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Historically (if we take the results section as a trustworthy source) NYU Soc has exercised radio silence until the weekend before the 2nd full week of the month -- that means this coming weekend is likely D-Day. May the odds be in your favor. I'll be waiting it out, as well. cheers.

Congrats. I just got word that the acceptance isn't coming through from Hopkins. They've filled all the PGSC slots. I was next in line, but in this case -- as they say -- second place is first loser. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't exceptionally bummed about it. Mostly because I've had a two year string of admissions heart breaks. This guy can't seem to catch a break. In any case, I'll get over it. My second choice was George Mason Univ Cultural Studies PhD. They've thrown a bunch of money at me (with no work requirements) and given me total freedom in terms of research agenda. I'm actually very fortunate, but I had my heart se on Hopkins. Now the real work begins. Good luck to all of you. Winter is coming...

Enjoy your visit and let us know how it goes. If you don't mind an urban environment, the campus is beautiful.

Congrats. Looks like you were ranked ahead of me. Just remember -- like I generously told all the other Hopkins admits -- Baltimore is freezing in the winter and the building in which the Soc. dept is located is known to be haunted. Don't hang around after dark. But seriously, congrats. I was told there was a bit of "gridlock" on the alternate list, so I'm glad folks made decisions to enable your admit.

I'm right there with you, although I'm PGSC track. Judging by the relative calm that has overtaken this thread, I can only assume most decisions have been made by others at other programs. I know I'm a *tad* biased, but name one other similar scenario where it's deemed acceptable to allow 5 weeks to go by without giving a firm answer to an offer... Imagine five weeks going by after a job offer -- not likely! I know there are many exceptions and scenarios that prevent folks from making timely decisions, but I'm losing my patience. Full disclosure: I was told by folks at JH that they hadn't heard from any of the decisions as of a week or so ago, and that they would be leaning on these folks for decisions in order to have a better sense of things by the beginning of April. I would expect things to shake out next week. April 9th is historically the latest anyone has reported being accepted off the waitlist, so we'll see... Like you, I'm sure, I have other offers on the table, although JH is my first choice. The laxness with which the first round is dealing with this decision is having a cascading effect down the "food chain", as it were... As they say: shit rolls down hill. Good luck to all, and be sure to keep us updated.

It's a little late now, but they appear to offer a dozen or more, but only have funding for 4-6, I believe. I'm not precisely sure. Visit day is tomorrow morning, so it may be a moot point by now.

PM'd you.

Waitlisted at UNC and Hopkins?

Thanks for that update. I expect to hear something this week or next. I have a couple of recruitment events at less desirable programs coming up, so I'd really like to know my chances of being plucked off the wait list. I know they make very few initial offers, and that historically many folks in my position have ultimately received offers. Fingers crossed. Thanks for being considerate and rejecting the offer in a timely fashion. You deserve a medal!

My POI emailed to let me know about 10 days ago. I know other than mine, there is one acceptance and one other waitlist posted on the results page. No one has claimed them, but it would be great if those people would chime in.

I'm on the waitlist. GPD advised me that she should know something re: waitlisted folks in a couple weeks. No mention of rejections. It is odd -- historically, rejections have gone out very early.

Agreed. Being good at what you do is seriously underrated. Though I don't mean to suggest the academy is a meritocracy, there is an extent to which folks seem to imagine great grades and an Ivy pedigree ensures that you have anything interesting to say in your subfield--and in general, for that matter. I find this not to be the case.

I'll echo what others have said that this is not the time to be coy. If you want to go there, be very clear and direct about that. Schools are as just as nervous about this process as we are. Most admissions committees have a long history of getting "burned" by prized would-be students. Also, many folks on the waitlist are great candidates so they don't want to risk losing them to other programs thats they were admitted to on the first go-round. Once Accepted Student A changes his or her mind in early April and goes elsewhere, Great Waitlisted Candidate B, C and D will all be committed elsewhere. Catch my drift?

Bingo. This is more important than all the publications and conferences in the world, IMHO.

It sucked, didn't it? Haha. But the payoff is something your "coasting through their elite undergrad with a 4.0" colleagues will never be able to appreciate.

