Fall 2011

[spitz]

yeah i was interviewed by David Embick and Julie Legate. That was my first interview and I was very nervous and didn't perform very well. I even emailed to Embick two days later to tell him that I'd like to work with him very much, but he just gave me an obscure reply and i thought it was over.

congratulations~

[spitz]

I wouldn't worry yet, Spitz. I had two phone interviews a week apart with U Maryland. I think they broke them up between professors and there may be some professors still calling students. They are still about 1 to 2 weeks out from invites to the Open House.

I do know how you feel--UCLA and Stanford both came up on the results board today, although I haven't heard anything yet. Exciting and nerve wracking!

emm... let me try to calm down.... i hope everyone of us will be enrolled in an ideal program~

[Jason30316]

One potential professor email me to tell me that I am admitted. 107 applied to OSU this year, among which 10 are admitted.

[spitz]

One potential professor email me to tell me that I am admitted. 107 applied to OSU this year, among which 10 are admitted.

hi~ would you mind sharing your profile and the list of schools applied to with us? ~

[psycholinguist]

Congrats on both acceptances!

[hopefulapplicant]

Congrats, Jason! Those are both excellent programs.

[pearls]

A lot has happened here since I last visited...

First, thanks again for all the info regarding US visas, Dilly-dallier and Billy! My visa was approved a couple of days ago. Billy, was the campus visit really packed with events? I'm afraid that my jet lag is going to be really awful and combined with the interview stress... I don't even want to think much about it.

Dilly-dallier and Jason, congrats on your acceptances!!

Also congrats to the people who posted in the Results section.

Everybody else, I hope we all have good news soon!!

Hopeful, you've really been doing great this app season (I'm sure that some of those "anonymous" acceptances are yours)! Can you tell me who from U of Maryland interviewed you? Was the interview long? Test-like or more relaxed?

[hopefulapplicant]

That's nice of you, pearls. I'm glad you got your visa! I spent several days this week navigating the sprawling bureaucracy of my local government and I found myself wondering about how your visa situation sorted itself as I waited (and waited...and waited...) in line.

Actually, none of those acceptances are mine--I wish they were! Since there are four UCLA acceptances on the results board now, I am guessing I have some bad news on my horizon. I am getting excited for San Diego's Open House in a few weeks though, and I am still holding a candle for Santa Cruz.

My interviews with U Maryland were very different. One was pretty short (~15 minutes) while the other was longer (~30 minutes). Both were focused on my credentials and future research interests with a brief discussion of the program. I get the feeling they were curious about my writing sample, since the subject was pretty far afield of what I want to do in graduate school. I was impressed by the knowledge of both professors, but the interviews helped me realize that the program wasn't a great fit for my research interests and I withdrew my application. To anyone still in the running, best of luck! They invest a lot of money and energy in their graduate students and there are many opportunities for research.

One down, six to go...

[pearls]

Bureaucracy is one of my biggest nightmares. And next week I'll have to wait at least an hour to get something stamped at school...

Hey, there's still chance for UCLA. I wish you luck with Santa Cruz and I do think you're pretty high on their list as you had an interview a few weeks ago! I crossed them off my list - even though I love their program, I shouldn't have applied. I wish I had known about their financial issues before applying. I don't think they'd admit me anyway - judging from Grad Cafe, who knows how many applications they received if Maryland got 140. Anyway, best of luck at San Diego, too!

Thanks for all the info on your Maryland interviews! I thought you were a syntactician. Is Maryland really such a bad fit? (Ok, stupid question - it obviously is if you withdrew your application.) Lasnik is going to interview me next week and I'm incredibly nervous. Had I known there were going to be (phone) interviews, I might have never applied...

Edited February 4, 2011 by pearls

[dilly-dallier]

I'm afraid that my jet lag is going to be really awful and combined with the interview stress...

I don't know how to deal with the interview stress. When I was interviewed by NYU three days ago, I was too nervous to think straight the whole time. This was surprising given that I taught for so many years and presented my work in front of a lot of audience, that the three professors who interviewed me were really nice and that I rehearsed almost all the questions before the interview (I never rehearse when I was giving a conference presentation).

But I have some experience in dealing with the jet leg. I used to fly across continents and give a presentation the next day, it would be better if you could switch your time to the destination time before your departure.

I wish I had known about their financial issues before applying. I don't think they'd admit me anyway - judging from Grad Cafe, who knows how many applications they received if Maryland got 140. Anyway, best of luck at San Diego, too!

