paperclips
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Posts posted by paperclips
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They did this to me last year, too. Their problem is that the GSAS only lets them admit a set number of students, and they aren't allowed to have a waitlist (so they don't want to make an offer unless they know you'll come, because they can't fill your spot with anyone else). It's completely against the protocol that the schools agree to, so you shouldn't feel any guilt about telling them it's your first choice and backing out later (that's what I did, and while I felt a little awkward about it, everyone got over it pretty quickly...).
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I checked my other applications and the official scores seem to be there for all of the schools except Penn. I did receive a weird (I assume mass) email from the lady in charge of applications (DGS? I don't know) on January 11th which said:
"Due to the volume of application materials that are being entered into the system, we are currently not able to tell you if required items are missing from your application.
After this process is complete, you will be notified if there are any items needed to complete your application and given the opportunity to provide it. You can also track the receipt of your materials by logging in to your online application."
I wish she told me when the "process" will be complete. Rar.
I wouldn't worry about your Penn admissions status. This happened last year, too. They ended up losing one part of my app (I think one of my transcripts?), but they contacted me about it in early-mid February, and I was admitted in late February/early March.
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One thing to keep in mind is that these "tiers" COMPLETELY depend on what field you're in. For my field, Princeton, Columbia, Berkeley, Penn, and NYU are all definitely 2nd Tier schools.
I would definitely not consider all the Ivies to be "top tier." This is not college, so having an Ivy League name does not guarantee anything. As you said, Cornell in particular does not have a great reputation.
Finally, consider how happy you would be at these places. Columbia & NYU have the reputation for being very competitive and having unavailable professors. I almost went to Columbia, but decided I would be very unhappy there. Think about where you would do your best work, because ultimately what matters is not whether your school was ranked #5 or #7, but how good your scholarship is, how much your advisor can do to help you while you study under him/her, and how much s/he can help you make connections and find a job.
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Regarding schools yet to give notice to applicants, has anyone received notice from Johns Hopkins? I saw from the running results that someone phoned the department, and they said that rejection letters were to be mailed out last week.
Hopkins sent acceptances on March 13...I think they took a very small number of people because of retirements.
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I have one school left, one waitlist I am at the top of, two rejections and two acceptances to MA programs.
But I am feeling good about getting off of that waitlist! I hope that the people that got accepted get into somewhere else, with more money or prestige.
Are NYU or Columbia's PhD letters out yet?
I don't know about NYU, but Columbia finalized their PhD decisions last week and sent the list to the Dean. From last year's posts, it looks like they'll put PDFs of the letter on the app site.
Good luck, and congrats on your acceptances & waitlist!!
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Don't be afraid to ask an undergrad professor for some type of help with your application - they want you to succeed. It reflects well on their department/school when their undergrads go off to great grad programs.
Agreed. I went to a liberal arts college known for its great master's program in art history, and the director of the program (who reads all the masters apps) read about 5 or 6 drafts of my statement and commented extensively. He and I were never that close in college (I took one class with him my last semester), but he just offered to help -- as you said, it reflects well on the school that their grads consistently get into good programs.
In my statement, I talked about my interest in my sub-field and described my research experience, but also spent at least one page talking more generally about why I wanted to study art history...my advisor said that they know that the ppl applying with just BAs have broad interests, and aren't expecting you to know every detail about your course of study or dissertation topic.
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re: Harvard -- i just spoke to one of my advisors, who said that Harvard has been known to notify slowly. However, the Dept Chair at Harvard told him that they were only allowed to admit 9 people this year.
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To whomever posted the Columbia acceptance today/yesterday -- did they say anything about class numbers for this year/distribution between fields, etc.? I'm guessing since I haven't heard anything from them at this point, it's safe to say that I'm out. Definitely disappointing.
I posted the acceptance...they didn't say anything about the number of students, but it sounds like the final decisions have been submitted to the dean, so people will get official offers soon.
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To the person waitlisted at Penn -- did they tell you upfront that you were waitlisted? I've been getting bizarre phone calls and e-mails from a couple profs at Penn inviting me to visit, but they haven't accepted me, or said that I'm on a waitlist...just curious if this is normal for them, or what.
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I don't know -- it sounded like it would come in the mail? Not sure how they usually do it.
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I'm the JHU admit...the prof e-mailed me directly, but said the chair would send out official letters. Sorry, don't want to say too much else online. Good luck to everyone!
columbia offer
in Art History
Posted
There are lots of reasons one might choose not to go to Columbia. Columbia is strong in some fields, but weaker in some, including my sub-field. It’s also a large program, and several of the professors are known for not caring much about their students (and this is often reflected in the students’ work – I had several professors at other schools warn me that the quality of many students’ work there was sub-par, and that it was clear that their advisors had not read their work carefully). In a smaller program, you will get much more individual attention. It completely depends on what environment suits you best – as long as you’re choosing between top tier schools, the name matters less than the quality of work you produce.