Are you good at what you do? How much have you read? I don't mean "how well do you know Durkheim, or X theorist/concentration." I mean: How sophisticated is your approach and how well do you know the territory in which you're interested? I don't mean to question your intelligence, at all, but I generally see such a strong emphasis on publications and conferences and that's well taken, but I didn't go from a near college dropout (flunk out) to getting multiple offers at my dream schools (and dream supervisors) by trying to turn an above average term paper into a publication; rather I dove headfirst into the literature and debates, as well as politics and history, in general. I really don't mean to question your intelligence, because--hell, I'm not that smart. But I've spent 4-5 years in between degrees (BA then MA) reading my ass off and it's paid tremendous dividends. I really do believe that a premature emphasis on publications and presentations narrows one's intellectual sights far too greatly. Once you've mastered the literature (or, at least know it) and you've developed a sophisticated, uniquely synthetic approach, the publications will just start flowing like water. I genuinely hope nothing I've said is taken in a condescending or presumptuous way. Everyone here is smart and accomplished by virtue of their status as a grad school applicant. I'm just venting, honestly, because I see so many of my struggling colleagues and classmates and they're putting the cart before the horse by not putting the work in. Aim to read something good for 10-20+ hours a week (if you're not doing that already). That's my advice. The rest will come naturally. Obviously this will depend on one's life circumstances. But I spent 4-5 years throughout my 20s broke and in awful jobs because I refused to take on a situation that would prevent me from reading on the side. It hasn't been easy, but if you want it badly enough, you'll find a way. Good luck!

Admissions committees are just as anxious about waitlists as you are... They all have a history of getting burned by admitted folks changing their mind at the last minute, then not having any decent uncommitted folks on the waitlist to turn to. It's definitely in your best interest to email them and tell them you're still interested in an offer should one come available. If course your ultimate fate depends on how far down you're ranked in the list, but it pays to ask that, as well. Knock the door down. They appreciate passion for the program and a no nonsense approach.

There has been quite a bit of chatter on the Results page for Hopkins, and one acceptance. Apparently the email was in his/her spam folder. Anybody want to claim it? ...seems like the Results page gets more action than the forum, for some reason.

Just got an email from my POI at Johns Hopkins and I'm "high on the waitlist." They only have 5 funded positions, so unlike some other depts they only offer 5 in the first go-round. I'm happy to still be among the possible admittees, as there were 150 applicants. Though I have utmost confidence in my research agenda and scholarly abilities, I don't come from Ivy or elite private schools, and I'm a bit of a "late bloomer" in terms of my paper record. I'm happy to be among you lifelong high achievers Congrats to those who got in on the first round. It was insanely competitive. On a totally unrelated note, Baltimore is a cold and dreary city, and I hear the building that houses the sociology dept is haunted... Just saying...

News for my fellow applicants waiting it out for Hopkins: I reached out to their amazing program director to inquire about their hopeful timeline and was informed that they are still working though the final list and will be notifying folks near the end of the month. So my earlier prediction -- based on years past -- that the first round would go out this Friday (tomorrow) looks to be incorrect. In any case, I hope this is helpful and will take some pressure off of their program admin in case some of you were also thinking of inquiring. I've played this waiting game 4 times now: one failed attempt during last year of undergrad, one for an MA that I ended up leaving, another for the MA I recently finished, and now. It never gets any easier. The anguish is almost too much to bear. With that, I give my utmost condolences to those caught up in the Columbia debacle. That really is inexcusable. Folks in this forum know the desperation of this process and how just one acceptance can be a nothing short of a life boat in a stormy sea. I am so sorry. Whoever was responsible should be held to account.

Thanks, that's very helpful. I am definitively in the PGSC camp, and I made that quite clear in my application. It seems most here are PSI, so they'll find your contribution very helpful. Sorry to be obnoxious, but any word on when the decision will come down? Historically, it should be no later than Friday for the first round of admits and rejections. I know everyone has their own story as to why they're on a time crunch for notification (nerves, other offers, visits, etc.) and I'm no different; though my reason is quite unique and urgent... Hence, my extra dose of obnoxiousness

You seem to have an insiders view at Hopkins. Any word on when the decisions will be released? And, surely, there must be a fair amount of qual "rebels" amongst the faculty? Admin pressure is generally met with some resistance? Perhaps I am merely hopeful that this is the case...

The 6 spots is pure speculation on my part. I know a member of last year's entering cohort at JHU. It was relayed to me that a couple folks had left the program early on, so they're likely admit the full 6 this year. But we'll find out soon enough! I wouldn't worry about the two tracks at this point. They will determine your best fit, anyhow.

@mrbmrbmrb Best of luck. It's been the third week in February the last 3 or 4 years. I expect that to continue, though there is another full week left in the month due to the oddities of the calendar this year, so we could be waiting longer. What track did you go for? I went for PGSC, essentially the world systems/GPE track.

New poster (long-time lurker) here... Interested in hearing from the folks waiting it out for Johns Hopkins. I suspect we'll be hearing something by Friday. Please keep me posted if any of you hear before then. Good luck to you all! There are only 6 spots for 2 concentrations -- so we'll need all the luck we can get.