missycari

Very good point, Amanda. Leave it to someone who primarily studies England to ignore Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Perhaps what I said would have been more correct if I had said English, not British, history. That said, I think Scotland, Wales, and Ireland are enormously important components of Britain and that "British" scholars should pay more attention to them!

There appears to me to be a qualitative difference in the way professors treat applications for American history and other fields. As British historian, I pretty much just applied to schools with good historians in my larger field. There's usually just one, and they might have focuses totally different than mine. I have preferences among those of course but I don't think that my field has been an issue in my results. I'm talking about crossing social history with political history, etc. I'm a little baffled that people are having troubles with their subfields of US history, when there are usually a number of US historians at any given school. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Or think I'm totally crazy?

Has anyone been to a prospectives students weekend yet? I am wondering what to expect, with my first visit looming. Vordulak, perhaps you could be so kind as to elaborate some about NYU, although I'm worried about post-acceptance visits, not interviews. I'm kind of nervous about talking to all the professors.. should I expect a lot of questions directed at me (as opposed to me asking them questions)?

No joke, I would never even consider calling anywhere.... I'm chicken.

Oh, I think we're all familiar with the paranoia, don't worry. Cornell, I'm pulling for you and for everyone else on this board. And here's hoping everyone will hear soon, one way or the other....

Perhaps s/he was just checking the list to confirm a decision had been made for you and you would not be waiting in vain.

In history at least, decisions have been staggered, and appear to have been posted to the website on an individual, case-by-case basis. I'm not sure how helpful this is because I don't know anything about electrical engineering, but it sounds like it might be a similar deal... in which case, I'm not convinced that your not hearing means anything bad. I think, though, that it would be perfectly reasonable for you to contact the professor in question, since he said that he would get back to you sooner. As always: be polite. I'm sure that a concerned but considerate e-mail would not hurt you - these people have to understand what you are going through. Just don't sound impatient or annoyed.

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I agree that latecoming rejections are terrible. I feel lucky in that the rejection I've had so far came at the same time as acceptances. Made it easier to get over it quickly. I don't know why it's so hard for these schools to do the same and let both groups, admits and rejects, know all at once (early e-mails from professors notwithstanding). I did not apply to NYU but is my impression correct that they are actually conducting interviews to determine admissions?!

Seems like there is no mass-acceptance/rejection e-mail for UCLA, and that decisions are being made case-by-case.

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I got an e-mail back from the history deparment claiming they had everything that was needed to review my application, so I guess that's good. However, given the commentary on this forum, I had to chuckle when they reiterated that I would have heard, had anything been missing.

I just discovered today (by checking the website) that they only had one copy of my transcripts, and if they didn't process my application I think I should get my money back. First, I sent two copies. Second, their e-mails clearly indicated that they would let us know if they were missing information and warned us not to rely on the status page for reliable information. I don't know, I guess it's possible my status on the webpage is still wrong, but judging by the other posts here, their office is screwed up and they probably were never going to tell me if they didn't get everything they needed. I e-mailed them to ask what was going on with my application (haven't heard a thing) but I'm guessing I won't hear until Monday. :x It's a good thing I got into some other schools, so I'm not too upset. Still, 80 or 90 dollars down the drain or whatever it was for Penn is no laughing matter. I empathize with everyone else who had problems.

What an unexpected surprise for the weekend! Many congratulations!

Louiselab

Well, it doesn't cost you anything to stay on the waitlist, does it? Guess it depends on whether or not you think you'd really go with Brown if you got in. Or if you really just can't stand the suspense... If you really might want to go there, I'd say, see what happens.

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Excellent news! Congratulations, you must be thrilled!

I'm jealous. Especially because I haven't yet encountered a history program with that kind of funding available. Congrats!

Exactly, exactly. And I'll add that several programs I looked at reported that the most important factor was either statements of purpose or recommendations - talk about potential for randomness! In terms of the SOP, I'm not saying it's totally random, but it's a really HARD thing to write and I think it's especially difficult to truly convey how qualified you are in this kind of writing. What I'm saying is, the fact that your SOP might not have been the best does NOT mean you didn't have strong credentials. As to the second, recommendations, as Amanda points out, vary in the weight they carry depending on how famous your recommender is. Unfair but true. Not to mention I'm sure some professors put more effort into these than others, leaving you, the student, helpless and at their mercy. Even more unfair. My point is that while grad programs look at your entire record, some of the biggest deciding factors are not necessarily at all reflective of you as a student and as a scholar. Improving where you can might make all the difference. Don't take these rejections personally, and if you decide to apply again, be confident that you have what it takes, and with some luck you'll make it next year!

[quote name="Louiselab

Congrats on getting into your first choice w/ fellowship! If I were you, I wouldn't make a move until I knew what all the offers were - you never know - but if you're absolutely sure that nothing will sway you, then I agree with Minnesotan.

I'm sorry about that too, Cornell. Amanda's right, though. Keep your chin up.

Thanks!!! I.. don't know how I am going to make my choice, but I'm not complaining. I'll visit the schools I can fit in - but I am still an undergrad (working on an honors thesis which I hope not to neglect completely) so my schedule's rather tight. Geography is realistically going to play a role in which schools I most seriously consider (I am from the east coast). But, it's going to be tough. I know what you mean, I want to go everywhere too!