sierra918

Nope, in the same boat

Sorry that this happened to you. The same exact thing happened to me last year. They rejected my application because they felt my research statement was too disease related; although I beg to differ. That's why people suggest never using the word disease and being careful with your words. It just sucks that you put all of that time and effort into it and you don't even get feedback. It's also ironic -- I find -- because they preach that they are funding individuals and not research. You're not even legally bound to do the project you propose. I don't think they do a good job with examining a proposal that is basic science (but inspired by a disease). Or alternatively they could be more transparent with what is acceptable or how they screen and ultimately flag proposals (is it reviewed by multiple people before rejected?). But it is what it is. This year I completely scrapped last years project/idea/field and wrote about something I knew they wouldn't have a problem with. 

One more month! 

This next month and a half is the hardest part of the wait...

UConn applicants: if anyone is still waiting on an answer, you're waitlisted. Good news, prof I work for just told me they typically accept ~50% off waitlist. Best of luck!

Where are you at on your list @museum_geek? Confession: Was following your extensive list of schools as I followed this thread and now I'm pretty invested 

Accepted at Syracuse, Wisconsin, and New Mexico.  Rejected at UCSD, Notre Dame, Princeton, and UT Austin, and assuming rejections from Hopkins and Rice.  I'm currently wrapping up my interview weekend at UVA which I've really enjoyed so far, so fingers crossed I get an offer there!

Nice! That's a lot of acceptances, you're spoilt for choice! Glad we're being kept in the loop, and good luck with UVA! 

Heard back from my POI at Syracuse, funded for four years with a pretty good chance at getting a fifth year through the Maxwell School!  It feels so good to have a realistic (read: funded) PhD option!

AHHHHHH! Accepted to Rice! Never imagined I could be in this position of choosing between my two dream programs. UCI vs Rice. Don't give up folks, ever!

I'll be starting at Vandy in the fall, and my husband and I bought a house in Murfreesboro, about 39 minutes south of Vandy. It's a really great area for families of anyone else is coming with children ?

The University of Arizona, Vanderbilt, Tulane, and Brown are all places I would suggest taking a close look at. @bioarch_fan is correct that your main concern should be finding a program that combines (1) a potential advisor who can supervise the specific analytical work you want to do, and (2) potential committee members who are experts in the geographic/culture area you want to work in. While it can be great to have an advisor who does both, it's not always the best fit, and sometimes it can stifle your own creativity because you wind up doing a dissertation project that's very similar to your advisor's own work.
And you really should consider funding very carefully. It can make or break your success as a researcher, and it certainly contributes to the overall sense of support or competition within a department.
I'm a Mayanist and I'm doing my Ph.D. at Tulane, so if you have Maya-specific program questions feel free to ask me.

So I went to visit Mercyhurst University last, last Friday. Everything that I thought may happen, happened. My phone fell into the sink, my brother lost my debit card, and I arrived late for the campus visit... It was scheduled for 10am and I arrived at 11:55am! All these bad things happened and I thought of them as bad omens, indicating bad stuff to come my way. I wanted to cancel out of embarrassment, but my father continued on and we arrived, late. So I mustered my courage and headed to the admissions office.
Overall, my admissions visit was extremely cool! I spoke with Dr. Dennis Dirkmaat and he turned out to be not what I expected. And I mean that in a good way. He was really cool, talked casually, like very, to me. It left me surprised, I didn't know how to respond. I was ready for him to ask questions upon questions, but we talked. Then I met a couple of students and they were truly amazing. They all made me feel comfortable and less nervous. I toured around and got to see their labs and stuff. I really enjoyed it. It truly was a learning experience being there.

I worked in CRM for many years before going back for my PhD. Don't give up!! Feel free to message me if you want to chat.

I worked in CRM for many years before going back for my PhD. Don't give up!! Feel free to message me if you want to chat.

Accepted into Binghamton!! Just got an email from POI, its my first acceptance! I was scared I wouldn't get in anywhere 

Well, you guys were right--got the acceptance letter from University of Florida a little while ago. Had been in close contact with my POI's there and they had seen my SOPs before I even submitted my application. They haven't decided on funding yet, but fingers crossed I get something!
Just finished undergrad in anthro in May (no Masters) and have been interning in the Anthro Dept. of the SI Natural History Museum since, so wasn't necessarily expecting to get in first try. Very excited, but still waiting to hear back from 5 other schools.
Hoping the rest of you hear good news soon!

Just got an email from the Chair at ASU's Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology (HSD) program! First acceptance! Anyone know a lot about STS programs or about this school? I applied on a whim.

Woke up to a rejection this morning.  1 down, 4 to go...

Before applications, our weekly super important lab meetings were the scariest part of Mondays. Now, I see those 2.5 hours with my boss breathing down my neck for useful contributions as a wonderful reprieve from uselessly stalking my emails...Funny how perspective changes.

I never thought I would reach a point in my life where I actually look forward to Mondays, but here I am.  For PhD applicants hope springs eternal with the coming of each new week!

Its monday again guys! Another week, another round!

You want to kill someone for doing something that confused and inconvenienced you? Can we just pause and note that that's not okay? 
Changing the grading scheme mid-way through the course shouldn't be ok. At most institutions I know, that wouldn't be allowed. More to the point, why don't you schedule a meeting with the professor to ask what prompted the change, and how he wants you do deal with precisely the questions you bring up here? What happens when someone doing as well as before gets lower grades on an assignment, and someone who has even improved still gets what looks like a lower grade? Maybe the solution is to have the professor explicitly discuss this change in his policies in class. Either way, it should be his responsibility to address this problem, and your job is to do what he tell you. 

I didn't see the alleged posts but I've been following the drama on the results page and it really is an extraordinary claim.  If it's true then I think it speaks to some serious issues with the faculty member(s) who posted/commented on the proposals in question.