I agree with you, Katya. I was a bit disappointed to hear about the informal acceptance emails.
I just got an email to check the portal, I didn't get in ? I honestly don't know what they're looking for.. I had a strong GPA, pretty good GRE, solid recs, some work experience. Guess it wasn't meant to be. Happy that I have offers from other strong programs.
On another note, has anyone heard back from Yale European and Russian Studies yet?