marvelboy

Briefly about me: I work in NYC, love my job, but am tenatively pursuing dream PhD in related field. Hence, I only applied to three schools and at the very last minute. One of these schools was the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Great school, especially in my field (Communication Arts). And then, something odd happens. Scott Walker decides to screw the public and cut funding. This, of course, happens RIGHT when my program is deciding who to let in. Today, I e-mailed my department's secretary and point blank asked her if this recent development is affecting the decision making process. She said yes, that they're going to be two weeks later than usual in sending out notifications (which is right around now), and that funding AND admissions are up in the air. I don't really have a question but I merely wanted to state the obvious: life isn't fair. And neither is Scott Walker.

Here's the situation: I applied to University of ___ English PhD program in December. I make sure I turn in everything I need: GRE scores, transcripts, recommendations, etc. I periodically check the website to check that everything is complete. The website confirms the University has received everything and is ready for review by the English department. 2 months pass. I check the website 2 weeks ago and discover that the English department has sent back my file to the Graduate school because it is incomplete. I e-mail the department's secretary from my work e-mail (which I do not have access to on weekends) on a Tuesday and inquiry what is wrong. No response. I e-mail another person in the department on a Wednesday. No response. I e-mail the secretary again on Thursday. On Friday afternoon, my Inbox received a response from the secretary. He now says that one of the recommendations is incomplete and asks if I can get another recommendation to him by Monday morning (Valentine's Day). I read this ON Monday morning because I do not have access to my work e-mail (which is my mistake). However, I felt outraged that they incorrectly stated my application was incomplete and, right when the department is in the first round of reviewing applications, they request yet another recommendation and provide a very short time period for me to get one. I write a STRONGLY worded e-mail to the secretary (no cuss words or inapparopriate language but I conveyed I was pissed off) and state that I cannot get another rec in the time allotted and believe it is unfair for such a request to be fulfilled given the circumstances. He immediately e-mails me back apologizing for the situation, taking "half" the blame for the situation, and assures me that my application will be pushed through to the second round of evaluations. On the website, my status is changed from incomplete to pending. My question is how can I trust this guy's word? It's very clear SOMEbody messed up in not informing me in time that my app was incomplete. There's no way I could've known since a.) the recommendation was not personally sent by me and b.) the recommender clearly thought he sent in a complete recommendation. And since the website said "complete" for 2 months, I feel I have a legitimate excude for complaint and think that it is most likely the secretary's fault for screwing up. If so, he could easily just SAY he passed on my app when really no one is looking at it. Also, how will the committee know the circumstances of my situation? Do I try to contact other people in the department or Graduate office about this? I apologize if this sounds vaguely whiney but this is my dream school and felt I had a very good chance of getting accepted. Plus, I only applied to two other schools so if this one is eliminated due to an error beyond my control, I only have two chances left to get into the grad program of my choice. Thanks for reading and hopefully your replies!

Hello everyone! I was wondering if there are any posters who have applied to Film PhD programs? On the forum, I've only noticed UT-Austin's Film School send out notifcations. Has anybody else been contacted? On an unrelated note, I've been watching "How to Get Into College" non-stop for 2 weeks now. Sure, it's dated and addresses undergraduate admissions but it's still relatable. Plus, it has Phil Hartman!