nike of samothrace

That's EXACTLY what I'm fearing these days. Argh.

Meri, sidereal, sorry to hear how bummed you both are. I feel the same way, though I still haven't gotten a rejection - I'm pretty sure one is waiting for me sometime in the next few days, if not today. Three programs that I felt really confident about, for various reasons, seem to have already notified and I haven't heard anything. I suppose that could still mean good news in the end, but two of the programs are places that I shouldn't have had any problem with... and one of them is a place where I have a very strong contact who I know has fought for me. I just wonder what this says for my overall round. There are some places I applied that I would just love to go to, and the words "I regret to inform you..." might be coming in just a matter of time. So very discouraging. At least I do have Oxford, which is no small matter. But without money, it's almost impossible. I'm trying not to hope for that too much, because if I come out of this with only Oxford as a 'yes', but it's unfunded, that is just going to be cruel. I'll try to make it work, but I don't want to bankrupt myself in the process. sidereal, which other MA program were you admitted to? Funding is definitely important, but if you want to consider UCSB, I wouldn't hesitate to ask them if you came for an unfunded year or semester, what your chances would be of getting funding later on. That is sometimes standard procedure for MA programs (depends on the school). So sorry to hear about everyone's rejections. Maybe good news awaits us all in this coming week.

...and another week passes for me with no news at all....

Veeeeeery much so. On the other hand, some of this is me just working myself up - some of my schools don't seem to notify until the first week of March, anyhow. So it's still early for those. I just wish I was able to distract myself!

Thanks, boringname. I did actually find that page after I posted this (was a little embarrassed, but the information was wonderful to find). Do you mind me asking if you received the Clarendon in 2006? And I'm glad to hear of the person in Classics with the grant - since it's sponsored by the OUP, I'd be shocked if they discriminate against the impractical humanities.. They are quite fond of publishing on the subject! I am trying not to bite my nails too much while waiting to hear. But the possibility of going to Oxford is far too attractive... I can't quite get it out of my mind.

Another thing to keep an eye on - actually, perhaps the most important! - is the reputation of individual professors in the department. If there is anyone particularly well-known there, that is a huge point in UBC's favor. If you could study with that person and perhaps get a recommendation letter when you apply for your PhD, that will help get your foot in the door. Letters from recognizable people are always better than letters from professors no one has ever heard of. Is Anthony Barrett still there? I almost applied to UBC for my MA. I was really into ancient biography at the time, and I was excited about possibly getting to know him.

So, now I find my opinion is changing. Before today, I really wanted to hear from my schools and I was getting more and more antsy as each day went by that I did not. Today, that changed - as I check the results page here, I find that I relax if I *don't* see "Classics" appearing in the subject column. Another day without news feels better than a day that I am sure will turn out a rejection. Argh, this process...!!!!

From what I can gather, Harvard hasn't notified yet. Last year their first-round notifications seemed to go out around the 26th, so we may all have time yet. Palimpsest, I'd still wait on asking anything of any of my schools (in fact, this is what I'm doing - I haven't heard from any of my US applications). It is technically still early, and it may now be only a matter of a few days before we hear something. I wouldn't consider calling until the second week of March at the earliest, and then maybe only to the schools I'm really anxious about.

Does anyone have any idea what the stats are on the Clarendon Fund at Oxford? I'd like to think I'm competitive for getting the grant, but I have no idea how many they give out each year, if they save them all for distribution at once or give some out each gathered field, if they prefer to fund UK/EU students before overseas students, which degree they prefer to give it to, etc. Does anyone have any clue about this grant, or know anyone who has received it?

neither did I! That's pretty nervewracking...

What's really disturbing is that a quick Google search turns up the hacked file only about 3 results from the top. And the Boston Globe hasn't said a word - I hope they're working on a story. I want to know what Harvard has to say for themselves!

congrats, meri!! CU is supposed to be a really beautiful school - it sounds amazing there!

I noticed that He sounds a lot like someone I was in my MA program with - it was an... interesting time.