Thanks for all the info on your Maryland interviews! I thought you were a syntactician. Is Maryland really such a bad fit? (Ok, stupid question - it obviously is if you withdrew your application.) Lasnik is going to interview me next week and I'm incredibly nervous. Had I known there were going to be (phone) interviews, I might have never applied...

Due to their financial problem, the only Californian school I applied to was USC.

Maryland is unnecessarily a good fit for syntacticians. They take a very strong biolinguistic/Minimalist perspective, but it seems to me that they don't have clear-defined research topics other than developing Minimalism. I feel that I would have been through a hard time in writing my SOP if I applied to Maryland, as I don't have much to say except that I think MP is a promising enterprise.

I've got a lot of friends applied to Maryland before. The dept is best known for their long run of interviews and short notice of the acceptance. They even interview people in March and admit people off wait-list on April 15. It is possible that you'll be interviewed more than once by different professors. More importantly, do not expect them to give you an answer right after the interview. You just have to wait.

[Jason30316]

I'm posting my background here...

MA in Linguistics from a well-known university in Taiwan.

GPA: 90.29% (3.91/4.0) for MA, 86.43% (3.82/4.0) for BA

GRE: 660 (94%) 790 (91%) 4.5 (67%)

TOEFL: 107

Writing sample: MA thesis (inner aspect), working paper (applicatives), term paper (Austronesian languages)

Two linguistics related awards, 2-yr RA and 1-yr TA experiences

Applied: UMich, Mich State, UT Austin, Arizona, UPenn, NYU, Georgetown, Ohio State, McGill, Toronto, UBC, Delaware, Maryland

Accepted (by order): Georgetown (declined), UPenn (interviewed by Embick and Legate, Benjamin Franklin Fellowship), Ohio State (5-yr full funding, declined),

Interviewed: NYU (Kayne and Harves), Delaware (withdrawled), UMichigan (withdrawled)

Rejected: Maryland (I guess cuz I haven't heard anything from them)

You may wonder why I threw so many applications. Well, thats because my friend applied to 6 programs last year, all rejected. So I thought this was tough and was kinda worried in the beginning. But, things have been going far more smoothly than I thought. And I regreted that I didn't even tried MIT and UCLA...

I'll choose between UPenn and NYU.

Good luck to everyone.

[pearls]

I don't know how to deal with the interview stress. When I was interviewed by NYU three days ago, I was too nervous to think straight the whole time. This was surprising given that I taught for so many years and presented my work in front of a lot of audience, that the three professors who interviewed me were really nice and that I rehearsed almost all the questions before the interview (I never rehearse when I was giving a conference presentation).

But I have some experience in dealing with the jet leg. I used to fly across continents and give a presentation the next day, it would be better if you could switch your time to the destination time before your departure.

Thanks for the jet lag tip! I've never left good ol' Europe so far. I just know I'll be too nervous to think straight during the interview. I can only hope I'll sound semi-dumb and not totally dumb...

Due to their financial problem, the only Californian school I applied to was USC.

Maryland is unnecessarily a good fit for syntacticians. They take a very strong biolinguistic/Minimalist perspective, but it seems to me that they don't have clear-defined research topics other than developing Minimalism. I feel that I would have been through a hard time in writing my SOP if I applied to Maryland, as I don't have much to say except that I think MP is a promising enterprise.

I've got a lot of friends applied to Maryland before. The dept is best known for their long run of interviews and short notice of the acceptance. They even interview people in March and admit people off wait-list on April 15. It is possible that you'll be interviewed more than once by different professors. More importantly, do not expect them to give you an answer right after the interview. You just have to wait.

Oops, you're right; I should be more careful with terms/labels. Due to the situation in my department, I often say "syntactician" when I mean "syntactician working within the Minimalist framework." Anyway, I just read that Hopeful is a DM fan, so never mind... I'm a Minimalist through and through, though, so admit me, Maryland! Admit me, anyone! Pretty please? Yeah, this whole application thing is making me crazy and I'm procrastinating more than ever. I wish I could fall asleep and wake up on April 15 (and have at least a half of my MA thesis written and all my exams passed by that time).

Yeah, I know I'll have to wait. I just can see myself obsessing over the interview until I hear from them two months afterwards. lol

I'm posting my background here...

MA in Linguistics from a well-known university in Taiwan.

