Caligula

"So if an Oxbridge student applies to any of the Ivy Leagues would he/she stand a good chance?" Hm, I think it's much more comlicated than that. Several things come into play. Any top graduate program will expect successful applicants to have done well in their undergrad or previous graduate program, Oxbridge included. Adcoms will not be impressed with poor results, even if from Oxbridge. Also, did you make a positive impression on your tutors? Enough so that they will write a helpful letter of recommendation? Did you use the wonderful library resources of Oxbridge to compose an exceptional writing sample? Being from Oxbridge will definitely look good, but it's what you did (or didn't do) while there that counts.

I'm not sure if you will find this information useful or not, but the American Culture Ph.D. program at Michigan has many faculty members that work on Native American history/culture.

Nope, haven't heard yet! I'm thinking we may not hear anything until March.

There was no email. I just checked the website after seeing decisions posted here. When I logged in, there was a link to the decision. The letter was short but courteous.

"I suddently can't spell." That's so interesting because I swear since this process began there have been moments where I cannot speak grammatically-correct English. Since December I've caught myself saying things like "brang" instead of "brought" and "readed" instead of "read." What is going on?! I've just concluded that my slip-ups are the little manifestions of my inner angst, caused by all of this grad school-related stress.

I got my official rejection from Northwestern this morning. I was very upset for the better part of the day. But now I have taken it in and re-grouped. The pity party is over! Time to look forward and move on!

No, that certainly was not directed at you.

"I am sick of people who got acceptances crying about how "hard" it is to choose between schools(plural). It's a luxury to have been accepted into one school let alone two or three. It's pretty gross to post about being wracked with indecision about your multiple acceptances when there will be many hard working and deserving people who end up with no offers this season. Good luck to all!" AMEN! It's one thing to ask legitimate questions to gain further knowledge about a paricular program to which you were admitted, but it's pretty tasteless and tactless to post things like "I just don't know, should I go to Yale or Princeton?! This is just so hard!"

RockEater, Based upon last year's results, I'm pretty sure we can expect a rejection sometime next week. I'm sorry

Kai210, I checked the website for my Northwestern app and there is not a decision. I'm taking this as a bad sign.

A valid concern. Michigan and California are both in a terrible state. Is there a pun here?

"All I hear is how WONDERFUL Madison is, though. Seems like a great place to live." Yeah, as long as it's not November, December, January, or February. I also hear great things about Madison. After Athens (and maybe Ann Arbor), it's supposed to be the best college town in America.

My favorite is when people are shocked that they didn't get into their "safety" school, especially when it's a top 50 program. If you haven't figured out that there's no such thing as a safety school in graduate admissions, you're in pretty bad shape.

You're right, gay people are not a rarity among graduate students - that's because gay people are not a rarity ANYWHERE. The issue is, of course, finding other grad students who are OPENLY gay. And as you noted, many grad students prefer to keep their (homo)sexuality "under wraps." Through the application process I have discovered that gay grad students probably have to search a bit harder to find similarly-minded students, but most universities have great resources for GLBT students. The town/city in which the university is located oftentimes also offers great resources for gay students.

Graddamn, How about asking current students via email? That way you don't have to face the intimidation factor of communicating with professors, and you don't have to "out" yourself to future professors/advisors if you don't wish to. Asking current students about campus LGBT climate has been very helpful in my experience. If you don't want to do this, you can always look into the websites of other schools at the university for LGBT-related groups. For example, if the university has a law school, go to its website and make sure it has a chapter club of OUTLAW (any good law school that claims to have an ounce of diversity will have one). You can do the same for a business school, med school, etc. even if you are attending the graduate school. That way you at least have an idea of the LGBT climate on the campus as a whole.

It's the quiet before the storm.

Congrats to the Berserkeley admits!

Northwestern can't be too far off. They've had our applications for over nine weeks now...

Haha I saw that video a few weeks ago and it has only heightened my desire to attend Yale!

Does anyone know when Yale might release decisions?

I'm not sure about the answer to your first question, though I know for sure that you will have to send in transcripts from both of your colleges and both GPAs will be looked at. To answer the question about GPA: First of all it should be noted, as you did, that GPA is just one of many factors that is considered. Many departments even state that other factors, such as LOR, Statement of Purpose, and writing samples hold equal or more weight than the GPA. That being said, the general rule of thumb is that you must have at least a 3.5 for serious consideration at a top program, though must successful students will have a 3.7 or higher.

"I'm basically just waiting for the rejection notice from Yale at this point... total bummer." Just remember that IF you get rejected, at least 90% of the other people who applied are also reading that same letter.

RockEater, I have heard absolutley nothing. Nothing at all. I, too, am becoming more and more pessimistic every day. My days are spent fantasizing about Northwestern, coping with the ever-growing reality that I didn't get in, and deeply resenting my boyfriend for his numerous acceptances.

"Am I mostly accepted, or do I have to put on a good show?" You better put on a good show even if you are admitted, funding and all!! It's always important to appear at your best. Congrats and good luck!

Thanks for your post. It's helpful to me even though I'm studying in another field. Though I do have a question. You claim "I know that this sounds harsh, but for most jobs, a job file from a school out of the top 25 won't even be considered. It will just go on the trash. Let this sink in." I decided to investigate this a little bit. You mention UGA in your original post (I'm assuming you're referring to UGA when you mention Athens). According to their Political Science Department website, no less than 12 professors earned their Ph.D. from a program that was NOT in the top-25 according the U.S. News and World Report. That's nearly 55% of the faculty. Further, UGA's undergrad program is ranked 58 overall and 20 for public schools by the U.S. News and World Report, so it is a fairly respectable, large research university. How would you explain this? I hope this doesn't sound confrontational - I'm genuinely curious.