mckenna81

Let's all get Mexican food to celebrate, what the hell.

It's so nice to live vicariously through everyone who has received closure!

Right, I totally understand why people are trying to use any prior information in order to figure out when they might hear. Human beings are terrible at waiting when they don't know how long the wait will be! This is why the DMV is so excruciating. But I encourage everyone to keep in mind that every email is sent by a person, not a machine - it would be almost unsettlingly creepy if the emails went out on the same general day at the same general time every year. Ultimately I think this is the natural outgrowth of very smart people put into a high stakes position. No judgment - I'm stalking this board and the spreadsheet right along with y'all! But really, we're trying to read tea leaves about what it means that an email was sent on one day and not another, and meanwhile the person who's responsible for sending the email is probably, like, trying to figure out when to schedule a dentist appointment and wondering if there's still cake in the break room. Not to mention that since they work for the State Department, they're literally working under a guy who's like "I've been on this job 40 days and North Korea still won't back down, guess it's war time!" This is not a normal year.

As someone who was responsible for admissions for a very large university program, maybe I can help shed some light on the notification gaps. Granted, I was working on a much smaller scale than Fulbright in terms of people to notify, but I was responsible for sending 600-800 notifications each year via email. This also involved multiple emails to those accepted, sort of like the emails to principal candidates. It is an excruciatingly slow process, even when you're using automated mail merges and things like that, which I'm sure the Fulbright coordinators are. Each letter has to be checked, and often the emails have to be individually crafted. If I was in charge of sending the emails, I would separate the awards (student/ETA/scholar/etc) in order to ensure that the work was being done in batches and that people weren't being unnecessarily kept waiting. Someone mentioned that maybe it means that they're deliberating more about the ones that haven't gone out. I doubt that's the case. I would imagine it's more organizational than anything and - though I understand people's instincts - the coordinators are likely slowed down by all the people calling. Like I said, I was an admissions coordinator, not a Fulbright coordinator, so I'm sure they have different processes. But I want to encourage people not to try to prognosticate too much based on the order or timing of notifications. It's probably got nothing to do with us. I also understand the instinct to call (I, too, am going nuts waiting to hear) but really the best thing is to let the coordinators do their work, particularly since we've seen that calls rarely yield useful info.

I've applied to both the Fulbright and the Irish Research Council postdoctoral fellowship. The IRC has an online system where you can check your status, AND IT'S CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION. Between that and waiting on Fulbright notifications, my nails are bitten down to nothing.

Anyone else having trouble opening the spreadsheet?

As expected, Trump did want to completely eliminate the Fulbright Program and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Fulbright has been spared, but only through reductions to other important international programs. Fuck everything about this administration. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/state-departments-28-percent-cuts-hit-foreign-aid-un-and-climate-change/2017/03/15/294d7ab8-0996-11e7-a15f-a58d4a988474_story.html?utm_term=.952bd6fb0bfa

Some awards have earlier deadlines. Mine was due August 1.

"Better" is relative. It really all depends on a. what you want to do with the degree and b. what field you're in. I'm in a field where it's very unlikely that I'll get a tenure track faculty job, even with my PhD - there simply aren't enough jobs, and those in "better" programs really don't have much of a leg up at all. I'm better off with my second tier PhD with very little debt than with a first tier degree and $100k in loans. I say this having already gotten my PhD and having worked in admissions for a first tier graduate program in the sciences. The "name" school is not necessarily always the best option, nor does it correlate to long-term success. And though a Fulbright might help you get a first year fellowship to attract you to the school, no award is going to guarantee you full funding throughout your entire degree, especially given the current higher ed climate in the US. In my experience, people who have yet to go to grad school tend to be not so great at understanding or predicting the realities of grad school, particularly when it comes to finances.

Fully funded masters. Getting a degree with no debt should, in my opinion, trump all other options. EDIT: Well, having read other people's posts, I can see the benefit of waiting. Still, though, having worked in higher ed for over a decade now (and having gotten my PhD with less than $10k of debt), I would prioritize the option that leaves the most flexibility in the end, ESPECIALLY if you're in the humanities.

