Where did we all decide to go?

[zxcv]

I guess I mentioned this in passing in another thread, but I decided to go to Berkeley next year. I'm very happy with that choice.

[butsurigakusha]

I have a decision, but I am going to wait a day before making it official in order to confirm that it is the right decision.

[megatron]

I guess I mentioned this in passing in another thread, but I decided to go to Berkeley next year. I'm very happy with that choice.

Congratulations on Berkeley.

Do you think that most people will notify those schools which they intend to reject before April 15, or do you think they will simply not answer and let their acceptance lapse?

[admissionprof]

I guess I mentioned this in passing in another thread, but I decided to go to Berkeley next year. I'm very happy with that choice.

Congratulations on Berkeley.

Do you think that most people will notify those schools which they intend to reject before April 15, or do you think they will simply not answer and let their acceptance lapse?

Most people have the courtesy and decency to let schools know before (or on) April 15th. When people don't do that, it is cruel to those on waiting lists. In fact, it is much, much better for the school to know with a few days to go, so they can actually go to the waiting list. If you know you will reject a place, PLEASE do it right now.

My institution has a small number of openings left, a number of outstanding offers, and two or three on the waiting list who very much want to come. I'm unable to tell those on the waiting list what the answer is unless we get more responses. One or two isn't a big deal (no response usually means "no"), but if half a dozen don't respond, those on the waiting list will lose out.

[megatron]

I guess I mentioned this in passing in another thread, but I decided to go to Berkeley next year. I'm very happy with that choice.

Congratulations on Berkeley.

Do you think that most people will notify those schools which they intend to reject before April 15, or do you think they will simply not answer and let their acceptance lapse?

Most people have the courtesy and decency to let schools know before (or on) April 15th. When people don't do that, it is cruel to those on waiting lists. In fact, it is much, much better for the school to know with a few days to go, so they can actually go to the waiting list. If you know you will reject a place, PLEASE do it right now.

My institution has a small number of openings left, a number of outstanding offers, and two or three on the waiting list who very much want to come. I'm unable to tell those on the waiting list what the answer is unless we get more responses. One or two isn't a big deal (no response usually means "no"), but if half a dozen don't respond, those on the waiting list will lose out.

Thanks for your insight on this. I'm in a very tight position precisely because of the lack of rejections, and thus my inquiry regarding whether people tend to notify institutions in a timely manner or not. I am very high on a waiting list, but with nobody notifying institutions, I'm trying to feel out whether or not I should abandon the prospect and simply accept another offer before April 15.

Is it unusual for institutions to hear back from prospectives and then extend offers after April 15?

[zxcv]

Do you think that most people will notify those schools which they intend to reject before April 15, or do you think they will simply not answer and let their acceptance lapse?

I don't know, but I sure hope they do. I sent in all my responses this morning, both online or by email and in hard copy.

Thanks, and good luck on those wait-lists! I guess I'm fortunate I've been relieved of the pain of having to deal with all that uncertainty -- everywhere straight-up accepted or rejected me in a timely fashion. Making a decision at this point without visiting schools would be quite hard.

One other thing I've been thinking about today: housing. This is something I really should have put some thought to before I visited schools, especially at Berkeley where I was pretty sure I was going to go. Right now the most attractive option looks like living in co-op housing with other graduate students, but there's a wait-list for that and it would have been great if I had had the foresight to visit one of those houses while I was there.

[megatron]

Do you think that most people will notify those schools which they intend to reject before April 15, or do you think they will simply not answer and let their acceptance lapse?

I don't know, but I sure hope they do. I sent in all my responses this morning, both online or by email and in hard copy.

Thanks, and good luck on those wait-lists! I guess I'm fortunate I've been relieved of the pain of having to deal with all that uncertainty -- everywhere straight-up accepted or rejected me in a timely fashion. Making a decision at this point without visiting schools would be quite hard.

One other thing I've been thinking about today: housing. This is something I really should have put some thought to before I visited schools, especially at Berkeley where I was pretty sure I was going to go. Right now the most attractive option looks like living in co-op housing with other graduate students, but there's a wait-list for that and it would have been great if I had had the foresight to visit one of those houses while I was there.

I appreciate you doing so, as I'm sure the rest of people on wait-lists do. I was fortunate to have been able to visit the school on which I'm wait-listed, as it's very nearby.

