Loseric

Well everyone, since the big day is tomorrow, how will you be spending today (aka, the last day of pre-HGSE admissions knowledge)? I'm going to try and distract myself with work as much as possible and hope the day goes by quickly. I have this big knot in my stomach already that just won't go away! And considering we have it narrowed down to tomorrow...would any current students like to tell us what time they got "the email" so we can (hopefully) narrow down the window even more?

Count me in as another one who will have to buy a new wardrobe! I feel silly saying this, but I actually bought my first grown up coat and boots this year and they have been incredibly handy on these grad school visits! I've been making progress on that front at least. Merrysoprano, I'm another big fan of the Coop. I was pretty spoiled by my undergraduate university's bookstore (4 floors of literary goodness!) but the Coop is just so cozy. (Well, maybe not the actual textbooks section - that part is kind of dumpy.) But the rest of the store, wow. I just love those windows they have overlooking Harvard Square. I could easily see myself holing up there during finals week...fingers crossed!

Hi eckielauren! Sorry I missed this post until now. Yes, I did visit Northwestern and I really loved it (yes, despite the frigid weather!) I was able to meet with the program director, my academic advisor, some current students, and interview for four internships. I was even able to sit in on a class at the end of the day, which was really great to see as a prospective student. (It was a really packed day, can you tell?) Everyone in the higher ed office was very helpful and informative and it felt like a great place to go to school. The one thing that really impressed me is that they made a real effort to pair me with internships that matched my interests. The admissions office did warn me that since I came earlier than the preview weekend, some offices might not be ready to interview, but I was pleasantly surprised by the interviews I did have and would have loved to work with just about all of them. While I'm a little sad I'll be missing out on all the official events and presentations during the preview days, I got a great sense of the school and program during my visit and I felt it was a little more authentic to see what a typical day is like at the school. While I still have other schools to visit, Northwestern is definitely in my number one slot now. I hope that's helpful for you! Are you going to attend the preview days? If so, I'd love to hear how they go!

Me too! You're not the only one, ASzofer! If only HGSE saw our dedication to their school via how many posts populate this thread each day, maybe they'd admit us all just for that. On second thought, they'd probably just be a little disturbed, lol. When asked where I'll be attending, I respond to everyone the same way: "well, I've been accepted to a lot of schools, but I'm still waiting to hear back from Harvard...oh, and for financial aid too." You'd think we'd all be a little more sure of ourselves with acceptances under our belts, but I think it also makes things a little scarier and more uncertain. You guys on Gradcafe keep me sane some days. It's so great having others who are in the same boat to commiserate and pass the time with. I don't know how I would have weathered this process without this forum.

This, a million times this! I never believed wind could make such a difference, but having experienced Chicago a week ago with windchills of below zero, I believe it now! That wind will CUT you. Thanks, emg! I agree the applications were intense - cover letters and even supplemental materials for each one? Seeing that the average was between 5-10, I applied to 8 but I felt like it wasn't enough. I'm sure the applicant pool is strong and I'm wondering if I'll measure up. Needless to say, I'm pretty nervous about how selective these assistantships are going to be!

Exactly! It does make you wonder if you want to invest into a program that's only lukewarm when it comes to important things. When I told one of recommenders (a former professor and a good friend of mine) I was applying to grad school, he advised to really pay attention to the communication with both the school and professors, and said that was a good predictor of what it would be like to attend school there. That advice has been ringing in my head as I was applying and now as I consider my admissions offers. It sucks that there's not much information on your program out there. It seems like TC is high on your list, so if you can, I would ask them to put you in touch with current students so you can hear what they have to say about the program. Straight from the horse's mouth, to use a hackneyed phrase.

wjdavis, I agree wholeheartedly. I've only dealt with Higher Ed and admissions, but they were both pretty cold. On the other hand, Penn GSE (and other schools) really extend themselves and couldn't be more helpful and informative if they tried. As an applicant, that means a lot to me and factors into my decision making.

