keep me grounded... :-)

[throwupandaway]

Hi everyone,

I have kind of a two-part message.

1) Rolling Admissions

I applied to a terminal Masters program on Friday. It is rolling admissions. I've lined up a potential adviser (he seems excited to work with me as our interests line up) and the program seems to be a good fit with what I want to accomplish in the next two years. I love the school, love the location, and am really excited about the prospect of attending.

Since I applied to the program (all my materials are fwd'd to the dept.), how long does rolling admissions usually take? I submitted everything online, and my transcripts are en route.

2) Does anyone have experience with lining up an adviser and NOT getting in?

I've been in contact with the school/program for 3 weeks and they seem excited about my app. My potential adviser said he "looks forward to meeting me" in the fall, so I assume that is good and he told me who to expect my acceptance news from, is willing to help me put together a course of study upon acceptance, etc.

I'm nervous because all this seems great--but I wonder if I'm going to get stuck in bureaucratic red tape that will mean auto-rejection, despite my potential adviser's good intentions.

I'd love to hear any stories to relieve the neurosis of waiting for a reject/admit.

Thanks!

Edited March 16, 2010 by throwupandaway

[johndiligent]

I can't address your first question, but as for the second, I suppose it depends on your field, the departmental politics, and the sphere of influence of your POI.

As for field, as I understand it, potential advisors in the sciences have a bit more sway over who gets accepted than many professors in the humanities, since the funding to take on students usually comes from that professor's lab or research money. Thus they tend to have more say over who they get to take on in their own lab. In the Humanities, there are usually a lot more factors to consider and a lot more people affected by the decision, so one person may not have as much control over who gets admitted. In terms of departmental politics, there's usually a whole bevy of intrigue going on in any department and these factors can really turn the tide in a certain direction - often against whole sub-fields.

So having the vote of confidence of a specific professor is not an immediate yes. Hell, there are people who have been recommended by a whole department, only to be rejected by the School/Faculty of Graduate Studies. HOWEVER, you should feel as if your chances are better than OK. Just far from a for sure, as if anything in this process ever is.

[ScreamingHairyArmadillo]

I'll respond to the first question then.

I finished my rolling admissions application in mid-November and heard back the first week of December. From what I could tell, the committee met every month.

[eleanorrigby]

And I applied to a rolling program at the end of October and I still haven't heard back (but it doesn't seem like anyone has). Not to scare you

Good luck!