2019 Applicants

[Warelin]

20 hours ago, emprof said:

are *all* recognizable and sought-after traits for admissions committees.

I'm curious here. Do you believe those traits are also sought-after for hiring committees? Can you tell us what you're looking for when you're looking to hire someone into your department? I think a lot of people have it in their mind that it's "top 10 or bust" when it comes to applications as opposed to finding universities which may be a better fit for them. I think a lot of the time to account for cohort size when we see placements or the fact that not everyone in a cohort is looking for a tenure-track position, which might impact smaller departments more than bigger ones when looking at placement. Can you provide some insight on that?

[trytostay]

What’s everyone doing to say thank you to their letter writers?

[Deleted Because Useless]

12 minutes ago, trytostay said:

What’s everyone doing to say thank you to their letter writers?

Thinking of giving them scented candles I made myself.

[havemybloodchild]

41 minutes ago, trytostay said:

What’s everyone doing to say thank you to their letter writers?

I'm holding out hope I actually get to enroll this year, and, if so, I'm going to get them like a pen or something from my new school, along with a nice card...and a case of cheetos for my advisor because she is the one who told me she hoped I would be her colleague one day and inspired me to go to grad school in the first place.  And that's her favorite snack, haha.

1 hour ago, kitties said:

Do you guys know how much a difference it makes which school your LOR writers are from? Two of my recommenders were from UCSB (I did a study abroad year there), so I thought I was more likely to get in there than anywhere else, but now I've been rejected (despite fit etc. also being good), so I'm guessing they don't care about that after all?

Pretty hard not to be bummed when the one school you actually thought would work out didn't...

I had letters from someone who went to grad school at UCSB and another at Stanford (who is highly published and very well known in her field) and I didn't get in to either school.  Obviously this isn't the same as current faculty, though.  I feel (and who the heck knows if this is true, but it's my opinion) that LOR are basically whatever UNLESS they are not particularly good or contain red flags about the student.  But then who would write those letters?  This is just my guess.

Sorry you're feeling gutted right now, but I'm rooting for you!

Edited February 15, 2019 by kendalldinniene

[mandelbulb]

2 hours ago, kitties said:

Do you guys know how much a difference it makes which school your LOR writers are from? Two of my recommenders were from UCSB (I did a study abroad year there), so I thought I was more likely to get in there than anywhere else, but now I've been rejected (despite fit etc. also being good), so I'm guessing they don't care about that after all?

Pretty hard not to be bummed when the one school you actually thought would work out didn't...

some institutes have unwritten rules to make a very large attempt to take students who didn't spend undergrad time there. this is an across-field thing i think (i've heard of it happening in more than one field). so it might actually be because you studied abroad there that may have not counted in your favor. a friend of mine was almost rejected from her dream program because she'd spent time working with her POI, when you'd think that instead that'd make her a stronger candidate because she's already proven that she's capable of grad-level work, that they collaborate together well, that the fit is perfect. however, it doesn't look great to "take your own" and it also keeps thinking/scholarship a little insular. on the other hand, some programs love taking undergrads from the same school because they know exactly what they're getting

tl;dr fit is about so many things and often we don't even know half of it. we take shots in the dark at what programs will be the best fit, and sometimes we hit the target and sometimes we don't. all we can do is try to present ourselves as strong candidates and, if we don't hit the target, we just have to try again. persistence is necessary in this field.

[Musmatatus]

1 hour ago, trytostay said:

What’s everyone doing to say thank you to their letter writers?

After applications were due, I did handwritten thank you cards with $20 gift cards to on-campus coffee shops. It was super fun picking out thank you cards with images that suited each professor's personality/style! (As a note, if you're still in school or money's tight in general, I don't think gift cards or gifts are at all necessary.)

[mwils15]

9 hours ago, santraash said:

lol. thanks. ?

Hey! I messaged a friend who is getting her PhD at Rutgers when that stray result got posted and she said that she hadn’t hear anything about them sending out notifications yet!!

[havemybloodchild]

Do you think it’s bad in an interview to ask what about your application made them want to meet you?

@emprof would love it if you could speak to this.

Edited February 15, 2019 by kendalldinniene
Desperation

[Matthew3957]

UCSB rejection this morning ?. Also rejection from UCSC seems implied now. 

I have not thought about thanking my writers in any meaningful way. I just had conversations with all of them... now I am wondering if I should or if for Germany that is fine...

[toxicmoss]

4 hours ago, trytostay said:

What’s everyone doing to say thank you to their letter writers?

I'm studying abroad in the country where 2 of my 3 letter writers came from so I'll probably bring back some food items that can only (easily) be found here. For the other letter writer, probably some tea or coffee from the region. In the humanities, tea and coffee is always a safe bet, right? ?

[purrfectpals]

10 hours ago, trytostay said:

What’s everyone doing to say thank you to their letter writers?

Some gifts from my home country! Which I already gave when I left the States, so I just sent some emails stating my appreciation for everything they did again.

