Classics Admissions 2008

[sidereal]

I wonder where my rejection from UNC is.

I got rejected from Texas today too. Still waiting for 3 more.

UCSB made their funding decisions today. I'm pretty high on the waiting list, but I'm not sure I want it anymore. I would probably only get an MA there, and I've been accepted to another MA program that is offering financial support.

It seems like a lot of places are accepting more than they can fund this year.

[tanagra]

Has anyone heard from Stanford? I have heard rumors of an admitted student visit, but haven't really heard much else that can be substantiated.

[nike of samothrace]

Meri, sidereal, sorry to hear how bummed you both are. I feel the same way, though I still haven't gotten a rejection - I'm pretty sure one is waiting for me sometime in the next few days, if not today.

Three programs that I felt really confident about, for various reasons, seem to have already notified and I haven't heard anything. I suppose that could still mean good news in the end, but two of the programs are places that I shouldn't have had any problem with... and one of them is a place where I have a very strong contact who I know has fought for me. I just wonder what this says for my overall round. There are some places I applied that I would just love to go to, and the words "I regret to inform you..." might be coming in just a matter of time. So very discouraging.

At least I do have Oxford, which is no small matter. But without money, it's almost impossible. I'm trying not to hope for that too much, because if I come out of this with only Oxford as a 'yes', but it's unfunded, that is just going to be cruel. I'll try to make it work, but I don't want to bankrupt myself in the process.

sidereal, which other MA program were you admitted to? Funding is definitely important, but if you want to consider UCSB, I wouldn't hesitate to ask them if you came for an unfunded year or semester, what your chances would be of getting funding later on. That is sometimes standard procedure for MA programs (depends on the school).

So sorry to hear about everyone's rejections. Maybe good news awaits us all in this coming week.

[sidereal]

I'm not too depressed. I've been accepted to 4 schools so far, but wait listed for funding at 3 (one of which is my alma mater, so I knew they would do that because they know I probably won't attend). UMD is interested in offering me a TAship, and I'm visiting them in a week. The program is actually a perfect fit for my research interests due to the faculty, and earning an MA there would probably be beneficial to me in many ways.

I live on the east coast, so moving out to UCSB would be a big ordeal, and we all know cost of living there is high, etc. Because UMD is enthusiastic about me and UCSB is lukewarm, I think I'll give up my west coast dreams for a department that is ready to support me financially and personally.

I'm so tired of waiting on my other schools, though. I have been expecting rejection from UNC since day 1, and it hasn't come yet. I'm thinking maybe they disliked my application so much they chose not to notify me. The others are UCLA and Buffalo...but I just found out the faculty member that I said I was interested in at Buffalo retired in December. lol

[tanagra]

The others are UCLA and Buffalo...but I just found out the faculty member that I said I was interested in at Buffalo retired in December. lol

Not to be the bringer of bad news, but UCLA has already held their prospective student weekend, according to a friend of mine.

[deianeira]

I've come to wonder at what point "no news is good news" changes to "no news is because schools are too lazy and sadistic to reject you outright?"

[nike of samothrace]

I've come to wonder at what point "no news is good news" changes to "no news is because schools are too lazy and sadistic to reject you outright?"

That's EXACTLY what I'm fearing these days.

Argh.

[kbatulli]

Good luck to everyone this week! Hopefully they'll all start coming in before Friday...

[nike of samothrace]

Good luck to everyone this week! Hopefully they'll all start coming in before Friday...

I'm starting to think we should start sending each other good luck tokens - something to look forward to in the mail, and maybe it'll work.

Argh.

I've found that five of my seven schools have notified by now - some acceptances, some rejections, some waitlists.... and I still haven't heard anything. I'm torn between wondering if that is good news at some and being convinced it is bad news at others. I'm dreading going home to check the mailbox.

[schoolhurts]

So frustrated.

I've got an offer that I want to accept, but I feel weird about committing until I get final word from Minnesota. Nobody has posted anything about Minn which makes me think they've still not notified. I want it all to be over. NOW.

Anyone hear anything about Minnesota? If I hear they've notified, then I'm accepting my offer asap.

[deianeira]

I think the good luck tokens are a good idea. My adviser said that she is going to make some libations... I consider agonizing about applications to be the equivalent of another class at this point.

Did anyone else apply to Fordham/know what's going on with them?

I also haven't heard of anything coming from Columbia save the earlier post.

[nike of samothrace]

So frustrated.

