2021 Application Thread

[Redsfan98]

1 minute ago, Moka Pot said:

Yup, I just got my rejection from UCSD. It hurts because I communicated so actively with so many people there. I got an acceptance from my first choice though, so that softens the blow...

I'm sorry to hear that, glad that you got an offer from your first choice though!  I'm in wait list limbo at a few places, so trying to gather any info I can.

[Moka Pot]

Thankfully enough, I got offers from two schools this cycle. I just submitted my statement of intention to register at one school. Now I need to do the harder part -- declining the offer. I really liked both schools and I got to know students there who helped me through my application process, so I feel like I owe them at least a well-written email. Who else should I contact? I also feel like I need to email the POI soon since we are probably going to see each other again at some point, and I don't want to make this process any longer than necessary.

[kchistory]

Has anyone heard about funding from UCSD yet? When I got my email about being admitted they said it would likely be a few weeks before they sent out funding packages. The few weeks have passed and I still haven't heard anything. Anyone else? (Feel free to DM.)

 

[kchistory]

Please disregard my previous question. Literally 20 minutes after I posted, I got the email with my funding package. ?

[TMP]

On 3/16/2021 at 8:10 PM, Moka Pot said:

Thankfully enough, I got offers from two schools this cycle. I just submitted my statement of intention to register at one school. Now I need to do the harder part -- declining the offer. I really liked both schools and I got to know students there who helped me through my application process, so I feel like I owe them at least a well-written email. Who else should I contact? I also feel like I need to email the POI soon since we are probably going to see each other again at some point, and I don't want to make this process any longer than necessary.

Dear X,

Thank you for all the support that you have given during this process, including the many questions that I had to help me make an informed decision.  I have decided, however, to attend Y.  I hope that our paths will cross again in the future.

Best, 

Z

Then hit send. That's all you have to do.  It's all part of the game.

[exitiumax]

9 hours ago, TMP said:

Dear X,

Thank you for all the support that you have given during this process, including the many questions that I had to help me make an informed decision.  I have decided, however, to attend Y.  I hope that our paths will cross again in the future.

Best, 

Z

Then hit send. That's all you have to do.  It's all part of the game.

@TMP is the champion of writing emails for many scenarios for folks on this forum. Your work does not go unnoticed! 

[Moka Pot]

19 hours ago, TMP said:

Dear X,

Thank you for all the support that you have given during this process, including the many questions that I had to help me make an informed decision.  I have decided, however, to attend Y.  I hope that our paths will cross again in the future.

Best, 

Z

Then hit send. That's all you have to do.  It's all part of the game.

Thank you @TMP. I learn so much every day.

[sonnybunny]

What is protocol for checking in about a waitlist status? Is it appropriate to send an email after two weeks of notification to check in/assure that the program is still my top choice and I would accept if given an offer? DGS said March 10th that there was a "distinct possibility" that they could make me an offer. Thanks for any advice, don't want to step on any AdCom toes.

[AP]

1 hour ago, sonnybunny said:

What is protocol for checking in about a waitlist status? Is it appropriate to send an email after two weeks of notification to check in/assure that the program is still my top choice and I would accept if given an offer? DGS said March 10th that there was a "distinct possibility" that they could make me an offer. Thanks for any advice, don't want to step on any AdCom toes.

The advice I always give is:

1) If you have an offer in hand, you can email them to inquire and let them know you have an offer. 

2) If you don't have an offer but they gave you a date in which something might happen, you can inquire about a week after that date.

3) If you don't have an offer nor a date in which something can happen, you won't probably hear until after April 15, when accepted students have to give a response. In that case, you don't have any reason to contact the program before then. I don't agree contacting the program, but I've seen people suggest it here (and people that did so). YMMV

[sonnybunny]

2 minutes ago, AP said:

The advice I always give is:

1) If you have an offer in hand, you can email them to inquire and let them know you have an offer. 

2) If you don't have an offer but they gave you a date in which something might happen, you can inquire about a week after that date.

