viggosloof28

Congratulations!!! Having at least one acceptance in the bag really does make the rest of the wait more bearable. I'm so happy for you!

I have no idea, myself. I was accepted there for Modern European History, though, and will be giving up my spot to attend another program. Hopefully, that means someone here can have my place/funding! Best of luck, everyone!

Yikes - thanks for the warning! I ended up in a terrible apartment complex in Houston for part of my MA program...definitely not anxious to repeat that experience! I'm looking for a 1 bedroom apartment that will allow my cat. Hoping to spend not too much more than $700/month (plus utilities), if possible? Any suggestions you have would be VERY greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Does anyone know anything about the Royal Park apartments in Carrboro/UNC? They look pretty promising based on the website...any and all advice is appreciated - feel free to chime in with suggestions! I'm especially looking for something within walking distance (within 2 miles) of UNC-CH's campus. Thanks in advance!

Yikes - massacre day from Chicago! Hugs and condolences to my fellow rejects!

I think writing to POIs is useful at the very least for determining whether or not they're taking on any more students. Almost all the profs I contacted got back to me, sometimes with a polite but perfunctory response...and other times with real enthusiasm and kindness. I think I can chalk up my acceptance to one of my top choice programs to a phone call I had with a POI back in October, after I had emailed them. So, while it might be necessary at some - even most - programs, I have found it extremely successful or - at the very least - useful in determining whether or not I should even bother to apply. Just my two cents!

Good advice here! I'll bring something small and quintessentially "Texan" to give my hosts...that should give people a laugh, at least!

Not sure this post quite belongs here, or if it might be better off in the "Decisions, Decisions" thread...but a great question! I'm quite in line with your thought process. The absolute most important aspect of the program for me is the people there. Having faculty that are interested and knowledgeable about your research interests, and are well-connected in your field is the single biggest factor in my decision. After that, the opportunities for funding and professionalization are hugely important, followed perhaps by the collegiality of the department, the prestige of the program, and the locality. At least, that's how I'm going into the decision process!

Mine's not too crazy...I think! I was the high school wonder kid and got basically a full scholarship to my undergrad. I had thought I was going to be a dental hygienist, but quickly realized I wanted to follow my passion for the arts...so I switched to English Literature and History (focus on Medieval and Renaissance Studies) in my first semester. Things were kind of crazy in my family for my last two years of undergrad, and I let my grades slip quite a bit. After graduating, I waited a couple of years to see how things would turn out in my family...especially to see what state/country we'd end up living in. Once we were settled, I worked for a year to build up in-state residency and earn money for school. When I applied for MA/PhD programs in history, I had no real idea what I was doing (hadn't discovered this site yet!), and got rejected almost everywhere I applied. Thankfully, my current program gave me a chance! I was accepted to their accelerated BA to PhD program. I discovered almost immediately upon arriving there, though, that it might not be the best fit for my interests in European history (seriously, I had NO idea what I was doing back then!), and decided to switch into the MA track. Now I'm writing my thesis and finishing up at my current program, and I feel much better prepared to tackle my PhD at a program that really suits my research interests and professional goals! I can't wait to see what the next few years will bring!

Heh - I'm in the same out-of-state boat. Fortunately, my program is having a visiting weekend in March. I've managed to get myself a couple of extra days in town to scope out apartment complexes, etc., so hopefully I can get the ball rolling before the summer comes and all the good places have been taken! I'll let you all know whatever I find out, though I'll be looking near UNC and am not sure how helpful that'll be...?

Congratulations, czesc and heulwen!!! Awesome news!

Congrats, Katzenmusik and Benedictite!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!! I was hoping that was yours!

Does it seem to anyone else that Tuesdays and Thursdays are the big activity/news days for graduate programs this year?

Dang it! Why didn't I think to apply to Hogwarts?!

Congratulations!

Not sure...have you tried searching the results board for your field? Best of luck!

I definitely might PM you with some questions...CUNY and Chapel Hill are probably the best fits for me out of all the schools I applied to, and it's proving a much tougher decision to make than I anticipated!

Not sure if they're just sending things out earlier this year, but there are (I think) three of us on this site that have heard back already. It sounded like their committee just started meeting last week or the week before, though. I was really surprised since their application deadline was my latest one: January 15th. So maybe they're working on decreasing the amount of red tape? Let's hope so!

Hard to say...I've only seen (I think) two acceptances on here, not including mine, and the official email I got from the department said they were taking 18 people this year. Hopefully, that means there are still plenty of spots left for you!

Hey there! I had the unofficial notice from my POI back on January 31st and got the official departmental notice yesterday. Hope that helps! Best of luck to you!

Congratulations, Chicago admits! And congratulations to you, czesc, on your Princeton waitlist - I'm glad you have some hope again!

My thoughts exactly. My GRE scores are fairly middling, so I like to think that by posting them I can help set some people's mind at ease about the relative unimportance of that aspect of their applications.

Congrats to today's UNC admit! Maybe I'll see you there this fall?

Bwahahaaaa! Surely the most plausible explanation of them all!