Rauschenbusch

I'm a Ph.D. student at Florida State, and I took a seminar this spring called Qualitative Methods in the Humanities with a history professor here, Will Hanley. You might contact him or look into whether the history program here might be a fit for you.

Officially received my rejection from UNC today. Not a big surprise given the late date, and I'm just about decided between my two choices anyway, but this line made me think there's not much hope left for anyone still counting on being accepted from their waitlist: "Sadly ... we won’t be able to admit any students from the alternate list this year."

Thanks for the response, Sigaba. I did end up asking both programs about deferrals, and the response I received back was that they would allow it, contingent on available funding – and it may very well be that there is no funding for new Ph.D. students next fall, depending on how COVID-19 interacts with classes and enrollment this summer/fall. So it seems like taking the plunge this year is the best option because then at least the funding is guaranteed.

Hi everyone, Adding to the stress of choosing between offers – for those of us lucky enough to be in that sort of position – is the stress of needing to decide in April where we're going without knowing what the world will look like in August. Will the economy be on the rebound or still in the tank? Will the housing market be frozen? Will campus even be open? For my wife and me, with three kids and a slew of pets, the question about whether we'd be able to sell our house is especially concerning. It's kind of important! Which has me wondering: Is it possible to defer acceptance for a year, when (hopefully) things will be a little more settled? What are the cons of doing that? Will universities even let you do that? If it was just me or me and my wife, we'd totally take the plunge and see what happens, but with kids in tow, it feels like we need to be responsible adults and not commit ourselves if we can't even make housing work when the time comes. I'd love to hear any feedback from others looking at the same scenario or those with a lot more knowledge about the process. Is this even feasible, or should we just hope for the best and make some alternative plans? Thanks in advance!

That's the worst. Florida State gave me multiple heart attacks that way.

Got word from UNC this weekend – on a Sunday! – that I've been waitlisted for their history program. A pleasant surprise because I thought they did interviews and had written them off when I didn't hear anything earlier. Guess I was wrong! Just throwing this out there in case anyone is waiting from UNC, that they're still making decisions, or at least sending out notices. Also, best of luck to those still waiting for an acceptance or waitlist. Sometimes even the schools you think are the most unlikely can surprise you.

Oh, no worries there. I've got three kids; no way am I accepting anything that doesn't guarantee me at least some semblance of an income for the whole show!

So this is a new one for me: Got an email from my POI, followed shortly by an Admissions rep, accepting me to Washington State; they were my No. 2 choice, and that's awesome. But I've been waitlisted for a TAship. I assumed (obviously wrongly!) that if they didn't have the money to offer, they wouldn't accept you. Both the POI and Admissions rep seemed optimistic that they'd be able to make me an offer, but until that point, I'm treating it as a full waitlist rather than a true acceptance (except in my signature because I'll revel in any acceptance I can get). Anyone else experienced/heard about this phenomenon before?

Just got my rejection letter from Boston College; I don't see any others in the results, so I'm not sure if they do it in waves or not, but best of luck to other BC history applicants out there!

Since my field is church history, my applications straddle history and religious studies departments, and so far the religion folks seem to be moving faster. Got accepted to my No. 1 choice yesterday (yay!) and rejected from my local choice today (boo!) – which means our family is almost definitely moving this summer. Both of them are religion programs. My three holdouts are all history programs. Come on, history folks! My children (and me) would like some certainty!

Yes! It turned out I didn't have to languish on the wait list too long; I just got the email that I was accepted to my No. 1 choice (FSU)! Now I'm all shaky ... having trouble processing that this is actually happening.

Me, too! Since I posted this, I was waitlisted by my No. 1 choice, which is good – I did actually submit the application correctly, and I still have a chance! – but more subtly disappointing than I expected. Not like instant deflation, but more like a balloon with a small hole in it. This waiting game is rough!

Finally got a response! Whew! Wait listed at my No. 1 choice, which isn't bad – but feels a little like, "Hey thanks for waiting! Now wait some more!"

Saw on the results page that someone was accepted to FSU "Religion" Ph.D. Does anyone want to claim it? Is this Religious Studies? If so, what track? I applied to American Religious History and felt pretty good after a campus visit in the fall, but lack of word wears on the nerves!

I'm in the "no word from anyone" boat thus far, and my deepest fear, even though I know it's irrational, is that I somehow missed a key step or submission, and I'll just wait in limbo indefinitely because the applications never actually got submitted. Sigh.