annieca

Congrats to the Chicago admits! It's a beautiful campus provided you don't step off campus! Very peaceful. I got a very Harvard-esque vibe when I was there. Could have been that Obama was coming to campus so it was basically shut down and there was a group of guys playing rugby on one of the lawns though... Also, to czesc - congrats on the waitlist. If Princeton thinks you're good then imagine how golden you'll be to the right university for you!

History wise... I've heard some good things about a few programs in Germany - Heidelberg is one of the oldest but I'm not entirely sure if they offer MAs/PhDs. Mainz, another one of the oldest ones - offers PhDs in History but again, it's all what you're looking for. Timeline wise... I would get the ball rolling as quickly as possible. It's like what you did with any other universities you applied to - make a deadline calendar. I'm not sure about the bigger schools in the UK, but be prepared to submit your own letters of rec. (It's weird, I know.) That is, if the schools use UKPass (St Andrews doesn't) then you normally provide the recommendation letters. They want PDFs of the actual letter on letterhead. That can save your professors/recommenders some work. It's also a sneaky way to read what your recommenders have written about you since FERPA-waivers are now the norm. Anyway... I would say *definitely* apply before the end of April/beginning of June. Funding is usually decided in July so you want to have your application in and the decision for admission in your hand when they go for the funding decisions. Also, I don't know how much you know about UK universities and how they award admissions. Nearly everyone coming straight from undergraduate or still in a program somewhere, is given conditional acceptance. For example, my admissions decision at Aberystwyth is conditional. I have to do three things - 1) actually graduate 2) keep a 2.2 (they're GPA is a little different there too) and 3) put in a 2,000 pound deposit since I'm international. Usually they give you a deadline in which to meet the conditions. Mine happens to be August. Conditional isn't bad. Most people are offered conditional and then they're eventually changed to unconditional. If you have any other UK-specific questions, hit me up here or PM me. Always happen to help!

I'm waiting for South Carolina. I've heard they notify around March which is infuriating considering I need to start looking for housing *now* at my top choice if South Carolina doesn't give me funding. :/ I should have heard back from IUPUI by now - they're 4 weeks after submission and I submitted mine months ago. Course the Indiana application system doesn't change once the decision's been made so there's no way to know until they mail something to my house and my parents call me. Bahumbug.

This is wrong, in my experience. My parents still claim me as a dependent and will until I turn 24 or stop going to school full-time. However, the moment I applied to graduate school programs for FAFSA I'm an independent student. You have the option of filling out parental income but you don't have to. Personally, I'm not because I am eligible for more loans without my parents' income on the FAFSA. Hope that helps!

Congrats everyone!!! The happy dance is in full swing!

I second the recommendation to look outside of the London area. I've heard great things about Edinburgh's History program. St Andrews as well. I would recommend my study abroad university but only if you're Library Science or InterPol. Since you're neither, I wouldn't suggest Aberystwyth. The UK process is seriously the most straightforward process I've ever seen. Depending on the university it is also remarkably quick. The only problem seems to be funding. UK PhDs are more likely to be funded than MA's, like in the US, but they decide funding really late. I won't know about funding at Aberystwyth until July and that goes the same for PhD candidates. But don't panic for now. You've got time!

Baltimore is a weird city in my experience. It's DC suburbs (seriously!) so it's expensive but not as expensive as DC. It's got quite a few things going for it - the zoo has penguins! - but it also feels very much like the younger brother of DC that tries to live up to the nation's Capital. But... that was just my experience there a bit this summer. Also, a word to the wise about commuting to DC from Baltimore - depending on where in DC your partner lives, it can be a *nightmare*. Metro is notorious for being slow. Trains from Baltimore come into Union Station so if you're near there or don't mind walking, then that's all fine and good. If it's a job in Alexandria, Franconia, Springfield or Falls Church I say forget about it. The commute would be, I think, two hours each way. I know it's over an hour from Union Station to Franconia-Springfield, the end of the blue line. I'm not sure about the trains from Baltimore to DC. Just something to think about! I know in the end you'll choose where you're meant to go. As for stipend, the security isn't something to feel bad about. I am choosing Aber because I will only have between $5-10k in debt versus over $50,000.

I received an offer from where I am currently doing a study abroad year at Aberystwyth (Wales). It's not funded (yes, yes, I know) but it's a UK Masters (Masters of Science Economics I think is the full term) so it's only one year. Aber is a small-ish town in the middle of nowhere on the coast which means rent is kind of high but managable. I think, honestly, the decision for me came down to comfort about transitions. My top choice in the US is South Carolina. It's an amazing school. I have family an hour away in either direction - family I haven't seen in ages and love to death. But, I knew deep down that I would move from Aber to South Carolina, do my dual master's in the three years and then move away. Coming from a DoD family, I have already had too many transitions, physically and emotionally, to count. And I didn't want that. I know I could be happy at South Carolina. But I also know that I would take awhile to not only readjust to the United States, but adjust to graduate school and a new place. I would finally get comfortable and have to leave for a job. That's not what I wanted. Which is why I looked at Aber, did some math and realized I could graduate from the Archives Administration Master's with most likely less than $5,000 in debt. I could live with friends and I could stay in a town that has welcomed me with open arms. And when I graduated in September 2014, I would have one less transition under my belt. I am almost afraid to tell my dad that I've decided Aber's it. He wanted me to wait until I got back all my offers and see if there's funding. But MLIS funding is so, so rare. As is Public History MA funding. And South Carolina would have to give me over $50k in funding to make it comparable to Aber. But I know in my heart that this is where I'm meant to be for my Master's. Any thoughts? Any other experiences in deciding or eliminating ones yet?

