fromchaos

First round of acceptances have already went out.

GeoMex, Good points except for the "not safe" part. Wyoming is one of the safest places in the country and probably the world (crime wise). I suppose if Yellowstone erupts you wouldn't be so safe but yea it is safe. My POI said he doesn't even lock his doors most of the time. Virtua I feel like you should have figured this out before you applied. You are going for an MS in Petroleum Engineering, so presumably you want a job in the field, they have connections. Are they as prestigous or as well connected as UTexas? No...but only so many people can get into Texas, Wyoming is a good second tier school. In the end if they have the connections and you get the job who cares. Have you been invited/accepted to Wyoming?

Snoop Dogg would be proud!

It sounds like it means, that you are an alternate therefore the committee thinks you are admissible but as stated the POI doesn't really need a student therefore it is highly unlikely you will get a position. In other words you are in a group of candidates that could be admitted but they are going to fill positions for POIs that need students first.

It is a good school and they place lots of students into the Oil and Gas industry.

You keep saying this term "first cut" I have never heard this term. I have heard first round or first round of offers. First round seems to mean one of two things either you have been selected and admitted for admission by the graduate committee in their first group of selections (first round) with TA funding, or you have been selected as admissible in the first round of selections by the graduate admissions committee and now your POI must select which of his first round admissions he wants. Has anyone else heard this term "first cut"?

Amherst may be pricey compared to Buffalo. It isn't as expensive as say Boston or certainly NYC but it isn't cheap (housing, food, bars). I would keep that in mind when comparing funding.

Amherst is a great town little town. Yes it is small and "quaint" but it is certainly not dead. There are lots of culture, art, restaurants etc. Summers in New England are beautiful, there are tons of farmers markets hiking trails etc. Northhampton and to a lesser extent Greenfield are hip little cities. I am a straight male but I would imagine the gay dating scene is amazing, especially for lesbians. Northhampton is a lesbian mecca.There are five colleges all within 20-30 minutes of each other. Amherst College (one of the best liberal arts colleges in the nation) is walking distance from UMass. There is no significant race issue at Umass. It is very white but lots of Massachusetts is similarly segregated, Umass is no different. The small number of minority students are vocal about injustices on campus but most incidents have been relatively minor things you would see on any campus. I think because there are so few, African Americans, especially on campus they may be a bit defensive about any incidents at all and are emboldended by being in a very liberal area in a very liberal state. I am white though so it is possible I am missing some racism that isn't there. Long story short there are no huge race issues at Umass, but if you are a minority (black mostly) you will likely feel underrepresented.

Google academic calendar and the school in question.

Sounds final to me. Maybe he mispoke, but all the waitlists I got they left the door open that things might work out (specified that it wasn't rejection but also noted a spot might not open up and if it does it might be after April 15). I would ask for clarification on if there is a chance a spot would open up, but that statement sounds pretty final.

Maybe our definition of average is different. Also sure go ahead and apply to a few "reach" schools, but please don't whine when you don't get in to said "reach" schools especially when others with much better profiles are getting rejected and waitlisted. Certainly there is some lucky involved but there are some on here who are delusional. Maybe person 4 was an ahole I don't know. Person three has a significantly better profile than a couple of others on here who think they are a lock to get into a top ten school.

idiochromatic Yes there are some who have the reverse issue (great profile dont think they can get in anywhere). The point is that I know plenty of people with far better profiles applying to lesser schools who are getting waitlisted or rejected. I think a lot of people feel entitled. Also realistically you can apply to a relatively good school with somewhat fewer applicants. By doing this you increase the likelyhood that a low GRE/GPA will be overlooked. Instead everyone insists on applying to Stanford, MIT, and CU no matter what their profile looks like. GRE just gets you in the door. 320 I think people have mentioned as the score elite schools look at, although you can certainly get in with a 315 maybe even 310 if you are outstanding in other areas. 290 and 305 won't get you in to these top schools especially if you have a questionable GPA. Maybe we are all being trolled but I have really had it with the unreasonable expectations.

