Offer holders, how do you make your final decision?

[aaiiee]

Hey guys!

 

First and foremost Congratulations to all the offer holders! Now that everyone has started receiving notifications from the universities that they had applied to, as someone mentioned it in the other thread, it would make more sense to start a separate topic where we can discuss our offers.

 

Well, I just have an offer from Duke History and by the looks of it I am not getting admission anywhere else. Most of the other universities I have applied to have already started sending out interview calls or acceptance letters and  I haven't received any. So I suppose I don't really have the luxury of options, but I would still appreciate if people could tell me more about Duke.  Since I am an international applicant I need to take a lot of factors into consideration and I want to be sure that Duke is the right school for me. Ofcourse I have been talking to the students from Duke and the faculty and it all seems wonderful and a perfect fit but I would also like to know the views of people who are not from Duke. For instance people tell me that Durham is a horrible place and one should think twice before shifting there. Is this true? I know my prospective supervisor at Duke is excellent but I am not familiar with any other names from the History Dept. at Duke. Does this department in general have a good reputation in the american academia? People keep telling me that Duke is no Columbia or Princeton... so I shouldn't expect much. I don't know what to make of such remarks. 

 

Thank you so much! And ofcourse I don't want to turn this thread only into a Duke discussion so please feel free to discuss other offers!

 

Edited February 8, 2013 by aaiiee

[annieca]

What I've heard about Duke and Durham was told to me by a UK grad (mortal enemies in basketball) so take it with a grain of salt.

I've heard the Research Triangle is nice and Durham's the least nice on the three. In fact, I've heard the town itself is incredibly sketchy. But...the university is world class so you could always live in a different town and commute if you're getting a car.

[ohgoodness]

Hey guys!

 

First and foremost Congratulations to all the offer holders! Now that everyone has started receiving notifications from the universities that they had applied to, as someone mentioned it in the other thread, it would make more sense to start a separate topic where we can discuss our offers.

 

Well, I just have an offer from Duke History and by the looks of it I am not getting admission anywhere else. Most of the other universities I have applied to have already started sending out interview calls or acceptance letters and  I haven't received any. So I suppose I don't really have the luxury of options, but I would still appreciate if people could tell me more about Duke.  Since I am an international applicant I need to take a lot of factors into consideration and I want to be sure that Duke is the right school for me. Ofcourse I have been talking to the students from Duke and the faculty and it all seems wonderful and a perfect fit but I would also like to know the views of people who are not from Duke. For instance people tell me that Durham is a horrible place and one should think twice before shifting there. Is this true? I know my prospective supervisor at Duke is excellent but I am not familiar with any other names from the History Dept. at Duke. Does this department in general have a good reputation in the american academia? People keep telling me that Duke is no Columbia or Princeton... so I shouldn't expect much. I don't know what to make of such remarks. 

 

Thank you so much! And ofcourse I don't want to turn this thread only into a Duke discussion so please feel free to discuss other offers!

 

 

Since you have an offer - I would wait and see whether a graduate student in the program contacts you and then you can ask direct questions about their experience of Durham.   Also just read up and try to get a feel of the city; then compare it to the places that you are frequenting/advoiding and see where it falls. 

People seem to hate on Durham, and alot other blue collar-ish places, just because they are unknown and do not advertise themselves as paradise city (I'm looking at you - PAC12 and UC* colleges). 

 

And as previously noted - you have the whole research triangle at your mercy.  It's the place to be! 

[AKACaz]

Considering I'm all but certainly rejected from Princeton (didn't hear anything yesterday), which was my close second favorite, I think it's already decided that I'm going to Columbia! I got an email this morning offering me a very good, and I mean very good, financial package, and I already live in New York. I'm as happy as a clam. Wow.

 

(I'm sorry if this upsets anyone still waiting for news, just couldn't help myself! It seems too good to be true. I wish lots and lots of luck to everyone, and many hugs.)

Edited February 8, 2013 by akacentimetre

[uromastyx]

Considering I'm all but certainly rejected from Princeton (didn't hear anything yesterday), which was my close second favorite, I think it's already decided that I'm going to Columbia! I got an email this morning offering me a very good, and I mean very good, financial package, and I already live in New York. I'm as happy as a clam. Wow.

 

(I'm sorry if this upsets anyone still waiting for news, just couldn't help myself! It seems too good to be true. I wish lots and lots of luck to everyone, and many hugs.)

You should be excited and proud. Congrats.

[aaiiee]

Considering I'm all but certainly rejected from Princeton (didn't hear anything yesterday), which was my close second favorite, I think it's already decided that I'm going to Columbia! I got an email this morning offering me a very good, and I mean very good, financial package, and I already live in New York. I'm as happy as a clam. Wow.

