2016 Applicant Profiles and Admissions Results

[Deepwater]

On 30/03/2016 at 8:17 AM, Deepwater said:

Has anyone studied/visited UL Lafayette? 

How good (or not) is their MS Geoscience program? I have received a tuition waiver (with a GTA) but will have to manage my own living expenses. 

I am waiting out on other universities but also have to let ULL know my decision by 15th April. I want to be absolutely clear before I say yes since it would mean I leave my current job which is frustrating but is already in one of the oil and gas super-majors.

Guys any comments?

[GeoDUDE!]

2 hours ago, Deepwater said:

Guys any comments?

I wouldn't go to a place that wasn't paying me.... but everyone has their own decisions to make. 

No idea of the quality of the department. 

[sjoh197]

8 hours ago, Deepwater said:

Guys any comments?

So please take this with a huge grain of salt... because I have never actually been there. 

I went to LSU for my undergrad. It was very common for "poorer" students (as in academically not financially) to apply to go to grad school at UL for environmental geo. The people with no undergrad research exp and not so stellar geology class grades would typically apply there and many got in. 

This doesn't necessarily reflect on the quality of the department, especially the petroleum side, its just the only information that I actually know. From what I understand they cater specifically to people trying to go into either oil or environmental. So if that is what you are going for then it is likely a good program for you. I know that their petroleum geo students have won some bigger awards recently, like the Imperial Barrel Award Competition.

[turbidite]

15 hours ago, Deepwater said:

Guys any comments?

I'm confused - you say that you were given a GTA (graduate teaching assistantship), but will have to manage your own living expenses... Surely they will give you a stipend for your TA responsibilities, yes? I'm not sure it's legal to make you do a TA without some sort of monetary compensation.

[sjoh197]

5 minutes ago, turbidite said:

I'm confused - you say that you were given a GTA (graduate teaching assistantship), but will have to manage your own living expenses... Surely they will give you a stipend for your TA responsibilities, yes? I'm not sure it's legal to make you do a TA without some sort of monetary compensation.

Could be wrong... but if the TA-ship covers the cost of tuition... is that still considered "monetary compensation"? Just curious.

[GeoDUDE!]

24 minutes ago, sjoh197 said:

Could be wrong... but if the TA-ship covers the cost of tuition... is that still considered "monetary compensation"? Just curious.

it is part of your income and is taxable. 

[TakeruK]

I thought that if you get a tuition waiver or if you get paid money that is then used to pay for tuition, then that income is exempt from taxes? (i.e. if it's the latter, then they may still withhold taxes, but you can deduct money spent on tuition (and other mandatory fees) from your taxable income.

[GeoDUDE!]

1 minute ago, TakeruK said:

I thought that if you get a tuition waiver or if you get paid money that is then used to pay for tuition, then that income is exempt from taxes? (i.e. if it's the latter, then they may still withhold taxes, but you can deduct money spent on tuition (and other mandatory fees) from your taxable income.

My tax guy has always taken my stipend + tuition waiver and combined that for taxable income. Then he took the tuition and put it against my income.  So it is essentially untaxable but it still required to be part of your income. 

[TakeruK]

4 hours ago, GeoDUDE! said:

My tax guy has always taken my stipend + tuition waiver and combined that for taxable income. Then he took the tuition and put it against my income.  So it is essentially untaxable but it still required to be part of your income. 

I don't get a US tax receipt for my tuition waiver. The school recently changed the accounting and we don't even see the amount. Maybe it depends on how the school applies/charges tuition? I basically have no US documentation that says I even paid tuition or got a tuition waiver. (For Canadian taxes, I do have my school fill out a Canadian tax form because I basically have to do what you describe that's how Canada treats tuition waivers...although it's still not taxable income so it goes as future tax credit for me to carry over when I graduate).

[sjoh197]

Ahh... taxes

[Deepwater]

14 hours ago, sjoh197 said:

So please take this with a huge grain of salt... because I have never actually been there. 

I went to LSU for my undergrad. It was very common for "poorer" students (as in academically not financially) to apply to go to grad school at UL for environmental geo. The people with no undergrad research exp and not so stellar geology class grades would typically apply there and many got in. 

This doesn't necessarily reflect on the quality of the department, especially the petroleum side, its just the only information that I actually know. From what I understand they cater specifically to people trying to go into either oil or environmental. So if that is what you are going for then it is likely a good program for you. I know that their petroleum geo students have won some bigger awards recently, like the Imperial Barrel Award Competition.

Thanks. Sounds not too great then. I am already in oil and gas for last eight years, it's just that I want to take it a step up in terms of career growth. Unfortunately, I do not have any other (fully/partially) acceptance yet and I can not even think of paying an out-of-state/international fee otherwise.

 

Anyway, good to know and this might help me make my decision.

[Deepwater]

8 hours ago, turbidite said:

I'm confused - you say that you were given a GTA (graduate teaching assistantship), but will have to manage your own living expenses... Surely they will give you a stipend for your TA responsibilities, yes? I'm not sure it's legal to make you do a TA without some sort of monetary compensation.

Yes, this GTA is a 10 hour/week responsibility and will pay for my tuition and other student fees only. I always thought it to be a 20 hr/week + salary in addition to the tuition waiver but that's what it is.

