socialpsych

Yeah. I saw the NU rejections. Sorry, guys. I hope you all get some good news soon...

Are there any/good EE or programming type jobs in Chicago?

I'm the Chicago person who posted today if anyone wants to chat.

Yay!!!! That sounds promising. Congratulations!

Not everyone does interviews. All I know is about my own programs, but there are two that historically have not done interviews. I am expecting to hear yes/no from them in early March. Also, I don't think the large number of rejections says anything about where schools are in the process...unfortunately, in such a competitive field I think it just reflects the very high base rate of rejections.

I completely agree. What I have heard, from all the profs and grad students giving me advice throughout this process, is that it is GOOD to let schools know how interested you are. Especially this year when funding is so tight, schools really don't want to make offers to people they don't think will accept. I have also had one interviewer tell me fairly explicitly that whether or not I got an offer would depend in large part on my interest in the program. I'm not saying you should overstate your interest or pre-commit or anything like that; but wouldn't it be a bummer if they ended up not making you an offer because they weren't sure you were really interested? Once the offer has been made, then I think you have the upper hand and can negotiate (especially if you have offers from other schools too). But I don't think now is necessarily the time. And also, I don't want to be a downer, but I think there is a possibility that you are not in but high on the waitlist and they're trying to figure out how high on the waitlist you should be. Just a possibility! You may well also be in.

This is a GOOD sign. Be prepared to talk about your research interests and your background, and have some familiarity with the recent publications of people you would like to work with. Also, yes, they will probably ask where this school ranks among your preferences--sounds like it is really a top choice so there is no need to even prepare a diplomatic answer. Just don't hold back in letting him know it is a top choice, haha, because this can only help you. I wouldn't be too aggressive in asking about your chances. I mean, once the prof brings it up I think it would be appropriate to ask, but I wouldn't, for example, respond to "Do you have any questions for me?" with "Yes--am I waitlisted?!". It sounds to me as though he is planning to bring it up himself anyway.

Thanks for everything you do, bgk! This site is a lifesaver.

I don't think this is necessarily true. It varies by school. Some schools do everything at once. Some schools notify rejected applicants right away whereas some drag their feet for weeks after acceptances have gone out. What does seem true across the board is that waitlisted applicants are the least likely to be notified right away...

Condolences to the Michigan State waitlist...obviously this is a really competitive year.

Well...yeah, the prof can get into pretty big trouble for that...

Wait a bit, especially if it was within the last week.

Eh. Not all of us. I spent two years in New England, didn't like it, came back.

Unfortunately I've heard it does vary in Masters programs...depends whether they belong to the Council of Graduate Schools. Sorry...but congrats on getting accepted!

People say it is very quiet. So, I assume, in that sense no...but it may have other issues. Depends what you are after.

I wouldn't think too hard about it. Schools vary. Some perfectly nice schools are just notoriously weird about admissions, as far as I have heard. Don't worry about making anyone mad, but also don't overprocess on this--it is not a reliable indicator of how your experience there will be.

If you are not ready to take it, don't take it. PhD programs need to give you until April 15th. Fortunately you have the upper hand here because they have already given you the offer. Let them know that you realize this has been a competitive year and they would like to get their entering class sorted out, and you certainly would have let them know if you had gotten a better offer and were not excited about theirs, but you don't have enough information to commit right now, or somesuch. Depending how strong that undertone was, you could also maybe ask outright whether you were mistaken in your belief that you have until April 15th. Again, you are in a strong position because you already have the offer in hand. It is unfair for a school to pressure you this way before or after accepting you, so do not feel guilty about taking your sweet time given that you have the offer. Also...congrats!!

Haha. I know almost for sure that I'm not going to hear anything until the end of next week, and yet here I am.

Nocturne, I have one such visit coming up myself (although they have not accepted anybody yet without a visit). Like you, I consider myself to be fairly shy and socially awkward. Keep in mind that, especially if they are offering some travel reimbursement, they are not inviting huge numbers of applicants--probably 2-3x as many as they want to admit. So you are probably looking at the remaining admits and the top of the waitlist. Given that people apply to multiple schools and their yield is unlikely to be 100%, your chances are pretty good. And they selected you for this group because they already like you and want to meet you! I doubt you will be questioned on specific knowledge, but I would read up on the recent publications of any faculty you are interested in working with. Some literacy in the field you want to go into will be helpful and will come across easily if you have it. One piece of advice I have heard over and over again: just as important as talking about yourself articulately is getting the faculty you are meeting with to talk about themselves...everyone likes talking about themselves (especially academics, since so few people are in a position to really appreciate their work!) and you will seem automatically likable if you can get them talking about their work. "What have you been working on recently that isn't out in the press yet?" can be a good opener. I think I will also probably think of some questions I have about these profs' research based on the recent articles they already have out, so I will have a follow-up question ready in case they are still working on something similar. You will do great...congrats and good luck!

Hey, another OB person! Welcome. I think they should start coming in within a week or maybe two...

I think you are preaching to the choir here...the point is that not everybody feels that way, so it can be wise in terms of the admissions process to hide info about family until one is accepted.

I am guessing faculty might be worried that it would undermine her dedication to research and academia? Sad, but some people think that way...I know of one (female!) prof who is explicit in dismissing female academics with kids as not serious and dedicated.

I too have had hearing-from-schools dreams...actually I dreamed that my top choice school wasn't taking anyone this year. Which I now know is not true, thank God.

I just found out on what day my top choice program is meeting to make final admissions decisions (next Wednesday). Oh em gee. I don't think I'm going to sleep until then.

I've now heard from UC Davis, via telephone from my POI. So it looks like they are indeed doing interview invites this week...maybe gradually since it's on the phone. She first called me yesterday. Good luck everyone!