hopefulapplicant

Interesting--Thanks for the info!

Well, I guess none of us should be surprised that grad schools are aware of and glance through this board from time to time. Ours is a relatively small field and with an application in hand, it would be easy to identify any of us. I know that the information on this board from previous years was very helpful to me when I was starting to figure out the application process last year, so I don't regret the postings (even if I would have edited a few). Let's take this as a lesson that we should all be more discrete when discussing our decision making process on the internet--And hope that professors don't take comments posted anonymously in a public forum into serious consideration when making admissions/funding decisions. And Jason, thanks for mentioning that email. It is definitely better to have that information than not.

Thanks for the insight into U Chicago, vaaarr! What a great department to spend your undergrad career in. Dr. Xiang and Dr. Giannakidou are actually the two professors I mentioned in my statement of purpose. Dr. Xiang in particular has done some very exciting work in the past few years and the whole program felt like a great fit for me. However, they accept so few applicants that even applying felt like playing the lottery. Do you have any idea where they are in the process? It sounds like they sent out acceptances earlier in the week and since they mail out rejections, I figure it might be a couple weeks before I know for sure. You are right too, Berkeley is great for phonology. Do you have a particular language group you are interested in? I know there are a few professors work on Austronesian languages, and the bay area is such a great place for finding speakers of far-flung dialects. Spitz, even if NYU is your only choice, its a pretty great choice! Full funding, an amazing city right with informants from every possible language family, productive faculty--I hope they wow you on your visit so you can feel really good about going there.

Gosh, a lot has happened since I last posted! Congrats to everyone celebrating acceptances at this point. Wouldn't it be wild if spitz, dilly-dallier, and Jason all ended up at NYU? You'll have to hold a gradcafe pow-wow at the open house (if they have one?). This week, I was accepted at UC Santa Cruz with full funding (!!) and rejected at Stanford (not surprised). The jury is still out on the University of Chicago, and next week I head down to San Diego for their interviews/open house and should know soon after if I am accepted. At this point, I definitely have a soft spot for Santa Cruz, but I could see myself at any of the three schools...I am hoping visiting will help clarify things. I am most concerned about fit, culture of the program, adviser, and funding...But I guess those are anyone's top four concerns. Typologaster, the undergrad thesis can be such a slog, but I think it is really great training for grad school. I finished mine last semester and I was surprised by how much I refined it even over the course of writing it up. Typology is fascinating, but I can see how it could become complicated quickly with coordinating compounds. Good luck with it--You'll be amazed with how satisfying it is to finish Treat yourself to a beer and a night on the town. Zouzax, where did you end up applying? Anywhere out here on the west coast? I am also interested in psycholinguistics, so I am curious if we will cross paths at some point. Pearls, how did your Maryland interview go? I know how nervous you were. Isn't your visit to U Michigan coming up soon? You must be excited preparing for the trip! Vaaarr, I am interested in syntax and psycholinguistics, as well as cognitive science and language processing. I think I must have gotten the same email as you--"byzantine" system for funding, although they still have many places to look. It sounds like they will do their best to fund everyone; they are probably hoping to have a better idea of who is serious about attending after the open house so they concentrate on those students. That is just my assumption based on the timing, though, not from any facts I received from the school. And congrats on Cornell! I look forward to meeting you in March.

You know, when I got my UCLA rejection, that was *exactly* where I went in my head, too. I started researching ESL certification courses and TESOL career websites, crafting a mental game plan for next application season. I think it is a productive response to rejection--You are smart, you've been successful so far, you have people in your corner, and you'll land on your feet whatever happens. However, remember that you've still got five or six programs to hear from and it isn't yet time to abandon all hope. Don't let your reaction get the better of you, like I tend to do. Your stats are great, your honors thesis sounds really interesting, and you've got a personal letter from Dr. Baker, who is well respected across the country. We're pulling for you!

