MissTrace

Congrats everyone! I'm going to Rutgers to work on syntax/semantics. I've received tons of support and new knowledge from this forum. Thank you so much!

Hi again everybody! I would like to share with you the good news that I finally got off Rutger's waiting list! Thanks for your prompt decisions! I wish all of you have heard or will hear good news too! I think I am displaying symtons of Phonolog-Syndrome: I can't really trust the news before receiving the official letter :-)

Congrats 1000x Phonolog! But U Michigan does offer you funding, right? I ask this because you include it in the "all unfunded" group.

Hey I feel you! Having been on 3 waiting lists since early Febraury, I felt frustrated at the beginning but busy work has maked things much easier recently. Can't wait to enter lucky April with all of you guys!

I think last year (or a few years back) someone said in this forum that he got rejected by half of the PhD programs he applied but when his paper was published he got accepted into all the remaining programs. But I can't recall whether he applied straight from undergraduate or not. You can check the Linguistics 201X thread for more accurate information.

Thanks ladyling and Phonolog! I will email Stony Brook and ask for a possible extension. Haven't thought about this option before because I really don't want to make them feel bad. It's clear now that it will be worse to me and to them if I withhold my situation. Honesty is always the right direction! I've just realize that I might be implicitly affecting other people's preference by telling them mine in such a way. I would like to clarify that Stony Brook is NOT a safety school for me (btw my safety has rejected me...) nor do I suggest anybody treat it as one. Their research is interesting and their atmosphere is excellent. Their graduate students are very kind and informative (of course, nobody can defeat fuzzylogician, in my opinion). I happen to know that they are hiring experimental/computational experts. I believe they will grow into a stronger program in the near future. If I finally land there, I will be very happy. My preference to go elsewhere is only based on research match and some other personal reasons (my boyfriend is planning to apply for a visiting position in MA). Lastly, there is only less than a month and (hopefully) every uncertainty will be cleared. Let me offer my best wishes to people that are still waiting (esp. Phonolog and mq1) or debating.

It seems that this board has been relatively quiet recently. Maybe everyone's busy with decisions. I have a question that bothers me for a while and would like to ask here. Hopefully someone can help me figure out the dilemma. I've contacted some programs that put me on the waiting list and some of them told me that I had pretty good chances. However, they also told me that their decision could come after April 15. Having read too many stories about false good news, I am very cautious about whether or not I should wait after April 15 without accepting any offer at hand. Someone suggested to me that I could actually commit to an offer before April 15 and withdraw when I receive a better offer. I know that this can free most of the worries from me but I'm not sure if it is an advisable thing to do. Neither the person who offered the suggestion nor I is familiar with the U.S. system, so if this is something unethical, please pardon me.

If I have any remaining luck with my other schools, let it go to you. I genuinely hope that you get into Michigan! Although I agree with fuzzylogician that you should sort things out with UCSC, I suggest you do it carefully and never let them think that you are desperate because of the recalled offer. Show them that you are a mature and respectful scholar and make them feel (without telling them explicitly) that it is their lack of luck in not being able to admit you. The academia is so small, a few years later you will be dealing with these people again to get a position. If there's no hope getting into this department now, tell them you respect their decision, plus that you will be happy to work with them even if you study elsewhere. This is basically how I deal with my wait-list notification. My impression with linguistics professors is that they are genially helpful and kind-hearted people. They might have some hard-to-mention reasons (especially if departmental politics is involved) in your case. So if they really can't offer you a good justification. Let them go. Lastly, give them another chance and don't sue them this time :-)

How can this shit happen? Have u accepted the offer from UCSC and declined other offers? I would sue them if this is the situation! Definitely don't feel bad if you can still go elsewhere. It sucks!

I just saw one for linguistics. Super nervous now. Hope you get into your dream program Afraymi. And best of luck for everyone waiting out there! I will keep all of my fingers and toes crossed.

Oh thanks! I will definitely get a data plan. Hope my 4-year-old iPhone will bring me some good news so the data plan is worth the money Btw I just found another rejection from Rutgers posted on the result page. Not sure why they are kicking people out of the waiting list at this stage...

Hi everyone! How likely will those programs call you to tell you that you get off the wait-list? I'm actually asking about the chance of being CALLED rather than the chance of being accepted because I have recently changed my mobile phone number (a bad idea, I know, but it's irreversible). So now my number does not match the one I put on my CV when I applied. Do you think I should email these programs and tell them this change? I know that MIT and UConn like to give surprise calls but I'm not waiting for their decisions. So far I have not been called by any of the programs where I am expecting some news. Another thing is that I'm going for a conference trip in early April for a week (1/4 - 8/4, a bad idea, I know, but it's irreversible) so I won't be able to reply emails promptly. I don't know how bad the situation will be but I assume I can check my email at least once a day. Do you think I should also notify them this matter? My common sense tells me that I should definitely notify them both issues timely. But part of me really appreciates the economy principle of procrastination and I definitely don't want to annoy those people who already have a lot of work to deal with. What would you do if you were me?

