2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

  • This has become our largest and most active forum because the physics GRE is just one aspect of getting accepted into a graduate physics program.
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bfollinprm
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by bfollinprm » Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:02 am

WhoaNonstop wrote:I have made my decision! Looks like William & Mary is going to be the top party school by US News for the next 5 years. ;)
Congrats man! they're lucky to have you.

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WhoaNonstop
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by WhoaNonstop » Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:07 am

bfollinprm wrote: Congrats man! they're lucky to have you.
Just glad to have the decision done with. I do not envy the people who have multiple offers from wonderful schools. Even just the decision between Brown and William & Mary was hard enough for me! Now I can start hassling professors at W&M to give me research for this summer!

-Riley

tady
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by tady » Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:19 am

why did you pick WM over brown?

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WhoaNonstop
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by WhoaNonstop » Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:33 am

tady wrote:why did you pick WM over brown?
Tady, I have seen your personal message and I will write up a post for my reasoning behind my decision later this evening. If you have any more questions after that I'll be glad to answer them!

-Riley

tady
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by tady » Tue Mar 22, 2011 12:01 pm

Cool! Thanks man.

vesperlynd
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by vesperlynd » Tue Mar 22, 2011 2:46 pm

bfollinprm wrote:Anyone else get their financial info from UCSD yesterday? I was surprised to not be offered a supplemental fellowship...I was under the impression that in previous years this was basically universal. Did this happen to anyone else? 17k/9 months is abject poverty in SoCal, bordering on homelessness.
matto07 wrote:Same story here. Looks like I'm not going to Cali.
bck2school wrote:Add the fact that UCSD is in La Jolla which is expensive even by typical San Diego standards and that you're looking at long term residence in your office or the library :D
I think you guys should ask them about summer funding before turning down the offers. You don't know how much they pay for summer RAs. If they mentioned something about the summer in the offer, then I take what I said back.

Also, congrats to Riley!

bfollinprm
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by bfollinprm » Tue Mar 22, 2011 3:06 pm

vesperlynd wrote:
bfollinprm wrote:Anyone else get their financial info from UCSD yesterday? I was surprised to not be offered a supplemental fellowship...I was under the impression that in previous years this was basically universal. Did this happen to anyone else? 17k/9 months is abject poverty in SoCal, bordering on homelessness.
matto07 wrote:Same story here. Looks like I'm not going to Cali.
bck2school wrote:Add the fact that UCSD is in La Jolla which is expensive even by typical San Diego standards and that you're looking at long term residence in your office or the library :D
I think you guys should ask them about summer funding before turning down the offers. You don't know how much they pay for summer RAs. If they mentioned something about the summer in the offer, then I take what I said back.

Also, congrats to Riley!
No, I'm definitely doing that. And the UC's have an extra pile of money to hand out, as I found out with Irvine. It's just surprising their offer was so much lower than people were getting last year. Funding is really bad in CA....

If it's 1 year, I can supplement with savings and be ok. If it's all 5 (or 6) years, I'd need a minimum of 28k to choose USCD over Davis or Irvine. So I'm going to wait until I speak to potential advisers and grad students about RA funding levels.

matto07
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by matto07 » Tue Mar 22, 2011 4:18 pm

vesperlynd wrote:I think you guys should ask them about summer funding before turning down the offers. You don't know how much they pay for summer RAs. If they mentioned something about the summer in the offer, then I take what I said back.
Bah, *** 'em.

aawolverine
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by aawolverine » Tue Mar 22, 2011 4:54 pm

bfollinprm wrote:
vesperlynd wrote:
bfollinprm wrote:Anyone else get their financial info from UCSD yesterday? I was surprised to not be offered a supplemental fellowship...I was under the impression that in previous years this was basically universal. Did this happen to anyone else? 17k/9 months is abject poverty in SoCal, bordering on homelessness.
matto07 wrote:Same story here. Looks like I'm not going to Cali.
bck2school wrote:Add the fact that UCSD is in La Jolla which is expensive even by typical San Diego standards and that you're looking at long term residence in your office or the library :D
I think you guys should ask them about summer funding before turning down the offers. You don't know how much they pay for summer RAs. If they mentioned something about the summer in the offer, then I take what I said back.

