[What does 50% funding mean?]

Usually, a 50% appointment as a TA or RA is full time for a graduate student. That means you'll work for 20 hours per week and get full fee remission. Technically, you'll be paid half of the 100% time stipend, but nobody earns the 100% stipend.

That's what I was hoping to hear! Hopefully that's true in my case. Thanks for the info!

[What does 50% funding mean?]

I was just told that I would get 50% funding, but I'm unsure what exactly this means. Does this generally mean 50% tuition remission and no stipend, or tuition remission with some kind of 50% of a stipend? I know that it probably differs from case to case, but while I wait to hear back from my program, can anyone tell me what it generally means?

[Best way to study for the GRE]

Something to keep in mind when using these flashcards is that writing things out is a great way to learn them better. Whenever I have made flashcards for studying in the past, the actual act of making them has always really helped me, almost as much as using the flashcards itself has. So I'd avoid simply using online flashcards or book-based vocabulary lists. Obviously you should make use of those resources, but transferring the info by hand onto your own flashcards can really help lodge the information deeper into your brain.

I also intend to re-take the GRE, but am going to be absolutely SWAMPED for the next year (not exaggerating, I hope I don't have some kind of nervous breakdown!) and cannot foresee any possible time to take the test. I really hope it doesn't change first, since I'm accustomed to the present format!

I totally agree. The actual process of making my online flashcards and spending so much time just looking at the words/definitions as I made the program is probably what helped me the most. However, I still hope someone finds my flashcards useful! (They allow you to make up your own sentences and mnemonics!)

[Theatre/Performance Studies]

Huge congratulations, alfie! That's awesome :-) Will you go there or Cornell?

I didn't get in, but I'm happy with my UMCP acceptance so far! Did anyone find out any details about Berkeley, as to how many applied and how many got in? Just curious....

[Best way to study for the GRE]

I created some online vocabulary flashcards to study for the GRE Verbal section and they really helped me a lot (my verbal score went up 200 points to the 99% percentile). Since it took me so much time to make them, I figured I would make them "public" and I thought you all might find them useful.

http://www.thekatesp....com/dictionary

There are two versions of the flashcards: public and personal. Anyone is allowed to use the public version, and the flashcards will test you on some of the most common vocabulary words found on the GRE Verbal test. In the (free!) personal version, you have the ability to create and save your own mnemonics, example sentences, connotations and synonym/antonym lists. All the features are listed on the features page and you can create your (free!) account on the registration page.

There are almost 600 words in the database, which I got from the two books I bought for my test prep. I want to add more words and add more features, but it would be great to get feedback from users first. I'm just doing this in my spare time (which I now have, now that my grad applications are submitted!) and this is just a beta version, but I'll try to do what I can as far as "user support," etc.

Hopefully some of you might find it useful!

[anyone going to Maryland, college park ?]

I'm most likely going to UMCP, for Theatre & Performance Studies!

[Theatre/Performance Studies]

Congrats, that's fantastic! Hooray for you!

So far, I have an nterview at Stanford, and an implicit rejection from Northwestern (my friend was called to interview...I was not).

I also applied to UC Berkeley, Brown, Cornell, and Yale (American Studies).

I'm getting nervous about Berkeley--last year they notified in late January, but I haven't heard anything and there's been no action on the board. I'm tempted to email the grad admin--she's be so nice and helpful throughout this process!

I'm nervous about Berkeley too--I also haven't heard anything. Let me know if you hear anything from them!

[Theatre/Performance Studies]

I applied to UC Berkeley, UCLA, NYU, Brown, University of Maryland, UC Davis and Northwestern for Performance studies, and then UC Riverside for Critical Dance Studies, Duke for Cultural Anthropology and George Mason for Cultural Studies.

I've only heard from Northwestern--a rejection that was expected since there isn't a faculty member there who fits my interests.

Have you heard anything? Where did you apply? (There doesn't seem to be much choice!)

Update: I just got a call from the University of Maryland's Theatre Dept saying that they've recommended me to the Graduate School for admission. Hooray!

[Theatre/Performance Studies]

Awesome! So glad to hear from someone! Where did you apply? Heard anything back yet? I do some dance studies (mostly in the context of musical theatre studies).

I applied to UC Berkeley, UCLA, NYU, Brown, University of Maryland, UC Davis and Northwestern for Performance studies, and then UC Riverside for Critical Dance Studies, Duke for Cultural Anthropology and George Mason for Cultural Studies.

I've only heard from Northwestern--a rejection that was expected since there isn't a faculty member there who fits my interests.

Have you heard anything? Where did you apply? (There doesn't seem to be much choice!)

[Theatre/Performance Studies]

Is anyone else here applying to PhD programs in Theatre/Performance Studies? Or studying theatre/performance in a cognate discipline (English, CompLit, etc?)

I am! I'm applying to Performance Studies and Cultural Studies PhD programs with a focus on dance studies.