mrb1145

Yeah-- who knows. It seems somewhat informal, so maybe it's not an official interview. I emailed the grad director today about my visit and he said something about my "excellent application" so hopefully I'm not out of the running yet. ahhhh

Did anyone hear from UVA today? I didn't, but know someone who did, about a Skype interview. I don't know if this is a "no" but it sure feels like one.

I applied to USC but didn't get the call- did you? I know that they invited people to campus this coming weekend.

Ditto what asdf said (though admittedly, I was unsuccessful). I remember being paired off with a current student and being taken on a tour of the library and sitting down to talk about the program and ask questions. Not sure if this is their normal practice, or if someone just happened to be available that day, but it'd be worth considering questions for a current student as well as the grad director. It's good that you're taking a theory class next semester, in case that question comes up!

Results say that a couple people have been asked for interviews at Ohio State. I hope this means that the rest of us will start hearing soon!

I see! That is a cute creature. When I was studying the painting for comps, I kept thinking it was a cat, but was assured that it was in fact a bear. My knowledge of American art doesn't go much further than that...!

Bearcat-- is your username a reference to the Bingham painting where the bear looks like a cat? Or am I just reading into it too much?

Clamato-- I interviewed at Williams about 5 years ago when I was applying to MA programs. As I recall, it's the grad director that conducts them (I think it was Marc Simpson at the time, though I could be wrong). I remember it being a pretty intense interview, but I was also young and not very well-informed about the process. I remember the inteviewer seeming totally appalled that I hadn't taken a theory class (it wasn't required in my undergrad major). If the interview goes well, I imagine that it has a great impact and shows your interest- on the other hand, Williamstown can be tricky to get to in the winter.

@ fullofpink-- that's awesome! congratulations on having some good news so early in the game.

I'm dying over here too, so make that 6.

Wow! When I visited UPenn they said they had 150 last year, so that's a big leap! Unless some of them are for the MA only.

Carolyn Malone. Trying not to be sad about it-- the hardest part is that I probably won't hear anything else for a long while.

Sorry to have brought possible bad news, loubun. I'm pretty disappointed to not have heard from them-- who were you hoping to work with?

By phone, today. My impression is that those of us not invited to the weekend are out, but I doubt they'll tell us for several months.

Has anyone heard from USC today? I know of someone (not me) who was contacted about an "admissions weekend"-- not sure if that means admit or interview. I'm wondering if I'm definitely out of the running since I haven't heard from them today.

Possibly, yes. You might also have a better chance at full-funding if they're expecting you to continue on with the PhD. Alternately, the terminal-MA is probably significantly easier to get into. Most of the schools I've applied to have only made the distinction between MA and PhD, with the assumption that if someone without an MA clicks PhD, they mean to complete both degrees. You might want to get in touch with the director of the graduate program to ask what the implications of the different choices are if they aren't made clear on the program's website. Good luck!

Phew-- as of this morning it was registered.

Hey guys-- anyone applying to UNC? I just double-checked my checklist, and it says it's incomplete because my GRE scores haven't been received. I know I sent them (to the correct code!) on September 26. Naturally, the grad school isn't picking up the phone. Is this happening to anyone else with UNC? I'm kind of freaked out because the deadline is today.

John Pultz at Kansas: http://www2.ku.edu/~kuarthis/faculty/pultz.htm

Yes-- my impression is that it's often quite a bit harder to get accepted at the PhD level, largely because most programs fund everybody they accept, where they may not fund their MA students. That's not the case across the board (I've had good luck being funded as a master's student), but it does increase the competition. One program I visited recently said that they had 150 applications for 5-6 spots last year at the PhD, 40ish more for MA candidates. Then again, I'm also finding out that many programs only knock a semester or so off of coursework for folks coming in with an MA, so while applying with one might give you a slight edge, it won't really help you out that much in the long run. If I were in your position, I'd consider applying to a mix of MA and PhD programs just to be safe, though it may not be necessary. Another factor is that it seems like many programs value the ability to shape the career of students coming straight from undergrad that they can see them the whole way through, so your situation certainly has some benefits! Good luck.

Ok, thanks everybody, I appreciate the input. I guess what I was afraid of is the possibility that a "lesser" school might worry that the person would turn down an offer of admission because of applications to "better" schools, and therefore decide not to offer it. I don't want to quantify schools, since the ones I'm applying to are more of less ranked equally in my mind for what I want to study-- but don't want to scare any schools into thinking I wouldn't accept, since I don't really know where I'll have the possibility to be admitted. Pretty sure I'm over thinking this!

I'm applying, and I'm hoping to have all of my materials in by November 1. I've encouraged my recommenders to do the same, but I can't blame them if they're not in by then-- it's crazy early.

I'm kind of uncomfortable with the question that some schools ask about where else you're applying. Does anyone have any insider information on how this information is used? I can't tell if it's better to be honest and show that I've done a lot of research to come up with the appropriate programs for my interest, or avoid showing all my cards. Thoughts?

I got into MA programs with low GRE math scores, but they weren't top tier ones. I've heard different things-- that GRE scores won't get you into schools, but could keep you out, that little attention is paid to math scores, and that some schools do pay attention, either because they want to keep their numbers up, or because they want to know that you can work hard and learn, even if it's something you're not good at or dislike. I was told by a POI at my top choice school that I'd be a good candidate to work with her, as long as my GRE scores were sufficient-- I'm hoping they pay more attention to verbal, because I took the GREs for a second time (after five years) last week, and even though I studied quite a bit, I got roughly the same score I did the first time. I'd say that you should do the best you can with it, but don't kill yourself over it. Great recommendations, writing samples, and personal statements will probably do more to distinguish you in the sea of applicants.

Marni Kessler at University of Kansas. Not sure if you're interested in MA or PhD, but UMass recently hired a new 19th century professor, Gulru Cakmak. That's a terminal MA, however.