Also, congrats to Riley!
No, I'm definitely doing that. And the UC's have an extra pile of money to hand out, as I found out with Irvine. It's just surprising their offer was so much lower than people were getting last year. Funding is really bad in CA....

If it's 1 year, I can supplement with savings and be ok. If it's all 5 (or 6) years, I'd need a minimum of 28k to choose USCD over Davis or Irvine. So I'm going to wait until I speak to potential advisers and grad students about RA funding levels.
I really don't see the problem with the funding. You will get summer funding and that will be enough to live on. I mean, the ~20 people who accept UCSD's offer aren't going to starve or live in poverty for the next ~6 years. I would be more focused on finding the absolute best fit for you're research interests than worrying about $4,000 extra money. Aren't we all going in to physics for the love of it anyway? If anyone here wants to make lots of $$$ apply to engineering MS or PhD's. And there's my two cents...

Dreaded Anomaly
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by Dreaded Anomaly » Tue Mar 22, 2011 4:58 pm

aawolverine wrote:I really don't see the problem with the funding. You will get summer funding and that will be enough to live on. I mean, the ~20 people who accept UCSD's offer aren't going to starve or live in poverty for the next ~6 years. I would be more focused on finding the absolute best fit for you're research interests than worrying about $4,000 extra money. Aren't we all going in to physics for the love of it anyway? If anyone here wants to make lots of $$$ apply to engineering MS or PhD's. And there's my two cents...
We're not going into physics for the money, but that doesn't imply that the difference between living paycheck-to-paycheck and living with even a minimal amount of comfort isn't important. At the lower end of the economic spectrum, every dollar matters much more than at the higher end.

vesperlynd
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by vesperlynd » Tue Mar 22, 2011 5:35 pm

Dreaded Anomaly wrote:
aawolverine wrote:I really don't see the problem with the funding. You will get summer funding and that will be enough to live on. I mean, the ~20 people who accept UCSD's offer aren't going to starve or live in poverty for the next ~6 years. I would be more focused on finding the absolute best fit for you're research interests than worrying about $4,000 extra money. Aren't we all going in to physics for the love of it anyway? If anyone here wants to make lots of $$$ apply to engineering MS or PhD's. And there's my two cents...
We're not going into physics for the money, but that doesn't imply that the difference between living paycheck-to-paycheck and living with even a minimal amount of comfort isn't important. At the lower end of the economic spectrum, every dollar matters much more than at the higher end.
To add to what you said, let's take an offer with a $4K difference. Two scenarios: the $4K is one time versus yearly. $4000 now may not seem like a lot, but over 40 years could translate into quite a bit: $13,221.14 (without adding money every year, compounding quarterly, 3% interest, growing for 40 years), versus $72,650.06 (adding $4K every year for five years and then letting it grow for 34). That's a pretty big difference in the long run. It's worth it to think about these things.
Last edited by vesperlynd on Tue Mar 22, 2011 5:51 pm, edited 2 times in total.

axiomofchoice
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by axiomofchoice » Tue Mar 22, 2011 5:45 pm

bfollinprm wrote: If it's 1 year, I can supplement with savings and be ok. If it's all 5 (or 6) years, I'd need a minimum of 28k to choose USCD over Davis or Irvine. So I'm going to wait until I speak to potential advisers and grad students about RA funding levels.
I'd say, never pay to go to grad school...

bfollinprm
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by bfollinprm » Tue Mar 22, 2011 6:41 pm

Anyone not thinking about money at all is being unrealistic. I know you're in college now and everything seems a long time down the road, but let's look at the average person the age of a PhD candidate: 27, married, 1-2 yr old child, mortgage, and necessary 401k and college savings contributions.

