gughok

So who are you Hogwarts admits? I just got into Durmstrang and I'm here to let you know that it's going down in the next Triwizard.

Not important enough to worry about so long as you're managing a 310, 320. I've seen people get into practically all the programs I was rejected from with those sorts of scores (consider e.g. one person with 157/165/5 who got into NYU and a number of other places, also with a 3.69 GPA). We're talking correlation much more than causation when it comes to GRE and success.

I, too, have been experiencing no such difficulties. My one PhD offer hasn't even spoken to me of the logistics for my visit (I only know the date) despite me asking, nor have they taken much initiative in reaching out beyond initial contact. I guess they must check this forum and they know I'm not all that likely to turn them down.

Welp, there's my rejection from NYU. Numbers mean nothing.

Claiming the first Toronto MA admit. Probably going to be turning it down, though.

Oh I'm sorry! I didn't realize. How is UC Boulder vs. WUSTL going? A magnificent battle of pros and cons, I imagine. I made a few posts about my presumed and official rejections which were interpreted by some as being profoundly ungrateful about Harvard, and they responded with corresponding reproach. I've taken steps to clarify myself but I would understand if I'm still held in resent by a few. @Cecinestpasunphilosophe receiving the official admissions package helped. Now I have a folder with the Harvard seal on it. I've never been so in awe of a piece of paper. I definitely agree about the visits, they're going to make a huge difference. It's a little inconvenient, therefore, that the Harvard visit isn't until April 11-12. That's really really late, and for the sake of both my sanity and that of the people on waitlists, I'd rather have the visit sooner. What can you do, eh? Anyway, you look to have a pretty awesome record this season. Will you be visiting Princeton?

Since the first round is almost over, and I imagine a number of people now have some very difficult decisions to make, I thought it might be a good time to start this thread so people can brainstorm what might be best for them. I know some of you hate my guts at this point, but I hope you'll find the thread useful. I'm currently trying to figure out a hypothetical choice between Harvard and Rutgers, in case I get off the latter's waitlist. Rutgers has the obviously stronger department, especially for my interests (mind, language, and cognitive science). Harvard, however, is much stronger across all its departments, which is important to me because of the interdisciplinary work I really want to do. Knowing I can walk into any building and find leaders in the field feels like a valuable advantage. Coupled with the strengths Boston has as a city over most places in New Jersey, and the easy accessibility of MIT and Tufts (I know Rutgers has the consortium but that's not quite as unrestricted to my understanding), it's really tough to decide. What choices are you struggling with?

Just got off the phone with Martin Lin from Rutgers. He said, among other (very helpful and nice) things, that the waitlist is "unordered and short", but that "there's a chance" they may not get into it this season. The last comment was made in conjunction with the statement "I don't want to mislead you about your chances." If anyone else is on the waitlist, that's the information I have. Bit vague, since presumably there's always a chance a department won't reach into the waitlist. I'm gonna keep hope since Rutgers is one of two departments (the other being NYU) for which I'd seriously consider saying no to Harvard.

Do we have much reason to believe that any department will hold off on their first round PhDs past this week? I'm obviously most interested in Princeton, but overall things seem to be finishing up.

What do you guys do in your free time? Together? Do you discuss what each of you works on a lot, or is it more solo? And if you do discuss, is there a lot of helping one another? Basically, on a scale from zero to MIT, how intensely competitive is the culture? Are there any really cool places to read books around here? Are there any really cool places to buy cheap books around here? (I love used bookstores) (substitute with your favourite activity/item) How's the weather usually? How's the town? Is it worth leaving campus for? How much worth? How accessible are the professors? Do you have cookies? What's the best thing about this university? What about the city? How cheap can you get a decent, healthy meal around here? What should I be most wary of? Is there a lot of bigotry around here? (as a Middle Eastern who looks Middle Eastern, the US feels less safe every day, cf. Trump and Super Tuesday) I'll see if I can think of more.