[purrfectpals]

10 hours ago, mandelbulb said:

some institutes have unwritten rules to make a very large attempt to take students who didn't spend undergrad time there. this is an across-field thing i think (i've heard of it happening in more than one field). so it might actually be because you studied abroad there that may have not counted in your favor. a friend of mine was almost rejected from her dream program because she'd spent time working with her POI, when you'd think that instead that'd make her a stronger candidate because she's already proven that she's capable of grad-level work, that they collaborate together well, that the fit is perfect. however, it doesn't look great to "take your own" and it also keeps thinking/scholarship a little insular. on the other hand, some programs love taking undergrads from the same school because they know exactly what they're getting

tl;dr fit is about so many things and often we don't even know half of it. we take shots in the dark at what programs will be the best fit, and sometimes we hit the target and sometimes we don't. all we can do is try to present ourselves as strong candidates and, if we don't hit the target, we just have to try again. persistence is necessary in this field.

My MA advisor who is on the adcom said the same thing. He specifically stated that, as much as the people there may like to work with me, they would automatically not consider any application from their MA students to avoid the program becoming too insular. This is specific to the program, however, so it definitely depends.

[placeinspace]

Just an FYI, I'd called Davis the other day to try and get an official rejection but it went to voicemail. I'm going to try again today. I'll report back.

[trytostay]

Waitlisted at Columbia. Damn, I must be bad at interviews ha. 

[disidentifications]

6 minutes ago, trytostay said:

Waitlisted at Columbia. Damn, I must be bad at interviews ha. 

How'd you find out? Is the adcomm not only meeting today?   

[trytostay]

3 minutes ago, flungoutofspace said:

How'd you find out? Is the adcomm not only meeting today?   

I was told by my POI not to expect a decision until next week, but I got mine today via a non-personalized email. 

I filled out the form to be on the waitlist and it says: “We have received your response, and you have been placed on the waitlist. When the program's admissions committee completes its review, you will be notified of the final decision regarding your application.” 

Edited February 15, 2019 by trytostay

[disidentifications]

4 minutes ago, trytostay said:

I was told by my POI not to expect a decision until next week, but I got mine today via a non-personalized email. 

I filled out the form to be on the waitlist and it says: “We have received your response, and you have been placed on the waitlist. When the program's admissions committee completes its review, you will be notified of the final decision regarding your application.” 

Ah, I see some acceptances have been posted on the results board, so I presume I can chalk this up to another no for me... 

[trytostay]

Waitlisted at WashU as well. What a weird day! Not sure how to feel lol.

EDIT: WashU just told me they accepted 5 (FIVE!!!!!) people. OMG. 

[ArcaMajora]

Oh shoot Columbia's notifying No e-mail so far... Looks like another implied rejection. Not surprised there, the fit was very tenuous since my interests shifted towards poetics. Was my original dream program (and I would've been ecstatic at good news), but my interests changed from then and now, so Columbia and I are no longer super compatible. Now down to the last 2 programs whose rejections would actually crush me...

@trytostay You're slaying this app cycle omg. Congrats on the waitlists to very fabulous programs! I know the limbo is weird (I'm in one myself atm and it's a strange feeling), but your apps made a strong impression on them. It may not be an acceptance, but you're still in the running for them. It's definitely still a victory worth celebrating. I'm rooting for you

Edited February 15, 2019 by Ranmaag

[trytostay]

Thank you @Ranmaag ! Certainly doesn't feel like I'm crushing it, but I know I'll end up where I'm supposed to be. Gotta trust the process in all of it's awfulness. It really does place people where they're supposed to be when it's all said and done. 

Edited February 15, 2019 by trytostay

[eddyrynes]

Congratulations to those who got acceptances today ??

Can Rutgers, UPenn, and Brown make up their minds now already? ??

[The Wordsworthian]

2 minutes ago, eddyrynes said:

Can Rutgers, UPenn, and Brown make up their minds now already? ??

Right!?!? The waiting is excruciating!

[Englishtea1]

1 minute ago, eddyrynes said:

Congratulations to those who got acceptances today ??

Can Rutgers, UPenn, and Brown make up their minds now already? ??

They're joking and gaming with these imaginary deadlines we've given them.

[amphilanthus]

7 minutes ago, eddyrynes said:

Congratulations to those who got acceptances today ??

Can Rutgers, UPenn, and Brown make up their minds now already? ??

very much seconding this! had both rutgers and upenn marked as possibly-today on my calendar and dared to imagine that i might know about all my schools by the end of the day! but no. that would be too easy. why know now when we could wait miserably forever?

[trytostay]

Didn't Rutgers just quietly release rejections on the portal with no notice last year? (I'm personally not counting on good news from Rutgers or Yale, just ready to finally hear from them lol.) 

At this point all I'm hoping for from the rest of this cycle is to turn my Columbia waitlist into an offer... But I also don't want my disappointment in being waitlisted to take away from the excitement those who were accepted are feeling. CONGRATS to all Columbia acceptances! You guys worked hard and deserve it. 

Edited February 15, 2019 by trytostay