Minnesotan

I'm going to lock this one down, since we already have 3 waitlist threads going, and this one does not add any new information or pose a new question.

lol I feel the pain. I haven't heard anything in a month, and over half of my programs have yet to report back. I contacted one, and the DGS intimated I am on the unofficial waitlist, so I am hoping that's what all of this silence means. They really love to cultivate the suspense, don't they?

I think it's disingenuous to go on the Pitt trip, if you have no intention of going there. It's like my ex, who doesn't have sex with me anymore, but still wants me to come over and lift heavy objects and set up electronics for her. Pfft!

Out of morbid curiosity, I pulled up one of the statements I wrote for my MA applications two years ago, and I am horrified. How I ever got into a good program is beyond me. Honestly, I'm glad applications are a package deal; my writing sample and other materials must have been stupendous, or else research unis were hard up in 2006.

I would go if they were willing to reimburse me for expenses.

Here's how I look at it: as long as you're polite and you don't pester people overmuch, it will never hurt to contact a potential advisor, and it could very well be helpful. Not only do you want someone fighting for you on the admissions committee, but the simple aspect of name recognition is normally quite helpful when dealing with professors. It's like I tell my undergrads -- if I know your name, if you visit my office hours, your grade is going to improve. Likewise, if the people you list as potential advisors on your statement of purpose know your name, and perhaps remember something about the details of your project, I think that will pay dividends if it comes down to a choice between you and someone who did not bother to contact them first.

You're such an elitist snob! =)

There's an end to the MA thesis? That's what I forgot to do! I was under the impression that I just kept on writing until, one cold evening in the winter of my life, I saw a black cloaked figure lurking at my doorstep. At that time, I could save my work (***REM: flash drive #1, flash drive #2, email to self, email to girlfriend, email to parents***), take the last sip of the bottle of port I had been saving for a special occasion, then follow the dark figure wherever he took me, never having to worry about footnotes and literature reviews again. But you say these things can end before the dark man comes, eh? This is something I shall have to investigate.

On a similar note, one of the schools to which I applied sent out a mass email to everyone who had applied to their graduate school. We all received it about two weeks after their deadline, and the subject line read something to the effect of: "The University of Northern Timbuktu invites you to visit," and on the inside it continued, "for their 2nd annual graduate student conference on underwater basket weaving." Apparently they had such a huge, hostile response that they had to send out an apology email later that day. At once I felt amused at the ease at which someone could make an innocent mistake with horrible repercussions like that, and outraged at the insensitivity and thoughtlessness of using a grad applicant email list for such a thing (disguised as an official departmental visit request?). Luckily the former feeling has overtaken the latter, and I can laugh about it now. But, to be perfectly honest, they got me -- I totally thought I was being invited to an accepted students' weekend. haha! And no, for once I was not one of the mouthy people who spoke out about the injustice of it all. Apparently plenty of other folks beat me to it, though. I've never seen a university office apologize so quickly for something -- they must have received a ton of angry emails. Don't they realize we're all a bunch of neurotic narcissists already? Feeding us conflicting information and toying with our egos like that may just cause the average grad student to snap. =) What a silly process this is.

I love the people who list Brown as their back-up school. lol

Good idea. Just so you know, I have not heard from any of my Canadian apps yet this year, which is not surprising. What is surprising is that I still haven't heard from a couple of American programs, either. I just keep hoping that no news is good news for the schools in question.

I got a straight acceptance (not off the waitlist) from a Canadian school two years ago, and it did not arrive until the end of April. The program is very good, but the school is notoriously slow in getting back to you. BTW, many humanities programs in Canada had deadlines into Feb. I would give the Canucks a little more time before giving up on them -- people just move slower when they've got maple syrup in their veins. =) Alternatively, you can give them a ring. That's not illegal in Canada. heh

In my experience, Canadian schools can be very slow in reviewing applications. Remember that they are likely not part of the CGS agreement, so the only deadline they have is their own.

I say screw them, if they're going to dick you around like that. That's completely unprofessional.

***Mod note: I edited the title back into this thread. If you want to delete your post, that's fine, but we cannot have threads with one-letter titles confusing the other users of the forum. Thanks.

I tend to model my refusal letters on this paradigm: http://www.chaosmatrix.org/library/humor/reject.html

That sounds shady. I would wait for a funding letter before committing. If they're not willing to put it in writing, whatdoes that tell you about the value of their guarantees?

According to Peterson's website, perhaps. =)

If they are part of the GSC, they cannot make you notify before April 15th. Either way, I would do what you need to do to cover your own butt -- the schools to which you're applying sure would, regardless the effect it had on you.

Most people are still waiting on their decisions from Western.

Precisely! Davis is one of those schools from which the people on LJ are whining about being implicitly rejected. The universe embraces hope (even though it sometimes squeezes too hard).

As much as I dig that "telephonic" rhymes with supersonic, "telephone interview" sounds decidedly less ridiculous. Maybe I'm wrong. I should just go watch a televisionic program and chill out. =)

Website, email, smoke signals -- they can inform me however they want, as long as it's an acceptance. Honestly, though, I would prefer to know the quickest way possible. Any snailmail letter is going to be just as impersonal, as well as being filled with patronizing platitudes (*HULK SMASH!*), so email or website is just fine with me. It's especially nice for people who are out of country, or in an area (like mine) where the mail is, shall we say, less than reliable.

Yeah... the slow boat is how I moved back from Oxford. It takes forever, but it is worth it, considering you pay about 1/3 or the unimaginable cost of shipping (necessary) books via airmail/parcel service. Edit: by forever, I mean it took about 6 months to get my crate of books in Minnesota. That, from what I'm told, is longer than usual, but you're not supposed to expect your package for 4 months or so. Keep that in mind, when transporting necessities.

One thing you learn growing up in Minnesota - if you can't take the cold, don't bother moving here; you'll just make everyone unhappy with your whining.