2021 Application Thread

[setori]

2 minutes ago, fan21 said:

This was me!  I guess they must have started sending them out - but probably they do it over a few days? 

Did POI reach out to you? When did you receive the email?

 

[fan21]

8 minutes ago, setori said:

Did POI reach out to you? When did you receive the email?

 

Nah I didn't even get an email! I just checked the applicant portal this morning and found a notification in my application. 

Edited February 17, 2021 by fan21

[fan21]

On 2/16/2021 at 2:51 AM, psstein said:

One of the top programs in history of science is widely known to have indifferent supervision and average training for most students.

Interesting... out of interest, which one are you referring to?

[SAM311]

12 hours ago, Hillz said:

Dying to know if there is any chance still at getting into duke. Does anyone know for sure that all their acceptances have gone out?

I am in the same boat. No update from my end, but anxiously awaiting news. I saw something on the results page, but I have no clue beyond that. I am thinking about reaching out to my POI but don't want to be an annoyance. 

[setori]

17 minutes ago, fan21 said:

Nah I didn't even get an email! I just checked the applicant portal this morning and found a notification in my application. 

What's written in the notification?

[fan21]

On 2/17/2021 at 10:21 AM, setori said:

What's written in the notification?

Lots of nice and friendly wording, it starts off like an acceptance letter - "The Program in the History of Science faculty admissions committee is very impressed by your credentials, and as a result, we would like to offer you a place [yay!! oh wait the sentence isn't finished...] on the waiting list."

Then the 'it's not you it's me' section - "Please note that we consider our waitlist candidates to be admissible in every way, and your placement on the waitlist is a reflection of our internal capacity constraints rather than the strength of your application. Like many of our peer institutions, Harvard has significantly reduced the number of students to be admitted this year, and this has resulted in having to waitlist truly exceptional applicants such as yourself. In many cases, priority for admission has been driven by factors beyond an applicant’s control, such as the distribution of students across a department's research areas."

And then a link to a yes/no 'I want to be on the waitlist' form.

Now as an applicant who's pretty confused by most things to do with the US applications processes, I have no idea whether contacting someone in the department would get me any more info/how big these waitlists are and realistically what are the chances of getting an offer from them is for somewhere like Harvard. Or Princeton, where I'm also waitlisted... Any thoughts anyone?

 

[Maguire]

On 2/15/2021 at 11:22 PM, kleio said:

My History PhD application to UChicago was rejected, but I was referred to the MAPSS program. I am very excited but I am wondering if anyone has any insight about how they accept students (by field/program)? I am also nervous since my application was not tailored to MAPSS, though referrals seem common. I did talk a lot in my application about wanting to work with professors in the anthropology and sociology department so perhaps that is what led to my referral. Thanks guys!

I’ve been referred to MAPSS too and am quite interested in seeing what they come back with, even though it means waiting a few more weeks. Adding on to @kleio’s query, I was just wondering if anyone knew how likely it is for referred PhD applicants to be offered a spot at MAPSS and if there’s a better chance for receiving funding due to this? Thanks!

[TagRendar]

3 minutes ago, scarletwitch said:

I’ve been referred to MAPSS too and am quite interested in seeing what they come back with, even though it means waiting a few more weeks. Adding on to @kleio’s query, I was just wondering if anyone knew how likely it is for referred PhD applicants to be offered a spot at MAPSS and if there’s a better chance for receiving funding due to this? Thanks!

Judging from a quick survey of last year's results, it looks like a lot of folks referred to MAPSS from the Ph.D cycle do end up with more funding than just the usual MAPSS applicants, but that could just be a side effect of whose results we can see.

Good luck to all the MAPSS folks regardless!  May your admission be imminent and your funding be ample.

[Maguire]

25 minutes ago, TagRendar said:

Judging from a quick survey of last year's results, it looks like a lot of folks referred to MAPSS from the Ph.D cycle do end up with more funding than just the usual MAPSS applicants, but that could just be a side effect of whose results we can see.

Good luck to all the MAPSS folks regardless!  May your admission be imminent and your funding be ample.

Thanks! The letter said to expect the decision in 'mid-march' but hopefully it might come a bit sooner than that! ?

[Marccys]

2 hours ago, fan21 said:

Lots of nice and friendly wording, it starts off like an acceptance letter - "The Program in the History of Science faculty admissions committee is very impressed by your credentials, and as a result, we would like to offer you a place [yay!! oh wait the sentence isn't finished...] on the waiting list."

Then the 'it's not you it's me' section - "Please note that we consider our waitlist candidates to be admissible in every way, and your placement on the waitlist is a reflection of our internal capacity constraints rather than the strength of your application. Like many of our peer institutions, Harvard has significantly reduced the number of students to be admitted this year, and this has resulted in having to waitlist truly exceptional applicants such as yourself. In many cases, priority for admission has been driven by factors beyond an applicant’s control, such as the distribution of students across a department's research areas."