I'm not going into physics for the money; I posted elsewhere that I could have made $70k this year and at least that next year as a code monkey. But I'm also not going in to be broke. I'm already working for janitor salary, don't make me homeless. To be honest at 17k I'd rather reject the 20hr/week TA and instead tutor, except they won't allow that because "teaching is a necessary and important part of your education." I've taught, thank you, and for more than pittance per hour. I could make $50/hr as a licensed tutor (with teaching experience)in SoCal, at the 20 hrs per week they make us teach that's 50k/yr.

Even $24k/9 months is slavery for our credentials, but it's a slavery we put up with because (1) we love Physics and (2) we aren't looking for a life of luxury. But to put basic necessities like a savings account and a living cushion on hold for the life of my PhD--I'll be at least 31 when I get out--is not possible. I don't need to be taking out loans to buy groceries.

bfollinprm
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by bfollinprm » Tue Mar 22, 2011 6:47 pm

aawolverine wrote:I really don't see the problem with the funding. You will get summer funding and that will be enough to live on. I mean, the ~20 people who accept UCSD's offer aren't going to starve or live in poverty for the next ~6 years. I would be more focused on finding the absolute best fit for you're research interests than worrying about $4,000 extra money. Aren't we all going in to physics for the love of it anyway? If anyone here wants to make lots of $$$ apply to engineering MS or PhD's. And there's my two cents...
I don't know if that's true, I'll find out when I go visit. Grad students last year got around $28k/9months. This year it's $17k/9months. If last year they weren't able to put around $10k each in savings, I posit this year's first-years WILL starve, or at least have to share rooms (this isn't freshman year of undergrad).

And it isn't $4000. It's more like $12000--$5k difference in stipend, plus ~$600/month extra in living expenses for La Jolla.

bfollinprm
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by bfollinprm » Tue Mar 22, 2011 6:51 pm

matto07 wrote:
vesperlynd wrote:I think you guys should ask them about summer funding before turning down the offers. You don't know how much they pay for summer RAs. If they mentioned something about the summer in the offer, then I take what I said back.
Bah, *** 'em.
Just FYI--there IS extra money in the UC pot, they're just hoarding it. If money's the reason you aren't accepting, I'd at least give them the chance to up their offer. Just tell them you've received a better offer and are leaning heavily towards accepting it unless they match/exceed to cover the cost of living in SoCal.

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HappyQuark
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by HappyQuark » Tue Mar 22, 2011 7:05 pm

WhoaNonstop wrote:I have made my decision! Looks like William & Mary is going to be the top party school by US News for the next 5 years. ;)
I'm pretty sure I never even looked at W&M when trolling for prospective grad programs and I'm wishing I had. A significant amount of their research is along the same lines as my interests. Oh well, maybe in the next life.

Congrats on making your final decision and getting into W&M. I'm looking forward to being done myself.

SSM
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by SSM » Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:00 pm

WhoaNonstop wrote:I have made my decision! Looks like William & Mary is going to be the top party school by US News for the next 5 years. ;)
Congrats! And yes, the process of making a decision sucks a lot.

ashowmega
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by ashowmega » Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:36 pm

HappyQuark wrote: Oh well, maybe in the next life.
This reminded me of a typical Bollywood movie.
- A girl is looking outside through a window of a train, frustrated. Next to her is her dad with a big mustache. He has scheduled her wedding with a guy he arranged in different state. Bell in the station rings and the train makes the typical horn as in every hindi movie with train and slowly starts moving. A guy, her bf, arrives running through the crowd. As he gets close to the train he starts looking at the windows and starts running to the direction the train is running. The train starts to gain some speed then he finds her by a window. She sees him, gasps and weeps. His face is full of sweat due to heat so its hard to know if he is also crying, but the eyes are definitely wet. He starts yelling his name and her father realizes his presence and pulls her away from window. Train is getting faster and so is he running. He yells, " I will get you [her name], if not in this life then maybe in the next life." Now, the train is really fast to catch up with, so he stops and kneels on the ground .... [6 mins sad romantic song on...]

