socialpsych

I thought it might be alphabetical too. Are those who haven't heard yet in the last half of the alphabet? I'm around the middle, and I was told to check by today (12th)... That said, the decision was up earlier for me. I know someone else whose decision at Davis was up earlier than the status check email said it would be. If you go to "Track Status" you can see "Reasons for Rejection." So try that too, if you haven't heard anything from them yet.

I have sent thank-you emails to pretty much everybody I interviewed/met with one-on-one, as well as to all the department secretaries and/or students who organized the events, and everyone seemed to appreciate it. I don't think it's pushy at all.

Rejection from UCD here, but I knew it was coming since I dropped out of the process. Rejected from Harvard as well. Did they take anyone in social this year? I have declined my one remaining visit and unofficially decided where I am going next year...I will formally accept the offer either tomorrow or Saturday. Woohoo, feels great!

Yeah, exact same thing happened to me, too. It was a little aggressive...I was surprised.

I wish it weren't necessary to say this! I too have sometimes pointed out that "I wouldn't be [visiting/applying] if I weren't seriously considering this program," but I don't really understand why that doesn't go without saying. I wish schools would not play the stupid game of second-guessing applicants' intentions. You think I go around wasting my time, my recommenders' time, and my money for fun? With no actual interest in the program?

Okay, apparently I'm the only person with this experience, so I am guessing it is pretty uncommon, but it did happen to me pretty consistently and I'd like to share. I got an offer from School X, word traveled, and since then I have been written off or almost-written-off at almost every other program I applied to. Everyone seems to think it is a no-brainer that I am going to School X, and I have been told over and over again on campus visits that I probably won't get an offer or almost didn't get an offer because everyone figures I'm not really interested in schools other than X. For me, it happens to be fine because School X was my top choice and I am (in the end) going there. But everyone overestimated my certainty and it has really hurt me throughout the process. If X had not been my top choice, I guess I could have sent out much more desperate signals to the other schools or something, but I did try to make it clear at each school that I had not made a decision yet, and was also clear on my reasons for hypothetically preferring that program to School X. So I don't think I was doing anything in particular to give people the impression that I was definitely going to accept School X's offer; it was just the way everyone reasoned based on where I'd gotten in. That said, I was always honest when people asked me where else I was considering, and I couldn't imagine not being honest. Just realize that, yes, there are some risks, and if the school that's asking is important to you, it is extra-important to make that very clear.

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/rde/shs/grad/res_chart.htm

Something that reminded me of this thread: at a school visit day, the prof giving the welcome speech highlighted the presence of several active junior faculty as one of the program's biggest draws. Also, I was talking to a different prof about a particular department and the prof said he thought it wouldn't be a great place to go for grad school because there were too many old famous researchers who were no longer doing anything new or interesting.

I think you're guaranteed housing on campus your first year if you want it. After that, I'm not sure.

(Unfortunately?) Davis' interview is 3/9 so I guess the decision may coincide with that... :/ I have no idea what that means for you. If I hadn't declined the interview I could have let you know if I'd gotten the same email...

Wow, I don't blame you for not wanting to repeat the process a third time. I admire you for even doing it twice :shock: I would think that deciding among safety schools would be the same as deciding among schools in general. Visit, talk to as many current students as you can, get a feel for the faculty you are thinking of working with. Go with whichever one is the most exciting to you!

Probably 5...maybe 6 if the last one invites me! There are lots of stories on the boards about visits changing people's minds about programs. Knowing about the programs I don't end up going to will give me more perspective on wherever I do end up, and will help me feel I've made an informed decision. And aside from that, I look forward to getting to chat with a lot of people doing interesting work in my field and getting to know some people I'll see at conferences later on!

Wow...you and I clearly have very different decision-making styles. I can't wait to get my options narrowed down and make some commitments. One of my friends advised me to notice my gut reaction when I got the acceptances. Of course you will have been happier about your first acceptance, etc., but are there any schools you feel like you should have been more excited about, that in the end you just didn't care about when you heard you got in? I think that would be an important thing to pay attention to. If you're not feeling it...don't go. That said, visits can really change your gut feeling, so visit first! My strategy has been to ask my advisors. If you are talking to people from the schools you're looking at, they will not be able to compare your options to one another, which is what you really need at this point. But go to your letter writers and ask them for advice. I think they will be happy to advise you, especially if you have specific questions about the reputations of the programs you're looking at. One last tip: I've heard that the single most important thing to ask current grad students is how they like working with the profs in that program. Definitely visit as many places as you can, though! That should really help you get a sense of how the schools compare to one another.

Probably means tuition + 22K on top of that.

Yeah. For sure. Ages ago I had a dream that my top choice program wasn't accepting anybody this year. Fortunately not reflected in reality...I got in!

Okay. I'm most likely going to stay at my UG school for grad, although my situation is a bit different from yours in that I'd switching fields and advisors, and in that the program I'd be going into is top-ranked in its field. Still, here are my thoughts. On one hand, yes, conventional wisdom certainly says it's bad for your career to stay at one school. I think I, and you if you stay where you are, will just have to work harder to get to know additional profs at my school and really network hard at conferences to overcome this problem. Is the slightly closer research fit with your advisor the only reason you prefer your alma mater to the other program? Because...interests do change, so if the other program is higher-ranked and there are multiple people there you could work with, maybe just the slightly better fit is not a great reason to stay where you are. On the other hand, I keep thinking about some advice I read that says there is value to staying where you are: http://members.terracom.net/~dorothea/gradsch/success.html. I already know and like the culture here, I have a social network, and there are profs who are willing to mentor me and want me to succeed, all of which is very valuable. I probably take things for granted about my current school that just aren't true at other schools, so since I know I like it here I want to stay and not lose those things. In summary: I think staying where you are will set you back, but perhaps in ways you can overcome by working extra hard; I also think there are advantages to staying.

Congrats!!!! I think I'm about 2-3 weeks away, but I'm really looking forward to it. Where are you guys going next year??

Sorry to hear that, Itchy...heard they weren't accepting as many as usual.

I don't know about Lyman, but EV is definitely not dorm-style at all...much more like living in an apartment. Actually most people who are disappointed in EV wish it were more like a dorm, so it may suit you fine.

Eee...at least I'll be out visiting other schools and therefore, perhaps, distracted. Thanks for the detective work!

Yeah, it does--I know multiple cases where it's happened. Also, OP, if you don't want to ask the prof directly (although it's a fine question to ask), you can also, as I suggested, ask the grad students. Andorin, here is an argument for choosing the little guy: that person might be a better connection in the long term if his/her work is really viewed as up-and-coming. Careers depend (to an unfortunate degree) on what is trendy in the field, and to the degree that the more established prof's work may be viewed as passe in a few years, it may be better to jump on the new-and-hip train.

The danger with the new one is that she might end up moving. Try to feel out whether she is likely to stay for the duration of your degree--maybe by asking current grad students? From what I have heard, the best thing is to have multiple professors you want to work with, and if possible a combination of younger and older. Is there another prof at either school who offsets the academic age of your main POI for that school, whom you'd also like to work with? I think that would be an important thing to consider. Also, have you visited both schools? Asked advisees of each prof how they like working with that prof?

Don't take it too hard. Many departments at my alma mater have strong policies against taking their own undergrads--some enough so that they would never take their own.

WOOHOO, made it onto the list!

Maybe your dept can help set something up for you? Like, check whether a current grad student might be willing to host you? If they're in student housing, you could get an inside view on that, plus it would be helpful to get a chance to talk to a grad student, period. The UG admissions office does tours of campus all the time; I'm sure on the website you can find a schedule and make a reservation.