ToomuchLes

I concur. Ive spoken to countless POIs and undergrad profs, (and of course this site) about the importance of "academic fit." I do not want to sound naive, but it sounds like to me that if you meet the bare minimum qualifications for each program, and you have that fit, you stand a chance of acceptance. Regardless of spikes, or declines in ones academic career, sh*t happens. As long as you come back strong from your decline, explained in your essay (or to the POI) why what happened happened, and its a reasonable excuse, then you shouldnt stress too much about it. Speaking for myself, on my transcripts, theres a brief gpa decline in my junior year (two consecutive quarters). Excuses aside, senior year I came back strong! I took two research seminars fall and winter quarter, alongside the few remaining classes I needed to graduate, and thats that. My gpa is not at all impressive; however, if my transcript is to be meticulously studied (hopefully it is by the adcoms), they'll note that I always took harda** classes, I participated in this and that, did that and alittle this, and I have a cool number of 7 seminars under my belt (with one being grad level). Hopefully, in the eyes of the adcoms, my pros will outweigh the cons and they'll reward me a golden ticket into the chocolate facto-... into their program. Thats how I see my academic bumps and hiccups. Maybe my attitude will change in the next few weeks. This is a maturing, and learning process for all of us.

I havent heard anything from my programs. The only communication Ive had was from a POI informing me that theyve reviewed my app.

I havent heard anything from Rice, Ann Arbor, U of Washington, or UCI.

F5... (3 minutes later) F5... Hmm... maybe if I refresh my email faster, then I'll receive a response quicker.

Congratz ashiepoo72 on your acceptance to UCD. I love the department and faculty at UCD! Some people have mentioned application responses come in waves. Do all programs practice this technique? Also, I noticed quite a few responses from UT-Austin. If I didnt receive a campus invite, or acceptance, does that mean I am either waitlisted or rejected?

Im starting to think that about the UCSB post(s).

same.

Hello and welcome! I agree with your quote one hundred percent! I hate when my fate is in the hands of others =/ Thats why I loathe this... waiting -.-

Ive been addicted to Atmosphere, Landon Wordswell, and Prolyphic & Reanimator (all rap) lately, switching interchangeably between the three. Atmosphere, especially, writes a lot of deep, profound lyrics that I love spacing out to in the late late evenings. Look up either Arthur's Song, The Waitress, or Always Coming Back to You, by Atmosphere.

One of my top three choice programs sent out invites for recruitment events to 3-4 ppl on here and I didnt get one =/ I know how you feel.

Thats funny! Im sure it wont impact your app since you replied back quickly. Fingers crossed of course.

awkward turtle

toy story ... again

I too applied to IU and very much considering moving there, with no problems about "village" life (lived in Davis for 3 some years). Ive been looking at craigslist ads and zillow just price estimation. Any suggestions on local apartments vs on-campus living?

Any opinions or experiences with grad housing, especially Palo Verde at UCI? Im looking at their studios and for $800, thats not bad at all; for living alone, that is. http://housing.uci.edu/rates/Rates.html

Maybe the adcoms are organizing a special parade of acceptance for us, since we're special.

Correct me if Im wrong, but I was under the impression that UCs send out responses in late Feb - early March. Im not applying to UCR, so I could be wrong for that specific school but my other UCs - UCSB, UCLA, and UCI send out responses in a month+ I also do this when I log onto this site. I format it so I can see responses in the last month, and max out the number of results per page to 250. Then I click Control+F and search for Hist.

Regarding Northwestern, will applicants receive an email or a physical letter first? Ive been, meaninglessly, checking my mail twice a day but I figure its pointless.

Great advice, ashiepoo72. I would also like to add, when you read (this is what I do) have two different highlighters. Use one color to highlight the author's argument or main point, and use the other color to supplement that argument. Dont highlight everything like a mad-man/woman but key points. I buy books for my own personal use, so, over time, they've become quite colorful. If you're one of those ppl that keep their books pristine, then I suggest using flashcards and writing, on the top, the main argument followed by bulletpoints. I also took a grad-leveled seminar, and using the flashcard method, I could easily interject my own thoughts by returning to those notes and supplying quotes and page numbers. You read these texts, and at the moment, you're like 'I get it!' Then later, during class, you cant seem to find that specific quote or you forgot something. When you read, after like each chapter, write your thoughts down. Regarding the reading, I've noticed that in grad seminars, its alot! Usually a whole book (length varies), alongside 1-2 scholarly articles. Dont try to read word-for-word cause its too time consuming. I learned, from these forums, that its best to skim read the "meat" section of a paragraph, which is usually filled with details to back the main idea, and instead, focus more on the beginning and ending of the paragraph. The beginning and end kinda validates why the author added this paragraph, and why its pertinent to the overall thesis. Heimat's advice is right on! Lastly, if allowed and capable, try to add quick references to previous readings in the class, or from famous historians of that area. Be warned, that this is a gamble, unless you know, for sure, what you're talking about, and if you're confident that others will understand as well. I made the mistake of mentioning an anecdote but unfortunately, I couldnt say, for sure, who it was. Days later, I found the quote and showed it to my prof, during office hours, and he gave the same advice: if you dont know where its coming from and who said it, dont say it. Oh, and try to meet up with classmates in the seminar (its usually >15 ppl, so its easy to meet each other) to discuss the readings and ideas. I dont know if grad school is like this, but I was overly audacious and organized a mini-group of 5 ppl. We'd meet up in a local coffee shop, eat, drink, discuss the reading, and gossip alittle. It was very very beneficial for me since a majority of the texts were soooooo esoteric! EDIT: I havent heard ANYTHING from my programs >.< I know its still early but its scary! I did, however, get a weird phone message from a POI. She called me, one afternoon from a blocked number, and I didnt pick up. Her message was about 2 minutes long, and she didnt really say anything specific about my application. The only real thing she said was "We were reviewing your application earlier today. blahblah. Your SOP was very articulate. blahblah I am glad you mentioned my research" That was pretty much it. Wish me good luck and left me confused and anxious. I want to call her back but at the same time, I feel like I shouldnt cause they just reviewed or still reviewing my app and I dont want to interrupt; for ethical reasons of course. My father told me to delete the message cause he knew I'd obsessively listen to it over and over, dissecting every word and driving myself insane. I wish I didnt delete it now ... lol

toy story

For History majors :

Sounds like good news, Heimat! Which school? Now, its time to put on a bow tie, impress your POI during your Skype interview and add one more acceptance letter to your pile.

It always depends on the program. What I've noticed is, MA applications are, usually, due on a later date, in comparison to PhD apps. Therefore, I believe MA decisions are made after PhD, but I doubt adcoms place priority towards PhD students, since MA students are mostly unfunded. I think each program has separate criteria, regarding how many students are admitted, and they do not effect one another. Im not applying to MA programs, so Im not very fluent on their policies and how they operate.

Ive heard from experienced colleagues that grad student housing is terrible at UCSB. Many of them now reside in Goleta and commute to campus. Ive heard that if you want a recent studio, you're looking around $900+ If you get anything less than 1,000 per month, you're very lucky.

Hot Wheels!