DBear

@phdthoughts yep, me too. @GreenEyedTrombonist With a couple of programs I looked into, it seems like the decision dates vary from year to year. So to make myself a little more comfortable, I took note of the later date and tried to think that that's when I'd get notified Also, your programs may have gotten many more applicants this season, or ad comm's may have had more scheduling conflicts so the process has taken longer this year. So, though it's hard, keep up hope! After waiting for a whole day, I gave up and went to bed and finally got a reply from my POI regarding scheduling our skype chat - we're scheduled to talk on the 1st. Judging from the results posted last year, this school sent out notifications on 2/2 & 2/3, but they're still interviewing on 2/1 (at least me) this year so probably the final results will be out later this year.

No worries! As for statistics, definitely not needed, I think I should have used the word "evidence". If it's a recognized issue, then maybe a line or two about who recognized it: According to the 2014 UNDP report on refugees, this is a prevalent issue. Maybe the issue is prevalent but seems to not have gained a lot of attention: The government of Dcountry has been trying to address this issue for decades but has been unsuccessful in attracting foreign aid/ investment. I guess the main thing is to be specific if possible. "Poverty is a big problem" needs to be substantiated. How is it a big problem? Why is the problem there? Since this is a policy paper, citing policy-making bodies, laws, and institutional framework will give you that depth. The hard part about policy papers is doing all this while keeping it short. Good luck! Depending on when it's due, I may be able to take a look at the draft or outline, if you'd like. Shoot me a PM if you want

One year a long time ago, there were penguins who didn't wear hats when swimming. This made their mothers livid. "Unacceptable!" Frightened, they screamed, "Bears!" Nobody seemed convinced so instead of going swimming they tried juggling. Their mothers tried everything they thought would teach her a skill. However, she couldn't even make oatmeal without disastrous results. So, the penguins gathered money (obviously) trying to purchase a bear. Towering over them, a grizzly beast danced, devouring all bears with such ferocity that even God enjoyed it. Afterwards, God congratulated the penguins and applauded them. "You did it!" Suddenly, the grizzly beast started dancing vigorously. There was an acromantula nearby. It challenged the preconception that magical mushrooms were magical. Sparkling, the magical mushrooms were spreading throughout town. Nobody with pyromania thought grilled cheese would spontaneously erupt into nine identical squirrels!

Meeting new people - and finding a close friend or two - in a new place really is a challenge. I think, though, like @phdthoughts said, it's really an issue of the school and its atmosphere. I think in some schools, there's a lot of drama among the faculty and that kind of sets the tone for the department. Also, in some cases, there might be a lot of competition for scarce resources. If we get the luxury of being accepted to more than one program and have to choose, then definitely going to the welcome weekend would be a great time to assess this. Also, I think it's good to talk to current students as well. I think I mentioned this before here, not sure.. but most schools would gladly put you in touch with a current student or two. Even if you can't ask them directly "does everyone get along?" I think how they answer questions from prospective students can say a lot. I've talked to current students and alum from 4 of the programs I applied to and one of the students said, "our school is generous to its students" but she didn't say, "it's a great program" or "you'll learn a lot" or "you'll get a lot out of it" etc. So it kind of made me hesitate. Students will say things about the program and their time there that will give you clues as to the atmosphere.. so definitely reach out.

@GunningForGrad That sounds like a long wait - good luck! I hope all the interviews go amazingly! I'm all for good juju, but since I couldn't control my petty side, I decided to give back to the community through good deeds - hopefully it'll work! And thanks for the image of the Grad school gods hahaha that's too fun!

One year a long time ago, there were penguins who didn't wear hats when swimming. This made their mothers livid. "Unacceptable!" Frightened, they screamed, "Bears!" Nobody seemed convinced so instead of going swimming they tried juggling. Their mothers tried everything they thought would teach her a skill. However, she couldn't even make oatmeal without disastrous results. So, the penguins gathered money (obviously) trying to purchase a bear. Towering over them, a grizzly beast danced, devouring all bears with such ferocity that even God enjoyed it. Afterwards, God congratulated the penguins and applauded them. "You did it!" Suddenly, the grizzly beast started dancing vigorously. There was an acromantula nearby. It challenged the preconception that magical mushrooms were magical. Sparkling, the magical mushrooms were spreading throughout town. Nobody with pyromania thought grilled cheese would spontaneously erupt into

OOOH!! I remember the designer now, it's coming back to me! And after getting my first official notification via email (the online system hasn't been updated at all) I've been checking my email more than ever.

