2018 Admissions, decisions, interviews, and the like

[nobody123]

On 2/9/2018 at 5:16 PM, praxis34 said:

If Harvard admits are here, can you tell more about the method of notification? 

emails from POI and the department

[History01]

Hi everyone. Congrats on the admissions! This is probably stupid, but what do those of you admitted ask or talk about with current students or POIs at the prospective programs? I was kind of bombarded with people contacting me wanting to discuss the programs and answer questions, and I'm not really sure what I should be saying to them or asking.

[historien]

29 minutes ago, History01 said:

Hi everyone. Congrats on the admissions! This is probably stupid, but what do those of you admitted ask or talk about with current students or POIs at the prospective programs? I was kind of bombarded with people contacting me wanting to discuss the programs and answer questions, and I'm not really sure what I should be saying to them or asking.

This might help:

List of questions for potential advisor, DGS, and current graduate students, from the AHA web page.

https://secure.historians.org/projects/cge/PhD/decision.cfm#decision

[TheHessianHistorian]

1 hour ago, History01 said:

Hi everyone. Congrats on the admissions! This is probably stupid, but what do those of you admitted ask or talk about with current students or POIs at the prospective programs? I was kind of bombarded with people contacting me wanting to discuss the programs and answer questions, and I'm not really sure what I should be saying to them or asking.

I've found this list of questions to be helpful, in addition to the webpage URL that @historien posted above: https://web.uni.edu/sites/default/files/u55/Grad School Questions_Grad Students.pdf

[History01]

Thank you @historien and @TheHessianHistorian! Those are extremely helpful.

[rex-sidereus]

How important are campus visits?

By the looks of it (just reject me officially, Princeton) I will be starting a program in University of Virginia this fall, which I am very excited about. 

They have invited me for a campus visit, but even for the money they extend to fly me in, the airfare + accommodations price is way out of my comfort zone, because of how in the middle of nowhere my uni is. I have skyped with my POI a number of times, and we'll be meeting up later in the spring, when we're both in Greece. And UVA is essentially my one and only option.

Should I pay the ugly amount for airfare/ max out my credit card for a school that I know I will be attending? I'm weary of the potential red flags, but I feel like I'm fairly familiar with the school and can't really think of anything terrible I will uncover when visiting the department.

[historyperson]

Ask your potential advisor to put you in touch with current UVA grad students. Also, if you want to visit the campus, let your potential advisor know that UVA's visit day funding won't cover your expenses, and you don't think you can afford the out of pocket costs--but that you would like to visit. Some faculty have extra funds or might find another way to bridge the financial gap. It's worth a try.

I think it makes a big difference to visit in-person, even if you doubt it will change your fundamental decision to accept. It helps you to find housing and housemates, and lowers the stress of unknowns when you make your move and start the program. Even if you are pretty sure you've made up your mind, it helps to have a concrete sense of what the place looks like, who you'll be around, get a feel for the culture, etc. If you are unable to come to campus, talk to multiple current students about your program and life in Charlottesville--especially, get housing advice. You can recover from making a housing mistake the first year, but it can be a real pain while you wait out a lease you regret. 

[OHSP]

@rex-sidereus, very important, in my opinion. I thought I had made up my mind last year and then the school visits changed everything. Amongst other things, they're important in terms of getting a feel for the cohort. At one school I visited I was surrounded by people quite a bit younger than me who were all in their final year of college, usually at ivy league schools, and I felt extremely out of place. At my current school people were my age or older, had taken time to do other things, etc--it depends on your preferences/situation but I'm super happy with my cohort and it makes a huge difference. 

Re practicalities I stayed with current grad students at all of my visits last year and it's worth seeing if that's an option at UVA. Unless you've been officially rejected from the other schools you applied to, you can't be 100% sure of what will happen (two people in my current cohort received offers on 15 April), and if you're in a spot where you need to make that kind of last minute decision it'll help to have visited. 

[ashiepoo72]

5 hours ago, rex-sidereus said:

How important are campus visits?

By the looks of it (just reject me officially, Princeton) I will be starting a program in University of Virginia this fall, which I am very excited about. 

