misterpat Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Just got into UCLA, but without any communication from ANYBODY. I just logged into the website and there was an acceptance letter that mentioned nothing about funding and was clearly a generic form letter. Come on, you can do better than that. That makes me a little more optimistic for NW. I figured since admits heard from future advisors, and I have received no such e-mail, that I had no shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technocat Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Does anyone want to take one for the team and call Northwestern? It seems strange that there were only the three acceptances this morning and then silence, unless NU admits are more internet-avoidant than the average 20-something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterpat Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Does anyone want to take one for the team and call Northwestern? It seems strange that there were only the three acceptances this morning and then silence, unless NU admits are more internet-avoidant than the average 20-something. I nominate you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychomachia Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 That makes me a little more optimistic for NW. I figured since admits heard from future advisors, and I have received no such e-mail, that I had no shot. Seriously, that's what I was thinking too. Maybe this is a round of decisions made last week, and they'll send this week's decisions next week? I'm a bit bummed, but not quite giving up hope yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technocat Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 I nominate you. As it turns out, I am not a team player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feisty Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Princeton reject. Lame form letter. lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
histdee Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Out at Princeton too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirt Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 not to be a downer (and huge congrats to those who have heard good news already!), and i realize there's still quite a bit of decision-making left to happen, but has anyone considered what they will do if they don't get an offer from any of the programs they applied to? consider reapplying next year? just curious where other people fall on this as the possibilities start to dwindle and i start thinking about my options... If it doesn't happen this time around, I'm out. I'm too old to go through all this again, and too poor to pay the application fees, transcript fees, printing fees, etc. I'll spend the summer trying to get back into shape and apply to the Navy. And if that doesn't pan out, I'll hope for a raise and try to find some adjunct work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feisty Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 re: Princeton. Everything about them was distant and unfriendly. Definitely for the best. I also get the impression it's still a difficult place for women. One of the most brilliant historians in my field, Linda Colley, is there, but that's the only draw for me other than general prestige. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
histdee Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 If it doesn't happen this time around, I'm out. I'm too old to go through all this again, and too poor to pay the application fees, transcript fees, printing fees, etc. I'll spend the summer trying to get back into shape and apply to the Navy. And if that doesn't pan out, I'll hope for a raise and try to find some adjunct work. I sadly think I'm probably out if nothing comes through in this round. I admittedly applied to a small group of competitive programs, but I was advised (by a jd/phd prof) that since what I really want to do is american legal history and law-types tend to be a bit snobbier about academic pedigree, the benefits to be gained by applying more broadly were minimal. May be wrong but unfortunately makes me think broadening the net isn't a viable strategy. Oh well, fingers crossed for everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortiesgirl Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Just received my rejection from Princeton. I applied to nine schools and have communicated with dozens of professors, graduate secretaries and students throughout my admissions process. Princeton's faculty was the group who did not respond to my emails during the inquiry process. Definately for the best, imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elanvita Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Another Princeton reject. Still waiting to hear back from seven schools, but most of those have notified at least some people, so I'm getting really worried. This whole process (especially the waiting) has been incredibly draining, and it seems it won't be over for some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feisty Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Just received my rejection from Princeton. I applied to nine schools and have communicated with dozens of professors, graduate secretaries and students throughout my admissions process. Princeton's faculty was the group who did not respond to my emails during the inquiry process. Definately for the best, imo. I had the same experience. I hope I never delude myself into thinking being a historian with a PhD makes me famous (lol, right) and unapproachable. In contrast, other big seemingly impenetrable places like Berkeley, Chicago, and Cornell have overwhelmed me with their humanity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RF237 Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 I also just received my rejection from Princeton. I emailed a professor there early in the process and he wasn't very helpful--just told me to email his students. Of course, he was more helpful than the Yale professor I had emailed, who didn't answer any of my questions or recommend anyone else for me to talk to, but just said, yes, we would welcome your application. I've found that the professors at state schools have been friendliest, although the professors I contacted at Harvard, Cornell, and Columbia were also very friendly and helpful. I thankfully have gotten into to one school, but if I hadn't, and ended up not getting into any, I would be done because this was my second round of applications, and there is no way I can think of to improve them. My GREs and GPA are great, I have a masters with distinction from one of the top history departments in the UK, and I'm sure my LOR, writing sample, and LOI were strong (explaining, not bragging, of course). And I can read Latin, French, and German, although I picked up the last two only last summer in learn-to-read courses. What more do you want?!?!?! Congrats to everyone who got good news today. Let's hope that good fortune spreads to some more of us tomorrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterpat Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Just got a rejection letter from Indiana University. Seems like a generic letter, but it's more polite than UIUC's was. Anyone else get one? Did they also tell you they "judged you to be highly qualified," and that they "feel you might very well be able to earn a doctorate in history and proceed to professional success, but [they] cannot accomodate you here"? I was planning on going to the bar tonight anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadiana Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 I also just received my rejection from Princeton. I emailed a professor there early in the process and he wasn't very helpful--just told me to email his students. Of course, he was more helpful than the Yale professor I had emailed, who didn't answer any of my questions or