2020 Applicants

[tinymica]

2 minutes ago, gooniesneversaydie said:

It has been a real comfort to have other people so stressed out as me (especially about this one school, jfc). That sounds odd, like, I'm grateful for your mental struggles....?! Weird. If I don't get in though, the Tufts' campus is like 7 miles away from BU, so if you decide to come out east, you'll have a friend here waiting! Plus, in my second year, I get to take advantage of the Boston-area consortium (so would you!) and hopefully take some classes at BU and do the women's study consortium program at MIT. 

I know it sounds so strange, but I get exactly what you mean and I feel the same way! Like, I don't want you (or anyone) to suffer....but I'm glad we were suffering.....together? Swear it makes sense in my head. I'm so happy to think you'd be close by if I chose BU! I worry a lot about being both alone and lonely in a new place, so it's a big comfort to know you'd be there and we could have Wine Wednesdays or something :')

[onerepublic96]

1 hour ago, tinymica said:

I’m......in at BU. What? What? I...HUH?

Wow! Congratulations!! 

I hope you don't mind my being nosy, but how did they notify you? Was it by phone or email or just an update on the portal...? 

[tinymica]

10 minutes ago, onerepublic96 said:

Wow! Congratulations!! 

I hope you don't mind my being nosy, but how did they notify you? Was it by phone or email or just an update on the portal...? 

Not nosy at all! I received an email with the acceptance letter attached as a pdf.

Edit: forgot to say thank you!!

Edited March 6, 2020 by tinymica

[gooniesneversaydie]

25 minutes ago, tinymica said:

I know it sounds so strange, but I get exactly what you mean and I feel the same way! Like, I don't want you (or anyone) to suffer....but I'm glad we were suffering.....together? Swear it makes sense in my head. I'm so happy to think you'd be close by if I chose BU! I worry a lot about being both alone and lonely in a new place, so it's a big comfort to know you'd be there and we could have Wine Wednesdays or something :')

We'll definitely need emotional support over the next 6 years! I wish you nothing but luck in your decision making. I know just how scary it is to move from coast to coast. 

 

Side note: I'm sitting at the dentist's office and what is directly in front of me? Two massive degrees from BU in the biggest frames I've ever seen. The universe is just f'ing with me now. So, by having a BU graduate examine my teeth, does that mean I'll have good luck??!

[Valorship98]

1 minute ago, gooniesneversaydie said:

We'll definitely need emotional support over the next 6 years! I wish you nothing but luck in your decision making. I know just how scary it is to move from coast to coast. 

 

Side note: I'm sitting at the dentist's office and what is directly in front of me? Two massive degrees from BU in the biggest frames I've ever seen. The universe is just f'ing with me now. So, by having a BU graduate examine my teeth, does that mean I'll have good luck??!

Well everyone knows Tufts dental is better anyway

 

[caffeinated applicant]

37 minutes ago, mobydickpic said:

has anyone still had total radio silence from Brown English?

I'd suggest reaching out to Brown if you haven't heard yet! Not aware of anyone still waiting on them, and it's been a couple weeks since they notified now. 

[tinymica]

Oof. UW's campus visit just got cancelled due to concerns about the coronavirus. Obviously public health is the most important, but I'm (selfishly) disappointed and concerned. They claim they're going to try and have the visit virtually. No idea what that will look like.

[Warelin]

4 hours ago, tinymica said:

Oof. UW's campus visit just got cancelled due to concerns about the coronavirus. Obviously public health is the most important, but I'm (selfishly) disappointed and concerned. They claim they're going to try and have the visit virtually. No idea what that will look like.

I'm not sure if you have seen this article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/06/coronavirus-university-of-washington-moves-all-classes-to-online.html

It doesn't appear to be a permanent change to the UW but I wonder if part of this contributed to their decision to cancel their tour visits.

[MichelleObama]

4 hours ago, Warelin said:

I'm not sure if you have seen this article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/06/coronavirus-university-of-washington-moves-all-classes-to-online.html

It doesn't appear to be a permanent change to the UW but I wonder if part of this contributed to their decision to cancel their tour visits.

This definitely contributed...The majority of US Coronavirus deaths have been in the Seattle area including 1 UW Law student...Seattle is a little ghostlike right now so you aren’t missing anything @tinymica!

