saltlakecity2012 Posted February 28, 2012 Author Posted February 28, 2012 On the "quality of cohort" thing - browse through the results survey for the past couple of years (this year in particular), and you'll see that the GPAs and GRE scores are out of this world. I think wherever each of us goes, given the existing level of competition, we will be with the brightest and the best.
orst11 Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 (edited) . Edited February 28, 2012 by orst11 kaykaykay, mtntarget, AuldReekie and 10 others 6 7
grantman Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 Alright, to break the tension, watch the video below. wordshadow, shavasana, Eudaimonia and 1 other 4
RWBG Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 First off, I will say this, I am probably older than both of you. I have been through thousands of situations you both probably will never encounter and never understand.. Good point. Obviously you know better. wordshadow, TheGnome, saltlakecity2012 and 5 others 4 4
Jwnich1 Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 (edited) First off, I will say this, I am probably older than both of you. I have been through thousands of situations you both probably will never encounter and never understand. Saltlake, quit being childish and drawing situations out. I really said the statement, because if the situation was the other way around would they do the same thing. Jwnich1, I honestly understand your opinion some, but really I was just noting once you are in a long term relationship, other things need to be considered. Best of luck to you both. I am not arguing. Orst, In online forums it's very hard to judge emotion and intent, so if there are any bent feelings - I suggest we start over. I've been in a long term relationship now for several years, and I've been out of college for several years. I sincerely have extremely high hopes for my relationship, but I've come to the painful conclusion that in this market, program quality matters above all else. My s.o. and I are gearing up for a painful switch to a long-term relationship. We're not happy about it. We know it has to happen, at least for a while. She has a good job in a really specialized field she likes, there wouldn't be options like that for her in either of the two towns I'm considering. I do not advocate throwing their feelings out the window. What I do advocate is taking them in to account before the endevour gets off the ground. If you feel that you are tied down geographically, then you're in a spot of trouble. I live on the east coast with many of the nations most prestigious colleges and universities not far away....but only 2 or 3 within 300 miles are great choices for my subfield - and they rejected me. I would be resentful in the long run if I went to a school close by, only to see my job prospects dry up after 5 or 6 years of education. My s.o. understands this, and we are going to give it our all to make things work, just like we did when she was in school in Vermont, and I took a job in NYC. I meant no disrepect to anyone, or to anyones thought process. Lets all start over? Edited February 28, 2012 by Jwnich1
puddle Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 (edited) Alright, to break the tension, watch the video below. HOT DAMN! That dog is mighty cute. This just reinforces my approach to chosing a graduate program... finding a nearby appartment that will allow me to get a pet (in my case, a kitten). Actually, I'm kidding... as anyone who has read my posts already knows, my decision was made much easier by the 9 or so admissions committees that rejected me . Edited February 28, 2012 by meep wordshadow and puddle 2
Ironheel!! Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 Orst, Online forums are very hard to judge emotion and intent, so if there are any bent feelings - I suggest we start over. I've been in a long term relationship now for several years, and I've been out of college for several years. I sincerely have extremely high hopes for my relationship, but I've come to the painful conclusion that in this market, program quality matters above all else. My s.o. and I are gearing up for a painful switch to a long-term relationship. We're not happy about it. We know it has to happen, at least for a while. She has a good job in a really specialized field she likes, there wouldn't be options like that for her in either of the two towns I'm considering. I do not advocate throwing their feelings out the window. What I do advocate is taking them in to account before the endevour gets off the ground. If you feel that you are tied down geographically, then you're in a spot of trouble. I live on the east coast with many of the nations most prestigious colleges and universities not far away....but only 2 or 3 within 300 miles are great choices for my subfield - and they rejected me. I would be resentful in the long run if I went to a school close by, only to see my job prospects dry up after 5 or 6 years of education. I meant no disrepect to anyone, or to anyones thought process. Lets all start over? Is this your Rodney King plea? Well played! No, but in all seriousness, its a difficult situation, (one that I am in as well) but I think if youre not married, or you dont have children all bets are off and you have to do what is best long term. I thought we all believed in rational choice theory and Mearsheimer's "power maximizing"! This thread starting to sound like it belongs in the humanities section. We're all compost one day anyways so go get that degree!!!
