<p>DS heard from a school, invited to interview! I’m not sure where this school ranked on his list, but we had advised him that for grad school he needed to apply only to a school he would actually consider attending. We didn’t want him to send out applications willy-nilly. My guess is that any school he hears from was a well thought out choice, so I’m very happy for him. Selfishly, I’m also happy that this school is in Florida and a lot closer to home than his UG which is 800 miles away.</p>
<p>Nrdsb4 and HM, </p>
<p>Great news on the interviews! Good Luck to both!</p>
<p>I wish you guys were around last year when I went through this with S1. I’m not a helicopter parent, but if your ‘child’ is applying to a very competitive field and he only had TWO schools on his list, wouldn’t you do a little research and suggest at least one more to him? He had a 2.8 gpa (but 3.0 in his major) and the only thing going for him was that he was nearing the end of his Peace Corps service.
Well, luckily it turned out well. Accepted by one (but had to do post-bac classes) Rejected by another, and the third school probably just laughed at his GPA and dumped his application. He never heard from them.</p>
<p>Mom0809 – how did your S1 do in the Peace Corps? That is actually a track my S is considering. I’m glad your S1 settled in somewhere. My S’s GPA is 3.7 and he scored well on the GRE, it’s just so competitive out there. I don’t helicopter either, but after 18 years, you don’t just turn off the Mom switch. We’ve always told him his hard work in school would pay off. I want to believe it will myself! :)</p>
<p>HurricaneMom: His service was in Eastern Europe and he felt it was invaluable. It wasn’t Africa, but neither was he in anything near luxury. He learned that he can just about do anything now, and that the USA is still the best place in the world to live. He’d do it again. The Peace Corps is a lot harder to get into now and he doesn’t know if he’d make the cut if he had to apply out of college today.</p>
<p>He was able to do the GRE’s in the capital city, and for anyone interested in joining the foreign service, the foreign service exam is offered in the various US Embassies at assigned times.
Some volunteers were there doing the Peace Corps as part of their Masters Program. I think it’s called Master’s International. You have to be accepted at a University that offers the program with Peace Corps.
Another benefit is Peace Corps Fellows where the Peace Corps will offer scholarships/stipends to volunteers for certain programs if they’re accepted into participating Masters programs.
Unfortunately, S1 was not interested in any of those areas of study. They did forgive a percentage of his subsidized loans though, and he also received resettlement money on his return to the US.
So, good luck to your S. If he chooses the Peace Corps route, I don’t think he’ll regret it.</p>
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<p>Thanks gloworm. D called last night and got a third interview request. Two of the schools she is looking at are in wonderful climates. The third is C-C-C-C-C-OLD, but may be the front runner in terms of mentor fit. It will be interesting to see what happens here. Not to be selfish, but I’m going to be visiting her, so I know which one I’d prefer! :)</p>
<p>Still trying to sit and wait and maintain that calm exterior here. :)</p>
<p>D has heard back from 3 of her 10 apps… The first to arrive was a yes and from one of her top choices (no news on funding yet), so she’s excited about the acceptance, but still unsettled until she hears about $. Next came two rejections: one was a big reach and a very long shot (350+ apps for 4 spots) so she wasn’t surprised, and the other, while a great program, was really farther away geographically than she wants to go, so she wasn’t too disappointed about that one.</p>
<p>But there are still 7 responses to trickle in, and then the whole funding piece.<br>
For the shortest month of the year, February sure seems to be endless,t aking much longer to unfold than usual :)</p>
<p>D has now heard from 3/6. One acceptance which I already posted about, one R and one that said she was being nominated for a (really) nice fellowship, but it also said that the nomination could not be considered an acceptance. It was still a surprise, as that program had a 2/1 app. deadline, and though hers was in by late December, the contact came on 2/3.</p>
<p>S got all the results, very successful cycle, wonderful acceptances. Now it’s time for him to visit his top choices, wait for the financial aid offers and make a decision! The end is in sight!</p>
<p>Good luck to him Parabella. I hope S is about to make a decision. He has some really nice offers, but he has one more visit before he decides. I can’t wait for this all to be over! I’ve been surprised at where he was accepted and where he was rejected. It’s really not so much a numbers game at this level. I’ve shaken my head wondering what exactly these schools are looking for in students that he’s accepted at schools I wouldn’t think would be a fit, and rejected by the schools I thought would fit. It’s almost the complete opposite of UG.</p>
<p>I’m happy to see other parents having anxiety over this grad school process. D is in the biosciences and had 6 interviews with 6 acceptances–two of them offering fellowships. She has narrowed it down to 2 with one continuing to up the fellowship ante to get her to commit. The other is a more “prestigious” by name school, although I know in my head it means nothing when you are looking for good faculty with whom to do research. Areas are very different–big city and large, rural college town. D is not a “rural” girl, but feels in grad school you make your network of friendships and you’re all working so much that recreation/night life is not that important. My concern is the length of the program (at least 5 years)–don’t you think the living environment is somewhat important? The other problem is the “more prestigious” program may have a little more competition to work in the lab of her interest. I think I just need to let go of the “prestige” and living style and believe she’ll be happy at whatever she chooses. Anyone else getting caught up in the conversations like “She got into to _________ and she chose ______________?!” Thanks for the help.</p>