If you go to the site your GRE scores just barely make the cutoff (upper 50%)...your Verbal 45% Quant 60%...average 52.5%. The vast majority of applicants are going to have much higher scores in both GRE and GPA. Many of them probably have similar CVs (these are the best applicants in the nation). Why would you think you have a realistic shot at CU? It is unlikely but possible you could recover from either low GPA or GRE but both are much lower than the average of applicants at the CU. I don't mean to pick on you but I think a lot of people on here have over inflated views of their grad profiles (a few have underinflated views). When a school has hundreds of applications they use GRE and GPA to widdle down the number they take a serious look at. There are plenty of schools I am sure you would have a good shot at but CU is a top school and your GRE scores barely make the cutoff at far inferior schools and your GPA is just ok. If CU is your pie in the sky reach school then fine but hopefully you didnt think this was a place you were likely to get into. Again I apologize if it seems like I am picking on you but it is kind of annoying when people apply to schools they have no shot at getting into and then whine about it. I hope for your sake you applied to a safety school.

I wouldn't say any of the schools you applied to are safe schools for you (maybe Tulsa? I don't know much about them). CSM is certainly a reach school for you, certainly worth a shot but still a reach...probably USC too. UKansas is strong in petroleum related stuff...and Wyoming has a 10% acceptance rate. I think you have a reasonable shot at getting into one of these schools but I certainly wouldn't say any of them are "safe". I would imagine your profile is good enough to at least get a close look at Tulsa KU and Wyoming...so if you interview well, have a good SOP, and LOR then you should have a good shot. It seems as though CSM, Wyoming, and KU have sent out first round of acceptances. CSM also sent out rejections too so the good news is you likely weren't rejected (maybe waitlisted). Which brings me to think of probability. Imagine your odds of making it off the waitlist are 1/10. If you are waitlisted at five schools this means your odds of getting acceptance off the waitlist are 41%. Waitlisted at only three schools? They drop to 27%...Two schools? 19% If we assume the odds are better...1/5 then the above change to...67%, 49%, and 36% respectively. The point? Apply to lots of schools and if and when you get waitlisted, advocate for yourself to increase your odds of acceptance. Waitlisted is not a death sentence!

That is rough. I have been there myself. First interview didn't go so well(not a trainwreck but I was nervous as hell). After I got my first acceptance to a school the next interview went swimmingly. I suppose he said it was a "conversation" to get you to open up and elaborate. I am sorry it didn't go well though. I find phone/skype interviews to be particularly difficult. In person I think I interview well but something about being over a phone line that makes me nervous (maybe I m worried the NSA is listening). These types of things are hard. I worked as a paramedic in my former life and dealt with very stressful situations with the utmost composure, yet I still get nervous when I hear the word "interview". My advice is to keep in mind two things...1. Everyone else is just as nervous if not more nervous then you...this includes both the other candidates and the POI as well...2. They wouldn't interview you if they weren't interested. They know your academic record they simply want to put a face to a name. Also remember they have to sell themselves to you as well, it is a two way street. All of this is easier said then done but hopefully your next interview will go better.

163 Quant is an excellent score...your profile says you got a 151...you reversed the scores as I suspected. 151 Verbal is quite low for a native speaker but since presumably you are not a native English speaker, it is actually pretty good (in my opnion). I would presume the committe would be willing to look past your verbal score since you are a non native English speaker, the key is you got above 150 so I think you should be fine. I would say your quant score is certainly good enough to get solid consideration at any school you applied to, at CSM you may not stand out with that score but you should be on solid ground. I suppose your biggest obstacle is being a foreigner applying to state schools (as others have said). Even still I imagine it is probably more likely than not you will get into one of your schools. I might have applied to one more safety school if I were you but it is too late for that now.

So as far as I understand it the grad committed met and selected "admissable" first round candidates. Then the professors get to pick one or two to fly out. It sounds like you made the first round of acceptable candidates but you weren't chosen to be flown out. It could also be that your POI hasn't notified you yet or has chosen who to fly out, but I imagine they would have done that by now. I would imagine that worst case scenario you would be on the short list if others dont accept their admissions. Contact your POI thank him or her for the interview and ask what their decision is or was...or will be.

