2018 EEB Applicants: Profiles, Results, etc

[potentiallylovely]

I finally emailed UMN and UW to ask about my applications.  Turns out I've been waitlisted at UMN and rejected at UW.  I'm just really frustrated that these schools didn't outright email me when they made their decisions.  Like, they had to wait for me to email them.  I've had my hopes up for weeks.  

I haven't gotten into any of my top choice schools, and I'm really bummed.  

[fossilsrcool]

@potentiallylovely what a bummer! That really sucks that they didn't let you know sooner.  You still have some great options, though! 

I heard back from Oregon State today.  Apparently, they had an issue with multiple students needing 6th years next year so there wasn't as much space for the incoming cohort and my potential PI didn't get a slot for a grad student.  I'm sad about it, but I suppose that kind of thing happens.

I got my official offer from Georgia Tech.  Their stipend is pretty low for Atlanta and they also don't waive around $3,500 in fees, so I think that I'm almost certainly not going there.

Right now, the choice for me is between UT Austin and New Mexico unless UC Merced is super awesome next weekend.  

[potentiallylovely]

@fossilsrcool thanks for the kind words.  I think UT Austin and New Mexico both sound like great options!  Keep us posted on what you decide!  

Also, I'm not sure if you've picked up on this, but I think we might actually know each other in real life.  How's your MMM bracket going? 

Edited March 9, 2018 by potentiallylovely

[FishNerd]

On 3/4/2018 at 3:22 PM, potentiallylovely said:

For everyone else following this thread, how are things going for you?  

So since I last posted in this thread not much has changed quite yet. I did receive an additional small fellowship on top of my regular TA stipend at the University of Denver and I also visited that school (and liked it quite a bit!). Yesterday I actually heard from my PI at UMass and it seemed like she was still interested in working with me but she couldn't say whether or not I had been accepted to the program I applied to. My partner didn't get in at UMass so I told her I would be attending one of my other two schools, but I am still really curious whether or not I've been accepted into my program there. She said I should still receive my admissions decision at some point in the portal so that makes me wonder if I was waitlisted or rejected at my program there - guess I'll find out whenever it eventually comes up on the portal. I am okay that UMass isn't on the table any longer though because I do feel like my other 2 schools are better fits for me and my partner.

On 3/5/2018 at 10:50 PM, fossilsrcool said:

I am really freaking out about having to make this decision soon.  

On 3/6/2018 at 2:53 PM, bluemonday said:

It's going to be a hard decision process! There are a lot of factors to think about and it's lowkey giving me a lot of anxiety.

ME TOO! I am gonna have a hard time choosing. At one of my acceptances I have received a ridiculously nice stipend, but am less certain about research fit (though I know my PI would be a great mentor). My other acceptance has a much lower stipend in a higher cost of living area (which I am more excited about location-wise), but I know I will love the research I will get to do there and my PI's there are amazing. I really do have 2 great options and I'm just not sure on how to choose.

What factors are everyone thinking about when making their decisions?

[Halek]

So I ended up getting rejected from University of Oregon and Oregon State, waitlisted for Montana State, and accepted into UMBC and Penn State. I ended up going with Penn State. 

@FishNerd in terms of making a decision, for me it was about program fit. Penn State's ecology program has a really strong emphasis on interdisciplinary work, which works great for what I'm interested in because it lets me work with both the Ecology and Anthropology departments. Also I got along really well with the PI's that I talked to there. But Penn State was also my first choice program going in, so that made deciding easier too. Otherwise I'd probably be super anxious about making the choice. 

[FishNerd]

3 hours ago, Halek said:

In terms of making a decision, for me it was about program fit. Penn State's ecology program has a really strong emphasis on interdisciplinary work, which works great for what I'm interested in because it lets me work with both the Ecology and Anthropology departments. Also I got along really well with the PI's that I talked to there. But Penn State was also my first choice program going in, so that made deciding easier too. Otherwise I'd probably be super anxious about making the choice. 

Thanks for your input. I wish my decision was that clear cut.

