vtstevie

most confusing is the differenence between Buffalo State University and the State University of New York at Buffalo like...what?

Heh, same here. I rarely heard the "SUNY" acronym spoken aloud even though a solid quarter of my graduating HS class went to U of Buffalo

has anyone gotten a straight up rejection from UC Davis yet? i'm 90% sure i was not accepted, and they already had an admitted students day (i think), but my app status has not changed and i haven't heard anything official. the status board has been woefully silent since a small burst like a month ago as well. anyone know anything?

Having a single acceptance but no funding offer yet is terrifying. I want to get excited but also don't want to get my hopes up...

Thanks! I'm further west than you and already got my mail today so I'm HOPING tomorrow will be a good day!

I bet pretty much everyone who posts here can tell you that they've had faculty (even otherwise supportive faculty we have relationships with) have given us the doom and gloom talk about job prospects after graduate school. Lots feel like it's their duty to tell students that just so that they have absolutely no illusions about the situation, a sort of first step toward weeding out those who may thing a PHD is the golden ticket to money and fame. That's not to say it's not true, because it by and large is, but you're also not alone in hearing it and if you've grappled with the realities of the situation and still want your PHD then apply away!

heyyyyy u of maine postal acceptance, are you around? did you hear anything prior to getting your letter today? what was the post mark on the letter? i'm ready for this process to be over, let me in the loop!

It flucuated Early on it was a 1, there seemed to be sooo much time. Then I messed up the timing and produced a VERY shoddy outline and my adviser almost dropped me and it skyrocketed to around a 300, then I got into a groove for a while and it settled to around a 3 until the very end when it was a 4 during my thesis defense. So, I'd say it averaged around a 3.5. Don't get overconfident - it's easy to fall behind VERY fast, or so I learned the hard way.

This is the impression I've received as well. And I'm sure I don't need to explain this here, but not all of us are dead set against teaching at a small LA college and my advisors have told me this is totally attainable with a good advisor and, more importantly, good work done, at a non-top 20 institution. This does not speak to a lack of ambition, more of a flexibility in outcomes (not a knock against people like katzenmusik by any means). I guess the point is that while a great advisor at an OK school can't get you into the upper echelons of academia necessarily, it can get you into academia, which may not be an option for some people otherwise.

TMP, I'd like to clarify by saying I agree with virtually everything you're saying, I just rankle at big sweeping statements like "always do this" and "never do that" - your advice is all spot on though, based on my experience. I'd like more opinions on the top programs vs. lesser known but still quality programs. I did not get into a top 20, big name program but it's fairly well regarded in my field and houses that field's main academic journal. I want to get my PhD and am well aware of the actualities, but has anyone else taken an all or nothing approach like katzenmusik? I'd love to hear your rationale on either side of that fence.

Congrats czec! here's hoping you have options come April

yeah, I know TMP is basically tenured faculty around here (and I say that with all due love and admiration) whereas I'm a lowly adjunct with one acceptance, but I sorta disagree with that advice. Those have been "The Three Hot Topics" for so long now that to say they're the only path to a PhD in 2013 seems sort of hyperbolic. I'm studying none of those three explicitly and I got an acceptance, and I'm sure others can attest to the same. Like, if you're studying one of those I'd say you have a leg up surely, but if you're NOT I wouldn't say abandon all hope or give up studying US history. I think a better, broader point is know the realities of your field and expect the worst. Getting into a PhD program in history is difficult, and more get rejected than accepted. If you love what you do and have a talent for it (and if you are getting recommendations, you probably do), then go for it, but have no illusions about what a mess the system is.

And just out of curiosity, who is the University of Vermont MA acceptance that got posted earlier? You around?

All I know is what I posted a couple pages ago - the DGS said early last week (or late the week prior) that notifications would go out "very soon," and that acceptances/rejections are just being finalized by the Graduate School. Where did you get the impression that they made decisions weeks ago? I know one person posted an acceptance in, like, December but I think that was either an outlier or a mistake. As far as e-mailing the Temple DGS, I feel bad since the poor guy is probably getting inundated by grad cafe folks these last two weeks, but many of us found out about our results this way, so I say go for it.

Revolutionary/Early Republic US (pretty much up to Jacksonian era, but I'm confident teaching anything up to and during the Civil War), focusing on regional and national identities with a dash of economic history thrown in

Nope, no info. The DGS told me to ask if I had any questions, so I just asked if funding info would be included in the official notification (which arrives in two weeks, he said). I haven't heard back from him though. and Zephyr, sorry to hear that.

I think the most important thing is not to come across as pestering. But, as we're now in March and people have heard things from many schools, I don't think an e-mail is the worst thing in the world. In other news, I just got an e-mail with a form letter PDF from Boston University informing me I did not get in. Glad I heard from Temple first!

Yeah, I think it's OK, especially if you know of others who have heard things. I posted a few pages back about how the Davis DGS told me I probably did not get in, and yeah it stung, but he also mentioned a number of positive things about my application which lifted my spirits incredibly. So don't be scared off just for fear of rejection - you're dealing with a person, not a computer, and they don't want you feeling worthless.

And I'm heading to a beer festival right after I get outta work, so all in all March is lookin' good! Thanks for the well wishes all

hey guys, i just got an unofficial e-mail from the DGS at Temple telling me i was accepted! this is a pretty good feeling, i gotta say

well done HT

ha yeah that brought a smile to my face this morning for sure

I didn't, I e-mailed the DGS like 4 hours ago asking what's up with notifications and he told me all that.

carrie you're havin' a good couple of days over there!

hey if anyone else here applied to the University of Maine, I just got word that the committee made their recommendations to the graduate school today and that we should expect notifications "very soon" !!!