 

(I'm sorry if this upsets anyone still waiting for news, just couldn't help myself! It seems too good to be true. I wish lots and lots of luck to everyone, and many hugs.)

 

Fantastic! Congratulations! I don't think that requires any further consideration then!

 

And thanks guys for the inputs on Duke. I don't know how to drive which is going to be a huge setback if I do decide to take up Duke and therefore be in Durham. Anyway, they want me to be there for the incoming students weekend from the 1st to the 3rd of March. They are willing to pay for the entire trip, including international flight fair. I am a little stumped. From where do they get all this funding?!

[annieca]

I received an offer from where I am currently doing a study abroad year at Aberystwyth (Wales). It's not funded (yes, yes, I know) but it's a UK Masters (Masters of Science Economics I think is the full term) so it's only one year. Aber is a small-ish town in the middle of nowhere on the coast which means rent is kind of high but managable.

 

I think, honestly, the decision for me came down to comfort about transitions. My top choice in the US is South Carolina. It's an amazing school. I have family an hour away in either direction - family I haven't seen in ages and love to death. But, I knew deep down that I would move from Aber to South Carolina, do my dual master's in the three years and then move away. Coming from a DoD family, I have already had too many transitions, physically and emotionally, to count. And I didn't want that. 

 

I know I could be happy at South Carolina. But I also know that I would take awhile to not only readjust to the United States, but adjust to graduate school and a new place. I would finally get comfortable and have to leave for a job. That's not what I wanted. 

 

Which is why I looked at Aber, did some math and realized I could graduate from the Archives Administration Master's with most likely less than $5,000 in debt. I could live with friends and I could stay in a town that has welcomed me with open arms. And when I graduated in September 2014, I would have one less transition under my belt.

 

I am almost afraid to tell my dad that I've decided Aber's it. He wanted me to wait until I got back all my offers and see if there's funding. But MLIS funding is so, so rare. As is Public History MA funding. And South Carolina would have to give me over $50k in funding to make it comparable to Aber. But I know in my heart that this is where I'm meant to be for my Master's.

 

Any thoughts? Any other experiences in deciding or eliminating ones yet?

[lafayette]

I have to admit I am pretty much decided too. But I do want to do campus visits and still weigh my choices. But as I'm in my late twenties, I am inclined towards the higher stipend. Okay, this can still be a perfectly good reason to choose one over another at any age, but it's probably more a factor now than I would have admitted when I was younger. Stability is nice.

[Phdoobiedoobiedoo]

Hey guys!

 

First and foremost Congratulations to all the offer holders! Now that everyone has started receiving notifications from the universities that they had applied to, as someone mentioned it in the other thread, it would make more sense to start a separate topic where we can discuss our offers.

 

Well, I just have an offer from Duke History and by the looks of it I am not getting admission anywhere else. Most of the other universities I have applied to have already started sending out interview calls or acceptance letters and  I haven't received any. So I suppose I don't really have the luxury of options, but I would still appreciate if people could tell me more about Duke.  Since I am an international applicant I need to take a lot of factors into consideration and I want to be sure that Duke is the right school for me. Ofcourse I have been talking to the students from Duke and the faculty and it all seems wonderful and a perfect fit but I would also like to know the views of people who are not from Duke. For instance people tell me that Durham is a horrible place and one should think twice before shifting there. Is this true? I know my prospective supervisor at Duke is excellent but I am not familiar with any other names from the History Dept. at Duke. Does this department in general have a good reputation in the american academia? People keep telling me that Duke is no Columbia or Princeton... so I shouldn't expect much. I don't know what to make of such remarks. 

 

Thank you so much! And ofcourse I don't want to turn this thread only into a Duke discussion so please feel free to discuss other offers!

 

I lived in Durham a while back and it was fine. I moved there from Chapel Hill after having a huge problem with a random stalker. Chapel Hill is supposed to be the epitome of small town loveliness, and if Durham is bad, well I never had a problem there, but did have one in the 'nice' town. Anywhere can be a bad place, no matter how great it is supposed to be...I have never met anyone who was anything but incredibly impressed by Duke and Duke graduates. Not sure who talked sh*t about Duke as compared to Columbia or Princeton, but that seems like pretty catty, nasty comments to make. Seems like someone is begrudging you your acceptance. Only insecure people say things like that. Duke is a great school, Durham (when I was there at least) was perfectly fine, I've never heard anyone say otherwise until now, and to be accepted there is fantastic. I would suggest maybe emailing the department and asking for a current grad's contact info to speak with them about the area as someone requested above. Even then, the decision should be yours and your alone. I wouldn't put much stock in what other people say about what is a good school or not, what is a bad place or not. It's about a school that fits your needs and interests. If you listen too closely to everyone else's negativity you'll never go anywhere. (And if we all got to choose where to pick up and place our grad school of choice I imagine it wouldn't always be where the school is actually located. I would like to deposit a western school in Boston right now.)

