HRL

I'm in the same boat. Two years ago when I applied to programs and didn't get in anywhere, the obvious answer to "what do I do now" was get the MA. Now that I have the MA, it's less clear to me how to proceed to best position myself for next cycle (and if I even should apply again next cycle). Do you already have an MA?

Seconding this. Somehow missed that 1 acceptance posted back on 2/11. And apparently 1 waitlist on 2/10. Has anyone heard any news on Duke?

Saw a Duke acceptance yesterday. Don't know about my fellow applicants waiting on Duke, but I think if I see even one more acceptance, I'm assuming it's a done deal. (And am thinking it possibly/probably already is.)

Not doing so well this cycle and just have 4 schools left out of 11 that I originally applied to (Duke, Georgetown, UT Austin and Indiana). I'm hoping Duke and Georgetown get back to us by end of this week or beginning of next to get ever closer to closure on this cycle. And to shift more fully to thinking of how (and whether) to approach next year's applications. In particular, I wonder if next year will in fact net out as less competitive than this cycle - if cohort sizes will rebound (albeit not necessarily to pre-covid levels), if schools that didn't take students this year (NYU, Columbia, Brown, etc) will resume taking students, and if there was a greater surge in applicants this year than people who (perhaps wisely) decided to postpone applying to next cycle. What are other people's thoughts on these factors? And any early ear to the ground on schools that plan to increase cohort size next year? Would be great to aggregate this information upfront (insofar as it exists currently) to better assess the situation for next year as early as possible. I know I number myself among the folks on here that would probably have not applied this year if they knew a little more concretely just how dramatically cohort sizes were going to be cut before submitting applications.

I spy a Duke waitlist on the results page...

Ah, one more question for you - did you apply twice after getting the MA? Or once before having an MA/being in an MA program and once after?

This is really encouraging to hear. I just finished my MA this fall at Chicago and have been of the mind that on the heels of finishing an MA is the most competitive I'm going to be for the PhD. As it looks increasingly more likely that I'm not going to get in anywhere this cycle (and this is my second attempt), I've been feeling discouraged (as if this is the outcome at my most competitive) and am somewhat at a loss for what I could do between now and next cycle - besides continuing to work on application pieces - that would make me markedly more competitive. I think I'm also specifically worried that if I take a non-history job (been considering paralegal work) it will look like...I'm not committed to this pathway? Would you mind sharing what you've done between finishing the MA and your successful PhD cycle (either on here or by PM)? Also any wisdom you could impart re what you felt you did differently on your application pieces to be more competitive this time around?

Looks like some Wisconsin decisions just posted on the results page...

It looks like at least one Chicago acceptance went out Friday (along with the waitlists) after all. So I'm starting to think Chicago is a done deal now. By the way, is that person on this thread by chance and willing to share their field?

Did anyone happen to hear approximately how many Yale was looking to admit this year?

I don't think anyone's claimed the 4 Chicago waitlists. But gosh I would be astonished if any, let alone all, were trolls. I just wonder where any of the other acceptances are if waitlists have gone out. (I have been assuming acceptances typically precede or are concurrent with waitlist notifications, but don't really have anything concrete to base it on.)

Looks like more Chicago waitlists went out. So yeah, maybe notifications are happening today?

Would the Chicago waitlist person be willing to share how they were notified (POI? DGS?) and their field?

Thank you so much for sharing this intel! I don't know about everyone else, but this really puts my mind at ease going into weekend - that the majority of the offers have yet to go out, and that there's still a shot. Also congrats on (definitely? probably?) getting admitted to the MA at Chicago with strong funding! As I'm sure you already know, it's a great program with an excellent placement record into top PhD programs, including, of course, Chicago itself. What's your field, if you don't mind sharing?

Yeah, as someone who attended Chicago's MA program, I can confirm that UChicago routinely offers the MA as an alternative to PhD applicants and offers funding packages for the MA program. In fact, they tend to offer more generous MA funding to PhD applicants than to direct applicants to the MA program (but never full funding, as I recollect). Doubt it'll be all that different this year, except perhaps in the generosity of funding offers?