bateauivre

I was interviewed for CUNY today. :/
 
We'll see what happens...

Hi (I am newish but...). I got unofficially accepted into Rutgers's comparative literature program over the phone last week. I think, though, that they are still in the process of sending out notifications/interviewing now, judging from what the DGS told me when I talked to her again this week. 
 
Good luck with both!

Ok, Hilarious! :D 
 
And regarding what ThePope said (God, that statement sounds so tacky!), I've heard the same thing from many others. Personally, from what I experienced last year, if you don't hear back till the first 2 weeks of March, be happy cause you're certainly not rejected. But if it goes into the end of March and then April, then be worried. The first mails that are sent out are the rejects, so don't worry. You're name is still on the 'Under Consideration' pile! The ones who already have got their admits needn't necessarily be tier-I students. They can be students whose research work EXACTLY matches that of their POI, or students who've already contacted their POI beforehand and discussed possible studentship. Others are considered after their places have been filled.
 
Bottomline: It's not yet time to worry

I went to Princeton last week for the Recruitment Weekend, so apparently I am Tier 1 for them. BUT at the same time I am not Tier 1 for NYU, Yale, Columbia, CUNY, and Rutgers???

I went to Princeton last week for the Recruitment Weekend, so apparently I am Tier 1 for them. BUT at the same time I am not Tier 1 for NYU, Yale, Columbia, CUNY, and Rutgers???

I had an interview at Steinhardt for a PhD program recently. 

You're not alone. Everyone feels this way. The only commitment to be made during this time is to oneself and April 15. Everything you feel is normal for someone going thru this phase of the application process.

I'm not sure that this answers anything for you, but I'll share a bit of insight gleaned from a close friend of mine who works in Georgetown's admissions office. Bear in mind this is only guaranteed true in Georgetown's case, but I've got to believe they aren't the only ones who operate like this.
 
Applicants are generally sorted into tiers. Tier 1 applicants are those with STELLAR credentials, like, 4.0 GPAs from Harvard, perfect GRE scores, etc. They get their acceptance letters first, and fastest. Then there is a lull. The admissions office waits to hear back from those before offering or denying anyone else. If they get a lot of Tier 1-ers to accept their offers, then only a very limited Tier 2 applicants are accepted. Conversely, if half of Tier 1-ers decline admission, that leaves room for plenty-- if not all-- of the Tier 2 applicants. Rinse and repeat this process for Tier 2 versus Tier 3, until eventually all open spots are filled.
 
Basically, they prioritize applicants, giving the best first chance to decline/accept and working their way down. Obviously if you have a 2.0 GPA you're simply rejected outright. There are, of course, universal standards. But assuming you're a semi-decent candidate, the above explanation is how it works.
 
So if you haven't heard anything yet, that isn't a good OR bad thing. What it means, in my (limited) experience, is that you have not been rejected outright. Which is good. You must have decent credentials. But it also means you haven't been accepted outright along with the Tier 1 applicants, either. It's entirely probable you're in Tier 2 or something and your fate will depend, at least partly, on how many Tier 1 applicants accept.
 
I hope this was coherent. Try not to stress over it, in either case-- you'll be all right no matter what happens, as there's always next year if the worst transpires, and that one year can make a huge difference. You've done all you could for now.
 
Very best of luck, my friend!

Nothing so far, but I still have 4 interviews/visits to do in February, so I'm really only waiting to hear back from Yale at this point. The wait is definitely killing me though.
 
And good luck to you too!

Good idea, Faraday!  I'm currently listening to some crazy-good old recordings from the '30s and '40s!
 
"I'll Never Smile Again" - Frank Sinatra and the Tommy Dorsey Band

Thanks so much. I applied to the program in Spanish and Portuguese... So far no more news, so I am really counting on getting an offer from Princeton after my interview next week... How about you, any offers of admission?
Good luck! 

ACM88 - any specifics you can share about the Yale FES process would be great (applying next year). How did you learn they do not conduct interviews? Did you ever visit before applying and how has your POI contacting gone? I'm planning on contacting POIs this Spring/Summer.
 
Thanks and Good Luck!

@Vader Was Framed: I can't say that I know a whole lot about the process, despite all I've tried to do to get information on it. I contacted my POI back in November and expressed interest in his lab group, which led to an informal phone call and an invitation to visit the campus and his lab. He is the one who told me that FES doesn't do formal interviews. I did take a trip out there for 3 days in December and had a good time mingling with others in the department and speaking to my POI and his students. Overall, it was very amicable and enjoyable. I don't know if my visiting is something that will bring favorable opinions during the admissions process, but I'm hoping it does. I don't know all that much about the process, but I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best.
 
Good luck to you too! Let me know if you have any more questions, since TGC is a great distraction from this whole thing.

I think it might depend on the program you're applying for. I've submitted applications to Yale and Columbia for their Environmental Studies or Ecology departments. I know that at Yale and Columbia, these departments don't interview candidates, but my POI at Yale said they hope to have admissions decisions made by early February. And as far as I can tell from past admissions submissions on this site, Columbia doesn't make their decisions until mid/late February and March.
 
I hope this helps!

Thought this was pretty funny...if all else fails, I might get inspired to do the same!

Dear Admissions Committee:
Having reviewed the many rejection letters I have received in the last few weeks, it is with great regret that I must inform you I am unable to accept your rejection at this time.
This year, after applying to a great many colleges and universities, I received an especially fine crop of rejection letters. Unfortunately, the number of rejections that I can accept is limited.
Each of my rejections was reviewed carefully and on an individual basis. Many factors were taken into account - the size of the institution, student-faculty ratio, location, reputation, costs and social atmosphere.
I am certain that most colleges I applied to are more than qualified to reject me. I am also sure that some mistakes were made in turning away some of these rejections. I can only hope they were few in number.
I am aware of the keen disappointment my decison may bring. Throughout my deliberations, I have kept in mind the time and effort it may have taken for you to reach your decision to reject me.
Keep in mind that at times it was necessary for me to reject even those letters of rejection that would normally have met my traditionally high standards.
I appreciate your having enough interest in me to reject my application. Let me take the opportunity to wish you well in what I am sure will be a successful academic year.
SEE YOU IN THE FALL!
Sincerely,
Paul Devlin
Applicant at Large

One of my schools has an early deadline AND requires some snail mail of materials, so I just mailed off packet and immediately started crying (ok, maybe not immediately -- I held it in until privacy of home)

So exhausted, and it's only my first app!

The next 30 days (I figure I'll be finalizing and checking app status over the next month for all the rest of my schools) are going to be torture, and that doesn't even count the torture that starts at the end of February when schools start notifying and the results board starts lighting up (metaphorically).

Those of you for whom this is your first application season: best of luck! Those of you for whom this is your second+ time through: ugh, here we go again, and good luck!

I sent you a PM.

I suppose someone who has successfully reapplied might be able to speak to this better, but I’m not sure I like the way your essay begins. You certainly want to highlight what you have done since being rejected last year, but it would feel more appropriate later in the essay I think.
 
Also, the essay is well-written overall, but I would have a native English speaker review it if possible, as there are a few awkward grammatical constructions peppered throughout. For example, the first sentence should read “This is the second time I am applying to NYU”. Another awkward sentence is "I envision my long-term career goal as a scholar that..." That could be rewritten a number of different ways, including "My long-term goal is to become a scholar who..."