guest56436

I would personally apply again next year. I did a masters degree but most of it was funded and only spent approximately 10k on it (which I had in savings). I wouldn't have done it otherwise.

Is anyone still waiting for Chicago? I see both the MA students and the ones who didn't want to be considered for a masters have been sent rejection letters yet I still haven't heard anything.

While this may be true, it's not completely random. After a few years, programs get pretty good at identifying how many they should accept to get x number of admitted students. So while there definitely is fluctuation from year to year; programs generally have a benchmark they like to stay at and cohort size usually stays pretty close to that benchmark.

Stanford and MIT regularly have cohorts less than 10. I believe WUSTL, Rochester, and Cornell are in that range as well.

U of T doesn't offer funding to many of the students (may be a handful).

Why is that absurd? Lots of the smaller programs have cohorts of 8-12.

Generally comparative applicants seek out POIs for two reasons: they work on research topics that are close to their own and/or they have expertise in the area that the person studies. If you are going to apply to schools that don't have any or a lot of faculty working on your area you want to make sure to especially highlight how your research interests closely align with faculty members and potentially "play down" your interest in the ME.

For what it's worth...they currently have an offer out on ME comparativist. That doesn't mean they will actually accept it, but they are trying to hire in that area. I would definitely apply but frame your interests in a substantive way, not by area.

Notice the bold....please don't do this throughout your application, it won't be received well.

Correspondence from Chicago would be nice.

Now this becomes a totally separate matter. You aren't dead set on going into academia? Then you really shouldn't be getting a phd. You are too obsessed with funding which seems to me that you are not in the right mindset here. This isn't a job...it is an apprenticeship that is training you to be an academic. Choice D is a no brainer and there is nothing really to debate here only IF you are doing it for the right reasons. A phd is not going to advance your career...it actually may hinder it. Furthermore, as far as I can see all these funding packages (except for B - I know what this program is) are pretty similar the only difference are working hour conditions. So again, I really don't see how funding is really a huge factor here.

You should just contact current graduate students by email. Probably have significantly more success in getting answers.

This isn't the forum you are looking for.

Yeah, it's probably over. Welp, that pretty much concludes the cycle for most.

I know that this year's cohort is smaller, but I find it hard to believe only one person on here has gotten accepted. Others might not have claimed it yet though...

The good news is you have some great options. Who knows maybe you'll get off of it.

True. Could be possible.

Come to think of it, a waitlist at Harvard has got to be super depressing. So close snd unlikely many people are going to reject.

Weird a waitlist comes before an acceptance.

Drag what out? Harvard is almost always early March. nevermind...

Yeah and perhaps an extra admit or two.

I vote UNC as the wierdest behavior of this cycle.

Probably sometime this week or next.

I was merely trying to portray that it can be frustrating for some applicants who spend a lot of time getting acquainted with graduate work and knowing very well what it entails only to lose out to people that end up dropping out in their first or second years. That's all. Not like it matters, you get admitted or you don't and that's the game.

It's certainly feasible but not in any way conducive to a comfortable lifestyle.