tinymica

This knowledge is the beast behind my stress dreams

I think somewhere between 7 and 12 is good - not so big that you get lost in the crowd (not to mention a large cohort is unethical in this day and age) but not so small that you have no one to get along with. A friend of mine who's in her first year at a top program has a cohort of 9, and she says she enjoys that size because they all have such different personalities that if there were only, say, 4 of them, it would be difficult for her to make a friend in the cohort.

I was in a 4 person cohort where we hardly saw each other outside of class and I don’t think most people really connected with faculty whereas now the cohort is 10 (+30 MA who, for the first two years, are indistinguishable from the rest in terms of classwork etc.) and it’s very close-knit and I’ve never felt ignored by a professor. There’s certainly a sweet spot but I think personality is gonna be the big factor and it can ruin a good-sized cohort and save the opposite.

The program I'm in takes between 6-8 students a year, and I think this is the perfect size. It's large enough that there can be a real community of grad students (in your own cohort, if you're lucky enough to get along, and in the department generally)... but it's not so large that professors don't know who you are, or have to split their time among too many students (especially for bigger-name profs, who are asked to be on a lot of people's committees). 

This knowledge is the beast behind my stress dreams

After several great, slightly patchy virtual conversations, I've accepted my offer from NYU. This is literally everything I dream of in a program (complete with a small cohort size), so it's unbelievable to me that it happened. This means I will give up my other offers and my waitlist spots. Best of luck to everyone making a decision!

So, we're just over 3 weeks away from the April 15th deadline. The silence has become absolute. I'm reminded of the episode of Spongebob where he visits Glove World and gets stranded in Rock Bottom.
"This isn't your average everyday darkness. This is...advanced darkness."

Hi just popping in to say that I am extremely worried about absolutely everything and I can't believe I thought things would be better after I heard back from all programs! The naiveté!! The ignorance!! Anyway, hope you're all well ❤️ 

Excuse me??? 24 HOURS? This is unconscionable and disgusting.

Oh another thought! if anyone else is working/studying/writing from home and is interested in co-working in some way or doing productivity check-ins, hit me up!

Oh another thought! if anyone else is working/studying/writing from home and is interested in co-working in some way or doing productivity check-ins, hit me up!

I'm just going to be so disappointed if the fall semester is online. I love the atmosphere of a live literature classroom... perceptive people with their different perspectives, personality, and life experiences, all sharing thoughts over someone's life's work. I just get so much out of it - seriously, it feels like how religious folks describe church - and I've been looking forward to it so, so much. 

Thank you, yes I will definitely be reflecting on what I've learned. I'm so sorry you're going through this right now; I don't mean to be insensitive to you by complaining. I hope good things come your way soon! Also, I know that this probably doesn't mean much coming from someone with offers, but being shut out doesn't mean you aren't deserving of getting into a program. It doesn't mean you aren't talented and intelligent and hard-working. And it doesn't mean that you won't be successful if you decide to try again another year. Be nice to yourself, my friend. I think you deserve some kindness.

Finally heard back from BU re: acquainting admits to the program (they’ll be trying to schedule online or phone chats with faculty). I’m relieved but wary about how that’ll go...
I know it’s been said but I’m just really bummed I couldn’t visit either of the schools. I feel like it’s so important and it makes me very nervous to choose “blindly.”

Thank you, yes I will definitely be reflecting on what I've learned. I'm so sorry you're going through this right now; I don't mean to be insensitive to you by complaining. I hope good things come your way soon! Also, I know that this probably doesn't mean much coming from someone with offers, but being shut out doesn't mean you aren't deserving of getting into a program. It doesn't mean you aren't talented and intelligent and hard-working. And it doesn't mean that you won't be successful if you decide to try again another year. Be nice to yourself, my friend. I think you deserve some kindness.

Finally heard back from BU re: acquainting admits to the program (they’ll be trying to schedule online or phone chats with faculty). I’m relieved but wary about how that’ll go...
I know it’s been said but I’m just really bummed I couldn’t visit either of the schools. I feel like it’s so important and it makes me very nervous to choose “blindly.”

Congrats!!! You did it!

@gooniesneversaydie thanks for the update! They still haven’t gotten back to me with real answers, just forwarded my email to the relevant people.
I’m very miffed about the way they’re treating admits and waiting applicants alike. I was trying to be understanding about the unprecedented circumstances, but every other university seems to be okay communicating with students! I agree with @Emailchecker; it’s tough not to lose some respect for them.

Wowwwwww. ?I figured they forgot about me!

This is about UC Davis right? I was waitlisted by them, too, and they notified me about that via email on 2/14. Must've been a gross oversight that they didn't reach out to you.

Omg! These grad students are champs! Definitely going to have to pay it forward in the future. I'll send 25-50 questions and they'll immediately respond with, "um, let's chat on the phone!" One student was actually submitting her dissertation the day she spoke to me! Like, focus on you, girl, my inane questions can wait! 

Excuse me??? 24 HOURS? This is unconscionable and disgusting.

I mean, a lot of us have already chosen at this point. Even if BU came by with any sort of offer I'd have to immediately respond with "taken, sorry." I'm sure a lot happens behind the scenes to complicate any admissions process, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're left scrambling to fill their cohort.

I’ve been thinking all weekend and I feel as though UW really is the place for me. I’m trying to hold off on my decision until I have all the information possible, but UW has made a real effort to welcome me even with the cancellation, without pressuring me to pick them. They’ve kept me in the loop and they’ve been honest about the ups and downs of their program. The more BU leaves me hanging, the less I want to go there. The only real attraction for me there would be the resources and non-service fellowships. But to be honest, I don’t feel like I have any connection to them. Nobody’s reached out at all or replied to my inquiries. It’s....a bad look.

BU has been somewhat awful to communicate throughout in my case. I reached out to the DGS pre application 2-3 times and they made me feel as though I was asking really stupid questions, when in reality I sent my initial queries to all relevant unis and was getting lovely responses from them.