The co-op sounds like a fantastic deal, considering that it includes food. That's much cheaper than I'd expect, especially for the California area. Right now, my options are either to search for an apartment in my area (if I am able to get in), or to get a graduate housing apartment at my second choice. I visited the school, and getting an apartment off-campus is certainly an option, but I think for the first year I'd like the convenience of being on-campus so that I can more easily figure out where I can realistically live for the later years. I don't have a car, so distance is somewhat of an issue, although I'm told many students use buses to get from their apartments to campus. I hadn't heard of a co-op, so I'll look into it if there is one at my school.

Thanks for that useful bit of information!

[jdhooghe]

Since I will be going to San Francisco state(If I get admitted for a masters), I will probably be in your Quantum class. Even though it will eventually be offered by S.F.S.U. and I can't technically take it as a Cross-Program course, I will kick and scream until they allow me. I need it for other essential Quantum based courses the year after such as QFT and such. We can be the bestest friends!


If Davis ends up making me an offer, it will definitely be a hard choice though. I am really feeling good about getting a masters and making some connections at Berkeley. I love the Bay Area too

[admissionprof]

Most people have the courtesy and decency to let schools know before (or on) April 15th. When people don't do that, it is cruel to those on waiting lists. In fact, it is much, much better for the school to know with a few days to go, so they can actually go to the waiting list. If you know you will reject a place, PLEASE do it right now.

My institution has a small number of openings left, a number of outstanding offers, and two or three on the waiting list who very much want to come. I'm unable to tell those on the waiting list what the answer is unless we get more responses. One or two isn't a big deal (no response usually means "no"), but if half a dozen don't respond, those on the waiting list will lose out.

Thanks for your insight on this. I'm in a very tight position precisely because of the lack of rejections, and thus my inquiry regarding whether people tend to notify institutions in a timely manner or not. I am very high on a waiting list, but with nobody notifying institutions, I'm trying to feel out whether or not I should abandon the prospect and simply accept another offer before April 15.

Is it unusual for institutions to hear back from prospectives and then extend offers after April 15?

If a prospective does not reply by April 15th, they are assumed to have declined, and the offer is nullified. On rare occasions, we have made an offer after April 15th. But the recipients of these offers generally haven't gotten in anywhere (or they would have already accepted someone else---we would never consider someone who had already accepted somewhere else, except in extraordinary circumstances)---they tend to have had too few "safety schools". But it's rare, perhaps once every few years.

In your case, relax. Many, many people make decisions and inform schools this week, now that open houses are done. Narrow your decision down to the school that you will accept if you get no other offers, and reject the rest. Then wait, keeping in contact with both schools. Be honest, let them know the situation precisely. And then sit tight until Tuesday.

[TheHawkBat]

I accepted my offer to Stony Brook today, and also turned down my other two offers (one last week, and the other one today). I know one of the schools I turned down an offer to is still telling some students that they are reviewing applicants still, and hope this helps.

[doom]

I've decided to attend the University of Minnesota to study high energy theory. My final choice boiled down to UMN, Maryland, and Washington. Maryland just didn't hit me right, but Washington was up there. I chose Minnesota for a variety of reasons, including better opportunity to find an advisor, better proximity to home, and considerations from the two-body problem.

[LucasWillis]

I accepted Yale and turned down all of my other offers on Tuesday.

I think something just as important as opening slots for waiting list people is the case of fellowships. Both Stony Brook and Michigan offered me very nice fellowships that I believe go to "the next in line," and those sorts of things might have a strong influence on the decision making process, effectively rearranging one's rankings. I know that had I not won an NDSEG fellowship, it would have been very hard to turn down Michigan.

[butsurigakusha]

Even though I made the decision to go to Berkeley a few days ago, I finally got the courage to commit and decline my other offers.

[christopher3.14]

Looks like mine will be going to the wire: I can't decide between Columbia and UIUC in experimental condensed matter. I've been emailing faculty from both schools, my own school, and everywhere else to get opinions from people "in the know."

Hopefully something's decided by April 15th.

[zxcv]

Even though I made the decision to go to Berkeley a few days ago, I finally got the courage to commit and decline my other offers.

Right on. All the cool kids are going to Berkeley.

[fermiboy]

Even though I made the decision to go to Berkeley a few days ago, I finally got the courage to commit and decline my other offers.

Right on. All the cool kids are going to Berkeley.

Except for the cools kids like me who weren't "cool enough" to get into Berkeley.

[megatron]

Even though I made the decision to go to Berkeley a few days ago, I finally got the courage to commit and decline my other offers.

Right on. All the cool kids are going to Berkeley.

Except for the cools kids like me who weren't "cool enough" to get into Berkeley.