GPA: 90.29% (3.91/4.0) for MA, 86.43% (3.82/4.0) for BA

GRE: 660 (94%) 790 (91%) 4.5 (67%)

TOEFL: 107

Writing sample: MA thesis (inner aspect), working paper (applicatives), term paper (Austronesian languages)

Two linguistics related awards, 2-yr RA and 1-yr TA experiences

Applied: UMich, Mich State, UT Austin, Arizona, UPenn, NYU, Georgetown, Ohio State, McGill, Toronto, UBC, Delaware, Maryland

Accepted (by order): Georgetown (declined), UPenn (interviewed by Embick and Legate, Benjamin Franklin Fellowship), Ohio State (5-yr full funding, declined),

Interviewed: NYU (Kayne and Harves), Delaware (withdrawled), UMichigan (withdrawled)

Rejected: Maryland (I guess cuz I haven't heard anything from them)

You may wonder why I threw so many applications. Well, thats because my friend applied to 6 programs last year, all rejected. So I thought this was tough and was kinda worried in the beginning. But, things have been going far more smoothly than I thought. And I regreted that I didn't even tried MIT and UCLA...

I'll choose between UPenn and NYU.

Good luck to everyone.

Congrats again! Those are some great acceptances! I don't think you've been rejected by Maryland. It's still early.

I suppose you withdrew your app from UMich because of all the acceptances you received.

Btw, if I'd had more money, I would have applied to more places, too. I still think all this is tough.

Edited February 5, 2011 by pearls

[dilly-dallier]

great stats! I guess I know who your supervisor is and which Austronesian language you are working on.

Don't give up on Maryland yet. One of my friends didn't get her interview request until March but still got admission eventually. But if you like UPenn and NYU more, that's fine.

I was interviewed by Richie and Stephanie, too, plus Chris Barker, though I keep thinking that I should have done better. The results would come out very soon, I guess. Fingercrossed!

I'm posting my background here...

MA in Linguistics from a well-known university in Taiwan.

GPA: 90.29% (3.91/4.0) for MA, 86.43% (3.82/4.0) for BA

GRE: 660 (94%) 790 (91%) 4.5 (67%)

TOEFL: 107

Writing sample: MA thesis (inner aspect), working paper (applicatives), term paper (Austronesian languages)

Two linguistics related awards, 2-yr RA and 1-yr TA experiences

Applied: UMich, Mich State, UT Austin, Arizona, UPenn, NYU, Georgetown, Ohio State, McGill, Toronto, UBC, Delaware, Maryland

Accepted (by order): Georgetown (declined), UPenn (interviewed by Embick and Legate, Benjamin Franklin Fellowship), Ohio State (5-yr full funding, declined),

Interviewed: NYU (Kayne and Harves), Delaware (withdrawled), UMichigan (withdrawled)

Rejected: Maryland (I guess cuz I haven't heard anything from them)

You may wonder why I threw so many applications. Well, thats because my friend applied to 6 programs last year, all rejected. So I thought this was tough and was kinda worried in the beginning. But, things have been going far more smoothly than I thought. And I regreted that I didn't even tried MIT and UCLA...

I'll choose between UPenn and NYU.

Good luck to everyone.

Edited February 5, 2011 by dilly-dallier

[spitz]

I'm posting my background here...

MA in Linguistics from a well-known university in Taiwan.

GPA: 90.29% (3.91/4.0) for MA, 86.43% (3.82/4.0) for BA

GRE: 660 (94%) 790 (91%) 4.5 (67%)

TOEFL: 107

Writing sample: MA thesis (inner aspect), working paper (applicatives), term paper (Austronesian languages)

Two linguistics related awards, 2-yr RA and 1-yr TA experiences

Applied: UMich, Mich State, UT Austin, Arizona, UPenn, NYU, Georgetown, Ohio State, McGill, Toronto, UBC, Delaware, Maryland

Accepted (by order): Georgetown (declined), UPenn (interviewed by Embick and Legate, Benjamin Franklin Fellowship), Ohio State (5-yr full funding, declined),

Interviewed: NYU (Kayne and Harves), Delaware (withdrawled), UMichigan (withdrawled)

Rejected: Maryland (I guess cuz I haven't heard anything from them)

You may wonder why I threw so many applications. Well, thats because my friend applied to 6 programs last year, all rejected. So I thought this was tough and was kinda worried in the beginning. But, things have been going far more smoothly than I thought. And I regreted that I didn't even tried MIT and UCLA...

I'll choose between UPenn and NYU.

Good luck to everyone.

really a very impressive profile! and congratulations !

Applicatives and Austronesian languages interest me also. are you a native speaker of certain Taiwan Austronesian languages?

finally i was also interviewed by NYU (Harves and Kayne), but i was so tense in the interview that several times i even asked them to repeat their questions.... I should have had a better preparation...

