Dr. Old Bill

No. Definitely not. As hard as it is, you just have to respect the process. They'll let you know when they're ready to let you know, simple as that.

Looks like you accidentally attributed this quotation to me instead of its rightful owner, @piers_plowman...

Way to go, Caien! You suddenly have -- *gasp* -- options!!!!

You might want to avoid emailing programs right now. Honestly, the last thing they want to do is read emails from applicants at this point unless there is some extremely important issue that needs to be brought up. Most professors complain about oversaturation of emails at the best of times, but during this time of year it's particularly egregious. I know that this process is tough, but there's little that an email is going to do to resolve it, I'm afraid...nor an email apologizing for an email. Just a word to the wise! :-)

Careful using terms like "supposed to." Remember that all the decision data is historical, and adcoms change from year to year. Sometimes there are different DGS's with different policies (as is the case with UMD). In other words, programs can notify whenever they want -- we only know when they've typically done so. You have to take these dates with a grain of salt, basically. Frustrating, but true.

Another thing that sucks about this is that few early modern GCers will wind up in the same program. It would have been nice to have some virtual pre-association with a program-field-cohortee, but since there are usually one, maybe two of us brought in per program, we largely cancel each other out.

Yeah, it really has been a long week, hasn't it? Usually the first week of February comes with a large number of decisions, but so far this month has largely bucked the trend... It's also weird to me that I haven't received a single official rejection email (or portal change), even though I'm pretty sure that I've been nixed from three or four programs, based on other early modern acceptances/interviews to those same programs. It's undeniably huge that I have an acceptance under my belt -- I'm continuously thrilled whenever I think about it -- but it doesn't change the fact that I want to know all of the results, like, yesterday. I feel like I said the same thing very recently, but blah.

Warelin can correct me if I'm wrong, but this list is most likely compiled from the results page here at Grad Cafe. Once someone receives a decision, they post their results on that page. It's not comprehensive, of course, as only an unknown percentage of total applicants participate at GC...yet there are enough results each cycle to make it reasonably reliable. Clearly a lot of lurkers post results, and the figures in a given year are generally quite predictive.

Happy to reassure your uncertainty with my own amorphous uncertainty. [Insert comment about death and taxes here] If I were to make a [completely speculative, largely unfounded] guess, I'd say that rhet-comp and 18th century is largely decided, other than for waitlists, but speaking as someone already in the graduate program, there's an informational vacuum. That's completely understandable and probably to be expected, but it's still ever-so-slightly surprising to me.

Honestly? I still have no clue, and I think very few people outside of the inner circle of UMD's adcom know either. I can say with reasonable confidence that the different area groups are entrusted with contacting their acceptees, but beyond that? I got nothin'. I know of several people who have been admitted, but it's certainly sporadic... I don't think you can interpret the lack of response one way or the other at this point.

Wow. That's exactly it to a T. I remember disliking it when people did that a couple of years ago, but now I'm an offender...

Out of upvotes, but consider yourself hugged for this peace of mind!

Indeed! I'm anxiously waiting to see if I nabbed the Ph.D. slot there... Doubtful at this point...

Yeah. I'm not a comp lit person, but you really can't start really worrying until you see other results on the board. Until then, you just have to assume that they haven't notified yet. Truly, save the panic for when it counts.

Or perhaps because acceptance will be a breeze! On another note, when I got my OSU acceptance last week I figured I would no longer feel the strain and impatience of waiting. Boy was I ever wrong... I'm still thrilled that I have a place to go -- and one of my top choices, at that -- but I guess it's just the pull of finality and the sheer uncertainty of my full spectrum of options that continues to make the waiting difficult...

Gawww. I think this calls for mobilization. PM each and every current GC member your name and institution, and we'll all create fake accounts and bestow chili peppers upon you. You'll be a veritable habanero before the day is done!

61. Check your rating on RateYourProfessors Someone gave me a strong review and a chili pepper. Which one do you think I'm happier about?

Gotta say, though...Midtown Scholar Books in Harrisburg is one of the top three bookstores I've ever been to. I don't think I've seen a larger selection of literary theory anywhere. They've got a pretty strong Amazon Marketplace presence too, but you could easily spend hours in their physical storefront. Definitely a highlight of living anywhere close to Harrisburg...

Woo hoo!!!!! So so SO incredibly happy for you! We've got a great program, and some great folks in your era in particular (students and faculty). I look forward to meeting you at the day for admitted students!

Wow, this is quite interesting. You know what it does? It pretty much confirms that, generally speaking, GRE and GPA aren't hugely determining factors in decisions. For a search of English / all time / Ph.D., the difference between the average GRE verbal accepted and rejected is 164.16 to 162.31. Mind you, many folks don't list their GRE scores on the results page (not sure why), so that data is invariably a bit skewed. Most people DO list their GPA, however, though some put their M.A. GPA in the B.A. GPA field, which is going to inflate things a bit...but at least it inflates both data sets. Average accepted GPA vs. average rejected GPA is 3.85 vs. 3.78. Such a slender difference, really. This draws from over 100 results, so that's probably statistically significant in a group like this. Fun stuff. Thanks, Warelin!

It's definitely an interesting turn of events! I'm very curious as to what has precipitated the "interview turn" in Ph.D. acceptances. I could hazard a few half-hearted guesses, but they'd be only that. Hmm...

Yes, I remember when I first got my M.A. acceptance at UMD a couple of years ago -- there was the "possibility" of funding, but I was very lukewarm about it since a.) I had only applied to Ph.D. programs, and b.) I wasn't prepared to shell out lots of money for a Master's. Fortunately, I was eventually offered a 1/2 TAship, and was then able to find a full GAship...and long story short, in both years I've been at UMD, I've actually made more money than the Ph.D. stipend, while having tuition waived, health insurance covered etc. In other words, you may find that this option works out for you, depending on how CMU is structured. And thanks for your kind words about my OSU acceptance! Even though I'm still eager to see whether or not I get in elsewhere, I know I'll be very happy at Ohio State, all factors considered. The low cost of living would be quite a treat. I'm also from the Pacific Northwest, incidentally (Vancouver, Canada), though have lived in Virginia and Maryland for the last seven. I'll miss not having the ocean within driving distance, but I'm pretty sure I can stick it out. Frankly, I'm looking forward to the fresh start!

Congratulations, @Kilos! The funding situation may be less than ideal, but an acceptance is an acceptance...and Carnegie Mellon is one of the best in the country for rhet-comp. I know the prevailing advice around here is to not pay for grad school (and I think that's generally great advice), but if the cost is mitigated a great deal by scholarship and RA money, it still might be a reasonable option if you plan on moving forward with the Ph.D. in the future. I suspect that a rhet-comp MA from Carnegie Mellon could help your chances in the next cycle. All of that being said, it's still early, so it may be a mood point in the face of other Ph.D. acceptances very soon. Either way, congrats again on this positive result!

Ahhh. Splendid! And yes, Northwestern's early modern program is (obviously) very strong. Congrats again!

Congratulations!!! Northwestern is a fantastic program, and has great funding to boot! And easy access to the Newberry Library is a major boon! What's your field -- medieval, I'm guessing?