Bibica

Only if you include glitter in envelope
 

Me for all three. Removed myself from the waitlist.

First acceptance - Columbia!!
Close to crying at work.....

I claim a Columbia admit.

Me for all three. Removed myself from the waitlist.

Me for all three. Removed myself from the waitlist.

For emails from professors,  I generally say something like:
Dear Professor X,
Thank you for your email. I was delighted to hear of my acceptance to your program and am looking forward to attending visiting days in March. I hope to speak with you then.
Then, if I have questions about the program, I will ask them. Otherwise, something along the lines of "I will be sure to come to you with any questions I have in the following weeks."
Best Wishes,

First, congrats on getting into two very good schools. They are tied in rank according to US News, so things you ought to consider are fit (how well your research interests align with faculty), placement record, funding, and location. My advice is to reach out to professors and especially graduate students at both of these schools and discuss these things before making your decision.

For emails from professors,  I generally say something like:
Dear Professor X,
Thank you for your email. I was delighted to hear of my acceptance to your program and am looking forward to attending visiting days in March. I hope to speak with you then.
Then, if I have questions about the program, I will ask them. Otherwise, something along the lines of "I will be sure to come to you with any questions I have in the following weeks."
Best Wishes,

For emails from professors,  I generally say something like:
Dear Professor X,
Thank you for your email. I was delighted to hear of my acceptance to your program and am looking forward to attending visiting days in March. I hope to speak with you then.
Then, if I have questions about the program, I will ask them. Otherwise, something along the lines of "I will be sure to come to you with any questions I have in the following weeks."
Best Wishes,

Just went through my inbox and unsubscribed from every mailing list I ever signed up for, since every time the count for unread messages goes up, I have a mini heart attack. This waiting game is absolutely brutal!

Duke adcom should see all this agony...

I hope no Duke yet otherwise my application season is in pieces 

If nobody claims Duke, I take it graciously. Somebody has to.

Having an acceptance lessens the blows of rejections. Doesn't mean you stop caring. 

@resDQ on further reflection, I am inclined to agree with you. Finally have a draft I'm happy with, so I should be sending that out to one or two schools next week. I know it will be a relief after, but the thought of turning down programs so early in the cycle just feels wrong. But I know they're out of the running for me and it is only fair. Hopefully it frees up some space for others, though.
@concrema of course! I'm very lucky to know some people in admin + older grad students who have drilled into me the importance of negotiation. Apparently men do it a lot more than women, which is a shame.

If it is a school that you're excited about attending, it is absolutely okay to haggle for more funding. Especially if you have an offer at another university that gives you more funding. I spoke to someone in my university who handles this sort of stuff and she said that they'll almost always give an extra $1000-3000 to someone who says that funding is preventing them from accepting.
Keep in mind that before they accepted you, you were trying to convince them. Now THEY'RE trying to recruit YOU. They've already decided that they want you, and that gives you some bargaining power. That being said, it is important to be polite about it, and it would definitely help if you visit first.

I doubt it @polisci13542, but then I've been wrong about these things this whole cycle and will believe just about anything at this point. I'm trying to treat the weekend like the weekend: pizza and wine, and not checking my email all the damn time.

I doubt it @polisci13542, but then I've been wrong about these things this whole cycle and will believe just about anything at this point. I'm trying to treat the weekend like the weekend: pizza and wine, and not checking my email all the damn time.

I doubt it @polisci13542, but then I've been wrong about these things this whole cycle and will believe just about anything at this point. I'm trying to treat the weekend like the weekend: pizza and wine, and not checking my email all the damn time.

You're a psychic. Got my email of acceptance from TAMU's DGS about an hour ago. Fantastic!

Good to have some solidarity in here, feeling low after U Chicago tonight, but still waiting on a lot. Definitely hoping to hear from Duke and perhaps ND soon? 
Whew! We can do this! Go team, go!