3) If you don't have an offer nor a date in which something can happen, you won't probably hear until after April 15, when accepted students have to give a response. In that case, you don't have any reason to contact the program before then. I don't agree contacting the program, but I've seen people suggest it here (and people that did so). YMMV

Thank you very much for the advice! 

[DisplayNameGoesHere]

@AP@dr. telkanuru@Sigaba@OHSP@Tigla

As promised, I have returned. I was accepted at four schools, got in off the waitlist at one, and rejected by five. I chose to accept the offer of a school that was not my first choice, because I quickly built strong rapport with the people there and discovered that they might actually fit better in terms of my interests, temperament, and future goals.

Thank you for all the help and support that you have shown me during this application season. 

[Yeseung]

I have a problem regarding advisor. 
 

Actually I was accepted by a certain school, but before the application I reached out to A professor, but I was noticed that prof. B was nominated as my ‘interim’ advisor. I cannot figure out if this situation means that the advisor is changeable or not. Is there anyone who experienced this kind of thing? What a complicated atmosphere it is

[AfricanusCrowther]

2 hours ago, Yeseung said:

I have a problem regarding advisor. 
 

Actually I was accepted by a certain school, but before the application I reached out to A professor, but I was noticed that prof. B was nominated as my ‘interim’ advisor. I cannot figure out if this situation means that the advisor is changeable or not. Is there anyone who experienced this kind of thing? What a complicated atmosphere it is

I would ask the person who you wanted to work with what's going on. The "interim" modifier makes it sound like your POI is going on leave next year.

It is useful to get your advisor-advisee relationship set in writing before the start of your program. You can change advisors, but you will want to know who you report to in your first year. (In my first year, the person with whom I wanted to work gradually became more distant and eventually ceded ceded responsibility for me altogether to his colleague. All of this was unbeknownst to me until much later.)

Edited March 21, 2021 by AfricanusCrowther

[AP]

2 hours ago, Yeseung said:

I have a problem regarding advisor. 
 

Actually I was accepted by a certain school, but before the application I reached out to A professor, but I was noticed that prof. B was nominated as my ‘interim’ advisor. I cannot figure out if this situation means that the advisor is changeable or not. Is there anyone who experienced this kind of thing? What a complicated atmosphere it is

Actually, it's not complicated.

Many things could have happened that are not up to you. Maybe Prof A is on leave next year (academic, medical, or family), maybe they will serve at another capacity (like chair or DGS) in the department and they want to make sure you have another professor to reach out to, or –worst case scenario for you– they are leaving the department.

In any case, no one owes you an explanation. 

Until you receive instructions otherwise, you continue to correspond with the person you were corresponding. At some point, they will let you know if you need to do something different. When the time comes, once you are enrolled and (hopefully!) come to campus to meet with your advisor, if they don't bring it up, then you can say "I've noticed in the system that I have an interim advisor, do you know why is that?" 

You are not married to your advisor. Of course you can change your advisor (though there are specific moments to do so). Your advisor doesn't know you and you don't know them. I've known several people that change their advisors after comps because they realize they work best with other professors. They also polished their projects, which means they have a better sense who can serve in their committees. 

Re: @AfricanusCrowther's experience, I have never seen anything "in writing" and I wouldn't know how to do it myself with students. However, I think it is important, once you begin your program, to talk about expectations. I'm of the opinion of not writing to POIs now about expectations for the Fall. 

[AfricanusCrowther]

49 minutes ago, AP said:

Actually, it's not complicated.

Many things could have happened that are not up to you. Maybe Prof A is on leave next year (academic, medical, or family), maybe they will serve at another capacity (like chair or DGS) in the department and they want to make sure you have another professor to reach out to, or –worst case scenario for you– they are leaving the department.

In any case, no one owes you an explanation. 

Until you receive instructions otherwise, you continue to correspond with the person you were corresponding. At some point, they will let you know if you need to do something different. When the time comes, once you are enrolled and (hopefully!) come to campus to meet with your advisor, if they don't bring it up, then you can say "I've noticed in the system that I have an interim advisor, do you know why is that?" 

You are not married to your advisor. Of course you can change your advisor (though there are specific moments to do so). Your advisor doesn't know you and you don't know them. I've known several people that change their advisors after comps because they realize they work best with other professors. They also polished their projects, which means they have a better sense who can serve in their committees. 

