[2] go or not to go?

12/25/2010 3:28:59 AM

Is deferment (waitlisting) handled differently at different schools / for different programs?

IE - what does being "on hold" for an NCSU grad program mean, in terms of acceptance probability, etc?

3/19/2013 11:50:35 PM

At NCSU, each department can do things differently so I can't really shed any light on the details of your deferment status. I will say that in my department, the number of assistantship offers made is the lowest in memory since funding agencies like NASA have sent memos to PIs letting them know that they may not receive promised grant funding due to the sequester.

3/20/2013 12:53:59 AM

Who here is going [went] to grad school at State?
Me.

What are [were] you going to school for?
MS Entomology (CALS)

How do you like the administration of the graduate program?
my department is awesome

What sort of assistance is the university providing for you?
Tuition and Health insurance provided.
~$1100/month stipend as TA/RA.
I take out federal loans to pay for the fees and so that I can have a little bit of extra money

If you remember, what was your GRE score and undergrad GPA?
GRE (old format)=1150 undergrad GPA = 3.06

Did you start your grad program right after undergrad or did you work for a couple years first?
Immediately to grad school after undergrad.

3/20/2013 9:55:08 AM

Who here is going [went] to grad school at State?
Me.

What are [were] you going to school for?
MSBAE (Bio&Ag Engineering - CALS/COE), Stormwater/Environmental Engineering

How do you like the administration of the graduate program?
Department was awesome, except for one fellow (who was admin/lecturer) who wasn't clear about something, causing me to do more work than necessary, but then gave me a pretty bad grade for not putting in enough effort/work - I forget the word he used now, but he basically stated that I did less work than everyone else... which was a load of shit because I ended up doing a shit ton more work than others).

What sort of assistance is the university providing for you?
Tuition, Healthcare, Stipend ($1,700/month)

Travel reimbursement (the best thing in the world is per diem)

If you remember, what was your GRE score and undergrad GPA?
GRE (old format)=1100-1200s (don't exactly remember) undergrad GPA = 3.82

Did you start your grad program right after undergrad or did you work for a couple years first?
After undergrad (well, I worked during my last undergrad semester and that following summer, then went to grad school).

3/20/2013 11:57:09 AM

Who here is going [went] to grad school at State?
Me.

What are [were] you going to school for?
Master of Architecture 2006-2009

How do you like the administration of the graduate program?
the faculty was quite small and most students had direct access to instructors

What sort of assistance is the university providing for you?
I took out federal loans to pay for the fees and so that I can have a little bit of extra money

If you remember, what was your GRE score and undergrad GPA?
GRE (old format)=1200 UGPA = 3.5

Did you start your grad program right after undergrad or did you work for a couple years first?
Immediately to grad school after undergrad.

3/20/2013 1:24:41 PM

I wanted to update this since I ended up declaring a double master's and nixed law school.

What are [were] you going to school for?
Master of International Studies, Master of Public Administration, Grad. Certificate in Public Policy - took 5 semesters and a few summer classes.

How do you like the administration of the graduate program?
Liked the MIS faculty except the director, Heidi Hobbs. I thought all the PA faculty were good.

What sort of assistance is the university providing for you?
None. If you don't get in with assistance, it's extremely difficult to get a TAship afterward, despite what they tell you. I did end up working for the university during grad school and kept the job for a year or so after and that did help a lot.

If you remember, what was your GRE score and undergrad GPA?
GRE (old format) was 630quant. 530verbal 5.5 analytical writing. UGPA = 3.68. I need to retake the GRE sometime.

Did you start your grad program right after undergrad or did you work for a couple years first?
Took doctoral courses as a PBS at UNC then went to grad at State.

Overall, graduate school was a wonderful experience. I would not have gotten called into any of the interviews I went to if it had not been for at least my MPA. The MIS, unfortunately, not so much although I became a much stronger writer and critical thinker from it. The combination of the two master's looks impressive on a resume, but honestly they shared so many courses it wasn't that much more time so I'd recommend doing a double if you can.

I worked in business (grants) management at State, interned in grants management at RTI, and now work in grants management and analysis with the government. I have also volunteered to peer review grants for the NC Commission of Volunteerism and Community Service. So all in all, I found my niche in a field that's valuable to the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Overall, I've been very happy with the opportunities my education has afforded me so far.

Also, all of these positions were circulated through my department's job listserv (except for the State job, I just applied to dozens of those) so that alone was very nice.

3/20/2013 4:21:56 PM

Who here is going [went] to grad school at State?
Me.

What are [were] you going to school for?
PhD biomedical engineering

How do you like the administration of the graduate program?
Sucks donkey balls. Current people aren't too bad, but the ones before them messed things up for me horribly and cost me several years of my life and many thousands of dollars. Even now things are being delayed months at a time due to paperwork.

What sort of assistance is the university providing for you?
nothing. My department hires students from other departments as TAs instead of me because they hate me for getting sick while in grad school. It's not me because I got a part time job in an off campus research lab and they love me.

If you remember, what was your GRE score and undergrad GPA?
GRE (old format)=1460 undergrad GPA = 3.2 (UNC-CH)

Did you start your grad program right after undergrad or did you work for a couple years first?
Immediately after undergrad.

I was accepted at several other schools and offered funding there. I can honestly say picking my department was a horrible mistake because I had much better options that I didn't realize were better options at the time.

3/20/2013 4:52:59 PM

Who here is going [went] to grad school at State?
Me.

What are [were] you going to school for?
PhD Aerospace Eng.

How do you like the administration of the graduate program?
Good. Some semesters I didn't get a TA contract until the semester started. A bit unnerving, assuming I'd have funding but no paperwork. On the other hand, I took a 1-year hiatus in a different state, accomplished almost nothing, came back begging, and they gave me a TA position again.

What sort of assistance is the university providing for you?
TA - was .5 FTE, now .375 FTE (1500/mo versus 1100+/mo) Plus GSSP

If you remember, what was your GRE score and undergrad GPA?
730 Verbal, 790 Quant, 3.09

Did you start your grad program right after undergrad or did you work for a couple years first?
Neither. I worked for a decade, then came back to change careers. It's a costly (in time and money) way to change careers.

3/20/2013 8:06:13 PM