dedalus

Former Villanova undergrad here. The school (and department) tends to be on the preppy, conservative side, although it's admittedly been a while since I was there last. But think J. Crew-y.

The "love note" tactic (as I like to call it) from what I understand is idiosyncratic to certain programs. It is of course always very flattering to receive emails from professors telling you how much they enjoyed your materials, but it's also not the case that a love-note-free program didn't enjoy your materials. From what I can tell, some programs ask professors to recruit over email by sending such emails, while others do not (so also don't assume that you weren't/aren't a top prospect at a program who doesn't bombard you with emails). What I am 99% sure of is that these emails are determined by policy for the prospective cohort as a whole, not by individual professor enthusiasm for a student. As someone who chose a program who did not send love notes over others that did, my advice is to enjoy the flattery but take it with a grain of salt. The love notes do make you feel like you have a relationship with a program and that may make it harder to turn down. It's a recruiting strategy, and while it does mean that Columbia very much wants you, it doesn't mean that Brown is indifferent.

Good luck, everyone--I've got my fingers crossed for you guys. I suspect phone calls will happen tomorrow.

As one of the first people to make a final decision last year (I think it was about this time of year, actually), let me just say that if you know where you want to go, turn the other spots down. No one is going to judge you (including people on an internet message board) for turning them down before April, and no one is going to feel snubbed. Just send a short and polite email informing the DGS that you have chosen another option, and trust me, no one sends back a venomous email accusing you of being a cold hearted jerk for declining. They all know that many of their candidates will have other offers, and that some of them will chose other offers, hence why many schools have wait lists: they also want to know that if you're not coming, they can make an offer to another candidate and have the chance to woo them over--it's a lot harder for them to do that if they don't get in until April 15! Do yourself, the schools, and the people on waitlists a favor and turn down the programs that you know you will not be attending. Besides, I felt much better after having put in all the paperwork and could confidently say where I was going the next year. It's nice to have it all finished.

Honestly, I would not say that NYU is any more prestigious than Bryn Mawr. It has a big name that everyone recognizes because it's in New York and it has a lot of programs, but Bryn Mawr has a *very* strong reputation in the liberal arts, and they're one of the best places in the country to do classics (and probably other things). While I don't really know anything about art history there, no one is going to look down at Bryn Mawr's name. And also, you should know that Main Line Philadelphia is very expensive. Not as expensive as New York, but if you want to live outside of Philly, look at the towns closer to the city like Ardmore and Wynnewood.

It's a cute town. Small, not a lot going on (but it does have traffic lights!!), but the cost of living is pretty nice, and it has some nice cafes and restaurants. And, as perhaps expected, they really take Christmas seriously and it's a bit of a tourist destination in December. I've been there a few times (was at a conference there, and know some undergrads), but it's a relatively small town in a very rural area. I grew up in a very rural area, so I'm not bothered by that kind of thing, but if you're used to city life...it may come as quite a bit of a shock.

I'm headed to Brown for the fall! Anyone else moving to Providence? Right now, I'm in the process of finishing my BA six or seven hours away, so I probably won't be able to easily do a lot of apartment hunting until May. Does anyone have any experience with the realtors in the area? I've been looking on Craigslist, and it seems like a lot of properties are owned by various realty companies. I'd like to find a place on the East side, since I won't have a car, but does anyone have any suggestions?

If you log in to NU's application, it will say "A Decision Has Been Made." But if you didn't get called, it's a rejection. :cry:

Congratulations, that's great! I got into Pitt today, so it's looking like a good day for VU.

Taking the train is a viable option--the 'burbs are pretty nice, and while parking in the city is not impossible, it tends to be annoying. You can check out septa.org for prices/maps for mass transit.