LazarusRises

I'll take it! Anything to make the wait easier.

Unfortunately the world is full of people who will take the tiniest modicum of power and lord it over those "beneath them." And unfortunately, those without that power often have to eat crow for the sake of their careers and reputations. All you can do is respond with grace and hope someone at or above their level smacks them down.

Hope everyone managed to distract themselves over the weekend. And now for 24 hours of wondering whether Duke Admissions works on President's Day...

That does suck. Not to prod an open wound, but did you get through round 1 of Fulbright decisions? I was rejected after getting through to the semifinals last year, and I got an email from the program.

Probably pretty well, since (if it's the type of prize I'm thinking of) it means you were the best student in whatever department awarded you the prize. I don't think any accolades could possibly hurt you, except maybe those dumb pay-to-play "merit" fraternities.

Speculation based solely on info from this site: in previous years it seems like both successful and unsuccessful applicants are sent an email simultaneously telling them to check the portal, implying that the application page is updated and then an email is sent out. So if you're really quick/obsessive/lucky, you might catch the result on the Nic School page before you get the email. As for the timeline, last year seems like the most standardized of previous rounds, with all decisions coming out on Feb 15. In 2018 decisions were sent out between around Feb 6 and Feb 19, with a big cluster Feb 12/13, and years before that are even more all over the place. In my head that means they've gotten better about structuring things and will send out all results simultaneously. The fact that last year decisions came out at the end of the second full week of February makes me hopeful that we get them today, but the admissions email from last month said "mid-February," which we are definitely in right now, but which could feasibly include next week as well. I really hope it's today, though. Going through a whole weekend and possibly another week without knowing would be torture. EDIT: As for funding, the pattern seems to be the acceptances/rejections go out first, and then funding information is sent a few weeks later. My guess is that's because they want to send out all the decisions (both priority and regular deadline) before sending financial info.

It's an endless cycle: refresh the Grad Cafe results page, refresh my email, refresh the Nic School application status page. Refresh Grad Cafe, refresh Gmail, refresh application. Refresh... refresh... refresh... refresh.......

Craigslist is always good for this kind of thing. Also Nextdoor, or any local Facebook swap groups you may have.

I also haven't seen anything about cutoff scores for US universities (though I was only looking at environmental masters programs). If there is one, it's probably at something like 140 (EDIT: Combined 280), where basic competency becomes a question. For a STEM degree I really don't think you have to worry about 150/4.0.

I'd say it's totally fine to email them with substantive questions about the program, but I'd avoid asking about your chances. At best it's gauche, and at worst it might actually hurt your application--it definitely won't help if the admissions officer who's making the decision has an image of you in their head as an impatient person. I know the wait is tough, and I think being engaged with the university is definitely not a bad thing, but I wouldn't specifically ask about your chances of admission.

Based on no evidence at all, I think your 170Q is enough to get you through any filters they might have. 150V is pretty low, but 4W isn't terrible. What are the percentiles?

I moved to Durham, NC for work about four months ago and have found it very easy to get around without a car. Mostly I bike, and use my car only when the weather is awful or I need to do a big grocery run. The city is fairly small, especially the downtown area. The only issue is that if you want to get anywhere else in the Triangle (i.e. Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Carey, etc.) you definitely need a car--intercity travel is on highways or not at all, and public transit isn't great. I used to live in the East Bay across from SF. San Francisco itself doesn't count as a small city (~800k), but Berkeley and Oakland might, and they're super easy to get around and between via bike and BART.

Just so you know, on the second page of actual survey questions onward you can select more than one number. Not sure if this is the case on the first page too.

Just popping in as a dude with a B.A. in Comp Lit who went another route for my career. Good luck to all and stay strong! Many happy pages to all of you.

I carefully read over all of the application instructions & suggestions and that wasn't on there. I've applied to a Masters of Environmental Management program and two Masters of Development Practice programs, all focused on renewable energy & sustainable development--definitely not research-focused, though it might be a component. Sounds like I'm ok, which I pretty much knew anyway... the jitters just got the best of me. Thanks for your response

Hey all, I didn't really start using this forum until like a week ago--that's on me, it's a great resource. I notice a lot of people saying their POI, which I assume to be Professor of Interest, was the one to reach out to them with an acceptance offer. I applied to 3 schools and only really had a professor contact at one of them, with whom I did an informal interview but who I didn't mention in my statement as I wasn't aware that was the thing to do. What I'm hoping is that this is mostly standard for PhD programs, since PhD candidates will be doing research directly with a professor. I'm applying to professional masters' programs, so hopefully it's less of an issue. Is that right, or did I bone myself by not mentioning specific professors in my statements? Thanks in advance!

