greengoose

Congratulations!!!

I started my daily round of checking application status and have already found two stealth rejections! I knew there was a reason why I did that every day.

I'm pretty much just taking that April 15 deadline at face value. As far as I'm concerned, nobody needs to know anything before then aside from whether I'm attending whatever visit day they have. (I'm planning on deciding before April 15, and turning down any schools as I know for sure to respect the waitlist, but you get the idea).

For anyone waiting on Carnegie Mellon: I just heard that the committee has started reviewing applications (got an email today saying they are missing my GRE scores -- ugh ETS).

Yep. I didn't contact anyone before applying (both on advice from advisor and because I applied to 15 schools). At two of the programs I've been accepted to, the professors I listed on my application emailed me after I was accepted to introduce themselves.

You'll want a warm wool or down coat and some kind of boots; sometimes snows in March in the upper Midwest. You can probably make do for a visit but plan on buying a good coat if you accept!! I went to undergrad in Chicago convinced my coat from DC would be enough . . . I lasted 1 quarter.

I'm waiting for Austin, MIT, Columbia, Harvard, CUNY, Michigan, Wisconsin, Hopkins, UCLA, UMD, and Carnegie Mellon. Some I'm assuming rejections from based on results but I just want to know either way! Michigan, Austin, and UCLA are especially getting to me since they had early deadlines.

The DC area really is not really bad enough today to warrant cancellations but people freak out here, too! I'd love to hear from Maryland (or anywhere else, who am I kidding). Hoping for more by Friday?

telkanuru, I'm assuming that's just for the history department -- any insider info for history of science?

Unfortunately I have a conflicting visit already planned and won't be attending the UW visit day, but would love to hear your thoughts/impressions after the visit day!

My field is history of science. I just got the same advice from the DGS of the program I'm not visiting, so hopefully I'll be able to set up some Skype calls with professors and current students there. To Aubstopper's point -- I did my undergrad in Chicago and can vouch for the cheaper cost of living there than similarly-sized cities on the coasts. Cost of living vs. stipend amount is one of those things I'm hoping to be able to talk to current students about to make my decision... hopefully people will be willing to talk about it.

I'm also visiting Chicago and Berkeley! I have to turn down another visit day because it conflicts with one of those (and doesn't pay for travel). I'm likelier to choose a different program, but I don't want to write anything off right away. Is anyone else skipping a campus visit day but still considering the program? I'm planning on talking to professors there anyway, but I'm not sure how to approach evaluating a program when I can't visit. Any suggestions?

Yep, no interviews with the Chicago CHSS program or U of Washington before acceptance. I also didn't email any professors at any of the schools I applied to, so no previous contact at all.

I just got my first email from a professor (who indicated interest in my proposed research topic) letting me know I was recommended for admission by the history department. I didn't email any professors before applying, so haven't talked to him one before -- what's the typical etiquette in responding to these unofficial pre-admit emails? Any advice?