Fall 2012 Applicant Chit Chat

[A Finicky Bean]

Anyone hear anything from ASU, UCLA, Berkeley, or Stanford?

[natsteel]

Omg, is that a Duke acceptance I see on the board?! Maybe we'll finally figure out those who were admit to both Duke and Indiana.

I put up a Duke acceptance on the results board for a friend of mine who's not a member. They were admitted to do Haitian/French history and got their email back on January 26.

P.S. - If there are any Yale admits on here that have any questions, please feel free to PM me. Once again, there were well over 400 applicants.

Edited February 10, 2012 by natsteel

[crazedandinfused]

Anyone hear anything from ASU, UCLA, Berkeley, or Stanford?

I think there was talk of an unofficial Stanford acceptance yesterday. Maybe like 8 pages back or something. I could be wrong.....

We just need to get through the 'teens of February. Then it will actually start happening.

Edited February 10, 2012 by crazedandinfused

[oswic]

Congratulations to all the admitted applicants!

I know it's still early in the admissions process but I'm thinking about what to do if I don't get accepted this time around. I've been rejected by UT Austin and UIUC (my top choices). I'm pinning my hopes on UC Davis and The CUNY Grad Center but I'm not holding my breath for the others. So I'm trying to think about how I could strengthen my application for next year if it comes down to that.

The Middlebury Language School Summer program looks perfect. If by some miracle I am accepted with funding somewhere, the additional language training will elevate me to advanced proficiency sooner. If I don't get accepted, I might be able to write a new research paper with my heightened language skills and turn it into a better writing sample.

Here are the problems: 1). There are limited Middlebury financial awards and admissions is offered on a rolling basis. The longer I wait, the lower my chances are of getting a scholarship. 2). Even if I do get a scholarship, it won't cover the entire fee. Since I'm not affiliated with a university (I've been out of my MA program for 3 years and wasn't able to apply for PhD programs until now because of an illness) opportunities for scholarships are limited. 3). I would have to quit my job. Although I hate my job, it does offer some financial stability and in this economic climate, not having work to return to is frightening. I have lots of bills to pay and I'm married and in my thirties so I can't just pick up and move abroad to research as much as I'd like to. 4). Even with increased language skills, how would I conduct archival research while working full-time? Applying outside of academe and working in a non-related field was very difficult. I really don't want to go through that again but I will if I have to because this is all I want to do.

Just looking for advice/opinions. Thanks so much.

Edited February 10, 2012 by oswic

[wikichic]

I was thinking about improving my language skills if I didn't get accepted to any programs this year too. I don't think you necessarily have to go to a summer language institute to begin moving towards proficiency. I was thinking I might take a class at the local community college (cost affordable!) if I had to wait a year. While a language institute might look nice on a CV, I don't think you NEED to have it.

But don't give up hope until you hear from that last school! With an MA under your belt, I'm sure you have a great application. Best of luck to you.

[cooperstreet]

Middlebury has already begun admitting people and doling out financial aid. I would move on that if you're going to do it.

[crazedandinfused]

Yeah, I think a community college would be just as helpful, especially if you're going to showcase yer new language skills in a writing sample. I don't think they care so much about how you got your language..

But wait, it's still early February! Don't fold up your tents just yet.

And..... we have a Georgetown acceptance! Anybody care to claim it?

Edited February 10, 2012 by crazedandinfused

[telemaque]

It's been a pretty quiet Friday

[oswic]

Thanks for your responses. I'm not knocking community college, but I did that when I came home from my MA to supplement my language training. The language training in my MA program was limited to reading and translation - there was no conversational component. Community college was great until I got sick. Also, the local community colleges don't offer higher level classes in my language. I'll reconsider though and look at schools in neighboring counties.

Would it hurt to apply to Middlebury and then not attend if I don't get enough financial assistance?

[Ganymede18]

My significant other applied to both history and religious history/religion programs, about half the time at the same universities. I wonder if anyone else has applied to 2 wholly different fields (because these history acceptances seem really early, and we haven't heard a thing from her other field). Just another layer of nail-biting, hoping to find commiseration.

[cooperstreet]

All language classes aren't created equal. They aren't standardized across universities. A year of language training at a community college is not the same as a year of language training at a 4 year university with strong faculty in languages. The adcoms will not equate the two.

[Hopin'-n-Prayin']

Hey all, I posted a hopefully up-to-date admissions list on the admissions thread. Some interesting trends are starting to take form regarding schools and people.

For instance, I nominate attia, sequi001, telemaque and virmundi for the 2012 "Safferz-Lite" Award!!! Way to go to our finalists.

As for me, I got my official letter from UW-M, which of course did not mention funding at all. So, I called the Graduate school to ask if this means that I get no funding and they said that all the acceptance letters are silent as to funding because that is handled at the department level. So, if anybody is curious about the same thing, maybe this will help...

