apaphoria

If I remember correctly from the previous admissions cycles I've participated in, all schools have a April 15th deadline. I usually respond to the initial offer with a generic response much like previous posters. Its when the school or potential adviser sends that follow-up email a couple weeks later that asks if I've applied elsewhere/heard anything back from other schools that I don't know how to respond to--do I bring it up or not, if I do bring it up do I then try to use it to negotiate a better offer, etc.

I think it depends on what your undergrad experience (e.g. gpa) was like. Mine was s**t so I pretty much had to get a master's from a top 10 first before being "qualified" and applying to a top 10 PhD program. Plus, with a MS you have a bit more freedom in deciding if research/academia is really what you want to do or work in industry. While I don't know about acceptance rates for American students, with a sample size n=1 it has been significantly easier for me to receive fellowships for tuition remission/grad student living stipend since most of them have a citizenship requirement, since in my program I'm one of 3 Americans...

Purdue's civil engineering program sent me an acceptance letter last week but no word of funding; your program/department might have slightly different timetables?

Undergrad Institution: UNC-Chapel Hill | Masters: Oregon StateMajor(s): Economics | Masters: Agricultural and Resource EconomicsMinor(s): Computer ScienceGPA in Major: 3.51Overall Undergrad GPA: 2.78 | Grad GPA: 3.89 Position in Class: averageType of Student: domestic, maleGRE Scores (revised):Q: 164V: 167W: 5.5Research Experience: 3 years RA, 2 papers (1 first author, 1 second author--of three), 4 conference presentationsAwards/Honors/Recognitions: a couple small fellowshipsPertinent Activities or Jobs: 1.5 year as TAAny Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: worked 2 years for the United Nations doing supply chain/logistics and data analysisApplying for: PhD Civil Engineering - TransportationApplying to Where: Oregon State - Accepted + FellowshipPortland State - PendingIowa State - Accepted + GRASUNY Buffalo - PendingPurdue - Accepted, waiting on funding decisions