recommend anyone else for me to talk to, but just said, yes, we would welcome your application. I've found that the professors at state schools have been friendliest, although the professors I contacted at Harvard, Cornell, and Columbia were also very friendly and helpful. I thankfully have gotten into to one school, but if I hadn't, and ended up not getting into any, I would be done because this was my second round of applications, and there is no way I can think of to improve them. My GREs and GPA are great, I have a masters with distinction from one of the top history departments in the UK, and I'm sure my LOR, writing sample, and LOI were strong (explaining, not bragging, of course). And I can read Latin, French, and German, although I picked up the last two only last summer in learn-to-read courses. What more do you want?!?!?! Congrats to everyone who got good news today. Let's hope that good fortune spreads to some more of us tomorrow! Your credentials certainly are impressive, rebeccafav! I'm a medievalist too, but I fall far short of your language abilities, etc. What are your research interests? I notice that Toronto is one of your possibilities. It's my alma mater, and I must say, an excellent school especially for medieval history. Should you be accepted at UofT, I hope that it will be a strong contender among the choices you'll have to make. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_E Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 In Princeton's defense (and why I'm defending them, I don't know), they give their History PhD students a $40,000-a-year stipend. Not sure if there is service (TA) requirement or not. But it's more money than any other school I've heard of. So they have a lot of hungry people knocking on their door. If I was a Princeton prof, I'd be suspicious of every applicant. "Do you want to come here for the program, or for the money?" They get a little jaded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahlan_amnell Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Congrats again; when do you start turning people down? Nothing on the website for me yet, although it is highly unlikely I would go to UCLA even if I was accepted. After several years in the real world, I've basically accumulated way too much stuff to continue living in L.A. on a stipend in a place large enough to house it all. My current rent alone is twice as much per month as I would be likely to receive from a stipend. Do you have any idea what the rents are like in or near Santa Barbara? Some people have been telling me it's probably more expensive than where I currently live in LA county, but I don't know how current their information is. I'm still waiting to hear from UCSB, and I'm concerned that since no one has contacted me I'm just waiting for the grad school to get around to processing a rejection. I applied to 10 schools, two have rejected me, one has made a decision but I'm waiting for the letter to get here, and there are seven I haven't heard from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synthla Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Do you have any idea what the rents are like in or near Santa Barbara? Some people have been telling me it's probably more expensive than where I currently live in LA county, but I don't know how current their information is. It's not cheap - I was guess-timating being able to find a 2-bedroom for $1500-1600 a month. I talked to some grad students there, however, and apparently there is a subsidized grad student housing facility that is pretty new and not too shabby. One of them had a 2 bed/2 bath townhouse for just over $1000 per month. The catch is that technically it is "family" housing, but the definition of family is pretty loose. E.g., if you have a SO, you just have to be able to show them you were previously living together - don't have to be married or anything. Apparently there is a waiting list, but the wait is not as extreme as the UCSB website would have you believe, although it did take this person a semester to get in. You might check craigslist for better examples of "normal" housing. You just have to be sure to distinguish between Isla Vista/Goleta, where UCSB is located, and Santa Barbara proper, which is several miles further south on the 101. Apparently a lot of people live in "downtown" Santa Barbara (not sure what exactly that encompasses), including faculty, who are often no more able to afford to buy there than grad students. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slawkenbergius Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Yup, I just got rejected from Princeton too. So it goes. It would really have been a sin to ask for more acceptances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synthla Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Yup, I just got rejected from Princeton too. So it goes. It would really have been a sin to ask for more acceptances. Wow - if you didn't get in with your profile, I can't even imagine what they're looking for. Sorry about that, I know Princeton was toward the top of your list, but you've got great options (not that you don't know that already). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slawkenbergius Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Wow - if you didn't get in with your profile, I can't even imagine what they're looking for. Sorry about that, I know Princeton was toward the top of your list, but you've got great options (not that you don't know that already). I wanted to go there mostly because of its reputation for early modern cultural history/history of the book, and because Michael Gordin was there--he does great work on the Russian intelligentsia. But now that Robert Darnton is gone, there really isn't anyone else there (except Anthony Grafton, I guess) who does the kind of eighteenth-century work I'm interested in, and the the history of the book fad is really dying out. So meh, whatever, though I guess that's sour grapes at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slawkenbergius Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 In Princeton's defense (and why I'm defending them, I don't know), they give their History PhD students a $40,000-a-year stipend. Not sure if there is service (TA) requirement or not. But it's more money than any other school I've heard of. So they have a lot of hungry people knocking on their door. If I was a Princeton prof, I'd be suspicious of every applicant. "Do you want to come here for the program, or for the money?" They get a little jaded. Where did you hear this? I've heard $21500, which is standard. Maybe they mean stipend+tuition? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synthla Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 In Princeton's defense (and why I'm defending them, I don't know), they give their History PhD students a $40,000-a-year stipend. Not sure if there is service (TA) requirement or not. But it's more money than any other school I've heard of. So they have a lot of hungry people knocking on their door. If I was a Princeton prof, I'd be suspicious of every applicant. "Do you want to come here for the program, or for the money?" They get a little jaded. And pissed off they have to live in New Jersey. That will deaden the heart of even the kindest, most generous person after a few years. :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sra08 Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Hey, New Jersey is a great place to live, speaking as someone who grew up there. It's a very diverse state in terms of what's there, and gets a bad rep unfairly. I didn't apply to Princeton, but I am REALLY hoping for Rutgers--both because it's a great place for my subfield, and because I want to go back to New Jersey! It also seems to be the best school left which I feel like I have any chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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