Guys - I watched the Incredibles a couple of times but have no idea what @GunningForGrad and @stereopticons are referring too with the capes. My memory isn't what it used to be so hoping that I won't need to memorize too much crap in grad school.. lol My email has been silent for nearly 24 hours - not even spam! I know this because I checked it almost once an hour as I am waiting on a reply from a POI regarding interview scheduling.

One year a long time ago, there were penguins who didn't wear hats when swimming. This made their mothers livid. "Unacceptable!" Frightened, they screamed, "Bears!" Nobody seemed convinced so instead of going swimming they tried juggling. Their mothers tried everything they thought would teach her a skill. However, she couldn't even make oatmeal without disastrous results. So, the penguins gathered money (obviously) trying to purchase a bear. Towering over them, a grizzly beast danced, devouring all bears with such ferocity that even God enjoyed it. Afterwards, God congratulated the penguins and applauded them. "You did it!" Suddenly, the grizzly beast started dancing vigorously. There was an acromantula nearby. It challenged the preconception that magical mushrooms were magical. Sparkling, the magical mushrooms were spreading throughout town. Nobody with pyromania thought grilled cheese would

Road kill

@GunningForGrad you're way nicer than me, seeing other people getting accepted made me nervous and envious :/ I told the grad school gods I'd give em my first born! Also, I heard they prefer that you pass on your GRE prep books to other students so that they have fresh new victims to take your place once you've gotten your acceptance!

Yep, that has to be the dumbest thing. Even in the forums, people saying they are too good for one program or other- dude, there are people here that may go to that program and you may end up there as well.... Tsk tsk

Road trip

Oh! Congratulations still! Yep, let's just make sure our seat belts are fastened so we don't fall out!

Congratulations!! Judging from your signature I'm guessing it's McGill? Congratulations on getting in to a great school. This really is a roller coaster, isn't it? Hopefully the breaks work and this ride won't kill all of us.

I graduated from MIIS some time ago so things may have changed, but in general, there weren't that many funding opportunities and I have not encountered anyone that was able to get more than was originally offered. I think I was offered around that amount, and I recall that was on the high end among my friends. You can still ask if there are other funding opportunities that you can apply for later. I worked on campus like many students, and that helped. If you do decide to go to MIIS, I suggest looking for housing asap - housing is really scarce and can be very expensive.

One year a long time ago, there were penguins who didn't wear hats when swimming. This made their mothers livid. "Unacceptable!" Frightened, they screamed, "Bears!" Nobody seemed convinced so instead of going swimming they tried juggling. Their mothers tried everything they thought would teach her a skill. However, she couldn't even make oatmeal without disastrous results. So, the penguins gathered money (obviously) trying to purchase a bear. Towering over them, a grizzly beast danced, devouring all bears with such ferocity that even God enjoyed it. Afterwards, God congratulated the penguins and applauded them. "You did it!" Suddenly, the grizzly beast started dancing vigorously. There was an acromantula nearby. It challenged the preconception that magical mushrooms were magical. Sparkling, the magical mushrooms were spreading throughout town. Nobody with pyromania thought grilled

Congratulations!! You'e :') says it all!

lol that's so funny - the professor will be like "what's that splashing sound??" and me, "oh, that's just me trying to swim away from the sharks." @The Shade King That's the thing that makes this whole process so hard - between clicking, credentials, professors being on sabbatical or otherwise not involved with admissions, competition from other candidates... - there are so many factors that we can't prepare for. I think that's the main reason I was fixated on my GRE scores for such a long time because that was the only thing that I felt like I had some control over and that I could objectively assess. Hopefully you and your dream school will find each other! @heyDW Thanks for the "random update" on ASU - I love the info exchange even if I haven't applied for that program

