anonthropology

I just got admitted to the MA program at Columbia (/not admitted to the phd program, but let's focus on the positive!). I'm actually finishing up an MA this year (elsewhere of course), so this is not an option for me, but I do think earning an MA first can be really helpful. That was certainly the case for me. I'm finishing up my MA now, and I think it helped me during this application season. Now I've heard from all my programs and it's decision time!

Thanks! Now I guess I can stop checking the website (and start hitting refresh on my inbox every ten seconds instead!).

Congrats to all the MA acceptances at Columbia! Even if you don't go, you can always say, "I got into grad school at Columbia!" I still haven't heard from them! I have a PhD offer I'm pretty much prepared to sign and accept elsewhere, but I need closure from Columbia before I can move on (since they are some of the biggest players in my field of interest) even though I'm fairly certain it will be a rejection at this point. (I just want to know for sure, so I can quell the "what if's" in my head). I already have an MA in anthropology, so that was never an option for me, but I must admit I would have been much happier with an MA offer than a rejection, just for bragging rights! I hope they'll send out their final wave of notifications soon. This is the last school I'm waiting on, and I am SO ready to accept an offer, and banish all the anxiety and uncertainty of grad applications from my life! Edited to Add: The application website doesn't say anything but "submitted" for me. For those who have received either rejections or acceptances (both are posted as "via website" on the results forum), what did the website look like? Is there a link? It also looks like some folks got emails? How did you find out? Thanks for any info!

I'm afraid I can't offer much advice, but I just wanted to say I read your story and I'm wishing you strength and good luck. I also agree with another poster's suggestion that you call the counseling center at your university and see if you can work out a time to go in, or at the very least whether they can suggest a hotline you could contact for help in the meantime.

I'm still waiting to hear from Columbia's anthropology department. I saw on the results board that some people have been "rejected via website" but there doesn't seem to be any information about my application other than that it has been submitted. I also saw that admission offers were communicated by phone several weeks ago to the phd program in anthropology. My expectations are low for admission at this point, but I want to know for sure that I have been rejected before I sign the paperwork to commit to another program. I'm having a hard time waiting because I really want to accept my offer at another university, but I can't bring myself to do so until I KNOW Columbia's out of the running (since it was one of my top choices). This is the last program I'm waiting on, so I know I should find some reserves of patience in myself, but I'm afraid they've been all used up by the whole application process. I'll be so happy when I hear from Columbia because then it will be OVER!

While I agree with others saying there may be some benefit to taking the course (even the same material can be different depending on who's teaching it after all), assuming you have your reasons for not wanting to, I would try to submit one or both syllabi along with a petition to have the requirement waived. That way, they can judge for themselves whether the coursework you've done meets the requirements. I was able to do this coming into my current master's program (submitted syllabus and petition and had it waived).

I had the same debate between original research on a past interest, or review research in-line with my new interests. I decided to go with the writing sample that reflected the project I outlined in my statement of purpose, which as it turned out was not a chapter from my MA thesis, as I'd originally planned on submitting, but a paper I wrote along the way that kind of pushed me into my new topic. I'm not sure that's always the best strategy--I certainly got my fair share of rejections--but I also got into some programs that were very closely matched to these new interests, so I'm glad I decided to use the more topically relevant writing sample. I think the primary purpose of the writing sample is to see your skills in constructing and communicating an argument--and even a piece based on previous research interests can accomplish that, but I figured that if you can ALSO show your depth of thought and interest in your current proposed topic that might be an extra edge given how heavily departments seem to weigh "fit" in their admission decisions. Good luck! Edited to add: I'm in cultural anthro, fyi, and I don't know if the situation differs between subfields.

Rejected. This is by far the most painful rejection so far. I know Stanford's super competitive, but I was holding on to some hope until the end because I do have an MA (or will by fall 2011) and met with a professor there while applying. I felt like it was a really good fit, and I really wanted to move back to California. Oh well, I'm sure all the admitted people were superstars. Now I can move on and focus on the few offers I've been lucky enough to get. My condolences and solidarity sadness to the rest of you, and congratulations to anyone (here?) who got in!

Bwahaha! I hope so too, the suspense was KILLING me on the 28th!

