akraticfanatic

So far besides me, I know of @Dysexlia and @episteme7 who are going to Brandeis (and @popsteady who is there already). Anyone else who will be there in the fall?

Also, I think it's normal not to have that stuff finalized till August or so. If they've guaranteed you a TA spot, you'll get it.

Hi, it took me a month (after getting the informal acceptance from the department) and a LOT of emails and phone calls to the department, admissions, and financial aid to get an official letter from Brandeis. Don't be afraid to be proactive about this-- it's your future! If there's someone in the department with whom you've already established some sort of relationship or conversation, try talking to them first.

Suffolk wanted a decision by the 15th and as of last week i didn't have an official offer from Brandeis. I asked Suffolk if it was possible to get a few extra days and they said I could have until the 21st. So I think it is worth asking. But if you have all the info, then you probably don't have a real excuse from their point of view.

Just accepted the offer at Brandeis! (I finally got my financial aid info, pretty happy with it.) Declining BU and BC (MA programs) and Suffolk (MS in Ethics & Public Policy).

I have! I've emailed and called multiple people in admissions and financial aid but haven't gotten a response back. I'm going to campus next week anyway so if I don't hear from anyone by then I'll go bug them in person.

Still haven't gotten the official letter from Brandeis, so I'm not sure what's up with that. But I did find out that BU apparently "never received" my GRE scores, even though I sent them to the correct code last July when I took the test. I'm pretty sure the issue is that I legally changed my name between taking the test and applying, but that shouldn't even be an issue since they can just look at my SSN, birthdate, and other identifying information. I disclosed the name change initially and included a copy of the court order with my application materials, since I have transcripts under both names. Plus, no other school had an issue with it. (This isn't what's happening with Brandeis because my application shows that they received my GRE scores.) Just aggravated that this process is ending up even more stressful than predicted.

So I've been accepted to four programs. Of these, I've received formal acceptance letters from two and a financial aid letter from one. Of the two from which I've only received informal emails, I received them 2.5 and 3 weeks ago respectively. I tried emailing both schools and got an unhelpful response from one and no response from the other. For people who have been through the app process, is this normal? How long does it usually take?

I would email the department. Also, check your spam folder to be sure you haven't received anything.

I mean, I answered all the questions and I didn't lie about anything, and I've never gotten in trouble at school. I hope it gets resolved! Thanks for the vote of confidence!

Nope. Besides, wouldn't they tell me right away if the issue was with my application?

I'm really anxious now When I applied to UMass Amherst for my undergrad, I was rejected, despite the fact that I had already taken continuing ed classes there with a decent GPA. I also worked on campus (not that that means I should be accepted in itself, but it shows I'm not a troublemaker). I later got an informal letter from the head of the program I'd applied to, saying that they really wanted to accept me and had fought for it, but the school's admissions committee wouldn't let them. So it wouldn't be the first time this has happened...

Very snarky response ultimately saying that they would look into it. Excuse me for emailing an admissions officer a question about admissions...

Ooh that's weird. I don't feel bad about bugging them then.

Has anyone gotten a FORMAL decision letter from Brandeis yet? I got the informal email from the department nearly two weeks ago and I thought I would've gotten the letter by now. (I'm also anxious about the financial aid since that will affect my final decision about whether to take the offer.)

For people who live in Boston/Cambridge and take the commuter rail to Waltham, what do you pay monthly for the commuter rail pass? I tried to figure out the chart on the MBTA website but, well, their website isn't exactly user-friendly (like most aspects of the T). I think I'll end up getting a car-- it seems like a better option than paying for public transit. I currently live in Dorchester which would be a 40-minute drive without traffic, or about 1.5 hours on red line + commuter rail. With what I'm paying for my apartment, it might make sense to stay here. Just curious about other people's experiences with commuting to Brandeis from the city.

Final tally: Accepted: Brandeis (MA) BU (MA) BC (MA) Suffolk (MS in Ethics & Public Policy) Rejected: Harvard (PhD) BU (PhD) BC (PhD) Tufts (MA) I'll most likely be taking the offer from Brandeis.

Thanks. Brandeis offered me a decent aid package, including a TAship, so I'm pretty happy with it. Sorry to hear you didn't get into your #1, but maybe we'll end up at Brandeis together!

The above post was a mistake, can't figure out how to get rid of it. Sorry about that. Finally heard from Tufts: I didn't get in. It was my first choice for MA's, but I'm okay with the rejection since I'm in at Brandeis. MA/MS: 3a/0w/1r out of 5 PhD: 0a/0w/2r out of 3 Still waiting to hear from Boston College.

Nope. I also haven't gotten an official letter yet (I got the unofficial email on March 3rd), but I think they were on break last week so that's probably why. I'm really hoping to hear back from BC and Tufts this week too. I feel like I've been waiting forever! According to results, decisions have been sent out for both schools, plus it's much later than they've gotten stuff out in previous years.

Do they generally run criminal background checks for a TAship?

You will definitely be tested in most CJ fields (any government job, security jobs, etc.), but if you're going into academia I doubt it would be an issue. However, if you have a medical marijuana card your name is on a list, so potential employers might have access to that (at least, that's how it works here in Mass).

I have half sleeves on both forearms and a small tattoo on my right hand. Nothing obscene, mostly flowers. I could cover them if I really had to, but I would hope that potential employers would care more about my actual academic achievements than my appearance.

Also, same here, but I don't think it's worth worrying about before we even get the official letter. I think most schools will have everything out by the end of this month (I hope!). Congrats on the acceptance!