daradara

I guess this is a lesson not to count your chickens before they hatch. It appears I was wait listed for the Harvard History and East Asian Languages program. As I am now on two wait lists, there is now lots of waiting to do apparently. 

Could we not say that our job as underrepresented Historians is to challenge those rules "situated in a different constellation of social and cultural assumptions and values" rather than acquiesce in them? Especially when those values emanate from a locus of power that has sought to exclude rather than include us? Do we become the enemy of people like us for our own self-benefit? To be frank, to get where I have, I underwent certain transformations to be more accepted by the academic audience and mainstream America (for instance, the alternation of my speech), but I have maintained my working-class values and, though I have shocked and confused at times, it has not hindered my academic achievement whatsoever. I recognize the utility of Sigaba's advice, and I sense a trend in his general advice not to rock the boat out of one's own self-interest. However, and perhaps this is my working-class background speaking, it does not sit comfortably with me. This is something that we must struggle with individually and ask ourselves exactly what we truly value and what we find reasonable to dispense with. There certainly is no hard one-fits-all rule.

Give it a few years until the rejection letters move into "inferior," "unqualified," or "unworthy" territory. 

I've decided to accept my admission into Villanova's MA program

It was the hardest decision I've ever made but I have declined Penn's offer and will be heading to Yale next year. 
I honestly still feel very conflicted, but I am incredibly excited for what is to come. 
Best of luck to everyone else! 

It feels completely surreal to say this, but I have accepted an offer from Northwestern. On my way home in the wee hours of Sunday morning, I said out loud to my partner, "I have fully accepted that in two days I'll get an email from them telling me that there's no space for me this year." Two minutes later, the offer email came in (at 2 AM Chicago time--deadlines don't respect normal sleep schedules). 
Even after everything I've put into this process, I still spent the day yesterday in deep reflection on whether I really, truly want to take this leap. I wanted to be sure that I was accepting their offer because it's the right one, not because it's the only one. Ultimately, this was the best option all along to support the work I want to do.
Best of luck to everyone who's making a decision today, or waiting on one. I still can't quite believe it, but it's real. 

Attended Nova's Admitted Students Day and couldn't be happier with my choice!

This one is very sad ☹️ I hope they decide to give it another shot.

No, he went to WHARTON. ?When I was an undergraduate at UPenn, all the people who were in the Wharton business school would never say they went to UPenn, rather it was always "I go to Wharton". You can even see it on the gradforum results page from time to time.

This is a good idea-- thank you! 
I'm having a whirlwind weekend. I got my full funding scholarship, accepted my offer, and was notified today that I'm going to be published! 

I e-mailed Harvard to ask about my rank on the waitlist. They told me that I was ranked number 1, so it seems I have a pretty good chance of being admitted. I would recommend anyone to e-mail a school they have been waitlisted at and ask if they have a ranked list so that you can have a better idea of where you stand. Mind you, not all of them will. For instance, UPenn does not rank their waitlisted applicants. 
Additionally, as I still have not heard back from the University of Chicago, I e-mailed them to ask about the status of my application. For those of you who are still waiting on Chicago, it might be of interest to you. The response is as follows:
"Your application is currently in final review. We expect to begin sending out official decisions late February to early March. This process can take several days to complete; there is no way to know when in the process your decision will be sent. No further changes or additions to your application may be made."

I had heard that Villanova has nice funding. Congratulations! I am assuming it is the top pick for now. 

Great news! I just got the notification that I received a full tuition scholarship from Villanova! 

Have you seen the newest thread, 2019 Visit Days/Decisions? People have given lists of questions they asked/think people should generally ask. It is a very useful thread and I suggest reading it if you have not!
 
