IvyHope

Yes, yellow, I am. But only when provoked. I'm actually a decent person until then.

I think this is the most accurate assumption of what's going on. It's not like negotiating a business deal- you can't expect to talk numbers with the grad programs of your choice lol. If they offer you a $1500 stipend and tuition, it's probably because that's all they have budget for, and it's the same thing they're offering everyone. If you say no, they are probably more likely to turn you down and offer it to the next schmuck on the list. Departments are being extra careful about their yields this year, due to the fact that they can't afford as many students. This means they can't offer as many spots, so they have to tread carefully.

That's exactly what's happened to me. I was told that obtaining funding would be cake after my three years of guaranteed teaching assistantship. "Students always extend their funding by a year or two." Unless you get it on contract, I wouldn't expect more from any school. Especially these days. So now I'm scrambling for funding at my current school, and I've also applied to some other schools (currently in a combined MA/PhD program, just finished the MA portion). Never, ever, ever take their word without writing to back it up.

If you've already been accepted, there's no reason to keep it a secret, is there?

lol, t_ruth, you want me to bring my trumpet up this weekend and play for you? it can be arranged.

Once again, I'm the odd one out. I think fellowships are very good awards- they are honorable. Etc. BUT teaching experience is vital for someone who wants a faculty position. And while you think you might be able to get some teaching experience without being forced, believe me they are going to give the teaching spots to students who are assigned to TA before they consider you. For example, on my CV, if I'd gotten a fellowship, I'd have one line that says so. Because I have the opportunity to teach and research (yes, in addition to that which I do on my own) I have about a page's worth of lines on my vita that otherwise wouldn't be there. Just food for thought. BUT, it doesn't mean waitlist at all. In fact, most places I know of will consider their fellowship students first, and then consider the remaining applications for teaching assistantships.

Ugh! How cool is that? I bet that was a blast- I'd love to take time and just get in the car and go, so your method here seems really awesome to me. Way to go.

post-partum depression...that's what it reminds me of. (reminded me of, as I haven't experienced it in three years)

I also think most people forget, amongst the application process, that an acceptance is a christening into the hardest time of your life! lol...more work than you'll ever do in your life, combined with a sub 20k salary (some of us, 4-figure salaries) and an umatched "thickening of the skin..." It's not really like hitting the lotto. It's more like, congratulations! you get to be somebody's bitch for the next 3-7 years. Woohoo.

I think alot of people find the notification process to be a bit...anticlimactic? You'll find that you're still bottling some anticipation even after receiving all of your notifications, and there's not much to be anticipating. Does that make sense to anyone?

Certainly, it's not the end/be all. That is why they consider so many other pieces of the application. This forum is not a good sample of the population, as I've said before. There are a lot of people on these boards who boast their numbers, leaving others to think everyone applying to grad school is a genius with perfect credentials. It's just not so- there are plenty of us who've had real life experiences that have hindered our progress in college (see the other GPA thread to read my own experience), plenty of people who apply (and are admitted) with GRE scores in the 400s, plenty of people who didn't go to blue-chip undergrad schools. Plenty of these people go on to be very successful academics/researchers. But it's quite intimidating to come to this forum and admit you have a sub-3.0 GPA or a GRE score of 450v 400q, because there are so many pretentious folks around here (no offense to anyone in particular). For this reason, I say kudos to belowthree! Brave... I will say, however, that if you don't maintain a 3.0 in grad school, you'll be shown the door.

belowthree- good for you for making the situation as bearable as possible. I like the sense of humor. gad- Sorry to say it, but the ad comms do value the GPA. Arguing that you are more than a number on a scale isn't going to matter to them much, unfortunately. You are obviously very sensitive about it. Try to take it easy, belowthree's outlook is much more healthy. S/he was obviously not trying to insult you, but rather make a joke about their own situation or the situation in general.

