bloomquish

I'm hoping for a wait-list from Johns Hopkins too. Three weeks ago I heard decisions would be made by this week, so we'll see! Good luck!!

I am interested in this as well. I've considered doing an MRes (12 mo full-time) in the UK but probably would not go for the full PhD having heard about the difficulty of transferring experience and the degree title into the US academic job market. At the end of an MRes you'd have a research proposal and some intro courses. However, if you're interested in applying immediately to US PhD programs, like I am, you'd be applying just several months after beginning the program. I suspect it would be tough if you anticipated producing an essay and getting recommendations so soon after your arrival. One of the reasons the 12-month program appeals to me is because I think my application materials are fairly strong and it would just be great to be in a program this year and to have some new work and contacts next year.

Oh FaultyPowers I am hoping the very best for you!!!

Just chiming in to provide an outlier story. If applications with low scores are thrown out in the beginning I would never made it to the finish line, which I did. I took the (old) GRE four times in four years, and my quantitative score never got above 420, and my writing never above a 3.5. On one remarkable day I got a 790 on verbal, but usually my verbal score hovered around 500. What the scores as a set show is that I do not excel in a test-taking situation. No more, no less! I am actually quite good at abstract mathematical logic problems, but you'd never know it. My essays and letters were outstanding, and my GPA was ok but not great (around 3.0). Over these years I was getting rejection after rejection and grew convinced I had to raise my GRE closer to the 600/600 mark to round out an uneven academic history. The last year I took the GRE I completed two formal classes (PM me if you are interested), studied with an informal study group on weekends, and hired a UC Berkeley undergrad to tutor me in math. For a few months I made this my top priority. On the practice tests I was consistently scoring close to 700 on both sections, and thought I had it in the bag! But in a cruel twist, I got exactly, to the number, the same score as my first test four years before. The bright note is that I got in to a very good PhD program last year with six years of full funding (which I turned down for personal reasons), and two masters programs, NYU and Chicago. Berkeley told me I made it to a shortlist back when I first applied in 2010, and mentioned I should work on my GRE score. But.... I made it to a shortlist!!! My GRE scores have not come up when I've asked for feedback after other rejections. In short, I wish I hadn't agonized about it so much.

I'm curious about how this works. It's not my situation, but I've wondered how the applicant and department come to an arrangement (through a comment box in the application? Over email?) and what the consequences are for the dynamic of the cohort, etc.

Thanks daykid! Has anyone else here applied to Hopkins? There was an email acceptance posted last week...

I'm chiming in for the first time and am also waiting to hear (from Johns Hopkins now). It's my third application season and this one was particularly isolating--seeing these posts make me wish I'd joined in earlier. I have to say, it is heartwarming to see the support you are giving each other. Deep deep congratulations to those getting acceptances, and I hope more of us know that feeling soon. to Emma: This feels like my last chance too. I haven't worked outside of academia or odd independent research jobs (which will end soon) for many years and am terrified of what it will do to my spirit (psyche, will, what have you) to have to compete for entry-level positions in this climate with so little "real-world" experience on my resume and so much frustrated desire to join a graduate program. Hang in there.

Maybe I'm being a little dense, but do you mean someone was accepted in person? And I just noticed someone posted an acceptance on the results page... does anyone want to claim that?

I feel you. The GRE is the biggest roadblock between me and my future (I realize that is not correct English, I'm sorry. I realize that wasn't either. I don't really care.) I have a 3.9, years of research experience (independent and as an assistant on a well-received book in my field), several awards, presentations, and three seriously effing abysmal GRE scores. ETS has rejected my request for a time extension twice despite psycho-educational testing results that made a very convincing case I need it. Those cost me $3,300, by the way.