Edited February 10, 2012 by Hopin'-n-Prayin'

[wikichic]

It is true that all language classes aren't created equally. But I don't think that necessarily means that taking a community college approach is wrong for everyone. It completely depends on what you need it for. I don't need to use my language conversationally, therefore a community college class would work well enough for my needs. It seems like it wouldn't fit what oswic needs though.

But I'm sure there are other options outside of the Middlebury program. There might be some neighbouring 4-year unis that wouldn't mind you auditing a language course, which would still be much cheaper (and much less uprooting!) than going to Middlebury.

Apply for it oswic! You're totally right- what could it hurt? And if you get to go I would be completely jealous!

[Sparky]

My significant other applied to both history and religious history/religion programs, about half the time at the same universities. I wonder if anyone else has applied to 2 wholly different fields (because these history acceptances seem really early, and we haven't heard a thing from her other field). Just another layer of nail-biting, hoping to find commiseration.

Yes, history generally gets their responses going earlier than religion/theology.

Several of the top religion PhD programs (includes ones with very good HC/HB) have already sent out interview notifications or have even held their interview weekends already, but most of the others haven't sent anything out. Stuff will start happening. My year it was the last two weeks in February into the first week in March, but stuff in history happened later my year, too.

[ReallyNiceGuy]

Literally every person I know who knows exactly what Middlebury is responds the same way: "probably the single best language institution in the world."

I think a hard working student can learn a lot at a community college.

I also think they're likely learn more during one summer at Middlebury.

I'll let you know for sure in early September.

[Roxelana]

Hi all, I posted an acceptance to Georgetown earlier.

[ReallyNiceGuy]

Well done Roxelana!!

[wikichic]

Congrats!

[Simple Twist of Fate]

Another Penn acceptance up. Excuse me while I curl up in a little ball.

(not that I expected to get in, but my adviser had connections there and it would have been wonderful. I dared to dream)

[StrangeLight]

All language classes aren't created equal. They aren't standardized across universities. A year of language training at a community college is not the same as a year of language training at a 4 year university with strong faculty in languages. The adcoms will not equate the two.

yes they will. language classes at research universities are often taught my graduate students in language departments. at least at the community college, you'd be receiving education from someone who already holds an MA and (more likely in this job market) a PhD.

further, i've heard the members of my program's adcom lament that they can't really trust what students claim regarding their language training because, more than once, they've admitted students with 3+ years of language training from 4 year universities and those students can't read, write, or speak the language they were "trained" in. the only thing that really proves to a program that you know the language, other than it being a native language or the primary language of your educational instruction, is to use it in your writing sample.

most programs are aware of all of these factors. so, most programs WILL see community college language training as an equivalent to university language training. and the only time they'll really believe you is when your writing sample has sources in that foreign language.

[virmundi]

I realize that this might seem silly to some -- but if you are trying to focus on acquiring conversational facility with a language, I recommend checking out the Pimsleur tapes from the library and giving them a whirl. I know a guy who went through all three levels of Pimsleur French and was able to matriculate into a four-week French language intensive (in France) at the 7th level (out of 10!). I did the Pimsleur tapes for about three weeks before going to France with no other background and was placed in level 3 (again, out of 10). They are definitely helpful if you stick with them, and their widespread availability in library collections makes them convenient.

The affordability (ie. free to check out from a library!) combines with the effectiveness of the program to really really facilitate speaking the language. If you already have reading knowledge of the language in question, then this will help your reading along, and your reading with provide you with much-needed vocabulary!

Just an idea -- Personally, I'll never take another semester-long non-intensive (ie. immersion or at least one year rolled into one semester/trimester) because the pace is too slow for me to assimilate it in time.

Best of luck to you in acquiring languages!

EDIT: By the way, in NO way do I intend to suggest that those who take traditional college language courses are making a mistake or anything like that. I just mean that at this point, they just frustrate me! Your mileage may vary and they might be the best thing for your learning style!

Edited February 10, 2012 by virmundi

[crazedandinfused]

That doesn't seem silly at all People can be too stuffy about things like this. There are other ways to learn beyond a traditional four-year college.

Edited February 10, 2012 by crazedandinfused

[ReallyNiceGuy]

SL- considering what you just said about language

Would you say that a person who displays genuine fluency has a decided advantage on those who do not?

*That might seem really obvious, but if there's anything I've learned about this process it's that whenever you think you know you have only proven you don't know.

[maeisenb]

Berkeley rejections seem to have just come out...

[owls]

for people waiting on Berkeley-- checked their website today, got a rejection. (I think we can mostly assume that if you haven't gotten an acceptance from them, it's an implicit rejection, but check the website!) Kind of a bitter pill to swallow, since it was my undergrad institution...but in MUCH BETTER NEWS: got into Yale!