gelologist

Haven't applied, but the few results suggest rejects by mid-March and an acceptance was mid-Feb. I find a month to 6 weeks is usually about right at least for first round of things.

April?! And I thought end of August was bad haha. Of course, "poor sportsmanship" isn't recommended but I don't see why you shouldn't celebrate! Plus, if your classmates are friends, you'll each be happy for the successes the others have regardless. But at the very least DEFINITELY share with your advisors! (A) sounds like they're really invested in you and (B) they did a ton of work of LoRs anyway so good news is a positive reflection on them too; let them enjoy their contribution to the success too! Congrats on your acceptances @Pink Fuzzy Bunny and @rhombusbombus!!

@magnetite I'm with @Yunix here, I can't imagine that'd be counted against you. It's not exactly the same, but I actually just had a Skype interview with a POI despite one LoR being 24 hours late! Forgot to add, I saw a UCSD - Scripps Inst. Oceanography (geophysics) result on the boards as well!

Dang shoulda posted this when it first came up, still recovering from an interview today so practically forgot this thread! But I chuckled speaking of, anyone see excerpts of his Sarah Palin endorsement? L. O. L. ?

For the curious, I know UNR, Rice, Harvard, and Columbia are currently reviewing apps. Apparently, given the board activity, so are Penn State, CalTech, Stanford, and UT Austin; I bet more are as well. Best of luck to everyone; would love to hear people chime here in as they get news!

Hey @CornUltimatum you've very welcome. Glad to hear it worked out for you, finding the app status page. I admit (again) their site is weird. But I got an automatic email confirming my submission so at least I know the right email address is on file; I figure I'll just wait till something pops up there! Yeah, maybe see you in Reno; would be fun to know the incoming cohort from TGC beforehand

I always felt guilty for that time I finished a 26 oz jar of Nutella in 4 days one summer (I was running a LOT, plus it went so well with everything...apples, strawberries, toast......) and my gf still won't let me forget it. Until now!

+1 to OP. People complaining doesn't take away from any success, but does just kind of suck to read. to this^ I'd love to see comments include whether or not their accept/reject came after a waitlist decision. Mods, any way to add this as a function to the result submissions page?

I actually also applied to UNR, and for geology as well! First off, that screen shot doesn't really look familiar to me: I go to my.nevada.unr.edu and then I log in with the NSHE ID sent to me after I submitted my app, and the password I created. One time I ended up on the application site, but usually I'm taken to the dashboard (screen shot attached), from where I can then see my application status. If it makes you feel better, when I access the admissions portal from unr.edu/grad/admissions, it shows that I don't have any applications at all, but the MyNevada > My Application > Application Status page shows that it's under review by the dept. Results survey would suggest that, if interviews happen, people hear in early Feb, with decisions usually coming in end Feb to early/mid March, and usually via email. So I'd guess it's a quirk of the software, but not indicative of a larger problem. (Or, I could just be trying to convince myself ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ haha) Anyway, I'd say have faith. If you hear nothing in a month, that might be a good time to start asking...? My $0.02, hope it helps!

I didn't look this result up on the site, but don't forget about official vs unofficial acceptances: some people hear early from profs, others hear from the schools themselves via official communications.

Yeah, sounds maybe a bit low. But who knows, other factors like geography and all that certainly play a role. Certainly the economy helps a little, I think: with employment still improving, people are choosing jobs instead of school, which is very different than, for example, my first app cycle in 2013 when the federal sequester had just hit.

Haha this. Seriously, very slow. Makes it hard to gauge when to start stressing full-time, since I don't think I'm quite at the point yet

I find some profs want you to have the quant background, others just want someone who can learn. Recs: well, timeliness probably helps a bit but the ones I had that were 1-2 days late are the same schools that have been in contact since the deadline (including a visit offer) so its probably not awful. Again school dependent though.

Sorry, on mobile, not sure why a quote block published. Anyway, seems like some results are starting to come out....!! :nail biting:

I've only ever had informal visits, and they were with my POI. Talked a bit about projects etc., met their students, saw the labs, that was really it. Then again, as soon as I got there I knew that place probably wasn't going to be a good fit, and I ended up not even applying. (Though I'm kicking myself a little because I probably should've applied anyway...oh well.) That said, I have a visit day coming up and that school told me in the email to expect a full day "meeting professors and other grad students". So I would say know what people do work similar to yours, brush up on it a little, be able to talk about your interests (especially those that are relevant to the department and your POIs) and some things that excited you in the field recently, e.g. papers you read, not all of which necessarily need to be by authors from that school. Make sure you check all the relevant webpages too, (a) to get info and be up to date, and (b) to avoid asking questions easily answered by a little online digging. Maybe having a few questions would be good, too, like where have students gone after graduating, or what happens during the "down-time" of the summer months - are you funded, expected to do research, etc? Story: my dad knew a prof in school who'd interview people, say "thanks" and then take them out to lunch. The only part of the interview the prof cared about was lunch because that's when he found people were themselves. Don't forget professionalism at every turn! Anyone else with more visit day experience care to chime in?

