lilac in fingers

I'll be doing English at Princeton too! Ditto about a single in the Grad College... any idea when we find out our room assignments?

Ah, we might even call it suspension of disbelief...!

I'll be declining Berkeley within the next few days. Kind of bummed about it, but I hope it means better funding for someone else.

No word here either. It's the only school I still haven't heard from, and in my desperate quest for some sort of closure, I've spent the last few hours furiously refreshing my email and the results page. Sort of interfering with this whole studying-for-midterms thing. For what it's worth, I'm smack in the middle of the alphabet.

I don't think the message itself is disrespectful. The bold and underlined font? Yes, that seems like an expression of exasperation that could, in turn, be pretty aggravating. That said, most of the schools to which I've applied seem to operate under an unofficial policy of "don't call us, we'll call you." To see acceptances on the results board and then have to wait 2+ weeks to get a letter stating the inevitable would be, in my opinion, far more emotionally taxing. I certainly hope that Penn sends out at least an email to those of us who weren't admitted, and if they don't, I'm calling shenanigans. In the meantime, though, I actually found it fairly relieving to see my own unwritten assumption in writing, even if the font is fug.

As this thread's eponymous screamer, can I ask whether (and when) other admitted students are planning to visit? I think the department recommended the week of March 29th, and my impression is that classes are concentrated toward the beginning of each week. With that said, I'm currently considering flying in on Sunday, visiting classes on Monday, and then flying out that evening. Thoughts?

I'm tentatively a Renaissance person, but I too would love to hear some general impressions of the department, the university, Durham, etc, if those of you who visited this weekend don't mind sending word my way. And I'll second the enthusiasm for Toril Moi!

My tentative plan is to fly in on Sunday and then visit classes on Monday the 22nd. Are you still thinking about visiting then? I'd love to have some sort of companion!

If by "good to know" you mean "nausea-inducing," then I agree wholeheartedly.

Congrats all! Any news about a waitlist (assuming, of course, that Stanford even uses one)?

I wasn't the first to post, but I got a call slightly after 2:00 EST. Absolutely thrilled. I didn't have much time to ask questions, sadly, so can anyone fill me in on when we find out more about funding (a slightly less thrilling matter)? And I know we can visit in March, but is there a specific weekend that people tend to pick, or has the department maybe set a date? Congrats to everyone!!

Ditto, ditto. Are you thinking about visiting at a different time? I think the department is still willing to help arrange travel or cover expenses? Maybe?

Hello all, Is everyone planning to attend the recruitment weekend at the end of February? Is anyone considering going rogue and visiting on a different day? Inquiring minds want to know, etc, etc.

I don't think the budget crisis will cause Berkeley to start hemorrhaging faculty. What worries me is that as the university tries to tighten its budget, class sizes will start to swell. It's a change that will be particularly painful for grad students in departments like English, where grading is such an involved process, and where our funding is often contingent upon completing a teaching assistantship or serving as a graduate instructor.