[pudewen]

I have to admit I am pretty much decided too. But I do want to do campus visits and still weigh my choices. But as I'm in my late twenties, I am inclined towards the higher stipend. Okay, this can still be a perfectly good reason to choose one over another at any age, but it's probably more a factor now than I would have admitted when I was younger. Stability is nice.

Remember to think about cost of living. Judging from your signature, you're choosing between Princeton and Johns Hopkins, with the former (I'm assuming) having a higher stipend. But when you take into account how much cheaper it is to live in Baltimore, you might come to a different conclusion. I did a quick search and the first cost of living calculator I used claims that $20k in Baltimore = nearly $40k in Princeton. Obviously not all your costs are dependent on where you live (books being perhaps the most obvious example), but it can make a big difference.

[lafayette]

Remember to think about cost of living. Judging from your signature, you're choosing between Princeton and Johns Hopkins, with the former (I'm assuming) having a higher stipend. But when you take into account how much cheaper it is to live in Baltimore, you might come to a different conclusion. I did a quick search and the first cost of living calculator I used claims that $20k in Baltimore = nearly $40k in Princeton. Obviously not all your costs are dependent on where you live (books being perhaps the most obvious example), but it can make a big difference.

Definitely considering all this! And it's great advice. Princeton does offer subsidized housing though, although Baltimore would of course give me more options on where to live. If I go to Princeton, I'd probably eventually move to Philadelphia (which has roughly a cost of living similar to Baltimore), but hopefully I'll be able to pose the "living in another city" question to some grad students during my campus visit. And to throw out some personal details -- I share housing costs with my partner and he'd be able to make a lot more in his line of work in the NYC Metro region than in Baltimore (though there is DC). Just a lot to think about.

Edited February 8, 2013 by lafayette

[annieca]

Baltimore is a weird city in my experience. It's DC suburbs (seriously!) so it's expensive but not as expensive as DC. It's got quite a few things going for it - the zoo has penguins! - but it also feels very much like the younger brother of DC that tries to live up to the nation's Capital. But... that was just my experience there a bit this summer. 

 

Also, a word to the wise about commuting to DC from Baltimore - depending on where in DC  your partner lives, it can be a *nightmare*. Metro is notorious for being slow. Trains from Baltimore come into Union Station so if you're near there or don't mind walking, then that's all fine and good. If it's a job in Alexandria, Franconia, Springfield or Falls Church I say forget about it. The commute would be, I think, two hours each way. I know it's over an hour from Union Station to Franconia-Springfield, the end of the blue line. I'm not sure about the trains from Baltimore to DC.

 

Just something to think about! I know in the end you'll choose where you're meant to go. As for stipend, the security isn't something to feel bad about. I am choosing Aber because I will only have between $5-10k in debt versus over $50,000.

[viggosloof28]

I'm more or less decided, as well.  I've got three fully funded offers right now, but I'm 99.99% certain I'll be headed to UNC Chapel Hill this fall.  (Depending on whether or not I get any admissions - and funding - from Michigan, Chicago, or maybe Stanford...extremely unlikely!)

 

I'm basing my decision almost entirely on the program, which has some really established names in my field, is ranked #10 in the nation for European History, and will prepare me really well to be exactly the kind of historian and professor I want to be someday.  Everyone there has been really kind to me throughout the process, and the grad students I've written to have confirmed the collegiality of the department and the sufficiency of the financial aid package...plus, I really want to get out of Texas, and Chapel Hill seems like an awfully nice place to live!

[New England Nat]

So I'm a UNC alum so you can take what I say with a grain of salt. 

 

Durham is a very depressed city with a high crime rate and the areas around the university are the worst.  It's a lovely campus but it's a bubble.  A few years ago a gang murdered both a Duke grad student and the UNC student body president and one of the more unfortunate things was that the media coverage handled the killing of the blond blue eyed undergrad a lot more than the international grad student.  You should seriously think about where you want to live.

 

That said, I can say pissy things about the university, the tobacco vanity project, all I want but it's a great department and it sounds like a good fit for you.  Just because the city is less than lovely doesn't mean you should turn down a great opportunity.

[New England Nat]

as for living in Philly and commuting to Princeton, it's very common and easily done via transit.

[algnyc]

Durham: http://www.davisparkrtp.com/assets/images/DP_durham_accolades.jpg

[TMP]

For me, it came down to my adviser.  I could walk away from the more generous funding package.  But I could not walk away from my adviser.  The thought of doing so was unbearable.

 

I still haven't regretted my decision.  She's worth that extra year of funding.  Location hardly mattered since i was so used to moving around.

 

I'd emphasize the importance of the adviser when you are in a small field where your training with your adviser matters more than with the program.

