Updates!

[TVDOC]

3 weeks until decision day....

Ugh! I am still waiting on the following:

Penn State Mass Comm: Told I will have an admit decision on Mon 3/28

Temple Funding: Told I will have a decision before 4/1

U Miami: Told I will have an admit decision 1st week of April

Univ. GA: Waitlisted, might not know anything till 4/15 or later.

I am pretty surprised being this close to the end and I am waiting for so many decisions to be made. I guess I naively thought at some point I would get a letter w/ an offer and funding and make a decisions and it would be that easy. Huh, so much for that nice idea.

Now that the process is almost over, how did it compare to your expectations? AND Are you still waiting for a decision on admissions, funding, something else?

[jmacnomad]

3 weeks until decision day.... Ugh! I am still waiting on the following:

Penn State Mass Comm: Told I will have an admit decision on Mon 3/28

Temple Funding: Told I will have a decision before 4/1

U Miami: Told I will have an admit decision 1st week of April

Univ. GA: Waitlisted, might not know anything till 4/15 or later.

I am pretty surprised being this close to the end and I am waiting for so many decisions to be made. I guess I naively thought at some point I would get a letter w/ an offer and funding and make a decisions and it would be that easy. Huh, so much for that nice idea.

Now that the process is almost over, how did it compare to your expectations? AND Are you still waiting for a decision on admissions, funding, something else?

I didn't realize that I would be waiting so long for decision either. I thought I would know something by mid-March. At this point, I'm waitlisted at my top two programs. My third option was an admit that I would have been thrilled with, but there is no funding, so I won't be able to attend. (It's hard to stomach because I visited the program and really liked it a lot). I have two other options that I haven't heard from but neither was high on my list and I'm not sure I would accept them if I had the option).

I'm slowly coming to the realization that I may not be attending anywhere this year. It's a heartbreaking prospect and I'm trying to stay optimistic. Three weeks seems so far away! Good karma to you.

[Jcantrone]

good karma to you, jmac! were you given any indication of where you are ranked on the waitlists? If you were told you rank high up there, you should definitely (fingers crossed) get off at least one of the wait lists, because nearly half of every admit pool accepts offers elsewhere. Best of luck

I didn't realize that I would be waiting so long for decision either. I thought I would know something by mid-March. At this point, I'm waitlisted at my top two programs. My third option was an admit that I would have been thrilled with, but there is no funding, so I won't be able to attend. (It's hard to stomach because I visited the program and really liked it a lot). I have two other options that I haven't heard from but neither was high on my list and I'm not sure I would accept them if I had the option).

I'm slowly coming to the realization that I may not be attending anywhere this year. It's a heartbreaking prospect and I'm trying to stay optimistic. Three weeks seems so far away! Good karma to you.

[jmacnomad]

good karma to you, jmac! were you given any indication of where you are ranked on the waitlists? If you were told you rank high up there, you should definitely (fingers crossed) get off at least one of the wait lists, because nearly half of every admit pool accepts offers elsewhere. Best of luck

Thanks for the good thoughts. I have no idea on one program (my sense is there is a lot of people in the pool for that one) and the other one doesn't rank applicants but matches admitted and waitlisted candidates with certain faculty. If the first choice candidate under that faculty declines, then a waitlisted candidate gets in. I'm more hopeful with the latter program simply because their admission process is more transparent. How are prospects with you?

[n081280m]

Thank you to everyone for your commentary on this forum this past admit season -- I found it to be so helpful.

Next year I'll be at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and I've contacted all of the other institutions I was admitted to decline respective offers (South Florida, Ohio State, Colorado State, Boise State).

Best of luck to everyone still waiting. My fingers are crossed for all of you and a congratulations goes out to everyone who has already made a final decision!

[jmacnomad]

Thank you to everyone for your commentary on this forum this past admit season -- I found it to be so helpful.

Next year I'll be at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and I've contacted all of the other institutions I was admitted to decline respective offers (South Florida, Ohio State, Colorado State, Boise State).

Best of luck to everyone still waiting. My fingers are crossed for all of you and a congratulations goes out to everyone who has already made a final decision!

Congrats on UIUC! What a great program. Thanks for letting us know about your declines as well. I'm sure someone will be glad to see that!