I've got an offer that I want to accept, but I feel weird about committing until I get final word from Minnesota. Nobody has posted anything about Minn which makes me think they've still not notified. I want it all to be over. NOW.

Anyone hear anything about Minnesota? If I hear they've notified, then I'm accepting my offer asap.

If you've got an offer you're genuinely excited and serious about, at this stage I'd say there's nothing wrong in contacting Minn just to gently say "I've got a good offer and am weighing my options. I would like to know when I may hear from you." That way it's no pressure, but just an inquiry. I'm not sure I've seen anyone else around here applying to Minnesota Classics (or Fordham, deianeira, for that matter).

[deianeira]

Thank you, nike, I think I might put a call into them to see what is happening.

Do universities notify one another of acceptances?

[palimpsest]

Last week was rough - I got four rejections: Chapel Hill, Penn, Princeton, and Michigan. That just leaves Brown, Chicago, and Toronto to hear from. I know Brown and Chicago have already sent out acceptances, and I haven't seen any rejections from them on the results board, which makes me think they just haven't gotten around to sending them yet. This whole process has been really disheartening for me. I know that I applied to really good programs but I, and all of my professors, thought I had a pretty good shot at getting in to at least some of them. So now I not only feel like I've let them down, but it's also humiliated to keep having to report more rejections to them (especially while other people in my classes are getting into places like Michigan). So far, there have been only two acceptances out of ten applications: Oxford, which is only a possibility if I get funding (the chances of which are highly unlikely) and UCSB, which was my safe school.

On the bright side, UCSB has offered a generous funding package, which I am extremely grateful for. At the moment, this is the only thing that is allowing me to stay at all positive about my future in this field. And the more I think about it, I am actually getting a little excited to go out to California. I've heard really good things about UCSB's program being on the up and up, and that they have a great group of faculty. Plus, while it is quite expensive, there are definitely worse places to live! So, in the meantime I am looking forward to a visit out to Santa Barbara and trying to keep my head above water in finishing out this semester.

[nike of samothrace]

Do universities notify one another of acceptances?

As far as I know, no. I suppose, on the one hand, I could see professors who are friends/close contacts but at different universities conferring over certain students, if they are trying to find a best fit... and on the other hand, I can see that being vastly unethical, considering how confidential applications are. So I would go with no, but I could be wrong. I've never heard anything either way.

[nike of samothrace]

Three of us rejected from Cornell in the same day? Burn.

I'm not so bothered, as the department wasn't a good fit for me. But I hope anyone else reading this is ok.

[kbatulli]

My friend was accepted to Columbia on Monday. I guess they've made decisions too.

[deianeira]

My friend was accepted to Columbia on Monday. I guess they've made decisions too.

Uh oh... how did he/she find out?

[Lizzy23]

I think the good luck tokens are a good idea. My adviser said that she is going to make some libations... I consider agonizing about applications to be the equivalent of another class at this point.

Did anyone else apply to Fordham/know what's going on with them?

I also haven't heard of anything coming from Columbia save the earlier post.

Well, I have applied to Fordham (how good is that place, by the way?)... still no news. Same thing for Western Ontario. I am so stressed. At least my alma mater had the decency to accept me, but they're not keen on monetary support. Beside, since they know I want to leave, the funding for the year was particularly bad. Darn! :evil:

[deianeira]

I don't know how good they are. I know that they have a sort of consortium thing with NYU and Princeton in which students can take classes at any of the schools. I'm assuming that it's a good thing to have that kind of agreement with those two schools. They also are known, I believe, for being a better graduate/law school than undergraduate, so that also is favorable.

[Lizzy23]

Thanks for the info. I had read about their agreement with NYU and Columbia. It was one of the reasons that motivated me to apply. I must say that I'd really, really like to get in (now more than ever, since my boyfriend received a very generous offer from Yale, which isn't very far from Fordham...).

I saw on this site that one person received an offer from Fordham classics, but that was for a PhD. Since I have just completed my BA, I applied for an MA. I wonder if I should start to worry... I have not yet heard from them :cry:

[tanagra]

Rejected at Stanford and Chicago on the same day. Not surprised though, since it's taken them so long to send out notification.

[schoolhurts]

still waiting to hear anything from minnesota. i think next week can be considered "late" as far as classics admissions, so i'm going to email them then.

[deianeira]

What kind of email are you composing? I want to contact some schools to see what's going on, but I'm not exactly certain how to word it...

[schoolhurts]

I wrote an email, short and sweet, stating that I applied to their PhD program and would like to know if the department has notified applicants regarding admissions decisions.