CarlBrannen
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by CarlBrannen » Tue Mar 22, 2011 11:45 pm

bfollinprm wrote:
aawolverine wrote:I really don't see the problem with the funding. You will get summer funding and that will be enough to live on. I mean, the ~20 people who accept UCSD's offer aren't going to starve or live in poverty for the next ~6 years. I would be more focused on finding the absolute best fit for you're research interests than worrying about $4,000 extra money. Aren't we all going in to physics for the love of it anyway? If anyone here wants to make lots of $$$ apply to engineering MS or PhD's. And there's my two cents...
I don't know if that's true, I'll find out when I go visit. Grad students last year got around $28k/9months. This year it's $17k/9months. If last year they weren't able to put around $10k each in savings, I posit this year's first-years WILL starve, or at least have to share rooms (this isn't freshman year of undergrad).

And it isn't $4000. It's more like $12000--$5k difference in stipend, plus ~$600/month extra in living expenses for La Jolla.
That's an incredible drop. I'm betting that they're not counting the value of a tuition waiver or something. Otherwise they're assuming you're going to finance your education with loans.

tady
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by tady » Wed Mar 23, 2011 12:40 am

ashowmega wrote:
HappyQuark wrote: Oh well, maybe in the next life.
This reminded me of a typical Bollywood movie.
- A girl is looking outside through a window of a train, frustrated. Next to her is her dad with a big mustache. He has scheduled her wedding with a guy he arranged in different state. Bell in the station rings and the train makes the typical horn as in every hindi movie with train and slowly starts moving. A guy, her bf, arrives running through the crowd. As he gets close to the train he starts looking at the windows and starts running to the direction the train is running. The train starts to gain some speed then he finds her by a window. She sees him, gasps and weeps. His face is full of sweat due to heat so its hard to know if he is also crying, but the eyes are definitely wet. He starts yelling his name and her father realizes his presence and pulls her away from window. Train is getting faster and so is he running. He yells, " I will get you [her name], if not in this life then maybe in the next life." Now, the train is really fast to catch up with, so he stops and kneels on the ground .... [6 mins sad romantic song on...]
That's too melodramatic.

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grae313
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by grae313 » Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:55 am

tady wrote:
ashowmega wrote:This reminded me of a typical Bollywood movie.
That's too melodramatic.
Nothing is too melodramatic for Bollywood.

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HappyQuark
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by HappyQuark » Wed Mar 23, 2011 2:34 am

tady wrote:
ashowmega wrote:
HappyQuark wrote: Oh well, maybe in the next life.
This reminded me of a typical Bollywood movie.
- A girl is looking outside through a window of a train, frustrated. Next to her is her dad with a big mustache. He has scheduled her wedding with a guy he arranged in different state. Bell in the station rings and the train makes the typical horn as in every hindi movie with train and slowly starts moving. A guy, her bf, arrives running through the crowd. As he gets close to the train he starts looking at the windows and starts running to the direction the train is running. The train starts to gain some speed then he finds her by a window. She sees him, gasps and weeps. His face is full of sweat due to heat so its hard to know if he is also crying, but the eyes are definitely wet. He starts yelling his name and her father realizes his presence and pulls her away from window. Train is getting faster and so is he running. He yells, " I will get you [her name], if not in this life then maybe in the next life." Now, the train is really fast to catch up with, so he stops and kneels on the ground .... [6 mins sad romantic song on...]
That's too melodramatic.
You, sir, must not be familiar with bollywood!

