dherres

5. Even your cat threw up when it came upon your application lying around. 4. You receive a "We're sorry for your loss" condolences card in the mail. 3. The members of the admissions committee have always "just stepped out for a meeting" every time you call. 2. The admin assistant can suddenly only speak Mandarin after you give your name. 1. You receive a "friendly" email from the school with the phone number for their Crisis & Counseling Center, as well as a list of some of today's more effective antidepressant medications, "just in case you need it."

Is the environment among students fairly competitive, or does a lot of collaborative work take place? Is there any sort of support network or program for those students who are struggling in the program? (At another school where I had applied, a student had receiving private tutoring lessons from within the department after failing the comp exam the first time around.) What level of independence do students have in working on their own projects? Are they pushed to explore ideas not currently being studied by their advisor? (I realize this could differ case-by-case depending on a faculty member.)

I agree with GoBears. These people are taking the time to stop what they're doing and answer our questions, or offer us suggestions or advice, or update us on various statuses (stati?? wtf?). They don't have to. I almost always make it a point to respond and say "thank you" for their whatever help they happen to be offering at that given time. (I say almost because sometimes communication has gone for several back-and-forth emails, and there comes a point when it gets redundant for me to say only "thank you" when I've already put it in -- with other questions etc, of course -- the previous few emails as well.) I think it takes a LOT for a person to start getting upset by people thanking them for doing something for them.... and I'd be more than a little surprised if anyone on here has managed to hit that unnamed quotient! (This is purely hypothetical; don't try it at home, people!) First, don't judge yourself for not knowing something. Second, yes, I would respond, maybe with something along the lines of, "Thank you [ed. note: hey, there's that phrase again!] for telling me the good news! I look forward to blah blah." I mean, are they really required to personally inform students of their admission status when the student will find out soon enough anyway through actual "official" means?

Wow, I hope that's meant in jest... really, was that necessary? :roll:

Congrats, learnforlife! No, I haven't heard anything about financial aid. I submitted my FAFSA and scholarship application and they said packages would be offered before April 15th.... A good friend of mine got her Ed.M. there, and she said that even though it put her a few 10k in debt, it was well worth it.

No solid funding yet, but they usually offer financial aid in grants and scholarships, both merit and need-based. And they do take MA students into the PhD, they just have to reapply like everyone else as lotf629 mentioned, but it's certainly not a guarantee. And the info on here is up to date..... And other schools HAVE expressed an interest, both before and after applying, but just haven't made any offers. So technically it's true, albeit quite misleading. Ah, semantics! Thanks for your help. I'm glad to know that I'm not the one who's crazy in this situation!

A guy I know is trying to convince me I should do this with my MA "condolence" acceptance school. He has a PhD from another school, in another field. He insists that I should more or less say that I'm very eager to attend their their PhD program, it's my first choice, but other PhD programs have expressed their interest in me as a student, and thus I am asking if they might reconsider their decision, perhaps with the coursework for the MA being incorporated into the PhD. This feels very uncomfortable to me, but I told him I'd think about it, and thought I'd throw it out there for anyone else's opinion. Is it sketchy, or valid?

"We regret to inform you that we are unable to approve your application for our doctoral program. As your application was a strong one, however, we have forwarded it to the admissions committee of #1SchoolInCountry on your behalf, where you have been accepted with full funding and PrestigiousFellowship. Additionally, Dr. S/He'sAPerfectFitForYou has made plans to move from our program to that of #1School for the upcoming fall semester and will be taking you on as his student. Please find enclosed the acceptance letter from #1School. We wish you all the best in your endeavors there."

Thanks. A friend of mine who got her Ed.M. at the same school suggested doing otherwise, since it's possible to find cheaper places not involved with Columbia. But maybe I'll apply for housing anyway; I wouldn't be forced into taking it if I get an offer.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm not terribly skilled at negotiating, but a friend of mine is fierce in that department and I could probably recruit her (with the promise that she'll always have a place to stay in NYC, of course, lol). I'd be attending Teachers College of Columbia. Haven't said yes to the offer yet, but so far it's the only for-sure thing I have going!

Along the lines of apartment-hunting, can anyone please recommend a good (cheap!) broker? I've never used one before; how exactly does the process work? When I was looking for an apartment here in Atlanta, I literally drove around the area where I wanted to live -- Midtown and Virginia Highlands, which luckily, is very homey and neighborhood-like with houses, small one- or two-level apartment buildings with a handful of units, kid-friendly, etc. -- and called the numbers on the signposts stuck in the front lawns or hanging on a wall. I assume that strategy wouldn't work so well in Manhattan? I would love to have a place to live within a few days or a week of leaving Atlanta for the last time... is that even possible, or am I foolishly dreaming?

Along these lines, has anyone else seen http://www.wherethehellismatt.com? Talk about your feel-good dancing video.

