gooniesneversaydie

I'm also doubtful that they're still reviewing applications, as we know at least 4 people have already been accepted. Not to say they aren't working on a waitlist or their MA offer list, but I think the PhD admits have been chosen and sent out. It is an usual time, however, we've been waiting for responses since before shit hit the fan at the universities. And if they aren't sending out responses to admits, like @tinymica said, then it really puts a bad taste in my mouth about how the administration handles things in general. It's a big school, so I'm still trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, but c'mon now.

Gather round the campfire kids (@GoldHippie, @Emailchecker, @onerepublic96 ), ol' gooniesneversaydie has a new tale to tell about the mystical college known as BU. Legend has it that this school only appears to those who are true of heart (@tinymica) on the third new moon of the winter solstice. No, I just got a response back from the email I sent the department last week asking about my application. Thanks for reaching out! The graduate admissions board is still reviewing applications, and they hoped to release decisions by mid-March. Because of the university closure, however, things have slowed down somewhat. Hopefully applicants will hear back with their decisions over the next couple weeks, but I'm not too sure myself because of the confusion. So, here we are. We have no clue. Apparently, they have no clue. So....

Tufts has been great at communicating with their admits. I've received several emails from the DGS and Dean of the Grad School apologizing and reassuring me the chaos won't affect the Fall semester. The power went out while I was visiting campus, so they had to deal with that along with the virus issues - bless them. The constant communication has been a nice surprise. All the POI's I've reached out to before and after my visit (I did have to reach out on my own - I didn't get any welcome emails) have emailed me back within a couple of hours. I didn't initially have the best conversation with my primary POI, which made my heart drop in my butt, as this is my only Ph.D. option, but my correspondence since has been much clearer and positive. Still waiting on BU..... But if my options come down to applying again next year (No. Just no. I'm so tired) or going to Tufts, I'll most likely choose Tufts. They're a plucky little department and seem to use the smallness to their advantage.

I did want to let you (and those of us still waiting) know the few things I learned about BU while I visited my school. It seems the two (plus BC and Brandies) work together a lot. I found out that they held a fairly large conference-type thing recently (the fall, maybe?) about alt-ac careers. They, as a group, combined resources to learn about alternative paths to make those choices available. These multi-school gatherings seem to be a thing, so it's a good opportunity to network. Also, several of the grad students mentioned that they loved being in the Boston area because so many schools were in close proximity and they're able to attend various academic/creative activities happening at other schools. One student also mentioned the Eng courses at BU are laid-back. I know this doesn't help much in the grand-scheme, but I did hear all good things!

@Emailchecker@onerepublic96 @GoldHippie and any others waiting on BU. This is the response from the graduate school. I did also email the grad admissions director but haven't heard back from them yet. So, maybe they really aren't done making offers? I'm not holding my breath but also 1000% holding my breath. Maybe I'll pass out from lack of oxygen and wake up to a new email. Decisions for the doctoral program are made at a department level. Applications are currently being reviewed by faculty members of the program and they have started to make offers. If you would like to know the exact timeline of the decisions, status of your application, and a possible offer, please reach out to the program directly. You can reach them at english@bu.edu. Additionally, Boston University is part of the Council of Graduate Schools and, therefore, cannot ask applicants to respond prior to April 15.

Well, I sent an email to BU's Eng grad admissions director and the graduate school asking for an update. The waiting finally got to me. Hoping for any sort of response!

I definitely would. I'd even suggest calling their grad admissions office and then emailing the Eng DGS. I'm sure it's because of the situation with all the schools closing/moving to online. If schools aren't going to extend the April deadline, it puts more pressure on admits to reach out for info.

YUUUP. I shook my fist in anger towards the school on my way out of Boston (which was a HELLSCAPE to drive through).

I'm in Boston right now. It's a madhouse! Definitely not a ghost town here. We drove by BU and I cried on the inside. However, the campus I visited is really, really nice and colonial-esque.

Sending good vibes to all of you who potentially have to make decisions sight-unseen. I'd be a mess. Tomorrow is my first visit day and I'm wondering how many admitted students are going to/able to show. As if everyone didn't already have enough on their minds....ffs.

Okay, BU. It's time. I'm ready for my rejection now. In the immortal words of the great Ashley Tisdale (aka Sharpay): Love me and let me go.

