AMC

Gosh- I know the feeling. I've been hitting the refresh button on my e-mail every 2 minutes. And when the fed ex lady showed up at my door I nearly fainted......only my replacement phone though

My adviser- who was also a Ford Fellow in Grad school -said people are more successful candidates after 1 year of Grad School because they have the language downpat and they have teaching experiences that the Fellows like to hear about. At least that's is theory. I'm waiting nervously as well! Also- they seem to not have a unilateral system of notification. Some found out via e-mail but 2 people in my school received it last year- one found out via Fed Ex with no prior e-mail and one got an e-mail with no Fed ex on April 15th. Anyhoo- fingers crossed for us all!!

Thanks for calling and providing the info. Three people from my school received Fords last year (two pre-doc and one for the dissertation) and they stated that their envelopes were dated Apr 4 and Apr 7. I'm eager to hear about funding, but at least this wait isn't as agonizing as it was last year waiting to hear back about acceptances. Best of luck, everyone!!

Is this for the Ford 2009 Applications? If so, yes, I did apply. Judging from last year we have SIX more weeks to go before we find out!

Hello All~ I applied to grad schools last year, so know your pain VERY well. Hang in there, it'll all be over soon. I am at Michigan now and its our spring break. Last year they called all admitted applicants on the same day, Sun Feb. 17. They keep current students pretty well informed here, and to the best of my knowledge phone calls have not gone out. I hope this helps. Like I said, I know its REALLY difficult. I wish you success. Once you get in, visit ALL the programs, choose well and choose wisely!

Thanks Totally~ You're post really helped. I do understand your hesitation about UCLA, and I was born and raised in Los Angeles. Its too bad that I couldn't meet you over this weekend, there were several "Latin Americanists" and they were very excited and the faculty were truly engaging. I hope that you and your partner work it out so that you can be in the same city, however, commuting from So. Cal to S.B. won't be difficult- but impossible and astronomically expensive. If you are looking at how far your funding dollar will stretch at UCLA, let me point out the following: - The apartments around the campus (which border Beverly Hills, Brentwood and Santa Monica) are small, congested, noisy and expensive- we're talking $1,400 for a one bedroom if you are lucky, $2,200 if not. - LA is an automobile city and you WILL need a car, there are no two ways about it. This brings in high insurance costs (currently $2,500 a year with a spotless driving record) and gas prices (I just filled up my tank for a whopping $3.89 a gallon!!!) -LA culture: the campus is on the lovely side of the city, but the atmosphere is decidedly anti-intellectual. There are no study havens, no parks of quiet rest and no academic stimulation. There is the beach, the movies and the clubs. And there are traffic and parking woes to each! I have three more campus visits before I have to make my final decision, but thanks for your help and I will keep you posted. (by the way, LA is not SOOO gross and nasty, rather it's wide-spread, economically stratified and the pollution does make for pretty sunsets!)

Thanks for your insight everyone! ABC~ your post really hit home. I AM from California-- born, raised and attended college in Los Angeles. Upon graduation I lived in the midwest and barely survived the two winters I was there. It wasn't the cold, specifically, but the circa 9 months of grey. It literally sucked the life right out of me. I felt sad, disconnected and barely left my apartment (which I had painted sky blue and summer yellow). When looking at grad school programs, specifically the "better" ones that happened to be in the midwest and northeast, I thought that I could tough out the isolation and long, cold winters for the sake of my studies. But after visiting the other programs in warmer localities, seeing the city and feeling like I was leaving friends after only three days on campus, I wondered if the sacrifice was worth it. Your input- everyone's input -really took away some of my anxieties. Thanks!

Hey Guys~ It seems that with majority of admission decisions having been made and campus visits well under way, many of us have moved from one grad school dilemma to the next; we have shifted from "who will admit me?" onto "where should I go?" With this in mind, I thought we could offer each other suggestions. I know that I could REALLY use your help.....

