cardnav

I'm thinking mid-March also

Thank you for the suggestion. Several of my programs are housed in business schools, so I figured this was the better place to put it -- I did consider putting this post in the psych section and may make a second thread there.

I'm doing a Masters. Usually, PhDs get more funding anyway, so I think it will be even harder this year.

Ian Van Dahl

It's also important to realize that most committees are designed so that a third of the applicants don't even make it to their desks. Usually the admins are very generic rules (i.e. below X.X GPA or GRE score) to divide people into the "Definitely want them", "Good match", and "Definitely no" categories. More importantly, many of the math/science programs are more numbers based so the admins have a very good idea how to file people. Therefore, 2/3 of the applicants are really debated in the adcom. Yes, when the total number rises, they see more applicants, but not that many since 1/3 have already been removed from the pile. Also, as previously mentioned, the economic crisis didn't peak until the summer/early fall. For many people scrounging up recommendations, writing a SoP, etc. was nearly impossible in such a short amount of time. If anything, I'd expect to see a lot of late applicants and a lot of applicants next year.

Generally speaking, people that join the boards post their results (positive or negative) on the results section. If nothing is posted there two most likely options are 1) the program has yet to send out decisions or 2) no one else has applied to your program. Considering that it is early in the results season, option 1 is more likely.

More importantly, driving in DC proper is a hassle. There are many 1-way roads and streets often close randomly due to visits from foreign dignitaries etc. The metro makes almost everything accessible.

Not that close to Chicago

I also wonder if "brilliant" is something that you just wish that the Professor said and is just a phrase they don't use in the writing the application. Frankly, "very, very good" is a lot a better than some of the other phrasings you could have received. Also, I think you are putting a lot of weight on this one phrase, a recommendation is about the sum of its parts not just a line here and there. Finally, if you feel any hesitation in asking a professor for a recommendation, then you probably shouldn't be asking them.

At this point they the Federal Gov't is still discussing it. They have yet to make a decision, my guess is that it won't happen because it would be unpopular and our elected officials want to remain in office.

It can take as short as a week (depending on distance from mailing location) to months for the official acceptance. Sometimes the university will just send a mass-mailing with all the info once they figure out everyone they are accepting. Congrats.

As a member of the LGBTQ community, I understand. As an undergrad I was involved with my university's Queer Student Union and many of the students had similar concerns. Fill out the FAFSA without including your partner, since the government doesn't take them into account -- you have no choice about that. As for health insurance etc., check individual school's websites, many offer health insurance etc. to partners of students. You may want to talk with the univ's health center or talk to someone in your department, since they will know what the situation is. It is important to note, not all schools cover their same-sex partners in everything, so be prepared for a rather frustrating process.

I took that to mean they aren't paying. When I visited a couple of my schools, the adcom people had recommendations of where to stay etc. and wanted to be involved so they could make sure your visit was meaningful by organizing an itinerary in advance.

I'm applying for Masters degrees in HR/IR. Anyone else out there applying for these programs at either the Masters or at the PhD level?

chatzy is having issues. It's not our chatroom, but all on their service that aren't working.

Not that this is helpful, but Cornell has a habit of losing EVERYTHING. It doesn't matter what program, they always mess up.

I know this isn't the most helpful advice, but perhaps you should wait to see how the cards fall. There is no point in stressing (I know it's hard not to) over what could be and wait to see what comes to fruition. The decision may be made for you.

This purely theoretical and I have no backing to it, but I would also expect waitlists to be more popular this year. With the economy the way it is, endowments are going down the toilet, so programs are going to maximize revenue. If there is an outside chance a spot will be open, they will have a way to fill it.

I'm a television whore...not going to lie, but the short list: House Bones Heroes Top Model Anything on Bravo (esp. Project Runway, Top Chef, Flipping Out, and Real Housewives in all forms)

One of the schools I applied for, Minnesota - Twin Cities, on their ApplyNow system gives you a link marked "Decision". If you click it a window pops up with the congrats/rejection letter. I don't know if all ApplyNow systems work this way, but UMN send an automated email when your decision has been reached telling you to look at ApplyNow for your results.

No, because I got accepted to one of the three applied for. Up until then, I wished I applied to more.

Thanks. Also, when I visited UMN, they recommended that I live the "Uptown" Area. I literally spent 36 hours in the Twin Cities, so (to be frank), I don't know much. Approximately what does a studio or 1 bedroom go for in that area? I'm sure it can't be as bad as what they charge for a closet in my hometown of NYC.

On the other hand, many grad programs require (either officially or highly highly recommend) work experience.

One more thing to note. As you pay off your credit card, the company will raise your limit (usually very quickly at first then it slows down). By raising the amount you can charge to the card, they are hoping you will put more on it and go into debt (so they can charge you late fees etc.). It sounds pretty basic, but just because you can charge a lot to it, doesn't mean you should. If you haven't signed up for online banking, you may want to do so. It allows you to keep track of all your current charges and will make it easier for you to know when they have received your monthly payment.

This was touched on in another thread, but I'm curious. Who is attending grad school immediately after getting their bachelor's and who is pursuing their Masters/PhD after a few years? Personally, I'm going straight through.