Karou

Hmm, well I'm not a minority candidate so that definitely explains why I didn't get the email.
That being said, I still think it could be a good sign for those of you that did receive it. I mean it seems strange to take the time to organize a webinar for candidates they have zero interest in, perhaps you're on some sort of shortlist? But who knows how these things work. Wishing you the best either way!

I'll remind everyone-- in addition to keeping focus with hobbies and work-- be sure to explore other possibilities if graduate school does not work out.  Find something  you're excited about too. Searching for jobs does take time so it doesn't hurt to start now-- you can always turn down the job later if offered. I am speaking from experience:
2010: Graduated with my MA in hand, jobless and no PhD acceptances, sadly wondered why I got my MA at all, then spent whole summer in my parents' home looking for jobs, and finally decided to run away to Berlin to study German.
2011: Finished German classes. Devastated with only one unfunded PhD acceptance and never got out of bed before 1 PM every single day for 6 weeks or so. Spent the summer as a camp counselor and looked for jobs.  Ended up with an internship at a museum (at least it was paid and I liked the people). My depression relapsed after 6-7 hiatus.
2012: Before decisions came, I proactively started inquiring about jobs at my internship place and felt a bit more positive. Then I received funded PhD acceptances. I expressed gratitude to my work colleagues for being willing to discuss job possibilities while I wasn't sure what was going to happen to me and they encouraged me to take the PhD.
Even as I applied for fellowships to support my dissertation, I had to bounce back very quickly to keep things rolling with my progress and maintain my own mental health.  As @Sigaba point out, dealing with the wait and the decisions is all part of building resiliency necessary to succeed in academia.

Sure! For me the big three are:
Productivity: how many publications does the average new TT professor in your field have? Can you produce that many on top of your dissertation? What's your timeframe? (I'm doing well here IMO - I hope to go on the market with 4 publications)
Grants: are you winning competitive external grants? These are a major sign that people outside your university think your work is valuable, and money begets money. (I'm getting my ass kicked here and it's a big source of stress)
Relevance: is your project interesting outside of your subfield? Does it talk to contemporary trends in the academy? In short, will members of a diverse hiring committee think it's cool? (This hangs a lot on how well my dissertation does what I want. People are intrigued but want to see solid proof.)
 
No, lots of dumb people get into good programs and excel there (Ben Carson is an example often in the news). And lots of smart people come from disadvantaged backgrounds of one kind or other and don't look as "smart" in the application process because of it - I'd say about 1/3 of the people I know in top PhD programs have a professor already in their extended family. I've been publicly mocked during my (Ivy) MA program for having to work in a grocery store to pay for college.

But that's how search committees think. And if you undertake that critical self-examination I mentioned, you must ask yourself why, if you are as smart and as motivated as you think you are, you didn't get into [good program here]. You may have a very good answer to this question, but always remember that the easiest person to fool here is yourself.
This is absolutely true. I've seen people roll out with no publications and then act shocked when they don't pick up one of the 4 (!) TT jobs in their subfield that year. But it's unwise to focus on individual behavior over general trends. Humans tend to latch on to any and every exceptional case they find that gives them hope. 
I've also seen several Ivy PhDs have their absolute pick, even in the worst job market ever.
Case in point.
I think we all have seen a candidate with an excellent CV absolutely tank a job talk. But my interpretation of this is story is different: that guy who flopped the talk not only got an Ivy-league postdoc, they also got a campus invitation despite their inability to clutch it out. And why do you think that is? 
Never mind the number of times I've seen an Ivy PhD give a worse job talk (but not disastrous) than a candidate from a lower-ranked school and get the job offer anyway.
(FTR the worst job talk I've ever seen was a professor trying to jump ship from @TMP's department ? )

Same boat here - I probably won't hear back until the first or second week of Feb. It is nerve wracking.
But, I did get some uplifting news...I received a really out of the blue encouraging email from a POI I actually never contacted. It was pretty long, basically saying how they were very impressed by my application and are very "enthusiastic" about it, some really nice things about my potential to be a historian, and finally that I should consider the school very seriously. I also received two similar but shorter emails from two other schools. Good news, I hope?

Aah that sounds stressful, I'm glad it all worked out in the end! The paperwork/official records end of things is always my least favorite part of any such process. I'm not looking forward to having to deal with my visa application (but hey, it's a good problem to have, so I'm not complaining!).

