jferreir

I've been waiting all morning for the mailman... alas, no SSHRC letter, but I did receive yet another visa bill... :evil:

I can sympathize. Try explaining the difficulty (and practicality) of philosophy to an automotive mechanic; my father thinks all philosophers are "professional bums". On a serious note, I find this extremely difficult to deal with. I don't have the empathy or encouragement that other students (presumably) do, and I really think it negatively affects my motivation/confidence. In my experience, no matter how much I accomplish, it always feels inconsequential - almost like I don't belong. Thankfully, I had some really good professors during my UG that patiently urged me to continue, but it's still extremely difficult when you have little to no support from your family. In their eyes, my UG was a necessary precondition for finding work; anything beyond that is a waste of time/money. Sometimes, I feel like I'm the only person that's being actively encouraged to drop out and get a "real job". What's worse is that I have no means of responding. If I say "you don't understand", then I come off as an arrogant, condescending asshole (my parents never went to high school, never mind college/university). On the flip side, I can't simply ignore them - they're my family. Damn, being conflicted sucks.

I immediately regret reading this thread... now I know I won't sleep! In my case, I was nominated for a SSHRC CGS Masters by my home institution, but I had no idea the success rate was so high! Speaking of which, does anyone know what percentage of graduate students presently hold SSHRC funding? I think I read somewhere that it's around 5%, but that number always struck me as quite low (for no particular reason). On a separate note, if we receive SSHRC funding (knock on wood), how do schools go about adjusting their internal funding package? That is, how does a school determine what amount of internal funding is proportionate to SSHRC funding? Obviously, this will change based on school/department, but I'm curious to know what the general methodology is. Best of luck to you all!

No problem. Just to clarify, make sure you email the graduate coordinator of your program. If you attempt to contact SGS, they will simply copy/paste from the FAQ section (which, of course, is anything but helpful). If you keep it short and polite, I'm sure you'll have a response within 2 days.

I received an email from the graduate coordinator after I requested a status update. In his response, he said they were just beginning to notify applicants. Personally, I would attribute this slow response time to the unusually high number of applicants this year. Keep in mind that everything varies by department (or so it seems).

Not sure if it helps, but I received an informal notification from U of T this past week. I'm still waiting for official correspondence to come in the mail.

Amen to that!

I applied for a different MA program back in January and I received an informal response about 2 weeks ago from the dept. Technically, I still haven't received any "official" notification from the school. Additionally, I'm in a situation similar to yours - waiting on two schools with an April 3 response deadline for the other. I simply contacted the GDR and graduate program services and I was granted a 2 week extension. In fact, some schools already incorporate a 2 week grace period (unbeknownst to applicants, of course). I would call graduate services and request an extension on the deadline... the worst they can do is say "no". Good luck!

I applied to three programs in the first week of January. So far, I have only received one official response (mid-March). Concerning the other two schools, I received an informal email as recently as yesterday stating that I've been placed on the waiting list. My advice would be to email the graduate coordinator... usually they respond to the first email. :wink:

I can definitely sympathize. Do you know what can turn agony into torture? Patiently waiting for a long overdue decision only to be greeted by a waiting list notification sitting in your inbox. For Christ's sake, the thought of rejection is becoming exceedingly palatable as it would end this sheer insanity. At this point, I just want to get on with my life! But alas, I will continue to compulsively check my inbox/mailbox... almost knowing that nothing is there.

I'm over analyzing again... Present Status (ranked): School #1 - Waiting List (top position) School #2 - Waiting List (position unknown) School #3 - Accepted (minimal funding) Yesterday, I received notification that I was placed at the top of the waiting list for School #1 (first choice). I promptly requested an extension on the response deadline from School #3; the deadline was extended until April 13, 2009. I then contacted School #1, asking if it was reasonable to expect a decision by that date (April 13). The GDR responded with "I expect so". Now, I'm trying to decide if the implied message is: (1) Yes, it is likely that someone will decline their offer by that date, OR (2) Yes, we require all successful applicants to respond by that date Given the GDR's wording, I'm leaning toward interpretation #1. But to be fair, it does sound like somewhat of a stretch. Any thoughts? Fuck, someone put me out of my misery! ----- FYI, I'm completely stressing out because only School #1 guarantees full funding for all accepted applicants. In all likelihood, if I don't get accepted into School #1, then I probably can't afford graduate school. :cry:

Thank you.

About two weeks ago I received notification that I was placed on a waiting list for my second choice university. Last night, I had a dream that my online status changed to reflect an update in my application. There was one note appended to the online application which informed me that I was accepted with minimal funding. The school in question is located at the other end of the country (literally), so I could not accept the offer due to lack of funds. While I was totally devastated in the dream, I took some comfort in knowing that I finally had some closure. For once during this whole application process, I was at peace. Then I woke up and checked my email... I'm now on the waiting list for my first choice university. Oh, the irony!

