HomewardBound

@Carly Rae Jepsen You still exist! How's WashU treating you?

Hi all! Good luck as this application season starts up. I applied last cycle, so I'm willing to answer questions about the process if you have any!

@Saltshaker I'm still sorry to hear that! It's true, though. You have a lot of enviable options...it's already going to be difficult to decide!

@Frenchlady Wha...what? At that amount, it sounds more like a nice salary than a stipend! Have you done a cost of living calculation between Baton Rouge and Austin? I don't know if you're looking for insights, but if you are, I think that a good fit is probably better than good finances, so long as you'd be living (relatively) comfortably in either place. But I don't know your financial situation, so it can depend strongly.

@madamoiselle Congratulations! You'll love Berkeley. That entire area is so beautiful. Do you feel relieved? @Frenchlady I've heard that Austin offers great financial aid. Do either of the programs fit your interests better?

@Carly Rae Jepsen I'm sorry you won't get to visit. Pitt is essentially Hogwarts. The Cathedral of Learning (where humanities are located) looks like a set from the films, even on the upper floors. Whether that's a pro or a con for you, I don't know, but yeah! Sorry the choice has gotten more difficult, but I'm sure you'll make the right one. @Saltshaker Absolutely. And it's the kind of place I'd like to live. Just because I've accepted doesn't mean you won't hear something, though. Other students still have to respond. Fingers crossed!

Good morning, everyone! Well, I did it. I declined 6/7 of my offers of admission. All of the offers were incredible, and there isn't one program that I wouldn't strongly recommend. However, Penn State was the best human, intellectual, and...locational? fit for both my wife and myself. Plus, this way, anyone on the waitlist at some of my other schools will hopefully get some good news! @Carly Rae Jepsen I hope my rejection of Pitt's (really generous) offer will mean more funding for you. If you haven't already accepted WashU''s offer, I'd encourage you to look into Pitt a bit more. They have some really incredible faculty and students, and the grant possibilities are out of this world! My wife and I are just weird, and we prefer living in really quiet areas instead of cities.

@madamoiselle I agree so much with you on this. And it's true, of the problems to have, these aren't too bad! But you make such a personal connection with the students and faculty that saying no to all but one feels really sad. Am I weird on this point?

@awhiterussian Congratulations! I don't think NYU offers many fully funded master's, so you're among a select few! @Frenchlady I'm really surprised to hear that Texas does its classes in English. I'm still at my Penn State visit, and one of the awesome things about this program is that nearly every course is held 100% in French, which means having to really hone your French theoretical vocabulary. Even in programs which tend to hold classes in French, theory is often done in franglais. It sounds like LSU might be the right choice, so congrats! I agree with @Carly Rae Jepsen--they really have a great program!

@Saltshaker I'm loving my visit. The fit is good, and I think I'd grow personally and professionally here. More visits to go, though!

@Saltshaker I'm in State College, PA now. I just reread my offer letter. It looks like they want to hear my response soon, as I'm their hold up. I guess that means you're waitlisted? I'll try to make my decision soon. @Carly Rae Jepsen I'm also probably your hold up for Pitt. I'm the only person they've accepted with funding. If I decline, you may well be next. The funding offer is amazing, so stay tuned.

@Saltshaker Six weeks?! In terms of hearing from them, I've heard from them quite a lot...I'm leaving tomorrow for my visit (unless my flight gets cancelled, like the one to Boston did). Who have you been contacting?

@Monsieur Vénus Enjoy! I'll be visiting on Monday. Very excited! As far as what to bring, I've brought a notebook and pen to all of my visits thus far. Nothing else has been needed.

@Monsieur Vénus Sorry about the rejection. But you have a lot of other great choices. Did you end up going to Boston's recruitment day? How was that? @everyone Our thread has the most replies of any languages thread on this site..by a few hundred! Woo!

@everyone The University of Oregon has just accepted me! One school left to hear from. Best of luck to everyone still waiting!

@Frenchlady Congrats! I agree with @Saltshaker. There's no need to worry! @Carly Rae Jepsen Oof. While what @frenchlover said is true, it's a lousy situation to be in. "You can follow your dreams for the low, low price of $47,000...per year!"

@Monsieur Vénus I just mentioned that one of my fears was the cost of moving to a new place. That was it. Then they surprised me by emailing me offers for moving expenses. So...just mentioning the difficulty seems to have helped a lot. Three of my options are offering very generous moving/settling in stipends now. It never hurts to mention, I guess!

@senorbrightside Oh no! Let's cross fingers and toes that the three pending schools will be great (and funded) news. I know someone else on this forum who was getting bad news, only to get fully funded into an awesome M.A. program. You'll get there! Congrats on McGill, by the way!

@awhiterussian Congratulations on Columbia. For what it's worth, I'd turn it down in a heartbeat. They may be the "best program" for something, but there are a lot of great schools out there that won't put you into debt for your education. I think you can do (and have done!) better. If you're really set on Columbia, though, you could let them know that you have funded offers, and that, while you're interested in Columbia, you'd like to explore funding possibilities. I did that with a few universities in terms of moving expenses, and I was shocked at how receptive they were. Might be worth a try!

@awhiterussian Congrats! Are you going to be visiting? @Saltshaker Also congrats! Who are you interested in working with over there? UVA's French is great. @Monsieur Vénus I finally had my talk with a POI from Boston. She was one of the most well-spoken people I've ever had the privilege of talking to. I felt smarter just by talking to her!

@madamoiselle Congrats! If there were an award for "most awesome acceptances", I think you'd win. That's a LOT of great choices. @Saltshaker Wow. Maybe they forgot? It's probably worth doing a follow-up, though I know that the admin assistant is out until Monday. Sorry that you're still in flux!

@Saltshaker and @Monsieur Vénus Congrats on UConn, but I'm sorry to hear about the weird funding situation. @Saltshaker Has Penn State gotten back to you yet? It's definitely been over three weeks. @Everyone I hope things are going well! I just had my first visit (Pitt), and I was wowed. Great students, great faculty, and the buildings are just unbelievable. Also, U. Maryland went ahead and accepted me. Two left to hear from!

This is probably the best French grad application forum in the history of French grad application forums. You all rock. : D

@Carly Rae Jepsen and @madamoiselle I'm so with you on this. Everyone has been beyond sweet at the universities, and knowing that I have to refuse 4/5 of them (soon to be 5/6, rumor has it) is lousy. However, my POI at Penn State did mention, "It's difficult, but these are the good kinds of problems to have!" Which is true, but eeek!

@Monsieur Vénus Well, that's terrifying news! I haven't heard about the call yet, but eek. Phone calls can be terrifying, but I've found that most of the calls with schools are lowkey. They've accepted you, which usually means that they'll mainly be trying to answer your additional questions, court you a bit, and that kind of thing. Let me know if your experience is different!