uromastyx

Indeed, Irvine has a theoretical focus, but Washington also offers this aspect. I believe the latter has a certificate. I think this decision will truly be a matter of personal preference. Which fits you best? Which faculty best align with your interests? Placement? Hopefully you can visit each and see which fits. Also, please do add your notifications to the results board to help document the method/date of these programs.

yuuup. my rejection from Brown came today as well. had i not gotten into my #1 i'd be suuuper bummed about not get in at #2-#5. such is life. we can't win them all. i didn't apply to NYU.

Because they haven't made their final decision. They state it clearly, since they can't confirm your admission. 'Shortlist' means they have narrowed down their applicant pool and you are still in the running.

No. I assume they actually mean 'shortlisted.' They have not yet made a decision, but you are of interest to them. They are basically asking if you still have an interest in their program if they were to make you an offer.

Has anyone heard from their prospective college?

The exception proves the rule. To advise people on the GRE based on a few that got by (who no doubt have a strong overall application) is not a helpful approach. Your story may not be uncommon, but it's also not common. Last year I was rejected from all program I applied to. I contacted two. They told me I had a strong application and needed to retake the GRE. When I inquired further about other possibilities to strengthen my application they both reiterated "RETAKE THE GRE." The particular program and particular adcomm will always make a difference. But I truly do not understand rolling the dice on this. It makes no sense. No sound advisor would look at a 30th percentile score and say, "no worries, don't retake." If you all wish to stay in academia then it will be your duty to position your students to do as well as possible, that includes submitting strong GRE scores. Surely people should be aware of the possibility to be successful with holes in one's application. But for the massive amount of people that apply ill prepared, glimmers of hope don't help to position them. Honest advice to improve is what they need. I repeat: anyone who fails to heed this warning is at a huge disadvantage. For the record, Captain Crunch, congrats on acceptance. Since you're listing UNC I assume it was (close to) your top choice. Congrats!!

Agreed, be prepared to speak with the professor. Even if they don't want an "interview" you should use this opportunity to your advantage. Show up with some questions.

I think it's totally ok, though I doubt it happens frequently. Departments understand that funding can play a huge role in a decision. If you're number one choice hasn't made you a great offer then it's quite acceptable to say, "Listen, you are my number one choice. I would like to commit to you, but funding is a concern for me. School X has offered me $$. Can you match this offer?" I don't think this will work well for all schools, but as long as it's polite the worst case scenario is that you attend your #1 choice with a bet less than you were hoping for. This approach certainly works better with programs that have (access to) money. Also, don't create a bidding war. Do this only for one school.

I had a writer offer to write me a letter when I mentioned my interest in applying to PhD programs after my MA. The person was a prof at a school that I had not attended, but was applying to for the PhD. We had a great relationship over the past two years. I provided them with a packet of materials that included a list of programs with deadline dates. We discussed this list in person and the letter writer had no problems with this, said the number of programs was fine. The recommender submitted every letter very efficiently and then sent me a hate email after each one, literally starting with the first program. It would range from saying they were too busy for this, to name calling, to "you owe me SO MUCH for this," to "I never want to see you again." Complete psycho stuff. I would email them back apologizing and reminding them that they were very eager to write these letters and agreed to all the programs and dates multiple times. The recommender would then apologize and recommit. But I'd get another absurd hate email after nearly each time. It was a terrifying experience and created a great deal of stress, as I feared it would affect my applications. I sure am glad that's over with! Why is this crazy stuff so common?!?!?!

I provided all of my letter writers with my CV, copies of my SOPs, two writing samples, a list of programs with the POIs and explanations for why I wanted to work with these people, transcripts, and copies of my teaching evaluations. An applicant can always provide information to letter writers without personally writing the letter. During my UG and MA I've solicited letters from about 10 separate individuals for applications/scholarships/grants. None have ever asked me to write my own LOR. All of the people that I've spoken with find this concept unacceptable. Often times it is precisely because the recommender doesn't want to spend the time or simply doesn't know the applicant. If it is a matter of knowing the research of the applicant, this information - most of which ought to be included in the prospectus/proposal - can be given to them. Providing such materials is MUCH different from personally writing the letter. Nevertheless, it places the applicant in a terrible position to comment on their own performance. I would hate to try to do this for myself, so I'm glad that no one has requested it of me. Upon soliciting the LOR I always mention that I will provide a folder containing the aforementioned materials (or any others of relevance). If I were still asked to write it myself I would give strong consideration to finding a different letter writer. But, if I had no one else, or if they were a potentially strong LOR, I would certainly write my own letter. But I wouldn't be thrilled about it. If I'm ever a prof, I hope I don't ever ask a student to write their own letter. I feel it defeats the purpose.

You mention that you don't have much time to study for the retake. If you honestly feel this way then I would reconsider spending the $175 for a retake. If you wish to retake it then you really must commit to serious studying. That Verbal should be somewhat within range for the schools you're interested in (although bringing it up would certainly help), and although the Quant isn't as important to your field, it is quite low. I also agree that it's important to address the matter of grades with as few words as possible.

Many people don't accept an acceptance after being waitlisted because it can feel awkward and the school didn't have them as a top choice. You also mentioned that the PI didn't show much interest in you. Your situation seems a bit more shady. You may not want to work with people that you don't trust, regardless of the reasons that you feel that way.