Sleepless in skellefteå

I am not sure if this thread is strictly for PhD applications, but I got an e-mail regarding my application from the Columbia-LSE double degree master that I had a hard time interpreting. Does this mean that I am waitlisted or is this something that happens to all applications that are rejected? ''Due to the highly competitive applicant pool in this cycle, we are unable to make you an offer of admission at this time. Your application will be moved to the general review round and re-evaluated after the March 18 deadline.'' From their webpage: -Applicants who receive a waitlist decision during the first evaluation round will be automatically considered during the regular decision evaluation process and do not need to reapply. - Applicants who are denied admission during the first evaluation round cannot reapply for consideration during the regular decision evaluation process, but are welcome to apply again the following year (subject to the GSAS policy on reapplying)

I got a little worried after someone else mentioned it: all my applications say ''submitted'' and not ''under review'' even though all necessary documents are included. Is this normal?

Congratulations to all!!

congratulations, that's awesome! Not yet for me at least.

I would love to meet up with any of you if we end up in the same city as I am also nervous about the social aspect (especially after living in a bubble with the same people for close to a year!) :).

Oh, I did not even notice that! I just checked gradcafe from earlier years where people started uploading results from February 15!

I know that U of Chicago results could come a month from now, but starting from this date, I will not be able to stop myself from checking the portal every other minute.

Wow, that is amazing, congratulations! Which one will you choose if Villanova gave you the same level of funding?

I actually do, at least if there is some form of grad-housing options. The Boston living-costs is a little bit intimidating as well. Would you prefer to stay in the Massachusetts area?

Yeah, I have also taken that into account, especially since the city of Chicago was the Swedish-American capital of the U.S with a Swedish-born population larger than the second biggest city in Sweden. Still, HDS seems really awesome in many other ways, the focus on interreligious dialogue being one example.

Maybe not surprisingly, Swedes and Scandinavians! During my year in the U.S, I kind of fell into a bubble of people working on projects concerning Swedish-American history. I did a project on a specific Swedish-American church that was really interesting to work on.

Just wanted to say that I think both of your stats look great (Maryildegard and Joey_Jawad) and that I am not sure of the quality of my own LOR as I did not have the opportunity to take many of my classes with the same professors. I guess the first decision I will receive will be from Chicago, as they seem to send them out in the middle of February? Good luck to all!

Hi! I am applying to the Chicago Divinity M.A and HDS MTS (as well as several history M.A's). I am an international applicant from Sweden, but did one year of my undergrad in the U.S. Focused on 20th century immigrant religiosity. 3.9 GPA 1 published article. 1 finished side-project in history (collaboration with a professor to map a historical political organization). Anxiously waiting!

I am applying to a mix of history M.A's and Divinity school MTS/M.A's (Chicago and Harvard)! A little intimidated by everything I have heard about admission rates dropping due to covid, but hopeful due to the fact that I think I have a strong profile. I think my one weakness might be my letters of recommendation. I did a year of exchange studies in the middle of my bachelor so I did not really take any classes with any professor for more than one quarter. Good luck to everyone!

At the U of Chicagos website, I read that: ''At the time that you mail the application, you must be physically present in the United States and must hold valid J-2 status, and the Exchange Visitor must hold a valid J-1 status, as shown on your I-94 Arrival/Departure record.'' It also says that it usually takes up to 3-4 months to process. Is it always the case then, that the partner must stay with the J1 for 4 months in the U.S without being able to work? That sounds pretty unrealistic for most situations. Is getting your partner a J-2 visa that allows that person to work something that ever happens? Anyone have any stories?

Would this be a generic e-mail sent out to all applicants or could it be taken as a promising sign? ''Dear Sleepless in Skellefteå, Greetings from U Madeupville! I am Professor Madeup Namius, and I am writing to you as MA Director. I see that you have begun an application to one of our MA programs. We are looking forward to reading your completed file and, should you come here, to working with you in your graduate studies.'' Then some general information about the school and the campus. ''I am continually inspired by our MA students, by the range of experiences they bring to the school, their creativity and enthusiasm and their potential to grow and contribute to the field. If you come to Madeupville, you will find a lively and stimulating conversation underway, and we are excited to welcome your contribution to it.I would be happy to speak with you further about the School's MA program. My email is Madeupnamius@Umadeupville.com. I’m available to meet as well by phone or over zoom. Just drop me a line and we’ll find a time.'' I lean towards it being a generic e-mail, but I was somewhat unsure due to the last part, which made it seem a little more personal. Probably, I am just searching for any positive signs.

I am applying to Georgetown, Columbia/LSE, British Columbia, Toronto, Harvard Divinity and Chicago Divinity. So far, the process has definitely had its ups and downs. For a moment, I felt like I kind of ''overread'' on advice regarding the Statement of Purpose which created a lot of writers block, but now I am back on track again and all my deadlines are in early January, so I have time. I am also working on my bachelor thesis and is trying to divide my time appropriately. But similarly to you, I am proud that I am going through with it and I am feel like I have learnt a lot! What is your main field of interest?

Does anyone in here have any general advice for writing a 500 word Statement of Purpose? What would be the parts that gets cut from a 1000 one?

Enjoying the differences in available prefixes for LoR writers at Grad-school application sites. Harvard Divinity: ''Mother'', ''Honorable'', ''Reverend Doctor''. Georgetown History: ''Lieutenant Colonel'', ''Ensign'', ''Midshipman''.

I just read an article about Harvard's endowment and it got me thinking in regards to funding: ''Harvard University's endowment gained 7.3% in June, improving from the previous year's 6.5% return despite pandemic-fueled market volatility. /.../ Some economists had posited that Harvard's endowment could shrink in 2020, but markets resurgence through the summer saved the fund from a yearly loss''. The article goes on to list a number of schools that have also seen positive economic results. Still, so many schools are cancelling PhD admissions in order to focus on their current students. Is it a result of other corona-related costs not related to the endowment, or uncertainty with regards to the future? https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/harvard-university-endowment-gains-beats-rival-yale-coronavirus-volatility-narvekar-2020-9-1029632478#

The title basically explains it all, but I would appreciate it greatly as I am not in contact with that many people that have experience with the American admission-process and would be able to help. Thank you!

Thank you, @Sigaba!

I am having some issues regarding the Statement of Purpose for one of my programs (the Columbia & LSE M.A in world history). I have focused on how my undergrad research, course selection and extracurriculars have revolved around the history of immigration in the early 20th century, thinking that it would benefit me to show my defined interests. However, in an video I just watched, a Professor involved in admissions states both that ''We want students who are interested in doing comparative and connected work across space and time, so people who are only interested in one country or time-period wont actually do well in applications'' as well as ''We are also looking for persons who have pretty well-developed research interests, an application that details what research the student wants to do will be stronger''. Does these mean that I might benefit from talking more about the general theme of immigration and less about specifics? One of the reasons I am excited about is that the program has a research cluster focused on the period 1900-1945 with several professors working on immigration. Maybe I have focused to narrowly on my fit for that specific section?

I am currently nervously trying to keep track of corona-related news from different universities. Something positive, however, is that my undergraduate research most likely will be published in an scholarly journal this October which I hope will boost my applications. Good luck to all!

A little off-topic, but are you doing the MAPS-program or another form of MA?