FreeLindsey

Hello all... It's been a while so I thought I'd give an update. Toronto wants to admit me but they're still waiting on funding info. But I decided that of all possible options, UPenn was the best fit for me, so I accepted their offer. I am incredibly happy and excited What about all of you?? What's the news??

Also, not a bloody word from Toronto and it's nearly April. Ughhhhh.

Verisa, they sent an email. Anyone familiar with Princeton's procedures? As far as I know, I'm still on the waitlist, but they're bringing me in for a visit this weekend. I've heard a rumor that they do interviews at these visits...

Nos from Harvard and NYU... Still waiting to hear from Toronto.

Still not a breath of news...

Verisa, yes I visited Rutgers. I have to say I was not impressed. There were some logistical glitches (my appointments were late or never showed up at all, they put me up with a grad student after telling me I would be in a hotel, etc.), but ultimately it did not seem like a very serious program. I talked to a grad student who had just transferred there. He was the youngest in the program at 27 years old, which was odd to me, just having turned 22. He said most of the students there did not have academic aspirations but were just killing time, essentially. Big red flag. The faculty were very nice and seemed very competent, but I was concerned that there weren't really any requirements for the program (like a literature survey course, z.B.). It just wasn't right for me. But then again, this was directly after my visit to Penn, which really blew me away. Also, I was speaking to the chair at Penn on Monday, and she said that she knew that the committees at NYU and Harvard hadn't met yet. But another prof in their department told me that one of their undergrads had already been rejected from Harvard. I haven't heard a thing, which is weird, because I know I didn't make their shortlist (didn't get an interview). I guess we'll have to wait and see...

Just got rejected from Brown today :/ Nothing from NYU yet.

I was just made an offer from Rutgers! Visiting next week

Ah, I know a prof in the German department at Minnesota (came to a conference at my uni... on Epictetus, funnily enough) and he was an awesome guy. I thought about applying there but decided that I really didn't want to live in Minnesota... I'm seriously getting impatient, but I'm really looking forward to my visit to UPenn in a few days. They just sent me the itinerary and it looks like I get to meet just about everyone.

Thanks, I hope you're right! He did a good job of selling it... Any news on your end?

Well that was odd... the interview went very well (we talked for almost 45 minutes) and he said that they were "extremely, extremely interested" but really didn't give me a time table in terms of finding out whether or not I'd be accepted. He seemed to be trying very hard to sell me on Rutgers, but I don't know, it was very strange.

I spent much of the summer taking language courses at Speak + Write. I felt the teaching left something to be desired, but perhaps that was just my class. If nothing else, the immersion (four hours, five days a week) will do wonders. Marburg as a city is great if you're trying not to speak English too much. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about S+W/Marburg!

Harvard does do interviews and I didn't get one. But I have an interview with Rutgers tomorrow (well, er, later today I guess)!

Uromastyx, I was in Marburg for the summer. Took classes at Speak + Write Institut. Did quite a bit of traveling apart from that, too. For those wondering about funding, Penn State offers about $17,000 plus $3000 summer support. UPenn offered me $24,000 plus $4000 summer support. I feel like those are pretty good indicators of range, from my understanding. So, anyone familiar with wait list protocol? I have no idea when I'll find out if a spot has opened up for me at Princeton, and I am very interested. They're having me visit on March 29th for their conference, which will be mad awkward if I don't get offered a spot. But I'm really hoping to know before then... Meh. Angst. Anyone heard from NYU, Toronto, Rutgers, Brown, or Harvard?

And don't give up hope for Brown yet-- in an exchange with the graduate coordinator, he said "We have not conducted Skype interviews in the past, but might start doing so this year if our applicant pool warrants it." That doesn't necessarily mean that you're out if you didn't get one. Maybe they just wanted to check on my German

Oh yes, love me some Judy Butler. Psychoanalysis is also an interest of mine, though admittedly most of my exploration has been within the context of the Frankfurt School (Marcuse, etc.). It's finals week at my uni right now and next week is our "spring" break (we're on the quarter system), so I was hoping to visit all of them next week, but only UPenn can accommodate that. So I'm visiting them on Monday and Tuesday. Penn State is hosting accepted students March 14-16, and I think I'm going to visit then. I don't want to make any hasty decisions. My profs are really pushing Penn State on me already because of their strong philosophy department, but I don't think it's a good fit. Their German program seems to have a lot of emphasis on linguistics, which isn't my cup of tea. But anyway. Princeton is having me visit on the weekend of March 29th, which is when they're having their conference. Perhaps I'll hear from a few more this week, and maybe squeeze one or two more visits in over break. I've been stuck in this dreary city ever since I got back from Germany in August. It'll do me good to get out of town.