May God bless every linguistic student here~

Edited February 5, 2011 by spitz

[vaaarr]

Hello all: I'm applying to several programs and I've started hearing back from them. I figure I should let people know what "the bar" is, so to speak:

MY RUN-UP TO THE BAR:

Domestic (U.S) student

3.84 GPA (3.95 major)

GRE 730V 740Q 5.0AW

Aiming for phonetics/phonology specialization

Nearly two years as phonetics-area research assistant to two different projects

A year's work on a syntax/narrative ability corpus project before that (not as related)

No publications or talks, minor academic honors

3 (from what I can tell, good) letters of recommendation from supervisors/one professor

Writing sample on articulatory instability of voiceless sonorants as a contributor to tonogenesis in certain linguistic areas

CLEARED THE BAR (accepted): UC Berkeley

HIT MY KNEE ON THE BAR (rejected): UCLA

(within the last 12 hours, it's been quite a day...)

[hopefulapplicant]

I can empathize, vaaarr--I too began my day with a rejection from UCLA and ended it with an acceptance from UC Berkeley! Will you be attending the Open House? I am sooooo excited and happy. I can't believe I am actually going to grad school!

I think phone interviews are tough for everyone, spitz. I certainly froze up in my Maryland interview, and I know Jason and dilly-dallier expressed similar feelings. Just take a deep breath and don't count yourself out for that. After feeling so negative about Maryland, I practiced mock interviews with my boyfriend and I felt much better prepared afterward. Perhaps it would help to find someone in your life who could do the same?

I'm actually not that familiar with DM, pearls, although I have found what little I have read of it interesting. I hope to explore different theoretical approaches in grad school. I identify most strongly with the generative tradition, but not necessarily with the MP, and I want a chance to explore that tension and consider other frameworks. Actually, that is part of the reason I appreciate Santa Cruz so much--They seem very open-minded.

How did UCLA shake out for you, Typologaster?

[psycholinguist]

I can empathize, vaaarr--I too began my day with a rejection from UCLA and ended it with an acceptance from UC Berkeley! Will you be attending the Open House? I am sooooo excited and happy. I can't believe I am actually going to grad school!

Congrats!

[Typologaster]

I can empathize, vaaarr--I too began my day with a rejection from UCLA and ended it with an acceptance from UC Berkeley! Will you be attending the Open House? I am sooooo excited and happy. I can't believe I am actually going to grad school!

I think phone interviews are tough for everyone, spitz. I certainly froze up in my Maryland interview, and I know Jason and dilly-dallier expressed similar feelings. Just take a deep breath and don't count yourself out for that. After feeling so negative about Maryland, I practiced mock interviews with my boyfriend and I felt much better prepared afterward. Perhaps it would help to find someone in your life who could do the same?

I'm actually not that familiar with DM, pearls, although I have found what little I have read of it interesting. I hope to explore different theoretical approaches in grad school. I identify most strongly with the generative tradition, but not necessarily with the MP, and I want a chance to explore that tension and consider other frameworks. Actually, that is part of the reason I appreciate Santa Cruz so much--They seem very open-minded.

How did UCLA shake out for you, Typologaster?

A no by my neck of the woods—hopefully the other schools turn out better. I'm slightly scared because I know that UCLA accepts large cohorts of students (despite the financial crisis in Cali (?)), but I'm not outrageously disappointed because UCLA wasn't in my top two. Still, I'm disappointed... Los Angeles is beautiful. At this point, I'm trying to prepare myself for worst case scenarios. In case I don't get into grad school, I'm applying around for jobs starting in the summer (I also studied mathematics and some economics) so I can start saving money. In such case, I'd simply apply to grad school again some point in the future (perhaps next year).

[hopefulapplicant]

At this point, I'm trying to prepare myself for worst case scenarios. In case I don't get into grad school, I'm applying around for jobs starting in the summer (I also studied mathematics and some economics) so I can start saving money. In such case, I'd simply apply to grad school again some point in the future (perhaps next year).

You know, when I got my UCLA rejection, that was *exactly* where I went in my head, too. I started researching ESL certification courses and TESOL career websites, crafting a mental game plan for next application season. I think it is a productive response to rejection--You are smart, you've been successful so far, you have people in your corner, and you'll land on your feet whatever happens. However, remember that you've still got five or six programs to hear from and it isn't yet time to abandon all hope. Don't let your reaction get the better of you, like I tend to do. Your stats are great, your honors thesis sounds really interesting, and you've got a personal letter from Dr. Baker, who is well respected across the country. We're pulling for you!

