MathCat

I have the same recurring nightmare...

I use my university email service, which is low tech and doesn't give notifications. So, I have to manually refresh my inbox to check for emails. I've refreshed what seems like an uncountably infinite number of times today. I even do this on the weekends. I'm not just waiting for result emails (only one program left to hear from), but also corresponding with profs and admin about visits, research interests, general program questions, etc.. It really hurts my productivity.

I agree with Sujie - send it if it will make you feel better. But, I don't think there is any need to worry. They probably just say that because departments have different requirements for applications - they don't want to be the ones responsible for saying everything the department wants is there, since there might be something special that department wants.

I agree with people saying they've never looked forward to Mondays so much... but even more than that, I'm actually disliking weekends! What has this process done to us?!

Oh boy. That's good to know in advance. I guess I will probably be getting a loan from my parents to pay for my US visits, since I can't wait for a reimbursement before booking another ticket. Luckily I'm in a situation where I can do this, but I wish schools were better about it for those that aren't.

Getting a lawyer is nonsense. You can't sue your way to admission. Even if you did, you'd only be burning bridges - and very effectively, I would guess. This is a really sucky situation, and I feel badly for everyone who had their hopes crushed like this. But I think there is nothing to do but accept it, unfortunately.

Yeah, this is a problem for me too. One, where I filled out the paperwork while I was there, took about 2.5 weeks. I had to mail the receipts for the other in, and it's been a month and I have not yet received it. I can't afford to buy another plane ticket until I get it...

I'm surprised by how much my priorities have shifted as I visit these schools. I thought I knew what I wanted, but after visiting a few, I realized the ones I liked the most were not the ones that looked the best on paper. Boy am I glad I've been visiting!

I know nothing about applied physics or these programs in particular. But if you do not have a research reason to prefer one to the other, and you like all of the program structures, I would visit and go with whichever one feels like the best personal fit for you, that is, wherever you think you would be happiest. Congratulations on your wonderful problem.

I'm waiting to hear from my top choice program in California. They've been releasing offers for weeks, one by one. I got a phone call from California. It was an automated telemarketer. This is especially a fake out because I'm international. I NEVER get phone calls from the US.

Honestly, I don't think your original essay was a 2. But it's not a 5 to me either - probably in the 3 - 4 range, but of course I am not an ETS grader. My advice would be to be more verbose - explicitly explain everything. It does seem that longer essays are generally scored higher. If you go into a few points in depth, you don't need to come up with quite as many! My friend gave me this advice, and I think my essays greatly improved as a result. I ended up scoring a 5.0. I would also reduce the rhetorical questions. You can explain the flawed assumptions and how the argument relies on it better if you just state it explicitly: the argument assumes this, and uses it to reach that conclusion, but it is flawed in this way. For example, I think "Are the costs and risks less on unmanned space flight? It is just said that the costs and risks are not the same associated with manned space flight, which doesn't mean that they are lower in comparison." could be better expressed as "The argument implicitly assumes that the costs and risks of unmanned space flight are less than those of manned space flight. However, this is not clearly established in the argument, and thus does not support the conclusion." or something like that. It seems clearer that way, to me. I do think that this is one of the harder essay prompts to say much about, but the one I got on the real exam was even worse (for me).

I wouldn't assume it means anything in particular.

This. It may be that the program just doesn't have much money for anything, which is worrisome, but I wouldn't assume that's the case without more to go on. One of the best funding offers I've gotten (which is the best by far) comes from the program that will only cover ~1/2 of my visiting costs, and they also have good support for travel, etc. for current students. They just seem to prioritize funding enrolled students over prospective ones - which is not really a bad thing.

Can you not afford to go? If so, explain that. They will understand, even if they can't reimburse. Do you just not want to pay to go (but could)? If so, it still doesn't hurt to ask, but there may be many reasons beyond just the program having the attitude you suggested. One of the schools I was accepted to simply doesn't have very much money to fly prospective students out on visits. They do reimburse a bit, but it is only about 1/3 of my costs. They were very apologetic that they could not cover more. If this is the case for you, I would suggest you re-evaluate. I would personally feel pretty silly to not even consider a program just because it would have cost me to visit, when I could have afforded it. It will look like such a minor expense in a few years. You did choose to apply to this school for a reason, and I would keep that in mind.

I have an offer from Cornell, which includes a $24k TAship for the school year, with possible summer support but not guaranteed. I don't know how much the summer would be if I get it. I don't drive, would hope to live alone (studio okay if it has a full kitchen, 1 bedroom preferred), and would be fine with busing or walking to campus as long as it's reasonably good bus service or not too long of a walk. I would also have expensive international flights home for the holidays, at around $1200 or more. Is this doable on the TAship income? Are the graduate residences a bad idea for a first year international student? It looks like not a great location for shopping or getting to campus. Also, how close to the centre of campus (near the math department..) do the buses go?

Actually, I think it's a bit of a mixed bag with schools on this. Of the three Canadian departments I applied to, only one works under this model. The other two are like in the US.

Don't explicitly ask them to review your application early. You can, however, let them know your situation and ask if there is anything they can tell you. Maybe all you hear back is that they'll make decisions in March, but they may be able to tell you if you're in the running or not. I'm in a similar situation (except without a clear ranking of which my top choice is) and when I did this, one school thanked me for telling them and emailed me an early offer, one told me I had a good chance but offers would be made later, and the rest told me nothing of use. Also, if you have not already, you should ask for an extension on your current offer, without telling them they're you're second choice. I'd be happy to talk the specifics of what I did if you want to message me. And this thread may be of interest:

Mine were visitation days, since there's almost never interviews in math, but I had a great time at one and the other felt like a huge waste of time. I knew really quickly that I wasn't going to attend there, and wished I wasn't missing so much class to attend.

Some schools have signed on for the April 15 resolution in Canada, but definitely not all. That agreement does not apply to all offers, either.

It's not UBC-wide. I know their math department respects the April 15 resolution, so I'm surprised they're pushing here. I don't think there's anything regional here - the school not playing nice for me is not in BC.

You could try contacting the other programs and telling them you have an early deadline, and ask if they can tell you anything about your status. I did this, and half of my remaining programs gave me useful information as a result (including one acceptance). You can also ask for an extension on your current offer. I think it is generally possible, but not recommended, to rescind your acceptance and accept another offer later. I would avoid this if at all possible.

I got some good advice when I asked this question here:

I got admitted to one program extremely fast as well. It was a fluke, though - they had a meeting the same day to determine their early acceptance offers, so I just submitted it at a lucky time. It probably doesn't indicate anything bad. It could indicate good things (your application stood out so much that they knew they would interview you no matter what others came along), or could be more of a fluke like mine. Either way, I don't think you should worry, unless the program is bad. Your professors might be able to give advice about that.

I would worry about going to a program without options. What if it doesn't work out with the PI at Northwestern? I do generally think that the reputation of your advisor is more important than the reputation of your department, but I would personally not want to put all my eggs in one basket - your interests may change, and you could find you don't work well with that PI. Given the information, I would recommend UChicago. It sounds like you felt you would be happy there, and I think having options of possible supervisors is important.

Well, after emailing, one program emailed me an unofficial acceptance, one told me I'm still in the running, and the third was a terse response telling me to wait until the date listed on their website - which is after the deadline for me to decide on my current offer (even after an additional extension). The fourth has not responded yet. I didn't inquire about the deadlines - I just told them that I had an offer with this deadline, and was wondering if there was any news about my application status. Thank you all for the advice.