researching that for yourself? Or have you lived there before? I'm surprised by how affordable St. Louis is. WUSTL's funding also seems very generous and it seems like a great program.

[wintergirl]

more doggie-friendly thoughts/suggestions:

My rec for Boston: try Somerville (next door to Cambridge). I never had a dog when I lived in Boston, but I was supposed to get one and found housing in Somerville near Tufts that would have worked. When I didn't get the puppy, moved to the North End instead which I LOVED.

Whoever was asking about New Haven, definitely look to the East Rock area--a.k.a Grad Student Ghetto. Downtown New Haven (and Yale's campus) are not dog friendly but East Rock has more family homes and yards and is close to hiking/walking trails. I lived there my last year of undergrad.

Hearing about Austin makes me wish I'd applied to UT! I mean, I already knew it was super fun and a bastion of liberal values, but a huge dog town?? Even better. : )

Edited January 20, 2012 by bespeckled

[marlowe]

You're right, it is; that's where I did my undergrad work.

Awesome. What did you think about the program, specifically?

[Starlajane]

Awesome. What did you think about the program, specifically?

I graduated in 2000 with a major in Hispanic Studies. The department has always been one of the best in the nation, specifically b/c it is so progressive: the intellectualism of the profs is outstanding, very cutting-edge, especially when it comes to thought (versus innovative subject matter); it's not what they are studying that is so remarkable but, rather, how they interpret and analyze data and their conclusions. This is great when you're in Austin but can be difficult once you graduate b/c the rest of the world just doesn't operate that way.

Some notable features:

1. Despite the number of students on campus, classes--especially upper-division--are very small. Classes like "English 101" are amphitheater-large but my first year Spanish class had no more than 25 students, and all of my language classes were like that.

2. With regard to the Spanish Program, some specifics: all of my profs were native speakers (great when you are a language student, not so great when you are a non-native looking for a job) and they have several study abroad programs; I went to Argentina for six months and the UT medical center gave me all of my vaccinations. There is also a Spanish Honors Society that allows you to take more advanced classes, provided that your academic record qualifies you. Also, in the Spanish Department, there is a separate advising office for all Spanish students. You don't have to go to the College of Liberal Arts every time you need to speak with an undergrad advisor, there's one in house.

3. Profs are not only always available during their office hours but they are unbelievably attentive, helpful, nice and humorous; this was across the board in all departments, and I got to know a lot of my profs quite well. However, I think what sets UT apart is that, not only are profs available, but they actually like it when you stop by; they do not act annoyed but are pleased to answer questions and go over material. These are people who are very excited about their subject and eager to share it with others. They also happen to be brilliant.

4. For a large campus, the staff is unbelievably efficient when it comes to bureaucratic paperwork. Not to mention very nice about it. I still have to call the Registrar's Office every once in a while and the staff there is friendly and has a sense of humor. I don't mean courteous, I mean actually nice; they want to see you succeed and are always wishing you well.

5. Even in Liberal Arts, the coursework is rigorous and the exams are challenging. Granted, it probably isn't as difficult as the Engineering program but you still have to work. And did I mention how brilliant the profs are? Another thing that sets UT apart is that they require civics classes as part of undergrad coursework: I had to take a course entitled "Texas Government" to graduate.

6. There are many libraries on campus (as well as the Harry Ransom Center), and they stay open late: the Undergrad library stays open until 2AM Sunday-Thursday. There is even a library devoted to Hispanic literature and culture.

7. The campus is pretty: there is a large quad of grass in between six Liberal Arts buildings--known as "the six pack"--that is usually littered with students as well as several fountains; the LBJ fountain is lit up at night. The campus is large but easy to navigate, although parking is a chore if you happen to drive. The architecture is very 1950's; not as beautiful and grand as something like Yale but still impressive, especially for a state school where tuition for in-state students averages about 3K a semester (it was half that when I was there).

8. As nice as the profs are, the students are probably even nicer. In nearly every class, I had someone that I could get notes from if I happened to miss a class. There is definitely a sense of community but people are also very respectful of personal space. And everyone has a sense of humor and genuinely seems to care about each other.

[marlowe]

Wow, that was an excellent bit of insight into UT. I really do appreciate it.

[antecedent]

I also appreciated your detailed review of UT Austin, Starlajane...and now I'm even MORE impatient to hear back from them!

[Grunty DaGnome]

On 1/20/2012 at 11:41 AM, bespeckled said:

That's good to hear!! Have you been researching that for yourself? Or have you lived there before? I'm surprised by how affordable St. Louis is. WUSTL's funding also seems very generous and it seems like a great program.

I did undergrad at WUSTL. Transportation has improved in recent years. Every so often, people would walk their dogs on campus and the college has done a lot to improve student lives on campus. It's a really safe campus and the professors really care about their students and ensure that they're getting a top-notch education with plenty of research opportunities. The English Grad Students always seemed to be happy.

[TripWillis]

I wish death upon all telemarketers who call me in the following 4 weeks. Damn your unrecognized numbers!

[Grunty DaGnome]

I wish death upon all telemarketers who call me in the following 4 weeks. Damn your unrecognized numbers!

I keep getting a weird call that asks me to press 1 to accept the charges. I think it must be from jail. I don't want to wish death on this person, just in case I get my wish, since, when I'm not stressed out about applications, I'm strongly against captial punishment. Let's just say I'm annoyed, even though I realize my life could be worse and I could be the one in jail.

Edited January 28, 2012 by Grunty DaGnome

[Venti White Choc. Mocha]

Also a dog-owner here. Not looking forward to trying to find a student-budget-priced, dog-friendly apartment with charm and fenced in back yard. Perhaps I should just look for a needle in a haystack instead. ; )

Took in a stray husky mut that wandered into my job six months ago. I'm looking for near the ghetto with hardwoods please, but not so near that I dodge bullets...oh I'd say...weekly?

[Venti White Choc. Mocha]

I wish death upon all telemarketers who call me in the following 4 weeks. Damn your unrecognized numbers!

If you've applied to New York, that will be a problem. I have been ignoring the numbers from states I didn't apply to.

[lolopixie]

Telemarketers and bill collectors typically don't leave messages -- or so I'm told . I'm going out on a limb and thinking DGS will leave you a message. Let's just pretend like it is 1992 and we are screening calls because we don't know what caller ID is yet. I take my "if it is important they will leave a message" mentality.

[lolopixie]

I keep getting a weird call that asks me to press 1 to accept the charges. I think it must be from jail. I don't want to wish death on this person, just in case I get my wish, since, when I'm not stressed out about applications, I'm strongly against captial punishment. Let's just say I'm annoyed, even though I realize my life could be worse and I could be the one in jail.

Accept the charge, take the call, tell Rocco you are going to inform the warden of harassment from him, and that YES you are dating his girl, end call. That should do the trick.

[antecedent]

I wish death upon all telemarketers who call me in the following 4 weeks. Damn your unrecognized numbers!

I keep getting all these calls from 1-877 and 1-866 numbers, which are toll-free in Canada, and it freaks me out cause I don't know who it is! It's not likely that any grad school would use a toll-free number, right? Holy cow guys, I think I'm going crazy, I can't believe I'm even worrying about this...

[lolopixie]

I will donate my horrific head cold to anyone that is wanting to go into a fog for over a week and not think about anything except for "I CAN'T BREATH". Accepting applications.