Jwnich1 Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 Is this your Rodney King plea? Well played! No, but in all seriousness, its a difficult situation, (one that I am in as well) but I think if youre not married, or you dont have children all bets are off and you have to do what is best long term. I thought we all believed in rational choice theory and Mearsheimer's "power maximizing"! This thread starting to sound like it belongs in the humanities section. We're all compost one day anyways so go get that degree!!! Well played yourself sir. Well played. Ironheel!! 1
orst11 Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 (edited) . Edited February 28, 2012 by orst11 PoliSci27 and puddle 1 1
xfallonyerknees Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 Can you give us some insight in to your thought process? Did you decide that a unitary methodological approach was not attractive after visiting? - just curious about how current students resolve questions like this. I am also not trying to be anti-Rochester, my goal is to tell my decision making process. It is not either/or. I feel that I am able to have the best of both worlds in terms of great methodological rigor as well as the intellectual diversity (including a few qualitative people to keep me in line!) For me the question was -- What happens if I cannot get a job at a research 1 institution? This is the risk averse scenario. My thought is that Rochester training could have been a liability in helping to land a job, even a temporary one, at a small, regional liberal arts school and may make a hiring committee think I was not committed to being there and could jump mid semester. What would/will I do if I don't get that dream job? It seemed to me that my other options allowed me to hedge my bets while being a stronger, complete applicant for jobs. Perhaps I do not have enough confidence in myself but this was my thought process. My main advice I can offer is try to contact (however possible) the non-hand selected students at visitation days, this helped me greatly. Regarding significant others -- I think you should all just agree to disagree on the issue and support each other regardless of your viewpoints. A major or minor change is coming up for many of you and you will be needing to support your colleagues as relationship statuses and family circumstances such as new children are bound to change leading to stress. Think of it as reciprocal altruism. Good luck making your choices, I hope I have not increased your anxiety! puddle 1
saltlakecity2012 Posted February 28, 2012 Author Posted February 28, 2012 First off, I will say this, I am probably older than both of you. I have been through thousands of situations you both probably will never encounter and never understand. Saltlake, quit being childish and drawing situations out. I really said the statement, because if the situation was the other way around would they do the same thing. Orst, I'm having difficulty understanding what you think is childish about my behavior. This is a cooperative, collaborative environment, and negative comments have no place here. I understand your point of view - of couse you have to consider the wishes of your partner, especially if it's a relationship you want to be semi-permanent if not permanent. There is no substantive conflict here, merely a conflict of approach. Anyway, I really don't want to take up any more space on the thread discussing this. I hope we can all let the matter drop and that comments like that will be considered more carefully before they are posted from now on. About kittens - I think this raises a larger point. If you're not going in straight out of undergraduate, like a lot of us, there are "lifestyle" elements to consider. For example, I am looking for a place where I can continue my membership and activities in a number of community groups that have become very important to me over the past several years, and will be important in helping me retain my sanity. Also, if you're from a large city (like me) and have been living on your own and working for several years, will you find what you need in terms of intellectual, cultural, and recreational stimulation in your new school's location? More importantly, what kind of lifestyles do the current students there lead? Are they all locked away in grad student housing and never leave campus, or do students live in a variety of situations and locations and have lives outside of school? These are pretty important considerations for me, and the significant other conversation is also very relevant here. puddle, orst11, potbellypete and 1 other 2 2
orst11 Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 (edited) . Edited February 28, 2012 by orst11 silentblaze, mtntarget, CafeAuLait12 and 3 others 3 3
puddle Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 Saltlake, lifestyle is also important to me. While I am serious about not having many schools to decide between, certain things have made the "decision" much easier. These include: the presence of a club water polo team, a boathouse (in case I ever decide to start rowing again), proximity to my homeland (Canada), proximity to major cities, athletics culture, proximity to quality music-scene etc. If a school scores high on these things, I am about 3-54 times more likely to want to go there. So we all can stop bickering... here is a video of ducks.
Ironheel!! Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 Orst, I'm having difficulty understanding what you think is childish about my behavior. This is a cooperative, collaborative environment, and negative comments have no place here. I understand your point of view - of couse you have to consider the wishes of your partner, especially if it's a relationship you want to be semi-permanent if not permanent. There is no substantive conflict here, merely a conflict of approach. Anyway, I really don't want to take up any more space on the thread discussing this. I hope we can all let the matter drop and that comments like that will be considered more carefully before they are posted from now on. About kittens - I think this raises a larger point. If you're not going in straight out of undergraduate, like a lot of us, there are "lifestyle" elements to consider. For example, I am looking for a place where I can continue my membership and activities in a number of community groups that have become very important to me over the past several years, and will be important in helping me retain my sanity. Also, if you're from a large city (like me) and have been living on your own and working for several years, will you find what you need in terms of intellectual, cultural, and recreational stimulation in your new school's location? More importantly, what kind of lifestyles do the current students there lead? Are they all locked away in grad student housing and never leave campus, or do students live in a variety of situations and locations and have lives outside of school? These are pretty important considerations for me, and the significant other conversation is also very relevant here. Your second paragraph is very important. I will say beyond that I actively sought social activity outside of my department during my MA because it was just overkill to go to the bar and have a collective bitch session (which is needed sometimes) but I found a community of people who enjoyed the same werido music/art/movies I do and that made school and department friends more bearable.