 

A lot can be said for the collegiality of the dept. Last year, I was choosing between two top 10 programs, but one was slightly higher ranked. On the visit day for the better program, I saw that students hated each other, the professors, and the administration. 3 students said that they were transferring out to other programs because of the lack of support from their advisors. That was a HUGE red flag to me. 6th and 7th year funding also seemed to be incredibly contentious and competitive. I couldn't see myself being happy there for next 5-8 years. 
When I visited the program that I am now attending (the slightly lower ranked one) the students and faculty both stressed how much collegiality there was in the department. Now that I'm here, I can absolutely attest to that. Obviously, more went into my decision than just whether people were happy, but at the end of the day, with all other things being relatively equal, it's ok to choose the place where you'd be happy and where others seem happy.
There is something to be said about choosing a program where you would be happy, especially because this is a process which will consume your life for the next 5-8+ years. The job market is terrible for all of us, so in some instances, choose the place where you would be the happiest and most supported because that is the place where you are going to get the best work done. If you're going to be miserable at X school, you'll be more likely to drop out and your work will likely suffer. 

Yes, best of luck spacea! 
An additional thing that I read on this forum is that a History applicant from a previous year was told by Chicago that they would have taken them if they would have expressed more clearly that Chicago was a top 3 choice. Chicago felt that this person would have definitely turned them down, and so did not admit them, even though they would have liked to. Something to perhaps keep in mind for future applicants. I know on my application for Yale I made is clear they were at the top of my list, and while I do not know if it made any difference, it certainly did not hurt. I do know that Chicago History's number of accepted applicants has been trending down yearly, and this probably fuels some of that mentality. 

Sorry--wasn't meant as a personal dig. Every time I apply for anything I spend months on the verge of sending a stream of emails all to the effect of, "ACTUALLY DON'T WORRY GUYS I'LL TRY AGAIN NEXT YEAR". 

I e-mailed Harvard to ask about my rank on the waitlist. They told me that I was ranked number 1, so it seems I have a pretty good chance of being admitted. I would recommend anyone to e-mail a school they have been waitlisted at and ask if they have a ranked list so that you can have a better idea of where you stand. Mind you, not all of them will. For instance, UPenn does not rank their waitlisted applicants. 
Additionally, as I still have not heard back from the University of Chicago, I e-mailed them to ask about the status of my application. For those of you who are still waiting on Chicago, it might be of interest to you. The response is as follows:
"Your application is currently in final review. We expect to begin sending out official decisions late February to early March. This process can take several days to complete; there is no way to know when in the process your decision will be sent. No further changes or additions to your application may be made."

Hi, bitter grad student here to implore you to ask about sixth-year funding on your visiting weekends. Don’t accept vague reassurances along the lines of “well, sixth-year students often find their way to getting funding somehow.” Get a clear answer. Talk to advanced grad students and read the student newspaper/union newsletter if you have to. And treat periods of “austerity” at universities with the utmost seriousness.

I guess this is a lesson not to count your chickens before they hatch. It appears I was wait listed for the Harvard History and East Asian Languages program. As I am now on two wait lists, there is now lots of waiting to do apparently. 

I guess this is a lesson not to count your chickens before they hatch. It appears I was wait listed for the Harvard History and East Asian Languages program. As I am now on two wait lists, there is now lots of waiting to do apparently. 

I guess this is a lesson not to count your chickens before they hatch. It appears I was wait listed for the Harvard History and East Asian Languages program. As I am now on two wait lists, there is now lots of waiting to do apparently. 

I'm getting nervous about Cornell and I did not even apply. ?

I'm getting nervous about Cornell and I did not even apply. ?

Hey guys, 
I'm a third-year in a PhD program and I lurk on these forums every year...
Quick advice - as you turn down offers, please remember that if you've done your legwork properly, these are probably big names in your field that you will continue to see and cite for years to come. I turned down an offer three years ago and continue to email that professor regularly. In fact, she reviewed my comps list for me! 
All this is to say, please keep in mind that academia is a small small world. If you liked these people enough to apply to work with them, you probably want to be able to come back to them over the years. 
 
Good luck to everyone! You're almost there!