Minnesotan

Discuss.

*commiserates* All I have is a single rejection from Valentine's Day, still. I could really use some good news about now. My thesis work is suffering.

If you are absolutely sure that you want the one offer, then yes, I would notify the other schools that you will not be attending them. That way, other students on waitlists have a shot at hearing in a timely manner.

Kee, I was merely exercising my dry American humor (note: sans "u"). Please do not waste all of your smiley forces in the initial assault, as they can no longer do me any harm. Best you send them to another front. JackofSpeed, please note that, while I agree with your sentiment, we're trying to steer this discussion back toward the question the OP posted, rather than continue flaming one another about standardized testing.

I didn't notice, and I doubt it. I was referring to the Washington situation. They just pass out their money higgledy-piggledy.

It's amazing how many programs have had only one (legitimate) acceptance posted for weeks. UT, Indiana, Brown, and Yale had the same things going on in History, and there are a couple of English programs I'm watching who are pulling the same crap -- Washington-Seattle being the most frustrating, as there is absolutely no rhyme nor reason to the order in which they are reviewing applications. If you get reviewed first, you may get funding; if you get reviewed last, you could be the best of all the candidates, but they have no room nor money for you. Pfft! I guess one can only hope that this strangeness works to one's advantage.

The ability to turn off smileys is perhaps the greatest feature of these forums.

Shhh... they seem to be happy in the Social Sciences, now, BGK. Don't wake them.

If I could gently urge you to move the language tangent to the languages thread (in this same forum), I would appreciate it. The history thread has gotten so popular that I'm trying to think of ways to separate some content. Maybe we could start threads for some of the common schools we're waiting on. I hear the names UT-Austin, Indiana, NYU, and Cornell a lot around here. What do you folks think?

I had a league match tonight. We lost, so maybe I should have watched the eclipse instead.

Yeah. After you have a rejection in hand, it is helpful to (politely) inquire as to how you could improve your application, if you were to reapply next year. Sometimes the replies are vague and unhelpful. Other times, the program director will be quite detailed about what went wrong with your application, and offer some useful suggestions. Only do this if you can take criticism and apply it to your future writing, though. It could make a painful process even more painful, if you internalize too much.

Check phds.org They have customizable rankings based on several criteria from the NRC survey.

Will you ask the program director if he would be willing to adopt me? MSU must have some crazy cashola to throw around.

Good call. =)

That seems inappropriate, if you ask me.

Indiana seems to be savoring the suspense. One phone call on the 8th, then a single snail mail letter on the 19th. This is killing me.

Aw, man. That sucks! At least you know you're in at two of the UC schools. They may or may not be your ideal situations, but the first acceptance(s) is always comforting (not that I would know this year, heh). Good luck on the rest. And thanks for wishing me luck on mine.

It looks like you're accepted, if you're not going to be too expensive.

It'll certainly get the waitlists moving faster.

Seconded. Why they can't exercise some self-restraint and allow everyone to hear at the same time, rather than racing to the phone to call their favorite niece, nephew, or undergrad ass-kisser to tell them that they got in, I don't know! The people who thought up this process had the same amount of organization and foresight as the 8th grade gym teachers who say "Okay kids, go pick your teams." This process needs to go online. And I mean really online, in step with the capabilities of the 21st Century in which we live. Why can't someone create a central db for applicant credentials, a universal policy on applicant procedures (within each discipline or sub-field), and a reliable notification system? Oh, I realize the artsy fartsy humanists are scandalized at the thought of objectivity or the imposition of applicational norms, but come on! This is the most Mickey Mouse system any bureaucrat could think of, short of turning things over to the United States Postal Service entirely! Okay. I'm breathing again. Damn, that felt good.

I'm fine with ladies not liking lobster, picnics, or champagne, but come on! Let's not exaggerate, here. =)

You sound like a Medievalist, so I would agree with the above. Languages are very important to the application, only in terms of opening the gate. It's the statement, WS, and LoRs that will allow you to walk inside. You probably can have 1-2 strong languages and 1-2 deficiencies, though, if it's a long program (i.e. 8 years after the BA). I know they expect you will do summer language work in other areas of history.

I should have applied to Michigan. It looks like everyone is getting in! The ultimate backup school! lol

Grifter needs to join the rest of us rejects in the history 2008 thread. We're holding hands and chanting for acceptances. Yes, it has come to that. *sigh*

"Would you care to suck it?" is the appropriate phrasing, according to Miss Manners' Guide to Thumbing One's Nose at Grad Programs.