bodywithoutorgans Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 Your second paragraph is very important. I will say beyond that I actively sought social activity outside of my department during my MA because it was just overkill to go to the bar and have a collective bitch session (which is needed sometimes) but I found a community of people who enjoyed the same werido music/art/movies I do and that made school and department friends more bearable. What weirdo music/art/movies are you into, Ironheel?
saltlakecity2012 Posted February 28, 2012 Author Posted February 28, 2012 Omg, that puppy and the ducks video made my day. Hooray for the Internetz! potbellypete and RWBG 1 1
Jwnich1 Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 Omg, that puppy and the ducks video made my day. Hooray for the Internetz! I just sat there transfixed. Who doesn't love ducks?! Or puppies?
grantman Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 Omg, that puppy and the ducks video made my day. Hooray for the Internetz! Hooray for the internet and for boredom brought on by not working on a graduate thesis, which is do Friday. potbellypete and shavasana 1 1
saltlakecity2012 Posted February 28, 2012 Author Posted February 28, 2012 Let's try to break down some of the elements of "lifestyle fit". Tack on whatever else you can think of. 1. Weather - I know, it seems silly, but it's important to me! I have mild seasonal affective disorder. 2. Culture - art, music, film, indoorsy vs. outdoorsy, liberal vs. conservative, available athletics, etc. 3. Housing - what kind of housing is available? How far is it from campus? Where do most students live? Can you get the kind of housing you need (shared or not shared) in your price range? 4. General - what do the students in your department do for fun? 5. Demographic - what's the demographic profile of your department? Are you 10 years younger or older than everyone else? Is the whole program international, or American? Anyone else? RWBG and potbellypete 1 1
Jwnich1 Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 I think size of program plays a role here, and interacts with city vs rural living. You may decide a small program is great for your academics, but if you're hours from the nearest population center, will this drive you nuts if you can find more people / activities? A larger program/school may alleviate any stir-crazy feelings in a similar environment. Or vice versa? I think about this like programs you see on discovery... What kind of home territory do you need?
PoliSci27 Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 Let's try to break down some of the elements of "lifestyle fit". Tack on whatever else you can think of. 1. Weather - I know, it seems silly, but it's important to me! I have mild seasonal affective disorder. 2. Culture - art, music, film, indoorsy vs. outdoorsy, liberal vs. conservative, available athletics, etc. 3. Housing - what kind of housing is available? How far is it from campus? Where do most students live? Can you get the kind of housing you need (shared or not shared) in your price range? 4. General - what do the students in your department do for fun? 5. Demographic - what's the demographic profile of your department? Are you 10 years younger or older than everyone else? Is the whole program international, or American? Anyone else? There's nothing silly about considering weather! After living in Southern CA for a few years, I get chilly when it dips below 60 degrees. I'm such a pansy now. 1. Living out here has also made me think more about traffic and public transit. 2. For some religious people, the strength of the church in a particular area might be of concern.
saltlakecity2012 Posted February 28, 2012 Author Posted February 28, 2012 There's nothing silly about considering weather! After living in Southern CA for a few years, I get chilly when it dips below 60 degrees. I'm such a pansy now. 1. Living out here has also made me think more about traffic and public transit. 2. For some religious people, the strength of the church in a particular area might be of concern. Great minds and all that... I was just about to put up ability to practice one's beliefs and find a community in your faith or philosophy. Also, why does it say that Google (Adsense) is reading this thread?
Jwnich1 Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 Great minds and all that... I was just about to put up ability to practice one's beliefs and find a community in your faith or philosophy. Also, why does it say that Google (Adsense) is reading this thread? Every so often Baîdu does too. Best I can think of is it's the system that indexes these forums for google / search engines
Eudaimonia Posted February 28, 2012 Posted February 28, 2012 Grantman & meep -- Awwwwww! So cute. Especially the Shiba Inu puppy. Thanks, both of you!
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