2017 Applicant

You don't need to prove anything to your fellow students. And professors probably care more about your learning and your teaching than your clothes. That being said, if you're going to get nice clothes for student teaching, you might as well wear those to class, too. If you can't afford them for each day, then just go casual. Also, I think this is the wrong forum for this question, so this thread may be deleted soon.

I'm sorry. Tell him how you feel (if you haven't already). It's not selfish to let him know that his withdrawn position is making you upset, especially since you seem to be upset because you're concerned for him. Opening up to you would probably help him, too. Plus you could possibly help him deal with his stressors if he let you know about them. Lack of communication is toxic for a relationship, so if this is one you care about I'd recommend assertively telling him how this affects you and why you would like him to open up.

Thanks everyone. I received the fellowships!

This is almost enough to convince me to join student government.

Well, the deadline is past, so no use in worrying about it now. And to be fair, if a department says that a writing sample is not required, chances are they are not going to waste their precious time reading any writing samples that are submitted anyway. I've seen schools that explicitly said "any recommendations received past the third recommendation letter will be ignored."

It means that someone at least scanned your application and saw that the field for "Writing Sample" was empty. I have received automated emails from schools before deadlines because I hadn't submitted one of the supplemental items. It sounds like this email came from a human, though, so I think the safest thing you can conclude is that they have at least begun the application reviews.

Phone number

Personal item

Knowing how the service industry is, I bet any barista that does this has been conditioned by multiple customers complaining that "this is not a medium!"

To play devil's advocate, I don't really see how it could help to email them either. Chances are, if they've already made a decision about you they'd probably notify you about it as soon as they could. And even if they are able to pinpoint a date when you will hear back with a definitive decision, you are still going to have to wait until that day to get your answer. I don't think knowing when that day will come will change much. In my own opinion, I prefer the excitement of "maybe I'll hear back today!" over "exactly two weeks to go until I hear back." The fact of the matter is, a question like "when can I expect to hear back?" carries no urgency (unless you are being pressured to make a decision somewhere else, which you say is not the case here). It's also risky, because they have already answered it for you (albeit in two vaguely different ways). Sending an email asking this risks you coming off as impatient, inattentive, unconfident, or pushy, with no reward at all. I would really only send emails that will meaningfully impact either your application or your final choice of where to attend. It's natural to be curious and anxious about hearing back, but it's just something we all have to wait through.

@2017applicant I was really freaked out reading your reply because I couldn't remember posting anything, and wondered if someone had gotten into my account to write that.

@boilermakers I wonder - do you even have the ability to accept the offer yet? I'm wondering because I'm in a similar boat, and although I received my unofficial acceptance packet a while ago I still have not gotten a notice from the graduate school yet via their website and thus can't accept or decline the offer. I wonder if it's because they're waiting to select fellows first.

That doesn't sound like jealousy to me, but it sounds like they're trying to put you down on your choices. Is there some background we're missing? Like, are you looking at programs on the other side of the country and maybe your loved ones are subconsciously/subtly trying to make you reconsider your choice to go because they want you to stay around? My advice is to be firm about your choices and proud of your accomplishments. Let them know Yes, like so much in life the process is subjective, and a whole bunch of people on an admissions committee had the same subjective opinion that you are a great fit for their program The program is great for you, hence why you applied (I'm assuming this is true for you haha) Money is really secondary to your happiness, but if they hark on the financial aspect and you are being funded at a PhD program remind them that the stipend plus tuition and fees amounts to a lot; plus, you are getting PAID to learn, position yourself, and get a degree - that's pretty damn good You may not like grad school, but you may not like a lot of other things you could be doing instead. There's no way to find out until you try.

This is a kind of selfish perspective. Of course no one likes a braggart (though it's pretty early in the application season to conclude these people are "never" coming onto the site again and are just here to brag). But at the same time, no one has an obligation to tell you any personal information about themselves or give you proof that they've actually been accepted. The posters you are talking about probably just want to share their excitement with a lot of people. If your reaction to that is "that's my spot," "I don't believe you," or "how does that information help me" then maybe those threads aren't a place you actually want to hang out.

There's no point in worrying. In the very unlikely event they are changing their minds without keeping you informed of their concerns, there is nothing you can do about it. It's best to just be patient and wait for the official acceptance.