Re: @AfricanusCrowther's experience, I have never seen anything "in writing" and I wouldn't know how to do it myself with students. However, I think it is important, once you begin your program, to talk about expectations. I'm of the opinion of not writing to POIs now about expectations for the Fall. 

In my department, advisors are publicly assigned to students upon entry and in practice it is regarded as a sign of a serious problem if you have to change your advisor. In one's first year the advisor plays important roles in shaping the course of study for the student. I recognize that other history programs are more flexible, but I'm not sure what you mean by "no one owes you an explanation." Surely if the program has given this person an "interim advisor" they can ask what this term signifies.

[kchistory]

Does anyone have strong thoughts about negotiating for more money when they have multiple offers? Will it reflect poorly on me if I ask my top choice program to match the funding of the best funding package I received? Or should I just be grateful I have funded offers at all? The difference between my top choice and top funding are not THAT different (mostly just summer funding), so I don't know if it is even worth it to ask at the risk of coming off as entitled.

[dr. t]

2 hours ago, kchistory said:

Does anyone have strong thoughts about negotiating for more money when they have multiple offers?

Don't expect to succeed, is my thought. Especially in this environment. 

 

2 hours ago, kchistory said:

Or should I just be grateful I have funded offers at all?

A funding offer that's not comfortably livable is not actually a funding offer. 

[psstein]

4 hours ago, kchistory said:

Does anyone have strong thoughts about negotiating for more money when they have multiple offers? Will it reflect poorly on me if I ask my top choice program to match the funding of the best funding package I received? Or should I just be grateful I have funded offers at all? The difference between my top choice and top funding are not THAT different (mostly just summer funding), so I don't know if it is even worth it to ask at the risk of coming off as entitled.

It may be worth it, but in an age of belt-tightening and an even more uncertain future for the humanities, you may give the wrong impression to people who can and will make life difficult for you.  You're incredibly fortunate to have funded offers, considering the cycle's competitiveness and the large number of quality programs who refused to admit new cohorts.

[kchistory]

I contacted the grad coordinator at my top choice institution and they were able to match my other offer. It was a pretty minor addition (just summer funding for 1 year), so that might be why he was so amenable to the request. 

[TagRendar]

Well, my season is officially over.  On my way back from classes today, I received my (very nice) rejection from UIC.

I'll be taking some time to decompress and rest, focus on my own writing and research, and survive the last weeks of my second undergraduate degree before I start looking very hard at anything for fall 2022--but I will most likely be applying to programs again for fall 2022.

[klynn]

Still waiting to hear from University of MD on MA Dual Degree Library Sciences/History Program.  The application has been in "under review" for some time.  Today, the status change to "assigned application ID".  Does anyone know at what point in the process this would appear?  Does this give any clue as to what admission status will be??  It would seem that all applications would have been assigned an ID by now.

[kchistory]

Thank you to everyone who regularly posts on this forum. I think that all of the information I gathered on here over the past year was a fundamental component of my successful applications!

I declined two of my offers and have officially committed to a PhD program! Anyone else heading to UC Davis in the fall??

[dr. t]

On 3/22/2021 at 8:57 PM, psstein said:

It may be worth it, but in an age of belt-tightening and an even more uncertain future for the humanities, you may give the wrong impression to people who can and will make life difficult for you.

IDK, if they roast you for trying, then that's really good information to have early.

[CafeConGabi]

7 hours ago, TagRendar said:

Well, my season is officially over.  On my way back from classes today, I received my (very nice) rejection from UIC.

I'll be taking some time to decompress and rest, focus on my own writing and research, and survive the last weeks of my second undergraduate degree before I start looking very hard at anything for fall 2022--but I will most likely be applying to programs again for fall 2022.

I feel you. It's been a tough year. 

I took myself off the wait-list at UIC. 

[TagRendar]

8 hours ago, CafeConGabi said:

I feel you. It's been a tough year. 

I took myself off the wait-list at UIC. 

So are you taking a year off, then?  I don't remember if you said you'd gotten any offers.