[twistor]

Even though I made the decision to go to Berkeley a few days ago, I finally got the courage to commit and decline my other offers.

Right on. All the cool kids are going to Berkeley.

Except for the cools kids like me who weren't "cool enough" to get into Berkeley.

Maybe you were just too cool and they're "this fermiboy is so cool... we can't have him running around lowering morale with his unmatchable coolness... it's better he go somewhere else where his coolness will be fully appreciated."

[will]

Fermiboy is so cool, he makes Bose-Einstein condensates look like high Tc superconductors.

[grae313]

Fermiboy is so cool, he makes Bose-Einstein condensates look like high Tc superconductors.

ugh. ouch.

[nowhereguy]

I was just informed that I got a position at Perimeter Institute (I will officially be enrolled as a PhD student at the University of Waterloo, but will work at PI with my supervisor). To those who think that it is only a top place for LQG, you should definitely check out their string theory group! They have really amazing people there. So, that is where I will be going. I actually visited them and the other places I got into (Brown, Stony Brook and Toronto) a couple of weeks ago. After that, PI was definitely my top choice because of the social and scientific atmosphere and, of course, their AMAZING facilities (and this choice also helps with the two-body problem). Kind of hurts to turn down Stony Brook's offer because of the new Simons Center for Geometry and Physics, but I am sure I will be happier overall at PI and, hey, I can always go to Stony Brook for a postdoc .

Btw, I just posted my stats on the other thread.

[excel]

nowhereguy, you seem to have had a very global education: undergraduate in Peru, Masters in The Netherlands, and now headed to Canada for PhD. That's so cool. I am just curious, did you grow up in Peru or did you attend high school in another country?

[nowhereguy]

Hi, excel. I am Peruvian, grew up there, except for a four year interlude when I was a kid, in which I moved to Europe with my family. But, yeah, I went to high school in Peru. Really had not thought about how global my education has been, hehe. I was wondering, is there anyone else going to Perimeter?

[JWalker]

I accepted Yale and turned down all of my other offers on Tuesday.

I think something just as important as opening slots for waiting list people is the case of fellowships. Both Stony Brook and Michigan offered me very nice fellowships that I believe go to "the next in line," and those sorts of things might have a strong influence on the decision making process, effectively rearranging one's rankings. I know that had I not won an NDSEG fellowship, it would have been very hard to turn down Michigan.

How important are fellowships in the long run? Is it better to go to a decent school (ranked 25-35) that gives you a fellowship, or a top ten school that hasn't offered you a fellowship?

[butsurigakusha]

I have pondered the same question, and I have come to think that fellowships are helpful and provide some flexibility and extra money, it is not disastrous if you don't have one, especially if it is just for the first year.

I turned down a fellowship at Illinois and chose Berkeley, where I will be a TA for the first year. The fellowship offer was tempting, but in the end it wasn't important enough to outweigh the things I liked about Berkeley.

[vicente]

I hope you like cold and snow, nowhereguy. This year Waterloo had a record 250 cm of the white stuff!

I did undergraduate research at the University of Waterloo and I found that Waterloo is a very nice place, the people are nice and friendly unlike in Toronto, and the rent is relatively cheap. It's kind of suburban though but that's to be expected in North America.

[maxwell200]

I'm most likely at this point going to U of Virginia, which I believe was ranked 36 in physics most recently by US News/World if you consider their rankings accurate enough, to work in medical/AMO physics. I suppose it's a good enough option, obviously not quite UIUC, Berkeley, Maryland, UCLA, Cornellor even Wisconsin, but it's perfectly good for the research I'm looking to do. I definitely thought about taking one more year to raise my PGRE score enough, higher than my god awful 660 which when I first got made me want to tie a noose around my neck, jump of a tree branch and end it all, so I can ultimately look good for a school like Wisconsin, Illinois, UC Santa Barbara, Cornell, U Penn, Texas at Austin or some other such more big name school. However, I doubt it's worth it to make such a gamble and put myself in a situation where I'm struggling to find a job and place to live next year and training for the PGRE when I don't know if I'll be even less likely to get into those schools next year. And also, I especially don't think it's worth it to give 150 more dollars to that evil organization, the ETS. So, I figured I'll at least try to get my masters at UVa, and iether try to transfer somewhere for my PhD if I feel the need to or maybe even discover that whether or not I get my PhD in UVa as opposed to Berkeley, IUIC, UW Madison or UCLA really isn't as important as how productive I actually was and how cooperative I was in working with others.

[VT]

I hear you maxwell200!