Got a rejection from Yale today. Sigh... Mist. Knew that one was coming. (I'm also quite sure I didn't make it at Harvard, since I didn't get an interview, but I suppose I could conceivably make the waitlist.) Cornell sent me a letter via snail mail. I think UPenn would actually be a great fit for me. It seems that a lot of grad students there are doing work in feminism and queer theory, which was one of the main secondary areas I was looking into. They also seem to have a pretty big departmental interest in literary theory. And I'm sure I would have opportunities to take a philosophy class or two. At this point, it's looking like a great option. But I think I would take a spot at Princeton, if one ever opens up. I interviewed with Brown the first Sunday in February, and they said I would be hearing from them in 2-3 weeks. That was two weeks ago, so I would think by Monday at the latest. I guess I'm not in a bad spot. After hearing back from half the schools I applied to, I have two acceptances, two rejections, and one waitlisted. But it's like the more news I hear, the more anxious I get to hear from the rest!

I am only applying to German Studies programs. I am also very interested in Yale, that would probably be my next choice, but I haven't heard anything from them yet. Congrats on Oxford-- that's awesome. And yes, I'm applying directly from undergrad. I felt that I had a strong enough record, so I didn't see any use in waiting. That's rough about the funding-- I don't blame you for being stressed. I definitely appreciate that the schools that have thus far accepted me have also notified me immediately of the funding situation. Do you think the lateness is a sign of rejection? I had assumed that most places notified everyone of their standing at once. Plus, judging by some of the postings for German Studies on here from last year, late February was when most received word either way. I'm still holding out hope for a few more of the schools I applied to. Like I said, I'm really hoping for Yale in particular, but I think that might be a long shot. It would be pretty cool if a spot opens up for me at Princeton too-- I've been contacted a few times this week about visiting and meeting the department, so I hope that's a good sign.

Finally! Someone else! I've been browsing this for months with no luck. I have a BA in Philosophy from RIT (specialization in German philosophy), minor in German, and I studied abroad in Marburg last summer. My main interests are in Marxism/critical theory, Heidegger, and the Vergangenheitsbewältigung literary movement. I'm still fleshing out my specific literary interests. Otherwise, I'm really into feminist theory, existentialist literature, and aesthetics. I applied to 10 PhD programs-- Harvard, Cornell, Princeton, Yale, Rutgers, Brown, UPenn, Penn State, U of Toronto, and NYU. So far I've been accepted with full funding to both Penn State and UPenn, waitlisted at Princeton, and passed over at Cornell (sadly, it was my first choice). How are you holding up? I think this week is when I'll hear from most of the rest (I got word from both Cornell and UPenn just this morning).

Greetings! This is my first time posting on the Grad Cafe. So, I'm a philosophy major (minors in German, Political Science, and a concentration in French) at a major engineering university (obviously we have a school for liberal arts too). I do pretty well; I have a 3.90 GPA, decent GRE scores (163 verbal, 158 quantitative, 5.0 analytic writing), and have held many leadership positions in extracurricular activities. I've presented at a few undergrad philosophy conferences and have recently been recommended for a Fulbright Fellowship. My concern is my German. I've been studying for 13 months. Over the summer, I studied abroad in Germany, where I took language intensive courses for one month. Given that, my German professor let me skip the "Intermediate" sequence of German classes, and I am now in the "Advanced" courses. (I took "Beginning" last year.) My uni does not have any languages majors. My professor says I'm at the top of the class, and she considers my German to be almost fluent-- I just need to work on my vocabulary. It is certainly a bit rocky, but I can have a conversation quite easily, and can read and understand very well, I think. My reason for applying is my interest in German thought. I am also applying to Philosophy phd programs, but I'm thinking that a Germanic Studies program would fit me better. I've studied Heidegger, Marx, and Critical theory quite extensively, and my senior thesis is on German literature and situated in German theory. Do I have a chance of getting into the top-tier programs? Looking for brutal honesty here. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!