hs2011

Same here. Especially if you have multiple schools with very similar rankings/stats and are similar on paper. If you have one clear program that out-ranks the others in all/most areas, there you go.

Yep - this is what's been weighing on me the most, but also why I'm really looking forward to visits. I've moved to totally new places for grad school and for jobs before and being happy where you are and with the people you're around/culture you're in is HUGELY important to success. At least it is for me. I do tend to be able to adapt well to new environments, but I know I can put up with a lot more frustrating late nights working if I'm happy and comfortable. Obviously all of the other factors are very important, and probably more so, but if you're comparing similar programs, it's something to really consider in the decision.

Ahhh sorry - misread that as the end of this week!

Minnesota said they were sending decisions the week of the 19th

Same here! Congrats!

No problem! To each their own, but I would agree with you there. From what I hear it was more of a money hungry "sure, if you really want to come here, you can pay to do it" thing than a "not having enough money to fund everyone" thing

From what I've heard (all friend of a friend kind of stuff), they typically do if they stick around long enough, either because of more funding/different types of funding becoming available or other people leaving the program and opening up "funded spots". The likelihood probably differs a lot from school to school depending on the reason they don't have the funding. I heard Columbia used to be pretty notorious for it and it would cause a very tense, competitive culture. The professor who told me that is pretty removed from the program now, so didn't know if it was still the case there. He did suggest that it's a good thing to gauge with the current students (either specifically or when asking about the culture of the program). I've heard about it at a few other as well, but can't remember off the top of my head.

I can't speak to the assumptions made by the school, but if someone accepts the offer, they would be paying full tuition with the hope that funding would become available to them at some point. I've heard that some schools don't offer un-funded acceptances at all, some do quite frequently and others, of course, fall somewhere in the middle.

So far one of mine has specifically said it was casual (I LOVE when events specify the attire). I've also been working for several years, although in a less formal office. I was planning to do more of a slacks/boots or flats/sweater business casual look if I don't know specifically what to expect. I know one involves a campus tour, so I'll probably do more comfortable shoes for that one. Hope that helps! I'd love to hear other peoples thoughts as well.

On the advice of a friend and recent PhD grad, I'm visiting all of the schools I've been accepted to and would at least consider attending (there's one I've ruled out). For me, they're all clustered around the same ranking (although some are better for what I'm looking to study than others). He suggested making the most of the opportunity to meet people and ask a lot of questions. Talking with the current students will also be really helpful and they tend to give very candid answers. The 3 schools I want to visit all had RSVP dates before the decision date of the 4th school that I'm waiting to hear from and want to visit, so I just went ahead and scheduled them.

Rejection from Michigan here too - probably my biggest reach and I've got 4 acceptances, so it is what it is. I appreciate them sending it all out at once like that though.

I just logged in to the portal and there's a greyed out box that says "Decision Not Ready" that I can't click on in place of "Withdrawal Application", so maybe they're getting ready to post it. I'm pretty much full on assuming rejection, but it would be nice to know for sure so I can start planning more of my visits.

I don't think it's unusual - I've experienced both. I also don't think it's out of line to ask when you can expect that information.

That's me

You can set up the Onelink account here: https://accounts.oit.duke.edu/onelink-reg/register?barn=ONELINK_bfc37cb37996561d58bfe5468ac5578725e291b9 (should work for you as well - figured out how to do it digging around on the site before IT emailed it to me). The clicked the link in the "Once you have registered..." line of the email they sent out originally and was able to log in with Onelink... only to find there wasn't a "view decision" button for me yet - better than a rejection I guess.