Fall 2012 Applicant Chit Chat

[A Finicky Bean]

Okay, I've been lurking on and off all day BUT it is Valentine's Day and I have spread rose petals on the bed, candles around the room and just made fresh white and milk chocolate covered strawberries. Ribs and twice-baked potatoes for dinner. Add in a good ale from 2008. Then I'm taking my husband hostage.

Rejections? What rejections?....

Hey, I have to pamper my husband...he's the one that let's me do all this crazy grad school stuff and made me promise to try again if I have to! Yay to extremely supportive sig. others!!

Edited February 15, 2012 by A Finicky Bean

[crazedandinfused]

Yeah, I like this actual chit-chatting thing!! I'm stuffed with lamb and parsnip mash and now we're going home to devour a chocolate cake and watch a bad 80s comedy. Let the application stress dissipate until morning........

[irvinchiva10]

Okay, I've been lurking on and off all day BUT it is Valentine's Day and I have spread rose petals on the bed, candles around the room and just made fresh white and milk chocolate covered strawberries. Ribs and twice-baked potatoes for dinner. Then I'm taking my husband hostage.

Rejections? What rejections?....

Damn, I wish my girlfriend did this for me! The burden usually (always) falls on the man. Props, FB.

[runner09]

Hi guys,

I've been reading posts for a while now but haven't written anything. Does anyone know (maybe from other application seasons etc..)how waitlists work? I am waitlisted at two schools now but still no firm acceptance... and I'm starting to get very nervous. I also had an "interview" with Penn, but no idea how that went or how it will turn out. Any helpful insight would be appreciated! Thanks!

[Veilside1]

What's up with UNC's trickling of acceptances? It seems like once a week 2-3 people hear word, then nothing. Anyone here have any inside info on the latest from Chapel Hill?

[TMP]

Hi guys,

I've been reading posts for a while now but haven't written anything. Does anyone know (maybe from other application seasons etc..)how waitlists work? I am waitlisted at two schools now but still no firm acceptance... and I'm starting to get very nervous. I also had an "interview" with Penn, but no idea how that went or how it will turn out. Any helpful insight would be appreciated! Thanks!

Don't be afraid to ask the DGSs how theri waitlists work.

[rupaul]

congrats to the UCLA admits! -- does anyone have a scoop on their process, if they admit by area, or in waves?

[volta36]

Come on, Yale! What's the hold up? Just send that rejection and get this over with, so I can MOVE ON!

Edited February 15, 2012 by volta36

[crater21]

Bah! After I got the Berkeley rejection to add to Northwestern, my brother said it must be because your application repels non-Ivies

Congrats on Harvard, Safferz!! You seriously rock!

As for your Berkeley and Northwestern rejections, I think it's possible that they turned you down because they knew that you wouldn't end up going there if admitted. I have heard it happen that sometimes schools turn down an exceptionally strong candidate because they know that person is bound to get into a top place, and so, they don't want to "waste" an offer, so to speak.

[crater21]

And, huge congrats to everyone who got acceptances in the last few days!

[StrangeLight]

Congrats on Harvard, Safferz!! You seriously rock!

As for your Berkeley and Northwestern rejections, I think it's possible that they turned you down because they knew that you wouldn't end up going there if admitted. I have heard it happen that sometimes schools turn down an exceptionally strong candidate because they know that person is bound to get into a top place, and so, they don't want to "waste" an offer, so to speak.

that could make sense, except that berkeley and northwestern ARE top places. those are the types of schools that would be competing for top candidates, not admitting that they wouldn't be able to hold onto them. not to take anything away from safferz's acceptances, but i seriously doubt berkeley thought it wouldn't be able to compete with ivy league schools.

[Hopin'-n-Prayin']

So I went to pick up take out at our favorate Thai place, but they were so busy (and disorganized) that after an hour of waiting for my order, I had to cancel the order and instead got take out from our favorate Mexican place- I left at 6:45 pm for the Thai food and returned at 8:45 with the Mexican food...the Mrs. was not happy...

oh well, you win some- you lose some...

for the summer, gonna concentrate on moving to another state and either find a full time gig or drum up some business to supplement a grad stipend...

... i do plan on doing some reading, but I am going to focus on that real heavy pseudo-philosophical crap that historians deem important like Novack's "That Noble Dream." For you first time grad students, I would suggest getting acquanted with the basics of historical theory and how to decipher all that quasi-intellectual gobbeldy-gook. Its a bear, and a major part of academic historical study...

[New England Nat]

I have heard it happen that sometimes schools turn down an exceptionally strong candidate because they know that person is bound to get into a top place, and so, they don't want to "waste" an offer, so to speak.

I was told that it happened ot me last year with one of the schools I withdrew before they could decide.

[TMP]

that could make sense, except that berkeley and northwestern ARE top places. those are the types of schools that would be competing for top candidates, not admitting that they wouldn't be able to hold onto them. not to take anything away from safferz's acceptances, but i seriously doubt berkeley thought it wouldn't be able to compete with ivy league schools.

N'western, I understand. Berkeley? No, I don't understand why they turned Safferz away. It's the #1 history program next to Yale and Princeton. Berkeley's HUGE loss!

[runner09]

thanks ticklemepink... I went ahead and emailed the DGS and am waiting on a reply. We'll see!

Anyone still not heard ANYTHING from Northwestern? I know some people got accepted and rejected, but still nothing on my application online...

[TMP]

Looks like you've got a third waitlist on your hand.. oh this is going to be fun for you to wait until April 15th.

[New England Nat]

but I am going to focus on that real heavy pseudo-philosophical crap that historians deem important like Novack's "That Noble Dream."

That was week two's readings for Princeton's infamous History 500: the Introduction to the Professional Study of History this year.

[Hopin'-n-Prayin']

right, I should say I am going to "re"-read the book, since the first attempt was useless...

[pudewen]

That was week two's readings for Princeton's infamous History 500: the Introduction to the Professional Study of History this year.

And it's the first book on the syllabus every year for Harvard's History 3900. I think a lot of history departments require their students to read it.

[oseirus]

I see Harvard has two acceptances but I don't see any rejections (too soon?) or wait list ... how do they do theirs?

[oseirus]

Oh and would it be appropriate to send this song to a DGS if you are rejected?

[New England Nat]

And it's the first book on the syllabus every year for Harvard's History 3900. I think a lot of history departments require their students to read it.

Book 1 is Marc Bloc's the Historian's Craft. I suspect they're trying to inspire us with a martyr to the profession.

[StrangeLight]

weird. my institution spared us all of that stuff. our historiography course actually contains very few actual historians. barth, butler, bourdieu... maybe "spared" was the wrong word.

[virmundi]

Personally, I think that "That Noble Dream" is a pretty good introduction to the last century of the field. It was (and has continued to be) a useful orientation to the historiography of work in my field. Of course, I had to lead a class discussion on the book, so there was no getting away from it for me and I read it fairly deeply (and I also have a comprehensive summary and set of notes on the book -- so it if comes up again, I'll be ready!)...

[TMP]

So not doing any reading over the summer. I can't do it anyway as I'll be at Middlebury (at least I hope the $ comes through!). Besides, I do plenty of reading in my subfield at work.

My mother's already asking when classes start and finish. Yes, she asked when I'm finishing with my first year as she really, really wants to book a trip to Paris (it was her promise long time ago that if I get a funded offer for PhD, that's my present). She originally wanted to do it this summer but I said no, no, Mom, I need something to look forward to when things get tough in my first year!

How are your parents holding up? I'm sure Safferz's parents must be... so over the moon with their daughter's incredible success. It's the American Dream.