Galloping gargoyles they've already started interviewing?! Did your status on USAJobs change when you made it past the first round? I applied for both manuscript division but the one I really want is the Sudan project in the Africa and Middle East Division. Good luck to you as well!

What I've heard about Duke and Durham was told to me by a UK grad (mortal enemies in basketball) so take it with a grain of salt. I've heard the Research Triangle is nice and Durham's the least nice on the three. In fact, I've heard the town itself is incredibly sketchy. But...the university is world class so you could always live in a different town and commute if you're getting a car.

Wonder about IU-B. I'm Master's so probably won't be hearing anything for awhile. Congrats to everyone!

Congrats everyone on acceptances! I have, quite crazily, decided where I'm going and the only thing that will change that is a *hell* of a funding package from one of the schools. I'm going to graduate school! Eeeek!

Hopefully interning at the Library of Congress! Otherwise, I might join the Iowa Senate campaign because there is someone I *really* don't want to win. Or help my parents move to Kentucky... But I'm hoping for LOC!

Today I met with a postgraduate admissions lady at Aber to ask about funding. Unfortunately I'm not eligible for the 10-20% off as my "special" case means I'm not an Aber grad. I still have to check with the department about work study but... I believe I've made my decision! I did the math and I realized a few things- my fav in the US (without funding) is 6 times as expensive as Aber. Absolutely insane! They'd have to give me close to $50,000 in funding to make it close and that's unheard-of funding in Public History/MLIS world. I also found out I have close to $20,000 left in my undergrad college fund which means I would only have to take out a small loan for housing and food to graduate from Aber. Course, can't make it official until SC let's me know but...yay! I wish everyone loads of luck in the rest of the waiting. I've got coca-cola cake, tea and wine waiting for whomever needs a pick me up!

I need to make a decision about housing for next year soon if I'm staying in Aber. I'm not anxious now so much as annoyed. I know basically, where I want to go and I just need to do some math to make sure it's all good money wise. Or at least, decently okay. Yes, I'm going to go into debt on an MLIS (UK equivalent perhaps) and I'm OKAY with that. Because it's what I want to do. ESPECIALLY since I just found out that the UN has an archival internship. *drools* I have to be enrolled in a Master's or a PhD at the time which is a little weird I think. But... if they have internships maybe they have jobs? Or if the UN has archives, that has to mean other humanitarian-based organizations have archives, right? I don't know why I'm this excited about the UN having archives. Probably because my goal of being an archivist in an NGO can actually happen!

South Carolina I check every day because they're the most likely to fund my MA/MLIS and they're also one of my top choices.

I checked one of my apps today- it was Brown- and I saw they only got my GRE scores on the 23rd of January. What the...? I sent my GRE scores to Brown in August, maybe early September. Why are you showing you only received them AFTER the deadline has passed? That, and I didn't think you needed my GRE... I nearly had a heart attack today when the Maryland website was down. I couldn't get to my supplemental form page to check my status. Instead it kept giving me an incomplete, not submitted application. I don't check most of my apps everyday (minus South Carolina) because I know it'll stress me out. The one day I decide to check them all? Bam! Things go wrong!

Congrats! Bet that felt good to have confirmation this is what you're meant to do! Hugs!

Genocide after Emotion International Intervention in the Balkans since 1995 Eyewitness to a Genocide And then also The Voice of the Past. Class readings has continued!

South Carolina, please, please just put me out of my misery! My friends, well-wishing and all, want to get a house in town for next year. Already late on the bandwagon, I understand their wanting to move quickly. But I can't tell them if I'm living with them next year because I don't know about who has accepted/rejected me! I really am only waiting for one other school and that is South Carolina. While I'll gladly go to any of the ones I applied to, provided they give me money, I know I have the best chance with South Carolina. I just want to start making decisions about where I'm living next year! My parents also want to know so they can decide whether they are doing Christmas in the US or a foreign country this year... Gah!

If I go to grad school in the UK, I'm considering joining CILIP which is the UK version of ALA. Otherwise, probably will join SAA at some point.

Hear from Indiana but not IUPUI which I think is weird. But...I have heard from my school in the UK- acceptance #2!

I didn't have any problems applying to UK schools (Maryland however...) but I completely feel your frustration at the international student application process. St Andrews didn't care and Aber made a huge deal of it. The emailing bit- I don't know why, but with the exception of one or two people, nobody in the UK seems to be fast at emailing back at universities. I give you a massive hug and a cuppa!

I don't know which part of me said it was smart to do two reading-intensive classes, my thesis and two of the most prestigious MUN conferences when I knew I would be waiting for decisions. This has literally been my train of thought this morning: "I should check my South Carolina app...I need to do a little more research on the debt crisis for LiMUN...and I know absolutely nothing about my topics for ScotMUN which means I probably should start that...and oh yeah, I should check when I have a meeting with my diss supervisor although I don't think he remembers me..." Scatterbrained, much? Don't worry everyone - it should be over soon!