Any other Canada folks here? With all this Europe news I can't believe we (likely) have almost another 3 weeks to wait!

I'm applying for a program in Montréal as well, but one that doesn't require French proficiency. I know the scholar awards are different than the student awards, but my assumption is that if you're a semi-finalist and haven't been contacted about an interview, they probably just don't do them. I think most countries don't.

I am! I applied for one of the postdoc awards. My understanding is that there is no interview. What program did you apply for?

Just a quick hello to the Canadians who've joined us recently! I'm applying to go TO Canada, so I'm glad to hear that the folks up north are on working on their decisions.

Hi Dash! I have ulcerative colitis. There is a medical clearance (at least for my program - it was on the letter I received letting me know I was recommended) in order to ensure that, if you have medical issues that need treatment, you will be to access the care you need while abroad. So depending on where you're applying and what your illness is, it might not be an issue. I am applying to Canada and take easily accessible medicines for my ulcerative colitis, so personally I'm not worried about it being a problem. If you've applied to go somewhere with limited access to medical care, it might be an issue.

They should be fine if you only want to do an MA or MFA, but if you want to work in the United States, it's best to do your PhD in the United States. Honestly, the best thing you can do for a master's degree if you plan to continue on to the PhD is to go to the cheapest program you can. Do well there, go to conferences, etc - but don't take on any debt. In that respect, a Canadian university might be good, but be sure to make professional contacts in the United States if you plan to return at some point.

I've been offered a TA position at the university I really would like to study at in the fall. However, they are requiring me to accept their offer (including the TA offer) before they will send me a letter detailing what, exactly, they're offering me. This seems extremely strange and suspect to me. I wrote them back and said as nicely as possible that I don't enter into contracts without reading them first, and I would appreciate it if they would send me the details of the offer in a letter. No answer yet. What am I to make of this??

I paid for my MA by getting a job at the school. Most schools will waive your tuition if you have a staff job that entails at least 20 hours a week of work. Plus, the pay is usually way better than a TA salary. I got my master's in five semesters instead of four, made $40k with excellent health insurance as an administrative assistant, and the total cost to me out of pocket for fees, books, supplies, etc was about $900 total for the entire degree. I would strongly suggest you look into that route. It's tough, but it's so worth it.

What is going on with Cornell? Has anyone heard from them? The last time I called (about a week and a half ago) the committee hadn't even met yet. I am really anxious to hear from them...

I applied to Columbia. I called a few days ago to ask about my status and they said if you hadn't heard, you didn't make it. Sucks, but oh well. Tufts is awesome! I'm likely going to UW Madison.

Now, this is just my opinion, but having been a reader for several theatre companies, the quality of dramatic literature coming out of Columbia is just awful. I would assume their dramaturgy program works closely with their dramatic lit program, so just something to keep in mind. The few folks I've known who did the Columbia program came out saddled with debt and without much to show for it. I'm not familiar with Yale's program.

Anyone else considering UW Madison for theatre? Or has anyone been accepted and decided to go? I've been accepted and would love go, but I'm really anxious about funding...

Sorry to say, but no, it does not mean anything. I work for UA. Your application is entered in one computer system, but in order to be evaluated it needs to be pushed into another system. This typically happens automatically, but it can take weeks/months. Once the application is pushed over, an ID number is created to allow it to be tracked in the new system. Every applicant is assigned an ID number, however, regardless of their status.

Could be good news! When I applied for undergrad, I literally never got a letter of acceptance (or an email, phone call, etc). All I got was a letter explaining the financial aid process. I called to clarify and sure enough, I had been admitted but not contacted.

That's a good way of looking at it. I'm hopeful that I will at least get a somewhat thorough review, as my research interests are so closely matched with a professor there (and there aren't that many of us in this particular area of theatre). I have one rejection as well, and I know I didn't make it past the initial review. I'm a much better fit for Madison, though, so I'm trying to stay optimistic. I should add - my GPA is good (4.0 in my MA, 3.8 in my BA), I have two publications and two conference presentations, but my GREs are not stellar (88% verbal, 55% quant, and a really shitty writing score that I'm hoping my statement and writing sample will counter).