I think at a certain point, most people have some kind of online presence. I know I have a LinkedIn and a ResearchGate (honestly it's half so I can keep my own stuff together) and particularly these days, it's probably good to let someone look you up easily to get a feel for you. It's intended more for people looking for tenure, but I found this Earth Science prof's blog-hosted list of suggestions to at least offer some perspective (e.g. number 9 in the second list): http://downtoearthquestions.blogspot.com/2013/07/some-advice-on-how-to-get-tenure-and.html

Your stats seem okay, given my cursory glance. Not to undermine this too much (promise!), I'd just counter-point that that faculty member's page shows his PhD as being received in 1966, and that he's an Emeritus, i.e. formally retired, even if he's still doing work in the dept. This means different things at diff schools, but I find it translates to "they'll be on committees, but aren't primary advisors anymore". Anyway, just cautioning @GeoMex and others I guess to vet any advice they receive for accuracy, and to beware changing statuses of faculty at schools. Older profs, for example, may have great experience and large professional networks, but I know I've been warned to double check that these professional contacts will still be *active* (and therefore useful) when you're graduating and looking for jobs, academic or otherwise. Nonetheless, given @CornUltimatum only just recently graduated, I'm sure their insight is valid. Plus at least it sounds like the guy does cool stuff: he could be a great springboard to getting in touch with a different POI within the same dept or uni!

My heart keeps skipping with all the spam that I keep hoping are app-related emails, but instead are just "FEELING LONELY AND LOOKING FOR SINGLES?" (no, I'm just looking for an acceptance) and "INCREASE YOUR PEEN SIZE BY THE LENGTH OF 3 FOOTBALL FIELDS" (if only there was a pill to increase my application patience that much...) Signed, An apparently "under-endowed [nerdy] single"

"so salty, can't even be a potato chip"

Yeah, this sounds like a good answer, and a good way also to keep your significant other involved in the admissions process. Thanks!

Hey all, Took a hiatus from TGC, but wanted to say thanks for the input! I also heard similar things from a PhD student friend of mine: email them, test the waters, otherwise no need to keep a full chat going from now until app deadlines or later, especially if the conversation is initially positive....after all, profs are awfully busy. Seems like that's the way to go. Good thing, too: it's one less thing to stress about, how to keep the email conversation alive and interesting

Hi @TakeruK Thanks! Weirdly, no, hers is actually a degree-seeking program. Even stranger, some of our programs are at the SAME schools, just different departments. Honestly, assuming grad student couples use each other for support, avoiding burnout, and maintaining productivity and happiness (anyone know if this is true?), I find it very odd that schools don't appear outwardly to consider the effect of such disparate admissions policies on applicants. That said, we'll just make the best of it as much as possible! You're right, she will have on-site interviews, at which point I should also have hopefully some acceptances +/- visits, and that's how we'll narrow our options. But still, I thought a game plan of some kind would be helpful. My initial feeling was exactly as you suggested: wait until a reasonable time before the deadline, and then see if I could obtain an extension. For anyone else who may be in a similar situation, particularly in future years, I'll let you know how things go! Fingers crossed... Interesting that schools included your spouse in events, TakeruK: do you mean, like interview weekends, or post acceptance recruitment events, or...? Thanks again for your input, regardless!

Hey all, I'm in a curious situation here. I'm applying to PhD programs most of which will likely want a response by April 15, pending acceptances. However, my fiancée's schools won't tell her if she's accepted until the end of April (it's an "industry" standard notification date for all schools across the board). Anyway, does anyone reckon it's possible to somehow have my response deadline delayed so she's not stuck going to whatever city I choose with the hope that she gets into the local program there two weeks later? (We coordinated our lists so all our options overlapped geographically.) I'd really like her and I to discuss our city choice as equals; she's my better half, and deserves to have her own professional aspirations after all! Alternative suggestions also would be welcome, though note that I think it's nearly impossible for her to "find out early". Thanks!

Also @sjoh I meant to ask what makes you think your GPA is too low for rice? Do they have a well established cutoff (in practice if not theory)? That said, keep your head up! I applied to programs once before, only got wait lists and rejects. A year wiser - Lordy me, I read my old essay and *I* wouldn't accept me! - and things turned around! (Now on my 3rd app cycle, ugh. Has anyone added up app fee costs? I did. It's terrifying!) Do you have connections at UH? I think that helps a lot; I've come to realize that that can mean a lot in academia: people trust the recs of those they know first and foremost. I saw a great post on Quora the other day about this, from a CS prof at Brown who has a page regarding tips for graduate school rec letter *writers*, basically saying things like "listen, be honest in your assessments, a big part is whether we TRUST your rec." A POI and a connection who are friendly...well, that'll count that much more. we all have faith in you!