[TVDOC]

Headline on Yahoo! this morning said "1 month till royal wedding"

I thought it should read "15 days till grad school deadline!" but I don't think we will be seeing that headline any time soon although I m sure our deadline is much more important to us than the wedding

[Kathiza]

Headline on Yahoo! this morning said "1 month till royal wedding"

I thought it should read "15 days till grad school deadline!" but I don't think we will be seeing that headline any time soon although I m sure our deadline is much more important to us than the wedding

Right!

Only 15 days to go and still no funding infos from 2 of my 3 schools. And no info at all (i.e. no admission decision) from one of my schools). AAAAHHHHHH!

[jmacnomad]

15 days and no funded options yet! Blerg!

[hejduk]

Well, I never thought I'd say this, but I just got an admission offer and I'm pissed! I was waitlisted, and have gone to College A to visit already, but was assuming that I'd probably not get off the waitlist. I"m visiting College B this wkend, which has granted me admission and funding. I like the state/area of College A much better, but I guess I need to keep an open mind in visiting College B this wkend.

Oh the irony in being pissed about an admission offer, when three weeks ago I was thinking I wouldn't get admitted anywhere!

[Strangefox]

Well, I never thought I'd say this, but I just got an admission offer and I'm pissed! I was waitlisted, and have gone to College A to visit already, but was assuming that I'd probably not get off the waitlist. I"m visiting College B this wkend, which has granted me admission and funding. I like the state/area of College A much better, but I guess I need to keep an open mind in visiting College B this wkend.

Oh the irony in being pissed about an admission offer, when three weeks ago I was thinking I wouldn't get admitted anywhere!

Congrats!

Keep your mind open. You haven't seen College B yet and you already think that it's worse. I think it is called acceptance depression. Cheer up! You are already in!

[jmacnomad]

Well, I never thought I'd say this, but I just got an admission offer and I'm pissed! I was waitlisted, and have gone to College A to visit already, but was assuming that I'd probably not get off the waitlist. I"m visiting College B this wkend, which has granted me admission and funding. I like the state/area of College A much better, but I guess I need to keep an open mind in visiting College B this wkend.

Oh the irony in being pissed about an admission offer, when three weeks ago I was thinking I wouldn't get admitted anywhere!

Hurray! That's wonderful news even if you're pissy about it. I'm happy for you at least!

[jmacnomad]

11 days to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck everyone!

[TVDOC]

11 days to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck everyone!

good luck to you too! 11 days, no funded options here either.

Felt horrible yesterday when I filled out the FAFSA paperwork for a loan just in case no funded options come about and my only option is to pay at my 1 accept

Hard to motivate and do work these days knowing the last years of work may not pay off, so why do more? I know, I know, stay positive, but there is only so much optimism one person can have.

What would I have done differently I ask... well, I think I might have not bothered applying to the stretch schools (aka top programs) and sought out some more smaller lesser known programs to increase my odds. It's tough when the top programs have the best faculty, classes, funding, etc.. and the others just arent as perfect a fit in many cases. Hmmm.

[jmacnomad]

good luck to you too! 11 days, no funded options here either.

Felt horrible yesterday when I filled out the FAFSA paperwork for a loan just in case no funded options come about and my only option is to pay at my 1 accept

I know this feeling! I did my FAFSA for my unfunded program and I only have federal loan options for half of what I'd need to study there (it's a private school). Geez. I'm trying so hard to stay optimistic!

[Gooner]

Felt horrible yesterday when I filled out the FAFSA paperwork for a loan just in case no funded options come about and my only option is to pay at my 1 accept

You certainly know best, but I would advise you to think really hard about this. I think it's okay to take out some loans for programs that offer less-than-ideal funding, but unless you're going to a top-5 program, I would advise against going the loan route. There's a great deal of uncertainty in terms of academic jobs right now, and the loans would add a ton of pressure when you graduate. Plus, even if you fund your program, it doesn't guarantee you'd be able to get any teaching experience, which will be important when you job hunt (you can certainly perform outstanding research on your own, though -- however, travel to conferences may need to be paid out-of-pocket). On a brighter note, there's certainly the possibility that you could get funding in subsequent years, but there is some risk to this. I guess, at the end of the day, if no offers come along, I'd suggest you try to find some work for the next year and re-apply come winter (and yes, go through this arduous process again, but hopefully having learned a couple of things) -- it is unfortunate, but not uncommon.