I also applied to Columbia, but I have to say I'm not terribly impressed with them so far. They're really bad at responding to emails (often directing to the FAQ in a snobby sort of way, like it's a bother for them to answer your question), the whole housing app thing, and now it looks like they will be the last to give their decisions and way behind everyone else, no less. Maybe it's just me, but I get a bad vibe.

emg and nicolemae, you'll have to tell me what you guys think of Michigan after your visits! I won't be able to attend Michigan's preview day but I applied to several assistantships and am waiting to hear back from them. (Was it just me or was that process ridiculously complicated? Yikes.) I'm very interested to hear how their preview day goes. As a warm weather climate native who braved some Midwestern snow recently, just wanted to say good luck and have a safe trip! Bundle up and stay warm!

I've been out of town for the last week and a half (visiting Northwestern and other stuff I had to take care of) and haven't visited Gradcafe as religiously as I do when I'm home. Wow, I've missed so much! Now I see you guys are busy trying to hack into HGSE's admissions system Too good! I also see nothing wrong with "improving" their admissions procedures. I find it hard to believe that there's just a few more days left until we hear back from HGSE. It seemed like it was so far off back in January when I submitted my app and now it's almost here. I haven't been as focused on it as I normally am, but now that I'm back home and things are back to normal, I'm sure the nerves will amp up again. Hang in there, everyone! We're almost there!

A little late to the party, but I also heard back from Penn last week! It was an eerie coincidence, I got the email to check my applicant status at 12:30am after a looong day of visiting Northwestern and interviewing for assistantships there. It's almost like they knew what I was up to! I was really excited to see that I received a $13,500 scholarship as well (though no GA, but I see those are figured out during the preview days). The tuition isn't cheap, but that certainly takes a big bite out of it! Penn is definitely one of my top choices. I want to attend preview days also, now just looking into booking the travel that will make it happen! Congrats to everyone else who was accepted!

Yup, I'm another last minute submission person, though my name is near the front of the alphabet. Funny story: they actually called my home number first and talked to my mom and asked her for my cell. (Not sure why they didn't just call that first, it was on my app!) They didn't tell her anything, but she was bragging that she knew before I did.

I'm out of town right now so I'm typing this on the fly from my phone - please excuse any errors due to over excitement! I got my call from Stanford about an hour ago! I wasn't expecting to hear so early in the week so I was very stunned and almost didn't know what to say when they told me the news! It still hasn't hit me yet but I do know I am very excited and grateful. Yay! Also, much props to Stanford for telling their admits by phone...the personal touch is really impressive. Congrats to highered2013! Are you going to attend the preview weekend?

I was accepted to Northwestern last month, and I'm going to visit this week. (Can't attend the visitation days due to another commitment - wish I could, the schedule looked great!) I'm really looking forward to hearing more about the program and getting a feel for the campus, as I, too, am a big fan of the program. I'll report back after my visit!

Congrats, emg! Those letters are the best.

Congrats on the acceptance, Minnow! That's great news. I agree with the comments that the longer we waited to submit the app, the more loosely the 4 week response time will apply. I submitted my app on 1/15 and got an email back saying it was complete and sent for review on 1/16 though, so who knows? I had been emailing Admissions with another question, and my heart skipped a beat when the person I was emailing with emailed me back and said funny story, I'm actually submitting your app right now. Eek! Sometimes I think the less you know about the process, the better, lol.

Now that we've reached mid-February, I'm starting to get even more nervous because now it really feels like crunch time. I heard from four schools in the span of a week or so, and silence since then. Even though I appreciate the emotional break, it's making me paranoid as to what I might hear soon. I know that most schools are operating on a four week response time window (or claim they are), so I think most of us will be hearing back very soon. I'm pretty anxious about what's to come. Anybody else feeling the same way?

