bakedmanapua

お久しぶり〜Long time no post EALCers!
I hope everyone is doing well and has decided their plans for next year!? I've accepted my offer from U-Michigan and I'm really excited! I went to A2 last week to take part in the visit day and really enjoyed it. It's a relief to finally know where I'll be this fall!

Hi.  This message is for everyone who has the sinking feeling that they won't be getting accepted this season.
I don't know you.  I wouldn't be able to pick you out of a crowd, and we've never met.  But by the fact that you're here, I know that you're driven, and you're not afraid of change and sacrifice in your life.  So know this: It will be okay.  You will get through this.  Your value as a scholar, student, or just a human being has nothing to do with you not getting an acceptance.  Maybe it wasn't the right program, or the right year, or a good fit, or something else entirely.  That's okay!  There's next year, if you want.  Or, if you're out, you will have an awesome career and life, simply because you are driven, and you aren't afraid of change. 
I heard a fable (if you're a historian, maybe you know the truth of this?) there was once a king who was prone to high-highs, and low-lows.  It made his kingdom erratic  He sent for his advisors and said, "I need something to even me out.  I can't rule like this; either extreme is bad.  Help."
The advisors went away and deliberated for weeks.  Finally, they returned to the king and presented him with a metal ring, unadorned, that simply said, "This too shall pass."  And from that day, whenever he was too up or too down, he'd look down at his ring and remember...this moment is fleeting.
 
You're a pretty awesome human.  If you want to comment and tell me how you're feeling down, I will be happy to tell you all the reasons that I, a stranger, think you're awesome.  I imagine others will tell you too!
 
This too shall pass.

@kotatsumuri @spicyramen Congrats, folks! Looking forward to hearing about your decisions! Also, on the topic of funding: if your offers have been made available, maybe via the web portals, and you still don't have your financial-aid info, I would call the financial-aid office at the school; they should be able to confirm what your package is. I had an official funding letter scanned and sent to me via email to confirm the amount of aid I would receive, without having to wait for the snail-mail packet. 
加油！

Glad to hear it! Best of luck with your decision
I heard from my final program today...so nice to have the worst part over with!! (Now to wait for funding info and, finally, decide!)

I am DONE! All my apps are back, and i just have to commit somewhere. I will be sure to update you all once I officially commit! 

Well, folks, this marks the end of my application cycle. I wanted to say thank you to everyone for the advice and commiseration during these stressful months. Gradcafe is such a valuable resource, and I hope to meet some of you in person in the future!
后会有期！
加油！
P.S To RSEA admits: I spoke with financial aid, and they will be mailing the official offers tomorrow. See you guys in Cambridge! 

Thanks @spicyramen! I still have a few schools to wait for, though I'm already like "dead" like Wang Chong Yang 王重陽 and ready to live in 活死人墓. 
I will read all of your books when you publish, though, even if I don't go into academia!!  
 

Sorry things didn’t work out for you @Naito! Hope you aren’t feeling too badly. The universe must have something else great in store for you  

Received offer from RSEA Harvard right now...Over the moon！

@Math48 Messaged you.
Well guys this pretty much concludes my cycle. Still waiting on two more schools but I've already made up my mind to accept UCLA's offer for a PhD in Chinese history.

Finally heard from Princeton--no go, as expected, but a very kind email at least. Glad to check another off my list. Zero for three on the PhDs but have yet to hear from 3 more MAs!
Congrats to the Princeton admit from the last day or so! Anyone going to claim that...?!

I'm sorry to hear about the rejections
But costevens is right--at least things are moving along! Wish my apps would get moving along some more. Been quiet for a while now...hope it doesn't continue until mid-March...

Hi there. I've been following this thread for months but this is my first time reply. I mostly applied for PhD programs in the history departments but I also applied for the HEAL program at Harvard. I was told to have been wait listed by HEAL and I am wondering what is the possibility of getting off the list? I should have posted the result but somehow there is some problem with my internet that I couldn't do so.

Happy Lunar New Year, everyone!

Congratulations! @costevens

Accepted to Stanford's MA program! Received letter from POI! 

@spicyramen Harvard PhD admission is like a Pandora box! True story: A friend of a friend applied to Harvard, Penn, Columbia, and two more programs I can't remember, and got rejected from all of them, except Harvard. Harvard was the last one that didn't reply yet. Then she emailed the school asking please, tell me I got rejected already, so that I can move on with my life! Interestingly, Harvard replied, saying "Oh no, you actually got accepted! It was an unanimous vote!" And now she is happily at Harvard.

Thank you for the kind words!  Indeed, this year's Chinese New Year will no longer feel like a funeral for my nascent academic career, and my gratitude is without doubt ineffable.
Also, good luck to everyone! I was rejected by Harvard (and then UPenn, both were History programs though) around this time last year, and I still remember how it felt. I actually contacted my very nice POI at Harvard after receiving my rejection, who gently explained to me why i was rejected - that was very helpful. I made all the changes I could for this round of application according to exactly what he said.  

@kyjin Just to add onto this bit of intel but Harvard's EALC PhD program has already met and made their decisions. Letters should be out soon. Good luck to everyone!

Welcome @Kongyiji, and congratulations on your acceptance! Glad to have you join us
A couple days ago I had another email from U Alberta confirming my admission to their MA program, and offering some initial details on funding!! I'm still processing/trying to figure that part out and it sounds like there's more information to come in that regard. This morning I had a very detailed and welcoming email today from my prospective advisor!! I'm pretty excited and impressed!
Thanks for the info @lordtiandao. I hope we'll all hear back next week.

It’s getting really hard to keep going. I’ve spent a year and almost $2,000 crafting grad school applications and in the course of a week, I’ve already been rejected from 7 of the 10 schools I applied to. I’ve even been rejected from safe schools. I took GRE classes, paid writing consultants and put everything into my volunteer work and gap year. But it still wasn’t enough. I don’t know why I thought I could do this. I don’t know why I thought I was good enough. Whenever I tell someone this, the only comforting response is “there’s always next year,” but this is actually my 2nd year applying and this will probably be the 2nd time in a row I’ve been unanimously rejected. I don’t think I can do this again.
 I wouldn’t say I was suicidal because that would hurt my family too much. I’ve also tried twice and neither attempt worked, hence my delimma. But I truly have nothing to live for. All my friends have gone to start thier careers but I’m still working for no pay at my family’s restaurant and caring for my chronically ill mother. I have no internships, no job prospects and nothing to do with my history and English BAs. I couldn’t even get a job at Sprint mobile. I have ruined my own life and I can’t even get admitted into programs that will let me do the one thing I’m good at, which is to say that I’m probably not good at it all. I wanted a career in academia and research but I think it’s time I just give up on this dream. It’s been made clear that I suck too much to even take the first steps in realizing this dream. If I don’t get into grad school this year, I’ll probably just keep serving pasta and living with my parents forever while wishing that I could be hit by a bus, struck by meteors and devoured by crows and a stray cat. 
Ive never been this discouraged before.

congrats to the admits! 

Colorado State: "Apparently you don't even have to apply in order to be rejected from certain schools. What a cluster F it must be over there that they're emailing people who have simply requested information that they're 'rejected'."

University Of California, Berkeley Physics, PhD (F14) - Rejected -
Told by email to check the website. Whatever, the place is full of Communists anyway




Lol

"Alas, Harvard isn't ready for this jelly."