Manana

Does anyone know if Chicago has an explicit waitlist?

quite a lot to unpack here. you assume that I’m not using this as a way to put a better application forward next year which is quite a big assumption to make. I’d like to recontextualize: I said I was a bit put off by a rejection not being BCC’d. For you to take that and then imply that I’m not listening to advice, am more concerned with being “right” than growing and many of the other things you have implied in your response is quite the assumption.
The people on this forum are humans. We have reactions in the heat of the moment. Not everything human beings do is always about “helping to build a dynamic that encourages experienced members to stay and continue to help”. For this to then be applied on a bigger scale to “this is why academic historians don’t like speaking with undergraduates” is again a big assumption to make and if anything just highlights the issues with gate keeping in academia as an institution and the way it treats the human beings who make it up, something that I have consistently had to deal with as a marginalized person.
I’m relatively new to this website and I’ve learned a lot of things about the grad school process. People have been very kind to me. The way a small comment has been blown out of proportion and the way I’ve been mischaracterized and told I have an attitude because of it is very disheartening and doesn’t make me want to reach out and in the future.
That’s all I have to say about this. Have a good weekend and I hope we all can be kinder to those on the other side of the keyboard. 

I have been rejected by my top choice, Michigan. I am so heartbroken. Was so excited to work with my POIs there who have expressed much interest in my research. I wish I knew what it was in my application that wasn't good enough so that I could work on improving it for the next application season.

Good, important, and timely points about water off a duck's back. In the grander scheme, it is self-defeating to dwell on rejections, and there's really no nice way of turning down someone's application. Best to dust yourself off, keep your composure, and move forward.
But unless I'm misinterpreting the initial complaint, an admissions office CCed people other than the applicants regarding decisions made about their applications? If so, it's a fair complaint about a lack of professionalism and veers awfully close to a violation of applicant privacy. That institution might want to review its procedures.

I have been rejected by my top choice, Michigan. I am so heartbroken. Was so excited to work with my POIs there who have expressed much interest in my research. I wish I knew what it was in my application that wasn't good enough so that I could work on improving it for the next application season.

I have been rejected by my top choice, Michigan. I am so heartbroken. Was so excited to work with my POIs there who have expressed much interest in my research. I wish I knew what it was in my application that wasn't good enough so that I could work on improving it for the next application season.

I have been rejected by my top choice, Michigan. I am so heartbroken. Was so excited to work with my POIs there who have expressed much interest in my research. I wish I knew what it was in my application that wasn't good enough so that I could work on improving it for the next application season.

Well, I got rejected from my dream program today (Joint PhD in Women's Studies and History at UMichigan). I thought I had a great application. I've worked with people in the joint PhD program before and thought maybe I had a good chance? I know it's competitive but sigh. I've officially been rejected from 6 out of the 8 schools I've applied to. Not feeling great.

I am not sure if all acceptances went out today. I got a Merit Fellowship so I am not sure if they sent that out earlier than others.

Ugh, the radio silence at some schools is killing me today. I could really use some good news. 

UMich is my top choice and I haven't received anything yet. This is truly nerve wracking.

Truly shocked I got into Michigan. I had totally lost all hope after my last rejection from Indiana Bloomington. Was late to work from getting sidetracked celebrating. 
Accepted for comparative genocide studies, US Native Americans and German Jews in contemporary society. 

The people competing for spots today are the same people the same people who will be competing for grants, jobs, and awards for years to come.
Right now, at this moment, at least of those persons is in tremendous pain because of the uncertainty.  That person is pushing through the pain and finding a way to focus on an essential work -- an article, maybe even a monograph. And that person will do it again tomorrow, and then the next day. That same person is eventually going to get in somewhere and go on to make contributions to the historiography of modern Europe.  Why can't that person be you?
 

That would be me, made an account just to respond.
I take it you're also looking to do Taiwanese history?

Some departments have official waitlists and others don't. 

Firstly, I second everyone's commiserations and the general advice to take care of yourself! Secondly, beyond ruling you out if they're terrible, stats really don't matter--cohort sizes are so small that basically no one is being admitted simply because they look good on paper (because too many people look good on paper)--it's really about making your project sound ~~~amazing~~~, which is also going to be true for every other thing you're asked to compete for throughout grad schools (internal and external fellowships etc). I know you mention fit etc but I wonder if you might be over-focusing on fit and under-focusing on "selling your project" in a way that makes you sound super special and exciting to work with. My applications were basically like, the project I have in mind is SO urgent, potentially FIELD-ALTERING, I'm **uniquely positioned** blah blah blah--it's v painful to go back and read that SoP now but it was frankly very effective. The importance of "standing out" is sometimes under-emphasized, even though it's vitally important. If you end up needing to apply a third time I'd be focused on totally re-framing the proposed project (though fingers crossed that you hear back from one of the remaining schools soon)!

