AP

Are these interviews on campus? If so, just decide which one you want to change, thank the interviewer for the opportunity and explain you have another interview that same day. Polite ask if the interview can be held another day. They shouldn't have a problem with that.

Typically, schools with money. However, visits are not standard even within the same school. In my school, we had admitted students weekend, like what @Marier was talking about. Other departments had interview weekend, where they invited people to have an interview but they had not been accepted yet. I know excellent departments that do not spend money on visits. Visits also vary in terms of how much they cover. While in general departments will pay your trip, they will have a top-up for transportation. In my case, coming from abroad, I couldn't go to any of the visits I was offered because I could not pay for the remainder of the air ticket departments could cover. Also, for me it would have meant traveling to the US for 20 days and I couldn't take that time off work. So, don't get anxious about visits (you are already in) and don't get anxious if you cannot go because you have other commitments. If you can travel, enjoy them because they are really fun and you'll get to see your future colleagues up close. I envied those in my cohort who made it to the visit because they were friends on the first day!

In the US you have until April 15 to respond to offers. You can attend admitted students weekend without accepting. Actually, the whole point of that weekend is for you to know them better.

Ok, let me unpack this a little bit. (the following might sound harsh, but I mean it in the warmest tone): First, unless your advisor explicitly told you that your coming only with a BA is a problem, do not act as it is a problem. You were admitted into a doctoral program because of evidence of research and potential for development. No one lets you in because you don't have an MA. Tenure is a very stressful time for any professor. Even in the friendliest, healthiest departments, it still is emotionally and mentally draining. If their tenure is coming up later this year, it's probably they submitted their file at the end of last (academic) year. That's a long time to be worried about your future. Tenure also means that your advisor will probably get some kind of sabbatical next year so they have to finish up several things before then. You are only one of many things that are going on in their professional life. Grad school, simultaneously, is a very personal journey. That means that you are not only learning about your discipline but also about yourself. Sent an e-mail to your advisor saying you urgently need to meet to discuss some unresolved questions about X, Y, and Z. I know taking the initiative can be scary (I was terrified), but grad school is also about you taking the lead of your education. I don't think anyone explains that to any one. The question of the MA is a different story I think you should consider based on more evidence rather than "they didn't wave back." It's very valid to want to live a program because you don't click with your advisor, but make sure that it's actually that. Good luck!

It’s ok to feel intimidated by your advisor’s career and overwhelmed by coursework. However, if you are not communicating your concerns, I applaud this not-pushy advisor reaching out and asking about your motivations. This probably stems from a concern about your intellectual well-being than an “unfair” treatment. You should take as a sign that they care rather than pesting them off. I was intimidated by my advisor until I graduated. In my case, I was relatively passive during my first year and he almost kicked me out of the program. I realized that graduate school is not a checklist and that he didn’t create any checklist for me to adhere to. Rather, learning is about exploring your interests and creativity. I’m not saying this is what’s going. But I am saying that doing what @NK Advocate suggested helped me: writing down what I wanted to talk about and talking about them professionally. At one point, I asked them if we could meet weekly because I needed the regular check in. He happily agreed (though we did it more virtual than in person). Adjusting also takes time. If you already know what works for you, it doesn’t hurt asking your advisor to provide that. Something like: “I wonder if every Friday we could have ten minutes for me voicing my state of research.” good luck!

I second this very strongly. I've said this before: acknowledging that your part is done is already part of your graduate education. It's a way of admitting you don't have control over everything. Believe me, this will not be the last time you click "submit" and anxiously wait for answers. You will be applying for funding, fellowships, jobs in the next five, six, eight years. @Sigaba is right on point in suggesting look after yourselves. Expectation can trigger anxiety and it's certainly not worth it because, at this point, there is nothing you can do regarding the admission process. At this point, focus on the next thing. In fact, go out and celebrate, you completed all these damn applications while working/finishing school/ writing a thesis. You contacted scholars and did your research, you are already amazing. Remember that because academia can sometimes make you forget it...

Talk to your account manager in your campus library. In general, University Libraries (typically members of the ARL) can give you an account if your school and you show evidence that you are doing research and will reside in NYC because of that. I've worked at my university library and we have accommodated this in the past.

I would strongly advice against this. It doesn't help anyone. As a graduate student and now as faculty, I have the opportunity to add my own questions to the evals. I take this seriously because you can go back to the course objectives, activities, and assessment opportunities and ask about them. Eg 1: Seminar for majors with several one-on-one meetings required. I asked what they found useful in this meetings (note that I didn't ask if they found them useful, I don't give them chance to tell me there were a waste of time because we worked a lot in those meetings). Eg 2: In one course I introduced a new software that we used for several assignments. I asked them how they think they can transfer this skill to another course. (Note that I didn't ask if they will transfer it, I just invite them to think how they will do it). If you have the opportunity to make up your own questions, I suggest you do. You'll find this feedback more useful for improving your teaching!

You are already in so all you have to write is a thank you e-mail. There is no need to explain that you are waiting to hear back from other places. They know you probably will (after all, they wouldn't have accepted you if they didn't think you were a good candidate).

In many schools, class began last week/today/next week. That means that different schools will have different meeting times for AdComms (and I am not even taking into consideration the quarter system). Just rest and have fun!

