tipmar

As I understand it, most schools do have some internal funding options for students who are in later years (you do have to apply, but they tend to be far less competitive than external funding - hopefully). Sometimes you are able to apply for TAships (though some schools reserve these for recruitment packages). You should probably research/ ask about such funding options at any particular school that you are looking at. Many schools do fund students for more than 4 years, 5-6 is probably the standard. I don't know your specific status, but some programs fund those entering with an MA for shorter periods. As for your specific school choices, I have been given offers by Penn State and Washington University (or are you referring to the University of Washington?), and both were for more than 4 years (entering with an MA). You are welcome to PM me for the details.

Surprise, apparently stuff can happen on the weekend! Just got an admission to Washington in St,Louis. On a Saturday. Unexpected....

It seems likely they will notify next week, based on previous years.

I feel your pain. I also had a pretty horrible week, rejected by NYU and heard nothing from UT Austin. I am drinking my way to an identity crisis.

The rest of the invites seem to be missing in action. Maybe the lucky recipients simply did not report them. I have resigned myself to the idea that they've probably notified by now, seeing as the event is fast approaching. Though, actually, I am wondering if they follow the same protocol for international students. I know that many schools do pay for admitted applicants to fly for the recruitment event, but it seems a little unusual for them to cover international flights for applicants who have yet to be admitted. Anyone has any experience with that?

I would just be honest about it, they know how stressful it is and they know that rejections take an unconscionably long time to reach you. I said something along the lines of "I became aware that admitted applicants were notified recently. As I was not notified, I suspect that my application has been rejected. I was wondering if you are able to confirm my status, so that I know my prospects at X before making any other plans"

Assuming you have established some sort of a previous relationship, I would just contact your POI and ask. It will probably put you out of your misery, one way or another. That is what I did, and I am glad to at least know where I stand.

I was just rejected from NYU via mail from my POI. Pretty crushed about it. For those still waiting - I was told that not all decisions had been finalized yet.

Congrats to the NYU admit! knowing decisions have been made will certainly distract me from my work this coming weekend.... What field are you, if you don't mind sharing?

You know, I have seen last year's reports and have been wondering what exactly the recruitment weekend is. I got the impression that Texas has an unusual system, do they invite people over before official admission is decided? Is that just a formality, or is the visit actually a way of finalizing the shortlist?

Medieval Europe. No idea when results will be out, I am afraid. I got the impression that all shortlisted applicants in this field had been contacted for interviews, but I have no information as to any other fields. Really, really hoping for good news here. I am pretty sure that some history programs do interview formally. I am not certain how official my interview with NYU was, but I have been previously interviewed by another program in a fashion that was definitely not casual/initiated by one POI - It was scheduled by the program secretary and was conducted by 3 faculty members.

Thanks, nevermind, much appreciated. I'll try to postpone my freak-out for now.

Can anyone claim the UCSD interviews? were these "official" ones (in the sense that I should go into "shit, I didn't get one" mode), or more like an initiative by a specific POI? Yes, I realize this might be an unanswerable question but, well, I am proudly succumbing to my obsessive and counter-productive impulses.

Early Modern European

Just got accepted to Penn State! Anyone wants to claim the other admit?

I think it depends not only on field but also on how each specific department decides. From what I have heard from both friends and Professors at different universities, some departments have a committee that makes the decisions almost independently. In these schools, the impact that each individual Professor has is relatively low, unless they happen to serve on the committee. In other schools, the decisions are more communal. Such schools ask Professors to read and respond to the applications in their field and could hold preliminary meetings with many participants before the committee starts the final process. In certain schools, Professors nominate their preferred students directly and being admitted is contingent on having active faculty "sponsorship".

I have contacted most of the Professors I am interested in working with shortly after the applications' deadlines. I actually did so intentionally, as I thought it would be best to discuss things and offer to answer any questions while, or after, they were reading my materials and considering applicants. I do admit, being based internationally, I often do not fully understand the American codes of communication and, honestly, was completely unaware of what seems like a common convention on this board - that contact should be made prior to applying. I also was unaware of Grad Cafe at the time and, so, just went with what I thought appropriate. That being said, I think it turned out very well. All Professors I reached out to were responsive and encouraging and I have had positive communication with many of them. Contact with a few people led to formal/ semi-formal interviews as well. While it's possible I was simply lucky or that my foreign identity bought me leniency about conduct, I do think that there is a tendency to over-analyze this issue. I believe most people will respond to communication based on its content and relevance and I have no doubt that Professors are aware of the intense stress involved in this process. Assuming your E-mails are stage-appropriate (obviously, don't ask about the program. What I did was say I have recently applied, describe my interest, explain why I think I will be a good match for this and that professor and offer to answer any questions about my application), you have little to lose in my opinion. The worst case scenario is that you will be told it is no longer relevant or that they simply fail to respond. I hardly think it will lower your chances.

Yes, they do have interviews. Not sure if they are necessary/ a prerequisite to acceptance. That is, assuming you mean Penn State. I don't know about uPenn.