@Englishtea1 I'm freaking out about it, I have no idea what it means!!!
@Karou Of course! It's happening on Wednesday at 3 so I'll post here then.

Hi @rx971 and @Englishtea1, I applied to Yale American Studies as well and did not receive an email, so perhaps you should take that as a good sign!
Would either of you be willing to report back on what it was about if you do attend the webinar? Thank you, and best of luck to you!

Congratulations @e_randolph and @MARTINt!! I don't know which one of you posted about needing a medic on the results page, but that made me smile so big!
@historygeek, hang in there, decisions will be coming soon!

@Karou I’d say don’t worry about the GRE scores. I shot them an email about it way back and I got a response from the admin there.  She basically said not to stress and that the committee will consider your self-reported scores if they’ve still failed to match the scores when they review the applications.

@KarouI had the same experience with UVA. My official TOEFL scores were sent to the wrong place, yet the AdCom reviewed my application with the self-reported ones.

Great, thank you! That's what I figured, but it's nice to have confirmation.

Congratulations @e_randolph and @MARTINt!! I don't know which one of you posted about needing a medic on the results page, but that made me smile so big!
@historygeek, hang in there, decisions will be coming soon!

Can't believe it. Just received an acceptance email from the DGS at UVA.

Hi all! This waiting period is an absolute nightmare so I had to share my good news.  I got my first acceptance today from UVA through an email from their DGS with my prospective advisors CC’ed! Honestly, I’m relieved and thrilled.

Seconded. I've lived in Durham and it's absolutely fantastic.

I got my first acceptance this afternoon from University of Alabama by a phone call. It feels good to get one after not being accepted anywhere last year. Now to wait and see if I receive any funding. I hope this a sign of things to come with the other places I applied to!

North Carolina, particularly the Research Triangle where Duke and UNC are both located, is a wonderful place to live. @Karou I would check out the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill thread in the city guide section if you're interested in learning more about the area from afar. 
 

Just got word that I got into Duke! It's my first choice, and I'm so incredibly excited!! So if you see that admit on the results page, it's mine.
I'm a bit shy about sharing my focus/POI on here because anonymity etc, but if you've applied to Duke and you're curious, feel free to PM me!

Just got word that I got into Duke! It's my first choice, and I'm so incredibly excited!! So if you see that admit on the results page, it's mine.
I'm a bit shy about sharing my focus/POI on here because anonymity etc, but if you've applied to Duke and you're curious, feel free to PM me!

Just got word that I got into Duke! It's my first choice, and I'm so incredibly excited!! So if you see that admit on the results page, it's mine.
I'm a bit shy about sharing my focus/POI on here because anonymity etc, but if you've applied to Duke and you're curious, feel free to PM me!

Just got word that I got into Duke! It's my first choice, and I'm so incredibly excited!! So if you see that admit on the results page, it's mine.
I'm a bit shy about sharing my focus/POI on here because anonymity etc, but if you've applied to Duke and you're curious, feel free to PM me!

Just got word that I got into Duke! It's my first choice, and I'm so incredibly excited!! So if you see that admit on the results page, it's mine.
I'm a bit shy about sharing my focus/POI on here because anonymity etc, but if you've applied to Duke and you're curious, feel free to PM me!

Just got word that I got into Duke! It's my first choice, and I'm so incredibly excited!! So if you see that admit on the results page, it's mine.
I'm a bit shy about sharing my focus/POI on here because anonymity etc, but if you've applied to Duke and you're curious, feel free to PM me!

Please exercise care when asking questions and interpreting answers about the training graduate students receive for the job market and placement.

I specifically recommend not having preconceived notions of what information a department should have readily available or what training programs should be in place. Figure out ways to get your questions answered while also minimizing the risk of coming across like you're telling people how they should do their jobs and/or you're putting hatched chickens in front of the light at the end of the tunnel. 
It's not so much what you ask, but how.

I got my acceptance to UNC today.
Not sure that you need to worry about a formal interview. I had reached out to a professor in Sept. and she called me to discuss my research interests the next week. It was very informal. I hadn’t had any requests for a formal interview. Good luck to you, keeping my fingers crossed!