It looks like some academic conferences are still happening. I've gotten a few emails from the medieval ones saying that so far the CDC isn't recommending cancelling public events, so they're still moving forward.

I know @tinymica was contacted via email too - so it looks like so far 3 (that are on GC that is): 2 international and 1 US. I'm going to assume mine is a rejection at this point. I'm just ready to know so I can fully move on.

We'll definitely need emotional support over the next 6 years! I wish you nothing but luck in your decision making. I know just how scary it is to move from coast to coast. Side note: I'm sitting at the dentist's office and what is directly in front of me? Two massive degrees from BU in the biggest frames I've ever seen. The universe is just f'ing with me now. So, by having a BU graduate examine my teeth, does that mean I'll have good luck??!

It has been a real comfort to have other people so stressed out as me (especially about this one school, jfc). That sounds odd, like, I'm grateful for your mental struggles....?! Weird. If I don't get in though, the Tufts' campus is like 7 miles away from BU, so if you decide to come out east, you'll have a friend here waiting! Plus, in my second year, I get to take advantage of the Boston-area consortium (so would you!) and hopefully take some classes at BU and do the women's study consortium program at MIT.

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations!! I'm screaming at the computer screen in complete joy for you!!

I just checked my BU portal (for the 2493854th time) and the main page is now different. It gives the option to "make changes" to my application. It wasn't like that earlier in the day, so I'm not sure what that means... No status update or anything like that, just a new button at the top to make changes. I clicked on it just to see if it would do anything, nothing happened, and now it's gone? I hope I didn't just fook something up.

Be prepared to talk A LOT about your area of interests. You'll say the same things over and over again. However, like @snorkles, I don't think you need to study. Just enjoy being part of the discourse and overall environment! And don't be afraid to chime in when you have something to say, even if you don't feel super confident in an area. (However, however, if you're interested in peeking at Enviro Hum, I highly rec. Jeff J. Cohen, Gillian Rudd, and Corinne Saunders (Medievalists) and Stephanie LeMenager (Americanist) Also, Greg Garrard has a fairly easy-to-read text on overall ecocritical themes/key words).

Yikes. The odds are definitely not in my favor. Balls. Those in the program overall. So, we'll be the 2020 cohort.

I couldn't say. It looks like Chicago is a bigger program, but who knows how that translates to how many applicants/spaces they actually have. I like the concept of a small cohort (especially after reading some comments on here about the benefits), but load a good it does me if I'm not in it! I will say, last year when I went to U of O's welcome days, there were about 20 people in the cohort and only 7 or so posted on GC. So, like @BetterLight13 said, GC isn't the best representation of potential cohort size.

Okay, but no really...I'm starting to hate late afternoons/early evenings because it means another day has gone by with no news. I keep looking over BU's past notifications as if I'm going to gain some new insight. It's making me even more paranoid because aside from last year, it seems like they only accept 1-2 applicants each year (well, that post on GC that is).

I did just read some amazing news that lightened my sour mood, though. Apparently the University of Houston is waiving tuition for undergrads who come from families who have AGI's under 65K. So many students who may have gone into debt, or just not gone at all, are going to be able to go to college! There are some happy tears mixed in with the sad.

Solidarity. I'm going to Boston next week to visit my other school and I'm tempted to swing by BU to stalk. If I need to print out your fine letter and slip it under the DGS's door to show our desperation, I will. Or, find a really long stick and start poking faculty at random asking, did I get in? Did I get in? Did I get in? Hey, you, did I get in?

You got this! Believe me, I empathize 100%. Social anxiety, introvertedness, and impostor syndrome all reside inside my head rent free. It takes a minute to fully realize that they chose you - even the waitlists. Don't let yourself get in your way. Even on here I get really self conscious. Reading all these accomplishments people have can be intimidating. This person has published, this person presents internationally, this person etc - and I'm like...I haz smartz... But! Just because I'm not there now, doesn't mean I won't get there. And someday you're going to have students afraid to come to you because you're so intimidating to them!

Have you tried to reach out to these professors post-acceptance? Are you going to visit/welcome days? I reached out to my main POI when I learned what dates my visit was going to be and asked if they'd be willing to meet. I checked their office hours to give a specified time as well. I'd definitely send follow-up emails. We're in crunch time (and they should be aware of this) so if they come off as annoyed - or don't respond at all, again - then maybe that's an indication of how they would be as a mentor/adviser.