sra08

I'm going to be a bit of a contrarian and say that this very much depends on the circumstances and the policies of the department involved. Is there any chance of getting funding for more than two years through TAships and the like? My department (also a top 10 for whatever that's worth) commonly admits people without guaranteed funding. Most people are funded after their first year, and even in the first year people without funding often get by with jobs as readers (graders) and graduate student researchers. There's an annual process in which all graduate students in the department apply for funding. While the process itself is somewhat complicated and a pain, the end result is basically that (most) everyone ends up with some kind of funding, even those who came in without guaranteed funding. Funding is contingent on doing well in coursework and making reasonable progress. In my cohort (five in our field), three of us came in without recruitment packages and all of us were offered TAships for our second year (this year). All three of us were also able to minimize costs by being employed during our first year. Having said this, the funding situation is getting worse here, as it is just about everywhere else, due to cuts. (I'm at a state university.) So I don't know what the funding situation is like at the department you're considering (unless it's mine by chance), but I would definitely find out what opportunities there are for funding. Talk to the graduate student counselor, your prospective adviser, and students already in the department. Two years ago I broke the maxim to never go to a PhD program without funding, and I don't regret it. My adviser has been terrific and helped me out with funding by hiring me during my first year so I didn't take out as much loans as I originally anticipated. I got offered a TAship for my second year, though I ended up not needing it because I received an outside fellowship that lasts for four years. So, after having started without funding, I'm now in a really good position (or about as good as it gets for a graduate student in the humanities). Since the only other PhD program I was accepted to was also unfunded, if I hadn't taken the chance on an unfunded program I would have had to find a job in a really bad market and then go through another application cycle, which would have been costly. And I almost certainly wouldn't have been accepted to my current program again, as my adviser ended up with two other new students entering that year. I don't mean to suggest that my trajectory is typical, and obviously I've been rather fortunate. But I also helped myself by doing my research on my now-adviser by talking to some of her graduate students and actively seeking outside funding opportunities. So it is possible to go to a program without guaranteed funding and have things work out. I do agree though that you shouldn't take out too much debt for a PhD, and obviously it is preferable to have guaranteed funding. I probably would have left graduate school if I hadn't gotten funding second year, though it would have broken my heart. Just thought I would add a different perspective here.

I don't really know what a DUNS number is, sorry. I might have put down some kind of code for my undergrad and grad institutions, but I don't really remember the specific terminology.

From my experiences, here's what you should do right away: -Register to vote in CA. -Switch your bank accounts to CA. -Get a driver's license or state ID. -Save a copy of your lease. You should be good if you do those things.

In March I got an e-mail telling me that I was a "Javits Commended Scholar." I didn't realize that this meant I was actually an alternate for the fellowship! I got a call on Friday offering me a fellowship, quite unexpectedly. The only problem is that it now looks like I'm going to run into trouble with my department in terms of getting TA-ships for the duration of the fellowship. (I am entering my second year of graduate school.) Has anyone else experienced this problem with the Javits or another fellowship?

I checked last night and saw I was rejected. Finally. I never thought I'd actually be pleased to get a rejection, but after waiting for four and a half months with no unsolicited communication from the department, it was a relief.

I turned down an M.A. offer at GWU. I have an offer for the University of Maryland's PhD program which I'm almost certainly not going to accept, but I haven't notified them yet. I'm not sure UMD even has a waitlist, as I was told that admitted students have literally until right before the start of fall semester classes to accept the offer of admissions. If anyone here is waitlisted there or knows of someone who is I'll let them know right away, but otherwise I might wait a week or so.

sdklos, is it possible for you to get into contact with current students at both programs? (Through the website, or by e-mailing the grad program coordinator.) That might give you some insight as to the program's organization, the faculty, etc. Talking to current students at my accepted programs has been quite useful in terms of feeling that I'm making the right choice. Also, it sounds as though a big part of your decision has to do with it being an interdisciplinary program vs. History. Do you have a preference in terms of the kind of dissertation you see yourself writing, the type of preparation, etc.? It sounds like you have two great choices either way, so good luck.