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sphy
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by sphy » Wed Mar 23, 2011 3:09 am

grae313 wrote:
tady wrote:
ashowmega wrote:This reminded me of a typical Bollywood movie.
That's too melodramatic.
Nothing is too melodramatic for Bollywood.
Advertises are also melodramatic in here.
just see this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n6MHpKgyUM

And to add this song will fix this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcKtDXUb6Cg

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YodaT
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by YodaT » Wed Mar 23, 2011 4:07 am

ashowmega wrote:
HappyQuark wrote: Oh well, maybe in the next life.
This reminded me of a typical Bollywood movie.
- A girl is looking outside through a window of a train, frustrated. Next to her is her dad with a big mustache. He has scheduled her wedding with a guy he arranged in different state. Bell in the station rings and the train makes the typical horn as in every hindi movie with train and slowly starts moving. A guy, her bf, arrives running through the crowd. As he gets close to the train he starts looking at the windows and starts running to the direction the train is running. The train starts to gain some speed then he finds her by a window. She sees him, gasps and weeps. His face is full of sweat due to heat so its hard to know if he is also crying, but the eyes are definitely wet. He starts yelling his name and her father realizes his presence and pulls her away from window. Train is getting faster and so is he running. He yells, " I will get you [her name], if not in this life then maybe in the next life." Now, the train is really fast to catch up with, so he stops and kneels on the ground .... [6 mins sad romantic song on...]
Oh man, I think this belongs in a Nicholas Sparks book/movie... after the sad song the next scene is 8 years into the future where no one has aged a day.

bfollinprm
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by bfollinprm » Wed Mar 23, 2011 5:54 am

CarlBrannen wrote:
bfollinprm wrote: Grad students last year got around $28k/9months. This year it's $17k/9months. If last year they weren't able to put around $10k each in savings, I posit this year's first-years WILL starve, or at least have to share rooms (this isn't freshman year of undergrad).
That's an incredible drop. I'm betting that they're not counting the value of a tuition waiver or something. Otherwise they're assuming you're going to finance your education with loans.
I'm getting this from this website. Last year's acceptances to UCSD got 17k TA + 11k supplemental fellowship. This year they just cut out the fellowship, at least for me (and 2 other people). Did anyone GET the fellowship (other than vesperlynd, who I think said she was offered something when she called to decline)? The 17k TA is standard for the UC schools (at least that I applied to), but most supplement with a fellowship given to almost everyone in order to remain competitive and comparable (I think the TA stipend is set across disciplines by the UC president). That was my impression anyway.

EDIT: There are three people who posted in the profiles thread that they got a 10k "excellence award". In contrast, the last 2 years everyone who posted financial info got the 11k fellowship. I guess I'm just not good enough to deserve to live while in grad school.

vesperlynd
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by vesperlynd » Wed Mar 23, 2011 9:47 am

bfollinprm wrote:Did anyone GET the fellowship (other than vesperlynd, who I think said she was offered something when she called to decline)?
Actually I had declined the admission offer via the website several days prior to receiving a voice mail from someone at UCSD. He knew I had declined the offer and basically told me that a certain number of people (he didn't say how many) would not be receiving a TA and would get a fellowship to begin with. For the so-called "top 10 applicants", they would award a bonus of $11K along with the fellowship. He sort of made it sound like they knew they were late with financial offers (though it wouldn't have changed my decision). I doubt they would have actually offered that if I hadn't declined.

I'm not quite sure why they didn't notify people of offers sooner or why they even called me after I declined. 1) They need TAs (and I was full expecting to TA if I went there). 2) As has been pointed out, no one can live on $17K/9mo in SoCal.

I don't think this is the case, but a few people I have talked to have suggested that the UCs want to see how "cheap" they can get the students before handing out more money. This scenario seems to support this statement:
bfollinprm wrote:Just FYI--there IS extra money in the UC pot, they're just hoarding it. If money's the reason you aren't accepting, I'd at least give them the chance to up their offer. Just tell them you've received a better offer and are leaning heavily towards accepting it unless they match/exceed to cover the cost of living in SoCal.

bfollinprm
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by bfollinprm » Wed Mar 23, 2011 10:11 am

vesperlynd wrote:
bfollinprm wrote:Did anyone GET the fellowship (other than vesperlynd, who I think said she was offered something when she called to decline)?
Actually I had declined the admission offer via the website several days prior to receiving a voice mail from someone at UCSD. He knew I had declined the offer and basically told me that a certain number of people (he didn't say how many) would not be receiving a TA and would get a fellowship to begin with. For the so-called "top 10 applicants", they would award a bonus of $11K along with the fellowship. He sort of made it sound like they knew they were late with financial offers (though it wouldn't have changed my decision). I doubt they would have actually offered that if I hadn't declined.