[Zouzax]

A no by my neck of the woods—hopefully the other schools turn out better. I'm slightly scared because I know that UCLA accepts large cohorts of students (despite the financial crisis in Cali (?)), but I'm not outrageously disappointed because UCLA wasn't in my top two. Still, I'm disappointed... Los Angeles is beautiful. At this point, I'm trying to prepare myself for worst case scenarios. In case I don't get into grad school, I'm applying around for jobs starting in the summer (I also studied mathematics and some economics) so I can start saving money. In such case, I'd simply apply to grad school again some point in the future (perhaps next year).

Don't worry -- nothing on my end, either. I've been working on a plan B as well. Ill probably apply to one or two schools in Europe that have deadlines in April, and if that doesn't work out either, I'll just continue teaching English in Europe, beef up my app, and try again next year ... of course, it's only the first week of February so let's stay positive. Good luck to everyone!!

[Typologaster]

You know, when I got my UCLA rejection, that was *exactly* where I went in my head, too. I started researching ESL certification courses and TESOL career websites, crafting a mental game plan for next application season. I think it is a productive response to rejection--You are smart, you've been successful so far, you have people in your corner, and you'll land on your feet whatever happens. However, remember that you've still got five or six programs to hear from and it isn't yet time to abandon all hope. Don't let your reaction get the better of you, like I tend to do. Your stats are great, your honors thesis sounds really interesting, and you've got a personal letter from Dr. Baker, who is well respected across the country. We're pulling for you!

Don't worry -- nothing on my end, either. I've been working on a plan B as well. Ill probably apply to one or two schools in Europe that have deadlines in April, and if that doesn't work out either, I'll just continue teaching English in Europe, beef up my app, and try again next year ... of course, it's only the first week of February so let's stay positive. Good luck to everyone!!

Thanks for the support guys. All I need is one good one, but even if it doesn't happen, it's not the end of the world—there's always next year. The tricky part about this is that seniors write the thesis *as* they apply to grad schools, and so committees do not necessarily receive polished, complete versions of the papers. It turns out that the typology of coordinative compounds is a fairly broad topic, so the paper requires lots of revision before it becomes necessarily presentable. Nonetheless, writing this has thus far been a good experience (and probably will continue to be).

[spitz]

I just got an informal notification from NYU, telling me that I was accepted. This is one of my top choices. I feel so excited.

the campus visiting will be on 10-11 march.

May God bless all of us!

[Zouzax]

I just got an informal notification from NYU, telling me that I was accepted. This is one of my top choices. I feel so excited.

the campus visiting will be on 10-11 march.

May God bless all of us!

That's awesome spitz congrats!!

[pearls]

Congrats Hopeful, Spitz and Vaaarr!!

Hopeful, this is "a new approach to the architecture of grammar." To be honest, I don't know too much about it (I've been planning to catch up once my apps are sent, but I can't concentrate on anything (including a project due Feb 12) and I don't want to spend too much time online because then I check my inbox every two seconds). I think syntacticians on Grad Cafe might find it interesting.

I'm working on a plan B, too. But I'm still telling myself it's still early... One of my schools is traditionally sending decisions on Feb 9, at least according to Grad Cafe. Still, I don't want Wednesday to come too soon because that would mean that the dreaded interview with Md is close, too... I profoundly hate this application season. (The only good thing is that I've been in touch with a prof. from one of the schools who turned to be really great.)

And to quote Spitz, "May God bless every linguistic student here!"

[dilly-dallier]

I just got an informal notification from NYU, telling me that I was accepted. This is one of my top choices. I feel so excited.

the campus visiting will be on 10-11 march.

May God bless all of us!

Me too, just got an email from Richie. Hopefully we could meet in NYC later.

Still remember that evening when Richie, Stephanie, and Chris skyped me, they asked me if I mind turning on my webcam. I was super embarrassed to tell them "sorry, I'm in my pajamas." What I was thinking? I didn't expect a video conversation over Skype? I cannot stop regretting that during the whole interview. It turns out that the professors in NYU could be very tolerate.

To be honest, I don't know too much about it (I've been planning to catch up once my apps are sent, but I can't concentrate on anything (including a project due Feb 12) and I don't want to spend too much time online because then I check my inbox every two seconds).

I woke up 4 or 5 each morning to check my inbox. How can you keep yourself away from the Internet?

BTW, my BF is working on nanotechnology. I should asked him to collaborate with me on nanosyntax.

Edited February 7, 2011 by dilly-dallier