harikagirl

Are any students from Puerto Rico going to study the PhD in USA this Fall 2011? Where? / Hola. ¿Hay estudiantes de Puerto Rico aquí que vayan a estudiar a los EEUU en septiembre de este año? ¿Dónde?

I think you should ask, specially if you're considering applying for the same program next year. You might get some good advice and feedback. Nevertheless, I think that some schools -the ones that have an immense amount of applications, that is- do not review thoroughly: they just select the ones that spark their attention or the ones that, in general, are a direct match with their professors, research interests or philosophy. It is to those that, I think, they give their full consideration.

Did you apply to another Faculty/Institute in Columbia, for example the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society? Because maybe that could be it. Also, if you search the Results Board for past years (using the keyword MEALAC, not MESAAS) you'll see that several users reported that they applied to the PhD but, somewhere in late March, they were offered the MA instead (with no funding). Still, I know that the wait makes someone crazy, but don't despair. Keep the hope alive

I also agree that they wait a long time to send out rejections. I think like many of you: they just work first with the students that were accepted and wait if they reply agreeing to be in the program. I think that being on the waitlist could justify, sometimes, why it takes longer to a person to hear from a university, but I don't believe that's always the case. They already have the hundred bucks (or more) of the application fee, so they are not in a hurry to send the rejection letters. C'est domage.

Hello! I am thinking of going to this university, and I'm looking for housing options. I've seen that everybody is talking about off campus housing, but I was wondering if anybody knew something about the university dorms. Are they good? Expensive? What are your thoughts? Thank you.

Hi, I just wanted to add that if you search the forum using the name "MEALAC" (instead of MESAAS, which is kind of a new name), it does appear several of the rejection/acceptances announcements in past years. I saw that yesterday several users posted their rejections. I haven't received mine yet, but I am not too hopeful. I wish the best of luck to those who get (or got) accepted, and everybody in general :-)