[MichelleObama]

7 hours ago, MichelleObama said:

This definitely contributed...The majority of US Coronavirus deaths have been in the Seattle area including 1 UW Law student...Seattle is a little ghostlike right now so you aren’t missing anything @tinymica!

Late edit due to lack of context: a UW Law student did not die from the virus, but was put on 2 weeks of self-quarantine, and this combined with the severity of the outbreak in the city is directly related to the cancelation of UW's visit. Another edit: Seattle isn't "a little ghostlike," it is a full ghost of a city at present ?

Edited March 7, 2020 by MichelleObama

[Cryss]

On 2/29/2020 at 6:54 PM, Cryss said:

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-02-28/uc-santa-cruz-fires-54-graduate-student-workers-wildcat-strike

 

What do we think about this? 

Side note, as an international student, it's really difficult to stand up for yourself in this way if it means being fired/ consequently removed from the program and country. It definitely seems to perpetuate the "keep your head down and do what you're told" ideology. But thoughts?

https://www.chronicle.com/article/After-Announcing-Firing-of/248168?key=sDFk4Qum8UZIcp0FmqC6TgxUZDvCGgPBdZ8FWy0URNPNa9iSeObsWfznuizyyFuGNXhZSjc2OThDQ1c3aFBDR2otTkE5NjBsOV92bDVVSlp4cS1BLVNQMzl1Yw&fbclid=IwAR3FNgWb_xugPmDBn_KOXdS9lTlVddTcFe22q_NJoUjmN6_96wg3QR8YWtQ

Update: seems like things are in a bad state over there. 

[Wimsey]

Love to get my first ever jury duty summons while I'm trying to choose a grad program. Come on, universe, don't make this harder for me ?

[onerepublic96]

Wonder what’s happening at BU... 2 acceptances (via email) up on the board, but they’re both internationals, so perhaps they’ll be making phone calls to the US acceptances next week...? 

[Lighthouse Lana]

16 minutes ago, onerepublic96 said:

Wonder what’s happening at BU... 2 acceptances (via email) up on the board, but they’re both internationals, so perhaps they’ll be making phone calls to the US acceptances next week...? 

Let us pray.

[meghan_sparkle]

Welp. I finished my last faculty meeting at Chicago yesterday only to open email on my phone and find that all of my other visits were cancelled due to coronavirus. Some faculty reaching out to apologize and say their university is descending into chaos at the moment; others reaching out to say "Let me know if you still want to meet!" 

Ummm. So I can still visit other places, I just won't be reimbursed...? Coooooool.

Hope everyone's hanging in there—it's a crazy and enormously stressful time. 

[snorkles]

15 minutes ago, meghan_sparkle said:

Welp. I finished my last faculty meeting at Chicago yesterday only to open email on my phone and find that all of my other visits were cancelled due to coronavirus. Some faculty reaching out to apologize and say their university is descending into chaos at the moment; others reaching out to say "Let me know if you still want to meet!" 

Ummm. So I can still visit other places, I just won't be reimbursed...? Coooooool.

Hope everyone's hanging in there—it's a crazy and enormously stressful time. 

all of them?!

[gooniesneversaydie]

34 minutes ago, onerepublic96 said:

Wonder what’s happening at BU... 2 acceptances (via email) up on the board, but they’re both internationals, so perhaps they’ll be making phone calls to the US acceptances next week...? 

 

17 minutes ago, GoldHippie said:

Let us pray.

I know @tinymica was contacted via email too - so it looks like so far 3 (that are on GC that is): 2 international and 1 US. I'm going to assume mine is a rejection at this point. I'm just ready to know so I can fully move on. 

[meghan_sparkle]

5 minutes ago, snorkles said:

all of them?!

Y e p 

[snorkles]

1 minute ago, meghan_sparkle said:

Y e p 

That's brutal. I'm really sorry to hear that. I was speaking with a prospective yesterday who was headed off to Ithaca on Sunday and Princeton after. I take it that the emails made it explicit that they would not be reimbursing you. Missing the theatrics of visit days is fine, but not being able to visit at all is terrible terrible terrible. 