[sjoh197]

So apparently I am on the waitlist for funding...... dreams are slowly being choked. 

[emmuhhs]

On 3/30/2016 at 5:14 PM, magnetite said:

For anyone still waiting on CU Boulder, I saw this on the results page:

 

To the poster below! I emailed the admissions office for the Geoscience Department -- they apologized for how long it has been taking but assured me that applicants would hear back by "the beginning of Spring (April)" -- so let's hope that means in the next week! This waiting game is torture

I have been told by my connection in the department that all department funding has been "spoken for." Whether this means that these offers have all been accepted or if there's a chance someone will reject it and it will go to someone else though.... I'm not sure.

[magnetite]

@emmuhhs I suppose it's possible that a professor could have RA funding, so all hope might not be lost.

I just got an email from the coordinator at Arizona State, saying they're impressed with my application but haven't found funding yet. She encouraged me to contact faculty I'm interested in working with to discuss the situation. My spirits are up a bit, but how likely is they'll find funding? I also just saw someone post on the results page basically the same thing.

[CornUltimatum]

I got official word back from ASU telling me that I am on a waitlist due to funding, but am a strong applicant and to talk to my advisor about funding. So I dropped my advisor an email and will be waiting to hear back. 

I have a deadline for another school coming up (they're offering a full ride) that I won't pass waiting for a "maybe," at any other school so I am getting a bit nervous! I have until next week. 

[CornUltimatum]

7 hours ago, magnetite said:

@emmuhhs I suppose it's possible that a professor could have RA funding, so all hope might not be lost.

I just got an email from the coordinator at Arizona State, saying they're impressed with my application but haven't found funding yet. She encouraged me to contact faculty I'm interested in working with to discuss the situation. My spirits are up a bit, but how likely is they'll find funding? I also just saw someone post on the results page basically the same thing.

Ah look like we're in the same boat! Good luck! I suspect funding at this point hinges on what grants the professors have to support their student. 

Edited April 2, 2016 by CornUltimatum

[magnetite]

1 hour ago, CornUltimatum said:

Ah look like we're in the same boat! Good luck! I suspect funding at this point hinges on what grants the professors have to support their student. 

Thanks. You too! Sounds like there are a few of us.

[turbidite]

11 hours ago, sjoh197 said:

So apparently I am on the waitlist for funding...... dreams are slowly being choked. 

I will never understand why some schools accept people on the PhD level without funding... I could see it for an MS, but for the PhD? No way

[columbia09]

22 hours ago, sjoh197 said:

So apparently I am on the waitlist for funding...... dreams are slowly being choked. 

UH didn't give you funding for a PhD ?! That's a bad deal and i wouldn't take it to be honest with you.

Edited April 2, 2016 by columbia09

[sjoh197]

2 hours ago, columbia09 said:

UH didn't give you funding for a PhD ?! That's a bad deal and i wouldn't take it to be honest with you.

Well, if I don't try then my career in geology is pretty much over soooo....

[gelologist]

10 hours ago, sjoh197 said:

Well, if I don't try then my career in geology is pretty much over soooo....

it's awful, but could you self fund for a year, max? then either teach or work on the side for a bit to defray things. you mentioned an SO, too? that could help and because you're a TX resident, tuition wouldn't even be much. GSA grants etc could help support any research you do otherwise and while you'd accomplish less, it still gets you going on dissertation work?

[GeoDUDE!]

4 hours ago, gelologist said:

it's awful, but could you self fund for a year, max? then either teach or work on the side for a bit to defray things. you mentioned an SO, too? that could help and because you're a TX resident, tuition wouldn't even be much. GSA grants etc could help support any research you do otherwise and while you'd accomplish less, it still gets you going on dissertation work?

UH is a private school.

Self funding for a year is a nice way to waste tens of thousands of dollars, be alienated from your graduate peers, and not get enough done. 

[sjoh197]

4 hours ago, GeoDUDE! said:

UH is a private school.

Self funding for a year is a nice way to waste tens of thousands of dollars, be alienated from your graduate peers, and not get enough done. 

UH isn't private... Rice is. If they give me in state its about $3500-$5000 a semester.

I'm more concerned about the whole alienation "looked down on thing".

8 hours ago, gelologist said:

it's awful, but could you self fund for a year, max? then either teach or work on the side for a bit to defray things. you mentioned an SO, too? that could help and because you're a TX resident, tuition wouldn't even be much. GSA grants etc could help support any research you do otherwise and while you'd accomplish less, it still gets you going on dissertation work?

I don't have any real living expenses. My SO makes enough for us to both live on comfortably. My father has offered to help me pay for school, but I don't want to ask him to help me pay for multiple years of it. I'm just not sure of the likelihood of securing funding later if I'm not getting any now.

[GeoDUDE!]

2 hours ago, sjoh197 said:

UH isn't private... Rice is. If they give me in state its about $3500-$5000 a semester.

Really???

 I had always thought it was private.... the more you learn! 

Yeah, there is a reason pretty much all top schools don't accept students without funding, even for masters. 

Edited April 3, 2016 by GeoDUDE!