astreaux

I have not, but I have committed some details to memory. For example, Stanford's stipend is BIG. Wisconsin's stipend is small. Do stipends vary much from year to year and from student to student?

Hey my friend, what are you talking about? Didn't you already get accepted to a great program!!? I would KILL (well probably not literally) to get into any program (doesn't mean I don't have my preferences). If UIUC thinks you have what it takes, for sure you are no impostor on this forum.
 
We all have our area of expertise. Just embrace yours and keep a keen ear for new, critical discussions you are exposed to. No one is expected to enter into a PhD program ready to teach and research flawlessly (or why would we go). It is about potential. I think your early result already speaks for itself.
 
Good luck. Stay strong. Be happy. I'm super jealous (but happy) about your early admit. You can relax now. Really. 

At the end of the day, none of us can do anything that will change the amount of time it will take to hear back. Just the physics of it. Frankly, this outlet helps me a lot. It allows me to indulge in conversations and thoughts that would otherwise drive my friends, special friend, family, etc. crazy.
 
Misery loves company. 

I have a question for those with families or who are in serious relationships. How is everyone tackling selecting a school while taking in account your partner's needs? Is your partner planning on moving with you no matter what/did you only apply to schools in your current city or are you exploring commuting/splitting time?
 
My husband and I have about eight different contingency plans in place depending on how the admissions process plays out for me--though I did limit my school search to a reasonable range around our home (thank you, Amtrak). We've been fortunate enough to get lots of great advice from couples who have been through similar situations, and I was just wondering if anyone else was going through the same thought processes and discussions.

I'll start!
1) I'm the first in my family to obtain a college degree and to seek graduate-level education.
 
2) My (single) mother attended only a semester of college in her home country and was generally unable to provide me with any guidance while I was applying to college in high school. Don't get me wrong--she was very supportive, but I honestly had no idea what I was doing. I only applied to one school, and I got in, so I went there. BIG MISTAKE. It was a terrible experience. I ended up spending the first three years of my undergraduate studies trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Luckily, I "found myself" in year three, and transferred to a new school for year four. I worked hard to become a competitive PhD applicant--something I decided I wanted to pursue during my fourth and fifth years of school--but I am still very doubtful of myself. Again, I feel somewhat lost during the graduate application process, and this time I have no parental support; my mother has NO IDEA what graduate studies are or what anthropology/archaeology is or why I'm applying to schools all over the country or how big of a deal this is.
 
3) I felt that I pulled together some semblance of an aspiring academic during the last two years of my undergraduate studies. Research, fieldwork, volunteer work, non-profit job, pulled up my GPA, etc. I hope it's enough!
 
4) A. My husband has been so supportive of me! He is just now seeking a bachelor's degree (late 20s) but has been an excellent dude, all around.
B. My previous professors. Though I graduated last year, I've stayed in contact with a few, and they've been incredibly helpful with my applications.
C. Finally finding something I'm passionate about.

Ugh. I wish I had wisdom to share, but all I have is shared anxiety about this stuff. Hopefully someone will get back to you tomorrow when all the offices reopen.

Reading these comments scare me. 
 
 
I feel for the humanities/some social science crowd. I'm not sure how I would cope with what society throws at you.

It is a quite good program. They seem to have a preference for how polisci should be done. If that is what you are interested in, then it can be an even better program for you. If not, then I guess you wouldn't have applied in the first place. In any case, an MSU acceptance is not a small accomplishment. 
 
 
Congrats mygrotianmoment. Interview =! acceptance, but it definitely is a damn good signal that you are on the right path. 

Use a light touch with the hops. Americans always overdo it with the hops.

(I'm clearly aiming for The Lord Grantham Chair in beverage science)

Mosel fan here, especially Karthauserhof and JJ Prum. With all due respect to the Burgundians, Germany makes the best white wines in the world.

Ah. For a split second there, I was distracted by the sensory memory of aged Riesling and forgot to obsess over the word "pending" at the Bucky application portal. I know what I'm drinking with dinner tonight!

