North

I agree with this completely. I wish I would have looked at MA programs as a stepping stone instead of going all in.

I just want to put in a plug for emailing potential advisors during the application process. A couple of people have advised against it, noting - quite rightly - that it's entirely possible to get into top programs without contacting a single professors. But my view (and the view of my undergrad advisors) was that it can't hurt to put yourself out there. Honestly, I don't know why you wouldn't email potential advisors. In my opinion, it was a great barometer. If they send you back a genuine response - excellent. You might be fortunate enough to start up a real dialogue with them - thus, sticking yourself firmly in their mind. If you get something non-commital, then no harm was done. After all - as has been mentioned - they are busy people. If you get nothing at all, well then they probably aren't the best advisors anyway. If they can't make time for an email, will they really make time for you long term? You'll also find on these boards posts that provide a type of standard template for emailing a potential advisor. This can seem helpful at first because - as has also been noted - it feels slightly awkward emailing strangers. This template usually amounts to "Dear Professor ___, My name is ____ and I graduated from X University. I wrote my thesis on X and have a broad interest in X in which I know that you have a specific expertise. I am wondering if you are taking on students for the next academic year, etc etc." I would caution against sending this type of form email, as it just comes off as trite. If I had to read 20 of those within a short span of a few months, I would probably send a non-commital response too. By all means, be brief - but be detailed. Make sure your emails contain some substance. Try to actually read some of the professors work before you blindly email them so that you can demonstrate why they should care about your work and why you would be a good fit in their program. I emailed at least one professor at all of my seven schools. I received encouraging, upbeat, and helpful replies from six of the seven. The most accommodating contacts were actually at top programs. Two were staggeringly helpful. They provided tips on the application process and gave me advice on other potential programs where my interests would be well-served. And these folks are famous and well-respected within my field. In the end, making contact early was extremely successful for me, and I would fully recommend doing it - but only if you do it right.

I'm just waiting on UW's MA program. Anyone know when we should get some news out of Seattle?

I obviously made that comment in jest, man. Take it easy. Seriously though - wear whatever makes you comfortable. This whole thread is kind of trivial in my opinion. You clearly want to make a good impression, but if whatever department won't accept you for who you are (and what you dress like) then you probably don't want to be stuck there in the long run anyway.

Maybe he's visiting Cornell, so he wanted to match his font color with the school? Just a thought...

I have a tab for Financial Aid too. I don't remember if it was there previously or not. I wouldn't put too much stock in anything you see on the portal though. I've always had the feeling that Agora is a bit shoddy compared to other school's systems.

Back in January, I flipped out because I thought my transcript wasn't in when I saw that my "Final Bachelor's Transcript" thing. But I was told it was just a "system glitch" and that my official transcript had made it. I'm still waiting on BC. Three people have posted results so far (2 rejections, 1 admit) but I still haven't heard anything. The website does say this: "The committee generally examines Ph.D. applications during the month of February and M.A. applications during the month of March...We try to make offers of admission to the Ph.D. program by early March... For the M.A. program, we make offers in late March, with an acceptance deadline of June 1." So presumably there's still a couple weeks or so for PhD admissions. Maybe no news is good news? Who knows...

I considered emailing the UW grad secretary to see what their time table looks like, but I don't want to be that annoying person.

I'm curious about UT Austin as well. Anyone know what's going on there?

Has anyone heard anything from Washington or Boston College?

I applied to Boston College, WashU, Texas Austin, North Carolina, Illinois-UC, and Northwestern. I got rejections from Illinois and NW. I'm generally interested in the end of social democracy and the rise of neoliberalism under Margaret Thatcher. The bulk of my research has been on national identity, and specifically the challenges Britishness faced in the 1970s/80s. I'm interested in the linkage between British national identity and war, and I particularly enjoy studying the Falklands War of 1982 and the government and media's failed attempt to use the war to revamp Britishness in a post-imperial age.

Liminalist, That's great to hear. I would pretty much give my right arm to be accepted there. I don't have an MA though. Where else have you applied? We've probably hit some of the same schools.

I'm still waiting. My field is Modern Britain, post-1945. I was just curious if the offers they've made so far have all come from the same field or fields.

For those of you who've been accepted to Berkeley, what is your field?