[Halek]

21 hours ago, FishNerd said:

Thanks for your input. I wish my decision was that clear cut.

Yeah, even though this is pretty clear cut, I'm working as a technician right now and I had a lot of trouble picking between jobs for that. Maybe write a list comparing the schools you're thinking about? It helped me to have everything I was thinking written down. Also, I got input from people close to me who were basically like "You seem a lot more excited about job A than job B based on how you talk about it". Which was helpful because I hadn't realized that I was talking about the two jobs differently.

[FishNerd]

1 hour ago, Halek said:

Yeah, even though this is pretty clear cut, I'm working as a technician right now and I had a lot of trouble picking between jobs for that. Maybe write a list comparing the schools you're thinking about? It helped me to have everything I was thinking written down. Also, I got input from people close to me who were basically like "You seem a lot more excited about job A than job B based on how you talk about it". Which was helpful because I hadn't realized that I was talking about the two jobs differently.

I was actually planning on writing down a pros and cons list of each place so that's nice to hear that helped you in making your decisions between your technician jobs. And I will for sure be talking it through with many different people and hearing their opinions I'm sure.

It's particularly hard right now I think because I have only visited one school so it's easy to be super excited for that school, but I do need to visit the other school before I can make a full assessment of each school. Also my partner has visited the school I haven't yet visited, but hasn't visited the one I have - so he's super excited for the one he's already visited. It's a weird place to be, especially since I need to finish my thesis up ASAP...

[bluemonday]

@FishNerd I'm planning on making a pros and con list too, and talking about it with my current PI and the other grad students in my lab. The factors I'm thinking about are stipend, location, the other PIs in the department (since I am very interested in doing rotations), and how well I thought I fit into the general atmosphere of the department and lab. Another factor that's important for me is the name/brand of each school...I'm an international student and I probably will not end up in the US in the long run, so I do have to think about how much people outside of the US are going to know about the school and the program. I'm also not sure that I want to go into academia, so the brand plays a role in looking for jobs outside of academia as well. I'm just not sure how much emphasis I should put on each of the different factors. Obviously the fit is very important, but idk how to weigh the other ones...

Edited March 10, 2018 by bluemonday

[fossilsrcool]

On 3/9/2018 at 6:28 AM, potentiallylovely said:

@fossilsrcool thanks for the kind words.  I think UT Austin and New Mexico both sound like great options!  Keep us posted on what you decide!  

 

I will definitely keep you posted!

On 3/9/2018 at 6:28 AM, potentiallylovely said:

 

Also, I'm not sure if you've picked up on this, but I think we might actually know each other in real life.  How's your MMM bracket going? 

lol I thought it was you but didn't want to creep you out. I have Dimetrodon taking it all  

[Vaudevillain]

Ugh, @potentiallylovely, I'm sorry- it really sucks to not hear back from programs for so long and to have to go hunt down any sort of answer. I really wish the ones who don't accept us in the first round would just do us a kindness and at least make it outright and straightforward without leaving folks hanging. UNC is pretty great though; I have a friend who loves it there, and having other options always make things easier

How are y'all's decisions and constant refreshing of emails going?

I'm still waiting to hear back from Arizona, but not expecting to hear anything from them before the eleventh hour, even if it's good news. I've been talking to my PI and his grad students at UMN, and while I've waffled a lot back and forth, I'm leaning towards committing to go there there. I'll probably wait till mid-April just to see if I do hear back from Arizona and something surprises me, but it's nearing a close... feels pretty wild that it's less than a month away now.

Also, happy Spring!

 

Edited March 22, 2018 by Vaudevillain

[FishNerd]

11 hours ago, Vaudevillain said:

How are y'all's decisions and constant refreshing of emails going?

I'm still waiting to hear back from Arizona, but not expecting to hear anything from them before the eleventh hour, even if it's good news. I've been talking to my PI and his grad students at UMN, and while I've waffled a lot back and forth, I'm leaning towards committing to go there there. I'll probably wait till mid-April just to see if I do hear back from Arizona and something surprises me, but it's nearing a close... feels pretty wild that it's less than a month away now.

