Senochka

Got that NW rejection. Nice...

Me, I didn't get an e-mail or a portal update, but, as another user already said, I don't want to read too much into it... I didn't get anything from UIUC as well, and someone claimed a waitlist here, so I was like, "No acceptance, no rejection, no waitlist, then what?" I contacted them and they said they were making some students wait because the process was still ongoing, and they didn't know whether or how much they will have to turn to their waitlist. So I interpreted it as I'm on a some sort of waitlist, but that waitlist was not a priority waitlist. Like, they notified people whom they want to enroll if their admits committed elsewhere, and were keeping some of us at bay if those prioritized waitlists go somewhere else. So if we don't make it, we'll be like "Oh it's just a late rejection." I don't know, I'm super confused and can cite nothing but my rear as my resource for all these deductions. Still, I think it's safe to assume that we're on some type of waitlist. This is a bit like that "Are we officially a thing?" phase in a relationship and sucks for the party who asks the question, which, in this case, is us the applicants. For Northwestern, a similar scenario is possible, but is is also possible that they are releasing rejections in batches because all decisions should be certified by the proper authority, and academics in charge of that process are in no shortage of dull and boring paperwork, I don't know. In the past, some schools rejected me and didn't bother telling me that until I asked them about it numerous times, so... Yeah, let's be cautiously optimistic with 3:1 ratio. Also, I haven't heard anything from Georgetown and UC Merced.

Well, it's part my personal story and part the program(s). Since my story is irrelevant to the general discussion, I might offer what I think about these terminal master's programs at prestigious universities (As far as I know, Columbia has a couple of terminal social science MAs as well as LSE and Oxbridge across the pond.). 1) It's no secret that these programs are largely cash cows. Value-wise, they are not very highly regarded but they are not trash either. So, students with little aid and enough resources go because they want that name on their resume, and students who get the most generous aid give these programs a shot as a final push towards the line. The latter group of students already have good enough profiles for many PhD programs, but either their applications are lacking in one aspect, whether it be GPA or publications, or they're exclusively shooting for top tier institutions, and think a degree from UChicago will boost their chances. 2( These programs are a bit like some European research master's and take nine months (3 quarters) to complete with one week breaks between the quarters. But unlike European research master's, they require you take 2-3 courses each quarter . These are not realistic performance expectations from students, and even a minor thing like a particularly bbad cold can topple your world in that pace. What then? All your effort and money go down the drain. 3) While it's true that these degrees will add lil something to your resume, the same value can be harvested from other endeavors at no (monetary) cost. You can hunt for internships, RA positions, or work on a publication for a reasonably well-ranked journal and they will boost your profile just as much with the extra perk that you won't have to cough up 60k to do these things. 4) I think all that scholarship money think is a carrot they dangle in front of our noses to pull us in. There is an old adage in Turkish that goes something like: "You don't mind sacrificing a chicken if you expect a goose in return." So, they're trying to get us into sacrificing our chickens with the promise of a goose is what I'm saying. 5) MAPSS and CIR alumni are complaining all over the internet about the faculty's preferential treatment towards the PhD students and terminal master's students lacking a support system. For me, the reason that my profile is sub-optimal for places I really want to attend is not the lack of a UChicago degree, it's a lack of other things, and some of those things I can not control or change. Would a CIR degree make up for the lack of those things? Maybe, I will never know. I got way better packages from similar places in the past, and couldn't come up with the money to cover whatever is left. So... But if you're an American, are offered at least 1/2 aid, and enticed by the program, I'd say go for it just to see for yourself.

Claiming a CIR referral admit. 20k scholarship. Been there before, means nothing to me, yeah...

Hey, I talked to the department yesterday, and the DGS said all decisions are made at this point and selected applicants were contacted. Our decisions should appear on the portal soon.

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I could not detect any changes to my portal, but I'm an int'l student, decisions for domestic and int'l students might be delivered separately on separate days, or I might be looking at a rejection...

Big congrats! Was it via e-mail or the portal?

I saw at least one acceptance from Pitt on the results page, and people claimed both acceptances and waitlists from GTown here. With the latter, I could not discern any pattern that might help you shape your expectations though, more acceptances/waitlists can be on the way, or it can be all rejections going forward, I don't know.

Thanks, this was super helpful. I actually never thought about Nordic countries and had places like Bocconi, SciencesPo, Hertie etc. in mind. So definitely opened a new door.

Well well... I still have a bunch of schools to hear from, but at this point, I am almost certain that nothing good will come out of them. So, as much as I hate to say this, I am starting another cycle as one nears its end, this time, for Europe. Already have a small list of schools, but just in case I miss a good opportunity, could you suggest any European programs with later deadlines, preferably with a standard application procedure rather than "find yourself an advisor" type of thing, anything project-based with an emphasis on behavior would do too. Thanks in advance for any input.

I went through five cycles in total so far. Two undergrad, one master's, and two PhD. In some, I got into decent programs with no aid and couldn't attend, in some others, got decent aid but didn't have the means to cover the rest, and in still others got flat out rejected from every school I applied to. I had a very similar mindset to yours in terms of comparative weight material and immaterial values such as prestige, financial prospects, and meaningful work hold in our lives. However, after so much, I saw that it's even more random than often suggested here. Of course there are expectations, cutoffs etc. But once you make it to the starting point of the race, unless you are truly exceptional in some way that denying you a place would be objectively irrational, like if you're Malala Yousafzai or whatever, it is truly, truly random. I saw people with "barely there" scores getting into top twenty and some with near perfect scores getting rejected by much lower ranked places this cycle alone. Sometimes what you need is not three points on your GRE or five decimal points on your GPA, it's not one more publication, the endorsement of a superstar professor, sometimes, it's just a lucky break. That lucky break, you cannot create, summon, or call at will. So, my humble advice would be, focus on what you can control such as qualities that would raise your profile both in the private sector and in academia like decent knowledge of statistics, a programming language, knowing your subject well, languages and whatever you value, whatever you believe that if you had would make you a well-rounded, more mature person. Schools like people with worldly knowledge, people who had breathed the air outside the academia jar. I believe everyone here is well above average, so put your potential into some other use, and in a couple of years, if you realize that this is your true calling, come back to see if they will take up on the opportunity. Best of luck for everything.

Yeah this must have been what misled me. In many application systems payment is the last step. A representative told me that I should have pressed that button and wait until I "see" a sign that said "100% Complete". I was like, "Lady, are you hearing me?" No problem though, if we had something like yearbook superlatives over here, I would be voted either unluckiest or sloppiest, so I am used to such things by now.

Told it here before when GWU was releasing decisions, I am blind so amidst the craze of the submission period, I somehow missed a "Finish and Submit" button somewhere, I paid the fee and completed the forms but my application was never reviewed. I learned this the day decisions were released BC I never checked the portal. Now I want my money back and they completely ghosted me, so weird. GWU caused enough harm to me, so please be careful with your yogurt.

Ahahaha impossible.

Rejected by UChicago yesterday, heard absolutely nothing besides that. I expected this though.