nevermind

My first informal interview (for UCSD) was January 21st. My second informal interview (For UCSD...a follow up because our first call was so long) was January 29th. I just got accepted today (via email, the website shows no change), so it took a little less than a month, but felt like fooooorever.

Thanks! My POI told me a couple weeks ago that he'd push for me, but that (I'm paraphrasing) "admissions committees are a lot like horse trading and each faculty member has to make a lot of compromises", so I had a lot of hope, but nothing definite until now!

Funny what a difference 3 hours can make! No more crying softly into my pillow! (Well, until I see my stipend, knowing how broke I'm going to be for the next five years.) But no more whining for me!

Thanks! I was pretty hopeful due to my conversations with my POI, but after 4 rejections in a row, the self-doubt begins to creep in. It makes the acceptance better (but I wish the funding info was included)!

Finally received my first admit (UCSD History / Science Studies)! My research fit is pretty phenomenal and I'm super pumped about my potential committee (2 other scholars whose work I love are in different departments). No more Plan B office job for me!

Not only ignores it. Somehow sends you more chocolate. (and maybe booze for those who are old enough.)

I feel like the 321 post is making fun of the 320 GRE post (mentioning the master's degree, mentioning 1 point above the other poster's GRE, using a phrase like "such a winner" juxtaposed with "had to do a useless Master's...implying that they really aren't that good...talking about a "perfect" GRE when it isn't exactly a 340). FWIW, I had an interview with UCSD (I know, it's not USC) and I'd be over the moon with a 27K offer/stipend. Alas, c'est la vie.

Yep. Just got my fourth rejection in a row. Going to hit the gym tonight. I wonder if I can log "crying softly into my pillow" under workout activities on MyFitnessPal.com...

Harvard History of Science results are out...congrats to those who made it!

I think it's a pretty common sentiment that if you don't get selected for an interview, chances of acceptance to the program are very small. I would start bracing myself for a rejection and be pleasantly surprised if this wasn't the case. (For example, I did not get an interview from Penn, so I believe it's going to lead to an eventual rejection.)

My schools very promptly emailed me to let me know I was rejected and then sent another rejection via the online portal. So I'm lucky that they're double kind to me.

It's really okay--hopefully, none of our emotional states are that fragile. I think most of us were lamenting the pros/cons of checking TGC, not trying to begrudge the successes of others. Congrats on your choices and your successful application season!

Yeah. As someone who has only received rejections so far...it really is nice to know what to expect earlier, so it's not a huge shock when the letter comes. But the "I got into all these amazing schools with less-than-stellar credentials" posts kind of stings when you have competitive stats and are just getting dinged across the board.

I suspect this was (one of) my downfalls with Yale (well, that and the dept. was geared more toward medicine/biology than env. history). I don't think a lecturer has a ton of pull, since they aren't hired on as TT faculty and will likely be pursuing other opportunities before your PhD is finished (unless they have some other reason for staying around). ...Ugh. Just checked my remaining school's academic calendars...they're closed (except Oregon) today. Better luck for me tomorrow, I guess.

Me too! Either way, I should know where I stand with all my schools by the end of this week (officially or not), based on past decision notifications. :-)

Cornell usually only admits *maybe* 4 students and only about 2 end up matriculating per year. It's a pretty small (but very nice) department. It looks like somebody was notified (seen on the results page), so I'm guessing if you haven't heard by now, it's not really going to be in your favor.

Welp. There's Yale's decisions on the board. Congrats to those who made it!

Yep. I've had 3 interviews in the past week for jobs (fall back options)...so I just kind of want to lie in bed until everything is decided and blown over.

Yay! Congrats @Neist! I feel like I've been rooting for you for awhile--so glad it turns out well! What a great way to kick off the weekend! SO glad you got a better (funded) choice near the top of your list!

Magoosh has really helpful free vocabulary flashcards in an app to download (If you have a smartphone). It basically tests the most 1000 frequently appearing words on the exam in a multiple choice quiz format. I thought it was helpful...The GRE also tests the "logic" of choices (e.g. like on the sentence equiv. section, you can have synonyms that don't fitt he blanks), so you should focus on trying to understand the strategy behind the "blanks" so to speak. Good luck!

Is it possible that they are in different subfields? Maybe the other subfields were chosen/accepted and the one you interviewed with hasn't made their recommendations? For whatever it's worth, I don't think they'd interview you just to reject you. I assume they have an open slot that they imagine you in (especially since you already attend the school). They probably wanted to discuss it with you (especially if you didn't apply directly to that subfield) to gauge your interest long-term.

I would email them. It's possible that something is putting your application on hold (missing information). Just send an email stating that you submitted for a Dec. 1st deadline and were inquiring about the status of your application.

I hope so @Neist! This week was certainly eventful for me, but not the way I was hoping. I'm working from home today in case any last minute second-week-of-February acceptances/rejections come in. Otherwise, next week we should all be notified about something!

I have to say....that getting rejected (including assumed rejections) from 3/6 schools I applied to is somewhat liberating. I can use that valuable time checking the website doing other things. Honestly, despite the initial disappointment, I feel like I'm finally coming out of this fog I've been in since the beginning of December. It's nice not to stress out so much about decisions.

Thanks! I'm pretty sure my POI just wanted to confirm my interest in the Science Studies program. I checked the box on the application to indicate "Science studies" but I also selected "Research areas" as Middle East and Jewish Studies (since my research involves both), so there was some confusion which track I was shooting for. Our two Skype conversations were extremely positive. I don't think they've made any final decisions, so I'm hopeful. I just hope the funding situation isn't completely dire. I think two rejections in an hour kind of bruised my ego a bit. Madison's stung most because I thought it would've been the best research fit out of all my programs (working with Samer Alatout and William Cronon would've been a dream!). I'm trying to hold on to a little bit of hope for Harvard and Oregon (Oregon doesn't assign an adviser until after your first year, so it might be a bit more forgiving in the admissions process), as they are much better "fits" than Penn or Yale, but one of my POIs at Harvard is on academic leave, so I'm really not *that* hopeful. I can build a relatively strong committee at UCSD, I'm super pumped about the first year course load, my POI is really well known (in what I do) and connected, and there's a ton of rock climbing around (70 degrees all year anyone?)...so if it's the *only* place that gives me an offer, I'll be happy. Like I said, it's more of the disappointment of dealing with multiple rejections (after all the work I put in), when I thought I'd have my pick of places this time around. C'est la vie.