How to be a good graduate student

[nibot]

How to be a good graduate student, and other stories.

How many programs do you think it is appropriate to apply to? (and how is that question best phrased?)

Comments

[nibot.livejournal.com]

were you accepted at harvard and/or brown? did you visit? what did you think? (of Brown in particular)

[emidala.livejournal.com]

no, brown turned me down (I know why, and it scares the hell out of me: one of the professors who recommended me is hated by the chair of old world archaeology at brown), and harvard first turned me down, then they mysteriously changed their minds and said "we'll take you next year!!" - probably after they heard that princeton had accepted me. I did not visit, because I really just wanted to go to princeton. (this is actually something I've realized afterwards: I always thought I wanted to go to harvard, but when I did not get accepted in the first place, my only real thought was "oh great, now I don't have to choose between the best program (princeton) and the best location (harvard)")
anyway, people who visited princeton before they came here all agreed on princeton being
1) very small
2) very, very rich
3) really damn cold in early march. for me, seeing it for the first time in september, 1 & 2 were still true. :)