And then a link to a yes/no 'I want to be on the waitlist' form.

Now as a British applicant who's pretty confused by most things to do with the US applications processes, I have no idea whether contacting someone in the department would get me any more info/how big these waitlists are and realistically what are the chances of getting an offer from them is for somewhere like Harvard. Or Princeton, where I'm also waitlisted... Any thoughts anyone?

 

Mixed feelings I guess! Would you be comfortable sharing your profile? 

[HRL]

17 hours ago, Hillz said:

Dying to know if there is any chance still at getting into duke. Does anyone know for sure that all their acceptances have gone out?

Seconding this. Somehow missed that 1 acceptance posted back on 2/11. And apparently 1 waitlist on 2/10.

Has anyone heard any news on Duke? 

[flowersandcoffee]

5 hours ago, fan21 said:

Lots of nice and friendly wording, it starts off like an acceptance letter - "The Program in the History of Science faculty admissions committee is very impressed by your credentials, and as a result, we would like to offer you a place [yay!! oh wait the sentence isn't finished...] on the waiting list."

Then the 'it's not you it's me' section - "Please note that we consider our waitlist candidates to be admissible in every way, and your placement on the waitlist is a reflection of our internal capacity constraints rather than the strength of your application. Like many of our peer institutions, Harvard has significantly reduced the number of students to be admitted this year, and this has resulted in having to waitlist truly exceptional applicants such as yourself. In many cases, priority for admission has been driven by factors beyond an applicant’s control, such as the distribution of students across a department's research areas."

And then a link to a yes/no 'I want to be on the waitlist' form.

Now as a British applicant who's pretty confused by most things to do with the US applications processes, I have no idea whether contacting someone in the department would get me any more info/how big these waitlists are and realistically what are the chances of getting an offer from them is for somewhere like Harvard. Or Princeton, where I'm also waitlisted... Any thoughts anyone?

 

Hey! I’m also on the waitlist for history at Harvard. Let me know if you figure out how it works or if there’s any chance you can ever get off it! I emailed and asked for my rank/position on the waitlist and they said they can’t tell me. They did tell me that usually it expires in April but due to covid that’s not the case this year. Hope this helps! 

[kchistory]

Hi all. Has anyone heard back from UC San Diego?

[Moka Pot]

15 minutes ago, kchistory said:

Hi all. Has anyone heard back from UC San Diego?

No, not yet. I haven't heard from them at all after I submitted my application. I just assumed it was because their deadline was relatively late.

[coffeebooksphd]

Harvard history phd student here - we admitted 7 people and have received approval to go immediately to the waitlist if any of them reject. So for those on the waitlist, there is a good chance we'll pluck a few from there. Our cohort this year will for certain be 7 people though which includes CMES. I think this year we received 400-500 applications. 

 

If you are deciding on Harvard and other places, let me add that our funding package in the years to come will likely rise because of our union bargaining. Our 5 yr TT placement rate is around 80% with a lot of folks doing the JD/PhD and getting a job at a law firm afterwards. And we have guaranteed summer funding on top of our 12 month stipends. DM for more info.

[CakeWhite]

39 minutes ago, kchistory said:

Hi all. Has anyone heard back from UC San Diego?

Had an interview for history/science studies a few weeks ago and been in touch with a professor from there for a while. No official acceptance, rejection, or waitlist–he said they are running a little behind schedule and are still processing. Very nice people.

[history202-]

On 2/15/2021 at 9:14 PM, TagRendar said:

Same on my end - not unexpected, but it was very gentle and I appreciate that after such a rough season.

I did not get referral to MAPSS, probably because I already have a master's degree.

Re: MAPSS referral - mine was actually uploaded in a second letter to the portal and it was uploaded later than my original rejection notice. I didn't receive an email notification so it was luck that I caught it! Decision for MAPSS will be in March so... something else to wait a little longer for... at least at this point I'm used to it! 

[history202-]

5 hours ago, scarletwitch said:

I’ve been referred to MAPSS too and am quite interested in seeing what they come back with, even though it means waiting a few more weeks. Adding on to @kleio’s query, I was just wondering if anyone knew how likely it is for referred PhD applicants to be offered a spot at MAPSS and if there’s a better chance for receiving funding due to this? Thanks!

Same, if they do offer me a spot the funding will have to be pretty great. Cost aside, the program is appealing in rigor and duration. I couldn't justify it though without generous $$ support.

[steinein]

 

On 2/11/2021 at 7:42 AM, iotres said:

Also curious about this. Did anyone apply to Chicago's CHSS and know if offers are out already?

 

On 2/16/2021 at 2:17 PM, steinein said:

Hi there: No idea about all offers, but I can report that, yesterday, I received a rejection from CHSS in my portal.

Then, today, I received an email from the dean of students that this rejection was an error, and that, in fact, I had been wait listed. There was no concrete information about when I would receive an update. Just "in the coming weeks."

