Vanderbilt considering interest in an unfinished PhD application

Catria
Tue, 03 Mar 2015 05:04:52 +0000

Suppose that I would like Bob Scherrer (the very connection at Vanderbilt my supervisor have and the reason why I applied to Vanderbilt in the first place) as much as I would Adam Martin (at Notre Dame) as far as research is concerned. It’s a little premature to assume I would get in at Vanderbilt but I think it’s realistic.

I have already considered that both the social scene and the weather are vastly different between Vanderbilt and ND (weather is approximately the same at ND as it is at home and at Minnesota). But here’s the first big question: one has to wonder whether Nashville is livable on $20k/year on year 1 (and $24k/year in later years)…

Knowing that, under the stipulations of a F-1 visa, I have to return home unless I find a job (postdoc or otherwise) in the US during the grace period, here’s the big question #2: which one enjoys a better reputation in Canada, Vanderbilt or ND?