Dubya

I wish the other person all the luck in the world and hope they get in everywhere else they applied, but their loss is your gain zygomatic. Until you get a response, you're officially in competition with one less person.

I take it that the Missouri post on the results board wasn't you then?

...before you applied, of course. I've heard various views on the topic. I contacted professors at 4 of the 7 places I applied.

The day is young...

For you bioanthropologists out there: http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/2009/0 ... -922a.html Doesn't really say anything we don't already know, but it's interesting to see how our field is perceived.

If it makes you feel any better I'll probably still be waiting tables as a grad student.

Well, I'm probably not the best person to answer this question since I wake up everyday and think "today I will hear from a school." That day turns out to be a bust so I say the same thing the next day. Obviously I fail...a lot. The good news is that I will surely hear from a program tomorrow!

There are still a few working hours left today...I want an acceptance in my inbox today!!! Patience is overrated! &%$#@*&!!

Wonderful? Maybe. Reassuring? Definitely!

Don't worry. I'm sure they're pretty freaky too!

Well it's certainly not bad! Sounds like they just want to make sure you're not a freak before they admit you. Congrats!

If you're going to have to pay for a PhD and you have your heart set on it then I recommend going overseas where PhDs are usually only 3 years and tuition is often comparable if not less. If you have decent grades and tell a university flat out that you're willing to pay, you can easily find your way to Oxbridge, UCL, LSE, ANU, Melbourne, and so on. I don't think it's ideal, but it can save you some money if it comes down to it...

Well, were they at least nice and had "Congrats" in the subject line or something? My worst fear is to check my e-mail and discover a message from Harvard with the subject being "F*** Off!"

Jealous! I'll likely have to defend my thesis and move countries the same week that I start at whatever uni I end up at

Tried again...you still don't exist! I sent an e-mail to whatever address you have linked to your account.

I tried sending you a PM yello there, but it said that you don't exist...anyway...what's your sub-field?

I rather not say until I get a final decision, but I GUARANTEE that you didn't apply there. It's a very, very, very small department that doesn't receive many apps.

I've always known that I could be a trendsetter, I was just kinda hoping it would be because I was famous :/

I agree with everyone stating that funding, admissions, etc. are all harder to come by. I'm sure it's mostly true, but there's no need to panic across the board. There are always anomalies and I applied to one of them. A professor at elite private university X said that unexpectedly large group of students finished their PhD last year and the department somehow managed to receive more funding than normal (must be from an outside source) and consequently will be admitting MORE students than normal. Obviously, this may not be the case for you, but then again, maybe it is!

crofty, it's about time you showed yourself! sfbbgurl, I'm jealous! But happy for you of course! I can honestly say that since I'm not cultural anth. You certainly can't beat the weather there! On a list of reasons to pick a uni for PhD, I'd say weather is number 1...followed by proximity to the beach. You're in good shape!

Yeah, I don't like plastering what universities I applied to all over the internet, but a understated counter works...now if we can all just fill the acceptances line. I have no idea why they're so nice after and distant before. I could speculate, but there's no use. My time is better spent imagining numerous acceptances and being showered with gifts by my top choice programs...

you sound like me psycholinguist! I downloaded about a dozen articles that I needed to read today and decided "well, that took me a pretty long time...lets call it a day." I then looked at my watch and realized it was 1pm. Oh well!

Thanks! But at this point we'll call it 'not bad news.' I still have zero acceptances!

I opened my mailbox a few moments ago to find a small envelope from my top choice program. I thought about how much I would have really loved to go there and said "oh well." I proceeded to open the letter, hoping that it would be a nice rejection.... "The dept has recently met to consider applications...blah blah blah...we are pleased to inform..." What?!? I had given up hope. My heart hadn't pounded so hard since my first kiss. So let this be a reminder to you all: small envelopes aren't always bad!

Of course I'll ask them too...you all are just so much more accessible though!