I can empathize, vaaarr--I too began my day with a rejection from UCLA and ended it with an acceptance from UC Berkeley! Will you be attending the Open House? I am sooooo excited and happy. I can't believe I am actually going to grad school! I think phone interviews are tough for everyone, spitz. I certainly froze up in my Maryland interview, and I know Jason and dilly-dallier expressed similar feelings. Just take a deep breath and don't count yourself out for that. After feeling so negative about Maryland, I practiced mock interviews with my boyfriend and I felt much better prepared afterward. Perhaps it would help to find someone in your life who could do the same? I'm actually not that familiar with DM, pearls, although I have found what little I have read of it interesting. I hope to explore different theoretical approaches in grad school. I identify most strongly with the generative tradition, but not necessarily with the MP, and I want a chance to explore that tension and consider other frameworks. Actually, that is part of the reason I appreciate Santa Cruz so much--They seem very open-minded. How did UCLA shake out for you, Typologaster?

That's nice of you, pearls. I'm glad you got your visa! I spent several days this week navigating the sprawling bureaucracy of my local government and I found myself wondering about how your visa situation sorted itself as I waited (and waited...and waited...) in line. Actually, none of those acceptances are mine--I wish they were! Since there are four UCLA acceptances on the results board now, I am guessing I have some bad news on my horizon. I am getting excited for San Diego's Open House in a few weeks though, and I am still holding a candle for Santa Cruz. My interviews with U Maryland were very different. One was pretty short (~15 minutes) while the other was longer (~30 minutes). Both were focused on my credentials and future research interests with a brief discussion of the program. I get the feeling they were curious about my writing sample, since the subject was pretty far afield of what I want to do in graduate school. I was impressed by the knowledge of both professors, but the interviews helped me realize that the program wasn't a great fit for my research interests and I withdrew my application. To anyone still in the running, best of luck! They invest a lot of money and energy in their graduate students and there are many opportunities for research. One down, six to go...

Congrats, Jason! Those are both excellent programs.

I wouldn't worry yet, Spitz. I had two phone interviews a week apart with U Maryland. I think they broke them up between professors and there may be some professors still calling students. They are still about 1 to 2 weeks out from invites to the Open House. I do know how you feel--UCLA and Stanford both came up on the results board today, although I haven't heard anything yet. Exciting and nerve wracking!

I'm not a smoker, but I went to school in Arizona. All three major university campuses (NAU, ASU, UoA) have lots of smokers and facilities (outside benches, ash trays, etc) for smokers. Between classes you will see lots of students taking a smoke break. I even had one professor who took a break in the middle of every class so he could go get a cigarette and coffee. I wouldn't stress too much about this, as long as you are polite about it.

Thanks, Typologaster. I'm going to chill out. The results board is really exploding! Good luck, all!

Congrats! NYU has some great researchers engaged in exciting work. Has anyone heard from UC Santa Cruz about admissions? I had an interview with a professor there about two and half weeks ago and I haven't heard anything since. I am curious because the professor said that they would get back as soon as possible, probably within a week. UC Santa Cruz is one of my top two programs and I am starting to wonder if no news is bad news. Thanks.

I don't think we'll hear until March or April sometime. Don't forget to file your FAFSA on or before the 31st of January!

I didn't apply to that program, so I have no useful news to share, just a show of moral support. Waiting is really hard, especially when we get closer to February and the results from last year. Just remember we are still very early in the season and it is normal not to hear anything yet. Don't lose hope (or your mind!). That said, CMU is awesome. It is very close to the University of Pittsburgh, so the campuses share a lot of resources and the professors often work together. Pittsburgh is also a cool city with a bunch of delicious restaurants within walking distance of campus. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. If you do get an interview and want any recommendations for navigating the area, just PM me.

Congrats, Pearls! You must be so excited. It is nice to have the first result be such a positive one; sets a good tone for the rest of the cycle! Email Michigan about the Visa situation. I am sure they have dealt with this before. Otherwise, you might want to PM Fuzzylogician. She was an international when applying to graduate school, so she might be able to give you some firsthand advice. The interataional forums here might also be of help. And pack warm for Ann Arbor...Michigan is going to be freezing in February!