Iknownothing

Yes, the funding drops off after year two, but they've offered me (maybe you too) $8000 of guaranteed summer funding paid out in one lump sum over the first summer but intended to cover two summers and an additional $6000 to attend a summer institute. Have you received your official letter yet?

OK....this is getting ridiculously weird and wonderful. Just received my official funding letter from UM and they've now upped their offer to a point where I would be just stupid to say no.

After seeing the rejections from George Washington, I decided to check the website for any decision info on my application. Curiously, it says a decision has been made, but there are no links to follow up on. The only thing new, I think, is a link to various campus and program tours they are offering. Hmmmm....is anyone else experiencing this?

I think this speaks to the variability of rankings and job placement records. I know we are not supposed to overly focus on rankings, but just for a sort of mad, obsessive intellectual exercise, what do all of you think about the various ranking systems and which one is the most accurate? Of course there is US News and World Report, which places UM far above Penn State. PhD.org and the National Resource Council, however, place Penn State's history department only slightly below UM's for 2010. Making things more complicated, this same survey places Penn State above UM when it comes to professional development and placement satisfaction. Penn State readily admits that they are a program in transition and on the rise. They shot up from 73rd to 23rd according to the NRC. There is part of me that thinks that's kind of exciting. BTW, thanks to everyone for the great advice!

I heard Rutgers through an email from my POI - Rejected. So, some decisions are being made. Good Luck!

Thanks everyone for the great advice. @datroy - My heart is leaning towards PSU right now, but I think that's because I've actually visited the campus. I'm not going to make any serious decisions until I visit UM in late March. Knowing me, I'll probably fall in love with Ann Arbor too...lol @jmac - the opinion of my SO is also very important. Ultimately we will both have to make a mutual decision. @Bactrian - the ranking difference is indeed significant! There is a part of me that hopes when I visit UM, I will fall in love with it and the decision will be easy.

lol...yes, I know I'm being evasive. I'm basically trying to decide between UMich and Penn State. Both of the funding offers are generous and pretty equal, but Penn State has a lower cost of living. I went to visit and LOVED it. I'm visiting UMich in March. At Penn State, I would be getting a dual degree in Women's Studies and that program is ranked #2. AT Penn, I would be a TA right away, whereas at UMich, I wouldn't TA at all for the first year. Also, these are PhD programs - I am finishing my MA right now.

OK guys....help! I basically have two schools to choose from - School A is a lower ranked school and School B is a higher ranked school. School A: Up-and-coming program, offers a dual degree in which the second degree program is in the top 5 in the nation. Visited the school and the place is awesome! Everyone is collegial and friendly. The town is small ( a plus in my book) and my husband and kids would love to live there. Plus, I'm in driving range from family members. They also have a higher than average placement record. Now, School A, after hearing of my acceptance to school B, upped their offer in order to be competive. Clearly, they want me there. School B: Highly ranked program. My advisor says I would be crazy not to accept their offer. Beautiful college town, although I haven't visited it yet. I would be working with some of the top people in my field. We would be far away from family and my husband would move there, but he isn't very excited about it. Cost of living is higher. So, what should I do??? What would you do??

I haven't received a formal rejection from Rutgers yet and the website still says "no decision." I kind of think she was just nice enough to let me hear it from her before I got the crappy format letter. So, it sounds like they've definitely made some decisions and y'all will be finding out soon. Good luck!

Kind of just repeating what I posted in the results: Just received the nicest rejection email so far from Rutgers. Truly genuine. Was told that readers put my application in the A pile, however, they felt that I may be better suited to a Western university due to the nature of my work...lol. I have already been accepted to two Eastern universities! I know we have all been getting kind of jaded with these rejection form letters, so it was kind of refreshing to get a personal email from a professor explaining the decision. According to her email, there was quite a debate about my application. Of course, the rejection is soothed by the fact that I have two other offers. Otherwise, I'd be hyperventilating and crying...lol Wow! This process is such a crap shoot!

Others may have different advice, but I would wait. If you jump the gun, they may forget who you are by the time they are reviewing applications. I compiled my list of possible schools over the summer, then in the early fall I began contacting professors I wanted to work with. Based on their replies, I narrowed down my schools. After their initial replies, I made sure to follow up with a thank-you email (making sure to continue the same email thread so they could refer back to previous emails). Once I turned in my application, I sent out another email letting them know that I submitted my application (again, using the same thread) and made sure to tell them that if they had any questions regarding my application, to please feel free to contact me. So far, the two school that I've been accepted to started out with an initial email and then evolved into phone conversations - always a good sign! Good Luck!

