aria880

I'm among those still waiting on NW, though I'm expecting to log into my online application at some point later this week and see a rejection. I've also had a similar experience with Georgia. I received my acceptance via postal mail from the grad school on 1/31/09 (interesting, seeing as Georgia's deadline was 2/1/09). Since then, I have heard absolutely nothing from the department...nothing about funding, nothing about a prospectives' visit, not even a lonely email from a professor congratulating me on my acceptance and inviting me to ask questions as has been routine for the other schools to which I was accepted.

Amen. My anxiety had abated considerably in the past week as I'd pretty much resigned myself to the likelihood that I wasn't going to get in anywhere else. Now, though, I can feel my blood pressure elevating by the second and the ulcer that had begun developing in my stomach has emerged from dormancy. Next Friday is a LONG way away (and another @#$%ing Friday the 13th, I might add)!

I hate talking to people on the phone, so I emailed the graduate coordinator for the department in both cases. When I emailed Michigan (who I knew had already sent out all decisions except, apparently, mine), I simply asked if they would be willing to communicate my status to me via email because I knew that other people had received decisions via Wolverine Access or postal mail and I had not heard anything through either of these media. When I emailed UNC (where no one really knew what was going on), I apologized for contacting them at a busy time, but asked if they could tell me where they were in the process. I didn't ask for my status. Other people on this board have contacted departments, too, so hopefully they'll come out of the woodwork and give you some advice as well!

Wow. Got the response from UNC already. They're still determining how many offers they can make (translation: they're still fighting with the grad school to get funding for more students). They hope to know more by the end of next week. Holy cow, I'm going to have a coronary before then.

Alright folks. I emailed UNC and worded the email in fairly general terms in the interest of getting information that is applicable to you all as well. Fwiw, we had a bunch of snow in NC overnight, so that might impact how quickly I get a response. UNC only had a delay, but the roads are likely pretty nasty (we really, really don't know how to handle snow in this state) so there's always a chance that the grad coordinator isn't in today. I'm not sure there's any point in contacting NW at this point since several people did late last week and were told to expect online decisions this week. I doubt they'd tell me anything different if I contact them now. What about Minnesota? Anyone have any news from there? We saw a couple of acceptances, but no other news since.

And the Michigan rejection is official! Now that I'm scratching this itch, I'm seriously considering contacting the other programs I'm waiting on, too. Should I do it?

Still waiting away, though as you can see from my signature, I'm assuming no news is bad news at this point. After reading back over the results for 2008 and 2007, it seems like the NW department is one of those lovely ones that leaves rejects (aka their unofficial wait-list) hanging forever. Maybe I'm wrong (it's happened exactly once before), as I'm not too skilled at the game of speculation we've all been engaged in for the past month. In other news, I'm a total glutton for punishment. I finally decided to contact the department at Michigan to receive my rejection definitively. I emailed and they haven't responded back yet, but I figured a rejection would be a fine way to start the week!

I'm about 95% decided about where I'm going, but there's still the outside chance I won't be going anywhere if the details (ex. selling my house in a crap market and my husband finding a job in a slightly less crap but still crap market) don't work themselves out.

I'm IR.

I'm in the same boat and also unsure of what to think. Part of me thinks the safest approach at this point is pessimism, but then NW is also the most perfect fit for me among the schools to which I applied. So maybe hopeful pessimism is the order of the day?

Natofone, you rock. I'm too cowardly myself to contact any of the departments I've yet to hear from (actually, more specifically, I'm still gun-shy from last year when I contacted the only two programs to which I applied and received bad news from both).

Well, then... So much for having a productive day at work!

I'm still waiting on Minnesota, too. No clue what's going on there.

I'm realizing that I was spoiled early on in the process by two things: early acceptances and concrete information. I heard from my first four schools all within one week of each other (starting the last week of January) and I was accepted by all four. Since then, I feel like I've been caught in this awful cycle of obsession and speculation as I wait for news of the others to trickle in.

It's official...I'm going to have an ulcer by next week.

I'm still waiting. Not holding out much hope at this point, though.

Is the stress of waiting and worrying (both about decision results, about the reality of actually beginning a PhD program, and about the logistics of uprooting yourself to begin said program) taking a toll on anyone else's physical health? I've been sick with a cold for a week and a half, and suffering from some nasty insomnia.

Those of you who've logged into the Michigan site and found your decision letters, where exactly are those hiding? When I log into the application site, all I see is the same "To Do List" occupying most of the page that has always been there. At this point, I'm certain I've been rejected, but I'd really like to just go ahead and get the proof so that I can move on.

Wow. The results board is just downright depressing this morning. There are only three acceptances on the first page. Here's hoping we turn it around today!

I actually have two of them.

I applied to two schools last year and was rejected by both, which came as a surprise both to me (obviously...who applies in the expectation that they're going to get rejected?) and to my faculty advisors in my MA program. On their advice, I contacted both programs to inquire about what I might do to strengthen my application for the future. I received a fairly prompt reply from rejection issuer #1. The DGS responded that they'd had 400 people apply and were looking to fill only ten spots, and that if my stats were good (which they were) I was likely rejected because they believed there wasn't a satisfactory faculty match for me. Obviously, there was nothing concrete there to help me fine-tune my application beyond the implication that I might not be an ideal fit. Foolishly I applied again this year and had an identical result. I never heard a peep from rejection issuer #2, so I was essentially relegated to speculating on why I was rejected and settling on a thing or two to polish up in my application (I switched out my writing sample and wrote what I think was a much stronger SOP), though I am confident that fit was not the issue at this school. Still no verdict on this year's application from that program, though I'm rapidly losing hope thanks to some nasty rumors.

I had pretty much decided in favor of Wisconsin (if I don't get into any of the other schools on my list, that is). Now I'm rethinking that on the basis of their funding package.

Are you a bit underwhelmed by that, too? I was pretty surprised (and not in a good way) when I opened my envelope and saw that figure. Given what Illinois came in at and the range that Ohio State gave, I was expecting Wisconsin to be at least $5K higher.

Man oh man. Today alone has dropped my acceptance rate from 1.000 to .667. Oh well. My husband (a native New Englander) was deeply prejudiced against Texas summers anyway. Now that's one less battle I have to fight in life.

It appears that I inadvertently unleashed a storm of panic re Northwestern. Sorry guys! I'll try my best not to project my own fears onto you in the future.