I think this process has really brought my dad and I closer together. We were in conflict for YEARS: I put them (he and my mom) through hell with drug addiction and suicide attempts in college; until recently, he had a very hard time accepting that I'm gay; when I converted to paganism and Wicca in high school, he was thoroughly convinced it was Satanic and strictly policed my activities, books, TV shows, etc (I've since renounced that and identify as simply agnostic). But he's been incredibly supportive during the last year as I've put in work to go to grad school. (He's become supportive in other areas before that, but I can see a big change in this arena.) Samples from his latest text messages, after I received another rejection: "That state is too cold anyway. Don't let it get you down, you're doing great." "You're the one who as done all the work, Mom and I have been fortunate to be part of it and cheer you on." "This is part of the process you go through, it will work out." Really, I'm starting to tear up over it. So even if things don't work out the way I had initially planned, I'm certainly gaining something important through it all. Both he and my mother have Master's degrees, and my uncle has a PhD, so higher education isn't unknown in my family. I am, though, the first in my generation to graduate college, so everyone's pretty excited.

No optimism. Just checked again after getting out of class.... admission denied. Oh well. Who wants to move to Minnesota anyway? :wink:

Completely off-topic: Status update from the ApplyOnline website for U. of Minnesota: "Graduate School Final Review." I haven't heard any news since I submitted my application and it was sent to the program. GHHHAAAAA what does this mean what does this mean??? Should I read into it at all? If it were an outright rejection, would the school need to review it??

I'd be very interested in hearing people's experiences as well. I'm sorely tempted to take the MA offer I've received, then reapply to the PhD after; the program's a much better fit than most of the other schools I'm still waiting to hear from.

I stand corrected, my apologies. I'm going off of what my Research Methods professor told us in class this past fall. I perhaps misremembered and they're moving to change, and haven't actually done so already.

Hi all! I've also applied to PSU and have a good chance of getting in (so said one of the faculty in my program there). State College does sound.... interesting, at least, coming from Atlanta. I'd like to know how accepting the natives are of homosexuality, though. I'm a gay man, and given the rural setting of the town, I have a mild concern about my safety and the like there.

The U of California system agrees. They've ceased using the GRE for admission consideration. I don't know if the CA State system has as well. But there's a lot of research that suggests a very small correlation between GRE scores and performance in grad school. If it exists, it's strongest with the subject GRE.

That reminds me of a great website I've heard about. www.couchsurfing.com . I'm sure it's not as great a resource as staying with a grad student.... although there's a good likelihood that a grad student from the school will be on there, knowing grad students! At the very least, if a school doesn't set you up for lodging during your visit, it'd be a great way to stay for free for a couple of nights, and maybe make a friend should you choose to move there. But back on-topic, I have no experience with this situation with grad schools, but I remember that for undergrad it was a wonderful resource to get to know the school a bit more -- and from a different angle -- than I would have otherwise!

That's awesome that the the department was unanimous in their decision! Congratulations. I know after I got my first notice -- rejection -- I returned to panic mode (where I spent most of last year). Hearing one bit of good news is such a relief and a comfort. To be honest, I haven't really done anything special to celebrate anything yet.....

I've been accepted to their MA program in organizational psychology. Unless I get off the waitlist for another program, I'll probably end up going and reapply to the PhD later. Does anyone have any experience with the school?

I just got my first actual acceptance today. It was to a MA program, though, rather than the PhD to which I had applied.... and yet, I'm more excited about it than I had thought I would be (after the initial tears, of course). I've thought about this before, but now a part of me is afraid of going directly into a PhD program... I'm just now graduating from my BA -- albeit after taking a few years off in the middle -- but I'm wondering if I'm ready for a PhD program, or if a separate MA would be a good "next step" thing to help me prepare first. The TopTierSchool thing doesn't worry me so much as a simple doctoral program in general. I'm not alone in this, am I? And yes, impostor syndrome is real! My first few years of undergrad I was convinced I had slipped through the cracks somehow, and that at any minute I was going to get kicked out when they realized I didn't really belong there. Then I took my leave of absence, got into some serious therapy (yay therapy!), spent some time at a local mediocre state school, and realized that I got into my original school for a reason, and yes I am good/smart/determined/etc enough to attend. This is their business, they've made such decisions for umpteen decades, they know damn well what they're doing, and such a mistake is VERY likely not to happen.

Personally, I think that if you plan on reapplying the following year then it's a great idea to ask for feedback. I just emailed the coordinator of my top choice program if she would be willing to identify strengths and weaknesses of my application for me so I could possibly improve my credentials, i.e. if I needed more work experience, better GRE scores, etc. (I also made sure to say "thank you for the admission to the MA program" and that it's a strong possibility for me, so as to not appear confrontational.)

Years ago, I would have been disgusted with myself for accepting the offer from a sugar daddy. Now, however, I think it sounds great! More time to focus on studies. And I've certainly toyed with the idea of selling sperm.... it doesn't seem like plasma has much monetary value anymore, at least not where I live. But moving on....... if I knew I'd be guaranteed admission next time around, I would be willing to stay in Atlanta and keep waiting tables for yet another year. :cry: