It Has Begun

[BadgerHopeful]

Well, it's finally arrived. The first acceptance for Fall 2011 has been posted on the results page. Anyone want to claim credit? (And congrats!)

[qbtacoma]

Well, it's finally arrived. The first acceptance for Fall 2011 has been posted on the results page. Anyone want to claim credit? (And congrats!)

Dang it, I was going to ignore the results page at least until February. Congratulations to the lucky applicant!

[MegMill]

Isn't this extremely and uncharacteristically early for a decision in history?

[TMP]

It is too early. If it's really the truth, chances are that the professor is pretty much guaranteed to have this student. Otherwise, I suspect a troll. It happens on the results form just to drive other people crazy.

[natsteel]

It is too early. If it's really the truth, chances are that the professor is pretty much guaranteed to have this student. Otherwise, I suspect a troll. It happens on the results form just to drive other people crazy.

I was thinking the same thing. If true, this is most definitely an anomaly. I probably won't start checking the Results page three times an hour until at least February 1st... or, at least, that's what I keep telling myself.

[Henry Hudson]

I have an informal acceptance already, but won't consider it real until all the Is are dotted an Ts are crossed. My future supervisor, who is also the grad department head at one of the 3 schools I've applied to, told me on the phone that I'm in.

Edited January 16, 2011 by Henry Hudson

[natsteel]

I have an informal acceptance already, but won't consider it real until all the Is are dotted an Ts are crossed. My future supervisor, who is also the grad department head at one of the 3 schools I've applied to, told me on the phone that I'm in.

I have a similarly "informal" deal with a professor at the graduate school of my home institution, but, considering the results pages of recent years, it is likely still too early to expect any formal decisions.

[shepardn7]

I have a similarly "informal" deal with a professor at the graduate school of my home institution, but, considering the results pages of recent years, it is likely still too early to expect any formal decisions.

The acceptance sounds like this, though. It says it's an "unofficial" acceptance via email, which doesn't sound like any kind of formal decisions. Sounds as if he or she was just corresponding with the professor.

[natsteel]

The acceptance sounds like this, though. It says it's an "unofficial" acceptance via email, which doesn't sound like any kind of formal decisions. Sounds as if he or she was just corresponding with the professor.

It does say "accepted over email." As I understand it, usually an email from the department or grad school is just as "official," for all intents and purposes, as a letter. So, I guess you're right, sarandipidy. "Accepted over email" does sound like something informal between the poster of that result and an individual professor.

[sankd]

Yeah, just like a lot of other people on this thread I am pretty much assured acceptance at my home institution. All of my recommendation writers are on the committee, including my advisor.

It is way too early for a funded offer. Let's wait a month and see.

[barricades]

Hi guys. I just saw that this has caused somewhat of a stir. I posted the result up. I was really surprised when I got the email, since I wasn't expecting anything until at least mid-February. Anyway, it's pretty much what I put up in the information. The email isn't from any professor I have been in touch with (I only introduced myself by email to a couple of professors at the school before applying, and didn't sustain an ongoing dialogue with either). It reads that I've been admitted. However, the notice can only be made official once I get a letter from the university. It also talks about financial support and visiting the school, but nothing really detailed.

I'm thrilled, of course, but now I've become anxious about hearing from other schools whereas before I had kind of let it slip my mind!

Hope that clears things up, and good luck to everyone!

[katie1421]

Congratulations!

I've also just reached that stage where, after having been able to put it out of my mind for a while, I'm now checking my email and the results page an unhealthy number of times each day. Oh well. We're almost there!

[radagast]

We are almost there. We'll definitely be at the beginning of everything when Wisconsin releases sometime this week or next.

[TMP]

Almost there? I stand by my statement that late February is it for most people.

[katie1421]

Well, you know, it's all relative! Six weeks isn't all that long.

[K Ryan]

Well, you know, it's all relative! Six weeks isn't all that long.

If the next six weeks are anything like the past few weeks since application deadlines it'll seem a bit more like six eternities!

[natsteel]

Congratulations barricades!!!

Because of my obsessiveness, I went back through the results of previous years for the programs to which I applied and found that acceptances in those programs usually begin coming in the 2nd and 3rd weeks of February, though some have sent them out as early as the first week of February.

[datroy]

Keep an eye out for emails from Oxford with admissions decisions. Mine came this morning and was tagged as potential spam.

[BadgerHopeful]

We will be hearing from Wisconsin any day now.

[MegMill]

is there any one (or more) specific school(s) that is NOTORIOUS for waiting down to the wire to notify applicants?

[TMP]

Not really. Usually they notify all admits before March 15th. Waitlists is another story. Rejections is depended on the graduate school itself- some are good at letting people know ASAP while others take their sweet time because of massive bureaucracy (i.e. NYU).

[natsteel]

On the (somewhat) bright side, my PA at OSU emailed me today and said that the Graduate Committee will be meeting in "7 to 10 days."

[sidiosquiere]

On the (somewhat) bright side, my PA at OSU emailed me today and said that the Graduate Committee will be meeting in "7 to 10 days."

That's great! So does your PA like your application?

[natsteel]

I hope so. About a week ago, I emailed me to say that 2 of my LOR's were missing. I was able to have one prof. email his but my other writer is in Egypt on vacation until next week. Anyway, he said to have her email him the letter "within 24 hours" of her return since the Graduate Committee was meeting in "7 to 10 days." I did have a 35-40 minute conversation with him on the phone back in November that went well. I can only hope that he's on top of the app because the department plans to recommend me to the Graduate School for admission. But, who knows?

Edited January 21, 2011 by natsteel

[StrangeLight]

is there any one (or more) specific school(s) that is NOTORIOUS for waiting down to the wire to notify applicants?

NYU takes forever. while most admits will find out some time in late march, the rejects won't find out until april, and there are usually one or two people a year that mention that they receive offers of admission on april 13 or 14 without ever being notified that they were on a waitlist. NYU does have a prospective applicants week where they fly out candidates they're interested in, but many students invited to this week are not offered spots and a handful are usually admitted without ever being asked to attend the prospectives week.

so really, NYU just tortures you with hope until april 16, and then you move on and realize you should've been happy about your other acceptances instead of hoping and praying that you'd get to live in manhattan in the fall.