What would I have done differently I ask... well, I think I might have not bothered applying to the stretch schools (aka top programs) and sought out some more smaller lesser known programs to increase my odds. It's tough when the top programs have the best faculty, classes, funding, etc.. and the others just arent as perfect a fit in many cases.

I'll also disagree with the majority of this statement. Applying to places just because they're good schools is certainly inadvisable; you should only apply to places that have programs/faculty that offer a good fit for your research interests. However, if the place fits your interest, but appears to be a "reach" -- still apply! I know plenty of folks (myself included) who got into programs they never thought they had a chance at. It's honestly a huge crap-shoot, especially when you consider that the admissions committees often rotate members every year and are looking for students with certain research interests.

I imagine this is a really difficult time for you, with the April 15th deadlines nearing and still so much uncertainty plaguing your outlook. But I really hope you're still able to think about this with a level head and make the best decision.

[hellowhatsnew]

I'm sure this is a huge shot in the dark but if anyone was admitted to UNC and is turning down their offer, please do asap. I'm near the top of their waitlist and it is my top choice.

thanks SO much!

[jmacnomad]

You certainly know best, but I would advise you to think really hard about this. I think it's okay to take out some loans for programs that offer less-than-ideal funding, but unless you're going to a top-5 program, I would advise against going the loan route. There's a great deal of uncertainty in terms of academic jobs right now, and the loans would add a ton of pressure when you graduate. Plus, even if you fund your program, it doesn't guarantee you'd be able to get any teaching experience, which will be important when you job hunt (you can certainly perform outstanding research on your own, though -- however, travel to conferences may need to be paid out-of-pocket). On a brighter note, there's certainly the possibility that you could get funding in subsequent years, but there is some risk to this. I guess, at the end of the day, if no offers come along, I'd suggest you try to find some work for the next year and re-apply come winter (and yes, go through this arduous process again, but hopefully having learned a couple of things) -- it is unfortunate, but not uncommon.

I agree with this. I visited the school I was admitted to without funding. One of the students I met had just finished her dissertation and she estimated that she was about $110k in debt! (Granted, this is an expensive private school). She was also teaching 9 classes at local community colleges while finishing her dissertation. She is superwoman, but I am not! I can't, and won't, do that considering I won't make much more than I'm making now my first year out of a PhD.

Edited April 6, 2011 by jmacnomad

[Kathiza]

I'm sure this is a huge shot in the dark but if anyone was admitted to UNC and is turning down their offer, please do asap. I'm near the top of their waitlist and it is my top choice.

thanks SO much!

I haven't even heard from them at all. My admission decision is still pending at UNC according to Fulbright. So I guess it's a bad sign :-(

[seasonal]

I'm sure this is a huge shot in the dark but if anyone was admitted to UNC and is turning down their offer, please do asap. I'm near the top of their waitlist and it is my top choice.

thanks SO much!

I turned down my UNC offer last week. Hope it helped to get someone off the waitlist. Good luck!

[Kathiza]

I turned down my UNC offer last week. Hope it helped to get someone off the waitlist. Good luck!

If I may ask: What was your funding?

I'm slowly going crazy. Still waiting on one and a half schools. (Indiana still didn't tell me about funding, even though they wrote in their acceptance letter that they will let me know in early March...) It's April now! People, why are you keeping me waiting?

[seasonal]

If I may ask: What was your funding?

I'm slowly going crazy. Still waiting on one and a half schools. (Indiana still didn't tell me about funding, even though they wrote in their acceptance letter that they will let me know in early March...) It's April now! People, why are you keeping me waiting?

PM you!

[TVDOC]

Down to 1 week. Is there anyone else out there still waiting? Seems like a lot of people making decisions in the past few days. Congrats to you all and for those of us still in limbo, just think how long a wait it has been and we can make it another 7 days if necessary!

[hejduk]

So glad to be done!

Best of luck to those still waiting; something good will happen!

[Kathiza]

I'm still waiting. Asked for an extension of my deadlines at the two schools that already provided funding info and am now waiting on admission decision of one school and funding decision from another... Keep your fingers crossed for me. Let's hope I'll hear soon... But with the weekend, it's another two and a half days without news, I guess...