christakins

Congrats, ypink! IMO Chapel Hill/Carrboro is pretty expensive. Not NYC expensive but in terms of rentals a house will run you $1200+ and most apartments are in the $900+ range. You can find cheaper stuff but you have to look a bit harder. Having a partner and/or housemate will help offset cost. Durham is a bit cheaper but then you have a commute. That said, I find the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area pretty charming.

Welcome, Carolinahopeful (though in a way you are already here)! Hope to meet you all in April. Feel free to PM with any questions--I'm a grad student in the Eng dept.

You might look into the the Theory and Cultural Studies program (TCS) at Purdue and the Literature program at Duke.

Not surprised. This is not unlike other universities in conservative areas. I don't want to name names, but feel free to PM me if you want details.

I'm a big fan of being genuine and honest, yet formal to start. Like CarolineKS, I kept my greeting very formal. However, I made a note to express how excited I was about my POI's work and how it's helped inform my own, where I think we might go in the future, etc. Our interests intersect beyond scholarship via activism and our personal stories, so I asked him more about that and shared my experiences. I'd say be as real as possible and as polite as possible without sounding like a robot. *insert "profs are people too" here*

Yep, ditto. I even emailed a POI and was thrilled to receive an enthusiastic email back about how much he would "absolutely love" if I could join them at UNC. I didn't really temper my excitement. I received an offer a few days later. If you want in, and you really want in, I'd be sure to let your waitlist school know.

So so happy for you! Woo!!!!

I made it off one just a few days after being waitlisted--about two weeks ago. I think it depends on the program. I spoke to my POI on the phone, who was kind enough to send a congratulatory email once he heard I'd been admitted, and he spoke to a situation a few years ago where this particular university had too many people accept their offer. Thus, to keep the cohort down to manageable numbers, available funding, etc. they began extending fewer offers from the jump. This of course means their waitlist tends to be active far sooner than some other schools. I think it's fine to have weekly check-ins with the DGS wherever you're waitlisted. Yep, I agree with Ramus--mid-March seems about right. I think many people want to visit before making a decision, and open houses typically run through mid-March.

Thanks, empress-marmot. I took a day to process and cry a little but I'm over it now. Onwards and upwards! No idea about the ethics of adcoms either. I still advocate politely contacting POIs regardless of perceived ethics.

Here's a story: I was wait-listed at a program two years ago (right out of undergrad) and then flat out rejected this year with my MA. It really walloped me. I have a couple of other strong offers, so it's not that I have nowhere to go it's just I KNOW my app was stronger this round. Come to find out two of my POIs (one of which even flagged my app for the DGS) weren't on the committee this time. Thus my rejection, I presume. So yeah, committees can vary a whole heck of a lot year-to-year.

In off the waitlist at UNC-Chapel Hill! Wasn't expecting this so soon--absolutely floored. CarolineKS, there's movement already! Much to be hopeful about!

Ohhhhh that's my field! Maybe this will bring me good news... I notice you're in Portland--I did my BA at Portland State. Were you in the English dept.? I loved my experience at PSU! Feel free to DM me if you wanna connect. And best of luck wherever you choose, lo.lee.ta.

Woo! Feel free to DM me.

In the same boat. I know that doesn't answer your question whatsoever but hey, camaraderie. Fingers crossed for both of us! Will you be going to visiting weekend in March? I plan to attend.

UNC-Chapel Hill (PhD): 15 accepted, 266 applied. Columbia (PhD): 19 accepted, 543 applied.

Late to the party but I too now have the option to withdraw my app.

Still silent on my end. I checked my app through Duke's website and it says "No Notifications." I'm assuming rejection for piece of mind. Onward!

Nothing positive or negative on my end thus far. I'm taking this as a bad sign seeing as February is, well, tomorrow. I assume interview invites went out weeks ago? Haven't seen anything on the boards.

Hi, I received a partially funded MAPH offer this year; it covered 50% of tuition and nothing else. I originally applied to the English PhD program, and I suppose they forwarded me along to MAPH when I was rejected. I ultimately declined the offer for a fully funded offer elsewhere, but the general consensus (at least from the Eng side) is that the majority of funding goes to the PhD candidates. If you do happen to receive funding, it's likely to only cover a portion of your tuition, i.e. no teaching stipend and you'd have to pay partial tuition and fees. Maybe a current student can weigh in on this subject?

Don't go putting Ms. Kitty on a crash diet though! It can lead to liver failure, malnutrition and eventual death from hepatic lipidosis (or feline fatty liver disease, if you're nasty). Gradual weight loss is best. Talk to your vet, etc etc.

Officially headed to Purdue for my MA! See ya soon, Lafayette!

Officially out at WashU. I'm disappointed but hardly discouraged. I have a fully-funded MA offer from Purdue, which I will accept. I plan on killing it and reapplying to PhD programs in a couple years. Good luck to everyone still waiting!

The DGS at the school I'm waitlisted at has been emailing me with daily updates. I appreciate the good news (thus far), but I swear each email gives me a mini heart attack!

Eep! Congrats! Best of luck, Two Espressos.

Well, I finally received a response to the email inquiry I sent over two weeks ago. Nothing is finalized but it's unlikely I'll receive funding from Georgetown. If I "received a funded offer from another institution," I should consider taking it. I did, and I will. So long, D.C. Best of luck to those still waiting!