Stanford has notified - I know someone who was admitted. No idea where that leaves them in their process, though. Agathon, seriously - that is a ridiculous statement. Are you implying that people who are accepted no longer go online? Go check the acceptances thread - it's one of the busiest on this board. Just because you are accepted does not mean you are immediately whisked away for months worth of wining and dining - it's just a letter in the mail, and one weekend out of your life (if the school even does interviews/weekends, which plenty do not). You're very defeatist, and you also are REALLY not paying attention to how this process works.

I feel the same way. It's so odd that so many of us are waiting on so much news...! I know committees at some of my schools have been meeting for weeks now - so why not even a first wave of notifications? Did anyone here apply to Yale?

Agathon, I applied for gathered field 3, and heard though regular mail. No word on funding or college choice - I'm guessing about a month for that (college selection, anyhow - not sure about the money).

I finally have news to report! I'm in at Oxford, for an MPhil in Classical Archaeology. If I go, I will likely intend to stay and do a PhD as well (if they'll have me, that is!). Waiting on funding, of course, but my first news is good news!!!

Really, really sorry to hear that. Best of luck with your others.

Their archaeology program really isn't that good. It is very good, don't get me wrong, but it's no holy grail. (and fwiw, it's not really attached to Classics, so you can't equate the two programs - the IPCAA faculty are mostly affiliated with Art History or the museum). I found IPCAA to be really dogmatic and rigid. It even seemed to me like they're not paying much attention to trends in the field now (though I could be wrong on that - it was the impression I got). It was a huge turn off.

Interesting. Are you talking about Michigan Classics? I was under the impression that Michigan IPCAA is a dynamite program (at least, they act like it is), but I don't know anything about the Classics program. Not that I applied to either, though!

Not necessarily! Sure, some schools are just slow to notify for no apparent reason, but most schools do go through waves of applications - if they hold on to yours, it means you may still have a shot.

Actually, the schools I applied to haven't said anything to anyone at all - some of them I've heard where the committee is in the process and they're getting close, but they haven't notified anyone just yet. Princeton, Michigan, Berkeley, Wisconsin, and Oxford (gathered field 2, not 3) have all notified, but none of the others have any data yet.

agathon, Harvard hasn't notified yet. I'm classical archaeology... and none of my schools have notified anyone, as far as I can tell. It's still so early, I really shouldn't be thinking about it... but I'm letting this website take over my brain!

rising_star, I did this after my first year of rejections as well. With serious time between when I submitted the SoP and when I later read it (after most of the hurt from the rejections had gone away, really it was early next fall), I was able to see the impression I gave of myself. I had a rough time in my first year of my MA program, and so I presented myself - or so I thought - as the student who had already flirted with failure but worked incredibly hard, turned it around, and made myself a shining, dedicated, A student. The way I saw it (and yes, this passed my recommenders reading it, as well!), everyone flounders at the beginning of their grad career, and so I was showing that I had already done that and had learned heaps from it, and so lookit me, I'm strong and great and your ideal candidate! What I really did was highlight every negative in my application, and show myself as maybe a bit of a loser. Oops. What I did this time around was not acknowledge the Bs and B-s on my MA transcript. I led with my drive, my passion for my field, and said that my path to this point was not direct, but look at how that's made me a really diverse candidate. And then I talked about all of the things I've done to strengthen myself on every level: travel, fieldwork, coursework, conferences. I highlighted my motivation and my dedication. And - importantly - I let the recommender who has known me the longest talk about the tough times I had during my MA program. She knew what it was in my undergrad work that put me at a disadvantage when I started, and could talk about the problems in the department faculty that affected me negatively - all stuff that I couldn't bring up on my own, but were legitimate obstacles I had faced. Basically, I took the most positive view of myself that I could, and presented that. Maybe most important is that I listened to what my friends and colleagues said about me - I saw myself as a person with B-'s on my transcript, but they see me as intelligent, dedicated, good at what I do, blah blah blah. I realized that what I saw as a black mark was not actually a black mark on my person - there's no giant B- engraved on my forehead for all to see. And it was up to me to see myself in a positive light, so that committees would follow suit and realize that I *am* someone they want in their programs, and that I am someone who will succeed. Or something like that. Hope that helps somewhat!

Still no word for me. I wonder how many meetings a committee usually goes through before deciding to send out notices? It sounds like a very long process. Let's occupy ourselves here otherwise. What area of Classics is everyone working in - what are your research interests (if you want to get that specific)?