ToomuchLes

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Regarding funding, do programs ask for financial records, bank statements, taxes etc., when determining how much cha-ching to give to a student? I remember on my applications they asked a similar question about how much personal savings I have available for school.

Some cool charts :

Do you receiving information about funding with an acceptance letter, or do you receive it later? Also, this is a silly question but, how does funding work? Do you receive X amount per quarter/semester? As an entering first year, can you work for more money, if you're unable to live off of it? Likewise, are there policies against working outside of academia during grad school? I figure every school might be alittle different, but general information would be nice.

Hide the beer, the adcoms are here EDIT : Im starting to worry. I havent received any emails/calls from my programs, but of course, its still early. Hurry UP!

Glad to hear things worked out, ashiepoo72 ^.^ This sounds like positive news =D! Hope your unofficial "interview" goes well. Im curious about what the prof is going to ask you.

I received emails from UC Irvine and Indiana U. asking for a better copy of my transcripts in November. Other than that, I have had no communication with any of my programs.

Hide the beer, the adcoms are here!

I saw a wonderful chart, somewhere on these forums, that illustrated the rise and falls of notifications with respect to when rejections and acceptance peak. Unfortunately, I cannot find it, though I will continue looking tonight and post the link. If I remember correctly, notifications tend to peak in mid Feb to early March, and quite a few of early rejections are sent out in the first weeks of Jan. My undergrad adviser told me that, I should receive a letter, from at least one school, in the next 3-4 weeks. That is not to say, sometimes you get early early acceptance letters, or sometimes really late ones. Im curious how quickly you need to reply to programs that admitted you. Hypothetically, if I get admitted today from UniX and I accept it, and 6 weeks later, my dream school accepts me, can I cancel my first acceptance?

I had a panic attack a few days ago when I noticed I missed a call from a weird area code. They left a voice mail, and I was 99.999% sure it was from one of my programs. I was so nervous, by accident I clicked "call back" instead of "play message." Then I started to stab the "end call" option. I was ready to throw my phone like I was holding a live grenade, and this entire drama occurred in the middle of a grocery store. Finally, when I listened to the message, it was a friend that left something at my apartment on New Years Eve.

Oh god... those Skype interviews. I had one POI, relatively close by to my present location, that asked if I was available to meet in person. I had several other interviews via phone that went so well - we laughed, joked, POIs gave me some "private" info about the politics in the department, resulting in more than an hr long conversation >.< Im still analyzing what they said back in Nov. Likewise, I probably read some email conversations that I had with POIs like fifty million times. I would like to say ... that these over-analytically skills will come in handy once ALL of us are in grad school this upcoming fall =D.... even though, Ive seen a good dozen ppl applying to IU-Bloomington on these forums lol Very funny, but I also agree!

Im with you, ashiepoo72. I sent my best sample. I worked on my SOP/PS for more than two months, and alot of people liked what I wrote. I reached out to POIs. Honestly, theres nothing more I can do, at this point (besides bribing). Just gotta think positive thoughts!

Im in a similar position, Heimat Historian. My GPA isnt stellar, and my GRE is barely competitive. However, I did take 7 seminars, with one being grad-level, and received B+ or higher. I was also a Phi Alpha Theta treasurer, interned for a variety of professions like newspapers (published two short stories), museums, and research groups on campus (not pertinent to my area).When I reached out to POIs, I emailed them, scheduled a skype/phone call interview, and for the most part(except one), we talked for a good hour or more. Likewise, alot of my POIs and LOR writers said that my research ideas are very interesting, and novel. Nevertheless, I do not believe (not to sound pessimistic) that just because a POI likes your research ideas that you gain points on your app. They wont laugh and say your ideas are silly, would they? I think, and correct me if Im wrong, the final decisions in accepting a potential grad student is up to the administration. I believe that programs try to keep their acceptance statistics high in order to generate that "prestige" facade, and to keep the money flowing into the program. If a program, hypothetically, fell in ranks, or if it willingly accepted students that lowered the acceptance average, I believe, they will lose money from donors, gov/state, whomever. In addition, I dont know how willing a POI would be in putting their reputation on the line, in order to convince the adcoms to accept a below-the-average applicant. If I do get accepted though, I think I would be given a "left over" spot; like if the program had enough money to supply oh just-one-more student or if those first few accepted will outweigh my low stats and wont effect the acceptance average. EDIT: Rereading this, it doesnt have to sound pessimistic, for it is the embodiment of pessimism haha. Surprisingly, Ive been rather calm during this application season. My parents, satirically, last year, said that since I worry too much about .. just stuff ... that I'd lose my head hair around this time. No problems so far.

SO TRUE!!

Haha. Im calm too but still alittle anxious. I noticed someone called me earlier, and left a voice message. I didnt recognize the number, so I automatically assumed it was one of my programs. I was so nervous, I accidentally hit "Call Back" instead of "Play Message." Then I was like .. oh sht! and started to relentlessly stab the "End Call" option with my finger. It was a very dramatic 3 minutes in the middle of the grocery store. When I finally got around to listen to the message, it was my friend's girlfriend asking if he left his phone at my place on New Years Eve. EDIT: The new Hobbit movie is worth watching if you need a 2hr escape from reality Just saw it and it was so sweet.

I second this! And to add, toe shoes

Where can i find information about notification dates for each program? Im going to check department websites, but I feel like I would have stumbled upon them already when I was researching programs.

I just want to wish everyone Happy Holidays!

Oh wow. I cant believe I missed that on the department page. Thank you ashiepoo72.

@ the people applying to IU-Bloomington, Did you indicate on your application that you would be interested in a Terminal MA, if you were rejected from the PhD program? If so, how long was your essay answering.

I took the GRE on the 19th of Nov, and the four schools that you can send scores to immediately after the test received my scores by the 26th (maybe earlier, since the programs need to update applications to inform the applicant what s/he is missing). After the test, I dont know exactly when I sent my scores from home, but I know it was the week after I took the test. Those scores have only been delivered last week. Now for my case, it took a few days to receive my official scores, which is why it took alittle long. But since you have your scores already, I believe if your priority mail them, the school can get them in 5-10 business days. I'd contact the program, and ask what their policy on late GRE scores. Nevertheless, Im sure most programs are lenient about late GRE scores, and LORs.

Thats funny cause I feel like a slacker for not applying to more places. Originally I wanted between 15-18 but my adviser was like "NO!" (how he said it is comparable to how you say no to a dog when hes done something bad X.X)

I've heard of this website before, but not made an account. Normally, what type of student uses academia.edu? Also, do adcoms generally check out potential grad students this way? (For everyone else) Do you have an account on academia.edu?

For those reading for fun (and not for school), how long do you generally take to finish a book? During my undergrad, I read about 2 - 3 books a week, which includes whole books, articles, and mere chapter(s). Now I read about a single book a week, plus my daily online junk; so about half the reading material I used to read.

Will do! Thanks.