Hello Totallyfreakingout~ I'm sorry about your decision see-saw, but I am glad that you received admission! It seems that with the admissions process I jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. I had exceptional luck and have been offered admission to 7 programs, several of which are "higher ranked" than UT Austin's history. However, after having visited two of the schools and UT Austin this weekend I found that accepting a program to attend is going to be almost as emotional and difficult as waiting for admissions decision notifications. The faculty at UT are incredible, amazing and are very interested in seeing my topic- labor/business history -pursued at their university, so much so that I have received a national fellowship that would effectively ensure that I have no financial or other woes to stand in between me and the pursuit of my topic. I know that funding is a HUGE issue, but I would really encourage you and everyone to visit the programs you are considering before making a decision. Before this weekend, I could have told you 100% that I was going to another top program, even though it meant lower funding and living in a small, cold and isolated city. But now... I'm not so sure. So I am stuck with an age old proposition- go to the school with "prestige" and expert faculty with a solid funding package. OR go to a lower ranked program with a phenomenal package, cool, affordable area and a strong, caring faculty. Any thoughts????

Hey Guys~ I got accepted to UT Austin and the admitted students event happens this Thurs - Sat Mar 6-8. I don't know what this means for acceptance/rejection but I just wanted to weigh in and let you know!

Wow Yhinferno~ I know that this is probably unbearably frustrating but I would recommend two courses of action: 1- E-mail the technical help directly from the application website and 2- E-mail the Graduate Admissions go-to person in the department letting them know what happened and request your admission decisions from them directly. Granted you might not hear until Monday, but at least you will get a response. FYI. When I did ALL my work online for Univ of Chicago's website, after I clicked submit ALL of my info disappeared. Luckily I was submitting my application in weeks ahead of the deadline, but the thought of losing all that work worried me. Even though it was over the weekend, I e-mailed technical support and got a response & phone call within the hour. So, try it. You have your documentation, so you're all set!

That's VERY strange. Is this the first time that it gave you this message or was this a recent change? When I submitted my applications (not for U Penn, but every program invariably uses Apply Yourself or Embark), I got an e-mail straight away from each program saying that the application was successfully submitted and it gave a reference number. Do you recall receiving such an e-mail? Also, try checking your credit card for the date that they charged you the admission fee. That way you can tell if this was a one time system error or if -unfortunately -it was not submitted at all.

Thanks Aluinnsearlait~ I don't know that UT Austin admits were number wise, but I can tell you that when they sent the e-mail it was late in the day on a Friday, so look for it then. Also, the admitted student's weekend visit will be Mar 6th. Don't want to ruin anyone's evening, but I thought you'd like to know.

Hi~ I was admittied to UT Austin. The notified me via e-mail on the 15th and there has still been no change of status in my webpage. So hope springs eternal! I will let you know if I hear any more.

This is so odd, that I was wondering if anyone else could help me sort it out. One of the programs I applied for- Cornell ILR -has not notified about admissions decisions, but has posted on their website that they are extending the admissions deadline to March 15. WTF??? Does this mean that NO ONE got accepted?? See below: Important Notice for Prospective Students The Graduate Program admissions committee have agreed to extend the deadline for applications to March 15, 2008 for Fall 2008 admission. If you are still interested in applying, please begin your application as soon as possible. I can't make heads nor tails of this! PS. I phoned and e-mailed the department but have heard no reply. Should I be worried??

Hello Nomadism~ My field is Labor history, Modern U.S.

PS. To everyone waiting on U Michigan~ I got the impression that they were making calls by area of concentration. For example, the people today were most likely US or Modern History candidates. Other areas will no doubt be calling their acceptees later. So keep your phones handy and my fingers are crossed for you all!

I got the call in the morning and I was knocked out. I hadn't even the vaguest notion of what my name was when I answered, but when he said, "Hi, I'm calling from..." I came to instantly.

No! Call back! It WAS the school!! I was not expecting a call on Sunday but it was U Michigan and I was accepted. Congrats (in advance)!!

No! Don't lose hope. Its WAY too soon. I'm still in the same boat, as I haven't heard from many other programs as of yet.

To answer both your questions: 1. It was an e-mail from the graduate coordinator. I checked my online application and there was no status change. 2. My field is Labor History. Thanks for the congrats. I understand your freaking out. The waiting is agonizing and I am still in the same boat for other programs as well. What are your fields???

You were right! I read this and checked my e-mail and someone from the department notified me of the acceptance. Funding info is not availiable, but I wish everyone who applied the BEST OF LUCK!!!

Hey guys~ Has anyone heard from NW or U of C? According to the boards from 2006 & 2007 NW usually made their decisions by now.

Ok, thanks for the insight.... ...it's Friday. I used to LOVE Fridays but now all they mean is that I'll have to wait two whole days for the possibly of hearing something. Unless of course you get a wayward letter in the mail. Sign... I can't wait to reclaim my weekends!