I think it's a great idea. I emailed three grad students out of the blue (based on their research interests posted on their school's web sites) while applying. One did not respond at all, but two responded kindly and with helpful information about their programs. I ended up meeting with both of the students who wrote back when I visited their campuses. I think in your case it would be a great idea to email students, and I think it's actually a lot less out of the blue if you've already been admitted to the program. On the flip side, I've also been emailed about my current and past programs by strangers, and I've always been happy to respond. I'm corresponding with grad students at the schools I've been accepted to for Fall 11, and they've all been really helpful in helping me make a decision (although I'm far from having reached one!).

Thank you SO much for sharing this news. It makes the waiting much easier to know that no one knows, somehow!

I called this morning, but didn't reach anyone. I'm tempted to try emailing, but I think that would be overkill since I already left a message. Applying to PhD programs has taught me a lot about myself, mainly that I am incredibly bad at sitting back and waiting.

Anyone have a timeline for JHU?

Just read another rejection letter...I ain't even bothered, though. And I'm currently watching Catherine Tate videos of "Lauren Cooper."

I haven't heard anything yet. Do you think they'll stick to their date? I guess it's only 1:15 pm in California...

Aww, man. Well ESPECIALLY if they've already notified their admitted students, I hope they stick to their 2/28 deadline for the rest of us. I still have a little glimmer of hope that the admitted person in question just got an informal email from their POI ahead of the official notification, and it doesn't necessarily mean I'm doomed. At this point I just want to know where I stand.

I got a rejection letter from a long-shot dream school on Friday. Oh, but it was like a ten-year long dream! I pretty much knew it was coming since I hadn't heard anything from them, but it still stung. My partner came home with flowers after I left him a sad message on his voicemail while he was at work and then took me out for a sunset picnic with food from one of my favorite restaurants. That helped ENORMOUSLY. He also agreed without any bitterness to move across the country to the program I was accepted to with funding. Damn, he's good. Anyways, tomorrow I expect to hear back from my other dream school (so long as they stick to their posted notification date). I feel like I have some chance here because I was invited by a prof to meet with him (which I did), and because they are currently building a program that matches my interests, BUT it is super competitive, so the chances of my being rejected are EXTREMELY HIGH. With the other school at least the rejection was expected, and so I was able to feel sad, and then move on without too much emotional turmoil. But for this program, oh man, it will HURT. I don't know what I'll do. It sucks that I expect to hear from them while in my office, because if it's a rejection, I will totally want to cry.

I haven't gotten any word back yet either. I've been checking my inbox and grad cafe like mad this week since I've been expecting to hear from them any day now. Hopefully we'll hear from them tomorrow!

I, too, have heard nothing from Berkeley. I understand that means rejection at this point, but I can't bring myself to actually ask point blank. I'm hoping if I wait and let the rejection come later maybe I'll have more offers from other programs by then, and so it will sting less. Not that I've ever expected to get it into Berkeley--but of course that doesn't diminish how much I WANT to! Good luck with your other programs!

I don't want to be presumptuous, but I just wanted to say that just because there's not "guarantee" of getting into the PhD program after your MA doesn't mean it won't happen. I think if you make a good impression with your MA you should have no problem continuing on in the program for your PhD. But it sounds like you have some great options either way. Good luck with your decisions!

The first acceptance is A-MA-ZING! Congrats! Now you know, whatever else happens with your other apps, you're going to grad school!

I'm in the same boat as you. I believe all admitted students in my field have been notified. And I have not been. :-(

I agree that once my application ends up in the rejection pile, I want to know ASAP. Of course, if I'm not hearing back because I'm in the "possibly maybe might still be admitted" pile, of course that's a good thing, but I have a sinking feeling that that is not the case for several programs I am still waiting to hear from (i.e. ones that appear to have sent out their acceptances AND their wait list notifications already.) Once the decision has been made, I think sending out the rejections is the kindest thing to do!

Of course! Just like in the Wizard of Oz: "You were there, and you were there, and you, and you, and you!" Actually I was reading the letter in my dream and it said I was accepted, and then it sort of turned into jibberish (which is apparently what always happens when you read in a dream, or so I've heard). I could maybe be hopeful and take the admission dream as a premonition, but the jibberish part would still be worrying! Good luck guys, thanks for not judging me!!!!

sad times... I think i'm going crazy. I had a dream last night that I got into NYU, but woke up to keep on playin' the waiting game. Sigh.