The Converse

It seems like it depends on the situation. As the other posters noted, many people argue not to contact the faculty. I had a graduate program representative tell me outright not to email anyone from that department. However, for one of the schools I was accepted at, a faculty member posted on a professional list serve and indicated that any interested students should feel free to contact him. My interests with aligned with his and we spoke for well over an hour. My SOPs were horrid and I really believe that having the opportunity to outline my research interests and history in our call is what got me into the program.

Congrats!

Lol okay

There is something to be said about putting in a little effort on the rejections. MIT, Michigan, and Stony Brook (waitlist) at least had some class. They sent the rejections from the department head. Yale and Berkeley were a joke. Even though they don't owe us anything, Yale could at least come up with more than three sentences to every graduate applicant from the grad school head for a $120 fee. That's just pure BS in my book.

Claiming MIT rejection. The cycle of the hell is complete. Haha, but it has been a learning experience.

It has been rough. Haha, but no need to be a lurker. People are very supportive here. Congrats on the Yale admission! You must be excited about that.

Were you emailed about this? I am sorry to hear about the lack of acceptances. Do you have anything pending?

I got into two programs and I plan on declining both. I have not applied before, but based on my business experience, I think it is dependent on the situation. In my personal circumstance, I have spoken with a few professors, but my plan is to email the department heads and a faculty member that I really connected with. I am not sure what your aspirations are, but if you are concerned with 'burning a bridge' it never hurts to send an email. I would keep the emails relatively succinct and somewhat tailored to whom you spoke to. Having gotten several rejections, I am most burned by the boilerplate, zero effort emails. If you go that route, you are doing more harm than good. However, if you are willing to make a few passing references to your conversation with them, they will probably appreciate the sentiments.

As my pursuit of a PhD comes to an end, I still feel like I owe my recommenders a bit of gratitude. Did anyone on the forum provide gifts to their recommenders and, if so, what did you send? It is a little bit more difficult with most faculty and coworkers operating from home. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Congratulations! It is a great program. Best of luck in the future.

Congratulations! You must be excited. What is your subfield?

It's always possible that these are legit, but these are somewhat suspect at the present time. People on this forum are fairly forthcoming with acceptances and everyone has been quick to congratulate them.

Yes, it is some demented form of entertainment. Some of the early admits for some programs were legit. Others have seemed suspicious. Don't forget someone was admitted to the 'University of Cumtown,' so there are clearly trolls.

Is anyone claiming the MIT acceptances?

Congratulations! That is great news!