deshypothequiez

I've definitely dreamed about getting into a program only to be rejected!

Haha! I actually love the weekends because they give me a reprieve from freaking out, since I know I'm not missing anything.

My ex used it when he was applying to PsyD programs, but I'm not sure how he found out!

@whitmanifesto Good luck! Maybe we'll end up in the same department

@whitmanifesto Congrats! There's a chance I may be joining you in Chicagoland

@surprise_quiche I think the weakness in my last SOP was that my proposed PhD work is quite a departure from what I did in my MA. To me, there's a logic that connects the two, but that logic isn't super obvious to someone who doesn't know me. Specifically, my MA thesis was much more aligned with Performance Studies, which was not the field I was applying to, so multiple people advised me not to mention it, or at least not to focus on it. One of my POIs warned me that I'd have to justify why I'm applying to Communication and not Performance. Especially for programs that had a stricter page limit, I felt that I didn't have space to waste on explaining the change in course, so I just decided to jump straight into my proposed research project instead. We'll see how that decision pays off... So far, I have an interview this time which is more than I got last time!

@surprise_quiche I didn't hate it per se, but I had a lot of trouble figuring out how to balance talking about my background with talking about my goals. Multiple people who I asked to review my statement this time (after not getting in anywhere last year) told me it sounded too much like a recap of my MA! This time, I basically didn't talk about my MA research at all, after getting feedback from multiple people...

Programs that give an admissions timeline on their FAQs: you the real MVP!

NYU is still my top choice because of the fit and the fact that uprooting and moving halfway across the country is pretty daunting, but yeah, the thought of trying to survive in NYC on a grad student's stipend is even more daunting! I haven't had the talk with my SO about moving yet, though... that's the biggest thing I'm worried about!

My rent now in a relatively low-cost neighborhood in NYC is about the same as living right in the middle of Chicago's business center. It's crazy!

BTW, do either of you know if Michigan or NYU did interviews? I'm assuming not since I didn't see anything on results search (and NYU hasn't had an interview listed there since 2013).

To be clear, you were invited to the visitation day, turned it down, and have not been invited for a Skype interview? Yes, you can certainly let them know up front that you are no longer interested. In all honesty, I would just wait until they contacted me again and politely decline at that point. But no, if you're 1000000000% sure you would not accept an offer of admission to this school under any circumstances, do not interview with them just for the sake of it.

For sure! For me, it's just lower on my list because (1) NYU fits my research interests better, (2) I'm already living in New York, and (3) I don't drive, so I need reliable public transportation...

Ha! I've totally been "apartment shopping" and in awe of how cheap housing is even in Chicago, compared to NYC!

Yeah, I also assumed I wasn't getting in, but I didn't receive an official rejection yet. (I'm not hopeful, but USC is in the middle of my list anyway.) I'm also waiting for NYU. It looks like they typically notify accepted students around Feb 9-11 or so, so I'm assuming if I don't hear back by the end of next week, it's a no...

I've been rejected from programs that accepted people with lower scores than me, tbh. I totally understand that instinctual thinking (I was also like "WASN'T I GOOD ENOUGH??"), though.

Did you receive an official rejection from USC?

Now I'm even more nervous!

What does everyone do to avoid checking results search constantly? Work is a little slow this week, and I'm expecting 3 of my programs to start sending updates out based on historical dates... This is my second time applying to some of them and I'll be super upset if I don't get in again :'(

Yes! I got an interview at Northwestern about two weeks ago and have been obsessively researching not just NU but advice about living in Chicago in general LOL. I'm sure my partner's sick of hearing random facts about Chitown by now

I applied to 3 AmSt programs and 3 Comm/Media programs - haven't heard back from any of the AmSt depts, but expecting a reject from USC. (I'm a little upset about it, but USC wasn't super high on my list...) I'm trying to prevent myself from checking results search this week because I expect NYU and Michigan admits to go out in the next couple of days. This is my second time applying to NYU and I'll be really upset if I don't get in again :\

Honestly no one can really say. There are a ton of factors at play, including: how many people are on the waitlist, how far up the waitlist you are, how they structure the waitlist (e.g. some departments will just accept whoever's next on the waitlist while others "assign" individual backups for accepted students), what other offers the accepted students are receiving...

First of all @Carly Rae Jepsen I'm a huge fan I was put in contact with 3 grad students in one program through personal connections. I cold emailed another in a different program because our (somewhat niche) research interests were very similar, so I wanted to get a better sense of how I fit into the program given my field. It's definitely worth doing also because I've found that students tend to be way more candid about the behind-the-scenes than faculty. I listened to a ton of gossip about the drama going on in both departments

Yes, I'm rethinking my devotion to pumps I think I'll wear them to the dinner, and oxfords to the full day.

I applied to Comm Studies (I guess the Rhetoric track? I'm a little unclear on how their programs are divided) but they thought my profile fit MTS better (it does, I just didn't know about MTS until I was ready to submit my application, at which point I decided not to change it). Not sure if the visit weekends are the same--it sounded like they do it by program, rather than as a whole department.