That's an awesome habit to curate. I wish I was disciplined enough to wake up earlier than I absolutely have to in order to get to work on time--if I happen to wake up early, I can sometimes convince myself to get up and go for a run, but if I started reading I'd be right back asleep. Maybe once I'm back in grad school instead of on the office grind, making a morning routine will be easier.

I'm no writer, but check out reddit.com/r/writingprompts! Fun little exercises to get the creative juices flowing.

I stressed way too much about this, so I'm adding my experience in the hope that it helps future waves of applicants. My question was "What do you think is the most important thing an elementary education can teach?" My answer was primarily about the scientific method and how important it is to learn how to change your beliefs based on evidence. Good luck to all who applied! Going to be a tough month...

This is the week!! Wishing for a suspended animation chamber right about now. @monkeycat @chaparralcountry Good luck to you all, try not to chew your fingernails too close to the quick! EDIT: @rushrabbit029 I got in touch with the admissions department back in November and requested a tour, they offered the informal interview (really more like a chat) with Professor Johnson. They were super helpful & encouraging, it really improved my already high opinion of the program.

I'm not going to attempt to rate it, but it doesn't look like you actually answered the prompt. That's probably the single most important element of these essays: read the prompt carefully, and respond only to the task you are given. They didn't ask you to tear apart the theory presented in the paragraph, they asked you to propose an alternate explanation for the facts presented. You do this somewhat in your second paragraph, but then return to dismantling the experiment's methodology in paragraphs 3 and 4. I would instead expand on your theory of cortisol levels being related to age rather than birth order, which is interesting. What about the fact that the prompt states "firstborn infant monkeys," implying that infant monkeys of different birth orders were also tested? Note also that the prompt doesn't request that you solve the issue or correct the experiment, only that you propose another possible reason for the data shown. Your age theory doesn't have to be right, you just have to show that you carefully considered it. One more thing to be aware of: the original paragraph doesn't ever actually state that the scientists believe birth order is related to cortisol production, only that firstborn monkeys have higher cortisol levels, as do first-time mothers. To state that "the fundamental premise of this letter is flawed" is an exaggeration, as that fundamental premise is simply the existence of higher cortisol levels in certain types of rhesus monkeys. Your argument is cogent, but it doesn't answer the prompt, and you'd lose points for that. When writing these essays, be sure you dissect the prompt itself to understand the specific task assigned to you. (Note: 6.0 AW score and a few years of editorial experience.)

Why not, I'll give it a shot. Credentials: worked in journalism/publishing for a while, 6.0 AW score.

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): Duke Nicholas School Masters of Environmental Management, Columbia SIPA MPA-DP, Berkeley MDP Schools Admitted To: None yet! Schools Rejected From: None yet! Still Waiting: All! Undergraduate Institution: UC Berkeley Undergraduate GPA: 3.71 Undergraduate Major: Environmental Policy GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores: 160/169/6.0 Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 4 Years of Work Experience: 4 Describe Relevant Work Experience: Worked in nonprofit environmental conservation in college, AmeriCorps fellowship in energy efficiency policy after undergrad, currently working with a utility-scale solar & storage developer Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I'm very passionate about my field & career, and I'm also an experienced writer (demonstrated in part by my verbal & AW GRE scores). I had several trusted friends and advisors read it over, including a couple of professional editors, and did several drafts to refine. I'm confident that it reads well and demonstrates my dedication to sustainable development & environmental stewardship. Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): Current supervisor (Director-level), former supervisor at the same job who left (Executive-level), undergrad thesis advisor who is a Nobel laureate & author of the IPCC. All submitted their letters promptly and seemed very willing to write them. Other: Fulbright India 2016 semifinalist in Energy; walked the Camino de Santiago (20 miles a day for a month); long-distance runner. The last two are on my "15 Random Things" essay for Duke. Had an informal interview with the head of the Energy & Environment concentration at the Nic School MEM, he said (and I quote) "Your background is perfect for this position." Should hear back from the Nic School in about a week, I can't fricken wait!!!

Also waiting on the Nic School priority deadline! Applied to the Energy & Environment track. Busting out of my skin with anticipation, I had an informal interview with the head of the EE program and he said (I quote) "your background is a perfect fit for this program." A good sign if I've ever heard one. Good luck!!!

Durham is very easy to get around in with just a bike. There are buses too, but I don't use them. Most people here have cars because it's impossible to get to the other cities in the Triangle (Raleigh and Chapel Hill) without one, but if you just want to hang out in town, it's honestly small enough to walk. \ I also used to live in the SF Bay, and was totally fine without a car there for six years. SF probably doesn't count as a small city (800k), but Berkeley/Oakland do.