uromastyx

First, congrats! Certainly you've met the criteria for admission. There is NO question there. That's excellent. But you probably weren't a 'priority' student. Sometimes it seems to be a matter of, they will take you, but don't want to (or can't, depending on how one sees it) pay for you. Some people will turn this down because it seems insulting (and often pricey!). Others feel that it's nothing personal. Of the people that I know that this has happened to none ended up taking the offer. It could also simply mean that they want a candidate to complete the master's first, to prove oneself, in a way. Best of luck with your decision.

Very cool! And the price tag with the Ivies reflects the amount of money there, and not always the quality of program. But 28K/year is suh-weet! I do know that Harvard does interviews. Did you get one? But I didn't apply to these schools In hindsight I should have applied to Harvard, Stanford, and Columbia. Such is life.

I applied to the German Studies track, but have already begun Swedish and would continue with Scandinavian Studies if I went there. As such, I would possibly look to switch to the German/Scandinavian PhD track.

I think this would look bad. And they probably wouldn't tell you. If I were an adcomm I would wonder why it is that you wanted to know. I would assume it's so that you could tailor your approach in some fashion. It shouldn't really matter who is on the adcomm. My advice is to refrain from inquiring.

These are both top programs, so no. It comes down to a lot more than an Ivy name. Indiana often ranks higher due to placement record. Placement record should also be a factor!

I received a letter, but the website has not been updated.

For me, the choice between UPenn and Penn St would be an easy one. But I agree, visits are great to get a feel for fit. The last thing one wants is to show and hate the place they've committed themselves to for 5+ years. I would think that if Brown did any interviews they'd interview everyone of interest. I'll just have to wait for my decision to arrive. Where were you in Germany?

Agreed, they are within range. Yet, I remain skeptical. Personally, I wouldn't roll the dice on that. But each applicant needs to decide how much time they are willing to spend and where that time is best spent. (It is true, some people spend a lot of time studying for a retake, but end up doing the same or even worse.) But I think the current climate is witnessing applicants with strong everything. Thus, it's a game of inches, so to speak. But there are always varying opinions regarding all of this, especially the GRE. And arguments for or against are always valid. But my vote remains with the retake.

Hmm, I understood that most schools in the UK (including Oxford) have one year taught programs (MSt) and two year research programs (MPhil), both including a diss component. But I did some more reading and it seems that, indeed, at Cambridge the MPhil is a one year, at Oxford it is usually a two year, and at most other institutions it is almost always a two year. These divergences are strange, indeed. Silly Cambridge Thanks for the info, wreckofthehope!

Yup, my Cornell rejection came in the mail today. If you got an interview from Brown then I'll assume they will reject me as well. I'm with you though, I'm thrilled to have received what I did, although a bit perplexed as to what some of these programs want. Will you be visiting any schools? Will you decline Penn State outright? I will be visiting some programs that I like in the US. I visited Oxford last summer and met with faculty. So at least I know I'd love it there. I work a lot with psychoanalysis, often with the context of gender and sexuality. I'm sure you've explored the works of the wonderful Judith Butler.

Agreed, it could backfire. And if I were a POI or adcomm I'd wonder why you hadn't requested a visit earlier. It probably should have been done, but before the application deadline. If I were you I would just wait and see.

Honestly, at this stage in the game it seems a bit desperate. Personally, I would not do this.

I hope you aren't visiting more than one school Honestly, I go a bit overboard, but I will read a well-known piece (if this is apparent), a recent piece, and anything that intersects my interests. For me, it's all about getting a sense of their approach to scholarship and their writing style. Thus, it's not so much to say that I've read their work (which is important) as it is to get a feel for MY interest in working with that person and to get a sense of whether I could really benefit from working with that person. Can this person support you intellectually? Can they help you to improve your writing?

I definitely agree!! The GRE is only part of an application, and mediocre scores might not prevent admittance. Nevertheless, it's not uncommon for programs to use GRE (and GPA) as a way to filter applications. Thus, it is certainly possible that a 'strong' application with low GRE scores might never be looked at. Even if it is looked at, these schools get plenty of excellent applications. It is thus also not uncommon for GRE scores to become a factor at the end. Either way, one really must take the GRE seriously. Particularly if top programs are the goal. Keep in mind, this will be the low end of what they're looking for. You'll want to shoot for scores above this.

I would contact them. It sounds like an acceptance. I would think that means the department has recommended admission to the graduate school.

This is true, they are not equivalent. The UK offers two separate master's degrees; the MSt and the MPhil. The MPhil is a two year research degree. The issue that might arise (in seeking a job) is precisely this matter of equivalency. It's a different system. Thus, different names and a lack of understanding of the UK system in the US. A UK master's won't hurt your chances of returning to the US for a PhD

Not necessarily. But people haven't been to vocal on the results sections this year. I hope that Yale comes through for you. And spots on the waitlist often open up, not to mention it sounds promising anyways! I'm guessing by your interests that UPenn isn't a great fit, but it's a strong school and I hear their funding packages are nice. My I ask how and when Cornell contacted you? I applied there as well, but have heard nothing. And Brown...

Hopefully someone in MPA can help out here, but I understand MPA programs to be extremely competitive. And you are looking at top schools. As such, I'd strongly recommend retaking the GRE. You will want to boost both scores if you can. Your TOEFL looks good though. Best of luck to you.

In most fields it depends on the program, that is, if they do interviews then you will (almost certainly) not get accepted if you weren't interviewed. Do you know if your programs hold interviews? If so, when is this typically done? I have a friend who is applying to clinical psych programs, and is expecting to hear about possible interviews this week. From what I understand, clinical psych programs almost always do interviews. Are there any psych people that can confirm/deny this?

What do you mean by this? It is not uncommon to expand upon the MA thesis during the PhD. This is, in fact, ideal for a lot of students, as it lays some of the groundwork for the diss. (It is precisely what I have done.) Nevertheless, many students change their direction entirely. This is also ok. If you and your advisor believe it worthy of pursuit then it probably is, but without more insight into your thesis and a formal diss prospectus it's hard for us to comment on your topic/approach.

I'm so glad someone has replied! Congrats on your acceptances. And sorry about your top choice. You have a strong list of schools! So did you apply for German Studies or philosophy?? So you're applying straight out of undergrad? I'm still waiting to hear from my top choices in the US, but I fear they might be rejections considering how late it's getting. I found out from an inside source that I wasn't accepted at Yale, which I was quite interested in. My first notification was from Oxford, which was my #1, so I'm happy about that. But I have to wait until the end of March to hear anything about possible funding (which is VERY slim). Taking my place without any funding at all might be financial suicide. So I'll be visiting some of the schools in the US to weigh my options. But the financial aspect has been keeping me up at night for 3 weeks. So I'm stressed like everyone else

I don't fully understand your question. Definitely contact the graduate directors and POIs about your interest in the program and/or working with them. I would NOT, however, bring up the low undergrad GPA during your correspondences. Save that for the SOP. Again, don't waste too much space on it. Your impressive performance in grad school will shine through.

If a writing sample is longer/shorter than the required length, I would (and did) email the graduate director well before the deadline. (I am saying this for future applicants). It's not usually a problem either way, however, but one graduate director did tell me to add a note to the top of the piece stating that I had been advised to to submit the (in this case) shorter piece. Again, perhaps it's not a problem. But not following basic application instructions could plant a negative seed or simply make a poor impression. Assuming that one can submit whatever they'd like, when there are clear instructions, is never a good idea, IMO. However, i think it'd be less of an issue to have a slightly longer writing sample than a SOP that's too long.