MedievalMadness

Thanks! I'm crossing my fingers for you -- for both SIUC and Maryland. It's not over until it's over. Personally, I'm still holding out hope for GWU. I saw a round of rejections go out today and I didn't receive one. Makes me wonder if I'm on a waitlist somewhere.

I threaded the idea of 'fit' throughout my SoP by starting with a smidge of information on how I found out about their program and how I became aware of the professors there with whom I'd like to work. I tied in my interests and mentioned it if I had cited a professor in my MA thesis. I further mentioned how my research goals would fit with the work being done by others in their department. Basically, I used 'fit' as a backbone to the SoP. Then again I haven't been admitted anywhere yet, so I cannot say whether or not my strategy was useful.

So, how many of you have heard? I'm considering emailing the DGS at this point, but figure I should probably hold out for at least another day.

Yeah, I got an unofficial rejection from Maryland this morning. The DGS was very nice about it and didn't officially rule me out, but he made it clear that it too much of a long shot to be hanging my hopes on it. Thanks! GWU is my top choice, so it would be great if I make it past this first round of rejections.

Time for happy hour. I'm guessing you're the Fordham rejection up on the boards?

It looks like GWU is sending out their first round of rejections. Urgh, I cannot handle two rejections in the same day. I'm crossing my fingers (and toes, and arms, and legs...).

Okay, I'm out. DGS told me that it 'does not look likely' that I will be accepted. I can infer from that statement that I'm not in the top 30 and therefore rejected. Oh well.

Holy crap, guys. Someone from Maryland was checking out my academia.edu page yesterday. They were browsing my profile and the abstracts for my major research papers. It's probably nothing. The person appears to be in Silver Spring, not College Park. But it did nearly give me a heart attack.

Rejected by Calgary. Well, I guess I did want to hear from programs, didn't I? This was a special scholarship program and the professor was only accepting one candidate. He sent me a very nice email.

Calgary was a last minute ordeal based on encouragement from a professor. I applied only locally (except for Calgary) because my husband and I purchased a condo this last year. So, we agreed that I would apply based on location the first time around. I chose schools nearby based on fit and professors. I was also in a bit of a financial bind due to the aforementioned condo purchase. Lucky for me, my top choice in the country is local! If I don't get in anywhere this year, then I am going to apply to schools around the country. This will give me time to get funds in order, research more schools, and give us time to pay down our mortgage a bit in case we end up selling or renting the condo later. So, ultimately, I have a plan in place for the (likely) possibility of not getting into any programs this year. This go-around was just an unfortunate confluence of financial circumstances that were easily mitigated by my desire to get into schools that happen to be local. I would definitely /prefer/ to get into a school this time, but I will be okay if I don't! In a second round of applications, I will likely apply to these same schools as well as others.

Another day of no contact from any of my schools... sigh.

Eternal Optimist: Bagels can be sweet, but also can be savory. It really depends on the flavor. They come in all sorts of varieties: blueberry (sweet), chocolate chip (sweet), onion (savory), everything (savory -- tends to have onion, garlic, poppy seeds, and other things), egg (savory), etc. What makes bagels so delicious is that after the dough rises a bit, they boil it before baking it. So the 'crust' is like that of a soft pretzel. You should definitely try it at some point!

I'll chime in here. I'm a long distance runner, though after my marathon back in October I injured my knee and have been off it up until last week. I didn't actually gain any weight but I definitely /feel/ heavier. Ugh. I'm pretty sure I lost muscle and gained fat, so there wasn't much of a change on the scale but my pants feel tighter. Now that I'm back to running, it's going to be a very slow progression back to my old pace. For me, eating healthy isn't so much a calorie-counting or carb-counting game. It's staying away from preservatives and sweeteners (high fructose corn syrup, blech). So, I tend to stick to produce, beans, fish, etc. My husband and I go to the farmer's market most weekends (it's year round! Huzzah). They sell not only veg and fruit, but honey, fish, baked goods, salsa, eggs, cheese, etc. It's a whole grocery experience. I'm not much of a meat eater and never have been. So, I stick to fish, beans, eggs, etc. for my protein. My one major guilty pleasure here are those Tofurkey and Morningstar types of 'fake meat'. I know they're heavily processed, but I kind of love them. I also avoid a lot of sugar. No soda (blech), no sugar in my peanut butter. Seriously, if you switch to simple peanut butter (the only ingredient is the peanut!), you will never miss the sugar stuff. Now Jif tastes like frosting. Honestly. Favorite meal these days: grits with sauteed kale and a poached egg. Sooooo good. Kale is just the best food. Lots of nutrients packed in and its delicious. (GK: I'm guessing kale makes an appearance in your green smoothies?) Anyway, my big health issue is over-eating. I eat pretty healthy, but I eat tons of it! I blame this on the running and before that I used to row. I've always had a big appetite, so when I'm less active I tend to gain a little. Oh, and recently I've been consuming a lot of pupusas and beer to cope with the stress. I am going to the gym more again, but nothing can really combat the pupusas. So tasty.

Yes, definitely! I'm really hoping to hear from GWU today or tomorrow.

I am. I haven't heard a peep as of yet.

Congratulations!! That's so exciting!

Oh! Whoops.

Congrats on the acceptance! Is there any possibility of other funding options? Perhaps they can help you find scholarships or something.

My money shall stay in my pocket for today. I have the feeling that this will be yet another day in which I hear absolutely nothing.

Congratulations!!! No, I haven't heard a peep out of them.

Ooh now, this is a fun thread. 1. Roland Barthes 2. Joseph Campbell 3. Jeffrey Jerome Cohen (Eileen Joy gets an honorable mention) 4. T.A. Shippey

Well, it's good to know that they are starting to contact folks. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but I have no idea what my chances are. Maybe we'll both be going there in the fall!

OMFG. No, I haven't heard a peep out of them! I wonder if they've contacted their top candidates. Was the email from JJC? I'm excited for you that you seem to be on a waitlist! GWU is my top choice and I would love to hear something from them!! I'm still waiting to hear ANYTHING from any schools, and it is driving me a little nuts.

It sounds like maybe you're being waitlisted? As in, it sounds as though they have a crop of people to whom they will send offers and you're in the second sort of 'runner up' batch to whom they will send offers if the first group doesn't take them. If I were you, I would take it as a good sign. They clearly like you. They did not flat out reject you. So, hang in there! Also -- was this email from the DGS at Maryland?

I thought the top 30 had been contacted for a campus visit? That top 30 are competing for 10 spots, so I have the feeling that if we haven't heard anything that we are either VERY far down the waitlist or will be receiving rejections in the near future. I could be wrong, but that was my impression based on the other comments here.