OHSP

Congrats! Amazing. My schools are scattered around the place and their visit days are not particularly close together, so I'll only be going to Duke's weekend (largely because they're paying for flights etc). Duke's the school I'm most iffy about in terms of location so it works out. I'd really like to go to the UPenn visit but it's difficult to justify flying to the other side of the world twice in one month. I'm TA-ing and finishing my MA at the moment, otherwise I'd consider trying to take a few weeks to visit places. **Edit to say if you can afford to visit your top choice admit I'd just book tickets right away.

Thanks! I'm feeling very appreciative of this thread now that I'm nearing the light at the end of the tunnel and leaving the total hellscape that has been waiting! Your advice has been appreciated.

Congrats! I suspect Penn is the one for me but I'll have to pro/con list for a while. I assume your subfield is European?

I just received an offer to U Penn and am so enormously relieved/happy! Hopefully this is a good news week for everyone.

Congrats! I am also wondering about NYU travel reimbursements - my plan was to wait until they sent through the more official email but I'm not actually sure when that will be.

Happy to take one for the team. I should actually say that she said they "expect" that the graduate school will release them tomorrow so if we don't hear anything then I guess it still should't be too much longer.

I shamelessly emailed the graduate administrator Not my finest moment but the endless waiting is getting to me.

For those waiting on Princeton, they will release decisions tomorrow - such a long shot for me but either way I'll be very happy to stop waiting for that email.

I've been wondering the same thing about Durham and people have pretty much assured me that the research triangle's a good place to be a lesbian. And at least a better place to be a lesbian than the rest of NC...

Do you have to pay Australian income tax on a US stipend if you're paying US income tax? **I'm not actually an Australian citizen so I wouldn't know, though I'm living there at the moment.

I think I've developed low level RSI from checking my email. **exciting**.

I'm a bit of an intruder on this thread, at 26, but I was looking through it because my 37 year old partner will be coming with me and I thought there might be some useful words of advice. Anyway I wanted to say that I found this post particularly helpful - it's easy to lose/lack perspective when you're in your mid-20s. I left home and started university at 16 (slightly more common where I live--and the government loans everyone their tuition fees so parents don't pay for it). I took some time off between my undergrad degrees and MA to work and travel for a few years. I really missed research and academia and was hungry to get back to it. I'm glad that I had those experiences at least because I'm now in a position where I know that I really want to do my PhD. Graduate study is difficult (I've been living the precarious income, TA, dissertation-writing life for two years now), but I'd rather spend my time doing this than anything else. Anyway, good luck to you all - you all have great stories.

Is there anyone else out there? And if so, how are you planning on making decisions without being able to visit schools etc? Basically this is an invitation to collectively freak out/discuss visa issues/express concern and/or excitement about moving half way across the world etc.

Congrats and, also, your research sounds fascinating. I applied to 8 schools. I basically started by finding the faculty I wanted to work with and then I limited myself to schools in the "top 20", simply because I'm going to be moving from overseas and I'm not sure I could justify it otherwise - that left me with about 10 and then I culled two in the final moments because I was unsure about fit. I focused on fit a lot and I think it's paid off--I was totally unsure of how realistic I was being in applying to US schools (especially as an Americanist), but I've been pleasantly surprised.

My POI said the official email should come in the next few weeks but I think NYU has a pretty standard funding package?

Meanwhile on grad cafe... I just got a phone call from my POI at NYU telling me to expect my formal offer via email shortly - very unexpected, I thought it was over for me with NYU. For those still waiting I'd hold out hope! **email followed.

Does anyone know anything about when Princeton might put us out of our misery?

Australia - if I were paying for my own flights it would be a nightmare. Can you get ESTA from SA or do you need a B1/2?

Oh maannnn. Where are you coming from?

I mean of all the people who applied, this historian bothered to send you an email, probably because they're a decent human and thought your work was good - academics are not all just robots / I really don't think Stanford professors are sitting around sending out fake-comfort emails to potential grad students.

I am in the same position, with +48 hour round trips ahead of me. Duke is paying for me to visit but I don't see how I'll be able to afford visits to other schools as well, so I'll likely be making the decision without having ever visited most places. [I'm aware that this is a super privileged spot to be in right now - good luck to everyone still waiting].

#notheretomakefriends #justgottoplaythegame [not actually (but kind of?)] Edit: I'm finishing my MA in a country where the thought of anyone getting a secure academic job post-PhD [in that country] is like a huge running joke. We're all about the strategy. It's a little bit depressing (hence the US PhD applications).

I also had an interview with UPenn and my POI mentioned that they were only interviewing a small group, that they wanted to make sure they were offering the spots to people who were a good fit, and that offers will be made early-mid Feb. Traditionally Penn makes offers slightly later. Hopefully good news is coming!

Book reviews also come with other benefits though - networking especially. And if you have them sitting around, then why not try to get them out. While the 25% rule is definitely sensible advice, it is not a rule for all publishers (I say this as someone working with an OUP editor on a text with more then 2 chapters pre-published).

Update from Wisconsin Madison - I just received an offer via email from the DGS. It's a great fit for my work so I'm very happy - it looks like this is a week for hearing back.