So I finally heard something back from UMass during the first half of March but it was just an email from my potential PI there asking if I was still interested in her lab and if I was we could chat about the status of my application. My partner didn't get accepted to his program at UMass so I kindly told my PI that I was going to be choosing between my other two options and she was very kind in response (told me it was great that I had found a good fit elsewhere). But in her email she didn't say what the status of my acceptance/rejection was there and she said I would get something back about that eventually. Considering I have yet to hear anything further from there I assume that I could have been on an unofficial waitlist for my program maybe? It doesn't matter to me at this point but I am curious as to what the official status of my application there was/is...

As for my decisions between my other two schools I have visited one of the two and that visit was fantastic. My other visit is at the end of next week, so I'm really trying to stay neutral-ish on my position (though I'm heavily leaning towards the school I've already visited) until I visit the second school. But this is all very stressful because between now and April 15th I have to make this decision, get an acceptable version of my thesis to my committee, give my 45 minute seminar and defend. I don't know how I haven't collapsed under the stress of all I have to do in the next couple weeks... So I too will likely be waiting til mid-April to make my final decision @Vaudevillain, unless the second visit really makes it clear where I should go...

[Vaudevillain]

@FishNerd which school did you visit? I will happily plug the University of Denver (I'm from the area) as being located in the best city in the US!!

 

I feel you on the thesis work. I'm trying to get a lot of writing done for mine, because I'm presenting the results at a conference the weekend of the 15th (eek!) but intermittently my thoughts keep coming right back to grad school... it'll certainly be a relief once it's decided.

Edited March 22, 2018 by Vaudevillain

[FishNerd]

@Vaudevillain Yes it actually was the University of Denver I visited! I really like the fit there. The department is super encouraging of a good work-life balance, and is super enthusiastic and passionate about its research, which is very refreshing compared to my current academic environment. Also I'm super pumped by the research I would be doing and the advisors I'd be working with! Also I think I would love the area. My only hesitancy is that the stipend is pretty low compared to cost of living in the area (mainly because rent is ridiculous in Denver from what I can find). And Denver's stipend is also just about half of the amount that I would receiving as a stipend at the University of Arkansas... So it's hard because I feel like overall fit there is better but I would probably be pretty strapped financially at Denver (though I am lucky that I have some savings that would probably get me through rough financial times).

As for thesis stuff I am super close to being done (everything is written). But I am in the editing phase which can be super draining. Especially since my advisor's comments are always negative. I mean I know they are just trying to improve it but is it so wrong of me to want some positive feedback at times... I know they have positive things to say about it but apparently it just isn't their style to really verbalize those positive comments much. Also one of my lab mates is also trying to finish and my advisor told me that my lab mate is a great writer and they have never said anything like that about my writing... Ughhh... My advisor probably didn't mean that statement to sound that way, but my insecurity about writing sure seized onto that statement. Sorry for the rant... I hopped on here to take a break from editing and needed to vent apparently.

[potentiallylovely]

Thanks @Vaudevillain.  Good luck--I hope you hear back from Arizona!  You seem really smart and qualified and you deserve to get into your top choice!  And if it's not good news, UMN is a great option.  I was really impressed by the sense of community in the department during my interview.  

I think I'll probably end up at Arizona State.  I didn't think my advisor was a good fit for me (he seems really hands-off, which is not what I'm looking for).  But he's well-respected in his field and the program offered me a nice fellowship, so at least there's that.  The funding, combined with the fact that my research interests are more closely aligned with ASU, makes me inclined to choose ASU over UNC.  I won't accept until mid-April, though, as UMN hasn't officially rejected me yet and I'm not ready to give up on them.  

I'm getting super frustrated with this process.  I must really suck at interviews.  I interviewed with 5 schools total (the ASU interview was via Skype, too), 3 of which I really liked.  I didn't get accepted to any of those three.  It just feels like I'm being forced to choose between two schools that I'm not excited about.  