They have invited me for a campus visit, but even for the money they extend to fly me in, the airfare + accommodations price is way out of my comfort zone, because of how in the middle of nowhere my uni is. I have skyped with my POI a number of times, and we'll be meeting up later in the spring, when we're both in Greece. And UVA is essentially my one and only option.

Should I pay the ugly amount for airfare/ max out my credit card for a school that I know I will be attending? I'm weary of the potential red flags, but I feel like I'm fairly familiar with the school and can't really think of anything terrible I will uncover when visiting the department.

I'm a big proponent of campus visits, but it's really only important if any other programs are in the running. If UVA is so far ahead of anywhere else, I would just contact grad students/POIs, get them to answer your questions about the program/campus and try to glean information from grad students about their experiences. I found that grad students tend to be pretty honest about the situation, what sorts of challenges they face, what resources are in place to help them meet those challenges, etc.

[rafaelito]

Hey everyone! This might be a weird question but here goes nothing. I'd like to visit the schools that admitted me and thankfully their visiting days don't directly overlap. However, two schools have visiting days right after each other. So, for example, March 1-2 and March 3-5. Considering I have to fly to both schools and do not want to minimize how many flights I take, do you think schools would be willing to reimburse two plane tickets that are coming and going from different places? They just mention up to X amount of money in reimbursement and to save receipts. I don't think there would be a problem with this... but I don't know. Would I have to explain this beforehand? 

[TMP]

1 hour ago, rafaelito said:

Hey everyone! This might be a weird question but here goes nothing. I'd like to visit the schools that admitted me and thankfully their visiting days don't directly overlap. However, two schools have visiting days right after each other. So, for example, March 1-2 and March 3-5. Considering I have to fly to both schools and do not want to minimize how many flights I take, do you think schools would be willing to reimburse two plane tickets that are coming and going from different places? They just mention up to X amount of money in reimbursement and to save receipts. I don't think there would be a problem with this... but I don't know. Would I have to explain this beforehand? 

Absolutely.  This can be quite common and departments are used to it.  Just explain your situation to each department and eventually you'll be putting both in touch to arrange reimbursements.  There are no secrets to keep here.

[TMP]

11 hours ago, rex-sidereus said:

How important are campus visits?

By the looks of it (just reject me officially, Princeton) I will be starting a program in University of Virginia this fall, which I am very excited about. 

They have invited me for a campus visit, but even for the money they extend to fly me in, the airfare + accommodations price is way out of my comfort zone, because of how in the middle of nowhere my uni is. I have skyped with my POI a number of times, and we'll be meeting up later in the spring, when we're both in Greece. And UVA is essentially my one and only option.

Should I pay the ugly amount for airfare/ max out my credit card for a school that I know I will be attending? I'm weary of the potential red flags, but I feel like I'm fairly familiar with the school and can't really think of anything terrible I will uncover when visiting the department.

By staying with the students, I don't think I had to pay more $ out of my pocket.  I have heard of POIs finding ways to help cover a bit more.  It'll also give you a chance to see what Charlottesville looks like and where grad students live (it is quite stressful finding housing in a new place!) and what you'll need to survive (a car?).  Don't be afraid to let the program director know and point out the location of your university as a reason for expensive airfare. Good luck!

[L13]

On 16.02.2018 г. at 11:32 AM, rex-sidereus said:

How important are campus visits?

By the looks of it (just reject me officially, Princeton) I will be starting a program in University of Virginia this fall, which I am very excited about. 

They have invited me for a campus visit, but even for the money they extend to fly me in, the airfare + accommodations price is way out of my comfort zone, because of how in the middle of nowhere my uni is. I have skyped with my POI a number of times, and we'll be meeting up later in the spring, when we're both in Greece. And UVA is essentially my one and only option.

Should I pay the ugly amount for airfare/ max out my credit card for a school that I know I will be attending? I'm weary of the potential red flags, but I feel like I'm fairly familiar with the school and can't really think of anything terrible I will uncover when visiting the department.

If visiting turns out to be too expensive for you, it sounds like you really don't need to visit, especially if you know you're going to go there regardless. I didn't visit the university I'm at and I've never really had cause to regret it. Don't feel this is something you have to do in order to fit in or demonstrate commitment or whatever. Admitted student weekends are recruitment events and you've already been recruited.

