cafe americano

Yaaay!!!! I hope you will like it here! Best of luck to you, APHistorian!

Well, I'll be brave and post my results: For PhD in Classics (Philology) Rejected: Yale, Princeton, UPenn, Stanford, UCLA Accepted: UNC-CH, Berkeley, UVa, CU Boulder I chose to go to UVa (5 years funding guaranteed, tuition+stipend+insurance, first year no teaching, teaching next four years) I didn't initially really have a top choice, per se, but I would say that when I was applying, UVa was in my pool of top 4. I'm interested in Greek historiography, and prose writing in general, and they've got a killer faculty in that regard. When I went to visit, though, UVa quickly became my top choice, even though I still hadn't heard from half the schools I applied at. The people were amazing, both faculty and students, and the stipend is really good relative to the cost of living, which cannot be said for many places. Everywhere I went to visit/ interview, people remembered my writing sample, which was on an unusual topic. I suppose that may have been a factor. BTW I have an MA ( from CU Boulder), which may have been a factor as well,

I'm just finishing my MA at CU, and I can say that I'm really pleased with my experience here. I had a great round of PhD acceptances (got in at UNC-CH, Berkeley, CU, and UVa, which is where I opted to go, someone else got in at Brown and UCLA, and someone last year went to Michigan) I agree with the above comment that going where the faculty fits your research is really important, with the slight caveat that you only have two years to get to know people when doing a terminal MA. Also, most MAs at CU don't write a thesis, but you definitely can if you want to. I did, and I am really pleased with my experience. In fact, I would say that working with my (amazing!) thesis supervisor has really made my experience at CU. Also, I think you can apply to get your funding bumped up to 45% in your second year, but you'd want to double check that. Noel Lenski is great, too. I think he's a good reason to come to CU. Boulder's expensive to live in (though nothing like Irvine!) One piece of advice that I got a lot when considering whether or not to stay at CU for my PhD was that down the road on the job market, people like to see that you've got experience with more than one department. They told me at UNC when I visited that they have a policy against accepting their own undergrads for this very reason; they think it hurts in the long run to stay in one place. Also, you just build another network of professional relationships when you get to know another department, which they say is really useful in the long run, too. Though would you really be locked into the PhD at UCI? Couldn't you reapply for the year after you finished the MA? I'm sure I didn't meet you when you visited, but I hope you enjoyed Boulder and congrats on your acceptances!

I'll be coming for a PhD in Classics! I'm super excited!

Within six weeks of starting my MA I needed glasses for the first time in my life (for nearsightedness). I've heard that if you take breaks a few times an hour and focus your vision on something in the distance for even a few seconds, it helps protect your distance vision. I try to remember to do this when I'm spending a lot of time reading and/or in front of screens, but I tend to forget.

Well, I've decided to accept at UVa!!! (PhD Classics) I'm super excited about joining their department; I think it's a really good match for me. That said, a spot at CU Boulder should open up, and a spot on the waitlist at Berkeley. I hope that's good news for someone!

Well, that would make sense about UCLA. Thanks for sharing! That's really interesting about this being a "late" season. I wonder why. Perhaps, at least at some schools, with budget issues being such as they are this year, there have been delays in departments getting all the info from the amin about their funding packages in as timely a manner as the departments could wish?

Has anyone heard anything definite from UCLA? I know they did interviews a month ago, so I'm not expecting to hear any good news, and I don't think I would go there anyways if I got in. But I'm really annoyed, on principle, that they haven't told me anything; they charge enough for the application fee to warrant the courtesy of a response.

I was accepted at UNC-CH in the Classics department and declined last Thursday (I'm still deciding between UVa and Berkeley). Actually, Veilside, I had assumed that you got my spot, since you posted your acceptance the next day. But I didn't realize you were in history. So maybe there's a chance the spot I declined will trickle down? Good luck to your friends! I hope they get in!

Congratulations! That's an excellent program!

We were all prospective PhD students. I think that CU Boulder, at least, notifies PhDs before MAs. Maybe because it's a smaller pool of applicants, or they're filling fewer spots?

Thanks!

Thanks, rkg! I hope that no news is good news for you when it comes to UPenn.

Thanks! I did interview over the weekend along with a group of prospectives.

I just found out I'm in at UVa! I'm so excited!! This is more than consolation for a UPenn rejection ( they were apparently busy at the chopping block this morning!) I didn't have a single top choice for the schools I applied at, but UVa was definitely in my top 3.