Like many things in academia, "visiting research scholar" is a very ambiguous term that, as is, means nothing. It can mean different things for different fields but also within one field. As is, the label does not tell us anything about this opportunity (length? funding? residency? dedication?). More information would allow for sound advice. I think of many "opportunities" colleagues of mine, students of mine, and me as a grad student took that could have been easily called "visiting research scholar." To answer your question, people have done something that could fall under that category, but doesn't mean they did what you are asking here.

I think you should be honest with the program and tell them you are waiting on other offers. Politely ask if you could get an extension on your deadline. I would strongly urge you not to accept an offer if you know that you will not go in the first chance you get. That offer could go to someone else. Also, the whole point on making the offer so early is precisely that, that you either commit or not to them. Not fun, I know.

Did you call the department?

Sorry @Carrots112, I agree with @Sigaba. The way you word your offer here ("services") and on your website looks like you are advertising your business. If you are not, as you kindly claim, then join everyone in offering their time to respond DMs or give advice on forums, like almost most of us do. The whole point of the forum is precisely to offer advice from where we stand.

I think it depends a little on EALC as a subfield. In Latin American Studies, there is more gatekeeping. It's hard for historians to get LACS jobs (though not impossible, I know one person) and viceversa, I seriously doubt a history department would hire a person with Latin American Studies PhD. In this field, the area part of the program usually is very language and literature based, with very little historical training. Do you know how your subfield works?

Absolutely, they do have different publishing cultures but I still think it's important to think strategically and not voraciously try to publish for the sake of hitting a number. Or would you say this is the culture among social sciences?

Hello to those of you applying for this cycle, and good luck! I know January can be stressful, so seat back, relax, and just enjoy the ride. I'll address here a couple of issues: 1) Re: Writing Samples. WS are evidence of what you say you can do in your SOP. It shows readers the type of questions you ask and how you try to answer them. A writing piece, you know now, tells a lot of how someone thinks, how they communicate their arguments, and how they guide their readers through them. It also hints at other aspects such as: Is this person coming to the program with language expertise? Has this person any archival research experience? Etc etc. To answer you question @pj19, I seriously doubt it. 2) Re: Interviews. Interviews can be really hard because they have a different purpose in each department/school. In some cases, interviews are to re-examine what faculty read in the WS (Can this person talk about research without rambling?). Other programs use interviews to narrow down a pool and get a "sense" of the applicants. In some cases, these interviews take place on site, others via Skype. Other programs use interviews to better understand how the student will fit in the program, especially if the program is ready to provide non-academic professionalization opportunities. And of course, I would argue many programs use a mix of all this. So, search through TGC for interview questions, ask your friends, think of questions on your own. And, this is very important, think of intelligent questions to ask the AdComm. Seriously. Asking questions is not about the answer but about how you ask questions. It's part of the interview and a darn important now. 3) Re: Waiting. There is no point in getting stressed about something that's out of your control. I've said this many times, and I'll say it as many times as it needs be: your grad school career begins when you click submit. You will click submit many times more so learning how to let go and acknowledging that many things in the universe are not up to you is part of our education as professionals. Trust me, there is absolutely no point in checking your e-mail a thousand times. Just go out, drink with friends, go on a trip, or read for pleasure. Accept the fact that your role in the admission process is (temporarily) over. It's humbling. If you want to "stay" in touch with the academic world, I suggest growing through your field's journals, blogs, H-net groups, graduate conferences opportunities, etc. Again, good luck! and chill

I was going to add: something that nobody tells you but we all go through is that grad school is a learning experience. The whole point is to experiment with what you like or don’t like. This is the time to think about your future. Every step of the way, we should be asking: “Does this serve what I want to do the rest of my life?” Congratulations on asking these questions early on and carving your own path!

I went to the market last year and landed a TT job. Now I am participating, as faculty, in search discussions for next year. Though publications signal scholarship, quantity is never an issue. I’m in the humanities, so having too many publications or too many conference presentations often raises some eyebrows: why is this person not writing their dissertation? My advice would be to think strategically about your CV lines, including publications. Rather than focusing on how many you have, maybe think on how you can engage different audiences by publishing in the different journals/blogs/etc.

One thing you can learn early on is to accept that *many* cogs in the admission process are not up to you. There are many parts moving when admitting a new cohort: the size of the cohort, availability of funding, need for TAs/RAs, faculty on leave/thinking of leaving/new searches, program needs, the cohort as a whole, other cohorts, etc etc etc etc. Acknowledging that your part is done and enjoying your break is not only advisable but needed. Throughout graduate school you will be in similar situations, where the moment you click "submit", your part is (momentarily) over. This is a hard thing to learn because people attending graduate school, like you and me, tend to be overachievers. I'd say give yourself a break. Enjoy the winter time. When you return, work on possible interview questions. Practice over and over and over again. Record yourself. Listen to your recording, practice again.

Every application portal has a Help section with contact info, usually the school. Contact them and calmly tell them you typed the wrong grade.

I don’t think it’s frown upon as if anybody would say “sh*t, we can’t admit this person be they have a MSc”. I would definitely think of using the MSc as an opportunity to talk about your interests in the SOP for doctoral programs.

Does the MSc require a thesis for graduation?

you don't?????!!!!! I'm the wrong forum then. ?

Actually, if you have a tablet with a stylus (like iPad + iPad pencil), I'd suggest PDF Expert. It has a better interface, better sync, and the same capabilities of adobe reader + many of adobe acrobat.