RDX

I mean, coz I'm an under here at NU, i might be able to provide information on professors' personality, preference, etc, if I happen to know them.

I'm not even sure if they ARE moving fast. After all we have only a very limited number of cases. But if they do, which I believe might be the case, I'm wondering too. I incline to believe it's probably due to the influx of materials. Say U of Washington once told me their small office was flooded, by applications. This year's job market was not much better than last year, or as far as I heard from my friends. Many people who failed to locate any offers last year and this year are joining this combined army of applications. This is just a very weak hypothesis tho.

I don't know. AFAIK, the university system runs slow. You don't know the department funding until the last minute, say, by the end of December or maybe even later (well, of course, my knowledge comes from a small sample). So I don't see the point of reviewing early if they aren't even sure about their funding hmm anyway, my materials for U of C are received now. We will see how things end up (Oh by the way, gimme an offer!).

Haha welcome you guys to NU in advance. I maybe able to provide some information as an under here although I know only about asian history and european history haha

This is a real one My Professor in Chinese History (after finishing and probably submitting her LoR): Oh sure. You are definitely a bright student. Good GPA and good research. You should make a competitive applicant to any Chinese history program. Writing a strong LoR for you was easy. Oh by the way, I mentioned I've invited you to my next quarter's graduate course. Me:... Professor: Why can't you come over next quarter? Me:!@#$ Professor: What? You are not even a Chinese history major?! Why don't you tell me that earlier?!!

Wow this is fast. My transcript came in late (well actually I sent them a copy in Oct and apparently was lost). Hopefully mine will be forwarded in a few days. I don't think U of C has a rolling policy and being forward doesn't meaning it's being reviewed. Usually you should expect an offer in early Feb. But yes indeed it seems everybody's fast moving this year Berkeley History will start reviewing next week (Heard from my friend) Berkeley Polisci has already started last week/early this week and Stanford Polisci should be starting reviewing now

Haha no worries la this probably means less competition tho.... My program's like a bunch of people competing for ONE offer.. OMFG..

I'm applying for history and they told me they only started compiling materials THIS week (yes, THIS week) and I need to wait another week before they will even know whether they get everything

Applied to Humanities Center this year. We will see. I've heard it's hard.

Ouch I forgot you've got one.. It's probably not the best route.. a lot of complications.. say.. if (by chance) I got into some really good schools, then I probably won't be able to double in JD because of my relavtively low GPA, etc. if I got into some safeties ones, JD would not be very helpful either as a career strategy or a academic boost (given I'm an international student, any JD besides T14 doesn't mean much to me.. sad) Also, not every of schools provides double JD-PhD. It's some hard coordinations and considerations...

I am... but will first see which school I get into eventually ... I'm kinda thinking it's best to double in JD?

Such a timely post. I'm justing getting sick of listening to my old collections (Greenday, Nirvana, and a bunch of metal ones). I need some fresh air now, particularly those spiritful ones.. I need some encouragement to overcome my finals... Any good idea is greatly appreciated haha

Apply for 20th century Chinese cultural history or the history of ideas because I was hired for two years to do things on this Actually interested in the 16th century European history of ideas and history of religion

Same here. I thought I was good... Now I was like .... nothing.. I don't speak so many languages and don't really have high gpa.. actually my major gpa is lower than my overall gpa..

Good idea coz those materials were indeed marked "confidential" haha

Gosh exactly! haha Maybe I should do something extreme: I will let her know either she turns in the letter for me or I'm not handing in my RA work hahahahaha

On the same boat now. My professor promised again and again that she would turn in everything yesterday and now she keep disappearing from me......

So flattered haha. Ok This is what I heard: besides the "credentials" there are much more important factors in the application process. Recommendation is one, for sure but we don't have much control over that. So put it aside. Then we have the writing sample, which should weigh more than, if not equal to your SOP. After all this presents your sophistication of research. I'm pretty weak on this one because I only have one term paper relevant to east asian history (after all I'm not an east asian history major) . Then we have the SOP. I lacked the necessary theoretical sophistication, details of research and familiarity with the east asian academia (after all again, I sorta jumped ship). I think those three factors would mean much much more than your "credentials" although no one is in a position to evaluate those factors, except those professors on the committee. Hopefully your are doing better on those two than I did (oh yea... I was bullshiting on everything......)

Hi MegMill, Thanks for your PM and your sharing of information. Glad to see people apply to PhD. I really have no idea of "chance" - I'm still suffering from my own anxieties haha. (As per your invitation) I'm posting my own credentials and my professor's remarks. Hopefully this should help. About me, School: Northwestern University Major and GPA: European History, Philosophy and Cultural Anthropology (finished in 2 years), including 4 graduate courses, Overall GPA 3.83 GRE: 730 + 800 + 5 Two years of research and currently employed by Harvard University Speaks English, German and Chinese Applying to East Asian History (because... sadly although I repeat again and again (and again and again...) I study European history everyone's hiring me for Chinese-related things because I'm a native speaker.....) RL: pretty strong SOP: total BS. I don't have such a difficult experience. Honestly. And I have a variety of interests (and can't pigeonhole myself at all) so I was bullshiting to "match" with professors My Professor's remarks, I should get in Columbia and U of C because of my credentials and her social capital. Berkeley should be "safe" and I should have a bet at Harvard. To be frank, I don't believe in her at all and that's why I actually applied to a lot of second tier ones (not all of them are listed in my profile tho...). But hopefully my own information would help. And of course, good luck to your application and wish your health would improve. It's really sad to hear that u've been diagnosed MS.

I foresee the same thing, not because I believe we are all the "flaky types" but because I believe professors are really busy (or am I just naive to believe in their excuses? haha ) Three of my professors, one is on the committee of a lot of foundations, etc, but still wrote me a letter one month before the earliest deadline. Another one, who just submitted, is a director of undergraduate studies and in the midst of a huge department move. The last one, who's been in conferences for the past months, promised to write me a letter on her way back, although on 28/29th. The latter two are already late (I have a school requiring a Dec 1st deadline) but I pretty much understand their work pressures, etc. It seems every professor I know have a huge amount of obligation.... hmmm

No worries most schools understand you have less control over your professors . deadlines really don't matter for them. I almost gonna scream at one of my professors today (not really haha ) who just "disappeared." Before I sent out the email, an email popped up saying a recommendation was submitted! So magic. And my professor, after such a looong while, sent me an email saying everything's done and it's easy to write me a strong letter of support. Phew~ assured.

Same here.. very frustrated by columbia, princeton, harvard and stanford.. particularly columbia. I hate a school telling you that you are gonna see updates but then.. nothing happes... Harvard and stanford are much more honest and at least I don't need to keep refreshing their websites.

Storming here today.. maybe a bad day and I find out my transcripts and/or test scores are still missing. it's like taking forever...

Glad to see this one! haha submitted to most schools last night and I'm now officially waiting

This came from a good friend of mine. She was doing completely nothing related to business at undergrad. It happened she worked for a business professor as RA for some pocket money. The professor liked her a lot and pulled her in. The PhD program she ended up was super competitive, like admitting 3 ppl every year. Also from another friend of mine. He failed to secure a job. Although it's a little bit late, his professor at his department "waved" him in for the PhD, another competitive and prestigious program. I have quite some examples at hand. It seems "backdoors" happen more than we thought. By the way, a professor I'm doing RA with clearly told me that she could not pull me in because of insufficient political capital.