I got another rejection: Stanford.
If what you say about Chicago is true, then my only hope is Columbia. I also applied to the NSSR but I don´t think that I'll get funding and even if UNC accepts me, I'm not sure I want to go there.
I hope some day I'll thank destiny/fate/the stars for all these rejections.
Do you know if one can ask the departments to tell you why the application was not competitive?
thanks!
Applied: Berkeley, Stanford, Columbia, UNC, NSSR, Chicago
Rejected: 2
Waiting: 4