virtua, My stats are better (although not sure about GPA...hard to measure between schools) and I just barely got an offer to visit UWyoming (POI went back and forth on which 2 out of 4 he would invite...this was after skype interviews and extensive conversations by email) and this is still not a guaranteed offer. I have not heard anything from UKansas (not sure if this is because they haven't decided or I was waitlisted/rejected). This is not to brag on my part just to give you an idea of numbers you may have other less tangible assets that I dont posses, or you may be a better research fit etc...NOTE: UWyoming average GRE 312 and average GPA 3.42 they admit about 10% 20 or so out of about 200 applications (last year) So your test scores are at least in the average range of admittance (although that quant may be too low) The lack of research experience will hurt but I think your work experience could be helpful. Also these are state schools and as others have said you might be "up against it" as an international applicant. Do you have outside funding? Also are your scores reversed? The Verbal is quite good for an international applicant but the quant is pretty low (not necesarily insurmountable but it does'nt help). Either way I suppose all are plausible but I wouldnt say any is particularly likely (maybe Tulsa? not sure). Gl

columbia09 This could mean a number of things. It could mean you were deemed admissable by the committe but this doesnt guarantee funding (or necessarily acceptance) it has to be allocated to you. Each department does this differently. Anyways it sounds good and congrats, dont get your hopes up too much yet though. I was selected in the first round of "top applicants" and nevertheless waitlisted not at UNM...another school. Also congrats on the acceptance to Nebraska. Hopefully you will get a funded offer but I wouldn't take an unfunded offer if I were you. If you trust the POI and he feels confident he or she can get you funding in the Spring then maybe but it still seems a bit unappealing to me. Hopefully you will get funding at Rice or Umass though. Gl

I know that was the tone of my message but I did mention that I know at least my school hasn't met yet. Also you most likely were waitlisted at the one that accepted you in mid April. Either way it sounds like the top tier schools that a lot of people here have applied to made their first round of offers already. But I ll admit I do talk out of my rear end sometimes.

Ok I think I misunderstood then. Well I will let you judge that. All I can say though is Professors aren't super humans. They are normal everyday people with extensive educations. Obviously at some point the emails can be excessive, but a message every couple of weeks I don't think is too much.

columbia09 I won't get into my life story but because of some issues in my life (some under my control others not) I had some humbling jobs over the last few years. I also had to go to community college and start from scratch before I could get admitted to the local state school. It was very hard but I think I am in a better position because I had to work hard and humble myself. Like I said I think you will do well in life but your success might not necessarily come by taking the exact route you want to take. I hope you get in where you want but if you don't just keep working hard and eventually things will work out...unfortunately it might not happen on the exact schedule you want it to.

Have you emailed them at all yet? If you haven't do it! This advice was given to me by a graduate student at my school and I really think it is the single best piece of advice I have gotten about the whole application process. Obviously now it is too late to "build a relationship" over email with your POI but at least introduce yourself. It can (and probably should) be formal if this is your first time contacting them but I would definetly do it. Think of it from their perspective; they have two good candidates, one they have spoken to over email the other they have never talked to...who do you think you would take?

columbia09 I see your point and yes your GPA and Research etc seems excellent. But at Stanford they probably have 50 other applicants with equally stellar GPA/Research experience. The only difference is most of them likely have much higher GRE scores. So who do they choose? I don't know you or how good a researcher you are. You may have stellar potential and it may be unfair that one test has such a big sway especially considering the cost of applications (everyone should get a full look) but it is the reality of things. My advice, and then I will shut up...apply to some true safety schools...go there pump out an excellent paper or two and then apply to a PhD program at a more prestigious school. I apologize if this seems like I am giving you a hard time, I do not mean to do that. I also don't have a whole lot of "inside info" but I am a bit older then most on here and I am just trying to give you the shot of reality most people don't have in their early twenties. You most likely will be succesful in whatever you do, based on your profile you have tremendous drive. In the long run I think you will find you dont need Stanford or whatever "elite" school to be succesful. With that I will shutup about it unless you ask. Honestly I wish you the best. Sometimes life makes us do things the hard way...which sucks, but a lot of times it makes us better for it in the end.

coulmbia09 As I said GRE does two things: it thins the heard when there are large applicant pools, and it is a standardized way to measure applicants(GPA varies by school and classes taken etc). At some schools it doen't matter much but at most schools they provide a cutoff of around 300. Certainly I think there are schools out there you can get into but not Stanford...Umass and Nebraska are probably reach schools but your application will at least get a chance. I guess I am just curious why you applied to schools like Stanford and Wisconsin. I know myself I would have zero chance at Stanford and very little chance at Wisconsin so I applied to schools I had a better shot at (and it still didnt a 100% work out). Maybe my GREs would get me looked at by the Stanford adcom but in the end it wouldnt be enough, my GPA is good but not great and my research experience is just ok. You have great GPA, and Research experience but your GRE is poor. I guess my point is lower your standards a bit, you can do good work at less prestigous schools.