 

I don't trust my luck: I was the alternate for Fulbright 2020-2021, which was cancelled altogether. Best to you this cycle.

 

UChicago CHSS Update: They have admitted only 1 applicant, with 5 on the wait list.

 

[Boarskin]

11 hours ago, scarletwitch said:

I’ve been referred to MAPSS too and am quite interested in seeing what they come back with, even though it means waiting a few more weeks. Adding on to @kleio’s query, I was just wondering if anyone knew how likely it is for referred PhD applicants to be offered a spot at MAPSS and if there’s a better chance for receiving funding due to this? Thanks!

I applied to the MAPSS in 2018 and got accepted with 1/3 tuition covered. I ended up declining the offer but I know people who have 1/2 tuition covered or even more. So I would say that the MAPSS usually offers generous funding for its applicants. But the MAPSS is a very intense program (three terms in one year) and you would not be able to apply for PhD again until fall 2022. The cost of living in Chicago is expensive too, but maybe not as much as that of UK. 

Edited February 18, 2021 by Boarskin

[cladthecrab]

Hi there, everyone! I hope application seasons are going well during this insane year.

I'm still waiting for information for some of my programs, but I've received funding offers from two MA programs in my region, not something I expected to happen since my GPA isn't great and I didn't take the GRE. At this level, are there questions that might be valuable to ask the program and my PIs post-acceptance to weigh the programs? My plans post-graduation currently do not involve academia, and I don't have a strong preference, so I want to make sure I have as much information as possible to get the most out of the experience.

[Maguire]

2 hours ago, Boarskin said:

I applied to the MAPSS in 2018 and got accepted with 1/3 tuition covered. I ended up declining the offer but I know people who have 1/2 tuition covered or even more. So I would say that the MAPSS usually offers generous funding for its applicants. But the MAPSS is a very intense program (three terms in one year) and you would not be able to apply for PhD again until fall 2022. The cost of living in Chicago is expensive too, but maybe not as much as that of UK. 

Thanks for this information about the funding - I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what pans out but I’m glad I have Cambridge for sure (and the tuition, living costs there is not so expensive). I guess what you say about having to wait for PhD applications seems true in that their website talks about helping you with PhD applications post-degree, so that would have to be a consideration as well as I was planning to apply this fall if I end up going to Cambridge as their term starts later (October) and thus I’d have more time to complete applications. I guess with MAPSS you could always take a year off while waiting for PhD decisions to work and hope to earn some money though? Best wishes ☺️

Edited February 18, 2021 by scarletwitch

[nws]

8 hours ago, scarletwitch said:

Thanks for this information about the funding - I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what pans out but I’m glad I have Cambridge for sure (and the tuition, living costs there is not so expensive). I guess what you say about having to wait for PhD applications seems true in that their website talks about helping you with PhD applications post-degree, so that would have to be a consideration as well as I was planning to apply this fall if I end up going to Cambridge as their term starts later (October) and thus I’d have more time to complete applications. I guess with MAPSS you could always take a year off while waiting for PhD decisions to work and hope to earn some money though? Best wishes ☺️

FYI UChicago is on the quarter system, so it starts much later than most US schools. I think next year's start date is September 27, which is decently close to the Cambridge term start date, so I think you'd have approximately the same amount of time to work on applications for the next cycle. 

[Maguire]

4 minutes ago, nws said:

FYI UChicago is on the quarter system, so it starts much later than most US schools. I think next year's start date is September 27, which is decently close to the Cambridge term start date, so I think you'd have approximately the same amount of time to work on applications for the next cycle. 

Oh okay, that's good to know, so potentially I could still go for the 2022 cycle like I would be doing with Cambridge, the only difference in waiting is essentially having different LORs and being fully finished with the MA, but I'm not entirely sure that I want to take a gap year between MA & PhD anyway. Thanks! ?

[aco2]

Hey folks, I have gotten a bunch of messages since posting my one acceptance, asking about my application process, etc. and I am happy to provide any feedback and answer questions whenever I can (as long as people know that this is not like a magic potion. I'm very lucky to have gotten in, but I don't pretend to know the secret to applying that nobody else knows). I have long felt that the nice thing about this community is that it's a group of wishful scholars supporting each other and providing a little clarification where possible to the more mysterious parts of this grad application process. 

That being said, I got an message this morning asking me if I was admitted to a particular program because it was the only program the writer had applied for and they stated that they hoped to "influence the outcome any way I can." This is so unbelievably inappropriate. It makes me sad to think that members of this community are going around trying to talk others out of attending programs that they were admitted to in the hopes of clearing their own way. Deciding on a program is a hard and intimate decision, and nobody should be trying to influence each other in any direction, let alone out of a good placement. 

I am going to step back here, and won't be reading any new messages. Please everyone try to be good to each other, and supportive rather than covetous when it comes to others' admissions. I know we are all desperate for good news in a hard year, but just be kind.