Interesting (though not terribly surprising) that HGSE doesn't provide much in the way of financial aid or assistantships. I guess they're banking on the "who can say no to Harvard?" school of thought. Still, that kind of sucks. I'm fortunate enough to have no debt from undergrad and money saved for this purpose, but it's still a hard pill to swallow. Nicolemae, thanks for the inside info on Vanderbilt assistantships. I may have to give them a closer look, because the idea of graduating debt-free is very appealing.

I agree! Maybe I'm being silly and optimistic, but I was thinking how nice it would be if most of us got in and could have a meetup at HGSE's preview weekend. Grad Cafers IRL! As a followup to that sentiment, obviously we all want to get in, but if you got in - how definite would you all be on attending? HGSE isn't cheap, and I know loans/debt are a huge consideration for most of us. Would you find a way no matter what or would you go to another school if they gave you better aid/fellowships/etc.? I've seen the US News stats, but where's the Peterson's break down?

The acceptances emails are nice and all (heh, why wouldn't they be?) but terribly anti-climactic, like you guys described above. The other thing that bugs is that we pay $50+ in application fees to these schools and they can't even shell out .42 (or whatever the heck it is now!) for an acceptance or rejection letter? As a little birdie once said, "cheap cheap"! I did like receiving my GRE score immediately - way better than waiting a month or two for the SATs or APs! It was such a stressful day and test and I was just so happy to be done with it and know where I stood in terms of potentially retaking. I will admit that it took me quite awhile to work up the nerve to click the "view score" button, though!

I thought I was the only one who didn't like the whole email/online notifications thing! I miss the days of the thin/thick envelope and knowing exactly what you were getting into, but I was afraid of posting and embarrassing myself. I've been accepted to three schools so far, and only received a "big envelope" from Northwestern - have to say it was exciting to get, though! Also not a big fan of the randomly timed email decisions. At least when one applies to college, you know the acceptances will come during a certain time/month. With grad school, you never know what you're going to get when you open your inbox!

This describes me to a T! Sometimes I've very positive (thinking about my other acceptances and being reassured that I probably am a decent candidate) and other times I'm completely filled with doubt about getting in. Thanks for the detailed info, Dan. That really narrows it down, which helps this nervous one a lot. Fingers crossed that they follow the pattern this year, too!

Oh, man, I thought I had it bad - we're leaving on a short vacation on March 8th with no access to internet during that time. So, needless to say, I am PRAYING we hear before the 8th too, but for a different reason. I can't imagine having the decision delivered on my birthday - what a day to remember! Happy early birthday, btw! I used to think the one year length was one of the program's strengths, for both financial and time considerations. While I'm still a fan, after reading about all the opportunities and courses HGSE has that I want to take advantage of, I'm beginning to feel badly there's only one year to enjoy them! #firstworldproblems, anyone?

Ouch...that kind of elitism isn't cool either. FWIW, I think CQE was trying to majorly lighten the mood around here. We're all in the same boat, guys - anxious waiting to hear from Harvard and a little on edge. No need to be snippy and put others down. And, to stay on topic and just in case I get accused of being a lowly masters program applicant, just wanted to wish all of you the best of luck. I admire the way you all handled the interview hoax yesterday - that took class and nerves of steel. Good luck, all!

Ditto, CQE! I visited Boston and Harvard for the first time last May and just fell in love. Went to an info session, talked to staff, and wandered the campus and that did it for me. I even geeked out by checking out my program's textbooks in the bookstore - silly, but that cemented that this is what I want to do with my life. That whole experience is what inspired me to apply to grad school and I'm so glad I did. I've visited Boston a few times since then (BF lives there) and Harvard/Harvard Square is always a must visit on those trips. So, needless to say, I would just love to go there...it's definitely my #1 choice. As another who read last year's HGSE thread (in the name of research, of course! ), I also predict we'll be hearing the first week of March, by the 8th at the latest. I hate to wish time away, but come on, March!