[aaiiee]

Thanks everyone! That was really helpful.  

 

I think for me at the end of the day it should be about the supervisor and the funding. I am also in my late 20s and I need an adequate financial package to be on my own.  Duke is offering a generous funding package and living in a small town I guess would mean spending less. However what I haven't taken into consideration yet are the tax cuts. I wonder how much it would affect my standard of living. 

[bullcity]

I just wanted to put in a good word for Durham. I went to undergrad at Duke and am working here post-grad and it is an absolutely phenomenal place to live. In the five years I've been here the city has improved SO much. The reputation Durham has as an unpleasant place to live is really a dated one--present-day Durham has an incredible arts scene, a huge number of great restaurants, and a wonderful sense of community. People are deeply invested in this town and helping built it into a thriving place. Even the most skeptical students I knew really loved Durham by the time they left....it's a great mix of Southern culture with the international influence of Duke, as well as the mini-economic revival running through the downtown.

 

Duke History itself is fantastic. I cannot say enough positive things about how supportive and brilliant the professors are. And the Department has a great reputation. It's also worth mentioning that the areas around East Campus (where the history dept. is located) are very safe and home to lots of professors and grad students.

 

Anyway, I'm still from Duke so probably not entirely objective, but just wanted to make sure you know you're not (by any means!) going to some violent, culture-less place. Check out the NYTimes recent piece on the city, as well: http://travel.nytimes.com/2013/01/20/travel/36-hours-in-durham-nc.html?ref=travel&_r=2&

[bloopbloopbloop]

I'm trying to decided between my current institution and another program.  Both are excellent fits in terms of research matches with potential adviser and committee members, but the school I don't currently attend has my academic idol.  That said, I do think staying where I am will mean there's less of a chance people on my committee will leave for another university.  I haven't looked at any numbers yet, but the locations are fairly comparable in terms of cost of living. 

 

I have no idea how I'm going to decide and, absent any meaningful difference in funding offers, I'm banking on either being fed up with being where I am or completely in love with it by the time I need to decide.

[bloopbloopbloop]

Actually, I do have a specific question now.  How does one go about comparing programs as a whole rather than potential advisers?  So far I've been thinking about people I would work with, but I haven't considered the departments themselves quite as much.  What makes one program distinct from another, besides who I would have the chance to work with?

[TMP]

Make sure you ask about summer funding, especially at public institutions . Ask the following people and here's why:

 

1) Graduate students- may or may not complain, will offer insights on how they survive and get their research and language work done (after all, they DO cost money)

 

2) The DGS- Your objective point person

 

3) Potential adviser- his or her answers will depend on how willing s/he will be to get you funding when it's competitive, his/her letter of support matter a lot to funding committees who are trying to figure out if your project is worth investing.

 

Summer funding will give you a glimpse of how "healthy" the financial situation is at the department and university level.  While it may not need to be an ultimate factor but it is worth considering as you embark on an uncertain path for the next 5-7 years where funding support outside of initial package matters.

[bloopbloopbloop]

Thanks!  Follow up question-- what kind of answers should I be looking for?  That is, what is it reasonable to expect from a program in terms of summer funding?  From asking about this at an earlier stage in the process, my sense is that programs don't just guarantee summer funding (although I do know of one program that funds one summer for their students).  So is the goal to figure out what would be the sources of funding I'd rely on-- university research centers, graduate school grants, availability of FLAS grants, etc?

[rising_star]

Actually, I do have a specific question now.  How does one go about comparing programs as a whole rather than potential advisers?  So far I've been thinking about people I would work with, but I haven't considered the departments themselves quite as much.  What makes one program distinct from another, besides who I would have the chance to work with?

 Lots of other factors to think about including, but not limited to: course offerings (who is teaching seminars and on what topics), availability of language training, summer funding, teaching opportunities (not just grading, but actually teaching), other people on campus you could work with (an area studies or thematic center, a faculty member in anthro that would be a good committee member, etc.), library quality (do they have holdings in your area and how extensive are these), speakers' series on campus, other activities on campus that you might want to participate in (whether that's sports or the grad student association or pursuing a certificate in college teaching), cost of living compared to the stipend amount, sense of community among the grads and/or faculty (though this depends on whether you want/expect to be friends with your colleagues or not)...

 

FWIW, when I was deciding between two offers (I'd already narrowed it down at that point), I ultimately decided to go with the best advisor. This, in turn, necessitated changing the regional focus of my work to one that would be better supported at the institution I chose. That was an unintended and unforeseen consequence of my decision but, it ended up being okay because I had the language skills to work in either region.

[imri1986]

For those who are currently attending programs, what would you say are standard/good 5 year funding offers at top 20 programs?

That is, what is a fair range of a stipend and salary during TA years?