Hi Transnational, I'm not sure about the extra night, but like others have suggested, I would just be upfront about it. The worst they can say is no. Maybe you can pay for an extra night in either place and take the time to explore the city on your own? I just wanted to also point out, if you were not aware, that the itinerary for UM stated that they would pay airline tickets between two destinations, if need be, rather than simply a round trip ticket. In other words, it sounds like they would pay for you to fly from Vanderbilt to UM and then UM to home. They definitely understand that this is recruitment time! My visit is the same date as yours even though your an Africanist. I hope we get to meet!

I may be able to answer this one. Last weekend I received a call from the graduate coordinator for the Americanists with an offer of acceptance. The next day I received an email from my potential advisor congratulating me. Yesterday, my Wolverine account changed. I now have an option to view my decision which states that I've been accepted. Shortly after my Wolverine account changed I received an email from the graduate school. Today, I received my itinerary for the March recruitment visit. I've also received 2 additional emails from faculty members. I was told that they were only extending 13 offers to Americanists with the hopes of recruiting 7. This number is for strict American history programs. He said they were taking a possible 4 more Americanists in joint programs. I know that there have been some questions on this forum regarding the high stipend (23,000). I was told that this is because they recently received an endowment in which the faculty voted to shift some funding to incoming grad students. In light of all this info, I'm not sure if I was just contacted early or not - and I can only speak to the US history aspect.

You might as well buy a jacket now - it sounds like you're going to need one in the future The good news is that because it is the end of winter, you will probably find excellent sales on jackets!

I would say business casual with a nice jacket (overcoat) scarves, gloves. Although I'm going at the end of March and I am hoping that Spring will have arrived by then

In my case, I started out at a community college, married, had a baby and then went back to finish my BA almost 10 years later and then my MA. I was definitely worried about the gap, but in the end, my non-trad status helped me. Both the PhD programs I've been accepted to so far have commented on my determination as a factor in accepting me. Also, I teach high school history at an alternative high school and my advisor said to include it in my applications because it shows a desire and an ability to teach. I think there is no cookie cutter formula to all of this!

In my own limited experience, I can tell you that the two acceptances I've received so far are from schools in which I had extensive contact with professors I wanted to work with (phone calls, emails, etc.). So, maybe you could hang on until the next cycle and in the mean time, try an establish some connections with possible advisors. Anyway, my two anecdotal cents. Hang in there...it's not over yet!

I'm going toward the end of March, so I'm curious to hear everyone's impressions. I've never been to Ann Arbor, but according to Wikipedia ( lol ) it is known as The People's Republic of Ann Arbor.

I also am considering accepting an offer at UM. I can't imagine getting a better offer from another school; however, I am going to check it out in March as well. Aside from the typical football/drunk undergrads/cold arguments, I hear nothing but lovely things about the school and the Ann Arbor area.

Hi Hoopskirt, I am also a 19th/20th century Americanist with a focus on gender. I wouldn't worry about the numbers. They are important, but not critical. I think your writing sample and LOR's are most important. I just returned from a recruitment weekend and one of the professors told me that the writing sample was the first thing all of the faculty read. So far, I've received two offers and four rejections and I feel, at this point, it is mostly about fit, financials, and luck. So, good luck!

Yes, if it helps, the email and phone call I received was from the US caucus at Michigan. I also heard from my potential adviser today. Hang in there!!

Late 19th/Early 20th Century America with an emphasis on Gender. What's yours? Did they invite you out to campus in March?

Just received word that I've been accepted to the University of Michigan!! Woohoo!! I missed the initial call from a professor, but then he followed up with an email. 5 years guaranteed funding with the first two years at $23,000!

EJ - Your comment made me laugh because I think my husband is just as stressed out as me (maybe more)! Kudos to spouses who are willing to move across the country for their loved ones' education! Thanks for the housing tips. I think the key to affordable family housing is to look at the suburbs outside of State College. We are also looking into Boalsburg.

Yale broke up with me today, too. Not only is it Valentine's Day, It is also my birthday...sigh....