Most offensive thing I've ever read on this forum.
 

Use a light touch with the hops. Americans always overdo it with the hops.

(I'm clearly aiming for The Lord Grantham Chair in beverage science)

I second that. 

I'm kind of at a perpetual orange. I am desperate for information.
 
IR IR IR asked earlier what we'd be willing to do for admission. Well, for any admission committees members out there, I'd be willing to send you German chocolates and wines from the vineyards of Baden and the Rhine (my two favorite wine regions in the world)!

JUST GOT A PHONE CALL FROM A TOP SCHOOL'S AREA CODE! I won a free trip on a Royal Norwegian cruise... DAMN IT! 

My husband got a new laptop a few months ago, and had no choice (for reasons that I, as a Mac person, heard as "blah blah blah") but to switch to Windows 8. He still hasn't really made peace with it, but the swearing has died down a bit.

My husband got a new laptop a few months ago, and had no choice (for reasons that I, as a Mac person, heard as "blah blah blah") but to switch to Windows 8. He still hasn't really made peace with it, but the swearing has died down a bit.

My husband got a new laptop a few months ago, and had no choice (for reasons that I, as a Mac person, heard as "blah blah blah") but to switch to Windows 8. He still hasn't really made peace with it, but the swearing has died down a bit.

They still haven't connected mine, but when I emailed them in late December, the staff confirmed that they have it. They were super-nice people, but I get the feeling that grad admissions department at Berkeley is fairly understaffed.

Last night I dreamed that I got decisions from Chicago, Washington, Wisconsin, and one other school (can't remember which) all on the same day. One acceptance, three rejections, all via giant, USPS-delivered glossy postcards. The acceptance included funding, but after seeing it once, I couldn't find it again (thank you for that fleeting sense of win, MIT). I lingered on one rejection in particular: a professor who explained that "fit" was poor because I clearly didn't get her Star Wars jokes. After years of mocking my nerdiest friends' sci-fi posts on Facebook, this was one night in my own personal hell. It's amusing now, but the dream's tenor was very much about the strange feeling that I still don't understand what could make or break my application to any given place.

I'm not sure TV is enough of a distraction. Anyone have exhausting workout routine ideas to share?

I had similar dreams two nights ago... Woke up with an e-mail from Pitt, but it was just confirming that my application was complete (might have been because I updated my CV?). Killer...

Hahaha, I agree. TV isn't quite doing it, so I'm trying out p90x. Now I hurt physically even more than checking gradcafe daily hurts my soul

I think this is what I'll tell my gf when she asks if I joined the gym yet.

Last night I dreamed that I got decisions from Chicago, Washington, Wisconsin, and one other school (can't remember which) all on the same day. One acceptance, three rejections, all via giant, USPS-delivered glossy postcards. The acceptance included funding, but after seeing it once, I couldn't find it again (thank you for that fleeting sense of win, MIT). I lingered on one rejection in particular: a professor who explained that "fit" was poor because I clearly didn't get her Star Wars jokes. After years of mocking my nerdiest friends' sci-fi posts on Facebook, this was one night in my own personal hell. It's amusing now, but the dream's tenor was very much about the strange feeling that I still don't understand what could make or break my application to any given place.

I'm not sure TV is enough of a distraction. Anyone have exhausting workout routine ideas to share?

Last night I dreamed that I got decisions from Chicago, Washington, Wisconsin, and one other school (can't remember which) all on the same day. One acceptance, three rejections, all via giant, USPS-delivered glossy postcards. The acceptance included funding, but after seeing it once, I couldn't find it again (thank you for that fleeting sense of win, MIT). I lingered on one rejection in particular: a professor who explained that "fit" was poor because I clearly didn't get her Star Wars jokes. After years of mocking my nerdiest friends' sci-fi posts on Facebook, this was one night in my own personal hell. It's amusing now, but the dream's tenor was very much about the strange feeling that I still don't understand what could make or break my application to any given place.

I'm not sure TV is enough of a distraction. Anyone have exhausting workout routine ideas to share?