UCLA wants a response by April 15 whether you have funding or not. I don't know if that's "technically" allowed, but it seems as though quite a few universities are doing it. Having to wait until the fifteenth just to find out if I'm even on the waitlist at all just feels profoundly inconsiderate, especially when Rutgers hasn't contacted me since December. It's great that they fund all their students, but I also appreciate actually having time to make an informed decision.

I don't feel bad about making UCLA wait, but finalizing my plans would certainly feel better for me. Since I want in-state tuition at UCLA but am not sure if they'll give it to me, it also would be nice to get the paperwork in sooner rather than later. It probably is wiser to wait on Rutgers for at least a little while, though. It's just very frustrating.

In continuing with being miffed at Rutgers, I just got off the phone with their office. I was told that "most decisions have been made," and that if I haven't heard, I'm "probably on some kind of waitlist." Which I might believe, if I didn't know from these boards that no one has been rejected from Rutgers without contacting them first. Moreover, the administrator said that I probably won't hear until closer to the April 15 deadline. Argh. I've been assuming a rejection from Rutgers for weeks, but if I were to be accepted with funding, I'd at least have to consider it. I wanted to officially commit to UCLA this week, and still might do so. I just don't know if it's foolish to do that with the Rutgers decision still pending.

I haven't officially done the paperwork yet, but I've decided. (And I now have a sweatshirt from the university, which makes it semi-official.) I'm going to UCLA for U.S. history and am excited for the fall.

I applied to 11 PhD programs, and I thought I would get more than 2 unfunded PhD admits an one unfunded MA admit. Now, granted, most of the schools I applied to accept very few people, and a few weren't good fits, but I did hope/sort of expect better. It looks like I probably can go to one of the PhD programs and hope to get a TA/RAship in my second year, but it's hard not to feel at least a little disappointed. I really thought I had done just about everything "right"--top grades at a good school, competitive scores, a writing sample that my adviser, who has a reputation for being a very tough grader, gave an A+. I'd like to think I might have done at least somewhat better in a better economy, but who knows? Since I still am probably going to one of my top choices I'm fortunate, I just would have liked there to be a little more actual choice.

I haven't heard yet, either, still says "No decision" on the website. Which at this point I pretty much know to mean a rejection, but it would be nice to know for sure. Even if I were to be accepted, by some bizarre chance, there's no way I could visit the program before April 15. I pretty much know where I'm going, and would like to count Rutgers as a definite "no." At least I can comfort myself in knowing that I wouldn't want to attend a program which is so rude and inefficient in telling people of their decision status.

Oh, no, I was rejected from Stanford. I didn't make that clear. My point was that it seems silly to hope that I'll be accepted to Stanford if I do another round of applications.

Both of my accepted PhD programs (and the one program which accepted me for an MA) are offering me no funding for the first year, though there are jobs within the department available. TA/RAships are available on a competitive basis after that, though both are publics and it's worrisome that a lot of publics are cutting down on TAships. So for me it's either going to a program without guaranteed funding or trying to find a job and re-applying next year. All things considered, I think I'll probably go to one of the programs and work like hell to get funding for the second year. One thing that going through the process has taught me is that location really is important, especially for my SO, which means it's really important for me, too, and that I'd prefer to stay on the West Coast if possible. And on the West Coast, there are two programs which are clearly above the rest in terms of fit. One of them is a program to which I've been accepted, and the other is Stanford. So I'm thinking it makes sense to gamble a bit and go to the other program (UCLA) next year, especially if I can impress the potential adviser who I interviewed with and will be meeting again this week. I am nervous about breaking the cardinal rule of Humanities PhD programs, but I think I can do more to help my chances by being in graduate school than by going through this truly horrific process again in a year.