smellybug

No, no inappropriate touching. I don't think that being a creepy guy with a predatory look in his eye is against school policy (unfortunately), so I suppose it's best left alone.

Hey, question. I'm writing my declining letters and am conflicted about something. When I went to visit a particular university there was a grad student that really, really put me off. And not in a way where we just didn't get along or didn't like the same theory or anything. As a woman, I was like, hell no. I cannot go to this school. Should I tell them this? I was thinking of saying something like, you might want to reconsider having Student X present at upcoming events for potential students. But this makes me sound like kind of a pretentious jerk, no?

Going to visit on the 10th of April...

We enjoy hotdogs and working ourselves to death.

Congrats! Say hi to Cary Wolfe for me. P.S. Is your avatar Bob?? If so, well done, sir.

Thanks for the info.! Since we're used to Bay Area rents, we're looking to rent a duplex, probably. Everything is affordable compared to this area of the country.

Thanks, Dmmar. Any areas we should absolutely avoid living? I know Kerrytown and the Old West Side are ideal, but I doubt I'm going to be able to be that specific.

Ha! Since Berkeley rejected me and my husband despises the cold, everyone keeps reminding me of this... Justlucy, if you can believe it, I'm moving a husband, two dogs, and two cats away from California. Maybe someone should start a thread about how the logistics of this work. I know it's going to be a loooooong drive. How did they set up your private visit? And maybe I'm just excited/worried I won't find anything to fit my menagerie, but I've already started looking at housing. There's an off-campus housing list here: http://www.offcampus.housing.umich.edu/lt/index.cfm Dmmar, I think I'm going on a private visit. I was there in November but want to look at it knowing I'm accepted this time. They've been slow getting back to me about it, though.

Where all my peeps at? Are you STOKED?

Well, it's probably the same. I think they both keep a very small wait list and it's specific to area of interest. Like, they get their top choices lined up and then create a wait list for each specific area. That way if Person X declines the spot they have Person W to fill that 20th century Russian lit. spot, for example. Also I think I accidentally clicked a button on your post that hurts your reputation and it won't let me undo it... I suck. I'm sorry.

I'm off the wait list at Michigan!

Congrats on the Michigan acceptance! My account doesn't show anything new.

You're both right. I'm just trying to find a way to justify either decision I make in the totally hypothetical scenario that I get into two programs that each have their merits. I guess warm fuzzies and rankings aren't really the best determiner. Thanks for the wake up call.

Basically, talking about rankings is shorthand for saying that they have more resources, better connections, a larger and more diverse faculty, innovative program structure and classes, and a history of placing people well. Yes, we're all awesome and will exceed anywhere. However, we can't pretend all those things (again, for shorthand: rankings) don't matter. Bfat, I say you go with Penn State. You're right, they've got shit going on. Plus, how awesome would that be to turn down Michigan?

It's basically a difference of ranking between 5-11 or 20-40. It's not a huge difference, but it is a difference...

Hi all, I've been lurking for a while. It's been nice to not feel alone in all of this. I was interviewed twice by Michigan and my sense of it is that if they have not outright rejected you then they're holding your application for an unofficial waitlist.

Okay, finally. After a bajillion years of lurking, I am here. Is anyone else just super depressed about this whole thing? I had two interviews at Michigan and they sort of made me feel underprepared but capable of presenting an excellent application. I blew it with the languages and could barely get a sentence out. Do they care? How do we know? We don't. U of Illinois has actively worked to talk to me, set me up with graduate students, etc. but are ranked pretty low. However, our research interests are a fit. And Michigan didn't try to recruit me AT ALL. I keep wondering what I'll do if I get in to Michigan and get the three year fellowship I'm up for at Illinois... I ate cookies and ice cream for breakfast yesterday after I called in sick (with anxiety-inducing first-world problems) to work.