ivyreject

I am declining Florida today. I was on the waitlist for funding.

G'town acceptance email came March 4. No funding. GW and American rejections came by post late last week.

Rejected at GW and American. But in at Georgetown... Go figure.

Not sure. I wasn't offered a fellowship and was told it was unlikely, but was also told by my prospective advisor that most students s/he works with who come in unfunded end up getting funding during the course of their careers. This is just an observation, s/he says, not a promise. I just really want to go there. It's by far the best match in terms of specific interests. I haven't decided for sure. But I really hope it works out.

Has anyone been offered funding at American yet?

Wow, the traffic has slowed down here big time. I live in Florida, but Thursday-Sunday I went to Boston and Washington to get a feel for some schools. It turns out that I got rejected from everywhere I applied in Boston (so far), so that was more of a vacation. But I had never been to DC as an adult and I spent some time on the American and Georgetown campuses. I didn't go to GW because I am pretty sure they rejected me. Anyway, being in DC and on the Georgetown campus helped confirm that this is where I want to be. It sucks that they didn't offer me funding, but I am going to start talking to the school about need-based aid, as well as think about possible part-time job opportunities. I am going to G'town 4/3 for the department's preview day, and I hope it works out for me to study there beginning in the fall. I still haven't heard officially from BU or GW, and I haven't heard anything from American or Northeastern. I'm still waitlisted for funding at UF. Hope everyone is having a good week so far. Good luck.

I called the office and was told it was "highly unlikely" by the same dude who sent the admission email. When I emalied the prof I've been talking to, I was simply advised not to decline a funded offer elsewhere to hope for funding from G'town, because they are extremely tight on funding this year. He did say that the people they offer fellowships to likely have better offers and so they will "move down [their] list," but I was not told where I stand on that list or if I'm even on it. So, basically, Georgetown remains my first choice, but I doubt I can go there. Oh well. I'm not good enough to get their money, but I'm good enough for them to take mine. If I had any...

I have some of the same schools on my list. G'town is my first choice at this point, but I don't know if I can swing it without funding. I haven't heard from GW either, which I assume is a rejection because there was a big wave of unfunded acceptances on Friday on the big board. What is your sense about BU? They have rejected some and admitted some. I expect to hear any day now. I'm going to Boston and DC later this week, but have no Boston acceptances... But my girlfriend got into Catholic University of America's law school and is waitlisted at American. So getting into BU doesn't mean as much to me at this point.

Although my numbers looked in line w/ GW and G'town was a bit of a reach for me, I didn't get a GW email Friday. Congrats to those who did. Decision time is now at hand. Although, with no $ from Georgetown (my first choice), and only a waitlist for UF $, I first need to decide if I even want to do this at all. For those of us still waiting, I hope this week is a symphony of acceptances. I'm going to Boston Thursday and DC Saturday to get a feel for campuses. When I booked the flights, I assumed I might have acceptances in Boston. Oh well. Georgetown is the best departmental fit for me. Unfortunately, their attitude is, "We won't fund you, but we'll gladly take your money."

I know GW has already notified their funded admits, which sucks for me beacuse I really need the $. Are we still expecting a wave of admits? As for American, according to the big board, last year they didn't notify until around the 20th or so, I believe. But, with respect to GW, am I wrong to be expecting a notification any day?

Congratulations. I know that feeling well (getting your first acceptance, even without funding...)

I'm still waiting to hear from some places, but I'm out at my reach school and in at the two best departmental matches for my interests. Problem is... funding. All I can do is hope that a lot of people who Georgetown offered funding will decide to go to better places. Still waiting on GW and a few other schools... And anticipating the thin envelope from BU any time. Hope all is well with everyone today.

What time? PS Congratulations!

I got an unofficial email from a prof in December that was very forward-looking, saying my scores "should be good enough to get [you] in," and "I'll look for your application." I got the generic acceptance email on Wednesday, but there was no mention of funding. I need the $, otherwise I probably just won't go to grad school.

I'm trying to find out if Georgetown has a waitlist for funding. I have this pathological issue where I save rejection letters. I saved my rejection from Duke from undergrad and from Harvard for my master's. So far, I have rejection letters from BC and MIT. This weekend my girlfriend ripped them up. And I felt better. DC is looking more likely for me every day. I just need them to show me some money.

The mainstream media gives a particularly negative take on where we stand in this process, noting that prospects for prospective humanities and social science PhDs are terrible: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/07/arts/ ... anted=1&em At best, our future is uncertain and almost certainly will not be the experience our mentors had. At worst, we are taken advantage of as a source of cheap labor, then dumped after graduation like yesterday's trash in a system that has no place for us. I'm in at two places, waitlisted for funding at one. Ultimately I am going to do this, no matter the cost. But I have way more reservations now than when I first contemplated this journey five years ago.

My guess is that it's someone who is being offered a fellowship. Depts. seem to contact those folks way early. For instance, I was anxiously awaiting to hear from Georgetown. Several people got in 3 weeks ago, presumably w/ funding. Another wave of acceptances came two days ago, this time w/ no funding. So I am assuming that the GW admit from the big board is a funded person, and the rest of us will get our acceptances next week in a letter that, however diplomatically it may be stated, means: "We don't want you very badly, but we'll take your money." We'll see.

Ignorant question of the day: Top 10, 25, etc... according to what?

Who do I ask? The prof I talked to in December, who presumably helped me get in? Or the person who sent the acceptance? Or someone else?

I got my acceptance from Georgetown on Wednesday. Unlike many for whom this was a back-up plan, it is toward the top of my list. They notified their top applicants a few weeks ago, presumably those who are being offered funding. I just got a generic email to the rest of the admits, presumably those being offered no funding. My question is this: how and to whom should I address the question about whether any funding might exist for me? Their website publishes statistics showing how very few of their students get funding: In my field in 2007 (American), they admitted 17, enrolled 10, and only funded 3. Should I ask the staffer who send the acceptance email? The professor with whom I've had contact? I'm afraid if I was at the bottom of their list of people they wanted to admit that it will seem presumptuous for me to ask for funding. I wonder if their attitude will be, "This dude should just be lucky he got in somewhere." Thoughts?

So far I have no offers for funding. What do I do then?

I would prefer not to, but I might. So far, I don't have funding offers from any department. I was hoping to have multiple funding offers to sift through, but so far that isn't happening. I know schools buy their best students, but I'm trying to just be grateful that I got in.

American

About Georgetown: The email I got was a generic form letter acceptance with some Word attachments about Preview Day. There was no mention of funding, so I'm assuming none is being offered. I seem to recall a bunch of G'town acceptances a few weeks ago, which I assume was their fellowship people. My funding situation is basically this: UF said I'm on a waitlist, and G'town is apparently saying, "We'll be glad to take your money." Have others received the email today? I guess traffic has slowed around these parts as the Ivy Leaguers and other fully funded folks have already received their good news. I'm still waiting on GW, American, and BU - but I'm assuming BU is a rejection because I didn't get an acceptance like some did on Monday. This has been a good week for me so far. Aside from the MIT rejection (which I'm sure is arriving in the mail soon...), I'm in at what I consider to be some pretty decent places. I also submitted a late application to Northeastern today. Their program is new and may not be as selective, but if there's funding available and no one else comes through with the big bucks, I may have to consider it. Plus, I love Boston. Oh, BU, please don't reject me!

In at Georgetown... Just got an email at 1:12 EST today. Invited to preview day 4/3.