Comfect

Ann Arbor isn't that expensive - their stipend didn't seem unreasonable. That said, if you want to negotiate, as omgninjas says, more power to you. Unlikely to hurt, might help. But compared to living on the same stipend in, say, Boston, New York, or Chicago, I wouldn't worry as much about Ann Arbor.

Hey, you mentioned a sonnet, what sort of potential graduate applicant did you think would respond? It's an entertaining way to distract myself from applications... By the way, I like your ode.

I agree with GirlattheHelm; don't say "I got accepted at XYZ," just call and ask about their waitlist and their waitlist policy. There's really no reason they shouldn't tell you if you inquire politely and express your sincere interest in getting off their waitlist and going there.

I'm of the opinion that while there are no safeties (a clean sweep rejection is never impossible, because of how much of a crapshoot this process is) there are relative safety schools - that is, "I am a lot more likely to get in here." That's not much comfort though, when they start rejecting you too...

Sure, I'll bite. Anything to not do work! I study Shakespeare and the religious/political culture of the Renaissance. So far I'm rejected from Stanford, Penn, and WashU, and accepted to BC, BU & Tufts. I applied to 5 more schools. And most definitely the Chicago style guide over MLA. That's an unfair fight.

Personally, I think that it should include 1) a statement of how many applicants they had/how many they accepted (we deserve the consolation of knowing how small that percentage is, since it's ALWAYS small) and 2) A decent facsimile of a signature; it really isn't hard to scan something well. But 3) and most important, it should be sent via email relatively promptly, rather than 2-3 weeks afterwards by mail. C'mon, if you know I'm rejected, let me know too!

Life slow. Death quick. Can't choose.

I really don't know - I've never contacted an adcom after the deadline - but it probably couldn't actively hurt. That said, don't lose hope. As you mention, you've got 2 waitlists, so there's no reason to think you couldn't get an acceptance down the line.

Relax? Who relaxes? Seriously, I listen to jazz, write poetry, and watch movies. Basically something with its own rhythm, to take me out of the rhythm of "click on inbox, wait 3 seconds, click on inbox."

It's always valuable to have a backup plan, too, in case place Y turns out to be better on paper than it actually is. Now, if we're talking a community college and an Ivy, I'd say cancel - but it can't hurt to hear about Place X in case you turn out to be more interested in it/less interested in Place Y than you thought.

First, if you hit two waitlists I wouldn't worry too much that you're doing something wrong. That means two places thought you were almost tops (and remember how much of a crapshoot all of this is...). But that said, I would tend to say you should include something related to your topic of interest, because the Writing Sample is SO important in terms of giving them a sense not only of how you write, but how you think about the topic you are interested in.

I'm reapplying this year - and it's a lot better process when you've been through it once before. A better focused SoP and a better writing sample (particularly if you use that new thesis) can make a huge difference; additionally, your recommenders may know you better now that they've had an extra year to see your work or even work directly with you. It can be very frustrating, of course, to have to do this whole process again, but you only become a better applicant as time goes by!

That's also what the sentence means - the offer is both TAship and admittance as one package. They just are also trying to encourage you to tell them early so they have their class set.

First of all, don't freak out too much until it gets near to April 15. Who knows, someone could tell Harvard tomorrow that they don't want to come! Also, how big is the difference between the actual departments? I know Harvard is a big name, but UCLA has some good scholars too...

Who am I fooling? Do I really believe I'm this dedicated, intelligent, wise, Composed and prepared to go out and achieve In graduate school? Though I praise to the skies My accomplishments, learning, and interest, can They see past illusions, and through my disguise To notice I'm only an ordinary man Far more prepared to sell burgers and fries Than critically read and maturely assess The writings of geniuses long in the tomb; I know it, I feel it, this statement's a mess And sending it out will but guarantee doom. What's that? I'm accepted? You can't really mean I hoodwinked professor and provost and dean?

Currently 6/14. Rejected from 3/14. Waiting on 5.

As I found out last year, the only safety is a school where you're already holding an acceptance in your hands. Alas. Best of luck with the rest of your apps!

Brandeis' offer, at least for me, was 20k for the first year, renewable based on good standing. That may or may not be a standard offer; I really have no idea.

Oh well indeed. Good to know that much, however. Nice of them to take the waiting part out of it EDIT: Annnnd they're up. Rejected, surprise surprise, but again, at least no longer waiting.

As a Seattlite I can say that I love my city; as someone whose grandmother lives just north of Hopkins, I can say that Baltimore is quite a nice city if you stay at Hopkins or further north (my cousin who lives in the inner city had a shooting right in front of her apartment though); as a prior visitor I can say that New York is very crowded but also very exciting and San Diego is gorgeous, warm, and not quite as bustling as the others (well, besides completely-not-bustling-in-that-sense Baltimore). Hope that helps!

It's very strange that Penn, which has a large notification on their department website that letters will be available online at ApplyYourself "by" Friday, 2/20, has not yet posted these letters (at least not mine...I expect it's a rejection, but I want to know!)

To those who are worried about my story - don't be. I talked to my department and my advisor about it, and none of them had ever heard of it happening before and were completely shocked (and my advisor has had tenure since the 70s, while my department has been around since 1906, so we're talking a long while here). It's not going to happen to you. Seriously. To satisfy curiosity, a) he strongly disliked my approach to interpretation (he was very opinionated about that, despite the fact that I wasn't there to work with him, but with one of his colleagues whose approach I shared), I got in on a redeye flight and he took my tiredness for boredom while sitting in on his class, despite the fact that I actually participated when permitted, and c) I think he just didn't like me personally, although I tend to hope I'm not such a horrible person to meet :shock:. Anyway, it was a perfect storm, and as I just said, it will not happen to you. It should be the least of your worries. Back on topic, I stand by my statement that they just don't rescind offers, pretty much without exception. And Bernie Madoff practically owned Brandeis, I don't see how he couldn't own the UCs too.

I had a horrible experience last year; I visited as an admitted student to a school and did whatever the exact opposite of hitting it off is with one of the tenured professors in my field. He wrote me an email the next day telling me he believed I should never attend that school and that he would strongly advise me to reconsider my life choices. He was extremely brusque and rude and clearly thought me completely unqualified to come to their school. And despite that, they still didn't rescind my offer of admission. I think you're safe unless you fail to graduate your undergrad institution or kill someone.

I know what you're thinking: "Did he pay $1000, or only $900?" But to tell you the truth, in all these applications, I kinda lost track myself.

Some schools only require a transcript from your degree-granting institution, so that might have something to do with it. For instance, I studied abroad, and none of my schools required the actual transcript from that institution (although I sent it anyway. It couldn't hurt since I got better grades there than in the US). So that may be some of the reason.