Is this really true? Or are you just trying to build an optimistic take on it? Or both? Would you tell me if it wasn't true? Why am I asking so many questions? I think a waitlist is an interesting beast. It's not an answer. It's another question. It's the biggest of questions. Fascinating.

Just got waitlisted at Rutgers, email from Martin Lin, no details on position or chances or anything but they'll pay for a visit. Mixed feelings.

Someone to claim the new Rutgers post? It's in support of the earlier one but I'm not sure if someone's just double-faking.

Not that I've really had a choice here but my thought was that even if I got in somewhere I didn't immediately prefer to my current acceptance(s), I'd wait to see what details they have to offer. A sufficiently attractive funding package might make up for slightly weaker department or something.

As above, I would expect something this week. Top secret ultra classified high value intelligence says so. i.e. my advisor asked her friend at Rutgers

I think it might be a better fit for my interests but I'm not sure.

Well, damn. Thanks for letting us know, this is... semi-disheartening?

Anyone to claim the Rutgers post?

I don't know of a comprehensive list, but UCLA is notorious for this - if you look on gradcafe you'll see people had to solicit rejections on April fourteenth.

Rutgers is almost definitely coming out this week, so long as last week counts as "the last week of February". The alternative is they decided to let this coming week count as the last because it starts on the last day of February, but that would be positing an inordinate amount of procrastination even for an admissions committee. Context: my advisor contacted a friend of hers at Rutgers who said they would be making decisions "the last week of February" and releasing them the subsequent week.

You're right, of course. I understand that my choice of venue was insensitive and my phrasing, tactless (not sure there is a sensitive venue for it other than a silent, unscrutinizing piece of paper, and I've already scribbled on one of those). I do wish people wouldn't imply, in incorrectly associating my frustration with my offer of admission, that I have the emotional capacity of a lightbulb and can only either be happy about the totality of my current state of affairs or unhappy about it. I'm pretty sure, and I hope I'm right about this, that I'm capable of being happy about one thing and unhappy about another. Nevertheless you're correct that I should refrain from going on about the comparatively insignificant bad that I'm experiencing when I've got it as good, in one very significant respect, as I do. I was being sincere in my apology above and I'll say it again: I'm sorry for the way I came off. I've gotten similar lashings from friends and acquaintances who've scoffed at me and called me "stupid and irrational" for my current emotional state, and I don't doubt they're right. I feel like an arrogant, thoroughly dislikeable and genuinely horrid prick right now, and all I can do is hope it'll fade along with my disappointment. Self-applied tough love is probably the best mindset to adopt insofar as I can, and I know that. Thank you for speaking so understandingly. I'll have some tea for my sore throat now. Tea really is a beautiful thing.

I'm sorry. It's not my intention to flood the forum with negativity. Apart from a single (I think?) post on the Venting thread I've refrained from unsolicited frustration, and in the case of the single post, I was using the thread for its intended purpose. I've been trying to say nothing where I've got nothing nice on my mind, but I was asked a question here and I answered it honestly. I can delete the response if that is preferred, and I will continue taking time (as I have been) to improve my attitude without needlessly complaining here. I know and understand what you and others are saying at a superficial level, and am working to integrate it into my perspective. Again, I apologize for any unwelcome effects my words might have had. @psm1580b same as above; I'm trying. N.B. I'm not "down about going to Harvard". Not at all. I'm still amazed, grateful, incredulous at the prospect. I'm just down about being rejected from other places. I hope that's not unfair of me.

Pretty shit, I would guess, given how I'm nearly striking out everywhere. I wrote it in three days and the two professors I asked for help on it couldn't be bothered to give me more than one round of very loose feedback each.

Joining the MIT rejection train. I did tell everyone that GREs and GPA won't get me in at places.

I don't know why I ever dared hope that graduate admissions would go better than my undergraduate experience. I'd rather be shut out than get into just one place because at least then I can decide that I wasn't ready and come back next year with significant improvement. Now I'm at risk of deciding to go somewhere because I have no other options and I don't know if I could survive five years knowing that nobody I wanted wanted me.