AnxiousBeaver

congrats Ivan! So excited and proud of you! Did you receive your funding offer yet?

so sorry Ivan but very proud of you for advocating for yourself! It is good to question things that dont seem right, definitely dont give up and continue to fight for what you know u deserve! 

Amazing thread, also I am Interested in hearing people's experiences in the social sciences (linguistics) @ Stanford, Northwestern and UC Berkley! 

I was rejected from UMichigan but got into Stanford which is like the best department for my subfield. Don't lose hope! 

I was rejected from UMichigan but got into Stanford which is like the best department for my subfield. Don't lose hope! 

I do not think it's ethically or legally right. Diversity is great and I am a proponent for it but black CS grads make up 7-8% so 15% is not normal.

So they practiced overt affirmative action.

I see people getting rejected who have 3.9+ GPAs, high GREs and Letters of Recommendation from top Professors at reputable institutions.
I am in no way claiming all of those black people are unqualified.
However this seemed like a concerted effort from Black in AI so it is likely black students got admitted with lower GPAs. This is unfair.

 

Totally outside my expertise but I'm curious. 
Have you reached out to the POIs? I personally would hold off until I'm familiar with their work.  I'd go back and read their work. I'd check their footnotes and sources. This may lead to other scholars in the field. I would imagine that the field of sociology is prominent. Maybe check out some sociologists? I'd check their CV for clues about what other institutions, organizations, or groups they belong too. Are their talks or presentations they've given in the past? This, again will create, hopefully, new leads.    I've thought about PhD abroad but never actually went through with it. I would definitely reach out to current grad student there first and ask about their experience. This forum has lots of people with grad school experiences abroad too.   Lastly, when I've read at least a few of the POI's scholarly articles I'll email them. I usually frame it with "I have ___ background, working on ___, and would like to know how ____ research topic would be supported in the department."  I've gotten some professors who were just straight-up no but many more who were able to 1) tell me how my work would be supported or 2) how it could be supported by other professors at other schools.  I hope I'm making sense. 

I think that it is the fact that you are coming from an International institution that is making the review more difficult for you... which should not be the case and in all honesty sounds a bit discriminatory to me . Maybe I misunderstand but If the issue is with the number of years it took... Graduating early does not take away from the fact that you have a degree from a 4 year institution no?? I hope this works out for you

Ivan, 
I've been lurking on this forum this whole cycle and I made an account just to tell you that I've got my fingers crossed for you! I hope there is nothing but good news in your future. You have put so much positive energy into this very stressful process and I think any dept will be lucky to have you!

this is so amazing! congrats you both!!

Oh no!! I am so sorry! Did you email your POI? DIdn't he say that everything seems okay on his hand? Email them again, also see if you could have a better explanation of why your degree is considered a BS, have them point out the specific classes you need, etc.! 

Amazing thread, also I am Interested in hearing people's experiences in the social sciences (linguistics) @ Stanford, Northwestern and UC Berkley! 

Hi Amelia, 
I’m so sorry to hear you couldn’t focus... unfortunately, these things happen sometimes ?
I wouldn’t be worried if I were you. If the interview was hard for you, it was probably hard for everyone. 
 
I don’t know if you’ve emailed them to thank for the interview, but if you haven’t, do it and ask for the timeline. I believe they’ll send their acceptances/rejections for now (maybe today or tomorrow) ?

those types of interviews seem so stressful, I hate questions like that omg! I just did my best to ask what I was genuinely worried about, like training. the department I want to join at Stanford does a lot of outreach work, so I asked questions like "how does the training of new research students work" or like "when I can expect to start actively contributing the projects" stuff like that!

Interesting... although I wonder from a stance of equity and inclusion what it would mean for low-income students who don’t have quite the same privilege. Would allowing students entry who can bankroll their education (via loans, parents, savings etc) disincentivize schools from funding students without those kind of means? Also, I wonder if someone funding their own education in some ways be at a disadvantage down the road, considering others would have had paid research and teaching assistantships, while they have not. 

Hey guys,
As I'm sure a lot of you are in similar positions, I thought this would be helpful! I recently was admitted into a truly great program, and the excitement has slowly turned into crippling anxiety. Lots of "They're going to figure out I'm not as smart as they think I am" "Everyone else is so much better, I will fail"...etc. I know this is so common with all people and especially in academia! Anyone relating to that right now? Because I am feeling it hard?