[onerepublic96]

22 minutes ago, gooniesneversaydie said:

 

I know @tinymica was contacted via email too - so it looks like so far 3 (that are on GC that is): 2 international and 1 US. I'm going to assume mine is a rejection at this point. I'm just ready to know so I can fully move on. 

Ohh... idk why I assumed @tinymica’s notification was also the first post on the board. Well... that changes things, huh? 

[tinymica]

20 hours ago, Warelin said:

I'm not sure if you have seen this article: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/06/coronavirus-university-of-washington-moves-all-classes-to-online.html

It doesn't appear to be a permanent change to the UW but I wonder if part of this contributed to their decision to cancel their tour visits.

No, I hadn’t heard about class cancellation until the department told me about it directly. They said they were advised to avoid large gatherings. I understand why they cancelled! It’s best to protect the public’s health.

16 hours ago, MichelleObama said:

This definitely contributed...The majority of US Coronavirus deaths have been in the Seattle area including 1 UW Law student...Seattle is a little ghostlike right now so you aren’t missing anything @tinymica!

I did hear about a lot of cases around the area, yes. It makes total sense why it’s ghosty there! Thanks for the info :’)

[tinymica]

26 minutes ago, onerepublic96 said:

Ohh... idk why I assumed @tinymica’s notification was also the first post on the board. Well... that changes things, huh? 

I’m not sure what’s going on tbh. I can only assume that other acceptances are just not on GC? But I don’t know if they’ve sent out all of them. Also, sorry for the confusion! I don’t even know how to post to the board lol.

I hope y’all find out news soon. I’m leaning towards BU right now (unexpectedly) so it would be very cool to see you in person (if there is indeed a visit scheduled)

[meghan_sparkle]

1 hour ago, snorkles said:

That's brutal. I'm really sorry to hear that. I was speaking with a prospective yesterday who was headed off to Ithaca on Sunday and Princeton after. I take it that the emails made it explicit that they would not be reimbursing you. Missing the theatrics of visit days is fine, but not being able to visit at all is terrible terrible terrible. 

Oh, no, no one said we wouldn't be reimbursed—Berkeley e.g. has said something to the tune of 'try to get a refund from the airline but if they won't let you, we'll send you reimbursement'. I guess I meant in the sense that even though flights may be already booked in some cases like with Berkeley, the accommodation would've been with a current student, which is no longer happening; and with other visits that cancelled before I made official train or flight arrangements ... well, not like I can book those now and get reimbursed for a cancelled visit. It just seems odd to me that some professors are saying "Well, now that we won't have the chance to meet, how about I call you..." and others (in one case even from same institution!!) are saying "Let me know if you're in town and we'll meet". Some implicit pressure to continue on with visits as planned, solo and out of my own pocket, where I can... I dunno.

It's understandable—I wouldn't for a moment suggest visits are more important than prophylactic measures when people are dying. But it's definitely really unfortunate. I've had two visits so far (Yale and UChicago) and was equal parts swayed and torn by each one, and I can't imagine making a decision without having visited the others. Skype meetings or phone calls ... sure, they help, but they're no real substitute for a visit. The decision felt impossible to me already, and I think even if I did go to all my visits it would probably come down to small hair-breadth differences, my own instincts, and idiosyncratic personal preferences. Now it just feels daunting and impossible, and the prospect of regretting my decision in future or wishing I could've visited/gotten more information down the line ... sucks. I mean, this is the next 6 years of my life, so no small thing. Alas. 

Edited March 7, 2020 by meghan_sparkle

[gooniesneversaydie]

It looks like some academic conferences are still happening. I've gotten a few emails from the medieval ones saying that so far the CDC isn't recommending cancelling public events, so they're still moving forward. 

[meghan_sparkle]

Yes, I should specify that in all cases I've had so far, it's the university's decision to 'strongly recommend' or require visits in various departments to be cancelled. Columbia and Berkeley DGS's emailed me yesterday morning saying "It's still on!" only to cancel within hours, and I get the sense that it was the university's call. Conferences may be slightly more independent and still have the ability to cancel or proceed at their discretion ... though who knows, honestly; this situation seems to be moving fast, with a big sea-change in the last 24 hours or so.