Yes

Slowly my heart rate is adjusting back to normal again.

I wonder whether the poster was referring to me. Quite obviously was. Extreme psychic convulsions.. I actually had to laugh, although this kind of joke is really not funny at this stage.

Yes, the Harvard offer doesn't seem to be real. I emailed Thom to inquire into my application status, and he replied that they haven't made decisions yet. So unless the person claiming it can supply details, I am refusing to believe he or she got an offer.

Yes, please! I don't want to beg. But then again, I do. Please give us more info!

Haha... that's a great vision. I wish.... (and it also assumes that I havent suffered a heart failure in the meantime...)

Sent you a message

I know, I'm sorry. I am incredibly happy about Stanford, I really am; and I am lucky to be in a situation to have Stanford to go to, no matter what. But like most people here (and for many reasons, some of which are personal), I have my heart set on one place, and for me that place is Harvard.

I guess the person who got into Harvard has better things to do than reveal their identity right now... Champagne?! Sincere congratulations to you! I keep my fingers crossed for everyone else who is still waiting!

I am literally shaking. GOD WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?? Where did you find this? On the results page? I can't find it. I think I'm losing it! OK I found it. But still shaking.

eeeeeeeeek! My heart just sank! Ahhhhhhh. I was preparing for this mental breakdown end of Feb. no no no no no! Congratulations to the person that got in. I am dying of jealousy right now! Would you reveal your subfield, if you happen to read this, please?

Congratulations to everyone who got into Berkeley! I waaaaant more results too!

I'm sorry to hear things didn't work out the way you planned. I will keep my fingers crossed for you. I really understand how you feel, because I went for the same strategy - I was told I had a (more or less) guaranteed place at my undergrad institution, so I only applied for schools I would definitely choose over it. I must be very frustrating to have your safety choice behave like this. I am in Europe myself right now... very unnerving to have to wait until the afternoon to get news, right? But with your undergrad record, I am sure you will get some other school in the States. What is your concentration? And btw, where are you from? v. German name..

Yeah, I would tend to agree with this. Seems very bizarre. Why don't you just talk to your professors? Surely they will be able to tell you what happened? I did my undergrad in the UK as well and I am not aware of a general policy/attitude that discourages students to stay at their undergrad institution, but it might very much depend on individual faculty members. I applied to LSE as well - what was your course?

Sent you a message

Sounds great! I really hope things work out for you there! I got some (tentative) positive signals too, so let's hope, sit, wish, wait and waste plenty of time on GradCafe... haha

I'm an IR applicant; but most of the issues I am interested in are on the IR-Theory border - just war theory, international law, security norms, global justice... etc. What makes you cautiously optimistic? Have you had some positive signs from the faculty?

I was actually referring to SuddenlyParanoid's attempt to find out when the Admit Weekend *would* happen.... But yes, I am mentally preparing for being terrified during the last week of Feb... Remind me, what concentration did you apply for again?

Any news from Harvard?

That's definitely true...! (Though I hope, of course, that my Stanford offer is a good sign.. )

I share the same worry... I wouldn't be able to attend most weekends in March. I am from Europe and I cant really fly back and forth every weekend. That assumes that I get more than one offer, of course.

Thank you!

My horror starts with a red light flashing on my Blackberry... haha I think we are all losing it!

Hahaha. Yeah, same here. I think the adrenalin my body produces whenever I check my emails cannot be healthy!

Switching school and faculty names seem obvious, though from what Thom Wall told me when I visited the department, there is a shockingly high number of candidates who dont seem to manage to do this (or name professors that they really want to work with who have left the department, or are not even alive anymore... ) I didnt mention any hobbies or personal experiences, though in my longer statements (esp Stanford) I did say a few things about what my undergrad taught me beyond the substantive factual side. I think my statement were probably more florid and narrative than most.

Oh... very exciting! I have been wondering about the timing of the admit weekends of Princeton and Harvard - if the offers come out late and people have to accept by April 15th then the time slots available for those weekends are quite limited, especially since you cant really book flights a couple of days before having to attend (at least not without significant costs)?! Will you share what you found out?