I will be quitting my job and going on a vacation. I don't get to see my family very often.

You know you've done it. You've seen something really nice, and perfect for you, with a price tag just a little outside of your reach. "Oh, I won't get that now," you say, "but I will when I get into _________!"

For example, I had dreams of medieval studies grad school for the last two years of my undergrad. I actually promised myself three things if I got into a program:
A CD set of Gregorian chant
An action figure of Pope Innocent III
A knotwork skull sculpture

When I got my consolation MA, I didn't feel like celebrating. I no longer worked at the store selling the chant, I wasn't down the street from the store that sold Innocent anymore, and my tastes had moved beyond a decorative skull. So I didn't get myself any of these things and, well, you know where last year's attempts went.

I'm not too much a believer in fate, but I am a believer that moving goals is a horrible morale sap; and a promise is a promise, even to yourself. I may not be near music or novelty shops any longer, but I have the internet! And I'm glad to say my tastes have fully returned to realize the awesomeness of a knotwork skull. So I will be making these purchases as soon as possible.

In the meanwhile, I had promised myself one of those art history mugs if I got into an art history program. Well, I didn't, but too bad, because yesterday - the last of my museum internship - I got one from the gift shop anyway. Now I've gotta get into a program, right?

And finally, I've promised myself a bottle of the finest 18-year-old Jameson whiskey for when that doctorate is mine. Now that's a promise I'll never break.

So, what are you going to treat yourself to when you get your results?

Call. It is way too easy to ignore an email. I was a victim. I emailed my first choice grad program three weeks ago and got no answer. If you call, they are on the spot, and you can be much more personable and show your gratitude for an update much more than through an email. In my case I just said I was wondering if I could get an update on my application status. Gave them my last name, and found out I was waitlisted. After which point I was able to thank them for keeping my application in consideration, taking the time to speak with me about it, and told them I appreciate the review and if there is anything I could do to further support my application to please feel free to contact me. The university remained my first choice, and then said goodbye. Overall good experience. Plus I can now stop checking my email fifty times a day

My roommates and I just discussed this. We decided that you don't say anything. You give them a hug, a pint of Ben & Jerry's, and complete control of the remote for the day/night.

I don't think it's bragging.

I'm not sure if I'll post it.
But I'm sure my new educational network will make it obvious

"SOP, fine. LOR, fine. GPA, fine. GRE, fine"
 
*throws papers on the table, stands on the table*
 
"Where is the sparkle?!? Where is all the pzazz?!?
 
*shoots off a glitter cannon and storms out of the room in disgust*
 
 
 
I guess I've always assumed the admission process takes so long because it's an entire room of divas and divos(is that a real thing?).

"I'm all for honesty, but this SOP is really oversharing."
 
"What does this sentence even mean?  You don't need to gargle a thesaurus to sound academic."
 
"This applicant will not shut up about hiking.  She only wants us for our trails."

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I've had an admission fairy tale. 
 
There was one school I was looking at that only accepts four students a year. FOUR. It was SO competitive and the current students seemed SO ridiculously accomplished ... I thought the program was amazing but that I had a snowball's chance in hell of getting in. Didn't apply. 
 
After the deadline came and went, I became filled with regret that I hadn't at least TRIED. In a bout of anxiety over Christmas break (nearly a month after the deadline), I went to look at the website one last time, and bemoan "what could have been."
 
Lo and behold, I saw that the deadline had been extended. ... to one week after I happened to check the website. I still had time. 
 
I whipped together one last application and fired it off. It came together in an oddly beautiful and easy fashion.
 
"Surely my rec letter writers won't get my request in time ... it's Christmas, they're not checking their email!" To my surprise all three of my writers responded to my late "one last upload?" request on the same day.
 
"Of course my GRE scores won't get there in time! Those take weeks!" Bizarrely, this time they got there in just a few days, in fact the exact DAY of the new deadline. 
 
Still, I thought there was no chance. I hadn't contacted any POIs or established any relationship, I'd never visited campus, I'd named only one POI in my SOP. BUT at least I tried, right?
 
Imagine my shock when I got a phone call a few months later. Admitted with full funding. 
 
Fairy tales do come true.