I'm not quite sure why they didn't notify people of offers sooner or why they even called me after I declined. 1) They need TAs (and I was full expecting to TA if I went there). 2) As has been pointed out, no one can live on $17K/9mo in SoCal.

I don't think this is the case, but a few people I have talked to have suggested that the UCs want to see how "cheap" they can get the students before handing out more money. This scenario seems to support this statement:
bfollinprm wrote:Just FYI--there IS extra money in the UC pot, they're just hoarding it. If money's the reason you aren't accepting, I'd at least give them the chance to up their offer. Just tell them you've received a better offer and are leaning heavily towards accepting it unless they match/exceed to cover the cost of living in SoCal.
Yeah, I didn't converse with Irvine for a month or so, and I then randomly got an email asking me if I was still interested, and if a few thousand dollars would help me change my mind (they offered to match other offers). I'm sort of expecting the same from San Diego, but Irvine started with a $5k fellowship, so they're pissing me off less.

abhishodh
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by abhishodh » Wed Mar 23, 2011 10:24 am

Wait listed at Stony Brook.. A glimmer of hope..
If anyone admitted does not plan to attend, please please turn down the offer asap.

tady
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by tady » Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:22 am

I grew up watching Bollywood and have concluded that their directors have no shame.

kapil_ds
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by kapil_ds » Wed Mar 23, 2011 5:45 pm

ashowmega wrote:
HappyQuark wrote: Oh well, maybe in the next life.
This reminded me of a typical Bollywood movie.
- A girl is looking outside through a window of a train, frustrated. Next to her is her dad with a big mustache. He has scheduled her wedding with a guy he arranged in different state. Bell in the station rings and the train makes the typical horn as in every hindi movie with train and slowly starts moving. A guy, her bf, arrives running through the crowd. As he gets close to the train he starts looking at the windows and starts running to the direction the train is running. The train starts to gain some speed then he finds her by a window. She sees him, gasps and weeps. His face is full of sweat due to heat so its hard to know if he is also crying, but the eyes are definitely wet. He starts yelling his name and her father realizes his presence and pulls her away from window. Train is getting faster and so is he running. He yells, " I will get you [her name], if not in this life then maybe in the next life." Now, the train is really fast to catch up with, so he stops and kneels on the ground .... [6 mins sad romantic song on...]

That's so funny. I was feeling absolutely miserable today but you guys made me laugh. Thanks.

Kapil

SPat
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by SPat » Fri Mar 25, 2011 6:47 am

abhishodh wrote:Wait listed at Stony Brook.. A glimmer of hope..
If anyone admitted does not plan to attend, please please turn down the offer asap.
Declined via email today.

m42
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by m42 » Fri Mar 25, 2011 9:28 am

Anyone heard any updates from Maryland or Arizona State Astro? Especially the latter...I sent an email to the grad app contact on ASU's astro webpage 2 weeks ago and never heard back :?

bfollinprm
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by bfollinprm » Fri Mar 25, 2011 9:37 am

m42 wrote:Anyone heard any updates from Maryland or Arizona State Astro? Especially the latter...I sent an email to the grad app contact on ASU's astro webpage 2 weeks ago and never heard back :?
I respond the same way every time. I had to call Maryland to get a straight answer. They can't blow off a phone call by ignoring you; once they pick up the phone they have to tell you something.

bck2school
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by bck2school » Fri Mar 25, 2011 10:05 am

bfollinprm wrote:
m42 wrote:Anyone heard any updates from Maryland or Arizona State Astro? Especially the latter...I sent an email to the grad app contact on ASU's astro webpage 2 weeks ago and never heard back :?
I respond the same way every time. I had to call Maryland to get a straight answer. They can't blow off a phone call by ignoring you; once they pick up the phone they have to tell you something.
Actually that is not true. JHU has mastered the art of evasion - when you call the department someone other than the grad contact picks it up and transfers you to someone junior who will only say "I don't know" to your every question. After 10 min of this and wishing that you were in a better place like say the dentists office having a root canal you give up and decide to take up farming instead...