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<p>Yes. D1 was accepted to several good programs. She chose the one with the best “mentor match” and lab situation. It has the absolute worst climate of all her choices, and doesn’t have the name cachet as some of the ones she rejected. But it all comes down to what is actually the best fit for her education. The lifestyle concerns in her view had to come second. </p>
<p>Would have been nice to pack the bathing suit and sunscreen for visits; as it stands, I’ll have to make a few trips for quality parkas and snow boots.</p>
<p>Nrdsb4–Thank you so much for the reply. I’m sure many grad students have this dilemma in making their decision and they’re all making the right choice for their education and career–how smart they are! Best of luck to all of them! I hear you about the sunnier weather–guess we’ll have to plan our sun vacations separately from visiting our children.</p>
<p>Several years go, I actually encouraged son to revisit his 2 top choices. If you go on many interviews, get caught in snowstorms, arrive late sometimes and exhausted, its hard to compare one of the first places with the last one. Given that it would be 5 years of his life, I thought it was well worth the flight to go X-country one more time. When you know you are accepted, you can look more objectively.</p>
<p>I don’t think the parent hat ever comes off. Now I worry about fellowships, and in a few years, post-docs.</p>
<p>Light at the end of the tunnel! School is selected and accepted… now comes the apartment hunt. I’m so glad this is nearing an end, although I’ve spoken to my DS more since the grad-school process started than I have in a while. He went to UG 800 miles away so we only saw him a few times a year, a few phone calls, texts and emails each week. But this process saw nearly daily contact as January, February and March approached… you are right, the parent hat never comes off. I’m finding it ebbs and flows, DS has handled most of this by himself. He didn’t realize things like dry-cleaning suits, monthly hair cuts (instead of “whenever I can afford it haircuts”) airport parking, taxi services when you miss a shuttle, eating in airports, etc. can quickly drain a budget. I think of all of the things he was least prepared for, the financial toll of incidentals was a big surprise to him. He managed to only pack one dress shoe and had to buy a new pair when he arrived at his destination. How do I pack ties? Have Dad video himself tying a tie the way he taught me and send it to me, my ties are coming undone from so much use… things like that. </p>
<p>Beaming with pride though, at how well DS has handled this process and the amazing opportunities he worked so hard for and achieved. He applied to 6 schools and was accepted into 5, rejected from 1… which was the first school he heard back from and started him off on the wrong foot.</p>
<p>I hope all the other students and grad-parents are equally beaming and seeing the light at the end of their tunnel, for at least this leg of the journey.</p>
<p>First, congrats to all!!!</p>
<p>Would you guys mind providing some stats (GPA / GRE scores) and research credentials, etc for yourselves or children. My DS will be going through this very soon and I’m am at a loss for what is a reach, match and safety for Grad school. First on my list is funding, no funding - no school. He will graduate with a Chemistry Degree from a top 15 UG (USNWR) school with a 3.5 GPA and 3 years of Research including a two year fellowship. I have no idea about the GRE - he hasn’t taken it yet. </p>
<p>Of course all the super reaches are easy - Harvard, MIT, Scripps, Stanford, etc. But how do I figure match or safety schools that provide funding.</p>
<p>He’s been talking with his advisors and will most likely have a great idea on where he and his research will “fit”, but I’m not sure the advisors at his top UG will recommend match and safety schools.</p>
<p>I worry his 3.5 gpa is too low for the reach schools and that’s why I am trying to figure out match and safety schools that provide funding.</p>
<p>Any advice is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Kleibo, my son didn’t go into a traditional STEM, so I can only speak from perspective. You will find that stats don’t mean a whole lot. Students with better stats were rejected from programs my son was accepted into. He didn’t have a whole lot of research, but he had excellent internships.</p>
<p>A lot of this is going to come down to relationships built during UG and networking. Having a mentor at the UG, and hopefully that mentor is in the field. If not, I would recommend secondary mentor in the field. It might be a good idea to have a secondary mentor regardless. The grad interviews are very different from UG interviews. DS experienced Skype interviews, panels, one-on-one. I don’t know if in today’s economic reality that a full funding expectation is a real one. DS will still have to pay for about 15-20% of his grad-level education (including fees, living expenses, etc.). There is a lot of diversity in the student applying for grad school as well. DS competed against people my age and older for the open seats in programs. </p>
<p>Good luck!!</p>
<p>And he is done! The decision is made, application for housing sent, S is happy and content with his choice. Despite being the most “obvious” choice out of all, he gave it a lot of thought and time. The visit clinched it and a very decent aid package helped too. We are looking forward to some family time in the summer, before his 1L year begins on the East Coast.</p>
<p>Kleibo, I can recommend the Graduate school forum here for all kinds of stats and application info.</p>
<p>Congratulations HurricaneMom.</p>
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