[VT]

twistor, I saw that u were accepted to Madison. Are you planning on going there? if so have you started looking around for apts there?

[nvanmeter]

i finally decided on harvard - anybody joining me?

[maxwell200]

And of course, some people may already have the good sense to know that the work they do and how good a faculty is for their research interests is more important than brand name. One of my classmates is in the process of choosing between Michigan State and Cornell, and is seriously leaning more towards Michigan State over Cornell. Now, of course he may decide at the last minute that an offer from Cornell is just too good to pass up, and if he does go to Michigan State it would mos tlikely be influenced by the fellowships he got at Cornell, which would mean he wouldn't have any teaching duties while he was there.

However, some will no doubt wonder why in the hell anyone would choose a State U over Cornell. Well, it's got something to do with the fact that Michigan State is just better for the type of theoretical physics than Cornell, which as a predominantly Engineering School is not as strong in Theory as in Experiment. And of course, there's always the issue of whether or not he would want to spend at least 14 hours a day for 6 years working with pompous, self improtant jackasses, like certain forum members here who will go nameless.

[excel]

And of course, there's always the issue of whether or not he would want to spend at least 14 hours a day for 6 years working with pompous, self improtant jackasses, like certain forum members here who will go nameless.

Did your friend give this reason? Or, is this your own reasoning?

[maxwell200]

Yes, he did give that as one of the specific reasons for his current preference; it wasn't something I simply inferred on my own.

[will]

Wait, really? He specifically picked a forum member who got accepted to Cornell, and is going to pass up a higher quality education because he thinks that person is a jackass, and thus everyone who works at Cornell is as well?

Guy sounds like a jackass. Cornell doesn't need him.

[megatron]

Wait, really? He specifically picked a forum member who got accepted to Cornell, and is going to pass up a higher quality education because he thinks that person is a jackass, and thus everyone who works at Cornell is as well?

Guy sounds like a jackass. Cornell doesn't need him.

I like the cut of your jib.

[maxwell200]

To Will,

I guess what I said earlier was misinterpreted. The classmate I'm talking about is not looking to turn down Cornell simply because one person who wokred there was a jackass, (and I don't believe I said that either). It was that the majority of the students he met there and a number of different staff members had taken on this huge auroa of sefl importance, pretentiousness and cuttthroat competitiveness that he did not necessarily like. And that was not the only reason we's looking at turning down Cornell; it's jsut one. It's also a matter of what I said earlier- Cornell might be great for condensed matter experiment, applied sciences and has obvious prestige, but there's the issue of whther or not it's the university where you are going to do your best work. Michigan State has a lot opportunities for theoretical work in a multitude of different areas that Cornell, being a largely Engineering School, is not going to have. Especially in any type of nuclear physics, where Michigan State is basically, along with MIT, Washingtona and Stony Brook, is like the Big Four in the country.

It was basically supposed to be only a point about about putting such a ridiculous emphasis on prestige as opposed to the school where you will do your absolute best work. Especially in light of all the forum members who have this idea that going to Cornell as opposed to Princeton or Harvard, U of Michigan as opposed to Cornell or Stanford, Penn State as opposed to Washington, Minnesota as opposed to Yale etc, would necessarily be a horrible idea simply due to the prestige and big name status. And of course, everyone who thinks you need a top 10 school to be chalenged and pushed to your limit and to get a great post-doc or industry job, which is blatantly false no matter how smart you are.

[will]

See, part of that argument is reasonable. You should absolutely go wherever you will do your best work, regardless of the name of the institution.

On the other hand, for graduate physics work, Cornell is one of the least cutthroat environments, and all of the people I've met who have come from or gone to Cornell have been exceptionally nice. Being exceptionally good at what you do doesn't mean you're self-important or overly-competitive, but unfortunately wherever you go to grad school no less than 50% of students are below the average and some people are uncomfortable with that. That's okay. Second, you keep saying that Cornell is only good for experimental and applied work, which is patently untrue. MSU may be better for nuclear, and if that's the case then more power to your friend, but Cornell is a top school in most pure theory fields as well.

[excel]

maxwell,

Selecting Michigan State because of a match of research interests makes sense. However, I do object to your passing your friend's imression of Cornellians as a fact. Maybe your friend found people at Cornell to be "jackasses" because it is he who is the real jackass.

By the way, I should also note that Cornell is far from being only an engineering school. Just because the other Ivies are not as good as Cornell at engineering in general does not make Cornell only an engineering school. Basically, Cornell is good at engineering does not mean it is not good at something else. As a matter of fact, Cornell is considered to among world's very best universities in a very wide range of disciplines. I can provide concrete evidence of this, if you like.