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HappyQuark
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by HappyQuark » Fri Mar 25, 2011 11:52 am

bck2school wrote:
bfollinprm wrote:
m42 wrote:Anyone heard any updates from Maryland or Arizona State Astro? Especially the latter...I sent an email to the grad app contact on ASU's astro webpage 2 weeks ago and never heard back :?
I respond the same way every time. I had to call Maryland to get a straight answer. They can't blow off a phone call by ignoring you; once they pick up the phone they have to tell you something.
Actually that is not true. JHU has mastered the art of evasion - when you call the department someone other than the grad contact picks it up and transfers you to someone junior who will only say "I don't know" to your every question. After 10 min of this and wishing that you were in a better place like say the dentists office having a root canal you give up and decide to take up farming instead...
Columbia just doesn't pick up the phone. I've called a few times and it just rings and rings.

matto07
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by matto07 » Sat Mar 26, 2011 2:25 pm

Has anyone else not heard back yet from UT Austin?? Earliest application deadline + (arguably) my safest safety school = last to respond ??

Sent two emails with no response... I suppose it's time to call.

TheBeast
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by TheBeast » Mon Mar 28, 2011 2:13 pm

Holy eff. I just heard that my scholarship application to University College London (UCL) was successful. The award is valued at over $160k which is pretty substantial given that international applicants don't typically receive funding in the UK.

bfollinprm
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by bfollinprm » Mon Mar 28, 2011 3:04 pm

matto07 wrote:Has anyone else not heard back yet from UT Austin?? Earliest application deadline + (arguably) my safest safety school = last to respond ??

Sent two emails with no response... I suppose it's time to call.
I called a the guy and he basically told me I'm waitlisted (but only the 4th time I bugged him). I imagine it's the same for you. Matt's really nice though, far more relaxed than anyone else I've talked to in the graduate coordinator's position; give him a call.

peko
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by peko » Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:01 pm

vesperlynd wrote:As has been pointed out, no one can live on $17K/9mo in SoCal.
Can someone explain to me what the problem is? UCSD has housing for $500/mo if you choose to live with 1 other person. Say, worst case scenario (no summer money) 17k/12mo = $1.4k/mo leaves plenty of money ( ~$900/mo ) to spend on food and other living expenses. How is that not enough?

bfollinprm
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by bfollinprm » Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:53 pm

peko wrote:
vesperlynd wrote:As has been pointed out, no one can live on $17K/9mo in SoCal.
Can someone explain to me what the problem is? UCSD has housing for $500/mo if you choose to live with 1 other person. Say, worst case scenario (no summer money) 17k/12mo = $1.4k/mo leaves plenty of money ( ~$900/mo ) to spend on food and other living expenses. How is that not enough?
because im no longer 19.

tady
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by tady » Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:06 pm


Dreaded Anomaly
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by Dreaded Anomaly » Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:10 pm

bfollinprm wrote:
peko wrote:
vesperlynd wrote:As has been pointed out, no one can live on $17K/9mo in SoCal.
Can someone explain to me what the problem is? UCSD has housing for $500/mo if you choose to live with 1 other person. Say, worst case scenario (no summer money) 17k/12mo = $1.4k/mo leaves plenty of money ( ~$900/mo ) to spend on food and other living expenses. How is that not enough?
because im no longer 19.
Also, let's not forget about taxes, which will take ~$2500 off the top between federal and state.

