wiewanderlust

Wow, I am really amazed by the number of people saying not to send e-mails! I think, even with the cons taken into account, that you lose very little by venturing a note. I had an amazing applications season last year, and I think it was in large part due to the advice that I received in replies to even very basic introductory notes. It helped guide me in which schools to apply to, and how to shape the applications for specific programs. I had not expected to get replies from everyone, especially from POI's at some of the top schools, but they were in fact the most helpful, and it even led to a couple of Skype meetings. This process is so crazy that I think you need to seize every opportunity to stand out! At very least, there is no harm done.

You should maybe add UVa (look at Elizabeth Varon, among others) and Duke to your list. Best of luck! ETA: I believe there is already a 2015 applicant's group that will be able to add more wisdom.

I can't speak to Oxford, but I sent you a message if you have any questions about Stanford!

Sorry to be the possible bearer of bad news, but the Yale history admit day is March 3rd, and Ren Studies/History joint program has been invited to the same. I would be really surprised if HSHM hadn't made its general acceptances by now or Monday. Good luck!

Mmm, I think I would either address that question to a graduate student, or not bring it up. The DGS is unlikely to give you a straight answer on that one. But if you ask a graduate student "do you know of anyone who has struggled to finish, and what support did they find?" I imagine you will get a more truthful idea.

I would absolutely second that, thedig13. Everything I thought I knew has been kind of turned on its head. But as far as your results go, I've been told that pattern is not as unusual as you might think by some students of those very selective programs. Or maybe that is just the type of student who tends to under-rate themselves going in to the season!

Yes, they are fortunately, but since I'm hoping to see multiple schools, my travel gets a little crazier. I've heard from 6/7, so only one poses the mystery factor at this point

I withdrew my application from Vanderbilt, but unfortunately it was almost simultaneous with an acceptance offer! As soon as the system permits me, I will be declining my admit, and the professors I have communicated with have definitely implied that the spot will go to another candidate. Good luck!

Everyone is being so quiet this weekend! I hope it is in contemplation of generous fellowship offers Just a little personal learning experience to share. I'm traveling to two schools in the next month, and I have yet to hear anything from a program that I would *love* to be able to add to the itinerary! I was really worried about contacting my POI and seeming impatient, but it will make a difference for the tickets I'm booking (since I'm overseas). I sucked it up and sent the inquiry, and my POI checked on the process for me, and had an answer for me as to when admissions decisions would be revealed, all within 24 hours -- on a weekend! I'm now pretty convinced that if it is the right POI, they aren't going to interpret an inquiry like that in the wrong light

I would personally vote for Charleston, it is one of my favorite cities! Both as a history geek and a foodie But for my part, I'm thinking the best approach may be to decide on the five (or so) factors that are most important to you about a graduate school decision. Then list which school you think wins which category -- better funding, better advisor match, whatever matters to *you*! I'm hoping that this will help clarify my decision.

Re: Princeton rejections, I can claim the one exception (so far). Completely floored, I did not see that one coming through. Just goes to show how crazy unpredictable this process is! maelia8, I foresee that I will be doing something similar checking and rechecking the result for a while! Also not to beat a dead horse, but I found writing POI's really helpful. I don't know how much of a difference it actually made, but I did receive some really good tips as to what to emphasize in my applications, or programs to look further in to -- some professors, especially at the most competitive programs, suggested other schools and advisors I should be contacting. That being said, I now think that the school I actually communicated the most with is a likely rejection, and the two acceptances have been pretty unexpected. Go figure!

I see that the next wave of Yale rejections has come through... and my inbox is still empty. Does anyone have any insight into Yale's process? I'm not real optimistic at this point, but it would be nice to have a better idea of where I stand. I applied for a joint program, so I was expecting that my answer would come through earlier, rather than later (be it positive or negative). Anyway, congrats to everyone who has had good news

@levoyous, questions about grad student life can actually be really helpful, in my experience, and it probably doesn't hurt to show you are considering the more practical aspects of attending their school. For example, where do most students live, work, spend their summers, etc. Additionally, I've tended to ask about what resources the programs offer for language study, and what collections at the library would be particularly promising for my interests. Hope that helps, thanks for the distraction

Sadly, I think it's just the beginning of the next long month! Congrats to whoever got the POI e-mail from Yale, excuse me while I check my e-mail obsessively...

New England Nat, I'm curious how you find the P'ton semester system to be. I have a friend who has found it pretty rough, but do you think it's bad enough to impact a decision on whether to choose the school?

Re: skype, I don't think it presumes all that much-- or at least it doesn't come across as rude, if it isn't meant that way. At worst, you might seem eager and naive. It also depends on whether you see all that much difference between skype and a phone call. I'm overseas, so one is more or less the other, and while I've actually preferred to speak to professors without the camera (because who really looks good on a webcam), I've spoken with some who prefer to video chat. So in conclusion, who knows. I wouldn't have personally proposed it in an initial e-mail (it was my POI's suggestion), but I don't think it is out of place if you've taken up correspondence, and I actually learned some really helpful things to mention on the application.

Ok, thanks for the input all! @poliscar, that certainly wouldn't be my intent, since obviously the PhD is the end goal in either scenario, but I'll take your word that it might read as such. My thought was that if a PhD program wanted me as I am, surely they might like me with an additional year of experience? @guineu, I agree that it would be a good career move in general, at least that familiarity and the advantages it would bring was certainly behind my decision to apply to some of the U.K. programs. If I don't end up in the U.K., I am still going to make it a major goal to try and fund as much overseas research opportunities as I can! And @TMP and Loric, thankfully any decision making is still down the road, and hopefully I will have a much clearer picture of my options! I'm really not willing (or able) to lay out a great deal of money, or choose a program that doesn't feel like a great fit, master's or PhD. I applied to the U.K. master's programs naively thinking I might be able to find some funding (har-har), and I've only recently started seriously thinking about how much I would be willing to foot on my own. Basically if nothing comes through, I don't think it will work out regardless of PhD acceptances, but I've still got fingers crossed for Gates-Cambridge among others.

Hi all, new to the thread! I'm not handling the waiting period well, so it's nice to know others are going through the same. I just finished undergraduate at UVa by the way (I've seen a couple people post that they've applied), you can let me know if you'd like any insight into the department/particular POI's. I've applied to a combination of PhD's and master's programs this year, and I'm curious what insight you all might offer into either going straight into a PhD program versus pursuing the master's (in my case, I've been accepted to two programs in the U.K.). I had a substantial amount of independent research experience as an undergrad, and two of my classmates were accepted right out into top programs, so I figured applying to PhD programs now was worth a try. At the same time, I work with early modern Europe and would like to spend some time at a U.K. university. My plan was that either a) if I didn't get into a PhD program, I could enter a master's program, or b ) if I got into both a PhD program and a master's, I could potentially defer entry into the former to pursue the latter (since it is only a year). I was just guessing that plan b might be acceptable to PhD programs, do you think that would actually be the case? Just wondering if anyone had a similar experience or insight. In any case, good luck to you all!