I'm sorry you are going through this. 
Rejection is not fun. Even though grad school is "like a job," we put too much personal investment in it so it's hard to even begin to disentangle it. That said, rejection is part of the game, from admissions until retirement. 
So, a couple of things: 
1) If you are still convinced you want to pursue a PhD and go into academia, by all means apply a third time. If you do, I would suggest having an honest conversation with your closest mentor to find out what you could have done better. I doubt they will have the answer, though... Would you apply to the same places? (I applied three times to one school and never got in).
1 bis) "but it's primarily qualitative" makes it sound as an apology. Qualitative research is research. Actually, most historians do that, so I'm not sure why you are upfronting a "but" there. All the career paths I mentioned in 1) would be happy to have a candidate with research experience. (I'm not sure what "professional history research experience" means, though. I'm international so maybe that's it). 
2) In addition to the wanting to have something published for next year, I'd also try to go to a conference and shamelessly introduce yourself to people. Many POIs sometimes schedule coffee hours with potential students (I've met two at the AHA).  
3) I would approach the "no-PhD" issue differently. What if you find a job that enables you to build a doctoral career in a couple of years? Eg: museums, archives, libraries, HS teaching, NGOs, political campaigning, college administration, etc. Rather than taking rejections as a final stop, what if they are an invitation to regroup and apply again in a couple of years? Given the job market as it is, my senior colleagues in my department and other departments I know (non-Ivy) are increasingly leaned towards taking students that have a strong non-academia plan. Thus, having work experience will strengthen your application while providing you with tools to navigate the job market down the line. 
4) I strongly, firmly believe that you have not "messed up." Admissions are hard, everyone is qualified. So do not absolutely not think that this is on you. Cohorts are shrinking (except Yale, apparently), departments are shrinking too, and this means less faculty are admitting students. If I am going to give you any advice on rejections, be humble enough to acknowledge many, many, many things are outside of your control (unfortunately!). 
 

I am so sorry. I completely understand how you feel though I know that is little comfort. I read a quote that has been keeping me going through this grad school purgatory and that is "what is meant for you will not pass you by." Cheesy but whatever works, right? Sending hugs and good vibes your way. 

Here’s to hoping everyone receives good news this week!

Idk if anyone else applied there this season (besides the one admit), but I've just been rejected from Vanderbilt. Feeling kind of numb, really wondering what will happen now. Wisconsin was also an implicit rejection, so I have four options left (really 5, gotta update to say that I applied to Lehigh), but Michigan is a pipe dream, so my options are dwindling. I'm applying for Master's programs now, so I have a backup plan. This really sucks, though, I had my heart set on Nashville.

It's hard and devastating to strike out the second time.  I had that experience too.  I definitely went into that dark, dark, dark, dark corner that took a long time to climb out of.  Self-care is incredibly important.  I put everything relating to grad school admissions away for a while and focused on things that I knew would make me happy (volunteering a therapeutic riding center, which of course, had a double benefit of having horses back in my life making me happy and not feeling judged) and working as a camp counselor, where I got work with entering first graders who really challenged me and brought a lot of self-satisfaction in seeing them grow. Then it was back to work in the fall.  I was very fortunate to have landed an internship at a museum, where my colleagues with PhDs offered unbelievable support for me to try again. It was incredibly hard but the level of support was so high that I just couldn't say no. And I'm glad because I did get into two wonderful programs on my third try.
I don't know what are your field and end goals. You mentioned that you aimed very high, which is fine, but are there potential POIs who are stars but not in tippy top programs that you could hae applied to?
It is also worth reaching out in March/early April once you have official rejection letters, to find out how your applications were received.  Be specific-- what were the strengths and what could be improved for the next cycle.  You should be able to some feedback. If it seems like you were on spot but there were simply other applicants with better fit, there is nothing you can do expect.... just try again if you want the PhD this badly.

It's been a devastating week for admissions decisions for me so trying to look ahead at what to do if (as appears to be the case) I get rejected across the board. (Only have two schools left to hear from and they are far reaches.) It's my second cycle applying and I aimed high with profs' advice; I have an MA from top 10 school with a 4.0, strong recs, and put a lot of time into making sure I had what I thought was a strong fit, SOP and writing sample... though clearly I messed up terribly somewhere. All to say that I am incredibly disappointed in myself and could use some feedback:
1) Does anyone have any experience applying a third time? Or is that just a waste of time and money? (My stats would be rather similar, though I suppose I could try to get something published in the interim.)
2) Is there any space in the history field for someone without a PhD? Alternatively, any advice on where to look about pivoting towards a new career or related fields that might use history skills? I have 5 years of professional history research experience but it's primarily qualitative.
Thank you all for your advice.

7 rejections and 0 acceptances last cycle created this playlist
https://open.spotify.com/user/1265061525/playlist/1W22aBwe37aSMaC7OBTJt6?si=TzlABv-VQSOML3TVVUAsBg
 
This round is off to a considerably better start for me. Hang in there. 

Hi everyone - I've been staying quiet and avoiding Grad Cafe as much as I could stand it. I was among the recent round of Yale rejects earlier this week, but other than that it's been radio silence and I've been struggling not to interpret that as a bad sign. If anyone is looking for something to keep you distracted, there was a wonderful podcast episode on NPR recently that was about the psychology of comparing yourself against other people: Counting Other People's Blessings. I don't know if it will help but I'm making the intention that every time I start getting anxious I'll remind myself of some event in my life from the past ten years or so that was a blessing. Going through old photos helps a lot to remind me of all the good things that have happened. Best of luck to you all.

Anyone have insight into what's going on with Princeton or Columbia?
P.S. It sounds like admit rates are especially low this year. Sending so much love to everyone facing rejections this week. As much as it might feel like a personal indictment, an admissions decision is not a reflection of your worth. You are all valuable, talented individuals doing interesting work and I hope that you will hear some good news as well before the cycle ends. ?