peko
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by peko » Tue Mar 29, 2011 3:32 am

bfollinprm wrote:because im no longer 19.
19 to 21 is not really that big of a difference. Your point is well taken though, I will say that for the open house they are going to make us room in the hotel with two other students :roll:
haha thanks for that. Note that the title does say (best neighborhood, apartment). Through quite a lot of pessimism there was still this peculiar reply,
"I used to live in an area where I've seen family of 5 live under a $28k salary -- these people were still very happy..and I've heard their kids are now in good colleges."
Dreaded Anomaly wrote:Also, let's not forget about taxes, which will take ~$2500 off the top between federal and state.
Good point, that still leaves me with nearly $700/mo, I think it's doable?

bfollinprm
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by bfollinprm » Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:09 am

peko wrote:
bfollinprm wrote:because im no longer 19.
19 to 21 is not really that big of a difference. Your point is well taken though, I will say that for the open house they are going to make us room in the hotel with two other students :roll:
I'll be 31 when I get out of my PhD. But anyhow, I'm giving them a chance, and if it's my only good option, I might make it work as well. Their problem is it won't be my only good option, so they'll have to surprise me in some aspect of funding. It's just a bit insulting that they aren't even trying to be competitive; I'm getting about 30k/year from both Davis and Irvine, which for the subfield are basically as good, and have the exact same funding issues.

Also, the rule of thumb is to never spend more than 35% of your budget on housing, which at 1100/month is impossible. You can live, but only if you're willing to spend 6 years of your life living in what is literally poverty, and come out on the other end in your 30s with zero savings and a mountain of student loans. Again, my own personal opinion, but I drew the line of what I'll give up for a PhD at some point before my own bedroom and raman for lunch every day.

See you at the open house. We might be roommates :grin:

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WhoaNonstop
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by WhoaNonstop » Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:45 pm

HappyQuark wrote:I'm pretty sure I never even looked at W&M when trolling for prospective grad programs and I'm wishing I had. A significant amount of their research is along the same lines as my interests. Oh well, maybe in the next life.
It's never too late though! Rolling admissions...

"Although applications will be considered at any time, it is advisable to submit all materials before 1 February to be assured of consideration for admission in the fall. "

;D

-Riley

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HappyQuark
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by HappyQuark » Tue Mar 29, 2011 7:20 pm

WhoaNonstop wrote:
HappyQuark wrote:I'm pretty sure I never even looked at W&M when trolling for prospective grad programs and I'm wishing I had. A significant amount of their research is along the same lines as my interests. Oh well, maybe in the next life.
It's never too late though! Rolling admissions...

"Although applications will be considered at any time, it is advisable to submit all materials before 1 February to be assured of consideration for admission in the fall. "

;D

-Riley
It would only be 2 months late.... Huzzah!

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WhoaNonstop
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by WhoaNonstop » Tue Mar 29, 2011 7:22 pm

HappyQuark wrote:
WhoaNonstop wrote:
HappyQuark wrote:I'm pretty sure I never even looked at W&M when trolling for prospective grad programs and I'm wishing I had. A significant amount of their research is along the same lines as my interests. Oh well, maybe in the next life.
It's never too late though! Rolling admissions...

"Although applications will be considered at any time, it is advisable to submit all materials before 1 February to be assured of consideration for admission in the fall. "

;D

-Riley
It would only be 2 months late.... Huzzah!
It's only $45. =P It's like VCU winning the NCAA tournament. Plus everyone wants to root for the underdog (or in this case the super late applicant). ;D

-Riley

tady
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by tady » Tue Mar 29, 2011 8:39 pm

Doit. Doit now. Maybe I'll doit as well.

TheBeast
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by TheBeast » Tue Mar 29, 2011 9:44 pm

HappyQuark wrote:
It would only be 2 months late.... Huzzah!
Do it. C'mon. All the cool kids (Riley) are doin' it.

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WhoaNonstop
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Re: 2011 Acceptances and profile discussions

Post by WhoaNonstop » Tue Mar 29, 2011 10:22 pm

TheBeast wrote:Do it. C'mon. All the cool kids (Riley) are doin' it.
Plus I'll threaten the admissions committee! I have a few javelins in my basement. =X

-Riley



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