Well, the GPA is in fact a reliable predictor of success in graduate school- if not, they would not consider it. However, they pay attention to grades, as well as grade trends, difficulty of coursework, last two years of GPA, major GPA, etc. There are plenty of people who get into solid PhD programs with below 3.0 cumulative GPAs. I am an example of this- a 0.5 GPA at my first university, bombed out in fact, and then a 2.5 at a community college, and a close to 4.0 at the 4 yr I finished up in. As a first generation college student, I was able to explain why I wasn't ready for college work when I began at 18. I am performing very well in my doctoral program. However, more programs are moving to these sort of standards to determine funding. That isn't just fellowships- but increasingly, assistantships. So if your GPA is below 3.0 cum, you might have a hard time getting funding. Kind of a bummer.

No. Believe me, a year from now none of this will matter. They just want to get some things sorted out, probably to try to move some people off the waitlist or something. This is just as much about them sorting out their decisions as it is about you sorting out yours. For what it's worth, your statement about this being the school, of the ones you've been accepted to, that is your top choice was very unclear. You have until April 15 to make your final decision. It will not matter after that. They will not hold this against you- the notion is pretty ridiculous.

Who knows. It happens on the job market all the time (particularly for jobs that require some kind of integrity or character component, ie teaching). If you're worried, obviously there's some inappropriate or questionable material on there ;-) Why not just take it down? We're all grown ups now, aren't we?

or they just don't bother with these sites. lol

I feel like I'm always the bearer of bad news. I don't mean to be. Doesn't it say once they receive state budget info they'd like to consider your application? Is there a chance they are just letting you know they are still waiting to review apps? Seems to me they might just realize that many other schools have likely made their admissions decisions, and are trying to weed out those who may have already accepted offers elsewhere? Just trying to give the opposing argument. You don't need to put me on the stake or anything ;-)

lol- normally feeling sorry for oneself is not cool, but in these circumstances, you go right ahead! we should all feel a bit sorry for ourselves, I say... :wink:

Lord. Some people take more time than others. It could be done in a short amount of time, but it's also feasible that some people needed to shift into grad-school mode, study for GRE, etc. It could also be argued that the economic crisis hasn't even begun to peak. Regardless, it's not necessary to argue about how long someone thinks apps take. The point is very simple- there are more applicants this year.

4/15 is the commonly known drop-dead date.

This is true, but be careful not to assume that just because someone is entering grad school because of the economy, this must mean they are a less-competitive candidate. There are likely just as many folks in the workforce who had high GPAs and made the decision to enter grad school, took the GRE, and boom, are a competitive candidate. Yes...this is why I am applying to other programs this year, in spite of my current relative contentment in my program now. My department/director had to make a difficult decision between using the limited assistantships available to continue funding his current students, or to use them as recruiting tools for new students. Unfortunately, depts are ranked in such a way that admissions play a bigger role in determining the success of the department than to attrition/completion rates. :-(

Apps are up, in many places exponentially. Most people agree that this is one of, if not the, most competitive year they can remember. Chatting with my advisor yesterday, who is on the ad comm in my dept, was very revealing. They are looking at admitting 4-5x more students than the average year. Obviously there isn't the funding or advising to support them, so they're trying to make decisions about which of these admission-worthy students will get acceptance.

Inspekt, you are WRONG. You big fucking liar. ;-)

Poster presentations are not grueling. If someone doesn't like your poster, they will usually just move on. If you're not going into academia, then I'd say there's no real reason to go to the conference and present, honestly. Many will likely disagree with me, but that's my opinion. I can't think of a reason why it would be "expected" for you to go in order to graduate, but if that's the case, then they should at least offer some kind of financial support for you to go.

I think the chances of gaining admission to many of the higher-ranked ed programs for MA degrees is quite high. I think Harvard, for example, accepts almost 50% of their applicants for MA degrees. However, the doctoral degree is a different story. If this (the MA) is your intention, then you should feel good about your chances, I believe.