One year a long time ago, there were penguins who didn't wear hats when swimming. This made their mothers livid. "Unacceptable!" Frightened, they screamed, "Bears!" Nobody seemed convinced so instead of going swimming they tried juggling. Their mothers tried everything they thought would teach her a skill. However, she couldn't even make oatmeal without disastrous results. So, the penguins gathered money (obviously) trying to purchase a bear. Towering over them, a grizzly beast danced, devouring all bears with such ferocity that even God enjoyed it. Afterwards, God congratulated the penguins and applauded them. "You did it!" Suddenly, the grizzly beast started dancing vigorously. There was an acromantula nearby. It challenged the preconception that magical mushrooms were magical. Sparkling, the magical mushrooms were spreading throughout town. Nobody with

One year a long time ago, there were penguins who didn't wear hats when swimming. This made their mothers livid. "Unacceptable!" Frightened, they screamed, "Bears!" Nobody seemed convinced so instead of going swimming they tried juggling. Their mothers tried everything they thought would teach her a skill. However, she couldn't even make oatmeal without disastrous results. So, the penguins gathered money (obviously) trying to purchase a bear. Towering over them, a grizzly beast danced, devouring all bears with such ferocity that even God enjoyed it. Afterwards, God congratulated the penguins and applauded them. "You did it!" Suddenly, the grizzly beast started dancing vigorously. There was an acromantula nearby. It challenged the preconception that magical mushrooms were magical. Sparkling, the magical mushrooms were spreading

I wish people would stop having conversations on the results page! All these people asking if anyone has heard anything or asking people to post their specializations etc..... I came here to vent about that and saw you beat me to it!

@heyDW The professor asked to speak on Tuesday, but that is like the ONE day I can't talk since I'm going to be on a long haul flight. So I've sent her some alternate dates and waiting to hear back. From what I can gather, it doesn't seem like they have a particular system for when they interview people. If you look at the results page, the interviews are really scattered randomly date-wise. Also, the interview time lines are specific to the particular degree concentrations so people who didn't apply to Rhetoric, Politics, Culture track shouldn't freak out that I got an interview and they didn't. Even those who did apply to the same track shouldn't freak.. it really does seem a bit random. @ejpril88 OMG I know, right? hahaha luckily the times she suggested were a bit earlier at night.

One year a long time ago, there were penguins who didn't wear hats when swimming. This made their mothers livid. "Unacceptable!" Frightened, they screamed, "Bears!" Nobody seemed convinced so instead of going swimming they tried juggling. Their mothers tried everything they thought would teach her a skill. However, she couldn't even make oatmeal without disastrous results. So, the penguins gathered money (obviously) trying to purchase a bear. Towering over them, a grizzly beast danced, devouring all bears with such ferocity that even God enjoyed it. Afterwards, God congratulated the penguins and applauded them. "You did it!" Suddenly, the grizzly beast started dancing vigorously. There was an acromantula nearby. It challenged the preconception that magical mushrooms were magical. Sparkling, the magical mushrooms

Ugh... @GreenEyedTrombonist and @heyDW I hate when the schools are later than they were last year... the suspense is just so cruel!!! Why can't they let us all know sooner?? I mean, some schools have managed to do it, why can't they all?? I was typing out this response when I got an email from Wisconsin Madison for my second interview. Apparently they like to have at least 2 members of the faculty talk to the candidates. I was told another professor would be in touch during my first interview and have been waiting for an email for the last couple of days. GEEZ this process is hard. Especially trying to arrange a time that works since I'm on the other side of the planet. My first interview ended up happening at 4:30 am. So I get to be a nervous wreck all day one more time! So those of us here waiting on Wis Mad, be prepared for some torture and @heyDW don't apologize for "rambling" (which you didn't even do) that's the whole purpose of this place, isn't it? At least that's what I think it is Your partner and I overlap in a couple of our schools! It sounds like you're really feeling MN, so I hope you guys can end up there together! That's the best case scenario, right? Denver,,,, yeah, I'd not want to live there as a grad student unless I had a trust fund.