gracieh

I live in New Jersey and the letter was dated April 7th. And if you log into your Ford account online, you won't see a change. It'll look the same as it has for the past several months.

I also received my letter today. Honorable mention again....oh well! Now I can stop frantically checking my mailbox everyday. Good luck to everyone else!

That's good to know. Now I can stop checking my email every 2 minutes.

That's a little weird. Thanks for the update. I was going to call, but I expect that they are being bombarded by emails and phone calls.

So, I guess no one else has heard anything since last night?

I hate this waiting part...oh well!

It all depends on how much you want to spend. Since you mentioned an interest in living in a newer apartment building, I'd suggest New Lawrence or Old Lawrence. The New Lawrence apartments are modern, clean, and spacious, but they're also more expensive. The only problem is that you might have a hard time getting one of these apartments because they tend to be first on most people's lists. I prefer Old Lawrence because the apartments are big, clean, a cheaper than New Lawrence, and the school is renovating all the kitchens. In terms of proximity, there is a very efficient shuttle system that all grad students use. The school has recently updated the transportation system and the shuttles leave pretty regularly. Hope this helps!

I don't mean to be mean, but why do you have 4 master's degrees?

I took 2 years off after undergrad to make sure that grad school was the right choice for me. And thank goodness I did!! Not only did I have a 9-5 job, but I experienced life outside of academia. And it was wonderful! It definitely helped me realize my goals and aspirations, at least professionally. It was nice to go home and not have work to do and to make some $$ in the process. I have friends who went straight to grad school after undergrad and they were there the ones who were burnt out intellectually. I was definitely ready to go back to school and I did so with a better outlook.

I pay my taxes quarterly, so I'm cool. Some people get really exited about having a little extra $$ each month and get scared when tax season rolls around.

From what I understand, stipends are taxed while fellowships are not taxed. For example, I have a fellowship and my school does not take taxes out of my monthly fellowship payment. However, when I had a TA position with a stipend, it was taxed. Also, health insurance for your family depends on your institution. As for moving expenses, that also depends on your school and department. A friend of mine received $1000 reimbursement for moving expenses during her first year in grad school.

One could argue that American Studies, cultural studies and the like are not "traditional" disciplines either.

There are a handful of AAS Master's programs in the U.S. The list includes Columbia, UCLA, U-Mass Amherst, Ohio State, Morgan State, Florida International University, Clark Atlanta, and Cornell.

Is anyone applying for the Ford this year?

I started contacting professors in September, but I began compiling a list during the summer. So this would be a good time for you to evaluate which people you'd be interested in working with. I suggest simply sending an email to the professors introducing yourself, your academic background, and your area of interest. I then asked if the specific professors felt that my work would be supported in the department. Most of the professors I emailed were very candid. One responded that she was advising too many graduate students and did not want to take on any more. I crossed that school off my list. I found that my communications with professors, first by email then by phone, were the most productive. On the personal statement, my first draft was a story about me and my interests. It ended up being way too long and not specific enough. A professor of mine suggested that I get right to the point. So I quickly delved into the research that I've done in the past, what I'd like to do in the future at the particular schools, and why I thought the specific department would fit my needs. After many drafts, my personal statement was thorough yet concise.

I applied to some of the same schools the second time around and got into my first choice during this last admission cycle. I don't know how individual departments look at applicants who have applied previously, but you can call the graduate director of the program and ask. That's what I did. I suggest that you contact specific professors that you'd be interested in working with and ask them if they believe that you would be a good candidate based on academic interest and research areas. If there are no professors who have the knowledge or the time to support you, it may not be a good idea to apply to that specific school. Definitely take a hard look at your personal statement. I completely changed mine because my interests changed and I was able better articulate what I wanted to study and why. Do multiple drafts. Have everyone read it (and I mean everyone!). And of course, try to get a higher score on the GRE (it can't hurt). I hope this helps!! Good luck!

The list for this year has been posted on the website! Finally!

I strongly suggest applying again, particularly if you KNOW that you want to be in a certain program. The first time I applied to doctoral programs, I didn't receive an acceptance anywhere. I instead applied late to a Master's program, got in, then re-applied to doctoral programs again two years later. I'm grateful for having not been accepted the first time because I've had the chance to really develop my academic interests, hone my writing skills, and make connections with people in my field. After realizing that I still wanted to pursue a doctoral degree, I re-applied a second time this past Fall. In addition to having had graduate school experience, my writing sample and personal statement better reflected my academic interests and I had more insightful recommendations from professors. I was accepted into my top three schools and I'm very happy with the result. So, my advice is to re-apply. Don't give up

I had a 3.2 undergrad gpa and I wasn't a History major from a small liberal arts college. I do have a 3.8 in a Master's program that tangentially related to History, Africana Studies. I'm starting a History PhD this Fall. From my experience, and what I've heard from both professors and doctoral candidates, although the GPA is important, the personal statement, recommendations, and "fit" within the department are all very important factors. History departments don't want to waste time with students with stellar GPAs, but have no direction with regards to the type of research that they want to do. Also, if there is no faculty member that can support and guide you for 5-6 years, this will have an effect on your admission.

I'm thinking the same thing. I'm happy about the honorable mention though. At least we know the process for next year! Congrats everyone

I suggest contacting professors. But first, do some research on their areas of study, list of major publications, and classes that they teach. You can send a brief email stating your area of interest and background and ask if they believe that you would be a good fit for their specific program. You have nothing to lose and all to gain by initiating contact.

I would recommend a Mac, but it depends on your course of study. As a humanities person, I do a lot of writing, so my Mac fits my needs very well. I've had both a PC and a Mac laptop and I have to say that I love my Mac. With the student discount, I found the price to be reasonable, particularly when considering the warranty and extended warranty. I had a small issue with my screen, but I took it into a Mac store and it was fixed within 3 days. With my PC I had numerous issues, including viruses and the like, which proved extremely frustrating to deal with and expensive to fix. Also, the Mac operating system is very simple and user friendly. And I have to add that the customer support is great.

I don't know how many alternates there are this year. The person I spoke with couldn't reveal that information. I personally don't know anyone who is an alternate, so I'm in the dark as well.

Yes, apparently some of the alternates have been chosen. But that was all the information that I've received thus far. So, this still bodes well for the rest of us

Thanks for the info. I actually just called them today and the person I spoke with (who was very nice) said that they were still receiving acceptances and declinations. However, if they have decide to extend an offer to someone on the alternates list, the person would receive an email notifying them before they receive an official packet. Hope this helps!