Save your money for the move to Virginia because there will be hidden costs and unexpected expenses that the university won't reimburse you for (or will at least expect you to front the cash for).

Edited February 17, 2018 by L13

[asmhardin]

Hi all,

I hope you're all having a favorable admissions cycle! 

I'm curious if any Americanists have heard from Chicago, one way or another? It looks like they haven't sent any acceptances/rejections since they admitted some East Asianists in late Jan/early Feb. I received an email from a POI about a week and a half ago, and they said admissions were still ongoing at that point.

Cheers!

[BuckinghamRabbit]

2 hours ago, asmhardin said:

Hi all,

I hope you're all having a favorable admissions cycle! 

I'm curious if any Americanists have heard from Chicago, one way or another? It looks like they haven't sent any acceptances/rejections since they admitted some East Asianists in late Jan/early Feb. I received an email from a POI about a week and a half ago, and they said admissions were still ongoing at that point.

Cheers!

I have not heard anything (not an Americanist or an East-Asianist either), but assume that anybody who has not heard has either been waitlisted (privately) or denied. The department hosts History Day for their newly admitted PhD students, which falls on March 1-2. If we have not been invited to that by now, I think it is safe to assume that they don't want us there (i.e. we are waitlisted or denied).

[Account6567]

3 hours ago, BuckinghamRabbit said:

I have not heard anything (not an Americanist or an East-Asianist either), but assume that anybody who has not heard has either been waitlisted (privately) or denied. The department hosts History Day for their newly admitted PhD students, which falls on March 1-2. If we have not been invited to that by now, I think it is safe to assume that they don't want us there (i.e. we are waitlisted or denied).

I'm assuming the same, but the one other possibility I've heard is that they rejected you for the PhD but sent your application along to MAPSS. If thats the case, it'll probably be a couple weeks until you hear anything.

[BuckinghamRabbit]

1 hour ago, Account6567 said:

I'm assuming the same, but the one other possibility I've heard is that they rejected you for the PhD but sent your application along to MAPSS. If thats the case, it'll probably be a couple weeks until you hear anything.

Yeah, this is something they have done a lot in the past. I forgot to mention that. I already have my MA so this is not something that I’m considering.

[asmhardin]

19 hours ago, BuckinghamRabbit said:

I have not heard anything (not an Americanist or an East-Asianist either), but assume that anybody who has not heard has either been waitlisted (privately) or denied. The department hosts History Day for their newly admitted PhD students, which falls on March 1-2. If we have not been invited to that by now, I think it is safe to assume that they don't want us there (i.e. we are waitlisted or denied).

Thanks, @BuckinghamRabbit - that's good to know. I think you're absolutely right - surely admitted students have already been making accommodations for History Day, since that is coming up quickly.

[Tigla]

Decisions from the UK are starting to go out. I received an acceptance from the University of Birmingham a couple days ago. A couple minutes ago, I received a rejection from the LSE. Best of luck to anyone applying for British universities!

[ltr317]

I just looked at today's results.  A Columbia bloodbath day for both History and Art History.  I feel bad for all the rejects. 

[Manuscriptess]

Wooo got into Penn!! It's my top choice!!! It's always sunny in Philly, indeed.

[lordtiandao]

6 hours ago, ltr317 said:

I just looked at today's results.  A Columbia bloodbath day for both History and Art History.  I feel bad for all the rejects. 

The President's Day Massacre? Ah well, Columbia wasn't that good of a fit for me anyways. I feel like I applied to Columbia just for the sake of applying.

[fortsibut]

1 hour ago, Manuscriptess said:

Wooo got into Penn!! It's my top choice!!! It's always sunny in Philly, indeed.

Congrats!  I'm so happy for you!

[OHSP]

3 hours ago, Manuscriptess said:

Wooo got into Penn!! It's my top choice!!! It's always sunny in Philly, indeed.

Congrats! It’s a great program. What field are you in? I was extremely close to going there (didn’t turn down the offer until the last moment because I was almost certain I’d be accepting) and am still in touch with my POI so have some thoughts/a lot of random information about the program. 

[ltr317]

3 hours ago, Manuscriptess said:

Wooo got into Penn!! It's my top choice!!! It's always sunny in Philly, indeed.

Congrats!  Excellent program.