lumbarmoose

I ended up having to do the same. My first offer (from my safety) needed me to make a decision and send it back by the first week of March, so I was able to mail all my schools and ask when I could expect to hear from them since I had a pending offer. It totally paid off! The next morning I had an email telling me one school would tell me my decision soon (in a very suspiciously happy manner) and the morning after that I got a funded offer from them! Another school told me they were just having their meeting and would let me know their decision (unofficially) asap. Everyone who replied was incredibly helpful and nice AND it relieved my pent up stress!

I got accepted to SUNY Binghamton today! No word of funding yet, but I am totally thrilled!!! I was so worried I had to get a real job in a few months... PHEW.

Thank you forum members for being my support group and I wish you all the best!

I have officially declared war.

WannaBeEast, thanks for sharing your story. I too feel as though I came from a somewhat non-traditional background. I went to community college, then a state school. I screwed around for the first 3 years of college and didn't actually figure out that I was good at writing until my senior year. I had been a film major for the first 2 1/2 years, then switched to creative writing, then decided I wanted to be an English teacher. I went through the credentialing process and during that time decided I wanted to get an MA before going on to the job market. I went to another second tier state school for that (although an exceptional teaching institution) and during that time decided I wanted to go into academia and do interdisciplinary work, which, I felt, required another MA. So now I'm finishing seminary.

My undergrad GPA is low (3.17), but I have a high graduate GPA in the same field (3.89) and a decent GPA for my second MA (3.7). My GRE scores were modest, but by no means outstanding (V 161; Q 154; AW 5.0). A month ago, I was accepted at Northwestern with full funding and a stipend for 5 years, and I think it was a combination of factors.

Northwestern was a school that I actually DIDN'T contact before applying. I had narrowed my list to 6 schools through contacting a bunch of POI's, but as I was applying (I would definitely recommend this), but I panicked and found four more to send applications to. I didn't have time to contact POI's at those schools since it was nearly Thanksgiving, so I felt like I was really just shooting in the dark. When my POI from NU called me, she told me that my writing sample was extremely strong and showed a lot of promise and that my letters of recommendation were excellent as well. In looking at the profiles of her current students (as well as others in the Religious Studies department), I can see that I am the only one who is doing what I want to do (biblical/philosophical hermeneutics). No one else is doing anything remotely related to that, but it's one of my POI's major interests. So the fit, I think in many cases, really can be the most important thing.

A professor at my seminary said that the SOP is also one of the most important pieces because so often she'll have some that come across the admissions committee table that either are so broad that the committee has no idea what faculty would take on the student or are so narrow and detailed that they feel like writing back, "Clearly, you have nothing to learn from us. Good luck with your dissertation!" That's a difficult balance to strike, but if you can do it, it can really help.

I see some others have gotten their official Chicago rejection - since I have not received it yet, I assume my rejection will be quite well-crafted

Anthropology departments:

Y U NO SPILL BEANZ?

If you guys get accepted to your #1 Ph.D. program, will you notify everyone via your facebook status? One of my acquaintances posted that she got into her #1 program, and my personal reaction was that she's a conceited bitch! HAHA. Maybe because she actually is and that was just expressing her personality hehe

Well, if you're dual there should be no problem, but be advised that your husband might not even be able to immigrate. We don't just take in anyone, lol.

The lack of self-awareness in this post is both hilarious and infuriating.

If you were an international student in the U.S., and went to a half decent school for undergrad, your parents almost certainly dropped over $100k on your tuition, room, and board. Closer to $200k for good schools.

They are providing you with a free house likely worth several hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Let's not forget the electricity, heat, water, insurance and other associated bills that are far from insignificant.

On top of that, they are paying for all your food.

The single mother with a non-skilled job who probably is struggling to stay afloat has the "gall" to suggest you are living off your parents because, newsflash, you are. Think she would mind someone writing her a check for about $500k of aggregate support? And then you castigate her, when your biggest financial worries are "going out" and buying new clothes?!

People shouldn't be embarrassed or try to hide that they have significant parental financial support - it doesn't invalidate or cheapen your academic accomplishments, whatever they may be. But for gods sakes, have the decency to at least acknowledge that you are extremely fortunate in the opportunities afforded (literally) to you!

Mom: "heard anything?"
Dad: "heard anything?"
Girlfriend: "heard anything?"
Roommate: "heard anything?"
Best Friend: "heard anything?"

and then I get rejected from UT-Austin...

Mom: "heard anything?"
Dad: "heard anything?"
Girlfriend: "heard anything?"
Roommate: "heard anything?"
Best Friend: "heard anything?"



FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

I really get sick of the classist take that higher knowledge is only for the wealthy. that kind of thinking is what allows this country to keep movin towards authoritarianism

Dang it, this thread has caused me to hit my quota of thumb-up's for the day! Who knew there was even a quota?

Burgundykitten, I too am afraid I won't get in anywhere, and reading that last bit was incredibly reassuring =) Thanks for that.

What a doomed tone.

Any idea if Yale contacted admits prior to mailing decisions?

Burgundykitten, I too am afraid I won't get in anywhere, and reading that last bit was incredibly reassuring =) Thanks for that.

You're application to the college of cynicism and obsessive self-doubt has been highly ranked within the department. We pleased to inform you that you have been recommended for advanced standing, with a stipend of never-ending silence and weekly panic attacks. Congratulations again on your admission.

In the vein of the "keep a word, drop a word" thread, maybe we should just start writing acceptance letters to each other. You know, from the University of Stress Relief or something.

Tick freaking tock.

Amen to that! It's difficult to schedule a nervous breakdown about your future when you have no idea at what point you should officially give up hope =P

It would be fantastic if there is a deluge of news tomorrow...the sharp differences in notification dates make it difficult to coordinate visitations/decisions/tears

Haha I feel your pain. No new hobbies, but I am working on numerous plan b's that somehow seem even more unrealistic than my plan a of going to grad school, haha. Get rejected from my top choice? Nevermind, I'll just go be a rock star instead.

I once enjoyed the weekend. Now they feel like days designed to keep us waiting until the weekdays -- where there is a higher chance for news.

As someone who has a very great love for Berkeley, look at the hiring history. You're better off at Stanford. Unless a 40 minute public transport ride to SF is what it takes to make you feel like: OMG I TOTALLY LIVED UP MY GRADUATE YEARS BY GOING TO SAN FRANCISCO AND SEEING OFF-BROADWAY SHOWS AND GOING TO NON SLUTTY INTERESTING LOUNGES AND SEEING ART AND THE MOMA AND ALSO NOT HAVING ANY FUNDING BUT IM A BOSS AND I LOVE MYSELF, and that makes you happy, then go for it. Michigan is still a top department in our discipline; do you think people go to Ann Arbor to have fun? They to go to train to be anthropologists. If location/distractions matter that much for you that you can't sacrifice that much for the discipline now, what makes you think that you'll take the only job offer you get as an untenured professor at Boise State after a phd in anthro? Yes it fucking sucks ass, but that's the harsh shitty reality of higher education now. Either take it, or continue to use it as a placebo against schools you weren't competitive at. Your choice, academe couldn't care less.