bethileptic

That's the sense I tend to get as well. I have gotten so much positivity and support from my new department at UCD, I can't help but think they really feel personally responsible for me. I know there is a factor of trying to get/retain me playing into my experience so far... but they have been so overwhelmingly kind and helpful.

Great to hear All the professors in my prospective (New? Upcoming? Future?) department are very sweet people who really seem to care. One (not even my prospective advisor) has even offered to pass out my boyfriend's resume to try to help me with my two-body problem. So nice!

This wasn't even a professor -- this was the department! My POI there was actually very kind and on top of keeping me in the loop as best he could. Anyway, it's fine. I am way too excited about UCD to care about all this. I just had a good laugh getting that email today.

Just got my official notice from UCLA that they have no funding for me. Snippets from the email: "Should funding become available, after April 15, 2013, we will contact you. We understand that you may have received offers of admissions (and financial support) from other universities. If you plan or have accepted their offers please let me know and we will no longer consider you. ...We would like the opportunity to assist you in your academic career and hope that you will become part of our department." A few things: a) I was sent a generic email which has not been updated in two years (seriously?); b.) I officially declined the offer a couple weeks ago; c) they tell me they hope I will become a part of their department, but don't want me badly enough for funding. Haha, what? Further, I emailed them immediately after notice of acceptance regarding funding (so, late January, I think?), and heard nothing back until now. They could have at least said they were trying to work it out, or something, in the meantime. Instead, I get this. Weeks later. It's so clear how much they really did not want me. Why even bother accepting me, and putting me through that emotional roller coaster? Anyways, it felt so good to email them back saying I already accepted an awesome offer from UC Davis! edit: changed to b.), stupid emoticon!

It sounds to me like you're in good shape, then. Have you asked him how admissions are coming along? They just had finals to deal with last week, so he may have been busy. And like you've pointed out: there have not been many admits (I have seen a couple, I think), so I wouldn't worry about not having heard anything yet. Unless you have other offers -- if so, let your POI know!

Have you heard anything from any professors there? UCI ESS rarely accepts anyone without a faculty sponsor off the bat, because profs have to start paying for students in the spring quarter of their first year. I withdrew my application the other day, but I was in talks with a prof there. ETA: as in, we were in talks just last week. So it looks like UCI ESS likes to take its time.

Yeah, that sounds awful. Glad it all worked out, though. Congrats!

Thanks! I'm stoked

Well, if anyone else here is doing atmos, I suppose I wanted to update saying that I have taken up UC Davis' offer. It was my top program from the start, and I got a two-year fellowship there! I hope everyone else starts getting good news soon! This season seems rough for you geo* kids :/

Oh hey! Great I know part of academia is being in funding limbo... but I way stressed about it right now. Oh well! I just need to wait it out. At least I've gotten some tentatively good news so far.

Thank you! And, it's okay -- I know UC Davis is amazing I think I would be insanely happy anywhere in my list, though of course the visits will help convince me either way. So the ones who have not accepted yet, but invited... they want me to commit to them before they officially accept me? That sounds so sketchy :/ I'm so nervous now, after that thing with UCLA, I would hate for my hopes to get up again only to have nothing pan out.

Yeah! I just got invited, and it says that I should be getting a formal letter soon... um, what? My other visit invites did not mention this! Edited to add: I'm surprised, because I thought these visits were for interviews/to make sure prospective students are a good fit. So is this just them wooing us? Or am I still courting them? It's like I'm dating again!

Thanks for talking this out with me, GeoDUDE! -- I'm feeling pretty down. I'll stay optimistic about a TAship there, and really try my best to impress people at my UCI/D visits. I'm also holding out hope for the CCWAS IGERT at Davis -- that would mean I don't need a faculty sponsor for the first two years, at least!

My POI (or should I just say "contact" now?) said that maybe the admissions committee automatically accepted my application when it was put in the "very good" pool... but no specific faculty have expressed any interest in me, which he knows because I was not invited to visit. And now I'm really freaking out about my visits. What if I only got the UCI one because my UG/current advisor wants to help me get my foot in the door -- but I know he has no funding for me, so I would go there for what exactly? To maybe try to impress a couple other people? Same with Davis... My POI is waiting on a grant. So what if he is the only one who actually expressed real interest in me going to the visit, and then he gets no funding, and then what? Does this make sense? Maybe I don't know how visits work. I feel like I am being teased over here...

So I was accepted to UCLA without a faculty sponsor. Pretty much, my only hope is the slim chance for a TAship. I'm super bummed. I would rather they had not said anything at all until they knew what funding might be like for me. Way to get my hopes up and let them come crashing down. Let's hope my visits go well!