[megatron]

I turned down my other option this weekend, and I will be going to U Washington - Seattle for Nuclear Experiment.

[maxwell200]

Excel,

Since your response implies you are a current grad student at Cornell, I apologize if you you thought I was hinting at Cornell students being jackasses. I know nothing is further from the truth; Cornell is well knwon to be easily the most friendly, liad back of the ivus and elite schools in general. I meant that my classate was just looking at current undergrads who applied to Cornell for applied physics, who are currently undergrads at top 10 or near top 10 schools, (he was one of only three students at visiting weekend who came from a State U), and found them to be overcompetitive, pretentious and antisocial, which was one of numerous reasons he was considering less obvious choices. That was not meant to be a statement on anybody currently affiliated with Cornell, and of course, many of those elitists who applied to Cornell will probably end up at a school that actually is better suited for overcompetitive egomaniacs, like Harvard or Princeton. And I know that Cornell is not only good with Experiment-I don;t know much bout Condensed Matter, for instanc, but I imagine they're at the top of the heap in both Condensed Matter Experiement and Condnesed Matter Theory, hence their rep in that field. And they're probably quite good for high energy theory as well. I just meant that a school like Cornell, which is mostly known for engineering and applied sciences, is obviously great for experiemental physcis of any kind but is not necessarily going to have good opportunities in all of the theoretical physics, like nuclear theory physics for an example.

[grae313]

... It was that the majority of the students he met there and a number of different staff members had taken on this huge auroa of sefl importance, pretentiousness and cuttthroat competitiveness that he did not necessarily like.

That is interesting because when I visited Cornell, I found all the faculty and students there to be extremely friendly, relaxed, and down to earth. Actually, Cornell has a reputation for being one of the more supportive and collaborative schools. No one fails the quals, and the only competition there is to get into some of the more famous research groups. Everyone works together on the homework in big groups. Cornell is ivy but my experience was that they aren't full of themselves at all.

[grae313]

Excel,

Since your response implies you are a current grad student at Cornell...

Excel is not a current grad student at Cornell.

[excel]

I will join Cornell this fall, though it is not the physics department that I will join.

I object to your comments on Princeton and Harvard as well, but I dont want to argue any further on this matter.

By the way, I saw that you are planning to go to UVa with interest in medical physics. I do not know anything about its physics department, but I know it has a highly regarded BME department and medical center. Anyway, good luck on your graduate studies.

[grae313]

(he was one of only three students at visiting weekend who came from a State U)

Well I was another one of three State U students and I didn't feel like I was treated any differently by the other visiting students, the current students, or the faculty. For future readers, I just want to state my experience for the record, so people from state schools know that if they visit Cornell, they won't necessarily have a bad experience. Everyone was extremely friendly and I never felt awkward or anything about my background. It was a complete non-factor. At Stanford however, I was treated horribly and I felt like everyone there was a snob.

[grae313]

I will join Cornell this fall, though it is not the physics department that I will join.

excel, are you in applied physics? what area of research are you interested in?

[excel]

grae, I have pm-ed you.

[butsurigakusha]

Everyone at Stanford is a snob.

Actually, I have no idea. I just like to think that.

When visiting Berkeley, I kind of felt like a lot of the other prospective students had a sort of air of superiority about them. But I didn't notice that among the grad students I met. However, it could have just been my imagination. Sometimes I hate my stupid psychotic brain.

[rooibos]

Add one for Columbia!

[jdhooghe]

(he was one of only three students at visiting weekend who came from a State U)

Well I was another one of three State U students and I didn't feel like I was treated any differently by the other visiting students, the current students, or the faculty. For future readers, I just want to state my experience for the record, so people from state schools know that if they visit Cornell, they won't necessarily have a bad experience. Everyone was extremely friendly and I never felt awkward or anything about my background. It was a complete non-factor. At Stanford however, I was treated horribly and I felt like everyone there was a snob.

I'm sorry to hear that. Stanford is an amazing place and it sucks that the people there ruined it for you. It's terrible that human beings are such egotistical creatures. It sounds as if the people at Cornell have gotten past that though and were willing to accept you despite your educational background.

[vroomfondel]

Cornell seems WAY more chill than Berkeley/Stanford -- this is an anecdotal assessment, based on a couple of profs I have spoken to. And just read their Graduate student orientation page, it should be apparent how they treat their grad students.