Anxious_RollerCoaster

Hey there @MidnightSkywalker, This is merely speculation on my part, but I believe your ability to apply for a Master's Degree, International Relations, under the UofChicago SSD portal is due to the CIR application deadline being some time in April (but the program's website does mention that applicants who miss the priority deadline will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis until all available spots are filled). Most likely, your PhD application switched to a Master's. Personally, I noticed that I could apply for 2019 Department-wide Dissertation Fellowships (under "New Application") before receiving the CIR offer, which is actually what prompted me to assume that the decision was not an outright rejection -- so I really hope the same holds true for you as well! I'm in a similar situation, waiting on news from Harvard (so a rejection apparently) and Georgetown for my PhD applications, and I think my only MA application, a dual-degree at Fletcher, will be an acceptance since the Associate Dean contacted me with positive feedback -- before the Admissions process formally began -- indicating that an official decision would come in the first two weeks of March. Since last semester proved to be absolute hell, from natural disaster-induced disruptions and an obscene number of roadblocks, I only applied to four PhD programs and Fletcher. I also performed quite poorly on the GRE (153/148/5.5 -- V/Q/AW), without enough time to retake it. So the CIR offer is actually far better than what I had come to expect by mid-February. I'm still waiting on NSF GRF decisions, but considering that I can probably make use of the Yellow Ribbon Program, and have 2-3 months remaining on my GI Bill, I think the 50% tuition offer is really generous -- so I will most likely attend CIR as well. The fact that it is only 9 months, and that 95% of their PhD-seeking graduates get fully-funded offers, is really hard to beat lol. Still, the program will lead to a substantial amount of debt, but I'm graduating from a mediocre four-year public University, there's just no way I could pass this up.