Yes

Stanford in their Admissions letter said that there were 400 applicants and 28 got offers.

What a slow day.... eugh Will do a "raindance" now with my own customised shanting lyrics. Maybe that will help.

Hahaha I know exactly what you mean! Any email from an unknown person makes me jump as well...

Haha yes I found it hard to decide myself... and I even visited several times. Merton is the "geeky" college. It ranks high (or top) in Oxford's Norrington table (an internal ranking based on exam performance according to college) and is considered very pushy academically, to the extent that it has happened that people are not allowed to sit their finals if they tutors don't think they can get firsts (i.e. the highest grade available). That said, it is a beautiful college in a quiet but still central location - though I'm not sure where the grad housing is. It attracts a certain type of student (basically those that put their academic commitments above anything else), yet I don't know to what extent this holds for the grad community as well. Lincoln is known mainly for it's ongoing rivalry with Brasenose, which is right next door. Brasenose more or less claims that Lincoln is their courtyard. Lincoln is *tiny*. It is right in the centre, probably the most central college, so it suffers a little from size constraints. It is a very cosy place, and has a strong sense of community. At the end of the day, college choice doesnt matter that much, especially for a grad student. Both colleges you chose have larger undergrad populations (unlike Nuffield, St Anthony's etc, which are pure post grad colleges) so whereever you end up the college is unlikely to be the centre of your life anyway.

Yeah, my name gives it away... Let me know if you have any further questions; or anything I can help with. Which college did you apply for?

I know, the weekends are painful! I have a feeling about Yale. I think we will know by Friday. (unusually optimistic today... I think because there haven't been any more Harvard hoaxes recently )

Right, and now I want more replies from schools. I am tired of waiting. I want some feedback, NOW!

I get the feeling that admission has a lot to do with being able to distinguish yourself from other applicants (but then, what do I know...). It could be a great recommendation from someone well-known. It could be an exceptional undergrad record at a famous institution. It could be a special interest... etc etc etc In a process where most people are smart/interesting/get good recommendations, it is difficult to stand out. And I think there are many ways to do that.

Makes sense. Good luck with it! McDermott lectured one of the papers I took, and I found him very engaging. He is popular with the undergrads, and his lectures are always full. That said, he never tutored me, so I don't know him well at all, but he seems like a nice guy. Which college did you apply for?

Like you, I didn't really consider the alternative - it felt unnatural to pretend I have reached a stage I haven't actually reached, and also unwise, for many reasons. I didn't look at it from a strategic perspective at all.

I only talked about some rather wide areas of interest, and some questions that interest me within them, but I don't have a "dissertation topic" as of yet. I actually discussed this issue with some Professors at Harvard when I visited. They said they don't mind; some even said that they prefer it that way because they like to think that our interests will develop over the first 2 years, and that they would like to be part of this process. So I don't think we should worry (and Stanford didnt seem to mind.) At the same time, I always get slightly intimidated by people who have a very clear idea of what they want to do - makes me doubt my intellectual maturity that I don't.

For me it's Harvard, always has been. I haven't heard from them, but since I got into Stanford, which was my second choice, I am trying to calm myself down and tell myself that life in California will be much more pleasant anyway. Not working. I still want Harvard.

"worked with" would be pushing it - unlike in the States, undergrads don't do RAs at Oxford But I have met him a couple of times, and he lectured, too. I was really into Pol Theory as an undergrad (although I am now applying for IR) so if you have any questions about Theory at Oxford, hit me.

I am doing 3 things over the summer: 1) Pack my life into boxes and ship it to the States (destination unknown, still... ) 2) Do all those things I will miss once I am gone. I am planning to be very European. Going to all my favourite summer places. 3) Somewhere between sunbathing in France and eating Italian ice cream I will get some reading done... hopefully..

I did my undergrad at Oxford... did you apply for the MPhil Pol Theory? Whom are you hoping to work with?

I wasn't even worrying about the whole process before I got my first offer. Being accepted by one place actually made me so much more nervous about the others. I just wasn't expecting to hear from Stanford, especially not that early, so I was getting on with my life. Now however I have been sucked into this crazy paranoia, especially about Harvard, which is my top choice. I am really happy about Stanford, but I have my heart set on another place, if that makes sense.

I haven't had any news in a week. So boring.

I hope not! It's not like we haven't been waiting long enough already...

I have a blackberry. I even take it to the loo with me. I sleep next to it. I must be insane, especially since I am not really expecting to hear from any of my schools this week, except perhaps Yale.

Someone really has to grow up! Why the negative ratings?

Btw, when are we expecting Columbia? Great to be European. I can have a conversation with myself. Makes me feel very reflective.

From now on I will assume every acceptance that appears on the results board is a hoax, unless someone claims it in this forum and can give details. For health and safety reasons!

Well done! That's great news! You have so many choices now! Very impressive!

Hahaha yes it makes me laugh too. I guess I'm obsessed with Harvard... I had to eat three bars of chocolate and smoke 17 cigarettes to calm me down... If I am not suffering a nervous breakdown until the end of Feb, I will definitely shorten my life that way...

I am a vivid proof of this observation...