Minnesotan

If they list their admission rate on their website, it might tell you more. I would be inclined to think that you're probably "in if you don't blow it," with only six people being invited.

Ermm... I believe you. I'm just not sure where you want me to stick this thread, now. (No suggestions from the peanut gallery, a'thankyou!) Well, I'm south of my home town in Minnesota, but north of the U.S. border, for the time being. Cold, but nowhere near Minnesota cold! ***Edit: I have been here for two years now, and have never noticed the applied sciences forum. Hrmm... I've got my humanities blinders on, I guess.

I wouldn't mind it meaning something - I had all of mine in by Dec 1st - but I seriously doubt it at my programs.

"Short list" means that when they've eliminated most of the candidates, they have only a short list of names left from whom to select. If you're on the short list, it means you're in the final round(s) of the selection process.

That's another annoying consideration! Not that my SO is an "annoying consideration," of course, but that we are really hoping to get into schools near each other. We did apply to some dream schools that were far away from anything else the other person applied to, though, so there could be some bittersweet acceptance letters coming in the next month or two. All we can do is hope, really. Both of us getting into a good program within a few hours drive from each other would be ideal.

I haven't seen much in the way of Engineering on the wall, yet. Biomedical Engineering, but that doesn't really count.

I'll move this over to Life Sciences for you (since you asked), but leave the shadow topic up, so nobody gets lost.

I tried passing the hat in my family, and someone ran off with it. Now I'm broke, and I don't have a hat!

Check the wall. Sort by program, then go to last week, or all time. http://thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php

It seems like often, if they pay for the trip, you're in pretty good shape. Nothing in life is guaranteed, of course, but you've likely got a good shot. You're obviously on the short list.

Someone posted a couple of math programs a week or so ago.

Funding letters usually come a couple of weeks after departmental acceptance letters.

I'm writing a thesis, and have a new relationship, and still I cannot manage to stay distracted. le sigh

If I got in at half of the programs to which I applied, I could handle the other half being rejections. =) I'd just hope an acceptance came first. lol

What are we doing tonight, Brain? I have the luxury (erm... heh) of having put in apps in a couple of programs, so I can whine with various groups of people in the humanities. Lucky me, eh! Anyway, I would love to start getting some early acceptances, no matter which discipline they are for. Just knowing I'm in *somewhere* would cut my worries in half.

I think it only matters in the case of rolling admissions.

Rich old(er) ladies on the prowl.

No, I claim I want a PhD. Writing a dissertation seems to be the only way to do that, so I'm stuck with another multi-year research project. If you know of any coursework only PhD options, I'm getting my bribes and statements of purpose ready.

What, like a sugar momma? Look out cougars, here I come!

Who needs a subject test for that? I wrote an MA thesis!

I study women in a purely non-academic fashion. If that's at all helpful.

We may have to lock this thread, if the fear and dread continue to spread at such an alarming rate! =)

The "Nerdy English Grad Student" bar has just been raised, ladies and gents. Heh... welcome aboard, Clay. Your dissertation topic sounds like it would be a lot of fun to work on. I was thinking about proposing a study of dystopian literature, but that has been overdone. Without some historical, thematic, or other-disciplinary criterion by which to narrow the scope of the study, and make it unique, it would be a lot of fun but hardly original, important scholarship. I like what you're up to, though. It's an interesting angle of approach. So, I take it you don't like your chances at the U of M or Madison? That's too bad. They are both really good schools, in comparatively nice areas (other top-15 programs are in New Haven, Providence, and various parts of New Jersey - no thanks!)

I got rejected by all three of my safety schools two years ago. I still got in at a god program. No worries, mate.

That's the nice thing about being a TA. As long as the accepteds' tours are not on Tuesdays, I'm fine. =)