nightfarmer

Update: Finally heard from UT (late rejection, thanks guys), but UNC is still silent... I did see on the gradcafe results section that someone was rejected just a few days ago, but according to the website I'm still in the running - maybe this is like an unofficial waitlist? I think everyone would prefer an actual waitlist so we know that we're not just waiting for a rejection, but whatever. I guess I'll take comfort in knowing that if enough people turn down their offer maybe I'll get one.

Yeah... the thing about UT is that the people they made offers to like 3 weeks ago were invited to a prospective student weekend which, I'm pretty sure, must have already happened or is very soon. I hate basically knowing I'm waiting on a rejection... If I get accepted or waitlisted I will happily be proven wrong. Very happily proven wrong.

Yeah - UT Austin. I see Duke rejected you too... I'm 'in the running' at CUNY too, but kind of getting the run-around as to whether they are making me an official offer. It's just frustrating when, considering the evidence, I'm 95% sure I'm rejected from both UNC and UT. Good luck with UVA, jte with the good beard.

I applied to both of these programs, and I remember seeing a bunch of acceptances and rejections show up on the results board several weeks ago. Does anyone know why they're taking so long to get the decisions out to everyone? It was a bummer to get the rejections I've gotten already, but better than it would have been to get them a month from now...

Hello, I also got asked to do a skype interview this week. I have done this sort of thing before (already in an MA program) and I've gotta push back against the first poster a little bit here about the clothing. Skype interviews are another example of not too little, not too much for dressiness. Of course, the question is, as always, what are the bounds? So here's what I, as a guy currently preparing himself for a skype interview tomorrow will wear (your profile doesn't say how you identify) : button down shirt - not too nice, like a tux shirt or anything - and no tie. Torso is really all that matters for this kind of thing. Make sure your hair doesn't look crazy. Don't look like a frat boy or that it's your first interview ever, but also don't look like you just rolled out of bed. In terms of technology, maybe do a screen test first to make sure people can actually see you (and adjust the blinds/lighting accordingly) but unless you're interviewing for a camera operator position this won't matter. So many professors don't even know how to open a powerpoint that you'll still be in the ranks of a technology jedi just for being able to do the interview on skype. There's really nothing to say to instill confidence in you that you haven't already heard. Try not to be nervous. They read your application and liked it, so they want to like you.

Yep. Yet another surprisingly (and disappointingly) silent Friday for me. Still a couple hours for late emails - not likely that will make a difference though.

I'm in the same boat. I keep flip-flopping between 'it would be nice to hear something' and 'no news is better than a rejection' I'm really tired of having this conversation with myself 1,200 times a day.

I have so many sources of anxiety right now and they're all a result of having to wait for things to right themselves - I feel in control of nothing right now. - obviously waiting to hear back from PhD's is the first thing. And as a result of that, not having any clue where i'll be living in, oh, six months or less, as well as what that will do to my current relationship - waiting for my car to be repaired so I can leave the house, and more importantly, drive back to my MA school in time for an appointment on friday - I have a foot injury that's kept me from running for 6 months (which i normally do daily). It has stumped 3 doctors to this point. Not broken, so we're all clueless why resting for months won't let it heal - The first check from my MA program gets cut in half b/c of fees (outside the ones that are covered by the program), so waiting for check #2 in late feb. - By pure coincidence one of the prof's I applied to work with for PhD will be at my MA school this friday and saturday for a conference. he was asked to speak because he got his doctorate from my current university. And, out of all the people I contacted when starting the PhD application process, he was the most indifferent about my application and made that clear. Obviously he will know I should be there, so avoiding him entirely would throw up a red flag. Now I just have to figure out how to interact with him as not to alienate him and ruin my chances of getting in (optimistic as I'd like to be, I know that i won't just 'get in' to his school by having a friendly conversation with him at a conference) I just keep telling myself "just wait til March. everything will be more clear then." It feels a lot better to get all this out on paper though.

The pros of roommates: cheaper (esp. if looking to live in a cool or nearby neighborhood), people may be around for the rare occasion you really need to talk to someone whether or not you're friends with them (but they may not, then you're still upset and alone) The pros of alone: get up when you want, shower when you want, study when you want, drink beer and listen to music when you want, have people over when you want, go to sleep when you want, no quibbles over air temperature or dishes, have furniture you actually like, put up wall decorations you actually like, nobody 'noticing' how much or little you're drinking/smoking, have fun times with significant other without worrying about noise, don't have to listen to roommate'+significant other's fun times you get the idea. of course, i have lived with close friends, and that is really great because you regularly have your friends around. but that was an undergrad phenomenon that will probably never happen again. so, if it wasn't obvious from the above lists, i much prefer living alone. some people above wrote that if you're sick your roommates can bring you stuff? i would never ask my roommates to do anything like that, but that's just me

Exactly. I always want to say: yes I understand that if the admissions committee for every school consisted solely of you and the decision was whether or not you personally like me I would be a shoo-in. Unfortunately that is far from the case

I'm seeing one school that I've applied to has notified probably 5-10 people (taking into account people not on grad cafe). Of course, I'm over thinking it and taking it as an omen that I'm not going to be accepted. So today's rationalization is "well, at least that is the place I was least excited about having to move to."

"I don't know anyone who could get through the day without two or three juicy rationalizations. They're more important than sex." * * The Big Chill. Dir. Lawrence Kasdan. Perf. Jeff Goldblum. Columbia Pictures, 1983. Film

Did you go down and talk to carol in HR? But really this story sounds like it is actually the prof. Doesn't sound like you're over-thinking it at all

yep. there are definitely good reasons to work a year or two out of undergrad (I did) but 'seeing the world' is pretty far from the reality of it.

3x a day: them: "so what schools are you applying to?" [you rattle off the two thousand schools against your will because it's the path of least resistance] them: "which one's your top choice?" you: "i don't really have one. it will depend on what offers i get and where my personal life is when it comes time to make the decision" them: ... [clearly unsatisfied with your answer] "yeahhhh... but if you got into all of them right now, where would you go?" you: "that's not going to happen. no point in hypothesizing about that eventuality" them: "where do you want to go?" you: "i only applied places i wanted to go." [why would i apply anywhere i wouldn't want to go?] and both parties leave slightly annoyed.

Two years ago my letter for dual history/german came by this time, FYI. Different program, different year, different people, etc. Don't overthink it.

I also finally gave in and emailed a grad admissions coordinator (thinking, at least I won't alienate faculty and hopefully get some kind of information, any information) of the university that had sent out the most acceptance letters of the ones I applied to, and they gave me the standard website response of 'we will notify people in March.' I wanted to send them this in response:

I can't be the only person who will actually click on the gmail tab on the browser - which I have already seen doesn't have the (1) notification on it - and then on top of that click 'inbox' again so it refreshes right this second. I'm driving myself crazy. I'm turning into David Byrne.