Hi mq1 I think you need not worry too much. Have you checked the result page for more information? Judging from the fact that the only acceptance of last year came out on 11 April, I would entertain the possibility of "short-listed" over "wait-listed". In any case, I will prepare well and rock the faculty. If I were you, I would try to ask *politely* for possible financial/housing support. You may have some clue for the size of the short-list judging from their reply (e.g., if funding is provided, the number of invitees tend to be smaller...) Good luck! I wish you are greeted "Congratulations! You are IN!" when you land there.

Nor did I. 340 applicants... Only slightly less competitive than getting into a decent PhD program.

So Afraymi you prefer UMD to Cornell? But Cornell provides support for the summer too, according to what you posted earlier.

Bravo! I love you Phonolog! Thank you on behalf of all the wait-listed applicants!

Thanks for the reply Omnium. He said he's applying for McCawley Fellowship so that might be a bit different from other fellowships. I have applied but heard nothing too. Best wishes to your application!

Hey have any of the fellowship applicants heard back from LSA? My friend has received an email from the fellowing committee asking for a conversation (interview?). Has anyone been interviewed before or will anyone be interviewed? Is it normal for them to ask for an interview? Many thanks for your help!

Thanks! I have the impression that the waiting list is just a softer form of rejection. Not that many syntax students like UMass. I guess that's why I am wait-listed and not flat-out rejected. I actually plan to turn myself into a semanticist when I land there. Maybe they have discovered my conspiracy and decided not to give me the chance...just kidding haha! If you applied to UMass as a semantics student, I think it is normally more challenging than you apply as a syntax/acquisition student. So don't take this as reflection of your inadequate ability. I personally take this to mean that I can work harder. I plan to add 15mins' reading time daily for every rejection I receive. So if I'm rejected by all the four programs that wait listed me, I will read one additional hour each day throughout my life. I can imagine how fruitful it is! I perfectly understand your feeling. Rejection is so difficulty to take. You need to re-establish your self-image and even re-plan your future. But if you can cope with rejection successfully, it might be instrumental to your personal growth. My experience is that among the faculty members in my current program, those who have been rejected are maturer, easier to work with, and more productive. Somehow those who have got into every program are more self-centered, harder to communicate, and less productive. This could be only a co-incidence due the small sample size. No offense to the successful applicants in this forum.

They said that they have 141 people competing for 8 slots. But they did not mention how many offers they actually sent.

I'm confused. Have they not made their decision? I thought they have sent the offers and are waiting for the admitted students to respond. What do they plan to do on Feb 27?

Yes, but the reply is kind of vague. They asked me to join the Open House but I declined. I think it would be actually helpful if you can attend the Open House and impress them, especially your POI. I'm not going because of my class schedule and financial concerns. Thanks for the encouragement! I must admit that I'm getting tired of the waiting game. I have an impulse to withdraw my application from all the programs that wait listed me. Knowing that someone is with me definitely helps.

Linguo did you talk to the POI asking your chance. I am also on their waiting list but I am not hopeful. I've heard that they do not normally get people off the list, which I believe to be true.

Do you have close correspondence with the professors in all these programs? If not, you can simply accept the offer you want most and decline the rest. There is no risk losing anything. If you do have correspondence with some programs, then you have to worry about how to say no nicely. As for how to make a decision, I visit the websites and retrieve the track records of the recent alumni. I also look at the works of the existibg graduate students, checking if they have collaborations with the faculty members and among themselves. This gives a hint of the research atmosphere in the department. I will also email the existing graduate students asking if they feel good in the department and how XYZ(=your intended supervisor(s))'s style of supervision is. If both departments are equally excellent in all these respects, I will start looking at the cities and the funding package. I know that there are some good resources in the City page of this forum. Please pardon me if I am too frank. You've got excellent offers while there are people who are still waiting and sighing. Your words might have hurt the feeling of some of us here. I perfectly understand that it's hard to choose, but I believe you will make an excellent decision. after all, you are capable of getting these wonderful admissions : )

Hey funchaku congrats on all these nice offers! I have an off-topic issue to raise. Will you attend the open house of Rutgers? I somehow know that you will :-). Could you share some info about their department after your visit on Feb 27? I'm currently on their waiting list and would like to know how their department is like. Also, if you have a chance, could you help us (apparently there are at least 4 of us on that list) ask those 4 or 5 admitted students whether or not they plan to attend Rutgers? Tons of thanks! Though I envy your offers, I wish you all the wisdom in making a good decision on where to go. Hope your decision could free some of us from these lists, haha.