Thankfully, I already replied indicating that it was my top choice. That said, I don't think it would have mattered since the list was already ranked. Right now, I'm just grateful for this website... it's so therapeutic to completely freak out with others that are in a similar situation

Talk about a roller coaster... I need someone to temper my excitement/anxiety/depression. Essentially, I wrote off my top choice simply assuming that I would fall short of the competition. Sitting in my inbox this morning was a lovely email stating that I'm at the top of the waiting list. Although this is a positive sign in itself, I need a little help gauging my probability of acceptance. With any other school, I would think that my chances of acceptance would be very good. However, this school is different because: - It is consistently ranked #1 in the country - It guarantees full funding with a generous stipend - It admits about 12-15 on average (I'm guessing the number will be lower this year) So, do you think at least one person will reject their offer? Obviously, no one can answer this question with confidence, but I'm desperately in need of some reassurance... or a reality check. Best of luck to you all!

I received an email stating that I was shortlisted for admission. The wording was somewhat awkward, so I asked if I was placed on a waiting list. The GDR then responded "Yes, things will work themselves out by mid-April". Here is where it gets weird... I received the informal email about 2 weeks ago, but I never received any official notification (i.e. a letter). Moreover, my online status still shows "application complete". Like many of you, I emailed the GDR kindly requesting my position/rank on the waiting list, but he never responded. Oddly enough, for this specific program, it appears that only rejections have been sent out, not acceptances... Does this happen frequently? Is it possible that the GDR simply confused "shortlist" with "waiting list"? I'm so thoroughly confused by this whole process and asking questions apparently doesn't get you answers (with the school, at least). I have to respond to another school by April 6th, so now I'm freaking out.

Unfortunately, the schools that I applied to are not part of that council, so the rules don't apply. Is there a tactful way to request an extended deadline without implying that this is my "backup/safe" school? Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful for the acceptance, but the other schools are a much better fit for what I want to study (not to mention the additional funding). I know I could reference the uncertainty surrounding external funding, but that's an issue for almost all offers of admission. It's going to be very difficult to get some answers without stepping on some toes. Right now, I feel like I'm being stiff-armed into a risky gamble...

1st Choice: No word yet. 2nd Choice: Wait-listed (decision to come in mid-April). 3rd Choice: Accepted (April 6th deadline). I don't hear back about external funding until the end of April. So, is it acceptable to: (1) Ask for an extension on the response deadline? (2) Inquire about additional funding? My "backup" school simply can't afford to fully fund their MA students, so I can only get partial coverage. Even with that, I really don't think I can afford 2 years of study (I'm still swimming in debt). While my 1st choice guarantees full funding for all MA students, it is notoriously late with admissions (e.g. mid-April). My 2nd choice simply said things would work themselves out by mid-April. Presumably, I will have to respond to my backup school prior to official notification from my other applications, and with no word on external funding. What would you do? WWJD?

In my case, I received an email stating that I was on a shortlist for admission and would receive notification shortly if a position was available. Naturally, I was a little confused with the wording of the email, so I asked for clarification. The response, in essence, was "you're on a waiting list - things will work themselves out by mid-April". Take that for what you will, but my guess is that you're stuck in limbo with the rest of us. Welcome to almost-Hell.

I'm in the dark with this whole waitlist process as well. I emailed the DGR requesting my rank/position on the list, but I never received a response. That said, the DGR did write that things would "work themselves out by mid-April", but I'm not exactly sure what that means for my probability of acceptance. Sadly, from my experience, I don't know a single individual who was placed on a waitlist and then offered admission. Like yourself, I've been waitlisted at my top university, so I have my fingers crossed. Here's to more waiting...

Congratulations! Are you planning to accept the offer? Also, if you don't mind me asking, how much was the funding package? You can pm me if you like.

I'm an insensitive jerk? Perhaps you should read what you have written in the past three posts. How about we go back to civilized conversation, or is that too much to ask? I still don't understand why you're on this forum if you have nothing relevant to say regarding admissions...

While you're at it, you might want to work on some of your anger issues.

While it is nice to have been accepted to one program, without adequate funding, it really isn't any help at all. And why do you hate philosophy? I don't know where you got "patriarchal" from, but just be happy that you can afford 11 applications (some of us are not so lucky). Try to look on the bright side - you still have 5 apps and with the complete uncertainty that accompanies this process, anything can happen. Now if only I could get myself to believe that...

This entire process has been affecting my ability to sleep. For the past 6 consecutive nights, I've been dreaming about what my various responses will be. I've been wait-listed at UBC (probably my top choice - still undecided), but the DGS hasn't responded to my request for more information concerning my rank/position. I swear, being wait-listed is worse than being rejected because you have no idea what your probability of acceptance is - it's like being stuck in purgatory (minus the purification). I've been accepted to one program with minimal funding - so it's almost useless - and I'm still waiting on another. I can't function anymore! I'm glued to email and this website knowing full well that I probably won't receive any correspondence until early-April. Someone please put me out of my misery...