TheGnome

In an ideal world, maybe. Maybe some schools are doing it in a way that approximates to what you describe, maybe not. In any case, faculty members have an interest in getting the best students that they can. They also have an interest in minimizing the effort and time they need to put into the admissions process. Both are legitimate motives, and the process itself probably makes a lot more sense on the other side of the fence than it does to us.

I am willing to bet that it is still the same. Six sounds about right

I am using my Windows 8 exactly like I did Win 7, or XP or 98, or 95. No startup screen, no apps, all desktop business. I even have a start menu. Love it.

You mean it isn't right now?

Hey congrats cautious!! I think you are the first one among us to hear the good news . Here's to many more to come!

I think they do what they can, as fast as they can. So that they can go through the graduate school and get back to us quickly. Given that some folks heard from them later in the day, I would imagine more phone calls will follow tomorrow. I hope Dr. B is getting the appreciation he deserves for the work he does there.

I missed that one. What did he say?

Wunderbar. Don't forget to count them though, I want my bottle

The game is officially on folks. TMCB, prepare the bottles!

Getting rejections is nothing to be ashamed of. I genuinely believe that the rejections I received earlier, and the unsavory conditions I had to live through, made me a helluva lot better person than I was before - not that the bar was too high, but you get my drift. Now I just hope that it also made me a better applicant Watching Sherlock is a more cost-effective way of becoming a better person than the one I mentioned above.

SHERLOCK START ALREADY!!! Damn it why do we have to wait until Jan 19 to see even the first episode when the peeps across the ocean have already seen the entire season this does not make any sense whatsoever fml

2 1/2 weeks - 5 4 w - 9 8 w - 19

May the wind be always at your back! I meant January So do you guys think we will hear from Illinois next week? They notified people on the third week of January last year and the year before according to the results forum

Wow we got off to a quick start. I was hoping to enjoy another week or two before giving into the creeping obsession. Ah well... Also my list tells me that MSU did not notify applicants before the very end of September in previous years (results forum: 2013 - Jan 31st // 2012 - Jan 26th // 2011 - Feb 14th). I guess it is possible that a POI might contact an admit before the official decision is out. Ah well... Congrats to whoever got into MSU!

Why are you doing this to yourself? Unless there is an incredibly serious red flag on your application, the only thing anyone can say is that you have a shot and that you need to wait and see. It is not like you are asking about what schools you need to consider, or what part of your application you can improve - you have already applied. The application season is over. There is nothing you can do anymore. You just have to wait and see. Obviously your numbers look fine enough to get you considered everywhere you apply. Other than that, maybe (hopefully) you will get into all of these schools, maybe none. Please don't get me wrong, I mean no offense whatsoever. Having gone through this process more than once, I understand - probably more than most - the need for even a tiny bit of security and certainty. However, it is nowhere to be found. Bear with us and join the gradcafe community. We will help each other out in soothing and controlling our anxiety. We will also share your good and bad news. However asking for your chances on January 9th, when you have no control over the process anymore, will not help you. Best of luck to you!

Great suggestion, thanks!

Wow we have quite a number of Madison applicants here. This is good; we can let each other know when someone hears from them. This is actually a very good signal. I wouldn't get my hopes up just because there is still a chance that you might not get in, and getting hopes up and facing a rejection is a pretty bad scenario. On the other hand I am not sure what else would justify getting hopes up apart from a POI interested in your application. Here is to your best day ever

Folks, resist the urge to mentally starting the waiting out process earlier than its due time. We will all suffer from anxiety attacks soon enough, why spoil the calm before the storm? I am telling myself that the season starts when the first PhD acceptance is posted on the results page, not before. Right now we only have about a week and a half where we can all enjoy the possibility that we will all get into our top choices. Let's do that while we can .

Hahah true. Also even if that was a troll, livening up the thread is a worthy cause, I think. Given that this was the reason.

Whoa! This early? If true, this should be some kind of a record. My spreadsheet of obsessiveness tells me that OSU did not start notifying before the very end of January in the past years, so I am a bit skeptical. Willing to be corrected though Anyone want to claim the OSU acceptance?

I wish I had studied math and statistics as an undergrad instead of IR. I would have probably much better off than I am now. Sigh..

+1 to luckyducky. If adcoms can get past your GRE scores, you should be a competitive applicant. I should note though that this is a very fruitless exercise. Your apps are out, thus are no more in your control. There is nothing you can do but to wait and see. If I were you, I would not try to gauge random people's opinions on how competitive you are on the internet, because they are irrelevant. Just relax, watch a movie, play Fallout again, read an interesting novel (How about Jason Goodwin's Janissary Tree? You might appreciate it even more since you are Turkish), and stay away from gradcafe at least until Fenruary if you can . Best of luck gokpinar and see you on the forums!

My two cents: Your profile is fine overall. The undergrad GPA is low but it can be mitigated by the grad GPA - though I am not sure how the French grades will be evaluated here. I am sure adcoms will be familiar with that system though. Your GRE scores are low. The cut-off point remark is correct, though I am not entirely sure if GRE scores are worthless after that. However, as TMCB said earlier, you seem to be applying appropriately given your numbers. To me, your scores seem somewhat low for University of Minnesota and UVA, and sort of borderline for George Mason (given their location Mason gets a lot of applicants). I would guess they should not be a problem for the rest of the schools to which you are applying. Obviously we are all applicants. Only admission committee members in those specific schools you list above can talk about such things with absolute confidence. Even then, it may not be the case since admissions is partly a negotiation game among the committee members. So take everything said here with a barrel of salt. Best of luck to you, and happy new year!

DONE!! Every application is out and it feels great. The real break starts for me now. Next: Enjoy the new year festivities with copious amounts of alcohol. Happy new year everyone! May 2014 bring all of us the great news we crave for.

I can't imagine that being a problem at all. That is why you have the option to turn it down. I wouldn't worry about it at all. Princeton almost demands that you submit midyear grades. This is the wording on the website "An unofficial copy of your midyear grades from the college or university you are currently attending should be uploaded with your electronic application in the space provided. " (emphasis added)