[fossilsrcool]

Hi again everyone! Exciting news, I have made my decision.

I'm going to UT Austin! I'm really excited; I had great vibes when I was there visiting.

The factors that I most considered included that I knew I would get lots of support from my advisor, the department is highly ranked and moving in a good direction, the students there seem really happy and I received an enhanced support fellowship with a great stipend. 

 

@potentiallylovely It's too bad you weren't able to visit ASU in person.  Maybe you'll like the advisor more once you meet them for real.  If not, I know lots of people have had success by finding unofficial mentors who provide some of the support that other might get from a mentor.  A good fellowship is also a big plus.  

[Vaudevillain]

@fossilsrcool congratulations on your decision!! That sounds like an awesome offer to a great school, and I'm really happy for you!

 

I heard back from AZ last week offering me admission, which I was honestly really surprised by! It feels good to know all the results, but the decision making has been hard. At this point, I've officially declined the other schools' offers and it's down to the U of A or the U of MN, and I'm leaning towards the latter. I talked with the PI and one of his graduate students again which kind of strengthened that lean... I loved the U of A but I think at this point if it's between a stellar, famous adviser within a program that didn't feel like a fantastic fit, vs a very good adviser at a program that felt like a great fit, then the decision is sort of already made.

I'm going to try to sit with it for a bit before formally accepting, and see if it 'feels right' after some time. I can't believe April 15th is less than two weeks away... 

Edited April 2, 2018 by Vaudevillain

[FishNerd]

Hello again everyone!

After making visits to the two schools I was accepted at it made my choice very clear since the departmental environment at one of the schools was not the type of environment I want to live in for 5-6 years. So knowing that I am really excited to say I will be attending the University of Denver! I loved my visit there and think it's a really good choice for me. Plus I get to live in a completely new part of the country and I am thrilled about that!

Also I finally heard back officially from UMass and it was a nice enough rejection letter. I wonder if that was their true decision regarding my application or if my PI had let them know already that I was planning on attending elsewhere and that's why I was rejected. No worries though because it was my least favorite of my options.

Lastly, related to things I have mentioned before I just sent my thesis off to my committee today in preparation for my defense and seminar next week! So that hurdle is done and just a couple more hurdles to get past until I'm free to only look forward to this fall (with fewer big things to keep my mind occupied until then).

[ssfranky]

20 hours ago, FishNerd said:

After making visits to the two schools I was accepted at it made my choice very clear since the departmental environment at one of the schools was not the type of environment I want to live in for 5-6 years. So knowing that I am really excited to say I will be attending the University of Denver! I loved my visit there and think it's a really good choice for me. Plus I get to live in a completely new part of the country and I am thrilled about that!

FishNerd... Congratulations on making your decision! I was just wondering, what were some of the 'red flags,' so to speak,

at the second school you visited? 

[FishNerd]

42 minutes ago, ssfranky said:

FishNerd... Congratulations on making your decision! I was just wondering, what were some of the 'red flags,' so to speak,

at the second school you visited? 

Thank you! It is exciting to finally know.

During my visit I unfortunately saw some behavior by some male graduate students in the department that made me uncomfortable and while I recognize that this behavior is probably not representative of most people in the department these are students who I may have to work closely with if I chose to attend this program. Considering this, I just did not feel comfortable looking past these things since these are things that if they happened regularly would make me unhappy and unproductive in that department. I am still trying to figure out how to best approach this in real life (I have reached out to my PI there to let them know what happened) so I don't really want to be more specific other than in a private message, which I can do if you want.

[lambda]

Congrats to those that have made it in, and hugs to those who are still anxiously waiting or got rejected. We'll all get there someday!

[Vaudevillain]

I finally decided- I just accepted my offer from the University of Minnesota! I'm incredibly excited; and I'm going to be moving out there early in July to start research early through my fellowship program! It feels like the right decision, and I'm honestly delighted. It feels so good to finally be done with the process and begin moving forward with the next chapter of my life!